Saturday, February 24, 2018 5:58:14 PM
Two Reuters Journalists Face 14 Years in Burmese Prison After Exposing Massacre of Rohingya Muslims
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by Democracy Now! [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzuqE7-t13O4NIDYJfakrhw / https://www.youtube.com/user/democracynow , https://www.youtube.com/user/democracynow/videos ]
In Burma, two journalists from the Reuters news agency have entered their third month in jail. Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were arrested on December 12 and charged with violating Burma’s Official Secrets Act. They have been denied bail and face up to 14 years in jail. At the time of their arrest, they were investigating a massacre committed by the Burmese military targeting Rohingya Muslims in the village of Inn Din in September. While the two journalists remain in prison, other journalists with Reuters have continued to piece together what happened in Inn Din. In a shocking new expose, Reuters reports Burmese soldiers and members of an informal militia executed 10 Rohingya Muslim captives. At least two of the men were hacked to death. The others were shot. We speak with Antoni Slodkowski, Reuters bureau chief in Burma.
https://www.democracynow.org/2018/2/14/two_reuters_journalists_face_14_years [with embedded video, and transcript]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeAr9WQsw9M [with comments]
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Rep. Pramila Jayapal: Trump’s Immoral Budget Punishes the Poor, Sick & Elderly
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by Democracy Now!
President Trump’s $4.4 trillion budget proposes deep cuts to education, healthcare and social safety net programs—while massively increasing the Pentagon’s budget. Trump’s plan would slash the Department of Education’s budget by more than 10 percent. It would sharply reduce income-based student loan repayment plans, while ending the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. Trump’s budget would cut more than $17 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program—or SNAP—barring food stamp recipients from buying fresh fruit and vegetables, and instead providing only a boxed food delivery program. The budget would also phase out federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which supports public and community radio and TV stations. This comes as McClatchy reports the Trump administration is considering a plan that would not only impose work requirements for Medicaid enrollees, but which would also put a lifetime limit on adults’ access to Medicaid. Meanwhile, Trump’s budget would see a 13 percent rise in spending on weapons and war, bringing the Pentagon’s budget to $686 billion. We speak to Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), vice ranking member of the House Budget Committee and vice chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
https://www.democracynow.org/2018/2/14/rep_pramila_jayapal_trumps_immoral_budget [with embedded video, and transcript]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRkQ4g2XFGQ [with comments]
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As Porter Domestic Violence Scandal Roils WH, Lawmakers Demand Kelly’s Ouster & Trump’s Impeachment
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by Democracy Now!
Rep. Pramila Jayapal talks about the scandal embroiling the White House over former Staff Secretary Rob Porter, who resigned after evidence surfaced that he had abused his two ex-wives. On Tuesday, FBI Director Christopher Wray testified to the Senate that the FBI had told the White House about the physical and verbal abuse allegations that were holding up Porter’s background check months earlier than the White House has admitted. Jayapal talks about why she has called for White House Chief of Staff John Kelly to resign, as well as her support for impeachment proceedings against Trump.
https://www.democracynow.org/2018/2/14/as_porter_domestic_violence_scandal_roils [with embedded video, and transcript]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpiDvVaR4oY [with comments]
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V-Day: Global Movement to Stop Violence Against Women and Girls Marks 20th Anniversary
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by Democracy Now!
As the White House is facing an escalating scandal over how it ignored the serious accusations of former Staff Secretary Rob Porter’s verbal and physical violence against his two ex-wives, we end today’s show looking at the worldwide movement called V-Day to stop violence against women and girls. Today marks the 20th anniversary of the V-Day movement, which was inspired by Eve Ensler’s groundbreaking play “The Vagina Monologues.” We speak to three V-Day activists from around the world: Christine Schuler Deschryver of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rada Boric from Croatia and Agnes Pareyio from Kenya.
https://www.democracynow.org/2018/2/14/v_day_global_movement_to_stop [with embedded video, and transcript]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sncWeHF-Fbk [with comments]
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V-Day Special: Global Activists on Their 20-Year Campaign to Stop Violence Against Women and Girls
Published on Feb 15, 2018 by Democracy Now!
On the 20th anniversary of V-Day, we host an extended conversation with three leading international campaigners fighting to stop violence against women and girls: Christine Schuler Deschryver of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rada Boric from Croatia and Agnes Pareyio from Kenya. The first V-Day events were held 20 years ago today, on Feb. 14, 1998.
https://www.democracynow.org/2018/2/14/v_day_special_global_activists_on [with embedded video, and transcript]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6_2OdcJAmA [with comments]
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Readout of President Donald J. Trump’s Call with President Tran Dai Quang of Vietnam
Issued on: February 14, 2018
President Donald J. Trump spoke today with President Tran Dai Quang of Vietnam to reaffirm their shared commitment to strengthening the United States-Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership. President Trump and President Quang discussed the regional security environment and the growing bilateral defense relationship between their two countries, including the upcoming visit by the United States aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson to Da Nang in March. The two leaders also discussed trade issues, and pledged to deepen and expand bilateral trade that is fair and reciprocal.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/readout-president-donald-j-trumps-call-president-tran-dai-quang-vietnam/
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Full Show - Chinese Name & Claim New Territory, Trump Fights For Steel Jobs - 02/14/2018
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by Ron Gibson [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYv-5LsUyc_P8KMo7YGPFPA / https://www.youtube.com/user/RonGibsonCF , https://www.youtube.com/user/RonGibsonCF/videos ]
Full Broadcast 14Feb18 Real News with David Knight
Democrats have been masters of seizing the high ground in arguments by coining terms like “Dreamer” and Chinese are now extending their territory by naming underwater features around their artificial island military bases. Then, proof that US elections are hacked — not by Russians but by US political parties. And Lionel exposes the latest media shell games & distractions.
[from Alex Jones and his merry band of batshit bullshitters]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysuFyx5Vy2U [with comments] [the edited official Alex Jones/Real News with David Knight upload at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdqCe-DqFUc (title and text adapted from; with comments)]
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WATCH: Treasury Secy. Mnuchin testifies before Senate Finance Cmte.
Streamed live on Feb 14, 2018 by PBS NewsHour [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6ZFN9Tx6xh-skXCuRHCDpQ / https://www.youtube.com/user/PBSNewsHour , https://www.youtube.com/user/PBSNewsHour/videos ]
Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin testifies before the Senate Finance Committee.
Senate Committee on Finance
The President’s Fiscal Year 2019 Budget
Full Committee
February 14, 2018 10:30 AM
215 Dirksen Senate Office Building
https://www.finance.senate.gov/hearings/the-presidents-fiscal-year-2019-budget
additional sessions of this hearing at:
February 14, 2018 02:30 PM https://www.finance.senate.gov/hearings/the-presidents-fiscal-year-2019-budget2
February 15, 2018 09:00 AM https://www.finance.senate.gov/hearings/the-presidents-fiscal-year-2019-budget3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5O7vXabzx7k [comments disabled]
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President Donald J. Trump Calls on the Senate to Support the Grassley Bill, Oppose Bills that Fail to Deliver for the American People
Issued on: February 14, 2018
President Trump issued the following statement of support today for Chairman Grassley’s immigration bill, which was just published and is based on the White House Framework. In seeking responsible immigration reform, the President urged senators to vote for the Grassley bill and to oppose any legislation that violates the Framework’s “four pillars,” and that thus fails to deliver safety, security, and prosperity to the American People:
I want to thank Chairman Grassley for introducing legislation based on the White House Immigration Reform and Border Security Framework. The Grassley bill accomplishes the four pillars of the White House Framework: a lasting solution on DACA, ending chain migration, cancelling the visa lottery, and securing the border through building the wall and closing legal loopholes. I am asking all senators, in both parties, to support the Grassley bill and to oppose any legislation that fails to fulfill these four pillars – that includes opposing any short-term “Band-Aid” approach. The overwhelming majority of American voters support a plan that fulfills the Framework’s four pillars, which move us towards the safe, modern, and lawful immigration system our people deserve.
At the same time, I remain encouraged by developments in the House toward advancing legislation from Chairmen Goodlatte and McCaul that also enshrines our four pillars.
Now that our military is fully funded, and will be rebuilt stronger than ever before, my focus is on enacting responsible and commonsense immigration reform that delivers for the American People.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trump-calls-senate-support-grassley-bill-oppose-bills-fail-deliver-american-people/
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32 Things Donald Trump Loves To Love
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by VICE News [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZaT_X_mc0BI-djXOlfhqWQ / https://www.youtube.com/user/vicenews , https://www.youtube.com/user/vicenews/videos ]
Valentine’s Day gives us an occasion to focus on the great loves of our life. For most of us, this means our significant others, family, and friends. But for President Donald Trump, this includes a long list of people, places, activities, and inanimate objects.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0f9ysmciWUk [with comments]
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President Trump Meets with Bipartisan Members of Congress on Infrastructure
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by The White House [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYxRlFDqcWM4y7FfpiAN3KQ / https://www.youtube.com/user/whitehouse , https://www.youtube.com/user/whitehouse/videos ]
The White House
Remarks by President Trump in Meeting with Bipartisan Members of Congress on Infrastructure
Cabinet Room
February 14, 2018
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-meeting-bipartisan-members-congress-infrastructure/ [official transcript]
Building a Stronger America: America Wants Infrastructure Reform
“It’s time to put up soaring new infrastructure that inspires pride in our people and our towns.”
- President Donald J. Trump
February 14, 2018
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/building-stronger-america-america-wants-infrastructure-reform/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH0K2gL1znA [with comments]
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Full Show - DISTURBING: ESPN Admits They Spy On Viewers As They Watch - 02/14/2018
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by The Alex Jones Channel [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvsye7V9psc-APX6wV1twLg / https://www.youtube.com/user/TheAlexJonesChannel , https://www.youtube.com/user/TheAlexJonesChannel/videos ]
Wednesday, Feb. 14th 2018: Americans Fall in Love with Trump - Roger Stone and Alex Jones host today's worldwide transmission, and they reveal ESPN's startling admission, during the Super Bowl, that they can watch their audience through their personal TV. The President's popularity is on a massive upswing as more people - including former Hillary voters - start to see the difference between Trump and the Deep State. The globalists tried to crash the stock market to blame on the president, but the public saw right through it. Roger Stone looks into the wide range of over-arching news and explain what it means for YOU during the fourth and final hour.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dJMvjvCYRU [with comments] [also, slightly edited, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbSchB2G0qw (additional text adapted from; with comments)] [a must-watch]
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Dr Prof Alex Jones Explains Advanced Physics
Published on Feb 13, 2018 by King Crocoduck [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiQ2pjcoPI-Jpo1GER7-iUA / https://www.youtube.com/user/KingCrocoduck , https://www.youtube.com/user/KingCrocoduck/videos ]
Hi everyone, just a quick and fun little video I wanted to share in celebration of my first video to ever reach 1 Million views.
Quantum Theory Made Easy [1] was a monumental effort and a labor of love, and can be viewed here:
Quantum Theory Made Easy [1]
“Quantum Theory Made Easy,” a series in which the concepts of quantum physics are broken down for layaudiences in a more digestable manner. More in-depth than most presentations for laypersons, but without the mathematical rigour needed by a specialist in the field.
So, you've heard that light is a wave/particle. Now you get to find out how we know this!
In this episode, we’ll be discussing the dual nature of light, starting with a brief overview of how light was determined to be an electromagnetic wave and what properties light was classically associated with. From there, we’ll present the results of Planck’s blackbody experiments and introduce the concept of quantization, which was how this whole quantum mess was started in the first place. After explaining how the quantum of action (h) works, we’ll move on to how it showed up in experiments that challenged the wave picture of light, and how Einstein, bremsstrahlung, and Compton, made it clear that light can behave like a particle.
If you enjoyed this video, please give it a like. If you want to help support the propagation of this material, please press the “favorite” button, and if you’re feeling particularly proactive, please share it on your social media of choice. And of course, if you’re new to this channel, or have just been lurking about but aren’t sure if you’re ready to commit, just take a risk and press that subscribe button (there’s actually no risk involved. Like, at all. Just subscribe already.)
Special thanks goes to the following resources for their (Fair-Use protected) material:
Best of Science
https://www.youtube.com/user/Best0fScience/videos
UC Berkeley
https://www.youtube.com/user/UCBerkeley [ http://webcast.berkeley.edu/ ]
Stellardrone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5_V78SWGF0 [with comments]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jLs-1GpwQM [with comments]
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Alex Jones praises Tucker Carlson, Hannity, Lou Dobbs
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by MMFA Alt. Channel [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0PhjTobwRndMIUs8uA3vkg / https://www.youtube.com/user/MMFAalt1 , https://www.youtube.com/user/MMFAalt1/videos ]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Qkx-WDLYPE [comments disabled]
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Alex Jones on Florida school shooting: May be a false flag, Democrats suspects
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by MMFA Alt. Channel
Certain features have been disabled for this video
In response to user reports, we have disabled some features, such as comments, sharing, and suggested videos, because this video contains content that may be inappropriate or offensive to some audiences.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKggPtaC2gM [as part of the restrictions (at least currently) on this YouTube, (at least currently) won't embed, click through to view; from/included in, beginning at c. the 2:19:53 mark of, the full Alex Jones show, fourth YouTube above (note no such restrictions on that original video, or on its also-linked Ron Gibson mirror) (. . .); comments disabled]
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Ben Shapiro complains about Black Panther
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by MMFA Alt. Channel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZyZ8TTiJM4 [comments disabled]
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RWW News: Ben Shapiro Is Bothered That Black People Are Excited About ‘Black Panther’
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by RWW Blog [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMXqRHe8n1TX5iDvkLS62rw / https://www.youtube.com/user/RWWBlog , https://www.youtube.com/user/RWWBlog/videos ]
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/ben-shapiro-is-bothered-that-black-people-are-excited-about-black-panther/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ha_f2S15TBA [with comments]
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Dave Daubenmire Is Sick Of "Phony Black Christians" Who Voted For "That Quasi-Muslim Freak"
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by RWW Blog
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/dave-daubenmire-is-sick-of-phony-black-christians-who-voted-for-that-quasi-muslim-freak-barack-obama/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XztduKy88I4 [with comments]
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RWW News: Lucian Wintrich: Florida School Shooting Happened Because Liberals ‘Demonized’ The Church
Published on Feb 15, 2018 by RWW Blog
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/lucian-wintrich-says-florida-school-shooting-happened-because-liberals-demonized-the-church/
[from/in re the February 14, 2018 episode of Gateway Pundit’s ( http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=135662452 ) the “Wintrich Report”]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdUAQa66hBs [with comments]
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Ridiculous Flat Earth Nonsense on SpaceX
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by Professor Stick [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbjw7dE_hxJT-VGLTqCjlJA , https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbjw7dE_hxJT-VGLTqCjlJA/videos ]
Quick video! Just wanted to get something out there and to jump on the bandwagon of the SpaceX shuttle and flat earthers. Fun for the whole family!
Original Video:
FLAT EARTH PROOF (ELON MUSK SPACEX FALCON HEAVY WAS FAKE)!!!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlsbhYzRG_g [with comments] [also included, with further references, in the 'stashed' at https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=138704589 (earlier this string, three posts back)]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FDz67pwSlk [with comments]
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President Trump Working Session Regarding the Opportunity Zones Provided by Tax Reform
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by The White House
The White House
[no official transcript (yet) at https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/ ]
President Donald J. Trump Is Expanding Entrepreneurial Opportunity in Underserved Communities
“America is about getting ahead, about finding the best in ourselves and in each other.”
- President Donald J. Trump
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trump-expanding-entrepreneurial-opportunity-underserved-communities/
Sen. Tim Scott: “New Tax Law Will Spur Opportunity in Distressed Communities”
“To create a brighter tomorrow for communities that have been left behind, we need to capitalize on the private-sector resources that can help boost these areas in ways we haven’t seen before.”
- Sen. Tim Scott
February 14, 2018
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/sen-tim-scott-new-tax-law-will-spur-opportunity-distressed-communities/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XINm8kfY5w4 [with comments]
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Full Show - Details Emerging On Florida High School Shooting - 02/14/2018
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by War Room [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClsn7QZVdszxLlUs-GOG0Sg , https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClsn7QZVdszxLlUs-GOG0Sg/videos ]
A mass shooting went down at a Florida High School that left 17 dead and many others wounded and the political left immediately started calling for gun control. ESPN reveals they can watch you in your living room through the camera in your television. Democrats sound exactly like President Trump on immigration and the olympics are losing their luster thanks to the war on nationalism waged by the liberal media.
[from Alex Jones and his merry band of batshit bullshitters]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg1o8eLVMB0 [with comments] [also, edited, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSB9Kc5BeRE (with comments)]
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Here's Why The Rob Porter Scandal Is A National Security Scandal (HBO)
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by VICE News
When Trump White House aide Rob Porter was forced to resign after allegations he abused his two ex-wives last week, the story quickly ballooned into a scandal about who in the administration knew what when. There were all the makings of a classic DC cover up.
But there's more to the story, says Brian McKeon was a top official in the National Security Council office during the Obama administration. He says there are national security implications to the Porter story, too.
VICE News talked to McKeon Wednesday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4ZBt0F1F2I [with comments]
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Camel Wrestling Is Real And We Went To See It In Turkey (HBO)
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by VICE News
It’s peak camel wrestling season in southwest Turkey, and cameleers in the region are traveling from town to town to have their camels compete in wrestling matches.
The Yoruk people, who are native to the region, have lived with camels for ages and consider them to be sacred. For generations, they’ve celebrated wrestling season, making a spectator sport out of their camels’ natural mating habits.
Camels are herd animals and it’s natural for the males to wrestle in order to establish dominance and mating rights.
This year, over 140 of Turkey’s elite wrestling camels competed at the 36th-annual camel wrestling competition in the town of Selçuk.
Typically held in the third week of January, the competition in Selçuk is generally known to be the most prestigious in the camel wrestling world - because it happens when camel’s are in peak heat, and generally attracts huge crowds from around the world, numbering in the tens’ of thousands.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QM5hXrV_4ek [with comments]
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Sen. Murphy: Lawmakers responsible for mass atrocities
All In with Chris Hayes
2/14/18
Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, who represents Sandy Hook, talks about his anger about Congress' inaction on gun violence in the wake of another school shooting in Parkland, Florida.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/sen-chris-murphy-reacts-to-florida-school-shooting-1161920579605 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW_oPFG6CZY [with comments]
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The race to stop school shootings
All In with Chris Hayes
2/14/18
Mark Follman, National Affairs Editor at Mother Jones, joins Chris Hayes to talk about his writing on the race to stop school shootings.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/the-race-to-stop-school-shootings-1161943619765
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Once unimaginable gun massacres become familiar
The Rachel Maddow Show
2/14/18
Rachel Maddow reports on the latest developments in the deadly gun tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and notes the elements that have become familiar in gun massacres, including the deflection of gun questions by politicians with vague answers about mental health.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/once-unimaginable-gun-massacres-become-familiar-1162034755603
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School shooting drills prove beneficial in Parkland gun tragedy
The Rachel Maddow Show
2/14/18
Melissa Falkowski, a teacher at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, talks with Rachel Maddow about what she experienced as a gunman terrorized her school, and how previous drills prepared students and staff for the very real horror.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/school-shooting-drills-prove-beneficial-in-parkland-gun-tragedy-1161987651525 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBfSglfkULg [with comments]
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Families of Florida school shooting victims still being notified
The Rachel Maddow Show
2/14/18
Mayor Christine Hunschofsky of Parkland, Florida, talks with Rachel Maddow about how the state of Florida has rallied resources to her community as officials engage the grim task of notifying the families of victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/families-of-florida-school-shooting-victims-still-being-notified-1161986627915
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Survivors of Parkland school shooting share harrowing stories
The Rachel Maddow Show
2/14/18
Tammy Leitner, reporter for NBC News, talks with Rachel Maddow about the stories she has learned from survivors of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, with students cowering in corners and texting family outside.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/survivors-of-parkland-school-shooting-share-harrowing-stories-1162004547653
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Gun safety politics grows as gun violence victims increase
The Rachel Maddow Show
2/14/18
Lori Haas, whose daughter survived the Virginia Tech shooting, talks with Rachel Maddow about coping emotionally in the wake of such a tragedy and how the growing number of Americans who have experienced gun violence is becoming an increasingly powerful political base in support of gun safety.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/gun-safety-politics-grows-as-gun-violence-victims-increase-1162006083873
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Rep. Esty: Congress needs political backbone to pass gun safety
The Rachel Maddow Show
2/14/18
Rep. Elizabeth Esty, whose district includes Newtown, Connecticut, talks with Rachel Maddow about why her colleagues in Congress should look at how gun safety laws worked in her state and do something about mass shootings.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/rep-esty-congress-needs-political-backbone-to-pass-gun-safety-1162028611633
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Teen helps protect classmates from gunman in Florida high school
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell
2/14/18
Lawrence O'Donnell talks to Douglas High School freshman Brandon Carrasco about his terrifying experience of being trapped in a classroom during the massacre at his high school in Parkland, Florida.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/teen-helps-protect-classmates-from-gunman-in-florida-high-school-1162010691964 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DYnozilFRA [with comments]
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Florida dad to politicians: Stop taking 'blood money' from NRA
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell
2/14/18
Sergio Rozenblat, the father of a sophomore who was on the same floor as the shooter at the South Florida high school, tells the story of his daughter's experience. He calls on politicians to "stop accepting blood money."
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/florida-dad-to-politicians-stop-taking-blood-money-from-nra-1162021955554 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BXYSlfpwo8 [with comments]
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Trump 'totally opposed' to domestic abuse, Congress demands answers
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell
2/14/18
Congress is demanding that the Trump White House answer questions by February 28 about the handling of domestic violence allegations against Rob Porter. Lawrence O'Donnell talks with Kurt Andersen and Maria Teresa Kumar.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/trump-totally-opposed-to-domestic-abuse-congress-demands-answers-1162027075965 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUsaPoj7u_Q [with comments]
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Brothers describe deadly shooting at Florida high school
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams
2/15/18
Brothers Brandon and Aiden Minoff, both students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, describe what they saw and heard during a shooting that killed at least 17 people and injured another 14 more.
©2018 NBCNews.com
[originally aired February 14, 2018]
http://www.msnbc.com/brian-williams/watch/brothers-describe-deadly-shooting-at-florida-high-school-1162064451915 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Myrpp7xhmm4 [with comments]
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Dozens in Trump White House lack permanent security clearance
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams
2/15/18
Trump White House documents obtained by NBC News show that, as of November of 2017, over 130 White House officials did not have permanent security clearances. Our reporter panel reacts.
©2018 NBCNews.com
[originally aired February 14, 2018]
http://www.msnbc.com/brian-williams/watch/dozens-in-trump-white-house-lack-permanent-security-clearance-1162070083833
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AP: Porn star Stormy Daniels feels free to share Trump story
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams
2/15/18
The manager for porn star Stormy Daniels says her client feels free to share her story about her alleged encounter with Donald Trump. That after, according to Daniels and her manager, Trump's personal attorney Michael Cohen broke a non-disclosure agreement.
©2018 NBCNews.com
[originally aired February 14, 2018]
http://www.msnbc.com/brian-williams/watch/ap-porn-star-stormy-daniels-feels-free-to-share-trump-story-1162074691564 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOMecK-GCHc [with comments]
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CP Time: Unsung Black Heroes of Politics - The Daily Show
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by The Daily Show with Trevor Noah [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwWhs_6x42TyRM4Wstoq8HA , https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwWhs_6x42TyRM4Wstoq8HA/videos ]
Roy Wood Jr. honors the unsung black heroes of politics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8Aol2QGUOc [with comments] [and see also in particular (linked in) https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=75581937 and preceding and following]
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Ijeoma Oluo - You Can't "Win" a Conversation About Race - The Opposition w/ Jordan Klepper
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by Comedy Central [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUsN5ZwHx2kILm84-jPDeXw / https://www.youtube.com/user/comedycentral , https://www.youtube.com/user/comedycentral/videos , https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD7nPL1U-R5r5XD8saDuOBVj1z69Y_4iK ]
Writer Ijeoma Oluo explains why empathy for other people's lived experiences is at the heart of positive racial dialogue in her book "So You Want to Talk About Race."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvxomaFJvvw [with comments]
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Donald Trump's Valentine's Day Card To Melania Trump
Published on Feb 13, 2018 by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMtFAi84ehTSYSE9XoHefig , https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMtFAi84ehTSYSE9XoHefig/videos ]
In honor of Valentine's Day, the President sent this message to the love of his life.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zb1ShTFP198 [with comments]
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A Valentine's Day Message from Jim Jefferies - The Jim Jefferies Show
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by Comedy Central [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUsN5ZwHx2kILm84-jPDeXw / https://www.youtube.com/user/comedycentral , https://www.youtube.com/user/comedycentral/videos , https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD7nPL1U-R5q27n0ECbBQFQGcTDs205-C ]
To commemorate Valentine's Day, Jim wonders why images of naked babies are only acceptable on greeting cards one day a year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxESRrYdIYc [with comments]
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Google - Youtube REFUSE to PAY a AMERICAN Ex-Military VETERAN with NO DENTAL PLAN !
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by Bravo Alternative Media [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVV0_xnA_z-ALo6kZJz2WXA , https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVV0_xnA_z-ALo6kZJz2WXA/videos ]
WHY is Google and Youtube refusing to PAY an Ex-Military American VETERAN for his Work ? The Head of Google Made 200 MILLION DOLLARS and He will NOT pay a Vet who put his Life on the Line for AMERICA !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You should be ASHAMED of yourself !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtV69S7Ziik [with comments]
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stashed February 14, 2018:
Judges Say Throw Out the Map. Lawmakers Say Throw Out the Judges. - pure, naked (Christo-)FASCISM
WASHINGTON — In Pennsylvania, a Republican lawmaker unhappy with a State Supreme Court ruling on gerrymandering wants to impeach the Democratic justices who authored it.
In Iowa, a running dispute over allowing firearms in courthouses has prompted bills by Republican sponsors to slash judges’ pay and require them to personally pay rent for courtrooms that are gun-free.
In North Carolina, the Republican Party is working on sweeping changes to rein in state courts that have repeatedly undercut or blocked laws passed by the legislature.
Rather than simply fighting judicial rulings, elected officials in some states across the country — largely Republicans, but Democrats as well — are increasingly seeking to punish or restrain judges who hand down unfavorable decisions, accusing them of making law instead of interpreting it.
Civil liberties advocates and other critics have a different take: The real law-flouting, they say, is by politicians who want to punish justices whose decisions offend their own ideological leanings.
Court-bashing is nothing new. As far back as the 1800s, New Hampshire’s legislature disbanded the state’s Supreme Court five times, said Bill Raftery, a senior analyst at the National Center for State Courts in Williamsburg, Va., who has tracked legislation affecting the judicial system for years.
But political attempts to reshape or constrain state courts have risen sharply in the last 10 years, Mr. Raftery said, propelled by polarization and a fading of the civics-book notion of governmental checks and balances. That became especially true, he said, during the Great Recession that began in 2007, when legislators slashed spending for state judicial systems in the name of balancing budgets — but also, sometimes, in the cause of punishing courts for rulings they disliked.
“It ultimately boils down to this,” he said. “The courts are not looked on by some legislators as being an independent branch of government. For some, they’re looked on as an agency that needs to be brought to heel.”
This combative approach, some analysts say, mirrors the heated rhetoric about judicial bias and overreach that has become a staple of national politics.
“This is Trumpism at the lower level,” said Bernard Grofman, an elections expert at the University of California, Irvine who redrew Virginia’s congressional map in 2015 following a federal court finding that districts had been racially gerrymandered. “This is the view that if independent branches of government say things that don’t match what you say or do, you fire them; you impeach them; you malign them; you destroy them as best you can.”
The latest example is in Pennsylvania, where the State Supreme Court split along party lines last month when it struck down the congressional district map as a Republican-drawn gerrymander. The court gave the Republican-dominated legislature three weeks to draw a new House map, adding that it would take over the map-drawing if the lawmakers could not reach agreement on new boundaries with the state’s Democratic governor.
Even after the United States Supreme Court rejected the legislature’s plea to intervene on Feb. 5, Republicans have refused to completely accept the state court’s decision. The president of the State Senate, Joe Scarnati, first raised eyebrows by stating that he would not comply with the court’s order to turn over any data used in drawing the House maps. Later, he said he might file ethics complaints against two Democratic justices who expressed opinions on gerrymandering before the January decision, seeking to disqualify them from the ruling.
On Friday, hours before the court-appointed deadline, Republican legislators sent a proposed new House map to Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat.
But analysts say the proposed map, which was prepared without input from the legislature’s Democrats, effectively preserves the existing Republican dominance in the House, albeit with boundaries that do not “wander seemingly arbitrarily across Pennsylvania,” as the court said of the map it struck down.
On Tuesday, Mr. Wolf rejected the map, and the job of redistricting will fall to Nathaniel Persily, a professor of law at Stanford University who is the court-appointed special master. But in an interview last week, Mr. Scarnati called a court takeover of the mapping process “grossly unconstitutional,” and pledged to challenge it in federal court.
In the State House, Cris Dush, a Republican, is circulating a proposal to impeach the Democratic justices who were the 5-2 majority in the decision. In an interview, Mr. Dush said he did not dispute their authority to strike down the Republican map, but complained that their order to draw new boundaries tramples on legislative powers.
Mr. Dush said his proposal has support in the House, but that he likely will not press it unless the court takes over the mapping responsibility from the legislature. “It’s judicial activism,” he said. “They’re not staying within the rule of the law. It happens far too often to us, and it’s time for the state legislature to rise up and call them accountable.”
Mr. Scarnati, the State Senate president, said he has not ruled out impeachment, but that Republicans should first pursue “other avenues” such as ethics complaints and a lawsuit.
The impeachment threat has drawn sharp criticism from some quarters. “Calling for impeachment — especially five of seven justices, especially when all five are Democrats — can’t help but look partisan,” said Douglas Keith, a senior counsel at the Democracy Program of the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law. “We use impeachment to remove judges for serious criminal or ethical wrongdoing. This is a direct affront to the judicial branch’s power, not reasoned disagreement.”
That said, impeachment — or at least, impeachment threats and attempts — have become a common tool to pressure courts in recent years, said Mr. Raftery of the National Center for State Courts.
During the 2011 to 2012 legislative session, he said, lawmakers filed 14 bills in seven states seeking to remove judges, including an effort by Republicans in the State House to remove the entire New Hampshire Superior Court over its handling of custody and domestic relations cases.
But legislative attempts to rein in state judges include a panoply of tactics, from scalpel to cudgel. The North Carolina legislature’s ongoing campaign to remake state courts in more conservative and political lights is perhaps best known. The Brennan Center this week released a list of court-related proposals pending before legislatures in 14 states.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/14/us/pennsylvania-gerrymandering-courts.html
Finding a Lost Strain of Rice, and Clues to Slave Cooking
The search for the missing grain led to Trinidad and Thomas Jefferson, and now excitement among African-American chefs.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/13/dining/hill-rice-slave-history.html
Russia Threatens YouTube, Instagram Over Videos Of Kremlin Official And Oligarch
The billionaire, Oleg Deripaska has ties to the Kremlin and former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/russia-youtube-instagram-kremlin-oligarch_us_5a83f9f0e4b0adbaf3d8eb6f
Who Is Weev, and Why Did He Derail a Journalist's Career?
A newly hired opinion writer for The New York Times called weev "a terrible person, and an old friend of mine." The rest of the world calls him a Nazi.
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/02/who-is-weev/553295/
The following is attributable to James Bennet, editorial page editor, The New York Times:
"Despite our review of Quinn Norton’s work and our conversations with her previous employers, this was new information to us. Based on it, we’ve decided to go our separate ways."
https://twitter.com/NYTimesPR/status/963613435933200384
New York Times parts ways with op-ed writer just hours after hire
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/new-york-times-parts-ways-quinn-norton-after-controversial-tweets-n847956
After a Twitter Storm, The Times and a New Hire Part Ways
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/13/business/media/quinn-norton-new-york-times.html
New York Times hired, then quickly unhired, writer who tweeted about befriending neo-Nazis
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/02/14/new-york-times-hires-then-quickly-unhires-writer-who-tweeted-about-befriending-neo-nazis/
Leaked Chat Transcripts: New York Times Employees Are Pissed About Bari Weiss
According to one employee, diversity efforts at the publication “are nothing but lip service.”
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/new-york-times-diversity-bari-weiss-tweet_us_5a833d4ee4b0cf06751f3f44
France Returns Artwork To Descendants Of Jewish Couple Who Fled Nazis
Herta and Henry Bromberg were forced to sell their art collection before World War II in order to find safety.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/france-returns-artwork-to-descendants-of-jewish-couple-who-fled-nazis_us_5a84520ae4b0058d55651f93
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dVW_AEoDDyZHcLMYabwgi7EKgiV6M?ned=us&hl=en&gl=US
Donald Trump’s ICE Is Tearing Families Apart
https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/donald-trump-ice-tearing-families-apart
Top Seattle ICE official charged with stealing immigrants’ identities
The top attorney for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Seattle is accused of stealing immigrants’ identities in an attempt to defraud several credit card companies.
Raphael A. Sanchez, ICE’s chief counsel in the city, was charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft, according to a charging document [ http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/documents/national/charging-document-raphael-a-sanchez/2766/ ] filed this week in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
The charges, both felonies, were first reported Tuesday by the Associated Press [ http://komonews.com/news/local/ice-lawyer-in-seattle-charged-with-stealing-immigrants-ids ], which also reported that Sanchez had resigned from ICE effective Monday.
A defense attorney for Sanchez did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. A spokeswoman for ICE’s Seattle field office referred questions to the Department of Justice, where no one was immediately available to discuss the case.
The charging document states that between October 2013 and October 2017 Sanchez used the personal information of seven immigrants to try to defraud several financial institutions, including American Express, Citibank and Bank of America. The immigrants were all “in various stages of immigration proceedings,” read the document signed by attorneys from Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section.
[...]
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/02/14/top-seattle-ice-official-stole-immigrants-personal-information-feds-say/
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/d8D71gCgaRrdrEMxNYtH8tO70LNxM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
CPI, Retail Data Not Pretty But May Overstate U.S. Economic Pain
Pickup in inflation isn’t seen as sign of rapid acceleration
Job market, tax cuts likely to support consumer spending
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-02-14/cpi-retail-data-not-pretty-but-may-overstate-u-s-economic-pain
Rising inflation rekindles a big market fear from the 1970s
The 2.1 percent January rise in the consumer price index pushes the economy toward a potential danger zone for inflation.
A combination of rising price pressures and weakening growth would be a sign of stagflation, a fear from the 1970s.
Fed economists expect GDP to grow 2.5 percent in 2018, though the Atlanta Fed has sharply cut its projection for the first quarter.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/14/inflation-rise-toward-key-level-rekindles-stagflation-fear-from-the-1970s.html
U.S. inflation firms broadly in January, puts spotlight on Fed
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-economy/u-s-inflation-firms-broadly-in-january-puts-spotlight-on-fed-idUSKCN1FY0GG
The Cost of Clothes and Shoes Rose the Fastest in 30 Years Last Month – and the Markets Aren't Happy
http://fortune.com/2018/02/14/consumer-price-index-apparel-cost-increase/
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/duOPGyb55Jv7mrMWJxDvqKENVaM8M?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
“America’s Harvest Box” Captures the Trumpian Attitude Toward Poverty
https://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/americas-harvest-box-captures-the-trumpian-attitude-toward-poverty
USDA proposes replacing food stamps with delivery service, added work requirements
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/usda-proposes-replacing-food-stamps-delivery-service-increase/story?id=53051445
Trump pitches plan to replace food stamps with food boxes
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/12/food-stamps-trump-administration-343245
This provision in Trump’s budget infantilizes poor people
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2018/02/13/this-provision-in-trumps-budget-infantilizes-poor-people/
Trump’s ‘Harvest Box’ Isn’t Viable in SNAP Overhaul, Officials Say
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/13/us/harvest-box-snap-food-stamps.html
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/d1M1jganKVctLTMDEtMS82HuLU1MM?ned=us&hl=en&gl=US
Gowdy says House panel probing Rob Porter's security clearance
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/02/14/gowdy-says-house-panel-probing-rob-porters-security-clearance.html
Gowdy launches probe into Rob Porter’s White House employment
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/gowdy-launches-probe-rob-porter-s-white-house-employment-n847941
Trump's Vow to Hire the 'Best People' Isn't Panning Out
We're probably already seeing the highest-quality collection of staffers this administration will have to offer.
https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-02-14/trump-s-vow-to-hire-the-best-people-isn-t-panning-out
Lawmakers losing confidence in White House after Porter resignation
The House Oversight Committee kicked off an investigation into Trump’s employment of Porter and what White House officials knew about domestic abuse accusations against him.
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/14/gowdy-cnn-407923
Trump Always Believes The Men — When They’re Useful To Him
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/opinion-smith-trump-porter-tyson_us_5a835ffce4b02b66c512fd74
The Mormon Church Has A Domestic Violence Problem
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/opinion-young-rob-porter-mormon_us_5a844a06e4b0cf06752087ae
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dEkgJRWnnQwwx5MRrsvntZ3x8Z4lM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Veterans Affairs chief Shulkin, staff misled ethics officials about European trip, report finds
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/veterans-affairs-chief-shulkin-staff-misled-ethics-officials-about-european-trip-report-finds/2018/02/14/f7fbc020-0c3a-11e8-8b0d-891602206fb7_story.html
VA chief of staff doctored email to cover up travel expenses, inspector general finds
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/373817-va-chief-of-staff-doctored-email-to-cover-up-travel-expenses
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dP4hmSJAA7Rok2MX5qtyzxu6sUk-M?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Netanyahu, Defiant, Calls Bribery Case ‘Full of Holes, Like Swiss Cheese’
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/14/world/middleeast/benjamin-netanyahu-israel.html
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dL7YMYqzL6V1mQM7d30cQ_lv7Cp-M?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Boris Johnson looks to woo Brexit skeptics with a speech promising glories to come
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/boris-johnson-looks-to-woo-brexit-skeptics-with-a-speech-promising-glories-to-come/2018/02/14/35d36550-117d-11e8-9065-e55346f6de81_story.html
Boris Johnson urges remainers to recognise benefits of leaving EU
Foreign secretary says Britons should still work overseas and go on ‘cheapo flights to stag dos’
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/feb/14/boris-johnson-urges-remainers-recognise-benefits-leaving-eu
What Boris Johnson’s Brexit Speech Tells Us About U.K. Politics
He insisted “Theresa” was the right prime minister for the job
Johnson seeks divergence, fine with status quo in transition
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-02-14/what-boris-johnson-s-brexit-speech-tells-us-about-u-k-politics
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dtkSYR_onJrLylMlrpJJgc-bXu12M?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Trump Threatens to Veto Immigration Bills that Don’t Meet His Demands
WASHINGTON — President Trump on Wednesday called on lawmakers to oppose a series of bipartisan efforts to address immigration and resolve the fate of the so-called “Dreamers,” demanding fealty to his hard-line approach and increasing the odds of political gridlock as the Senate debates the issue.
Senators in both parties are racing against a self-imposed, end-of-the-week deadline to write legislation that could win broad support by increasing border security while at the same time offering a path to citizenship for immigrants brought to the United States as children.
But in a morning statement, Mr. Trump urged senators to oppose any bill that did not also embrace the “four pillars” of his immigration approach, which includes a rewrite of the nation’s immigration laws that would close the country’s borders to many immigrants trying to come to the United States legally.
“I am asking all senators, in both parties, to support the Grassley bill and to oppose any legislation that fails to fulfill these four pillars,” Mr. Trump said in the statement.
The president’s decision to weigh in forcefully is likely to undermine the efforts of several bipartisan groups in the Senate and the House by calling into question whether any legislation they come up with might be dead-on-arrival once they make it to the president’s desk.
Instead, Mr. Trump said in the statement that lawmakers should support immigration legislation drafted by Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa, to codify his own plan. The bill would provide a path to citizenship for 1.8 million young immigrants, end the visa lottery program, build a border wall and end what he calls “chain migration,” which is family-based immigration.
“The overwhelming majority of American voters support a plan that fulfills the Framework’s four pillars, which move us towards the safe, modern, and lawful immigration system our people deserve,” Mr. Trump said.
He added that he would oppose a smaller, “Band-aid” approach to immigration that some lawmakers have been discussing, which would protect Dreamers for a few years in exchange for a small increase in border security spending — essentially kicking the issue down the road.
Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, responded harshly to the president’s entreaty, noting with dismay that Mr. Trump last September ended the Obama-era program known as DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which protected the Dreamers from deportation and provided them work permits.
“The American people know what’s going on,” Mr. Schumer said on the Senate floor. “They know this president not only created the problem, but seems to be against every solution that might pass because it isn’t 100 percent of what he wants. If, at the end of the week, we are unable to find a bill that can pass — and I sincerely hope that’s not the case due to the good efforts of so many people on both sides of the aisle — the responsibility will fall entirely on the president’s shoulders and those in this body who went along with him.”
Republicans searching for a compromise on immigration were similarly perplexed.
“The president’s going to have a vote on his concept. I don’t think it will get 60 votes,” Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina said, adding, “The bottom line then is: What do you do next? You can do what we’ve done for the last 35 years — blame each other. Or you can actually start fixing the broken immigration system. If you came out of this with strong border security — the president getting his wall and the Dream Act population being taken care of, most Americans would applaud.”
Mr. Trump’s statement was a victory for conservatives in his administration, including Stephen Miller, his top domestic policy adviser, who have been pushing the president to demand an overhaul of the nation’s immigration rules in exchange for his support of a permanent solution for the Dreamers.
Several senior White House advisers told reporters on Wednesday that Mr. Trump will not relent in his support for his hard-line immigration principles and said Dreamers should blame Democrats if legislation does not pass.
One senior adviser, who requested anonymity to discuss legislative strategy, said the president had made “dramatic concessions” by agreeing to a path to citizenship for 1.8 million young immigrants. Another made it clear that Mr. Trump will not compromise any further.
That position was underscored on Wednesday by a Department of Homeland Security statement that slammed a competing immigration measure being offered by Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, and Chris Coons, Democrat of Delaware.
[...]
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/14/us/politics/trump-immigration-veto-threat.html
Trump backs GOP immigration plan, rejects limited approach on dreamers
https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/trump-backs-gop-immigration-plan-rejects-limited-approach-on-dreamers/2018/02/14/56f52176-118f-11e8-9570-29c9830535e5_story.html
Trump issues fresh opposition to short-term DACA bill
https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/14/politics/trump-daca-bill/index.html
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dxYauWKP64uQqwMqDKZY0k0NmpODM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
White powdery substance found to be baby powder at former President Obama's DC office
http://www.fox5dc.com/news/report-white-powdery-substance-found-at-former-president-obamas-dcoffice
Secret Service investigates after white powdery substance sent to Obama’s D.C. offices
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/secret-service-investigates-white-powder-obama-offices-article-1.3818533
DC Authorities Respond After White Powder Sent to Obama's DC Offices
https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2018/february/dc-authorities-respond-after-white-powder-sent-to-obamas-dc-offices
Barack Obama = Cops Investigating White Powdery Substance Found at Office
http://www.tmz.com/2018/02/13/barack-obama-office-white-powder-investigation/
more: https://www.google.com/search?q=obama+powder
Sean Hannity Tweets, Then Deletes, Weirdly Specific Sexual Stuff About Obama Portrait
Fox News host’s post claimed there was something hidden in the image, then he quickly backtracked.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/sean-hannity-secret-sperm-obama_us_5a839da9e4b0cf06751f9ef3
Donald Trump Jr. Attacks Olympian Adam Rippon On Twitter
“What would your father say about you spreading FAKE NEWS? SAD!”
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-jr-adam-rippon-pence-olympics_us_5a83f42ae4b0adbaf3d8e392
Trump Wants To Fire 248 National Weather Service Forecasters
The White House budget proposal follows a record-smashing year of weather disasters.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-national-weather-service_us_5a83cb72e4b0cf06751fb110
Trump Pick For EPA’s No. 2 Accused Of Abusing Power To ‘Bully’ And ‘Intimidate’ Opponents
As a Senate aide in 2005, Andrew Wheeler went after state air pollution regulators for opposing his boss’s bill.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/andrew-wheeler-epa_us_5a833277e4b0adbaf3d81984
Trump Still Hasn’t Chosen A Science Adviser — After 390 Days In Office
The White House may be having a hard time finding someone for the job.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-science-adviser_us_5a83f375e4b02b66c5136a6a
Trump’s ‘Tip-Pooling’ Plan Could Screw Your Bartender
The restaurant owner-in-chief wants to give employers more control over workers’ gratuities. What could possibly go wrong?
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-tip-pool-plan_us_5a7dc7bfe4b0c6726e12d0bb
[Teaflublicans'] ‘Fiscal Responsibility’ Was Always A Red Herring
In the conclusion to our 2012 article “The Obama Trigger,” Wayne Parent and I made a prediction: “If, as we suggest in this analysis, Tea Party membership is triggered by a single politician rather than by a cohesive set of issues, it will wane after President Obama leaves office.”
At the time, political scientists were trying to assess three key aspects of the tea party movement: How big and how powerful was it? What factors gave rise to it? And how long would it last?
But now that Obama’s tenure is complete, and Trump, who won over 90 percent of white tea party voters, is in office, our view of the movement comes into sharp relief.
In 2010, the tea party claimed 300,000 members dispersed among several loosely affiliated tea party groups, such as Tea Party Patriots, Tea Party Express, Freedom Works and Tea Party Nation. These groups — 1,400 “possible” affiliations were recognized by The Washington Post — remained highly decentralized, making tea party power and influence hard to measure. And that is important for two reasons.
First and foremost, it resulted in the strength of the tea party movement being underestimated. Though formal membership hovered around 10 percent, our data revealed that close to a quarter of the U.S. electorate supported the movement or evaluated it favorably.
Second, the amorphous structure and the lack of an organizing hierarchy made the tea party a stand-in for a host of resentments. Writing in Foreign Affairs, Walter Russell Mead argued that “as the Tea Party label became better known, all kinds of people sought to hitch their wagons to this rising star.” He noted “affluent suburban libertarians, rural fundamentalists, ambitious pundits, unreconstructed racists, and fiscally conservative housewives all can and do claim to be Tea Party supporters.”
They proved to be a powerful coalition. In the 2010 midterm elections, tea party-affiliated candidates won 40 seats in the House and another five in the Senate, and in the spring, after they were sworn into office, nearly 60 percent of all GOP members had joined the new Tea Party Caucus. In ensuing elections, tea party supporters took out establishment Republicans such as House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Sens. Bob Bennett and Richard Luger, and under the tea party banner, such notable politicians as Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Mike Pence rose to power.
That success reflected a populist economic wave, tea party leaders insisted, as their activists fixated on the national debt and advocated for deficit reduction and entitlement reform. They were fiscal conservatives who meant business, and they were American patriots of the 18th century variety, or so they claimed.
However, the fact that the tea party misrepresented Colonial and Revolutionary history and failed to articulate clear critiques of tax policies, argued Darrel Enck-Wazner, “belied other motivations.”
Scholars, such as Scott Rasmussen and Douglas Schoen, argued that the tea party served as a contemporary manifestation of public anger and distrust of government, or, as Christopher Parker and Matt Barreto note, that it represented anxiety about the future reminiscent of what Richard Hofstader called the “paranoid style” in American politics over 50 years ago. Still others, such as Steve Fraser and Joshua Freeman, described the tea party as the populist descendent of Barry Goldwater and George Wallace enthusiasts who “express a visceral anger at the cultural and, to some extent, political eclipse of an America in which people who looked and thought like them were dominant.”
Perhaps the most prophetic, now with the benefit of hindsight, were Vanessa Williamson and Theda Skocpol, who pointed to the fear that society was changing dramatically as the tea party catalyst; thus, the tea party mantra, “Take our country back,” reverberates from a sense of cultural defeat.
In short, Barack Obama’s victory triggered the consciousness of that defeat.
Early on, Donald Pease opined that Obama’s election broke the country’s “racial contract,” threatening white privilege and dominance and forcing white Americans to re-evaluate their own place in the pecking order. In many ways, Pease argues, it affects a “part of their practical reality that members of the Tea Party could not incorporate.” To compensate, many tea party supporters indulged the “birther” conspiracy or conjured fantasies of Obama’s allegiance to radical Islam as a way of delegitimizing his presidency.
Yet the primary response ? the one that functioned almost as a third party ? manifested in a patriotic economic movement decrying Obama’s allegedly incessant spending. Why was this experience of profound cultural defeat symbolized by Obama’s victory met with protests over budget deficits and debt ceilings?
Because over 40 years ago, the GOP decided to try to compete among white voters in the South, bending the party ever rightward in order to do so. From Goldwater’s opposition to big government to Nixon’s benign neglect of civil rights enforcement to Reagan’s promotion of colorblindness, all of these positions conserved the status quo by halting government efforts to level the racial playing field. Whether they did so by denying structural racism, or turning a blind eye toward persistent segregation, or by defunding federal social programs under the guise of fiscal responsibility, the ultimate aim was the same.
They succeeded in flipping the South from blue to red, but their Southern Strategy was not without consequences for the country at large. The GOP portrayed federal programs aimed at closing racial gaps as expensive government overreach. In doing so they tapped into and, over time, perpetuated the belief that advantages for racial minorities were disadvantages for white Americans ? the budget as a zero-sum racial game, so to speak. To that end, fixations with the national debt and federal spending have often surfaced in these “Take our country back” moments.
Undoubtedly, many of those who were drawn to the tea party do not realize the long history of using coded language to launder racial animosity into fiscal conservatism, but that doesn’t matter now. Obama left office, and without him as a foil, the power of the tea party has waned. In 2016, tea party candidates went zero for 10 in their bids to replace GOP establishment candidates such as John McCain.
The anxiety and anger were real, but the economic mission of the tea party was always a red herring for many of its congressional supporters, which is why, late into the night on Feb. 8, nine years to the month since the movement held its first protest rallies, tea partyers ? or former tea partyers ? quietly voted for a government spending bill projected to cause a $1.2 trillion deficit in 2019 alone. Only libertarian Sen. Rand Paul made much noise against it.
If their tea party constituents give them a pass, then the lesson will be that deficits are fine, it just depends on who is in the White House spending the money.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/opinion-maxwell-tea-party_us_5a8371d8e4b0cf06751f8941
Arizona Department Of Corrections Changes Menstrual Pad Policy Following Backlash
But activists say it’s not enough.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/arizona-menstrual-products-female-inmates_us_5a8375cae4b0adbaf3d8857f
Stormy Daniels 'free to tell her story' after Trump lawyer statement
An adult film star who has been embroiled in allegations of an affair with President Donald Trump is free to tell her story, her manager has said.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43055995
Trump’s lawyer just made the Stormy Daniels affair much more interesting
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2018/02/14/trumps-lawyer-just-made-the-stormy-daniels-affair-much-more-interesting/
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dUsmw2uWWsNK3VMvj5JSjXgy5wJCM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
State and local election infrastructure vulnerable to attacks ahead of midterm elections, Democrats warn in new report [ https://democrats-homeland.house.gov/sites/democrats.homeland.house.gov/files/documents/TFESReport.pdf ]
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/state-local-election-infrastructure-vulnerable-attacks-ahead-midterm/story?id=53080509
Democrats propose more than $1 billion for election cyber security
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-cyber/democrats-propose-more-than-1-billion-for-election-cyber-security-idUSKCN1FY2S5
Pence says intel community concluded Russia did not affect election
Vice President Pence on Wednesday said the U.S. intelligence community universally concluded that Russia did not have an effect on the outcome of the 2016 presidential election, despite the fact that officials have made no such judgment.
[...]
http://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/373855-pence-says-intel-community-concluded-russia-did-not-affect-outcome-of
Ill-Prepared and Underfunded, Election Officials Brace for More Cyberattacks
Federal intelligence officials warned Congress on Tuesday that Russia will again attempt to influence the elections through cyber-warfare. New reports shed light on the inadequacy of state and local security systems.
http://www.governing.com/topics/politics/gov-election-cyberattacks-testimony-russia.html
We need to hack-proof our elections. An old technology can help. - paper ballots
By Michael Chertoff and Grover Norquist
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/we-need-to-hack-proof-our-elections-an-old-technology-can-help/2018/02/14/27a805bc-0c4b-11e8-95a5-c396801049ef_story.html
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dcqLr5HBg3CM1BMVHWWxaZSMCNUwM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Twitter deleted 200,000 Russian troll tweets. Read them here.
Twitter doesn't make it easy to track Russian propaganda efforts — this database can help
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/now-available-more-200-000-deleted-russian-troll-tweets-n844731
Russian Twitter trolls stoked KKK fears at Mizzou during 2015 protests, report says
http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article200011139.html
more: https://www.google.com/search?q=russia+twitter
Trump says he's 'totally opposed' to domestic violence as House launches Porter investigation
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/02/14/house-launches-investigation-rob-porters-security-clearance/336718002/
President Trump must dump John Kelly in what's become a no-win situation
President Donald Trump has to fire chief of staff John Kelly, even if lower-level staffers are more to blame in the Rob Porter scandal.
Because of the harassment allegations against Trump, he cannot salvage any political capital from this situation.
The result is the Trump team will take a loss here; the only question is how bad a loss it will be.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/14/trump-has-to-fire-john-kelly-to-save-himself-commentary.html
It’s Time for John Kelly to Go
In Senate testimony yesterday, FBI director Christopher Wray said that the agency had delivered the final results of its background check into now-disgraced aide Rob Porter back in January, months earlier than the White House, and especially Chief of Staff John Kelly, has claimed in the wake of Porter’s firing. Should Kelly’s mishandling of this episode cost him his job?
By Frank Rich
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/02/its-time-for-john-kelly-to-go.html
The Rob Porter scandal engulfing the White House is now under congressional investigation
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2018/02/14/house-oversight-is-investigating-the-white-houses-handling-of-rob-porter-gowdy-says/
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/daKw0amhfcONEeMiwk8ttutBNVoxM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Six top US intelligence chiefs caution against buying Huawei phones
The directors of the CIA, FBI, NSA and several other intelligence agencies express their distrust of Apple-rival Huawei and fellow Chinese telecom company ZTE.
During a hearing, the intelligence chiefs commended American telecom companies for their measured resistance to the Chinese companies.
Huawei has been trying to enter the U.S. market, first through a partnership with AT&T that was ultimately called off.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/13/chinas-hauwei-top-us-intelligence-chiefs-caution-americans-away.html
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dG-sgf-jkto5l_MTua5nj3c4AsqrM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
The Provocation and Power of Black Panther
The biggest success of the new Marvel film isn’t representation, but its contemplation of identity, responsibility, and the future of a diaspora in an interconnected world.
https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/02/the-provocation-and-power-of-black-panther/553226/
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dtZBxoS-4SAajjMzQrnyQmvWH97EM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Hoping for $100 Billion to Rebuild, Iraq Got Less Than a Third
KUWAIT - At the close of a donor conference on Wednesday, Iraq secured only a fraction of the funds urgently needed to rebuild towns and cities demolished during battles against the Islamic State. But American and regional officials nevertheless praised a last-minute rush of pledged investments, loans and guarantees, mostly by neighboring countries.
The conference was hosted by the Kuwaiti government and attended by dozens of foreign ministers and the United Nations secretary general, António Guterres. Turkey, one of Iraq’s largest trading partners, stepped up with a promise of $5 billion in investment loans in expectation that some of its large-scale construction, transportation and infrastructure companies would jump back into northern Iraq, where they had long dominated the economy.
Another surprise came from Kuwait, which has had frosty relations with Iraq, its larger neighbor, since 1990, when Saddam Hussein invaded. The Kuwaiti ruler, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, announced $1 billion in investment and $1 billion in loans. Other Arab Gulf countries followed, with the Saudi, Emirati and Qatari foreign ministers announcing investment and loan deals.
All told, the conference participants pledged a total of $30 billion in loans and investments, Kuwait officials said, a figure Mr. Guterres described as an “enormous success.”
Iraq’s foreign minister, Ibrahim al-Jafari, was more measured in his assessment, telling reporters that the amounts offered fell far short of the $100 billion that Iraq had hoped to attract for the rebuilding effort.
[...]
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/14/world/middleeast/iraq-kuwait-donor-conference.html
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dZwD-0-ThPKJBkMmZF0ZfS0pLC98M?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Obnoxious passenger is thrown off Delta flight after complaining about sitting next to a mom and her baby and threatening to have flight attendant fired
Marissa Rundell, 19, was travelling with eight-month-old Mason on a flight from JFK to Syracuse, New York, on February 6
A woman got on the plane and immediately began complaining about having to sit in the back
When Rundell asked the woman not to cuss around Mason, the woman ignored her before demanding that the flight attendant change her seat
The attendant - named Tabitha - told the woman that she could be moved to a different flight but instead the irate woman threatens her job
But Tabitha doesn't take well to threats, asking a gate agent to come and take the woman off the plane
'I'm sorry, I was really stressed out,' claims the woman
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5389255/Flyer-thrown-Delta-flight-bullying-mom-baby.html
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/d8os1CemHD9oh3MemIinV4MgHqGiM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
‘Let’s talk about Pocahontas’: Warren addresses Native American heritage claims, slams Trump
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2018/02/14/lets-talk-about-pocahontas-elizabeth-warren-addresses-native-heritage-claims-and-slams-trump/
Read the text of Elizabeth Warren’s speech to Native American group
Read the prepared text of the speech Senator Elizabeth Warren gave to Native Americans on Wednesday.
Thank you for having me here today.
I want to start by thanking Chairwoman Andrews-Maltais for that introduction. It has been an honor to work with, to learn from, and to represent the tribes in my home state of Massachusetts, the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head — the Aquinnah — and the Mashpee Wampanoag.
I also want to thank President Jefferson Keel, and everyone at the National Congress of American Indians. For over 70 years, you’ve championed the rights and dignity of First Americans and I am honored to be here with you today.
I’ve noticed that every time my name comes up, President Trump likes to talk about Pocahontas. So I figured, let’s talk about Pocahontas. Not Pocahontas, the fictional character most Americans know from the movies, but Pocahontas, the Native woman who really lived, and whose real story has been passed down to so many of you through the generations.
Pocahontas – whose original name wasn’t even Pocahontas.
In the fairy tale, Pocahontas and John Smith meet and fall in love.
Except Smith was nearly 30, and Pocahontas was about 10 years old. Whatever happened between them, it was no love story.
In the fairy tale, Pocahontas saves John Smith from execution at the hands of her father.
Except that was probably made up too.
In the fable, her baptism as “Rebecca” and her marriage to a Jamestown settler are held up to show the moral righteousness of colonization.
In reality, the fable is used to bleach away the stain of genocide.
As you know, Pocahontas’s real journey was far more remarkable — and far darker — than the myth admits.
As a child, she played a significant role in mediating relations between the tribes ruled by her father and the early settlers at Jamestown. Those efforts helped establish early trade relations between the two peoples. Without her help, the English settlers might well have perished.
But in her teens, Pocahontas was abducted, imprisoned, and held captive. Oral history of the Mattaponi tribe indicates that she was ripped away from her first husband and child and raped in captivity.
Eventually she married another John — John Rolfe. Her marriage led to an uneasy harmony between Jamestown and the tribes, a period that some historians call the Peace of Pocahontas.
But she was not around to enjoy it. John Rolfe paraded her around London to entertain the British and prop up financial investments in the Virginia Company. She never made it home. She was about 21 when she died, an ocean separating her from her people.
Indigenous people have been telling the story of Pocahontas — the real Pocahontas — for four centuries. A story of heroism. And bravery. And pain.
And, for almost as long, her story has been taken away by powerful people who twisted it to serve their own purposes.
——
Our country’s disrespect of Native people didn’t start with President Trump. It started long before President Washington ever took office.
But now we have a president who can’t make it through a ceremony honoring Native American war heroes without reducing Native history, Native culture, Native people to the butt of a joke.
The joke, I guess, is supposed to be on me.
I get why some people think there’s hay to be made here. You won’t find my family members on any rolls, and I’m not enrolled in a tribe.
And I want to make something clear. I respect that distinction. I understand that tribal membership is determined by tribes — and only by tribes. I never used my family tree to get a break or get ahead. I never used it to advance my career.
But I want to make something else clear too: My parents were real people.
By all accounts, my mother was a beauty. She was born in Eastern Oklahoma, on this exact day — Valentine’s Day — February 14, 1912. She grew up in the little town of Wetumka, the kind of girl who would sit for hours by herself, playing the piano and singing. My daddy fell head over heels in love with her.
But my mother’s family was part Native American. And my daddy’s parents were bitterly opposed to their relationship. So, in 1932, when Mother was 19 and Daddy had just turned 20, they eloped.
Together, they survived the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. They saved up to buy a home. They raised my three older brothers, and they watched as each one headed off to serve in the military. After Daddy had a heart attack and was out of work, after we lost the family station wagon and it looked like we would lose our house and everything would come crashing down, my mother put on her best dress and walked to the Sears and got a minimum-wage job. That minimum-wage job saved our house and saved our family.
My parents struggled. They sacrificed. They paid off medical debts for years. My daddy ended up as a janitor. They fought and they drank, but more than anything, they hung together. 63 years — that’s how long they were married. When my mother died, a part of my daddy slipped away too.
Two years later, I held his hand while cancer took him. The last thing he said was, “It’s time for me to be with your mother.” And he smiled.
They’re gone, but the love they shared, the struggles they endured, the family they built, and the story they lived will always be a part of me. And no one — not even the president of the United States — will ever take that part of me away.
——
Our stories are deeply woven into the fabric of who we are. The stories of immigrants and slaves, of explorers and refugees, have shaped and reshaped our country right up to the present day. For far too long, your story has been pushed aside, to be trotted out only in cartoons and commercials.
So I’m here today to make a promise: Every time someone brings up my family’s story, I’m going to use it to lift up the story of your families and your communities.
Your story is about contributions. The contributions you make to a country that took so much and keeps asking for more, contributions like serving in the military at rates higher than any other group in America.
It is a story about hope. The hope you create as more Native people go to college, go to graduate school and grow local economies.
It is a story about resilience. The resilience you show as you reclaim your history and your traditions.
And it is a story about pride and the determination of people who refuse to let their languages fade away and their cultures die.
I honor that story.
But there’s another story that also needs to be told. The story of our country’s mistreatment of your communities. And this isn’t just a story about casual racism – war whoops and tomahawk chops and insulting Facebook memes.
It’s a story about discrimination and neglect — the unmet health care needs of Native children and families, the alarmingly high rate of suicide among Native teenagers, the growing opioid crisis and the broader epidemic of substance abuse that has ravaged so many Native communities.
It’s a story about greed. For generations — Congress after Congress, president after president — the government robbed you of your land, suppressed your languages, put your children in boarding schools and gave your babies away for adoption. It has stolen your resources and, for many tribal governments, taken away the opportunity to grow and prosper for the good of your people.
Even today, politicians in Washington want to let their Big Oil buddies pad their profits by encroaching on your land and fouling your rivers and streams. Meanwhile, even as the economic future of your communities hangs in the balance, they want to cut nutrition assistance, cut Medicaid, and cut other programs that many Native families rely on to survive.
It’s a story about violence. It is deeply offensive that this president keeps a portrait of Andrew Jackson hanging in the Oval Office, honoring a man who did his best to wipe out Native people. But the kind of violence President Jackson and his allies perpetrated isn’t just an ugly chapter in a history book. Violence remains part of life today. The majority of violent crimes experienced by Native Americans are perpetrated by non-Natives, and more than half — half — of Native women have experienced sexual violence.
This must stop. And I promise I will fight to help write a different story.
——
Washington owes you respect. But this government owes you much more than that. This government owes you a fighting chance to build stronger communities and a brighter future — starting with a more prosperous economic future on tribal lands.
For example. Banking and credit are the lifeblood of economic development, but it’s about 12 miles on average from the center of tribal reservations to the nearest bank branch. Meanwhile, Native business owners get less start-up funding than other business owners.
And when it comes to crucial infrastructure, Native communities are far behind the rest of the country. Rural broadband access on tribal lands is worse than anywhere else in America, and more than a third of those living on tribal lands don’t have high-speed broadband at all. Without it, Native communities are simply shut out of a 21st century economy.
It’s time to make real investments in Indian country to build opportunity for generations to come.
And that’s only part of the real change we can make.
• We can stop giant corporations from stealing your resources.
• We can expand federally protected land that is important to your tribes.
• We can protect historic monuments like Bears Ears from companies that see it as just another place to drill.
• We can take steps to stop violence against Native people – including passing Savanna’s Act to fight the plague of missing Native women and girls.
Most of all, we can fight to empower tribal governments and Native communities so you can take your rightful seat at the table when it comes to determining your own future.
And we can fight to make sure that all Americans who have been left out in our economy, left out in our democracy, and left out in our history can take their rightful seat at that table.
——
At a time when children are still drinking bottled water in Flint, when families are still desperate for help in Puerto Rico, and when tribal governments are still asking Washington to live up to its promises, we must demand a federal government that works for all of us — because if we don’t, we become a country that belongs to only a privileged few.
That’s why, even when divide-and-conquer looks to some like smart politics, we must choose unity. We must be willing to join together in each other’s fights. And at a time when bigotry threatens to overwhelm our discourse, we must amplify voices of basic human respect.
We must stand with everyone who has gotten the short end of the stick from Washington over and over and over. We must weave our voices together to make them strong. We must come together to write a new story, not just for Native Americans, but for all Americans.
A story of power and respect. A story in which everyone’s voice can be heard.
A story worthy of those who came before us. A story our children and grandchildren will be proud to tell.
Thank you!
https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2018/02/14/read-text-elizabeth-warren-speech-native-americans/ovAjQq28SbyqiDXnOp1rNK/story.html
Elizabeth Warren’s Native American problem goes beyond politics
January 19, 2018
https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2018/01/19/elizabeth-warren-native-american-problem-goes-beyond-politics/uK9pGOl4JBmqmRUcxTNj3H/story.html
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dRy8yRUpqEjgtOMYXO98mZoeHzClM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Trump, a Week After Porter Resigned, Says He’s ‘Totally Opposed’ to Spousal Abuse
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/14/us/politics/john-kelly-rob-porter-security-clearances.html
Trump breaks silence, denounces domestic violence
https://www.apnews.com/021dd069cd5c499c89182b2d73d5aa03/Trump-breaks-silence,-denounces-domestic-violence
What is the White House personnel security office?
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/what-white-house-personnel-security-office-n848031
Ex-White House Insider: Rob Porter Was a 'Clear Vulnerability'
A former counterintelligence official explains why you should care about the latest massive White House scandal.
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/wj4jaz/rob-porter-should-not-have-been-hired-white-house-security-clearance
Trump’s scandal pandemic is so bad, even Republicans seem to be squirming
By Jennifer Rubin
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2018/02/14/trumps-scandal-pandemic-is-so-bad-even-republicans-seem-to-be-squirming/
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dt-iCi8V18mcCcMaKw0amhfcONEeM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Conservatives Must Save the Republican Party From Itself
Feb 14, 2018
Video by The Atlantic
“The Trump Republican party shames itself every day,” argues The Atlantic writer and David Frum. “Some people think we’d be better off if the GOP just went out of business. That’s dangerous advice.”
In this video, which highlights key points from Frum’s article, “An Exit from Trumpocracy,” the self-identifying conservative explains why the Republican party has become “radicalized” and continues to move away from the path of democracy. After all, “it’s not a coincidence that Breitbart.com was founded by Californians,” says Frum.
https://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/553298/frum-conservative-argument/
An Exit From Trumpocracy
The stability of American society depends on conservatives finding a way forward from the Trump dead end.
By David Frum
Jan 18, 2018
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/01/frum-trumpocracy/550685/
Kevin Cramer Moves Closer to Launching a Senate Campaign
The House Republican from North Dakota received an offer from oil tycoon Harold Hamm to be his finance chair.
Oklahoma oil tycoon Harold Hamm has offered to be North Dakota Representative Kevin Cramer’s finance chair for his potential Senate bid, The Atlantic has learned—the clearest sign yet that Cramer will make a play for Senator Heidi Heitkamp’s seat.
According to two Republican sources with direct knowledge, Cramer would also likely face an uncontested primary: Should he decide to run, North Dakota state Senator Tom Campbell, the current Republican front-runner, would likely abandon his Senate campaign and seek Cramer’s House seat instead.
[...]
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/02/kevin-cramer-harold-hamm/553355/
Taliban appeals to American people to ‘rationally’ rethink war effort - tie https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=107030537
KABUL — Taliban insurgents on Wednesday issued an extraordinary, 17,000-word appeal to the “American people,” asking them to pressure U.S. officials to end the 17-year-old conflict in Afghanistan and asserting that the protracted American “occupation” had brought only death, corruption and drugs to the impoverished country.
The letter, emailed to the media in English and four other languages, contained official statistics about the human and economic costs of the war, and in parts it used a reasonable, almost academic tone to make its arguments. In other sections, it reverted to a more familiar accusatory tone, referring to U.S. officials as “war-mongers” and usurpers.
“Prolonging the war in Afghanistan and maintaining American troop presence is neither beneficial for America nor for anyone else,” the document said, calling on U.S. citizens, legislators and others to “read this letter prudently” and evaluate the costs and benefits of continuing to fight. “Stubbornly seeking the protraction of this war,” it added, “will have “dreadful consequences” for the region and the “stability of America herself.”
[...]
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/taliban-appeals-to-american-people-torationally-rethink-war-effort/2018/02/14/eaf881fe-1187-11e8-9065-e55346f6de81_story.html
Taliban Asks Americans To Put Pressure On Trump
The insurgent group issued a letter on Wednesday addressed to the “American people” and said US officials still speak the language of war.
In a letter issued to the media on Wednesday, the Taliban called on the American people to put pressure on US President Donald Trump to change his war policy in Afghanistan and pursue peace.
https://www.tolonews.com/afghanistan/taliban-asks-americans-put-pressure-trump
Taliban addresses "the American people" in rambling letter
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rambling-taliban-letter-addresses-the-american-people/
Afghan Taliban Pen Open Letter to Americans, Call for Dialogue
https://www.voanews.com/a/afghan-taliban-open-letter-to-american-people-calls-for-dialogue/4254075.html
Taliban publishes open letter to Americans
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/02/14/taliban-publish-open-letter-americans/
the letter (in English) at https://www.facebook.com/barnett.r.rubin/posts/10155295387646447
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dDAPQmkRHRS7d8MyuiFiniD14ngaM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
What Iran Is Really Up To in Syria
The recent flare-up with Israel gives Tehran and its Shiite allies a chance to further entrench their dominance.
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/02/iran-hezbollah-united-front-syria/553274/
Iran Tells U.S. to Get Out of Syria as World Powers Turn Against Each Other
http://www.newsweek.com/iran-tells-us-get-out-syria-world-powers-turn-against-each-other-807297
U.N. envoy: Dangerous, violent, worrying moment in Syria
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/u-n-envoy-dangerous-violent-worrying-moment-in-syria/
New fronts emerge in Syria as Assad, allies push for victory
https://www.sfgate.com/world/article/New-fronts-emerge-in-Syria-as-Assad-allies-push-12614562.php
Israel claims incursion by Iranian drone - video
The Israeli military released video it said shows an Iranian drone in Israeli airspace on Feb. 10, before it was destroyed by an Israeli attack helicopter. What Israel described as an incursion was used was used as the justification for Israeli strikes on what it described as Iranian targets in Syria. This blurb has been updated to clarify what is known about the drone.
February 10, 2018
https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/world/israel-claims-incursion-by-iranian-drone/2018/02/10/139e444e-0e78-11e8-998c-96deb18cca19_video.html
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/djWvCsYq2BtjDtMw0ViYE_onqxwYM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
CNN Exclusive: At least 100 White House officials served with 'interim' security clearances until November
https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/14/politics/security-clearances-white-house/index.html
Scores of top White House officials lack permanent security clearances - more than 130
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/scores-top-white-house-officials-lack-permanent-security-clearances-n848191
More than 100 WH staffers still worked on temporary security clearance a year after election: report
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/373946-more-than-100-white-house-staffers-had-temporary-security-clearance
White House climate adviser resigns after past pot use blocked security clearance - George David Banks, who was serving as a special assistant to the president for international energy and environmental policy
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2018/02/14/white-house-climate-adviser-resigns-past-pot-use-blocked-security-clearance/
White House official resigns after issue with security clearance: report
A top official on the National Economic Council has reportedly resigned after being told that he did not qualify for a full security clearance.
George David Banks, a special assistant to the president for international energy and environmental policy, resigned Tuesday after the White House Counsel’s office informed him that he would not be granted full security clearance because he admitted to smoking marijuana in 2013, Politico reports.
Banks's departure makes him the third White House official to step down in the past week amid mounting scrutiny over the White House's handling of security clearances.
[...]
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/373843-white-house-official-resigns-after-learning-he-did-not-qualify-for
White House imposed a ban on new interim security clearances last fall
An email circulated to the Office of Management and Budget in November said existing employees could keep working on interim clearances, but new hires would have to get full clearances.
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/13/security-clearances-porter-white-house-407910
more: https://www.google.com/search?q=white+house+security+clearance
Magic Leap promises live-streamed holograms within five years
Also: more details on how apps will work on the Magic Leap One goggles
https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/14/17010546/magic-leap-ceo-rony-abovitz-live-tv-volumetric-holographic-video-sports-news
Bringing NBA Games to Fans Like Never Before
https://www.magicleap.com/stories/blog/nba
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/d7t2nn9ycD4maVMdtzwM_hUExhtoM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Can you die of a broken heart? Science proves 'broken heart syndrome' is real. - Cardiomyopathy
After one bad breakup, I felt as though I was experiencing a death. But I was lucky — my heartbreak wasn’t literal.
https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/can-you-die-broken-heart-science-proves-broken-heart-syndrome-ncna847831
You can actually suffer from a broken heart
http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/suffer-broken-heart-article-1.3820488
Can you die of a broken heart? - The answer is yes, but fortunately, death is very rare
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-02-die-broken-heart.html
Valentine’s Day Special: The Broken Heart Syndrome
https://www.zmescience.com/science/valentine-special-heart-syndrome-0432/
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/de8MVAbOEe_WmsMH2nbH5lUpFX5dM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Researchers successfully reverse Alzheimer's disease in mouse model
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/rup-rsr020718.php
study http://jem.rupress.org/content/early/2018/02/13/jem.20171831?PR=
Alzheimer’s Disease Reversed in Mouse Model
https://www.genengnews.com/gen-news-highlights/alzheimers-disease-reversed-in-mouse-model/81255493
Therapy Reverses Alzheimer's Brain Plaque Builup - In Mice
https://consumer.healthday.com/cognitive-health-information-26/alzheimer-s-news-20/therapy-reverses-alzheimer-s-brain-plaque-buildup-in-mice-731098.html
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dqgkx2VA2vR12-MJBxfXmdJuvum8M?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
People Have Believed a Lie About Rabbit Domestication for Decades
Scientists don’t know when bunnies became docile—and they're not even sure if that's an answerable question.
It is often said, in both popular articles and scientific papers, that rabbits were first domesticated by French monks in 600 AD.
Back then, Pope Gregory the Great had allegedly decreed that laurices—newborn or fetal rabbits—didn’t count as meat. Christians could therefore eat them during Lent. They became a popular delicacy, and hungry monks started breeding them. Their work transformed the wild, skittish European rabbit into a tame domestic animal that tolerates humans.
This was the story that Greger Larson from the University of Oxford heard when he first started studying domestic rabbits. Almost on a whim, he told his student Evan Irving-Pease to find a reference from the Vatican that they could cite. “I said: I’m sure there’s an edict or something,” Larson tells me. “Evan comes back a couple of weeks later and says: ‘Er, small problem, it doesn’t exist.’”
[...]
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/02/eh-whats-up-doc/553304/
What fluffy bunnies can tell us about domestication: It didn't go the way you think
https://phys.org/news/2018-02-fluffy-bunnies-domestication-didnt.html
study http://www.cell.com/trends/ecology-evolution/fulltext/S0169-5347(18)30001-6
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/d3SjzOyUz0KDbgM8ecLUwoerT9dlM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Scientists are about to explore never-before-seen depths of the Antarctic ocean - tie ('Chasing Ice', etc.) https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=102161216
https://qz.com/1206564/antartica-scientists-are-about-to-explore-ocean-depths-exposed-by-the-larsen-ice-shelf-and-a-68-iceberg/
Monster Antarctic Iceberg Gets Its Big Break in First-of-Its-Kind Video
https://www.livescience.com/61753-watch-antarctic-iceberg-break.html
British Antarctic Survey
https://www.youtube.com/user/AntarcticSurvey/videos
Expedition to Larsen C Ice Shelf
For the love of icebergs
First expedition to newly exposed Antarctic ecosystem
A team of scientists, led by British Antarctic Survey (BAS), heads to Antarctica this week (14 February) to investigate a mysterious marine ecosystem that’s been hidden beneath an Antarctic ice shelf for up to 120,000 years.
https://www.bas.ac.uk/media-post/first-scientific-expedition-to-newly-exposed-antarctic-ecosystem/
The Last Continent: Massive iceberg has been floating around Antarctica for 17 years
http://vancouversun.com/news/national/the-last-continent
Antarctica Expedition to Explore Mysterious Marine Life Once Hidden by Larsen C Ice Shelf
http://www.newsweek.com/expedition-explore-massive-iceberg-broke-antarctica-and-marine-life-lived-803520
UK team set for giant Antarctic iceberg expedition
Scientists will set out in the next week to study an Antarctic realm that has been hidden for thousands of years.
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-43008058
Cambridge scientists on a mission to discover the hidden secrets of the sea
A giant iceberg has broken away in Antarctica and exposed some weird and fascinating creatures
https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/british-antarctic-survey-larsen-ice-14282584
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dp7rVuYGkJH_X2MX8ctXiAWvZjvFM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
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Published on Feb 14, 2018 by Democracy Now! [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzuqE7-t13O4NIDYJfakrhw / https://www.youtube.com/user/democracynow , https://www.youtube.com/user/democracynow/videos ]
In Burma, two journalists from the Reuters news agency have entered their third month in jail. Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo were arrested on December 12 and charged with violating Burma’s Official Secrets Act. They have been denied bail and face up to 14 years in jail. At the time of their arrest, they were investigating a massacre committed by the Burmese military targeting Rohingya Muslims in the village of Inn Din in September. While the two journalists remain in prison, other journalists with Reuters have continued to piece together what happened in Inn Din. In a shocking new expose, Reuters reports Burmese soldiers and members of an informal militia executed 10 Rohingya Muslim captives. At least two of the men were hacked to death. The others were shot. We speak with Antoni Slodkowski, Reuters bureau chief in Burma.
https://www.democracynow.org/2018/2/14/two_reuters_journalists_face_14_years [with embedded video, and transcript]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeAr9WQsw9M [with comments]
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Rep. Pramila Jayapal: Trump’s Immoral Budget Punishes the Poor, Sick & Elderly
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by Democracy Now!
President Trump’s $4.4 trillion budget proposes deep cuts to education, healthcare and social safety net programs—while massively increasing the Pentagon’s budget. Trump’s plan would slash the Department of Education’s budget by more than 10 percent. It would sharply reduce income-based student loan repayment plans, while ending the Public Service Loan Forgiveness Program. Trump’s budget would cut more than $17 billion from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program—or SNAP—barring food stamp recipients from buying fresh fruit and vegetables, and instead providing only a boxed food delivery program. The budget would also phase out federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which supports public and community radio and TV stations. This comes as McClatchy reports the Trump administration is considering a plan that would not only impose work requirements for Medicaid enrollees, but which would also put a lifetime limit on adults’ access to Medicaid. Meanwhile, Trump’s budget would see a 13 percent rise in spending on weapons and war, bringing the Pentagon’s budget to $686 billion. We speak to Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-WA), vice ranking member of the House Budget Committee and vice chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus.
https://www.democracynow.org/2018/2/14/rep_pramila_jayapal_trumps_immoral_budget [with embedded video, and transcript]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HRkQ4g2XFGQ [with comments]
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As Porter Domestic Violence Scandal Roils WH, Lawmakers Demand Kelly’s Ouster & Trump’s Impeachment
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by Democracy Now!
Rep. Pramila Jayapal talks about the scandal embroiling the White House over former Staff Secretary Rob Porter, who resigned after evidence surfaced that he had abused his two ex-wives. On Tuesday, FBI Director Christopher Wray testified to the Senate that the FBI had told the White House about the physical and verbal abuse allegations that were holding up Porter’s background check months earlier than the White House has admitted. Jayapal talks about why she has called for White House Chief of Staff John Kelly to resign, as well as her support for impeachment proceedings against Trump.
https://www.democracynow.org/2018/2/14/as_porter_domestic_violence_scandal_roils [with embedded video, and transcript]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VpiDvVaR4oY [with comments]
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V-Day: Global Movement to Stop Violence Against Women and Girls Marks 20th Anniversary
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by Democracy Now!
As the White House is facing an escalating scandal over how it ignored the serious accusations of former Staff Secretary Rob Porter’s verbal and physical violence against his two ex-wives, we end today’s show looking at the worldwide movement called V-Day to stop violence against women and girls. Today marks the 20th anniversary of the V-Day movement, which was inspired by Eve Ensler’s groundbreaking play “The Vagina Monologues.” We speak to three V-Day activists from around the world: Christine Schuler Deschryver of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rada Boric from Croatia and Agnes Pareyio from Kenya.
https://www.democracynow.org/2018/2/14/v_day_global_movement_to_stop [with embedded video, and transcript]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sncWeHF-Fbk [with comments]
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V-Day Special: Global Activists on Their 20-Year Campaign to Stop Violence Against Women and Girls
Published on Feb 15, 2018 by Democracy Now!
On the 20th anniversary of V-Day, we host an extended conversation with three leading international campaigners fighting to stop violence against women and girls: Christine Schuler Deschryver of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rada Boric from Croatia and Agnes Pareyio from Kenya. The first V-Day events were held 20 years ago today, on Feb. 14, 1998.
https://www.democracynow.org/2018/2/14/v_day_special_global_activists_on [with embedded video, and transcript]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6_2OdcJAmA [with comments]
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Readout of President Donald J. Trump’s Call with President Tran Dai Quang of Vietnam
Issued on: February 14, 2018
President Donald J. Trump spoke today with President Tran Dai Quang of Vietnam to reaffirm their shared commitment to strengthening the United States-Vietnam Comprehensive Partnership. President Trump and President Quang discussed the regional security environment and the growing bilateral defense relationship between their two countries, including the upcoming visit by the United States aircraft carrier USS Carl Vinson to Da Nang in March. The two leaders also discussed trade issues, and pledged to deepen and expand bilateral trade that is fair and reciprocal.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/readout-president-donald-j-trumps-call-president-tran-dai-quang-vietnam/
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Full Show - Chinese Name & Claim New Territory, Trump Fights For Steel Jobs - 02/14/2018
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by Ron Gibson [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYv-5LsUyc_P8KMo7YGPFPA / https://www.youtube.com/user/RonGibsonCF , https://www.youtube.com/user/RonGibsonCF/videos ]
Full Broadcast 14Feb18 Real News with David Knight
Democrats have been masters of seizing the high ground in arguments by coining terms like “Dreamer” and Chinese are now extending their territory by naming underwater features around their artificial island military bases. Then, proof that US elections are hacked — not by Russians but by US political parties. And Lionel exposes the latest media shell games & distractions.
[from Alex Jones and his merry band of batshit bullshitters]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ysuFyx5Vy2U [with comments] [the edited official Alex Jones/Real News with David Knight upload at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AdqCe-DqFUc (title and text adapted from; with comments)]
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WATCH: Treasury Secy. Mnuchin testifies before Senate Finance Cmte.
Streamed live on Feb 14, 2018 by PBS NewsHour [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6ZFN9Tx6xh-skXCuRHCDpQ / https://www.youtube.com/user/PBSNewsHour , https://www.youtube.com/user/PBSNewsHour/videos ]
Secretary of the Treasury Steve Mnuchin testifies before the Senate Finance Committee.
Senate Committee on Finance
The President’s Fiscal Year 2019 Budget
Full Committee
February 14, 2018 10:30 AM
215 Dirksen Senate Office Building
https://www.finance.senate.gov/hearings/the-presidents-fiscal-year-2019-budget
additional sessions of this hearing at:
February 14, 2018 02:30 PM https://www.finance.senate.gov/hearings/the-presidents-fiscal-year-2019-budget2
February 15, 2018 09:00 AM https://www.finance.senate.gov/hearings/the-presidents-fiscal-year-2019-budget3
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5O7vXabzx7k [comments disabled]
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President Donald J. Trump Calls on the Senate to Support the Grassley Bill, Oppose Bills that Fail to Deliver for the American People
Issued on: February 14, 2018
President Trump issued the following statement of support today for Chairman Grassley’s immigration bill, which was just published and is based on the White House Framework. In seeking responsible immigration reform, the President urged senators to vote for the Grassley bill and to oppose any legislation that violates the Framework’s “four pillars,” and that thus fails to deliver safety, security, and prosperity to the American People:
I want to thank Chairman Grassley for introducing legislation based on the White House Immigration Reform and Border Security Framework. The Grassley bill accomplishes the four pillars of the White House Framework: a lasting solution on DACA, ending chain migration, cancelling the visa lottery, and securing the border through building the wall and closing legal loopholes. I am asking all senators, in both parties, to support the Grassley bill and to oppose any legislation that fails to fulfill these four pillars – that includes opposing any short-term “Band-Aid” approach. The overwhelming majority of American voters support a plan that fulfills the Framework’s four pillars, which move us towards the safe, modern, and lawful immigration system our people deserve.
At the same time, I remain encouraged by developments in the House toward advancing legislation from Chairmen Goodlatte and McCaul that also enshrines our four pillars.
Now that our military is fully funded, and will be rebuilt stronger than ever before, my focus is on enacting responsible and commonsense immigration reform that delivers for the American People.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trump-calls-senate-support-grassley-bill-oppose-bills-fail-deliver-american-people/
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32 Things Donald Trump Loves To Love
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by VICE News [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZaT_X_mc0BI-djXOlfhqWQ / https://www.youtube.com/user/vicenews , https://www.youtube.com/user/vicenews/videos ]
Valentine’s Day gives us an occasion to focus on the great loves of our life. For most of us, this means our significant others, family, and friends. But for President Donald Trump, this includes a long list of people, places, activities, and inanimate objects.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0f9ysmciWUk [with comments]
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President Trump Meets with Bipartisan Members of Congress on Infrastructure
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by The White House [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYxRlFDqcWM4y7FfpiAN3KQ / https://www.youtube.com/user/whitehouse , https://www.youtube.com/user/whitehouse/videos ]
The White House
Remarks by President Trump in Meeting with Bipartisan Members of Congress on Infrastructure
Cabinet Room
February 14, 2018
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-meeting-bipartisan-members-congress-infrastructure/ [official transcript]
Building a Stronger America: America Wants Infrastructure Reform
“It’s time to put up soaring new infrastructure that inspires pride in our people and our towns.”
- President Donald J. Trump
February 14, 2018
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/building-stronger-america-america-wants-infrastructure-reform/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wH0K2gL1znA [with comments]
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Full Show - DISTURBING: ESPN Admits They Spy On Viewers As They Watch - 02/14/2018
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by The Alex Jones Channel [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvsye7V9psc-APX6wV1twLg / https://www.youtube.com/user/TheAlexJonesChannel , https://www.youtube.com/user/TheAlexJonesChannel/videos ]
Wednesday, Feb. 14th 2018: Americans Fall in Love with Trump - Roger Stone and Alex Jones host today's worldwide transmission, and they reveal ESPN's startling admission, during the Super Bowl, that they can watch their audience through their personal TV. The President's popularity is on a massive upswing as more people - including former Hillary voters - start to see the difference between Trump and the Deep State. The globalists tried to crash the stock market to blame on the president, but the public saw right through it. Roger Stone looks into the wide range of over-arching news and explain what it means for YOU during the fourth and final hour.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5dJMvjvCYRU [with comments] [also, slightly edited, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KbSchB2G0qw (additional text adapted from; with comments)] [a must-watch]
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Dr Prof Alex Jones Explains Advanced Physics
Published on Feb 13, 2018 by King Crocoduck [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiQ2pjcoPI-Jpo1GER7-iUA / https://www.youtube.com/user/KingCrocoduck , https://www.youtube.com/user/KingCrocoduck/videos ]
Hi everyone, just a quick and fun little video I wanted to share in celebration of my first video to ever reach 1 Million views.
Quantum Theory Made Easy [1] was a monumental effort and a labor of love, and can be viewed here:
Quantum Theory Made Easy [1]
Published on Jul 17, 2015 by King Crocoduck
“Quantum Theory Made Easy,” a series in which the concepts of quantum physics are broken down for layaudiences in a more digestable manner. More in-depth than most presentations for laypersons, but without the mathematical rigour needed by a specialist in the field.
So, you've heard that light is a wave/particle. Now you get to find out how we know this!
In this episode, we’ll be discussing the dual nature of light, starting with a brief overview of how light was determined to be an electromagnetic wave and what properties light was classically associated with. From there, we’ll present the results of Planck’s blackbody experiments and introduce the concept of quantization, which was how this whole quantum mess was started in the first place. After explaining how the quantum of action (h) works, we’ll move on to how it showed up in experiments that challenged the wave picture of light, and how Einstein, bremsstrahlung, and Compton, made it clear that light can behave like a particle.
If you enjoyed this video, please give it a like. If you want to help support the propagation of this material, please press the “favorite” button, and if you’re feeling particularly proactive, please share it on your social media of choice. And of course, if you’re new to this channel, or have just been lurking about but aren’t sure if you’re ready to commit, just take a risk and press that subscribe button (there’s actually no risk involved. Like, at all. Just subscribe already.)
Special thanks goes to the following resources for their (Fair-Use protected) material:
Best of Science
https://www.youtube.com/user/Best0fScience/videos
UC Berkeley
https://www.youtube.com/user/UCBerkeley [ http://webcast.berkeley.edu/ ]
Stellardrone
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e5_V78SWGF0 [with comments]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2jLs-1GpwQM [with comments]
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Alex Jones praises Tucker Carlson, Hannity, Lou Dobbs
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by MMFA Alt. Channel [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC0PhjTobwRndMIUs8uA3vkg / https://www.youtube.com/user/MMFAalt1 , https://www.youtube.com/user/MMFAalt1/videos ]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6Qkx-WDLYPE [comments disabled]
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Alex Jones on Florida school shooting: May be a false flag, Democrats suspects
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by MMFA Alt. Channel
Certain features have been disabled for this video
In response to user reports, we have disabled some features, such as comments, sharing, and suggested videos, because this video contains content that may be inappropriate or offensive to some audiences.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qKggPtaC2gM [as part of the restrictions (at least currently) on this YouTube, (at least currently) won't embed, click through to view; from/included in, beginning at c. the 2:19:53 mark of, the full Alex Jones show, fourth YouTube above (note no such restrictions on that original video, or on its also-linked Ron Gibson mirror) (. . .); comments disabled]
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Ben Shapiro complains about Black Panther
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by MMFA Alt. Channel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZyZ8TTiJM4 [comments disabled]
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RWW News: Ben Shapiro Is Bothered That Black People Are Excited About ‘Black Panther’
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by RWW Blog [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMXqRHe8n1TX5iDvkLS62rw / https://www.youtube.com/user/RWWBlog , https://www.youtube.com/user/RWWBlog/videos ]
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/ben-shapiro-is-bothered-that-black-people-are-excited-about-black-panther/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ha_f2S15TBA [with comments]
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Dave Daubenmire Is Sick Of "Phony Black Christians" Who Voted For "That Quasi-Muslim Freak"
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by RWW Blog
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/dave-daubenmire-is-sick-of-phony-black-christians-who-voted-for-that-quasi-muslim-freak-barack-obama/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XztduKy88I4 [with comments]
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RWW News: Lucian Wintrich: Florida School Shooting Happened Because Liberals ‘Demonized’ The Church
Published on Feb 15, 2018 by RWW Blog
http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/lucian-wintrich-says-florida-school-shooting-happened-because-liberals-demonized-the-church/
[from/in re the February 14, 2018 episode of Gateway Pundit’s ( http://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=135662452 ) the “Wintrich Report”]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XdUAQa66hBs [with comments]
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Ridiculous Flat Earth Nonsense on SpaceX
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by Professor Stick [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbjw7dE_hxJT-VGLTqCjlJA , https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbjw7dE_hxJT-VGLTqCjlJA/videos ]
Quick video! Just wanted to get something out there and to jump on the bandwagon of the SpaceX shuttle and flat earthers. Fun for the whole family!
Original Video:
FLAT EARTH PROOF (ELON MUSK SPACEX FALCON HEAVY WAS FAKE)!!!!
Published on Feb 8, 2018 by DelanoTV [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdtx3bIyogviBCo-0ZZFMvA / https://www.youtube.com/user/DelanoTV , https://www.youtube.com/user/DelanoTV/videos ]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UlsbhYzRG_g [with comments] [also included, with further references, in the 'stashed' at https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=138704589 (earlier this string, three posts back)]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1FDz67pwSlk [with comments]
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President Trump Working Session Regarding the Opportunity Zones Provided by Tax Reform
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by The White House
The White House
[no official transcript (yet) at https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/ ]
President Donald J. Trump Is Expanding Entrepreneurial Opportunity in Underserved Communities
“America is about getting ahead, about finding the best in ourselves and in each other.”
- President Donald J. Trump
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/president-donald-j-trump-expanding-entrepreneurial-opportunity-underserved-communities/
Sen. Tim Scott: “New Tax Law Will Spur Opportunity in Distressed Communities”
“To create a brighter tomorrow for communities that have been left behind, we need to capitalize on the private-sector resources that can help boost these areas in ways we haven’t seen before.”
- Sen. Tim Scott
February 14, 2018
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/sen-tim-scott-new-tax-law-will-spur-opportunity-distressed-communities/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XINm8kfY5w4 [with comments]
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Full Show - Details Emerging On Florida High School Shooting - 02/14/2018
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by War Room [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClsn7QZVdszxLlUs-GOG0Sg , https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClsn7QZVdszxLlUs-GOG0Sg/videos ]
A mass shooting went down at a Florida High School that left 17 dead and many others wounded and the political left immediately started calling for gun control. ESPN reveals they can watch you in your living room through the camera in your television. Democrats sound exactly like President Trump on immigration and the olympics are losing their luster thanks to the war on nationalism waged by the liberal media.
[from Alex Jones and his merry band of batshit bullshitters]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rg1o8eLVMB0 [with comments] [also, edited, at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zSB9Kc5BeRE (with comments)]
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Here's Why The Rob Porter Scandal Is A National Security Scandal (HBO)
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by VICE News
When Trump White House aide Rob Porter was forced to resign after allegations he abused his two ex-wives last week, the story quickly ballooned into a scandal about who in the administration knew what when. There were all the makings of a classic DC cover up.
But there's more to the story, says Brian McKeon was a top official in the National Security Council office during the Obama administration. He says there are national security implications to the Porter story, too.
VICE News talked to McKeon Wednesday.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T4ZBt0F1F2I [with comments]
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Camel Wrestling Is Real And We Went To See It In Turkey (HBO)
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by VICE News
It’s peak camel wrestling season in southwest Turkey, and cameleers in the region are traveling from town to town to have their camels compete in wrestling matches.
The Yoruk people, who are native to the region, have lived with camels for ages and consider them to be sacred. For generations, they’ve celebrated wrestling season, making a spectator sport out of their camels’ natural mating habits.
Camels are herd animals and it’s natural for the males to wrestle in order to establish dominance and mating rights.
This year, over 140 of Turkey’s elite wrestling camels competed at the 36th-annual camel wrestling competition in the town of Selçuk.
Typically held in the third week of January, the competition in Selçuk is generally known to be the most prestigious in the camel wrestling world - because it happens when camel’s are in peak heat, and generally attracts huge crowds from around the world, numbering in the tens’ of thousands.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QM5hXrV_4ek [with comments]
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Sen. Murphy: Lawmakers responsible for mass atrocities
All In with Chris Hayes
2/14/18
Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut, who represents Sandy Hook, talks about his anger about Congress' inaction on gun violence in the wake of another school shooting in Parkland, Florida.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/sen-chris-murphy-reacts-to-florida-school-shooting-1161920579605 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EW_oPFG6CZY [with comments]
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The race to stop school shootings
All In with Chris Hayes
2/14/18
Mark Follman, National Affairs Editor at Mother Jones, joins Chris Hayes to talk about his writing on the race to stop school shootings.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/the-race-to-stop-school-shootings-1161943619765
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Once unimaginable gun massacres become familiar
The Rachel Maddow Show
2/14/18
Rachel Maddow reports on the latest developments in the deadly gun tragedy at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School and notes the elements that have become familiar in gun massacres, including the deflection of gun questions by politicians with vague answers about mental health.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/once-unimaginable-gun-massacres-become-familiar-1162034755603
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School shooting drills prove beneficial in Parkland gun tragedy
The Rachel Maddow Show
2/14/18
Melissa Falkowski, a teacher at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, talks with Rachel Maddow about what she experienced as a gunman terrorized her school, and how previous drills prepared students and staff for the very real horror.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/school-shooting-drills-prove-beneficial-in-parkland-gun-tragedy-1161987651525 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fBfSglfkULg [with comments]
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Families of Florida school shooting victims still being notified
The Rachel Maddow Show
2/14/18
Mayor Christine Hunschofsky of Parkland, Florida, talks with Rachel Maddow about how the state of Florida has rallied resources to her community as officials engage the grim task of notifying the families of victims of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/families-of-florida-school-shooting-victims-still-being-notified-1161986627915
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Survivors of Parkland school shooting share harrowing stories
The Rachel Maddow Show
2/14/18
Tammy Leitner, reporter for NBC News, talks with Rachel Maddow about the stories she has learned from survivors of the shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, with students cowering in corners and texting family outside.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/survivors-of-parkland-school-shooting-share-harrowing-stories-1162004547653
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Gun safety politics grows as gun violence victims increase
The Rachel Maddow Show
2/14/18
Lori Haas, whose daughter survived the Virginia Tech shooting, talks with Rachel Maddow about coping emotionally in the wake of such a tragedy and how the growing number of Americans who have experienced gun violence is becoming an increasingly powerful political base in support of gun safety.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/gun-safety-politics-grows-as-gun-violence-victims-increase-1162006083873
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Rep. Esty: Congress needs political backbone to pass gun safety
The Rachel Maddow Show
2/14/18
Rep. Elizabeth Esty, whose district includes Newtown, Connecticut, talks with Rachel Maddow about why her colleagues in Congress should look at how gun safety laws worked in her state and do something about mass shootings.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/rep-esty-congress-needs-political-backbone-to-pass-gun-safety-1162028611633
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Teen helps protect classmates from gunman in Florida high school
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell
2/14/18
Lawrence O'Donnell talks to Douglas High School freshman Brandon Carrasco about his terrifying experience of being trapped in a classroom during the massacre at his high school in Parkland, Florida.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/teen-helps-protect-classmates-from-gunman-in-florida-high-school-1162010691964 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DYnozilFRA [with comments]
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Florida dad to politicians: Stop taking 'blood money' from NRA
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell
2/14/18
Sergio Rozenblat, the father of a sophomore who was on the same floor as the shooter at the South Florida high school, tells the story of his daughter's experience. He calls on politicians to "stop accepting blood money."
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/florida-dad-to-politicians-stop-taking-blood-money-from-nra-1162021955554 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4BXYSlfpwo8 [with comments]
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Trump 'totally opposed' to domestic abuse, Congress demands answers
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell
2/14/18
Congress is demanding that the Trump White House answer questions by February 28 about the handling of domestic violence allegations against Rob Porter. Lawrence O'Donnell talks with Kurt Andersen and Maria Teresa Kumar.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/trump-totally-opposed-to-domestic-abuse-congress-demands-answers-1162027075965 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BUsaPoj7u_Q [with comments]
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Brothers describe deadly shooting at Florida high school
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams
2/15/18
Brothers Brandon and Aiden Minoff, both students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School, describe what they saw and heard during a shooting that killed at least 17 people and injured another 14 more.
©2018 NBCNews.com
[originally aired February 14, 2018]
http://www.msnbc.com/brian-williams/watch/brothers-describe-deadly-shooting-at-florida-high-school-1162064451915 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Myrpp7xhmm4 [with comments]
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Dozens in Trump White House lack permanent security clearance
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams
2/15/18
Trump White House documents obtained by NBC News show that, as of November of 2017, over 130 White House officials did not have permanent security clearances. Our reporter panel reacts.
©2018 NBCNews.com
[originally aired February 14, 2018]
http://www.msnbc.com/brian-williams/watch/dozens-in-trump-white-house-lack-permanent-security-clearance-1162070083833
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AP: Porn star Stormy Daniels feels free to share Trump story
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams
2/15/18
The manager for porn star Stormy Daniels says her client feels free to share her story about her alleged encounter with Donald Trump. That after, according to Daniels and her manager, Trump's personal attorney Michael Cohen broke a non-disclosure agreement.
©2018 NBCNews.com
[originally aired February 14, 2018]
http://www.msnbc.com/brian-williams/watch/ap-porn-star-stormy-daniels-feels-free-to-share-trump-story-1162074691564 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOMecK-GCHc [with comments]
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CP Time: Unsung Black Heroes of Politics - The Daily Show
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by The Daily Show with Trevor Noah [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwWhs_6x42TyRM4Wstoq8HA , https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwWhs_6x42TyRM4Wstoq8HA/videos ]
Roy Wood Jr. honors the unsung black heroes of politics.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8Aol2QGUOc [with comments] [and see also in particular (linked in) https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=75581937 and preceding and following]
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Ijeoma Oluo - You Can't "Win" a Conversation About Race - The Opposition w/ Jordan Klepper
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by Comedy Central [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUsN5ZwHx2kILm84-jPDeXw / https://www.youtube.com/user/comedycentral , https://www.youtube.com/user/comedycentral/videos , https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD7nPL1U-R5r5XD8saDuOBVj1z69Y_4iK ]
Writer Ijeoma Oluo explains why empathy for other people's lived experiences is at the heart of positive racial dialogue in her book "So You Want to Talk About Race."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XvxomaFJvvw [with comments]
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Donald Trump's Valentine's Day Card To Melania Trump
Published on Feb 13, 2018 by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMtFAi84ehTSYSE9XoHefig , https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMtFAi84ehTSYSE9XoHefig/videos ]
In honor of Valentine's Day, the President sent this message to the love of his life.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zb1ShTFP198 [with comments]
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A Valentine's Day Message from Jim Jefferies - The Jim Jefferies Show
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by Comedy Central [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUsN5ZwHx2kILm84-jPDeXw / https://www.youtube.com/user/comedycentral , https://www.youtube.com/user/comedycentral/videos , https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLD7nPL1U-R5q27n0ECbBQFQGcTDs205-C ]
To commemorate Valentine's Day, Jim wonders why images of naked babies are only acceptable on greeting cards one day a year.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxESRrYdIYc [with comments]
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Google - Youtube REFUSE to PAY a AMERICAN Ex-Military VETERAN with NO DENTAL PLAN !
Published on Feb 14, 2018 by Bravo Alternative Media [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVV0_xnA_z-ALo6kZJz2WXA , https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVV0_xnA_z-ALo6kZJz2WXA/videos ]
WHY is Google and Youtube refusing to PAY an Ex-Military American VETERAN for his Work ? The Head of Google Made 200 MILLION DOLLARS and He will NOT pay a Vet who put his Life on the Line for AMERICA !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You should be ASHAMED of yourself !
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AtV69S7Ziik [with comments]
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stashed February 14, 2018:
Judges Say Throw Out the Map. Lawmakers Say Throw Out the Judges. - pure, naked (Christo-)FASCISM
WASHINGTON — In Pennsylvania, a Republican lawmaker unhappy with a State Supreme Court ruling on gerrymandering wants to impeach the Democratic justices who authored it.
In Iowa, a running dispute over allowing firearms in courthouses has prompted bills by Republican sponsors to slash judges’ pay and require them to personally pay rent for courtrooms that are gun-free.
In North Carolina, the Republican Party is working on sweeping changes to rein in state courts that have repeatedly undercut or blocked laws passed by the legislature.
Rather than simply fighting judicial rulings, elected officials in some states across the country — largely Republicans, but Democrats as well — are increasingly seeking to punish or restrain judges who hand down unfavorable decisions, accusing them of making law instead of interpreting it.
Civil liberties advocates and other critics have a different take: The real law-flouting, they say, is by politicians who want to punish justices whose decisions offend their own ideological leanings.
Court-bashing is nothing new. As far back as the 1800s, New Hampshire’s legislature disbanded the state’s Supreme Court five times, said Bill Raftery, a senior analyst at the National Center for State Courts in Williamsburg, Va., who has tracked legislation affecting the judicial system for years.
But political attempts to reshape or constrain state courts have risen sharply in the last 10 years, Mr. Raftery said, propelled by polarization and a fading of the civics-book notion of governmental checks and balances. That became especially true, he said, during the Great Recession that began in 2007, when legislators slashed spending for state judicial systems in the name of balancing budgets — but also, sometimes, in the cause of punishing courts for rulings they disliked.
“It ultimately boils down to this,” he said. “The courts are not looked on by some legislators as being an independent branch of government. For some, they’re looked on as an agency that needs to be brought to heel.”
This combative approach, some analysts say, mirrors the heated rhetoric about judicial bias and overreach that has become a staple of national politics.
“This is Trumpism at the lower level,” said Bernard Grofman, an elections expert at the University of California, Irvine who redrew Virginia’s congressional map in 2015 following a federal court finding that districts had been racially gerrymandered. “This is the view that if independent branches of government say things that don’t match what you say or do, you fire them; you impeach them; you malign them; you destroy them as best you can.”
The latest example is in Pennsylvania, where the State Supreme Court split along party lines last month when it struck down the congressional district map as a Republican-drawn gerrymander. The court gave the Republican-dominated legislature three weeks to draw a new House map, adding that it would take over the map-drawing if the lawmakers could not reach agreement on new boundaries with the state’s Democratic governor.
Even after the United States Supreme Court rejected the legislature’s plea to intervene on Feb. 5, Republicans have refused to completely accept the state court’s decision. The president of the State Senate, Joe Scarnati, first raised eyebrows by stating that he would not comply with the court’s order to turn over any data used in drawing the House maps. Later, he said he might file ethics complaints against two Democratic justices who expressed opinions on gerrymandering before the January decision, seeking to disqualify them from the ruling.
On Friday, hours before the court-appointed deadline, Republican legislators sent a proposed new House map to Gov. Tom Wolf, a Democrat.
But analysts say the proposed map, which was prepared without input from the legislature’s Democrats, effectively preserves the existing Republican dominance in the House, albeit with boundaries that do not “wander seemingly arbitrarily across Pennsylvania,” as the court said of the map it struck down.
On Tuesday, Mr. Wolf rejected the map, and the job of redistricting will fall to Nathaniel Persily, a professor of law at Stanford University who is the court-appointed special master. But in an interview last week, Mr. Scarnati called a court takeover of the mapping process “grossly unconstitutional,” and pledged to challenge it in federal court.
In the State House, Cris Dush, a Republican, is circulating a proposal to impeach the Democratic justices who were the 5-2 majority in the decision. In an interview, Mr. Dush said he did not dispute their authority to strike down the Republican map, but complained that their order to draw new boundaries tramples on legislative powers.
Mr. Dush said his proposal has support in the House, but that he likely will not press it unless the court takes over the mapping responsibility from the legislature. “It’s judicial activism,” he said. “They’re not staying within the rule of the law. It happens far too often to us, and it’s time for the state legislature to rise up and call them accountable.”
Mr. Scarnati, the State Senate president, said he has not ruled out impeachment, but that Republicans should first pursue “other avenues” such as ethics complaints and a lawsuit.
The impeachment threat has drawn sharp criticism from some quarters. “Calling for impeachment — especially five of seven justices, especially when all five are Democrats — can’t help but look partisan,” said Douglas Keith, a senior counsel at the Democracy Program of the Brennan Center for Justice at the New York University School of Law. “We use impeachment to remove judges for serious criminal or ethical wrongdoing. This is a direct affront to the judicial branch’s power, not reasoned disagreement.”
That said, impeachment — or at least, impeachment threats and attempts — have become a common tool to pressure courts in recent years, said Mr. Raftery of the National Center for State Courts.
During the 2011 to 2012 legislative session, he said, lawmakers filed 14 bills in seven states seeking to remove judges, including an effort by Republicans in the State House to remove the entire New Hampshire Superior Court over its handling of custody and domestic relations cases.
But legislative attempts to rein in state judges include a panoply of tactics, from scalpel to cudgel. The North Carolina legislature’s ongoing campaign to remake state courts in more conservative and political lights is perhaps best known. The Brennan Center this week released a list of court-related proposals pending before legislatures in 14 states.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/14/us/pennsylvania-gerrymandering-courts.html
Finding a Lost Strain of Rice, and Clues to Slave Cooking
The search for the missing grain led to Trinidad and Thomas Jefferson, and now excitement among African-American chefs.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/13/dining/hill-rice-slave-history.html
Russia Threatens YouTube, Instagram Over Videos Of Kremlin Official And Oligarch
The billionaire, Oleg Deripaska has ties to the Kremlin and former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/russia-youtube-instagram-kremlin-oligarch_us_5a83f9f0e4b0adbaf3d8eb6f
Who Is Weev, and Why Did He Derail a Journalist's Career?
(The Most Dangerous Form of American Extremism - Danger of the Alt-Right https://youtu.be/4fqHriOpQo4 )
A newly hired opinion writer for The New York Times called weev "a terrible person, and an old friend of mine." The rest of the world calls him a Nazi.
https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2018/02/who-is-weev/553295/
The following is attributable to James Bennet, editorial page editor, The New York Times:
"Despite our review of Quinn Norton’s work and our conversations with her previous employers, this was new information to us. Based on it, we’ve decided to go our separate ways."
https://twitter.com/NYTimesPR/status/963613435933200384
New York Times parts ways with op-ed writer just hours after hire
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/new-york-times-parts-ways-quinn-norton-after-controversial-tweets-n847956
After a Twitter Storm, The Times and a New Hire Part Ways
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/13/business/media/quinn-norton-new-york-times.html
New York Times hired, then quickly unhired, writer who tweeted about befriending neo-Nazis
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/02/14/new-york-times-hires-then-quickly-unhires-writer-who-tweeted-about-befriending-neo-nazis/
Leaked Chat Transcripts: New York Times Employees Are Pissed About Bari Weiss
According to one employee, diversity efforts at the publication “are nothing but lip service.”
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/new-york-times-diversity-bari-weiss-tweet_us_5a833d4ee4b0cf06751f3f44
France Returns Artwork To Descendants Of Jewish Couple Who Fled Nazis
Herta and Henry Bromberg were forced to sell their art collection before World War II in order to find safety.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/france-returns-artwork-to-descendants-of-jewish-couple-who-fled-nazis_us_5a84520ae4b0058d55651f93
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dVW_AEoDDyZHcLMYabwgi7EKgiV6M?ned=us&hl=en&gl=US
Donald Trump’s ICE Is Tearing Families Apart
https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/donald-trump-ice-tearing-families-apart
Top Seattle ICE official charged with stealing immigrants’ identities
The top attorney for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in Seattle is accused of stealing immigrants’ identities in an attempt to defraud several credit card companies.
Raphael A. Sanchez, ICE’s chief counsel in the city, was charged with one count of wire fraud and one count of aggravated identity theft, according to a charging document [ http://apps.washingtonpost.com/g/documents/national/charging-document-raphael-a-sanchez/2766/ ] filed this week in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington.
The charges, both felonies, were first reported Tuesday by the Associated Press [ http://komonews.com/news/local/ice-lawyer-in-seattle-charged-with-stealing-immigrants-ids ], which also reported that Sanchez had resigned from ICE effective Monday.
A defense attorney for Sanchez did not immediately respond to a message seeking comment. A spokeswoman for ICE’s Seattle field office referred questions to the Department of Justice, where no one was immediately available to discuss the case.
The charging document states that between October 2013 and October 2017 Sanchez used the personal information of seven immigrants to try to defraud several financial institutions, including American Express, Citibank and Bank of America. The immigrants were all “in various stages of immigration proceedings,” read the document signed by attorneys from Justice Department’s Public Integrity Section.
[...]
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/02/14/top-seattle-ice-official-stole-immigrants-personal-information-feds-say/
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/d8D71gCgaRrdrEMxNYtH8tO70LNxM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
CPI, Retail Data Not Pretty But May Overstate U.S. Economic Pain
Pickup in inflation isn’t seen as sign of rapid acceleration
Job market, tax cuts likely to support consumer spending
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-02-14/cpi-retail-data-not-pretty-but-may-overstate-u-s-economic-pain
Rising inflation rekindles a big market fear from the 1970s
The 2.1 percent January rise in the consumer price index pushes the economy toward a potential danger zone for inflation.
A combination of rising price pressures and weakening growth would be a sign of stagflation, a fear from the 1970s.
Fed economists expect GDP to grow 2.5 percent in 2018, though the Atlanta Fed has sharply cut its projection for the first quarter.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/14/inflation-rise-toward-key-level-rekindles-stagflation-fear-from-the-1970s.html
U.S. inflation firms broadly in January, puts spotlight on Fed
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-economy/u-s-inflation-firms-broadly-in-january-puts-spotlight-on-fed-idUSKCN1FY0GG
The Cost of Clothes and Shoes Rose the Fastest in 30 Years Last Month – and the Markets Aren't Happy
http://fortune.com/2018/02/14/consumer-price-index-apparel-cost-increase/
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/duOPGyb55Jv7mrMWJxDvqKENVaM8M?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
“America’s Harvest Box” Captures the Trumpian Attitude Toward Poverty
https://www.newyorker.com/business/currency/americas-harvest-box-captures-the-trumpian-attitude-toward-poverty
USDA proposes replacing food stamps with delivery service, added work requirements
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/usda-proposes-replacing-food-stamps-delivery-service-increase/story?id=53051445
Trump pitches plan to replace food stamps with food boxes
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/12/food-stamps-trump-administration-343245
This provision in Trump’s budget infantilizes poor people
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2018/02/13/this-provision-in-trumps-budget-infantilizes-poor-people/
Trump’s ‘Harvest Box’ Isn’t Viable in SNAP Overhaul, Officials Say
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/13/us/harvest-box-snap-food-stamps.html
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/d1M1jganKVctLTMDEtMS82HuLU1MM?ned=us&hl=en&gl=US
Gowdy says House panel probing Rob Porter's security clearance
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/02/14/gowdy-says-house-panel-probing-rob-porters-security-clearance.html
Gowdy launches probe into Rob Porter’s White House employment
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/gowdy-launches-probe-rob-porter-s-white-house-employment-n847941
Trump's Vow to Hire the 'Best People' Isn't Panning Out
We're probably already seeing the highest-quality collection of staffers this administration will have to offer.
https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-02-14/trump-s-vow-to-hire-the-best-people-isn-t-panning-out
Lawmakers losing confidence in White House after Porter resignation
The House Oversight Committee kicked off an investigation into Trump’s employment of Porter and what White House officials knew about domestic abuse accusations against him.
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/14/gowdy-cnn-407923
Trump Always Believes The Men — When They’re Useful To Him
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/opinion-smith-trump-porter-tyson_us_5a835ffce4b02b66c512fd74
The Mormon Church Has A Domestic Violence Problem
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/opinion-young-rob-porter-mormon_us_5a844a06e4b0cf06752087ae
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dEkgJRWnnQwwx5MRrsvntZ3x8Z4lM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Veterans Affairs chief Shulkin, staff misled ethics officials about European trip, report finds
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/veterans-affairs-chief-shulkin-staff-misled-ethics-officials-about-european-trip-report-finds/2018/02/14/f7fbc020-0c3a-11e8-8b0d-891602206fb7_story.html
VA chief of staff doctored email to cover up travel expenses, inspector general finds
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/373817-va-chief-of-staff-doctored-email-to-cover-up-travel-expenses
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dP4hmSJAA7Rok2MX5qtyzxu6sUk-M?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Netanyahu, Defiant, Calls Bribery Case ‘Full of Holes, Like Swiss Cheese’
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/14/world/middleeast/benjamin-netanyahu-israel.html
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dL7YMYqzL6V1mQM7d30cQ_lv7Cp-M?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Boris Johnson looks to woo Brexit skeptics with a speech promising glories to come
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/boris-johnson-looks-to-woo-brexit-skeptics-with-a-speech-promising-glories-to-come/2018/02/14/35d36550-117d-11e8-9065-e55346f6de81_story.html
Boris Johnson urges remainers to recognise benefits of leaving EU
Foreign secretary says Britons should still work overseas and go on ‘cheapo flights to stag dos’
https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2018/feb/14/boris-johnson-urges-remainers-recognise-benefits-leaving-eu
What Boris Johnson’s Brexit Speech Tells Us About U.K. Politics
He insisted “Theresa” was the right prime minister for the job
Johnson seeks divergence, fine with status quo in transition
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-02-14/what-boris-johnson-s-brexit-speech-tells-us-about-u-k-politics
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dtkSYR_onJrLylMlrpJJgc-bXu12M?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Trump Threatens to Veto Immigration Bills that Don’t Meet His Demands
WASHINGTON — President Trump on Wednesday called on lawmakers to oppose a series of bipartisan efforts to address immigration and resolve the fate of the so-called “Dreamers,” demanding fealty to his hard-line approach and increasing the odds of political gridlock as the Senate debates the issue.
Senators in both parties are racing against a self-imposed, end-of-the-week deadline to write legislation that could win broad support by increasing border security while at the same time offering a path to citizenship for immigrants brought to the United States as children.
But in a morning statement, Mr. Trump urged senators to oppose any bill that did not also embrace the “four pillars” of his immigration approach, which includes a rewrite of the nation’s immigration laws that would close the country’s borders to many immigrants trying to come to the United States legally.
“I am asking all senators, in both parties, to support the Grassley bill and to oppose any legislation that fails to fulfill these four pillars,” Mr. Trump said in the statement.
The president’s decision to weigh in forcefully is likely to undermine the efforts of several bipartisan groups in the Senate and the House by calling into question whether any legislation they come up with might be dead-on-arrival once they make it to the president’s desk.
Instead, Mr. Trump said in the statement that lawmakers should support immigration legislation drafted by Senator Charles E. Grassley, Republican of Iowa, to codify his own plan. The bill would provide a path to citizenship for 1.8 million young immigrants, end the visa lottery program, build a border wall and end what he calls “chain migration,” which is family-based immigration.
“The overwhelming majority of American voters support a plan that fulfills the Framework’s four pillars, which move us towards the safe, modern, and lawful immigration system our people deserve,” Mr. Trump said.
He added that he would oppose a smaller, “Band-aid” approach to immigration that some lawmakers have been discussing, which would protect Dreamers for a few years in exchange for a small increase in border security spending — essentially kicking the issue down the road.
Senator Chuck Schumer of New York, the Democratic leader, responded harshly to the president’s entreaty, noting with dismay that Mr. Trump last September ended the Obama-era program known as DACA, or Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, which protected the Dreamers from deportation and provided them work permits.
“The American people know what’s going on,” Mr. Schumer said on the Senate floor. “They know this president not only created the problem, but seems to be against every solution that might pass because it isn’t 100 percent of what he wants. If, at the end of the week, we are unable to find a bill that can pass — and I sincerely hope that’s not the case due to the good efforts of so many people on both sides of the aisle — the responsibility will fall entirely on the president’s shoulders and those in this body who went along with him.”
Republicans searching for a compromise on immigration were similarly perplexed.
“The president’s going to have a vote on his concept. I don’t think it will get 60 votes,” Senator Lindsey Graham, Republican of South Carolina said, adding, “The bottom line then is: What do you do next? You can do what we’ve done for the last 35 years — blame each other. Or you can actually start fixing the broken immigration system. If you came out of this with strong border security — the president getting his wall and the Dream Act population being taken care of, most Americans would applaud.”
Mr. Trump’s statement was a victory for conservatives in his administration, including Stephen Miller, his top domestic policy adviser, who have been pushing the president to demand an overhaul of the nation’s immigration rules in exchange for his support of a permanent solution for the Dreamers.
Several senior White House advisers told reporters on Wednesday that Mr. Trump will not relent in his support for his hard-line immigration principles and said Dreamers should blame Democrats if legislation does not pass.
One senior adviser, who requested anonymity to discuss legislative strategy, said the president had made “dramatic concessions” by agreeing to a path to citizenship for 1.8 million young immigrants. Another made it clear that Mr. Trump will not compromise any further.
That position was underscored on Wednesday by a Department of Homeland Security statement that slammed a competing immigration measure being offered by Senator John McCain, Republican of Arizona, and Chris Coons, Democrat of Delaware.
[...]
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/14/us/politics/trump-immigration-veto-threat.html
Trump backs GOP immigration plan, rejects limited approach on dreamers
https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/trump-backs-gop-immigration-plan-rejects-limited-approach-on-dreamers/2018/02/14/56f52176-118f-11e8-9570-29c9830535e5_story.html
Trump issues fresh opposition to short-term DACA bill
https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/14/politics/trump-daca-bill/index.html
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dxYauWKP64uQqwMqDKZY0k0NmpODM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
White powdery substance found to be baby powder at former President Obama's DC office
http://www.fox5dc.com/news/report-white-powdery-substance-found-at-former-president-obamas-dcoffice
Secret Service investigates after white powdery substance sent to Obama’s D.C. offices
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/secret-service-investigates-white-powder-obama-offices-article-1.3818533
DC Authorities Respond After White Powder Sent to Obama's DC Offices
https://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/us/2018/february/dc-authorities-respond-after-white-powder-sent-to-obamas-dc-offices
Barack Obama = Cops Investigating White Powdery Substance Found at Office
http://www.tmz.com/2018/02/13/barack-obama-office-white-powder-investigation/
more: https://www.google.com/search?q=obama+powder
Sean Hannity Tweets, Then Deletes, Weirdly Specific Sexual Stuff About Obama Portrait
Fox News host’s post claimed there was something hidden in the image, then he quickly backtracked.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/sean-hannity-secret-sperm-obama_us_5a839da9e4b0cf06751f9ef3
Donald Trump Jr. Attacks Olympian Adam Rippon On Twitter
“What would your father say about you spreading FAKE NEWS? SAD!”
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-jr-adam-rippon-pence-olympics_us_5a83f42ae4b0adbaf3d8e392
Trump Wants To Fire 248 National Weather Service Forecasters
The White House budget proposal follows a record-smashing year of weather disasters.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-national-weather-service_us_5a83cb72e4b0cf06751fb110
Trump Pick For EPA’s No. 2 Accused Of Abusing Power To ‘Bully’ And ‘Intimidate’ Opponents
As a Senate aide in 2005, Andrew Wheeler went after state air pollution regulators for opposing his boss’s bill.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/andrew-wheeler-epa_us_5a833277e4b0adbaf3d81984
Trump Still Hasn’t Chosen A Science Adviser — After 390 Days In Office
The White House may be having a hard time finding someone for the job.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-science-adviser_us_5a83f375e4b02b66c5136a6a
Trump’s ‘Tip-Pooling’ Plan Could Screw Your Bartender
The restaurant owner-in-chief wants to give employers more control over workers’ gratuities. What could possibly go wrong?
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-tip-pool-plan_us_5a7dc7bfe4b0c6726e12d0bb
[Teaflublicans'] ‘Fiscal Responsibility’ Was Always A Red Herring
In the conclusion to our 2012 article “The Obama Trigger,” Wayne Parent and I made a prediction: “If, as we suggest in this analysis, Tea Party membership is triggered by a single politician rather than by a cohesive set of issues, it will wane after President Obama leaves office.”
At the time, political scientists were trying to assess three key aspects of the tea party movement: How big and how powerful was it? What factors gave rise to it? And how long would it last?
But now that Obama’s tenure is complete, and Trump, who won over 90 percent of white tea party voters, is in office, our view of the movement comes into sharp relief.
In 2010, the tea party claimed 300,000 members dispersed among several loosely affiliated tea party groups, such as Tea Party Patriots, Tea Party Express, Freedom Works and Tea Party Nation. These groups — 1,400 “possible” affiliations were recognized by The Washington Post — remained highly decentralized, making tea party power and influence hard to measure. And that is important for two reasons.
First and foremost, it resulted in the strength of the tea party movement being underestimated. Though formal membership hovered around 10 percent, our data revealed that close to a quarter of the U.S. electorate supported the movement or evaluated it favorably.
Second, the amorphous structure and the lack of an organizing hierarchy made the tea party a stand-in for a host of resentments. Writing in Foreign Affairs, Walter Russell Mead argued that “as the Tea Party label became better known, all kinds of people sought to hitch their wagons to this rising star.” He noted “affluent suburban libertarians, rural fundamentalists, ambitious pundits, unreconstructed racists, and fiscally conservative housewives all can and do claim to be Tea Party supporters.”
They proved to be a powerful coalition. In the 2010 midterm elections, tea party-affiliated candidates won 40 seats in the House and another five in the Senate, and in the spring, after they were sworn into office, nearly 60 percent of all GOP members had joined the new Tea Party Caucus. In ensuing elections, tea party supporters took out establishment Republicans such as House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and Sens. Bob Bennett and Richard Luger, and under the tea party banner, such notable politicians as Marco Rubio, Ted Cruz and Mike Pence rose to power.
That success reflected a populist economic wave, tea party leaders insisted, as their activists fixated on the national debt and advocated for deficit reduction and entitlement reform. They were fiscal conservatives who meant business, and they were American patriots of the 18th century variety, or so they claimed.
However, the fact that the tea party misrepresented Colonial and Revolutionary history and failed to articulate clear critiques of tax policies, argued Darrel Enck-Wazner, “belied other motivations.”
Scholars, such as Scott Rasmussen and Douglas Schoen, argued that the tea party served as a contemporary manifestation of public anger and distrust of government, or, as Christopher Parker and Matt Barreto note, that it represented anxiety about the future reminiscent of what Richard Hofstader called the “paranoid style” in American politics over 50 years ago. Still others, such as Steve Fraser and Joshua Freeman, described the tea party as the populist descendent of Barry Goldwater and George Wallace enthusiasts who “express a visceral anger at the cultural and, to some extent, political eclipse of an America in which people who looked and thought like them were dominant.”
Perhaps the most prophetic, now with the benefit of hindsight, were Vanessa Williamson and Theda Skocpol, who pointed to the fear that society was changing dramatically as the tea party catalyst; thus, the tea party mantra, “Take our country back,” reverberates from a sense of cultural defeat.
In short, Barack Obama’s victory triggered the consciousness of that defeat.
Early on, Donald Pease opined that Obama’s election broke the country’s “racial contract,” threatening white privilege and dominance and forcing white Americans to re-evaluate their own place in the pecking order. In many ways, Pease argues, it affects a “part of their practical reality that members of the Tea Party could not incorporate.” To compensate, many tea party supporters indulged the “birther” conspiracy or conjured fantasies of Obama’s allegiance to radical Islam as a way of delegitimizing his presidency.
Yet the primary response ? the one that functioned almost as a third party ? manifested in a patriotic economic movement decrying Obama’s allegedly incessant spending. Why was this experience of profound cultural defeat symbolized by Obama’s victory met with protests over budget deficits and debt ceilings?
Because over 40 years ago, the GOP decided to try to compete among white voters in the South, bending the party ever rightward in order to do so. From Goldwater’s opposition to big government to Nixon’s benign neglect of civil rights enforcement to Reagan’s promotion of colorblindness, all of these positions conserved the status quo by halting government efforts to level the racial playing field. Whether they did so by denying structural racism, or turning a blind eye toward persistent segregation, or by defunding federal social programs under the guise of fiscal responsibility, the ultimate aim was the same.
They succeeded in flipping the South from blue to red, but their Southern Strategy was not without consequences for the country at large. The GOP portrayed federal programs aimed at closing racial gaps as expensive government overreach. In doing so they tapped into and, over time, perpetuated the belief that advantages for racial minorities were disadvantages for white Americans ? the budget as a zero-sum racial game, so to speak. To that end, fixations with the national debt and federal spending have often surfaced in these “Take our country back” moments.
Undoubtedly, many of those who were drawn to the tea party do not realize the long history of using coded language to launder racial animosity into fiscal conservatism, but that doesn’t matter now. Obama left office, and without him as a foil, the power of the tea party has waned. In 2016, tea party candidates went zero for 10 in their bids to replace GOP establishment candidates such as John McCain.
The anxiety and anger were real, but the economic mission of the tea party was always a red herring for many of its congressional supporters, which is why, late into the night on Feb. 8, nine years to the month since the movement held its first protest rallies, tea partyers ? or former tea partyers ? quietly voted for a government spending bill projected to cause a $1.2 trillion deficit in 2019 alone. Only libertarian Sen. Rand Paul made much noise against it.
If their tea party constituents give them a pass, then the lesson will be that deficits are fine, it just depends on who is in the White House spending the money.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/opinion-maxwell-tea-party_us_5a8371d8e4b0cf06751f8941
Arizona Department Of Corrections Changes Menstrual Pad Policy Following Backlash
But activists say it’s not enough.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/arizona-menstrual-products-female-inmates_us_5a8375cae4b0adbaf3d8857f
Stormy Daniels 'free to tell her story' after Trump lawyer statement
An adult film star who has been embroiled in allegations of an affair with President Donald Trump is free to tell her story, her manager has said.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43055995
Trump’s lawyer just made the Stormy Daniels affair much more interesting
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2018/02/14/trumps-lawyer-just-made-the-stormy-daniels-affair-much-more-interesting/
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dUsmw2uWWsNK3VMvj5JSjXgy5wJCM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
State and local election infrastructure vulnerable to attacks ahead of midterm elections, Democrats warn in new report [ https://democrats-homeland.house.gov/sites/democrats.homeland.house.gov/files/documents/TFESReport.pdf ]
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/state-local-election-infrastructure-vulnerable-attacks-ahead-midterm/story?id=53080509
Democrats propose more than $1 billion for election cyber security
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-cyber/democrats-propose-more-than-1-billion-for-election-cyber-security-idUSKCN1FY2S5
Pence says intel community concluded Russia did not affect election
Vice President Pence on Wednesday said the U.S. intelligence community universally concluded that Russia did not have an effect on the outcome of the 2016 presidential election, despite the fact that officials have made no such judgment.
[...]
http://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/373855-pence-says-intel-community-concluded-russia-did-not-affect-outcome-of
Ill-Prepared and Underfunded, Election Officials Brace for More Cyberattacks
Federal intelligence officials warned Congress on Tuesday that Russia will again attempt to influence the elections through cyber-warfare. New reports shed light on the inadequacy of state and local security systems.
http://www.governing.com/topics/politics/gov-election-cyberattacks-testimony-russia.html
We need to hack-proof our elections. An old technology can help. - paper ballots
By Michael Chertoff and Grover Norquist
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/we-need-to-hack-proof-our-elections-an-old-technology-can-help/2018/02/14/27a805bc-0c4b-11e8-95a5-c396801049ef_story.html
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dcqLr5HBg3CM1BMVHWWxaZSMCNUwM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Twitter deleted 200,000 Russian troll tweets. Read them here.
Twitter doesn't make it easy to track Russian propaganda efforts — this database can help
https://www.nbcnews.com/tech/social-media/now-available-more-200-000-deleted-russian-troll-tweets-n844731
Russian Twitter trolls stoked KKK fears at Mizzou during 2015 protests, report says
http://www.kansascity.com/news/local/article200011139.html
more: https://www.google.com/search?q=russia+twitter
Trump says he's 'totally opposed' to domestic violence as House launches Porter investigation
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/02/14/house-launches-investigation-rob-porters-security-clearance/336718002/
President Trump must dump John Kelly in what's become a no-win situation
President Donald Trump has to fire chief of staff John Kelly, even if lower-level staffers are more to blame in the Rob Porter scandal.
Because of the harassment allegations against Trump, he cannot salvage any political capital from this situation.
The result is the Trump team will take a loss here; the only question is how bad a loss it will be.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/14/trump-has-to-fire-john-kelly-to-save-himself-commentary.html
It’s Time for John Kelly to Go
In Senate testimony yesterday, FBI director Christopher Wray said that the agency had delivered the final results of its background check into now-disgraced aide Rob Porter back in January, months earlier than the White House, and especially Chief of Staff John Kelly, has claimed in the wake of Porter’s firing. Should Kelly’s mishandling of this episode cost him his job?
By Frank Rich
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2018/02/its-time-for-john-kelly-to-go.html
The Rob Porter scandal engulfing the White House is now under congressional investigation
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2018/02/14/house-oversight-is-investigating-the-white-houses-handling-of-rob-porter-gowdy-says/
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/daKw0amhfcONEeMiwk8ttutBNVoxM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Six top US intelligence chiefs caution against buying Huawei phones
The directors of the CIA, FBI, NSA and several other intelligence agencies express their distrust of Apple-rival Huawei and fellow Chinese telecom company ZTE.
During a hearing, the intelligence chiefs commended American telecom companies for their measured resistance to the Chinese companies.
Huawei has been trying to enter the U.S. market, first through a partnership with AT&T that was ultimately called off.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/02/13/chinas-hauwei-top-us-intelligence-chiefs-caution-americans-away.html
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dG-sgf-jkto5l_MTua5nj3c4AsqrM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
The Provocation and Power of Black Panther
The biggest success of the new Marvel film isn’t representation, but its contemplation of identity, responsibility, and the future of a diaspora in an interconnected world.
https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2018/02/the-provocation-and-power-of-black-panther/553226/
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dtZBxoS-4SAajjMzQrnyQmvWH97EM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Hoping for $100 Billion to Rebuild, Iraq Got Less Than a Third
KUWAIT - At the close of a donor conference on Wednesday, Iraq secured only a fraction of the funds urgently needed to rebuild towns and cities demolished during battles against the Islamic State. But American and regional officials nevertheless praised a last-minute rush of pledged investments, loans and guarantees, mostly by neighboring countries.
The conference was hosted by the Kuwaiti government and attended by dozens of foreign ministers and the United Nations secretary general, António Guterres. Turkey, one of Iraq’s largest trading partners, stepped up with a promise of $5 billion in investment loans in expectation that some of its large-scale construction, transportation and infrastructure companies would jump back into northern Iraq, where they had long dominated the economy.
Another surprise came from Kuwait, which has had frosty relations with Iraq, its larger neighbor, since 1990, when Saddam Hussein invaded. The Kuwaiti ruler, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah, announced $1 billion in investment and $1 billion in loans. Other Arab Gulf countries followed, with the Saudi, Emirati and Qatari foreign ministers announcing investment and loan deals.
All told, the conference participants pledged a total of $30 billion in loans and investments, Kuwait officials said, a figure Mr. Guterres described as an “enormous success.”
Iraq’s foreign minister, Ibrahim al-Jafari, was more measured in his assessment, telling reporters that the amounts offered fell far short of the $100 billion that Iraq had hoped to attract for the rebuilding effort.
[...]
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/14/world/middleeast/iraq-kuwait-donor-conference.html
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dZwD-0-ThPKJBkMmZF0ZfS0pLC98M?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Obnoxious passenger is thrown off Delta flight after complaining about sitting next to a mom and her baby and threatening to have flight attendant fired
Marissa Rundell, 19, was travelling with eight-month-old Mason on a flight from JFK to Syracuse, New York, on February 6
A woman got on the plane and immediately began complaining about having to sit in the back
When Rundell asked the woman not to cuss around Mason, the woman ignored her before demanding that the flight attendant change her seat
The attendant - named Tabitha - told the woman that she could be moved to a different flight but instead the irate woman threatens her job
But Tabitha doesn't take well to threats, asking a gate agent to come and take the woman off the plane
'I'm sorry, I was really stressed out,' claims the woman
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5389255/Flyer-thrown-Delta-flight-bullying-mom-baby.html
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/d8os1CemHD9oh3MemIinV4MgHqGiM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
‘Let’s talk about Pocahontas’: Warren addresses Native American heritage claims, slams Trump
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2018/02/14/lets-talk-about-pocahontas-elizabeth-warren-addresses-native-heritage-claims-and-slams-trump/
Read the text of Elizabeth Warren’s speech to Native American group
Read the prepared text of the speech Senator Elizabeth Warren gave to Native Americans on Wednesday.
Thank you for having me here today.
I want to start by thanking Chairwoman Andrews-Maltais for that introduction. It has been an honor to work with, to learn from, and to represent the tribes in my home state of Massachusetts, the Wampanoag Tribe of Gay Head — the Aquinnah — and the Mashpee Wampanoag.
I also want to thank President Jefferson Keel, and everyone at the National Congress of American Indians. For over 70 years, you’ve championed the rights and dignity of First Americans and I am honored to be here with you today.
I’ve noticed that every time my name comes up, President Trump likes to talk about Pocahontas. So I figured, let’s talk about Pocahontas. Not Pocahontas, the fictional character most Americans know from the movies, but Pocahontas, the Native woman who really lived, and whose real story has been passed down to so many of you through the generations.
Pocahontas – whose original name wasn’t even Pocahontas.
In the fairy tale, Pocahontas and John Smith meet and fall in love.
Except Smith was nearly 30, and Pocahontas was about 10 years old. Whatever happened between them, it was no love story.
In the fairy tale, Pocahontas saves John Smith from execution at the hands of her father.
Except that was probably made up too.
In the fable, her baptism as “Rebecca” and her marriage to a Jamestown settler are held up to show the moral righteousness of colonization.
In reality, the fable is used to bleach away the stain of genocide.
As you know, Pocahontas’s real journey was far more remarkable — and far darker — than the myth admits.
As a child, she played a significant role in mediating relations between the tribes ruled by her father and the early settlers at Jamestown. Those efforts helped establish early trade relations between the two peoples. Without her help, the English settlers might well have perished.
But in her teens, Pocahontas was abducted, imprisoned, and held captive. Oral history of the Mattaponi tribe indicates that she was ripped away from her first husband and child and raped in captivity.
Eventually she married another John — John Rolfe. Her marriage led to an uneasy harmony between Jamestown and the tribes, a period that some historians call the Peace of Pocahontas.
But she was not around to enjoy it. John Rolfe paraded her around London to entertain the British and prop up financial investments in the Virginia Company. She never made it home. She was about 21 when she died, an ocean separating her from her people.
Indigenous people have been telling the story of Pocahontas — the real Pocahontas — for four centuries. A story of heroism. And bravery. And pain.
And, for almost as long, her story has been taken away by powerful people who twisted it to serve their own purposes.
——
Our country’s disrespect of Native people didn’t start with President Trump. It started long before President Washington ever took office.
But now we have a president who can’t make it through a ceremony honoring Native American war heroes without reducing Native history, Native culture, Native people to the butt of a joke.
The joke, I guess, is supposed to be on me.
I get why some people think there’s hay to be made here. You won’t find my family members on any rolls, and I’m not enrolled in a tribe.
And I want to make something clear. I respect that distinction. I understand that tribal membership is determined by tribes — and only by tribes. I never used my family tree to get a break or get ahead. I never used it to advance my career.
But I want to make something else clear too: My parents were real people.
By all accounts, my mother was a beauty. She was born in Eastern Oklahoma, on this exact day — Valentine’s Day — February 14, 1912. She grew up in the little town of Wetumka, the kind of girl who would sit for hours by herself, playing the piano and singing. My daddy fell head over heels in love with her.
But my mother’s family was part Native American. And my daddy’s parents were bitterly opposed to their relationship. So, in 1932, when Mother was 19 and Daddy had just turned 20, they eloped.
Together, they survived the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. They saved up to buy a home. They raised my three older brothers, and they watched as each one headed off to serve in the military. After Daddy had a heart attack and was out of work, after we lost the family station wagon and it looked like we would lose our house and everything would come crashing down, my mother put on her best dress and walked to the Sears and got a minimum-wage job. That minimum-wage job saved our house and saved our family.
My parents struggled. They sacrificed. They paid off medical debts for years. My daddy ended up as a janitor. They fought and they drank, but more than anything, they hung together. 63 years — that’s how long they were married. When my mother died, a part of my daddy slipped away too.
Two years later, I held his hand while cancer took him. The last thing he said was, “It’s time for me to be with your mother.” And he smiled.
They’re gone, but the love they shared, the struggles they endured, the family they built, and the story they lived will always be a part of me. And no one — not even the president of the United States — will ever take that part of me away.
——
Our stories are deeply woven into the fabric of who we are. The stories of immigrants and slaves, of explorers and refugees, have shaped and reshaped our country right up to the present day. For far too long, your story has been pushed aside, to be trotted out only in cartoons and commercials.
So I’m here today to make a promise: Every time someone brings up my family’s story, I’m going to use it to lift up the story of your families and your communities.
Your story is about contributions. The contributions you make to a country that took so much and keeps asking for more, contributions like serving in the military at rates higher than any other group in America.
It is a story about hope. The hope you create as more Native people go to college, go to graduate school and grow local economies.
It is a story about resilience. The resilience you show as you reclaim your history and your traditions.
And it is a story about pride and the determination of people who refuse to let their languages fade away and their cultures die.
I honor that story.
But there’s another story that also needs to be told. The story of our country’s mistreatment of your communities. And this isn’t just a story about casual racism – war whoops and tomahawk chops and insulting Facebook memes.
It’s a story about discrimination and neglect — the unmet health care needs of Native children and families, the alarmingly high rate of suicide among Native teenagers, the growing opioid crisis and the broader epidemic of substance abuse that has ravaged so many Native communities.
It’s a story about greed. For generations — Congress after Congress, president after president — the government robbed you of your land, suppressed your languages, put your children in boarding schools and gave your babies away for adoption. It has stolen your resources and, for many tribal governments, taken away the opportunity to grow and prosper for the good of your people.
Even today, politicians in Washington want to let their Big Oil buddies pad their profits by encroaching on your land and fouling your rivers and streams. Meanwhile, even as the economic future of your communities hangs in the balance, they want to cut nutrition assistance, cut Medicaid, and cut other programs that many Native families rely on to survive.
It’s a story about violence. It is deeply offensive that this president keeps a portrait of Andrew Jackson hanging in the Oval Office, honoring a man who did his best to wipe out Native people. But the kind of violence President Jackson and his allies perpetrated isn’t just an ugly chapter in a history book. Violence remains part of life today. The majority of violent crimes experienced by Native Americans are perpetrated by non-Natives, and more than half — half — of Native women have experienced sexual violence.
This must stop. And I promise I will fight to help write a different story.
——
Washington owes you respect. But this government owes you much more than that. This government owes you a fighting chance to build stronger communities and a brighter future — starting with a more prosperous economic future on tribal lands.
For example. Banking and credit are the lifeblood of economic development, but it’s about 12 miles on average from the center of tribal reservations to the nearest bank branch. Meanwhile, Native business owners get less start-up funding than other business owners.
And when it comes to crucial infrastructure, Native communities are far behind the rest of the country. Rural broadband access on tribal lands is worse than anywhere else in America, and more than a third of those living on tribal lands don’t have high-speed broadband at all. Without it, Native communities are simply shut out of a 21st century economy.
It’s time to make real investments in Indian country to build opportunity for generations to come.
And that’s only part of the real change we can make.
• We can stop giant corporations from stealing your resources.
• We can expand federally protected land that is important to your tribes.
• We can protect historic monuments like Bears Ears from companies that see it as just another place to drill.
• We can take steps to stop violence against Native people – including passing Savanna’s Act to fight the plague of missing Native women and girls.
Most of all, we can fight to empower tribal governments and Native communities so you can take your rightful seat at the table when it comes to determining your own future.
And we can fight to make sure that all Americans who have been left out in our economy, left out in our democracy, and left out in our history can take their rightful seat at that table.
——
At a time when children are still drinking bottled water in Flint, when families are still desperate for help in Puerto Rico, and when tribal governments are still asking Washington to live up to its promises, we must demand a federal government that works for all of us — because if we don’t, we become a country that belongs to only a privileged few.
That’s why, even when divide-and-conquer looks to some like smart politics, we must choose unity. We must be willing to join together in each other’s fights. And at a time when bigotry threatens to overwhelm our discourse, we must amplify voices of basic human respect.
We must stand with everyone who has gotten the short end of the stick from Washington over and over and over. We must weave our voices together to make them strong. We must come together to write a new story, not just for Native Americans, but for all Americans.
A story of power and respect. A story in which everyone’s voice can be heard.
A story worthy of those who came before us. A story our children and grandchildren will be proud to tell.
Thank you!
https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/politics/2018/02/14/read-text-elizabeth-warren-speech-native-americans/ovAjQq28SbyqiDXnOp1rNK/story.html
Elizabeth Warren’s Native American problem goes beyond politics
January 19, 2018
https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2018/01/19/elizabeth-warren-native-american-problem-goes-beyond-politics/uK9pGOl4JBmqmRUcxTNj3H/story.html
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dRy8yRUpqEjgtOMYXO98mZoeHzClM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Trump, a Week After Porter Resigned, Says He’s ‘Totally Opposed’ to Spousal Abuse
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/02/14/us/politics/john-kelly-rob-porter-security-clearances.html
Trump breaks silence, denounces domestic violence
https://www.apnews.com/021dd069cd5c499c89182b2d73d5aa03/Trump-breaks-silence,-denounces-domestic-violence
What is the White House personnel security office?
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/what-white-house-personnel-security-office-n848031
Ex-White House Insider: Rob Porter Was a 'Clear Vulnerability'
A former counterintelligence official explains why you should care about the latest massive White House scandal.
https://www.vice.com/en_us/article/wj4jaz/rob-porter-should-not-have-been-hired-white-house-security-clearance
Trump’s scandal pandemic is so bad, even Republicans seem to be squirming
By Jennifer Rubin
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2018/02/14/trumps-scandal-pandemic-is-so-bad-even-republicans-seem-to-be-squirming/
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dt-iCi8V18mcCcMaKw0amhfcONEeM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Conservatives Must Save the Republican Party From Itself
( https://youtu.be/udDmXzXQENc )
Feb 14, 2018
Video by The Atlantic
“The Trump Republican party shames itself every day,” argues The Atlantic writer and David Frum. “Some people think we’d be better off if the GOP just went out of business. That’s dangerous advice.”
In this video, which highlights key points from Frum’s article, “An Exit from Trumpocracy,” the self-identifying conservative explains why the Republican party has become “radicalized” and continues to move away from the path of democracy. After all, “it’s not a coincidence that Breitbart.com was founded by Californians,” says Frum.
https://www.theatlantic.com/video/index/553298/frum-conservative-argument/
An Exit From Trumpocracy
The stability of American society depends on conservatives finding a way forward from the Trump dead end.
By David Frum
Jan 18, 2018
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/01/frum-trumpocracy/550685/
Kevin Cramer Moves Closer to Launching a Senate Campaign
The House Republican from North Dakota received an offer from oil tycoon Harold Hamm to be his finance chair.
Oklahoma oil tycoon Harold Hamm has offered to be North Dakota Representative Kevin Cramer’s finance chair for his potential Senate bid, The Atlantic has learned—the clearest sign yet that Cramer will make a play for Senator Heidi Heitkamp’s seat.
According to two Republican sources with direct knowledge, Cramer would also likely face an uncontested primary: Should he decide to run, North Dakota state Senator Tom Campbell, the current Republican front-runner, would likely abandon his Senate campaign and seek Cramer’s House seat instead.
[...]
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/02/kevin-cramer-harold-hamm/553355/
Taliban appeals to American people to ‘rationally’ rethink war effort - tie https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=107030537
KABUL — Taliban insurgents on Wednesday issued an extraordinary, 17,000-word appeal to the “American people,” asking them to pressure U.S. officials to end the 17-year-old conflict in Afghanistan and asserting that the protracted American “occupation” had brought only death, corruption and drugs to the impoverished country.
The letter, emailed to the media in English and four other languages, contained official statistics about the human and economic costs of the war, and in parts it used a reasonable, almost academic tone to make its arguments. In other sections, it reverted to a more familiar accusatory tone, referring to U.S. officials as “war-mongers” and usurpers.
“Prolonging the war in Afghanistan and maintaining American troop presence is neither beneficial for America nor for anyone else,” the document said, calling on U.S. citizens, legislators and others to “read this letter prudently” and evaluate the costs and benefits of continuing to fight. “Stubbornly seeking the protraction of this war,” it added, “will have “dreadful consequences” for the region and the “stability of America herself.”
[...]
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/asia_pacific/taliban-appeals-to-american-people-torationally-rethink-war-effort/2018/02/14/eaf881fe-1187-11e8-9065-e55346f6de81_story.html
Taliban Asks Americans To Put Pressure On Trump
The insurgent group issued a letter on Wednesday addressed to the “American people” and said US officials still speak the language of war.
In a letter issued to the media on Wednesday, the Taliban called on the American people to put pressure on US President Donald Trump to change his war policy in Afghanistan and pursue peace.
https://www.tolonews.com/afghanistan/taliban-asks-americans-put-pressure-trump
Taliban addresses "the American people" in rambling letter
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/rambling-taliban-letter-addresses-the-american-people/
Afghan Taliban Pen Open Letter to Americans, Call for Dialogue
https://www.voanews.com/a/afghan-taliban-open-letter-to-american-people-calls-for-dialogue/4254075.html
Taliban publishes open letter to Americans
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/02/14/taliban-publish-open-letter-americans/
the letter (in English) at https://www.facebook.com/barnett.r.rubin/posts/10155295387646447
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dDAPQmkRHRS7d8MyuiFiniD14ngaM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
What Iran Is Really Up To in Syria
The recent flare-up with Israel gives Tehran and its Shiite allies a chance to further entrench their dominance.
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/02/iran-hezbollah-united-front-syria/553274/
Iran Tells U.S. to Get Out of Syria as World Powers Turn Against Each Other
http://www.newsweek.com/iran-tells-us-get-out-syria-world-powers-turn-against-each-other-807297
U.N. envoy: Dangerous, violent, worrying moment in Syria
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/u-n-envoy-dangerous-violent-worrying-moment-in-syria/
New fronts emerge in Syria as Assad, allies push for victory
https://www.sfgate.com/world/article/New-fronts-emerge-in-Syria-as-Assad-allies-push-12614562.php
Israel claims incursion by Iranian drone - video
The Israeli military released video it said shows an Iranian drone in Israeli airspace on Feb. 10, before it was destroyed by an Israeli attack helicopter. What Israel described as an incursion was used was used as the justification for Israeli strikes on what it described as Iranian targets in Syria. This blurb has been updated to clarify what is known about the drone.
February 10, 2018
https://www.washingtonpost.com/video/world/israel-claims-incursion-by-iranian-drone/2018/02/10/139e444e-0e78-11e8-998c-96deb18cca19_video.html
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/djWvCsYq2BtjDtMw0ViYE_onqxwYM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
CNN Exclusive: At least 100 White House officials served with 'interim' security clearances until November
https://www.cnn.com/2018/02/14/politics/security-clearances-white-house/index.html
Scores of top White House officials lack permanent security clearances - more than 130
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/scores-top-white-house-officials-lack-permanent-security-clearances-n848191
More than 100 WH staffers still worked on temporary security clearance a year after election: report
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/373946-more-than-100-white-house-staffers-had-temporary-security-clearance
White House climate adviser resigns after past pot use blocked security clearance - George David Banks, who was serving as a special assistant to the president for international energy and environmental policy
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2018/02/14/white-house-climate-adviser-resigns-past-pot-use-blocked-security-clearance/
White House official resigns after issue with security clearance: report
A top official on the National Economic Council has reportedly resigned after being told that he did not qualify for a full security clearance.
George David Banks, a special assistant to the president for international energy and environmental policy, resigned Tuesday after the White House Counsel’s office informed him that he would not be granted full security clearance because he admitted to smoking marijuana in 2013, Politico reports.
Banks's departure makes him the third White House official to step down in the past week amid mounting scrutiny over the White House's handling of security clearances.
[...]
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/373843-white-house-official-resigns-after-learning-he-did-not-qualify-for
White House imposed a ban on new interim security clearances last fall
An email circulated to the Office of Management and Budget in November said existing employees could keep working on interim clearances, but new hires would have to get full clearances.
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/02/13/security-clearances-porter-white-house-407910
more: https://www.google.com/search?q=white+house+security+clearance
Magic Leap promises live-streamed holograms within five years
Also: more details on how apps will work on the Magic Leap One goggles
https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/14/17010546/magic-leap-ceo-rony-abovitz-live-tv-volumetric-holographic-video-sports-news
Bringing NBA Games to Fans Like Never Before
https://www.magicleap.com/stories/blog/nba
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/d7t2nn9ycD4maVMdtzwM_hUExhtoM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Can you die of a broken heart? Science proves 'broken heart syndrome' is real. - Cardiomyopathy
After one bad breakup, I felt as though I was experiencing a death. But I was lucky — my heartbreak wasn’t literal.
https://www.nbcnews.com/think/opinion/can-you-die-broken-heart-science-proves-broken-heart-syndrome-ncna847831
You can actually suffer from a broken heart
http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/health/suffer-broken-heart-article-1.3820488
Can you die of a broken heart? - The answer is yes, but fortunately, death is very rare
https://medicalxpress.com/news/2018-02-die-broken-heart.html
Valentine’s Day Special: The Broken Heart Syndrome
https://www.zmescience.com/science/valentine-special-heart-syndrome-0432/
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/de8MVAbOEe_WmsMH2nbH5lUpFX5dM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Researchers successfully reverse Alzheimer's disease in mouse model
https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2018-02/rup-rsr020718.php
study http://jem.rupress.org/content/early/2018/02/13/jem.20171831?PR=
Alzheimer’s Disease Reversed in Mouse Model
https://www.genengnews.com/gen-news-highlights/alzheimers-disease-reversed-in-mouse-model/81255493
Therapy Reverses Alzheimer's Brain Plaque Builup - In Mice
https://consumer.healthday.com/cognitive-health-information-26/alzheimer-s-news-20/therapy-reverses-alzheimer-s-brain-plaque-buildup-in-mice-731098.html
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dqgkx2VA2vR12-MJBxfXmdJuvum8M?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
People Have Believed a Lie About Rabbit Domestication for Decades
Scientists don’t know when bunnies became docile—and they're not even sure if that's an answerable question.
It is often said, in both popular articles and scientific papers, that rabbits were first domesticated by French monks in 600 AD.
Back then, Pope Gregory the Great had allegedly decreed that laurices—newborn or fetal rabbits—didn’t count as meat. Christians could therefore eat them during Lent. They became a popular delicacy, and hungry monks started breeding them. Their work transformed the wild, skittish European rabbit into a tame domestic animal that tolerates humans.
This was the story that Greger Larson from the University of Oxford heard when he first started studying domestic rabbits. Almost on a whim, he told his student Evan Irving-Pease to find a reference from the Vatican that they could cite. “I said: I’m sure there’s an edict or something,” Larson tells me. “Evan comes back a couple of weeks later and says: ‘Er, small problem, it doesn’t exist.’”
[...]
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/02/eh-whats-up-doc/553304/
What fluffy bunnies can tell us about domestication: It didn't go the way you think
https://phys.org/news/2018-02-fluffy-bunnies-domestication-didnt.html
study http://www.cell.com/trends/ecology-evolution/fulltext/S0169-5347(18)30001-6
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/d3SjzOyUz0KDbgM8ecLUwoerT9dlM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Scientists are about to explore never-before-seen depths of the Antarctic ocean - tie ('Chasing Ice', etc.) https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=102161216
https://qz.com/1206564/antartica-scientists-are-about-to-explore-ocean-depths-exposed-by-the-larsen-ice-shelf-and-a-68-iceberg/
Monster Antarctic Iceberg Gets Its Big Break in First-of-Its-Kind Video
https://www.livescience.com/61753-watch-antarctic-iceberg-break.html
British Antarctic Survey
https://www.youtube.com/user/AntarcticSurvey/videos
Expedition to Larsen C Ice Shelf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xGhjiJqnGo
For the love of icebergs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GuX2TXUa7LU
First expedition to newly exposed Antarctic ecosystem
A team of scientists, led by British Antarctic Survey (BAS), heads to Antarctica this week (14 February) to investigate a mysterious marine ecosystem that’s been hidden beneath an Antarctic ice shelf for up to 120,000 years.
https://www.bas.ac.uk/media-post/first-scientific-expedition-to-newly-exposed-antarctic-ecosystem/
The Last Continent: Massive iceberg has been floating around Antarctica for 17 years
http://vancouversun.com/news/national/the-last-continent
Antarctica Expedition to Explore Mysterious Marine Life Once Hidden by Larsen C Ice Shelf
http://www.newsweek.com/expedition-explore-massive-iceberg-broke-antarctica-and-marine-life-lived-803520
UK team set for giant Antarctic iceberg expedition
Scientists will set out in the next week to study an Antarctic realm that has been hidden for thousands of years.
http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-43008058
Cambridge scientists on a mission to discover the hidden secrets of the sea
A giant iceberg has broken away in Antarctica and exposed some weird and fascinating creatures
https://www.cambridge-news.co.uk/news/cambridge-news/british-antarctic-survey-larsen-ice-14282584
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dp7rVuYGkJH_X2MX8ctXiAWvZjvFM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
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Greensburg, KS - 5/4/07
"Eternal vigilance is the price of Liberty."
from John Philpot Curran, Speech
upon the Right of Election, 1790
F6
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