Tuesday, April 10, 2018 10:57:32 PM
Enough! A Million Students Walk Out of Schools to Demand Action on Guns in Historic Day of Action
Published on Mar 15, 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 a historic day of action, more than a million students from over 3,000 schools walked out of classes to protest gun violence on Wednesday. Walkouts occurred in all 50 states as well as some schools overseas. The nationwide student walkouts occurred one month after 17 students and staff were shot dead at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. At many schools, students walked out for 17 minutes—one minute for each person murdered in Parkland. The students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are now organizing a massive March for Our Lives on March 24 in Washington, and solidarity marches are planned across the country. We air moments from marches in New York and talk with Luna Baez and Citlali Mares, two students in Denver, Colorado, who helped organize their school’s walkout for gun reform Wednesday.
https://www.democracynow.org/2018/3/15/enough_a_million_students_walk_out [with embedded video, and transcript]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-pxrzQopcU [with comments]
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Remembering Courtlin Arrington: The Victim of a Recent School Shooting Largely Ignored by Media
Published on Mar 15, 2018 by Democracy Now!
Wednesday’s nationwide student walkout occurred one month after 17 students and staff were shot dead at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Many students left classes for 17 minutes—one minute for each person murdered in Parkland. But in Alabama some students walked out for 18 minutes to remember another student who was recently killed by gun violence at school: Courtlin Arrington, a 17-year-old African-American student who was shot dead last week at Huffman High School in Birmingham, Alabama, by a fellow student. She was a high school senior who was planning to attend college next year. She had dreams of becoming a nurse. While the Parkland shooting has dominated national headlines for a month, far less coverage was paid to the death of Courtlin Arrington. We are joined by Courtlin’s aunt, Shenise Abercrombie.
https://www.democracynow.org/2018/3/15/remembering_courtlin_arrington_the_victim_of [with embedded video, and transcript]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJErgGaS0CQ [with comments]
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Farmworkers Bring Human Rights Fight to Wendy’s Doorstep, Fasting & Calling for Boycott over Abuses
Published on Mar 15, 2018 by Democracy Now!
Dozens of farmworkers with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers have entered their last day of a 5-day fast outside the Manhattan office of Nelson Peltz, the board chair and largest shareholder of the restaurant chain Wendy’s. They are demanding Wendy’s sign onto the Fair Food Program, which would require the fast-food giant to purchase tomatoes from growers that follow a worker-designed code of conduct that includes a zero-tolerance policy for sexual harassment and abuse in the fields. Wendy’s is the only major fast-food chain that has refused to sign onto the Fair Food Program. Wendy’s competitors McDonald’s, Burger King, Subway, Chipotle and Taco Bell all have joined the Fair Food Program, which CIW members say has virtually ended sexual harassment and assault for tens of thousands of workers on participating farms in seven states. The fast today will end in a “Time’s Up Wendy’s” march in New York. For more, we are joined by Gerardo Reyes Chavez, a farmworker and an organizer with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers [ https://ciw-online.org/ ].
https://www.democracynow.org/2018/3/15/farmworkers_bring_human_rights_fight_to [with embedded video, and transcript]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ysPhkxgtOU [with comments]
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Rebecca Solnit on #MeToo, Mass Movements and the 10th Anniversary of “Men Explain Things to Me”
Published on Mar 15, 2018 by Democracy Now!
This month marks the 10th anniversary of Rebecca Solnit’s groundbreaking essay, “Men Explain Things to Me [ https://www.amazon.com/Men-Explain-Things-Rebecca-Solnit/dp/1608464660 ].” In 2008, Solnit wrote, “Men explain things to me, and other women, whether or not they know what they’re talking about. … Every woman knows what I’m talking about. It’s the presumption that makes it hard, at times, for any woman in any field; that keeps women from speaking up and from being heard when they dare; that crushes young women into silence by indicating, the way harassment on the street does, that this is not their world. It trains us in self-doubt and self-limitation just as it exercises men’s unsupported overconfidence.” The essay has also been credited with launching the term “mansplaining,” though Rebecca Solnit did not coin the phrase. For more, we’re joined now by Rebecca Solnit, writer, historian and activist. She is the author of 20 books.
https://www.democracynow.org/2018/3/15/rebecca_solnit_on_metoo_mass_movements [with embedded video, and transcript]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8QvgQuSFUo [with comments]
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Rebecca Solnit on What Makes Her Hopeful in the Age of Trump from #MeToo to Anti-Gun Protests
Published on Mar 15, 2018 by Democracy Now!
Extended interview with author and activist Rebecca Solnit. Her acclaimed essay, “Men Explain Things to Me,” is celebrating its tenth anniversary this month.
https://www.democracynow.org/2018/3/15/rebecca_solnit_on_what_makes_her [with embedded video, and transcript]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34NiZdYPtg4 [with comments]
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Jeremy Scahill on Trump’s Cabinet Shakeup, the Mueller Probe & the Iraq War 15 Years Later
Published on Mar 15, 2018 by Democracy Now!
Extended conversation with investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill, co-founder of The Intercept. Scahill talks about Trump’s pick for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Erik Prince’s ties to China, Trump’s ties to Russia and the 15th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
https://www.democracynow.org/2018/3/15/jeremy_scahill_on_trump_s_cabinet [with embedded video, and transcript]
[further to the "Jeremy Scahill: Gina Haspel Should Be Answering for Her Torture Crimes, Not Heading the CIA" Democracy Now! segment included as the third item in the post to which this is a reply]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GK89bEpNT0g [with comments]
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Full Show - CIA Torture, Nerve Gas False Flag, & Breaking Central Bank Control - 03/15/2018
Published on Mar 15, 2018 by Real News with David Knight [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC1L9FOMSaPgMyoLSnps47g , https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC1L9FOMSaPgMyoLSnps47g/videos ]
15Mar18 Broadcast
Rand Paul has thrown the gauntlet down, opposing the “Godmother of Torture”, Gina Haspel, picked by Trump to be CIA Director and opposing Pompeo at State Dept who has shown himself to be a neocon warmonger who, by his own admission, wants to censor the internet and end First Amendment protections. Then, is the attack on a Russian double agent associated with Christopher Steele (author of the fake ‘dirty dossier’) a bold, reckless attack by Putin on UK soil or a false flag? And, John McAfee addresses the attacks by giant banks, Google & the SEC to shut down cryptocurrency by releasing his own coin to transcend their reach.
[from Alex Jones and his merry band of batshit bullshitters]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1JlvFEStag [with comments] [also at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDnfH35o0GA (with comments)] [and again, see also in particular (linked in) https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=39471610 and preceding and following, as well as https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=139299412 and preceding (and any future following) (elsewhere this string)]
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Statement from the United States, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom on the Attack in Salisbury
Issued on: March 15, 2018
We, the leaders of France, Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom, abhor the attack that took place against Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury, United Kingdom, on March 4, 2018. A British police officer who was also exposed in the attack remains seriously ill, and the lives of many innocent British citizens have been threatened. We express our sympathies to them all, and our admiration for the United Kingdom police and emergency services for their courageous response. This use of a military-grade nerve agent, of a type developed by Russia, constitutes the first offensive use of a nerve agent in Europe since the Second World War. It is an assault on the United Kingdom’s sovereignty and any such use by a state party is a clear violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and a breach of international law. It threatens the security of us all. The United Kingdom thoroughly briefed its allies that it was highly likely that Russia was responsible for the attack. We share the United Kingdom’s assessment that there is no plausible alternative explanation, and note that Russia´s failure to address the legitimate request by the government of the United Kingdom further underlines Russia’s responsibility. We call on Russia to address all questions related to the attack in Salisbury. Russia should, in particular, provide full and complete disclosure of the Novichok program to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Our concerns are also heightened against the background of a pattern of earlier irresponsible Russian behavior. We call on Russia to live up to its responsibilities as a member of the U.N. Security Council to uphold international peace and security.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/statement-united-states-france-germany-united-kingdom-attack-salisbury/
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Readout of the Vice President’s Call with Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi of Iraq
Issued on: March 15, 2018
Vice President Mike Pence spoke today with Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi of Iraq. The leaders discussed the Trump Administration’s deep commitment to protect persecuted Christians and other religious minorities in Iraq and the greater Middle East, a commitment which is shared by Prime Minister Abadi. They also discussed the upcoming May elections in Iraq, reports of Iran attempting to meddle in Iraq’s election and government formation, and the need to ensure free and fair elections that include Iraq’s citizens displaced by the fight against ISIS. Vice President Pence congratulated Prime Minister Abadi on Iraqi Security Force successes against ISIS and highlighted the continuing great partnership between Iraq’s Security Forces and the U.S. military and coalition partners. The Vice President was pleased to hear more about the re-opening of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region’s airports and the initial payment of some Kurdistan Regional Government salaries. Both leaders expressed looking forward to increased trade and economic ties between Iraq and the United States.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/readout-vice-presidents-call-prime-minister-haider-al-abadi-iraq/
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Cabinet Secretaries Testify on the President’s Proposal for Rebuilding Infrastructure in America
Five Cabinet Secretaries testified before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation regarding the President’s proposal for Rebuilding Infrastructure in America [ https://www.commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/hearings?ID=D68FC40C-36BC-4319-B96F-CAC99129FE3E ].
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/cabinet-secretaries-testify-presidents-proposal-rebuilding-infrastructure-america/
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What You Need to Know About Infrastructure Funding
March 15, 2018
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/need-know-infrastructure-funding/
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Hearing: FY19 Budget Hearing - Department of Veterans Affairs (EventID=107986)
Streamed live on Mar 15, 2018 by HouseAppropsGOP [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMaSlF09S0fpoRshS2t_7XA / https://www.youtube.com/user/HouseAppropsGOP , https://www.youtube.com/user/HouseAppropsGOP/videos ]
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs holds a hearing [with Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin] on the FY19 budget request for the Department of Veterans Affairs on March 15, 2018. Subcommittee Chairman Dent presides.
https://appropriations.house.gov/calendar/eventsingle.aspx?EventID=395122
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKsC4W5jxVo [comments disabled] [also at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gKgHEzkUMw (comments disabled)]
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WATCH: Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks to Chiefs of Police
Streamed live on Mar 15, 2018 by PBS NewsHour [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6ZFN9Tx6xh-skXCuRHCDpQ / https://www.youtube.com/user/PBSNewsHour , https://www.youtube.com/user/PBSNewsHour/videos ]
Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks to International Association of Chiefs of Police in Nashville, Tennessee.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kt10eIT1O4 [comments disabled]
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The guide book that helped black Americans travel during segregation
Published on Mar 15, 2018 by Vox [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLXo7UDZvByw2ixzpQCufnA / https://www.youtube.com/user/voxdotcom , https://www.youtube.com/user/voxdotcom/videos ]
Until the Civil Rights Act passed in 1964, the Green Book was critical for black Americans wanting to travel across the country.
Road tripping in the 20th century became an iconic American obsession, and the rising middle class was eager to travel the country on the new interstate highway system. The Green Book was a unique travel guide during this time, when segregation was practiced all over the country.
The book, which grew to cover locations in all 50 states, listed hotels, restaurants, gas stations, beauty salons, and other services that would reliably serve African Americans. The listings grew from user correspondence and a network of African American postal workers under the guidance of Victor Hugo Green, the book’s publisher.
The American road trip would go on to be an anchor in the civil rights discussion, as it highlighted the injustices and prejudice that African Americans suffered under Jim Crow. Before the Civil Rights Act outlawed racial discrimination in public accommodations, Victor Green’s booklet helped black Americans navigate their country.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b33PN2NB2Do [with comments]
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President Trump Meets with Prime Minister Varadkar
Published on Mar 15, 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 and Prime Minister Varadkar of Ireland Before Bilateral Meeting
Oval Office
March 15, 2018
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-prime-minister-varadkar-ireland-bilateral-meeting/ [official transcript]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYRKYBTiDuY [with comments]
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WATCH: President Trump and Speaker Ryan host Friends of Ireland luncheon
Streamed live on Mar 15, 2018 by PBS NewsHour
President Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan host the Friends of Ireland luncheon at the Capitol.
Remarks by President Trump at the Friends of Ireland Luncheon
U.S. Capitol
Washington, D.C.
March 15, 2018
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-friends-ireland-luncheon/ [official transcript]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpHcqz3Igok [with comments]
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A heated legal battle in Kansas could affect how you register to vote
Published on Mar 15, 2018 by ThinkProgress [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYdasX3ym3E5r1iozVllmzA , https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYdasX3ym3E5r1iozVllmzA/videos ]
There's a trial going on in Kansas right now that could fundamentally affect the way you register to vote. Kansas Secretary of State and Trump ally Kris Kobach is trying to reinstate a 2013 law that would force people to show documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote. Here's what this could mean for you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZwkM3K35-4 [with comment]
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Full Show - The Future Of Freedom Is Being Threatened By Silicon Valley - 03/15/2018
Published on Mar 15, 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 ]
Thursday, March 15th 2018[, with an appearance by Roger Stone, and Anthony Cumia hosting the fourth hour]: White House Shake-Up! - A Trump administration purge may be incoming for John Kelly, H. R. McMaster, and up to three Cabinet secretaries. These " ides of March" turnovers are a result of Trump’s displeasure with ethical and boundary issues. Joining today's broadcast is election expert Bill Mitchell to break down current American political happenings. Also, author and television producer Ted Malloch discusses the U.S. economy and Trump's battle against globalism.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sE8RtbwYs48 [with comments] [also at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2tkmYRWVQU (additional text adapted from; with comments)] [a must-watch]
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RWW News: Linda Harvey Says Gay People Engage In 'Dead-End, Degrading Passions'
Published on Mar 15, 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/linda-harvey-gay-people-engage-in-dead-end-degrading-passions/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2h57hAlm-IM [with comments]
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Call Me By Your Twins
Published on Mar 15, 2018 by Funny Or Die [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzS3-65Y91JhOxFiM7j6grg / https://www.youtube.com/user/FunnyorDie , https://www.youtube.com/user/FunnyorDie/videos ]
Julius (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Vincent (Danny DeVito) are back, and this time their love is deeper than ever. Get ready for the long awaited sequel to the 1988 comedy film 'TWINS' that proves that the love of family truly knows no bounds. A Twins/Call Me By Your Name mashup.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgOEg2Drs3w [with comments]
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Asylum Seekers Locked Up
Published on Mar 15, 2018 by aclu [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7M42vQrNmZ0tnmmenLWwBA / https://www.youtube.com/user/acluvideos , https://www.youtube.com/user/acluvideos/videos ]
Donald Trump wants to send the world a message: seek refuge elsewhere.
We have a message too: Locking up asylum seekers indefinitely violates the law, the Constitution, and ICE’ own policies. See you in court.
The ACLU filed a class action lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s pattern of illegally locking up immigrants who are seeking asylum in the United States. The plaintiffs are fleeing persecution, torture, or death in their countries of origin. They all followed procedure and presented themselves at the border to apply for asylum, were screened by a government official, and found to have a credible asylum claim that should be heard in court. Instead of offering a humane response, the Trump administration has locked them up indefinitely while their cases are adjudicated.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWbwXEIyY5w [with comments]
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Remarks by LTG H.R. McMaster at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Simon-Skjodt Center — “Syria, Is the Worst Yet to Come?”
Issued on: March 15, 2018
As prepared for delivery by LTG H.R. McMaster on March 15, 2018.
Thank you Cameron. It is an honor to be included in today’s event, as we mark the Seventh Anniversary of the start of the Syrian Civil War—and, this year, the 25th Anniversary of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
This afternoon, we are privileged to be joined by many Holocaust survivors, including Irene Weiss, who will share her story of courage and resilience later in the program.
Irene, we are all so glad that you are here with us today. Thank you. You are an inspiration to all humanity.
Please join me in giving Irene, and all of the survivors in the audience, a round of applause.
We are gathered together this afternoon on holy ground. This museum bears witness to the most horrific acts of evil and atrocity ever inflicted on humanity.
The documents, recordings, and mementos contained in these walls provide testimony on behalf of millions of Holocaust victims, unjustly taken from us before they could share their stories.
Standing in the beautiful Hall of Remembrance here at the Museum, we can still feel the weight of every human life lost.
Engraved on the wall behind the eternal flame is the well-known passage from Deuteronomy:
“Guard yourself and guard your soul carefully, lest you forget the things your eyes saw […] and you shall make them known to your children, and to your children’s children.”
The United States Holocaust Museum teaches the importance of remembrance.
This Museum tells the stories of beloved children, like seven-year-old Tommy Pfeffer, who was gassed to death at Auschwitz alongside his ten-year-old brother, Jan-Peter.
It tells the stories of the righteous—rescuers who risked their lives to save others, like Raoul Wallenberg and Oskar Schindler.
And it tells the stories of inspiring Jewish resistance fighters, like young Hannah Senesh, who parachuted behind enemy lines with the British Army to aid anti-Nazi partisans and rescue Jews.
As many of you know, Hannah was captured in occupied Hungary, interrogated, and tortured. During her almost five months in prison, Hannah revealed no information about her mission.
Eventually convicted of treason, she was sentenced to death. On November 7, 1944, at just twenty-three years of age, Hannah was taken to a Budapest courtyard, where she refused a blindfold.
A poem found in Hannah’s cell after her execution read, in part, “I gambled on what mattered most.”
It is important to remember what happened to people like Hannah, Tommy, and Irene, because we know that these horrors can happen again.
But remembrance is only the first step: we cannot stop at remembrance alone.
If we are to fulfill our promise, “Never Again,” we must also act to protect victims and to hold all responsible parties accountable.
Unfortunately, today in Syria, we are confronted once more with some of the worst atrocities known to man.
This war has now raged on for seven years.
The Assad regime has killed indiscriminately, tortured, starved, raped, and used chemical weapons on its own people. It has attacked hospitals and schools, and countless Syrians have been arrested, abducted, or have simply disappeared.
And, ISIS has kidnapped, tortured, murdered, brutally persecuted religious minorities, and committed unspeakable horrors, such as burning victims alive in cages.
The Syria exhibit here at the Holocaust Museum, which I visited in January, details these horrifying crimes through photographs, film, first-person accounts, and other documentary evidence.
It is estimated that nearly 500,000 people have perished since the war began. In February alone, nearly 1,400 civilians have died. The conflict has created over 5 million refugees and over 6 million displaced persons.
Today, I want to tell you how the United States is taking action to protect innocent Syrians, defeat ISIS, and hold the Assad regime, and its sponsors, accountable for their crimes.
First, like so many in the room today, we are documenting atrocities.
The United States is declassifying intelligence that exposes Assad’s horrific crimes.
In May of last year, President Trump released images that we believe depict a crematorium at one of the regime’s prisons, likely installed to hide evidence of mass murder.
Our administration is also helping to fund the International, Impartial, and Independent Mechanism (Triple I-M) created by the United Nations General Assembly.
Triple I-M’s mission is to collect and analyze evidence of international humanitarian law and human rights violations in Syria and prepare this evidence for independent criminal proceedings.
We are also proud to support the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic.
This independent and impartial commission documents serious human rights abuses committed by all parties to the conflict.
Second, we are fighting alongside partners, such as the Syrian Democratic Forces, to defeat terrorist organizations.
The Coalition to Defeat ISIS has now liberated almost 100 percent of territory previously held by these terrorists in Iraq and Syria.
We have made immense progress alongside allies and partners over the past year, but we have more work to do.
The United States will continue to pursue these murderers until ISIS is completely defeated, population centers are stabilized, and refugees can safely return home.
Third, we are providing humanitarian aid to the people who need it the most—the victims.
The United States has provided over $7.6 billion dollars to assist Syrians both in and outside of Syria.
We are sending our assistance in two directions: to Syrian refugees and to areas liberated from ISIS.
The United States and our partners will not provide reconstruction funding to areas controlled by the Assad regime until there is a political transition away from Assad’s rule.
Fourth, we are working to protect innocent civilians from chemical attack and to hold Assad accountable for using these heinous weapons.
These past four years have marked another anniversary: the 100th Anniversary of World War One. In the aftermath of that horrible war, nations came together and agreed not to use chemical weapons again.
Assad’s continued use of these weapons threatens to undo all of the progress we have made since the end of that terrible war.
Following Assad’s April 4, 2017, sarin attack on innocents, President Trump launched a powerful missile strike on the Syrian air base from which this attack originated, destroying twenty percent of the Syrian Air Force.
Our actions sent an unmistakable message: using these horrific weapons is never acceptable, and we will hold perpetrators accountable.
The United States is supporting the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in their efforts to compel Assad to fully dismantle his chemical weapons program.
Unfortunately, many of these life-saving efforts—to resolve the conflict, defeat ISIS, deliver humanitarian aid, and deter chemical weapons attacks—are impeded by the Assad regime’s sponsors in Tehran and Moscow.
All civilized nations must hold Iran and Russia accountable for their role in enabling atrocities and perpetuating human suffering in Syria.
Across the greater Middle East, Iran is proliferating dangerous weapons, fueling sectarian violence, and supporting terrorist proxies and militias, such as Hizballah.
This regime proudly chants “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.” It further offends the conscience of every human being by denying the Holocaust.
In Syria, Iran’s actions have directly interfered with efforts to de-escalate violence, defeat ISIS, and protect innocent civilians.
Since 2012, Iran has provided over $16 billion dollars to the Assad regime and to other proxies in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. Tehran is also transporting foreign Shiite militias and weapons from Iran to Syria on illegal flights, including on Iranian civilian airlines.
Iran’s goal is to secure a permanent military foothold in Syria, which would threaten Israel, undermine U.S. interests, and strengthen the terrorist and proxy forces that Iran uses to weaken Arab states and foment violence.
We cannot let this happen.
All responsible nations must take action to counter Iran’s destabilizing activities in Syria and across the region.
For example, the United States has taken legislative and law enforcement action against Iran’s proxy, Hizballah, and we continue to call on all nations to do the same.
Anyone who cares about the plight of Syrians, Israelis, Lebanese, Yemenis—and all people in the region—should also stop doing business with companies affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Iran uses its relationship with these companies to fund and facilitate violence, terror, and bloodshed.
Sadly, Iran is not Assad’s only sponsor. Russia is also complicit in Assad’s atrocities.
The Russian government has bombed civilian areas and provided political cover for Assad’s crimes. Furthermore, Russia has done nothing to encourage Assad to ensure delivery of humanitarian aid, respect ceasefires and de-escalation agreements, or comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2254’s call for a UN monitored political process.
From February 24 to February 28, Russia conducted twenty bombing missions every day in the Eastern Ghouta and Damascus areas of Syria.
Russia has also repeatedly thwarted efforts by the OPCW to hold the Assad regime accountable for using chemical weapons.
This morning, the United States, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom condemned the abhorrent nerve-agent attack on Sergei and Yulia Skripal that took place in Salisbury, United Kingdom on March 4.
The statement made clear that we believe that Russia was responsible for this attack, and we call on the Russian government to answer all questions related to this incident and to provide full information to the OPCW.
No nation—Russia, Syria, or anyone else—should be using chemical weapons and nerve agents.
If Iran and Russia do not stop enabling the regime’s atrocities and adhere to UN Security Council resolutions, all nations must respond more forcefully than simply issuing strong statements.
It is time to impose serious political and economic consequences on Moscow and Tehran.
Assad should not have impunity for his crimes, and neither should his sponsors.
And if we needed reminding of the importance of acting now, we need not look any further than this Museum’s powerful exhibits and resources on the Syrian conflict.
Just as this Museum remembers Tommy Pfeffer, Oskar Schindler, and Hannah Senesh, it bears witness for innocent victims, righteous rescuers, and courageous resistors in the Syrian conflict.
This Museum bears witness for Ahmad al-Ahmad, a Syrian child murdered in one of Assad’s chemical weapons attacks.
This Museum bears witness for the Syrian Civil Defense—the White Helmets—unarmed first responders who voluntarily put themselves in the line of fire to save lives and rescue the wounded.
The co-founder of the White Helmets, Mounir Mustafa, travelled all the way from Syria with his colleague Radi Saad to be with us today. Thank you Mounir and Radi. Please join me in giving Mounir and his courageous colleagues a round of applause.
And this Museum bears witness for Syrians like Mansour Omari, who risked his life to confront Assad’s atrocities.
Mansour was working to document the Assad regime’s abuses when he was arrested and sent to a top-secret underground military prison.
While in prison, Mansour suggested collecting the names of other prisoners. Like brave Hannah Senesh, the prisoners would leave permanent traces of themselves, so that others might remember them and know their stories.
Using their blood and rust from cell bars, they wrote their names on scraps of fabric torn from clothes.
To hide the strips of fabric, a prisoner sewed them into the collar and cuffs of another prisoner’s shirt.
After nearly a year in captivity, Mansour received news that he would be released.
As he was leaving, other prisoners whispered four heart-wrenching words: “Please don’t forget us.”
He would not. Mansour was wearing the shirt, and the bloodied scraps of fabric containing the names of 82 prisoners are now on display here at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Every visitor who passes through the Syrian exhibit will know their names and remember.
Today, on the Seventh Anniversary of the Syrian Civil War, let us all promise to remember and to act.
We will never forget the victims of the Holocaust, and we will listen to survivors like Irene.
We will never forget the victims of the Syrian Civil War, and we will listen to witnesses like Mansour.
Preventing genocide and mass atrocities falls on all of us. Every nation, and every person, must share this responsibility.
With allies, partners, and like-minded nations, we are acting: we are exposing atrocities, defeating ISIS, providing humanitarian assistance, deterring chemical weapons attacks, and holding Assad and his sponsors accountable for his horrific crimes.
Thank you again for the opportunity to join today’s events. It is an honor to be among so many survivors, advocates, and concerned citizens. We appreciate all that you do to bring greater awareness to these and other atrocities. Thank you.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-ltg-h-r-mcmaster-united-states-holocaust-memorial-museum-simon-skjodt-center-syria-worst-yet-come/ [official transcript]
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WATCH: Sarah Sanders holds White House news briefing
Streamed live on Mar 15, 2018 by PBS NewsHour
President Donald Trump's press secretary Sarah Sanders holds White House news briefing.
[no official transcript (yet) at https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/ ]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cSdYLYJvUo [comments disabled] [official White House upload at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNdhoVW6Rhw (with comments)]
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Full Show - Globalist And Liberals Trying To Suppress Free Speech World Wide - 03/15/2018
Published on Mar 15, 2018 by War Room [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClsn7QZVdszxLlUs-GOG0Sg , https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClsn7QZVdszxLlUs-GOG0Sg/videos ]
[from Alex Jones and his merry band of batshit bullshitters]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE332RNnpfc [with comments] [also at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1mavE-yiPU (with comments)]
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China’s Obsession with Mink Coats
Published on Mar 15, 2018 by VICE [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn8zNIfYAQNdrFRrr8oibKw / https://www.youtube.com/user/vice , https://www.youtube.com/user/vice/videos , https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDbSvEZka6GGxs-Ml4i49XioSrY9JlpH8 ]
When it comes to high fashion in China, there’s nothing quite as coveted as a mink coat. Everyday people save up for months to afford the plush, extravagant outerwear, flocking to malls by the busload every winter to get their hands on one.
VICE China took a deep dive inside the lucrative industry to find out why mink fur is so popular in the country, and to see how the coats get made—visiting the farms that harvest minks, the factories turning their fur into jackets, and the vendors selling them for thousands of dollars apiece.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjD-jxnyb38 [with comments]
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WATCH: President Trump participates in the Shamrock Bowl Presentation
Streamed live on Mar 15, 2018 by PBS NewsHour
Remarks by President Trump at the Shamrock Bowl Presentation by Prime Minister Varadkar
East Room
March 15, 2018
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-shamrock-bowl-presentation/ [official transcript]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02xSbJ-upSY [comments disabled] [official White House upload at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7t3FjoBUaIE (with comments)]
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Checkmate: BuzzFeed corners Trump lawyer demanding Stormy docs from WH
The Beat with Ari Melber
3/15/18
A new BuzzFeed letter revealed first on “The Beat” demands the Trump White House “preserve any documents" related to “Michael Cohen…Stephanie Clifford and Karen McDougal.” In an exclusive interview on “The Beat” BuzzFeed’s Editor-in-Chief and lawyer say they are “ready to fight that fight" and Trump’s lawyer, Ty Cobb, responds exclusively to “The Beat”.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/the-beat-with-ari-melber/watch/checkmate-buzzfeed-corners-trump-lawyer-demanding-stormy-docs-from-wh-1187128899956 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSNYVCfrUtk [with comments]
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Intel Dem: Speaker Ryan “enabling” Trump “to obstruct”
The Beat with Ari Melber
3/15/18
Special Counsel Mueller subpoenas the Trump Organization for Russia documents just as Republicans on the House intelligence committee shut down their Russia probe. Former DNC chair Donna Brazile and Kathleen Parker, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for The Washington Post join “The Beat.”
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/the-beat-with-ari-melber/watch/intel-dem-speaker-ryan-enabling-trump-to-obstruct-1187147843714 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JZWhjYgXAg [with comments]
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Larry Krasner Is Trying To Transform Criminal Justice In Philadelphia (HBO)
Published on Mar 15, 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 ]
Larry Krasner is a highly atypical district attorney. For one thing, before he became Philadelphia's top prosecutor, he'd never prosecuted a criminal case. Instead, he made his name as a defense attorney, representing activists from Black Lives Matter and Occupy and filing civil rights lawsuits against the Philadelphia Police Department — 75 times.
So when Krasner ran for Philadelphia DA last year, his victory seemed highly unlikely: Philadelphia has the highest per capita incarceration rate among the 10 biggest cities in the U.S., and a deep-rooted, tough-on-crime culture has permeated the justice system for generations.
When Krasner ran on reversing decades of mass incarceration, his campaign drew scorn, and then fear, from the criminal justice establishment. The president of the local police union initially called his candidacy “hilarious,” and a group of former prosecutors penned a letter calling him a “radical candidate” who was “dangerous to the city.”
Nevertheless, Krasner trounced his opponents in both the Democratic primary and the general election, drawing many more voters than any DA’s race in recent memory. His was the most stunning in a recent series of victories for a national criminal justice reform movement focused on dismantling mass incarceration at the local level.
Now Krasner faces the unique challenges of an agitator who finds himself suddenly at the instruments of power. So far, he’s succeeded in shaking things up: He revealed that his predecessor kept a secret list of bad cops who weren’t allowed to testify in court; he’s stopped pursuing low-level marijuana possession cases; and he’s stopped charging cash bail for most minor offenses.
But there are bound to be obstacles in his way. When asked whether he expected resistance to his project from people within the system he’s trying to transform, Krasner said, “I think there will be resistance. I don’t worry about it. Because the fact is, these are the people who got us here. We have not always suffered from mass incarceration — it has been the accumulation of their decisions and their power over the last 30 years that caused this problem.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuKdByZwuAo [with comments]
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Japan Is Rebuilding Its Military For The First Time Since WWII, Full Episode, VICE on HBO
Published on Mar 15, 2018 by VICE News
Japan is rearming itself for the first time since WWII in response to China’s increasing expansionism, and with tensions on the rise in the Pacific, the U.S. could be forced into war.
After Japan was defeated in World War II, the country was forced to disarm and swear off military capability ever again. Over time, that pacifism became part of the Japanese psyche, but nationalism is on the rise around the world and Japan has not been immune from the political tide.
China’s increasing expansionism, especially in the disputed islands in the East China Sea, and the looming nuclear threat from North Korea have revived decades old rivalries between the Asian superpowers.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his backers are re-thinking the country’s previously peaceful stance, and moving to restore Japan’s military might. And if local hostilities did boil into conflict, the U.S. is expected to play a very specific role.
”Japan fully depends on the strategic deterrence and strike capabilities of the United States if China really goes for military action,” Retired Admiral Yoji Kada, who was once the commander in chief of Japan’s self-defense fleet told VICE News. “The cost they are going to pay is very bloody, they know that”
VICE’s Gianna Toboni traveled to Japan to see how big the country’s offense has become.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-qxsYkhN20 [with (nearly 7,000) comments]
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Using Drones To Gather Whale Snot — For Science (HBO)
Published on Mar 15, 2018 by VICE News
Iain Kerr has been studying whales for the last 30 years. Traditionally, this involves chasing a whale down, shooting it with a dart, and collecting a flesh sample of the whale.
But recently, he’s come up with a new source of data: whale snot.
Over the last few years, Kerr has been experimenting with flying drones through the slimy particulate matter that shoots up into the air when a whale surfaces to breathe. Petri dishes affixed to the drone pick up the sludge, which is then taken back to a lab for analysis.
He calls his tool the “Snotbot”.
Aside from the fun factor of flying through clouds of whale snot, Kerr views his research as part of a global conservation effort. "Whales are a great bio indicator of ocean health… so if you want to know what's going on with our oceans, there's no better species to look at than whales," Kerr says. "Healthy oceans means healthy humans."
VICE News followed his team of researchers as they chased a whale population around off the coast of Mexico, collecting as much snot as humanly possible (and accidentally discovering some new whale behavior in the process).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y07RmZvDnrY [with comments]
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What will Mueller find in the Trump Org documents?
All In with Chris Hayes
3/15/18
"It seems impossible to imagine there is not criminal activity recorded in e-mails, financial transactions, legal documents," says the New Yorker's Adam Davidson.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/what-will-mueller-find-in-the-trump-org-documents-1187209795886 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwZhpP3RCPw [with comments]
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U.S., other nations condemn Russia chemical attack
All In with Chris Hayes
3/15/18
A joint statement by the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Germany calls for Russia to answer questions about the nerve agent attack on British soil earlier this month.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/u-s-other-nations-condemn-russia-chemical-attack-1187210819824
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Treasury Secy. Mnuchin's air travel cost taxpayers $1M
All In with Chris Hayes
3/15/18
Steve Mnuchin took eight separate trips on military aircraft for a total cost to taxpayers of nearly $1 million, seemingly putting his own comfort before the protection of public funds.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/treasury-secy-mnuchin-s-air-travel-cost-taxpayers-1m-1187214403729 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3d2teZRAmKs [with comments]
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Trump, White House falsely claim trade deficit with Canada
All In with Chris Hayes
3/15/18
In audio from a closed-door fundraiser, Donald Trump boasts about falsely claiming to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that the U.S. has a trade deficit with Canada.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/trump-white-house-falsely-claim-trade-deficit-with-canada-1187223107728
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Carson, Mnuchin give Trump reasons to keep firing cabinet members
The Rachel Maddow Show
3/15/18
Rachel Maddow looks at how Donald Trump secretaries Ben Carson and Steven Mnuchin are garnering the kind of embarrassing scandal headlines that seem likely to draw the ax-wielding attention of Donald Trump.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/carson-mnuchin-give-trump-reasons-to-keep-firing-cabinet-members-1187330627565
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Mueller demands Russia documents from Trump Organization: NYT
The Rachel Maddow Show
3/15/18
Rachel Maddow relays a report by The New York Times that Robert Mueller has sent a subpoena to the Trump Organization for Russia-related documents over a time that extends to before Donald Trump declared his candidacy.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/mueller-demands-russia-documents-from-trump-organization-nyt-1187333699580
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Trump skips Russian sanctions law, meekly echoes Mueller instead
The Rachel Maddow Show
3/15/18
Rachel Maddow reports on new U.S. sanctions on Russia, the first action against Russia by the Trump administration, but instead of implementing the sanctions passed into law by Congress, the Trump administration instead copied Robert Mueller's list of indicted Russian hackers.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/trump-skips-russian-sanctions-law-meekly-echoes-mueller-instead-1187336771589 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvDmzYFJD0A [with comments]
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New sanctions reveal Russian hacking of US energy infrastructure
The Rachel Maddow Show
3/15/18
Nicole Perlroth, cybersecurity reporter for The New York Times, talks with Rachel Maddow about new details of Russia's efforts to hack vital U.S. infrastructure accompanying new sanctions on Russia.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/new-sanctions-reveal-russian-hacking-of-us-energy-infrastructure-1187279939930 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CTNrNmyB0E [with comments]
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Trump set to dump McMaster pending soft landing arrangement: WaPo
The Rachel Maddow Show
3/15/18
Ashley Parker, White House correspondent for The Washington Post, talks with Rachel Maddow about Donald Trump being prepared to fire his second national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, as soon as he arranges a suitable replacement and a non-humiliating departure.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/trump-set-to-dump-mcmaster-pending-soft-landing-arrangement-wapo-1187235907805
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Donald Trump's business in Russia draws investigator attention
The Rachel Maddow Show
3/15/18
Rachel Maddow reports on how both Robert Mueller's investigation and the House Intelligence Committee Democrats have an eye on Donald Trump's business dealings with Russia.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/donald-trump-s-business-in-russia-draws-investigator-attention-1187368003973
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Mueller subpoenas Trump Org, Democrats point to Russian bank deal
The Rachel Maddow Show
3/15/18
Rep. Eric Swalwell talks with Rachel Maddow about evidence House Intel Democrats say they've seen that shows the Trump Organization negotiating a deal with a sanctioned Russian bank during the election season.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/mueller-subpoenas-trump-org-democrats-point-to-russian-bank-deal-1187305539950
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Rachel, Lawrence ask 'Could McMaster's replacement be an upgrade?'
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell
3/15/18
Amid reports that President Donald Trump will remove his National Security Advisor, Lawrence O'Donnell asks: H.R. McMaster was an upgrade from Michael Flynn — any chance of another upgrade? Rachel Maddow breaks it down.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/rachel-lawrence-ask-could-mcmaster-s-replacement-be-an-upgrade-1187298883752
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Lawrence: The subpoena Trump feared more than any other
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell
3/15/18
The New York Times reports that Mueller has subpoenaed the Trump Org. in "recent weeks." Lawrence O'Donnell theorizes it could have been the same day that the president, absent of any relevant news, shouted "WITCH HUNT!" on Twitter.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/lawrence-the-subpoena-trump-feared-more-than-any-other-1187292227876 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNMFwPiecTA [with comments]
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Mueller subpoena expected by authors of 'Russian Roulette'
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell
3/15/18
Michael Isikoff and David Corn, the co-authors of 'Russian Roulette,' say they are "surprised it's taken so long" for Mueller to subpoena the Trump Org. because, as they put it, the people who work there are central to Trump's Russia connections.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/mueller-subpoena-expected-by-authors-of-russian-roulette-1187297859595 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLoufB_tStA [with comments]
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Howell Raines: PA-18 election shows Trump's base is vulnerable
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell
3/15/18
Former New York Times executive editor Howell Raines tells Lawrence O'Donnell why Trump's base is "not as secure as he may hope" after the Democrats' upset wins in Pennsylvania and Alabama.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/howell-raines-pa-18-election-shows-trump-s-base-is-vulnerable-1187297347514 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcM5oxhAWVQ [with comments]
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Mueller reportedly targets Trump's business with subpoena
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams
3/16/18
Special Counsel Robert Mueller is moving closer to the president, targeting The Trump Organization with a new subpoena for documents on Russia and other matters. Our panel reacts.
©2018 NBCNews.com
[originally aired March 15, 2018]
http://www.msnbc.com/brian-williams/watch/mueller-reportedly-targets-trump-s-business-with-subpoena-1187336771550 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACUvjGzWfHc [with comments]
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Trump joins allies to condemn Russia after UK poisoning
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams
3/16/18
After first leaving his aides to condemn Russia for an attack on an ex-spy in the UK, Trump joined France and Germany to condemn Moscow. Christopher Dickey & Jillian Tett react.
©2018 NBCNews.com
[originally aired March 15, 2018]
http://www.msnbc.com/brian-williams/watch/trump-joins-allies-to-condemn-russia-after-uk-poisoning-1187338307896
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WaPo: WH mood verges on mania as Trump decides to oust McMaster
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams
3/16/18
The White House is pushing back on a Washington Post report stating Trump has decided to remove his second National Security Adviser, H.R. McMaster, has part of a bigger looming staff shake-up. Our panel reacts.
©2018 NBCNews.com
[originally aired March 15, 2018]
http://www.msnbc.com/brian-williams/watch/wapo-wh-mood-verges-on-mania-as-trump-decides-to-oust-mcmaster-1187342403630 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6iVPII40Fo [with comments]
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Profiles in Tremendousness: Larry Kudlow | The Daily Show
Published on Mar 15, 2018 by The Daily Show with Trevor Noah [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwWhs_6x42TyRM4Wstoq8HA , https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwWhs_6x42TyRM4Wstoq8HA/videos ]
Larry Kudlow is named Chief Economic Adviser, and Trevor looks back on his tumultuous career as a CNBC host.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY6p8B4IR24 [with comments]
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What Does Carter Page Not Know? - The Opposition w/ Jordan Klepper
Published on Mar 15, 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 ]
As Special Counsel Robert Mueller zeroes in on former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, Jordan sits down with him to find out exactly what he doesn't know.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SHb4nO5UyE [with comments]
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The Jim Jefferies Show Season 2 Premieres March 27 - Uncensored
Published on Mar 15, 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 ]
Jim asks members of the White House Press Corps the question on everyone's mind: Which reporters are hooking up?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCIJduTifX4 [with comments]
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Trump Lies to Trudeau, Fills His Staff with Loyalists: A Closer Look
Published on Mar 15, 2018 by Late Night with Seth Meyers [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVTyTA7-g9nopHeHbeuvpRA / https://www.youtube.com/user/LateNightSeth , https://www.youtube.com/user/LateNightSeth/videos ]
Seth takes a closer look at Trump lying to Canada's prime minister, major news in the Russia investigation and rumors of more staff turnover at the White House.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FQfThSU11E [with comments]
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John Cleese Used His Autobiography as ID
Published on Mar 16, 2018 by Late Night with Seth Meyers
John Cleese explains why he hates staying at hotels and tells a story about using his autobiography as a form of identification.
[from the late-night March 15, 2018 show]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0svrUhHLC0 [with comments]
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John Cleese Did Not Enjoy Filming Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Published on Mar 16, 2018 by Late Night with Seth Meyers
John Cleese explains why filming Monty Python and the Holy Grail was so horrible, reveals who saved Monty Python's Life of Brian and reviews his favorite questions audiences have asked him.
[from the late-night March 15, 2018 show]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1RSIwexj9g [with comments]
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stashed March 15, 2018:
How Democracies Die: One Small Change to Normalcy at a Time - excerpt from the book [ https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/562246/how-democracies-die-by-steven-levitsky-and-daniel-ziblatt/ ]
Even if Donald Trump does not break the hard guardrails of our constitutional democracy, he has increased the likelihood that a future president will.
https://www.alternet.org/books/how-democracies-die-one-small-change-normalcy-time
Slovak PM quits after journalist's murder but coalition stays in power
BRATISLAVA (Reuters) - Long-serving Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico resigned on Thursday, passing his government to a deputy after the murder of an investigative journalist provoked the country’s biggest protests since the fall of communism.
President Andrej Kiska asked Deputy Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini to form the next government, opening the way for the three-party coalition to stay in power even though tens of thousands of Slovaks are demanding early elections.
The unsolved killing of 27-year-old reporter Jan Kuciak, who delved into fraud involving businessmen with political connections, has fueled public anger over corruption and threatened to bring down the coalition before the party leaders agreed a change of guard.
Fico vowed on Thursday to remain in politics as the active leader of his Smer party.
Pellegrini presented the president with a list of signatures showing coalition lawmakers supported the switch in prime ministers, guaranteeing a parliamentary majority.
But Pellegrini, a former speaker of parliament, will face his first test already on Friday as the protests are scheduled to continue into a third week. Organizers are demanding new elections and a thorough investigation of Kuciak’s murder in late February.
The events of the past few weeks have also exposed growing unease in some central European countries that governments may be backsliding on democracy almost 30 years after communism was pushed out of the region.
President Kiska himself had urged a government shake-up or snap elections to restore public trust.
“After two weeks of international shame, a denial of political responsibility and mass protests, we are back at the start, at a government resignation and change of prime minister,” Kiska said before Fico tendered his resignation to him.
Fico had promised to step aside if Kiska allowed Smer, the biggest coalition party, to pick his successor.
The government will continue with Smer, the Most-Hid party which represents the ethnic Hungarian minority, and the Slovak National Party that has shifted to center in recent years from the far right.
Fico will stay on as caretaker prime minister until his successor is officially named.
Kiska and Fico were opponents in the last presidential run-off vote and have battled again in the crisis. Fico has accused outside forces of trying to destabilize the country and questioned Kiska’s meeting last year with financier George Soros, echoing attacks on the Budapest-born billionaire by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
NOT GOING AWAY
Protesters are also taking to the streets in the neighboring Czech Republic, a fellow member of the European Union and NATO. Thousands demonstrated last week against a Communist Party lawmaker being voted chairman of parliament’s police oversight commission despite his past as a riot policeman before the 1989 Velvet Revolution.
Thousands of Poles also protested last year against an overhaul of the judiciary that has put the right-wing government in Warsaw in dispute with Brussels over safeguarding the rule of law.
Fico has been the dominant figure in Slovak politics for over a decade, and despite keeping an anti-immigration line with central European neighbors has been trying to stand out from more euroskeptic leaders in the region. Last year, he called Slovakia a “pro-European island” in central Europe.
He said he was not finished. “I told the president: rest assured, I’m not leaving politics, I want to be an active party leader,” he said.
Slovakia’s economy has grown rapidly in the last decade and the country is a major car producer despite its small population of 5.4 million. But many accuse Fico of not clamping down harder on corruption and cronyism.
Just before he was found shot dead along with his fiancee at his house outside of Bratislava, Kuciak had been looking into suspected mafia links of Italians with businesses in Slovakia.
In his final report published after his death, Kuciak said one of the Italians had past business links with two Slovaks, including a former model, who later worked in Fico’s office. Both have resigned but deny connections to the murder. Their Italian former business partner has denied having connections with the mafia.
No one has been charged over the killing.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-slovakia-crime-politics/slovak-pm-quits-after-journalists-murder-but-coalition-stays-in-power-idUSKCN1GR16Z
U.S. military discloses firefight in Niger in December
DAKAR (Reuters) - U.S. and Niger troops killed 11 Islamist militants from a Boko Haram splinter group in a firefight in December, the U.S. military said on Thursday, publicly acknowledging a previously unreported incident.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-niger-usa-security/u-s-military-discloses-firefight-in-niger-in-december-idUSKCN1GR2Q0
Dems say whistleblower emails show gov’t workers targeted for not backing Trump
Two top House Democrats sent a letter to the White House and State Department Thursday saying that information from a whistleblower alleges officials are targeting career civil servants who supposedly don't support President Donald Trump.
Reps. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, the ranking member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and Eliot Engel of New York, ranking member on the Committee on Foreign Affairs, said the whistleblower alleges that high-level officials in the Trump administration have been coordinating with an outside network of prominent conservatives, including former GOP Speaker Newt Gingrich and a former adviser to Dick Cheney, to devise ways to undertake a "cleaning" of long-serving employees at the State Department.
Trump officials have described certain State Department employees as a "leaker and troublemaker," "turncoat" and "Obama/Clinton loyalists," according to emails the lawmakers said they obtained from the whistleblower.
"Over the past year, we have heard many reports of political attacks on career employees at the State Department, but we have not seen evidence of how extensive, blunt, and inappropriate these attacks are until now," the lawmakers wrote in the letter to White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan that seeks documents about staffing decisions and interviews with officials.
"They appear to have targeted these staffers despite being fully aware that they were career civil service employees and despite the career employees expressing willingness to support the policy priorities of the Trump Administration," their letter continues.
Cummings and Engel quote from an email forwarded by Gingrich in which the former Cheney aide, David Wurmser, says, "I think a cleaning is in order here. I hear Tillerson actually has been reasonably good on stuff like this and cleaning house, but there are so many it boggles the mind..."
In one case detailed in the Cummings-Engel letter, a 12-year State Department veteran raised concerns about being targeted by a conservative news outlet and emailed her boss at the State Department for help. Her supervisor then forwarded her email to the White House, where officials used her work under the Obama administration to question her loyalty to Trump. The employee was removed from her detail at the department, the lawmakers said.
Cummings and Engel indicate that they have not confirmed the authenticity of the whistleblower emails.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/dems-say-whistleblower-emails-show-gov-t-workers-targeted-not-n856976
House Democrats say a whistleblower has proof State Dept. is targeting career employees who don't support President Trump
Andrea Mitchell Reports
Mar.15.2018
https://www.msnbc.com/andrea-mitchell-reports/watch/house-democrats-say-a-whistleblower-has-proof-state-dept-is-targeting-career-employees-who-don-t-support-president-trump-1186733635878
more: https://www.google.com/search?q=house+democrats+whistleblower
Mueller Subpoenas Trump Organization, Demanding Documents About Russia
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/15/us/politics/trump-organization-subpoena-mueller-russia.html
As he prepares to face Mueller, Trump boasts of his ability to lie
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2018/03/15/as-he-prepares-to-face-mueller-trump-boasts-of-his-ability-to-lie/
more: https://www.google.com/search?q=mueller+trump
In fundraising speech, Trump says he made up trade claim in meeting with Justin Trudeau
President Trump boasted in a fundraising speech Wednesday that he made up information in a meeting with the leader of a top U.S. ally, saying he insisted to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that the United States runs a trade deficit with its neighbor to the north without knowing whether that was true.
“Trudeau came to see me. He’s a good guy, Justin. He said, ‘No, no, we have no trade deficit with you, we have none. Donald, please,’ ” Trump said, mimicking Trudeau, according to audio of the private event in Missouri obtained by The Washington Post. “Nice guy, good-looking guy, comes in — ‘Donald, we have no trade deficit.’ He’s very proud because everybody else, you know, we’re getting killed.
“... So, he’s proud. I said, ‘Wrong, Justin, you do.’ I didn’t even know. ... I had no idea. I just said, ‘You’re wrong.’ You know why? Because we’re so stupid. … And I thought they were smart. I said, ‘You’re wrong, Justin.’ He said, ‘Nope, we have no trade deficit.’ I said, ‘Well, in that case, I feel differently,’ I said, ‘but I don’t believe it.’ I sent one of our guys out, his guy, my guy, they went out, I said, ‘Check, because I can’t believe it.’
‘Well, sir, you’re actually right. We have no deficit, but that doesn’t include energy and timber. … And when you do, we lose $17 billion a year.’ It’s incredible.”
The Office of the United States Trade Representative says the United States has a trade surplus with Canada. It reports that in 2016, the United States exported $12.5 billion more in goods and services than it imported from Canada, leading to a trade surplus, not a deficit.
In response to this story, Trump on Thursday went on Twitter to reiterate his false assertion that the United States has a trade “deficit” with Canada and said it was other countries that refused to accept that such imbalances exist.
"We do have a Trade Deficit with Canada, as we do with almost all countries (some of them massive). P.M. Justin Trudeau of Canada, a very good guy, doesn’t like saying that Canada has a Surplus vs. the U.S.(negotiating), but they do...they almost all do...and that’s how I know!"
[ https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/974276383051583488 ]
In his 30-minute speech to donors in Missouri, Trump made a blistering attack against major U.S. allies and global economies, accusing the European Union, China, Japan and South Korea of ripping off the United States for decades and pillaging the U.S. workforce. He also described the North American Free Trade Agreement as a disaster and heaped blame on the World Trade Organization for allowing other countries to box in the United States on trade.
Trump seemed to threaten to pull U.S. troops stationed in South Korea if he didn’t get what he wanted on trade with Seoul, an ally. He said that the country had gotten rich but that U.S. politicians never negotiated better deals. “We have a very big trade deficit with them, and we protect them,” Trump said. “We lose money on trade, and we lose money on the military. We have right now 32,000 soldiers on the border between North and South Korea. Let’s see what happens.”
“Our allies care about themselves,” he said. “They don’t care about us.”
Trump’s comments to donors that laid bare his approach to arguing trade facts with foreign leaders show how he might try to engage with other heads of state in the coming weeks. Trump has said he will impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports as soon as next week, a steep increase in duties that could affect some of the U.S. government’s biggest trading partners.
Trump said countries can request exemptions from these tariffs but only after direct negotiations with him. The audio from the fundraiser shows how difficult these discussions could prove.
The president was in Missouri to raise money for Josh Hawley, who is taking on Sen. Claire McCaskill (D) in November's midterm election. He called McCaskill “bad for Missouri and bad for the country.” But he barely spoke about Hawley. Instead, he talked about himself — bragging about his 2016 election win and lavishing praise on himself while ticking through a list of U.S. allies that he said are taking advantage of the United States.
The president did not mention his abrupt firing earlier this week of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson by tweet, the personnel turmoil engulfing his administration, special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign or reports of his alleged affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels — and his lawyer paying her to keep silent about the relationship.
Trump spoke as his White House tried to pick up the pieces after Democrats' apparent victory in a special election in a western Pennsylvania congressional district that Trump won by 20 points in 2016. Pollsters said the results showed how Trump was dragging down the Republican Party, but the president took none of the blame. He said the Republican candidate, Rick Saccone, would have lost by a wider margin without his support — Trump held a rally for Saccone over the weekend. And he said the Democrat, Conor Lamb, won the seat because he was “like Trump” but that Lamb would vote with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
Trump also described for donors his decision to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the coming months through the prism of making history and besting his predecessors while lamenting his media coverage, questioning U.S. allies and labeling his presidency as “virgin territory.”
“They couldn’t have met” with Kim, he said, after mocking presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush. “Nobody would have done what I did.”
“It was called appeasement: Please don’t do anything,” he said of other presidents.
“They say, ‘Maybe he’s not the one to negotiate,’ ” he said, mocking the voice of a news anchor. “He’s got very little knowledge of the Korean Peninsula. Maybe he’s not the one. ... Maybe we should send in the people that have been playing games and didn’t know what the hell they’ve been doing for 25 years.”
The through lines of Trump's meandering speech were simple: Trump was tougher than all the rest, and the United States was not going to be laughed at or taken advantage of.
He accused Japan of using gimmicks to deny U.S. auto companies access to its consumers, said South Korea was taking advantage of outdated trade rules even though its economy was strong and said China had single-handedly rebuilt itself on the back of its trade surplus with the United States.
"It's called the bowling ball test; do you know what that is? That's where they take a bowling ball from 20 feet up in the air and they drop it on the hood of the car," Trump said of Japan. "And if the hood dents, then the car doesn't qualify. Well, guess what, the roof dented a little bit, and they said, nope, this car doesn't qualify. It's horrible, the way we're treated. It's horrible." It was unclear what he was talking about.
Trump said he didn’t even want Japan to pay the tariffs but to build more automobiles in the United States, adding that Japan would do so if tariffs were imposed. There is no evidence of such a possibility as of now.
His comments were among his most protectionist to date and didn’t identify a single benefit the United States receives from its trading relationships.
The “free-trade globalists,” he said, are against his trade moves because “they’re worldly people, they have stuff on the other side.” Gary Cohn, the president’s top economic adviser, recently quit over the tariffs and was derisively labeled by his critics as a globalist.
Trump mocked other politicians for wanting to keep the North American Free Trade Agreement, calling Mexico “spoiled” and saying that Canada had outsmarted the United States. “The best deal is to terminate it and make a new deal,” he said.
Above all, he cast his presidency in historic terms, saying he was attracting so much media criticism because he was doing so well. He seemed fixated on his media coverage, even talking about a specific CNN segment with Erin Burnett.
He said the news media was criticizing him for “conceding” a meeting with Kim.
“They were afraid of being blown up. Then all of a sudden, they say, let’s not meet,” he said of reporters, referring to concerns that tensions between the United States and North Korea are increasing the chances of a military — and possibly nuclear — confrontation.
While Trump said some decry his rhetoric and think his bellicose and mercurial tendencies could lead the United States into a war, he explained why he taunted the North Korean president as “Little Rocket Man.” He said the South Koreans told him that Kim was agreeing to meet because of the tough U.S. sanctions and that they promised not to conduct any nuclear tests or missile launches until a meeting occurred. That comment could not be verified.
“He’s going to get us in a war,” he said, again mocking a news anchor. “You know what’s going to get us in a war is weakness.”
He said Republicans needed to run on their tax bill this year, but he was determined to not call it “tax reform,” as many other Republicans have done. He said Democrats would not appoint judges whom Republicans like while reversing tax cuts and taking away guns, an unproven claim.
He implicitly rebuked Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) for not changing the rules of the Senate to require only 51 votes to pass any legislation, saying more Republicans were needed because the current leadership would not act and no one could explain why the 60-vote status quo made sense.
Trump criticized judges in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, saying his presidency would reshape the judiciary and change courts such as that one. He said he planned to pick 145 judges and thanked Obama for leaving so many vacancies.
At the end of the day, the event, as it usually is with Trump, was about marketing. He said Republicans needed to run on tax cuts because they were very “popular.”
“Do me a favor: Don’t call it tax reform. It hasn’t worked in 45 years,” Trump said he told others. “You say you’re reforming taxes, that means taxes could go up.”
“I actually said, ‘Let’s call it the Tax Cut Cut Cut plan,’ ” Trump said. “I actually did.”
He added: “They thought it sounded a little hokey, so we called it the tax cut and jobs plan. I liked the first one better.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2018/03/14/in-fundraising-speech-trump-says-he-made-up-facts-in-meeting-with-justin-trudeau/
Transcript of Trump’s remarks at fundraiser in Missouri on March 14
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2018/03/15/transcript-of-trumps-remarks-at-fundraiser-in-missouri-on-march-14/
Why Trump’s admission that he made stuff up to Justin Trudeau is particularly bad
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/03/15/why-trumps-admission-that-he-made-stuff-up-to-justin-trudeau-is-particularly-bad/
Trump Repeats False Claim About Canada After Admitting Uncertainty Over Figure
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/15/us/politics/trump-repeats-false-claim-about-canada-after-admitting-uncertainty-over-figure.html
Caught lying about trade with Canada, Trump tweets some new lies about trade with Canada
Nobody knows why this is happening.
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/3/15/17123880/trump-canada-trade-surplus
Trump repeats Canada trade claim after admitting he bluffed in meeting with Trudeau
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/15/trump-canada-trade-deficit-465464
Trump Openly Brags About Lying to Justin Trudeau’s Face
It was just one of many totally bizarre moments from a speech the president gave in Missouri.
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/03/trump-openly-brags-about-lying-to-justin-trudeaus-face
Popular Nafta Arbitrage Trade Sours as Trump Aims Fury North
Buy loonie, sell Mexican peso wager has gone from stud to dud
U.S. rhetoric increasingly targets Canada amid negotiations
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-15/popular-nafta-arbitrage-trade-sours-as-trump-directs-fury-north
Trump doubles down on lie he told Canada’s Trudeau in jumbled new tweet
The president has completely invented a trade deficit with Canada.
https://www.rawstory.com/2018/03/trump-doubles-lie-told-canadas-trudeau-jumbled-new-tweet/
also at https://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/donald-trump-doubles-down-his-bizarre-lie-justin-trudeau
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dor3eKbIEBDnKqMN86BF8UJ_eyOPM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
The Finance 202: Kudlow the cable pundit already taking Trumpian approach to new job
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/the-finance-202/2018/03/15/the-finance-202-kudlow-the-cable-pundit-already-taking-trumpian-approach-to-new-job/5aa99c8230fb047655a06ca5/
Forget All the Cocaine, Trump’s New Economic Adviser Larry Kudlow is One of TV’s Worst Financial Pundits
https://www.mediaite.com/tv/forget-all-the-cocaine-trumps-new-economic-adviser-larry-kudlow-is-one-of-tvs-worst-financial-pundits/
'Let It Rip:' New Adviser Larry Kudlow Quickly Hops on the Trump Express
http://fortune.com/2018/03/15/larry-kudlow-trump-adviser-tariffs-inflation-fed/
Larry Kudlow solves what Trump believes is his real problem
In Kudlow, the cable news president has found a cable news economist.
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/3/15/17120702/larry-kudlow-trump-nec-economist-cable
Trump's New Economic Adviser Larry Kudlow Doesn't Actually Have a Clue About Economics
On tax cuts, inflation and the recession, Kudlow was spectacularly wrong.
https://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/trumps-new-economic-adviser-larry-kudlow-doesnt-actually-have-clue-about-economics
What to Expect From National Economic Council Under Lawrence Kudlow
Kudlow’s TV background suits him for role as salesman for Trump economic agenda
https://www.wsj.com/articles/what-to-expect-from-national-economic-council-under-lawrence-kudlow-1521121093
Economist Arthur Laffer: Trump's 'phase two' could 'outdo' the current tax cuts
Arthur Laffer says that Trump should reduce the number of tax brackets even further.
He also says Trump should get rid of the "deductions, exemptions, exclusions and loopholes" in the tax code.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/15/economist-arthur-laffer-trump-phase-two-could-outdo-new-tax-cuts.html
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dj0PWB5GHgtNKEMjYIu0uZCf9o6yM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Stormy Daniels' Lawyer Says More Women Are Exploring Legal Cases Against President Trump
A lawyer representing the adult film actor said he has received inquiries from other women about potential cases against the president.
https://www.buzzfeed.com/jimdalrympleii/stormy-daniels-lawyer-says-more-women-are-exploring-legal
Stormy Daniels' lawyer says other women are considering legal cases against Trump
https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/15/us/stormy-daniels/index.html
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/duo0LZJvkqDSCOMCmM-N6lfB9ua0M?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
North Korean Official’s Trip to Sweden Could Be Prelude to U.S. Talks
Foreign minister’s visit could be prelude to summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un
https://www.wsj.com/articles/north-korean-officials-trip-to-sweden-paves-way-for-u-s-talks-1521116590
North Korean Envoy in Sweden Amid Planning for Trump-Kim Meeting
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/15/world/asia/north-korea-sweden-trump-kim-jong-un.html
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dz2O1yRuwFyt2MMGEJEyQyqIzVzFM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Conor Lamb Wins Pennsylvania House Seat, Giving Democrats a Map for Trump Country
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/14/us/politics/democrats-republicans-pennsylvania-special-election.html
more:
https://www.google.com/search?q=conor+lamb
https://news.google.com/news/story/d2dqhJMMo1g5t2M7mmJ3uqmWyHWMM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
California Parents Killed In Car Crash After Fleeing ICE Officers Who Mistook Father For Arrest Target
http://www.newsweek.com/california-parents-killed-car-crash-after-fleeing-ice-agents-who-targeted-846139
2 Central Valley Farmworkers Dead After SUV Overturns While Fleeing ICE: Police
http://ktla.com/2018/03/14/2-dead-after-suv-overturns-while-fleeing-ice-in-central-valley-police/
ICE: Man killed in Delano crash was not person agents were targeting
http://www.kerngoldenempire.com/news/local-news/ice-man-killed-in-delano-crash-was-not-person-agents-were-targeting/1046822300
Deadly I.C.E. Pursuit And Crash In Delano Raises Tough Questions
UFW Spokesman Says Couple Was Law Abiding, Hard Working
http://www.yourcentralvalley.com/news/deadly-ice-pursuit-and-crash-in-delano-raises-tough-questions/1045899216
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dF8R0Is_jJHGIdMbA--lR9z_84yJM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Sister Of Charleston Shooter Dylann Roof Arrested After Menacing Social Media Post
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/03/15/593799322/sister-of-charleston-shooter-dylann-roof-arrested-after-menacing-social-media-po
Mass killer Dylann Roof’s sister charged with carrying weapons at S.C. high school
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/03/15/mass-killer-dylan-roofs-sister-arrested-on-weapons-charges-at-s-c-high-school/
Dylann Roof's sister arrested for having drugs and weapons at school
https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/15/us/dylann-roof-sister-arrested/index.html
Dylann Roof's sister arrested for carrying weapons to school on day of national walkout
https://www.postandcourier.com/news/dylann-roof-s-sister-arrested-for-carrying-weapons-to-school/article_ba4ba8f4-27eb-11e8-888e-93a51468d120.html
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dCeov8pj_I6OdRMCe_iWgAg8hAZhM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Man Who Claimed He Cremated Natalee Holloway's Remains Is Fatally Stabbed During Fla. Kidnapping Attempt
http://people.com/crime/natalee-holloway-case-man-says-cremated-teen-killed-attempted-kidnapping/
Natalee Holloway case: Man who claimed to help Joran van der Sloot dispose of teen's body is stabbed to death
Man who claimed to have cremated Natalee Holloway is killed in Fla.
http://www.9news.com/article/news/nation-now/natalee-holloway-case-man-who-claimed-to-help-joran-van-der-sloot-dispose-of-teens-body-is-stabbed-to-death/465-df1f5581-32d2-4e8b-b6a3-5085066886d3
Natalee Holloway-linked would-be kidnapper is stabbed to death
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/natalee-holloway-linked-would-be-kidnapper-stabbed-death-n856861
He claimed he helped dispose of Natalee Holloway’s body. He died after an attempted kidnapping, police say
http://www.bradenton.com/news/local/crime/article205269419.html
Man who claimed he buried Natalee Holloway killed trying to kidnap woman
http://www.wftv.com/news/local/man-who-claimed-he-buried-natalee-holloway-killed-trying-to-kidnap-woman/716284014
more:
https://news.google.com/news/story/dshwXHIgEgLetsMaYiYb8vHV-NtwM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
https://news.google.com/news/story/drRrgDv3p19FnLMiZaZH6zBjw8zRM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
IHeartMedia, largest U.S. radio station operator, files for bankruptcy to cut huge debt load
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-iheart-bankrtuptcy-20180315-story.html
iHeartRadio Has Filed For Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2018/03/15/iheartradio-has-filed-for-chapter-11-bankruptcy-protection/#3b48de933baa
Thanks, Spotify! Radio Broadcaster iHeartMedia Files for Bankruptcy Under Pressure from Competitors
http://fortune.com/2018/03/15/iheart-media-bankruptcy-radio-chapter-11/
Largest US radio company iHeartMedia files for bankruptcy
iHeartMedia reaches in-principle agreement with some creditors
Says Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings unit not part of bankruptcy
Stock closed at 48 cents on Wednesday
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/15/iheartmedia-files-for-bankruptcy.html
IHeart Files for Bankruptcy With Last-Minute Creditor Deal
Biggest U.S. radio network seeks to shed debt tied to buyout
Liberty Media may be in the wings after turnaround is set
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-15/iheart-files-bankruptcy-with-last-minute-creditor-deal-in-hand
iHeartMedia's Chapter 11 Filing: What Happens Next for the Radio Giant
https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/8247540/iheartmedias-chapter-11-filing-what-happens-next
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dpO4qnfWelsrtJMDZoYB7NpGny8iM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
U.S., France and Germany join Britain in saying Russia likely responsible for chemical attack against former spy
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/russia-to-respond-very-soon-to-british-decision-to-expel-its-diplomats/2018/03/15/89e27b4a-2839-11e8-b79d-f3d931db7f68_story.html
UK, US, Germany and France unite to condemn spy attack
Joint statement deplores ‘assault on UK sovereignty’ and says only plausible explanation is that Russia is responsible
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/mar/15/salisbury-poisoning-uk-us-germany-and-france-issue-joint-statement
Trump: 'It certainly looks like' Russia behind attack on ex-spy
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/15/trump-russia-attack-spy-465500
Hitting Putin Where It Hurts
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/15/opinion/russia-britain-theresa-may.html
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dP8S3RKGoPP8V1M_m4w3ONRRGBpgM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Trump administration hits Russian spies, trolls with sanctions over U.S. election interference, cyberattacks
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-administration-sanctions-russian-spies-trolls-over-us-election-interference-cyber-attacks/2018/03/15/3eaae186-284c-11e8-b79d-f3d931db7f68_story.html
US punishes 19 Russians over vote meddling and cyber-attacks
The US has imposed sanctions on 19 Russians, accusing them of interference in the 2016 US election and alleged cyber-attacks.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43419809
Treasury Sanctions Russian Cyber Actors for Interference with the 2016 U.S. Elections and Malicious Cyber-Attacks
https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm0312
U.S. Sanctions Russians Charged by Mueller for Election Meddling
The financial penalties follow special counsel’s indictment
Prigozhin, known as ‘Putin’s chef,’ among those sanctioned
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-15/u-s-sanctions-russian-troll-farm-for-alleged-election-meddling
more:
https://news.google.com/news/story/dg7j7Pg6M4LyWtMbXATmLoAxsgCIM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
https://news.google.com/news/story/dT4CApvx-TDx_ZMTGRnbuaDY8GuSM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Saudi Arabia pledges to create a nuclear bomb if Iran does
Saudi Arabia has warned that it will develop its own nuclear weapon if regional rival Iran acquires one.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-43419673
U.S. officials: Saudi crown prince has hidden his mother from his father, the king
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/u-s-officials-saudi-crown-prince-has-hidden-his-mother-n847391
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/d4LGo482GTXDIpM_QEPp0ugkTAoNM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Russian aeroplane loses gold-silver bars on take-off
There has been shock at an airport in far east Russia after bars of precious metal rained down onto the runway.
A plane laden with tonnes of gold-silver alloy was taking off from Yakutsk airport in Siberia when a loading hatch broke off.
Some 200 bars, each weighing about 20kg (44 pounds), were then scattered across the runway.
All of the bars have now been recovered, a spokesman for the Canadian mine owner told news agency Interfax.
[...]
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43416950
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dmOou-pi1_0fR4MRscNRlSaPjAhKM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
FDA moves to lower nicotine in cigarettes
FDA says the move will save lives
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/fda-moves-lower-nicotine-cigarettes-n856876
FDA seeks research, public input in fresh move to curb nicotine addiction
https://www.reuters.com/article/fda-tobacco-regulation/fda-seeks-research-public-input-in-fresh-move-to-curb-nicotine-addiction-idUSL3N1QX4YH
Are E-Cigarettes Leading Young People to Take Up Smoking? A New Study Says Yes
http://fortune.com/2018/03/15/e-cigarettes-study-smoking-vaping/
E-cigarettes 'may do more harm than good,' study suggests
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321205.php
study http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0193328
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dVZ_ScA6FMWm4AMjnHvTwNtMoNQ0M?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
How Intel Is Moving From Software Fixes to Hardware Redesigns to Combat Spectre and Meltdown
http://fortune.com/2018/03/15/intel-chips-spectre-meltdown-hardware/
Microsoft offers $250,000 bounty to prevent the next Meltdown and Spectre CPU flaws
https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/15/17124362/microsoft-spectre-bug-bounty-speculative-execution
Intel Teases Chip Redesign to Stop Meltdown, Spectre Flaws
The first chips to feature the hardware protections, including the Xeon line and eighth-generation Intel Core processors, will arrive in the second half of 2018.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/359859/intel-teases-chip-redesign-to-stop-meltdown-spectre-flaws
Understanding Spectre and Meltdown
Intel Newsroom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pi2ftnlfImo
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dreh7pf2Qe4lQVMHxyxLfhE_fqrjM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
John Skipper Details His ESPN Exit and a Cocaine Extortion Plot
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/john-skipper-details-espn-exit-cocaine-extortion-plot-1094657
John Skipper Says ESPN Exit Was Tied to Extortion Attempt by Cocaine Dealer
Former network president confessed to a substance-abuse issue when he resigned
https://www.wsj.com/articles/john-skipper-says-espn-exit-was-tied-to-extortion-attempt-by-cocaine-dealer-1521128804
Ex-ESPN boss John Skipper said cocaine dealer's extortion attempt behind his abrupt exit
http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2018/03/15/ex-espn-boss-john-skipper-said-cocaine-dealers-extortion-attempt-behind-his-abrupt-exit.html
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/d6qIO9HVhcgDjNMIQbSaARSvbpKhM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Study: 93% of Bottled Water Contains Microplastics
https://www.ecowatch.com/bottled-water-plastic-contamination-2547834868.html
study https://orbmedia.org/sites/default/files/FinalBottledWaterReport.pdf
Microplastics: Bottled Water May Contain Thousands of Pieces of Plastic Waste
http://www.newsweek.com/microplastics-bottled-water-may-contain-thousands-pieces-plastic-waste-846506
WHO launches health review after microplastics found in 90% of bottled water
Researchers find levels of plastic fibres in popular bottled water brands could be twice as high as those found in tap water
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/mar/15/microplastics-found-in-more-than-90-of-bottled-water-study-says
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dke5vYe0R1IzHEMJkYGayyBwDXMmM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Swamp Thing
The vice president’s trusted chief of staff is young, handsome, talented and rich. He’s also got some skeletons.
http://highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/nick-ayers-mike-pence/
Supreme Court’s Cake Case Could Set America Back 50 Years, Activists Warn
The Masterpiece Cakeshop battle echoes a similar case from half a century ago, they say.
A national coalition of more than 80 pro-LGBTQ organizations is aiming to show people how a Supreme Court ruling about a Colorado bakery could threaten a historic 1968 court decision.
The groups have been drawing attention to the potential implications of the upcoming court decision on Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission over the past few months and did so again Thursday with the release of a new ad.
In the clip, which can be viewed above, the Open to All alliance draws comparisons between the Masterpiece Cakeshop case, in which a baker cited his religious beliefs in refusing to prepare a wedding cake for a same-sex couple, and 1968's Newman v. Piggie Park Enterprises ruling.
Exactly 50 years ago this week, the Supreme Court ruled that Maurice Bessinger, who founded the Piggie Park barbecue chain in South Carolina, had discriminated against a black customer, John W. Mungin. A Baptist minister, Mungin was told to leave a Piggie Park franchise at gunpoint because Bessinger believed races should be kept segregated.
Produced in conjunction with the Movement Advancement Project and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the ad shows that “the free exercise of religion does not provide a license to discriminate,” according to its creators.
“Businesses and their owners have a right to their religious beliefs,” Movement Advancement Project Executive Director Ineke Mushovic told HuffPost in an email. “But that freedom shouldn’t give businesses a license to discriminate.”
To mark the 50th anniversary of Newman v. Piggie Park Enterprises, the coalition has dubbed March 12-18 “Open to All Week.” Mushovic said she hopes the weeklong commemoration urges Supreme Court justices not to turn the clock back half a century.
Whether the effort eases concerns among LGBTQ rights advocates, however, remains to be seen. Some legal experts say the decision regarding Masterpiece Cakeshop could have the most significant effect on the queer community since the Supreme Court’s 2015 ruling on marriage equality.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/masterpiece-cakeshop-piggie-park_us_5aa9d381e4b0600b82ffec48
Penn Won’t Punish Professor Who Said Black Students ‘Rarely’ Score Well
While the law school dropped her from a first-year course over her comments, they stood by her faculty position.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/penn-law-professor-black-students_us_5aaa3ebfe4b0600b83005c2e
‘Love A Muslim’ Day Letter Is A Poignant Answer To Hate Threats
A letter campaign is encouraging violence against British Muslims. An activist wants to counter that hate with love, coffee and cake.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/love-a-muslim-day-letter-is-poignant-response-to-violent-islamophobic-campaign_us_5aa97bf7e4b0600b82ffa17c
Don’t Forget About Flint, Michigan
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/opinion-lewis-flint-needs-help_us_5aa7b857e4b087e5aaedb962
Oklahoma To Become First U.S. State To Execute Death Row Inmates With Nitrogen Gas
The method would replace lethal injection as the primary method.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/oklahoma-to-become-first-us-state-to-execute-death-row-inmates-with-nitrogen-gas_us_5aaa5fe2e4b0004c0407d148
A Crusader Against Police Violence Is Assassinated In Rio De Janeiro
City councilwoman Marielle Franco was a symbol of hope for Rio’s poorest residents.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/marielle-franco-assassination-rio_us_5aaa7a51e4b0004c0407fbe0
Is Your County Elections Clerk Ready For Russian Hackers? - Stateline
In a decentralized election system with more than 10,000 separate jurisdictions, the onus for security is on local officials.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/is-your-county-elections-clerk-ready-for-russian-hackers_us_5aaa7feee4b00a0ab2f5880b
original http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2018/03/15/is-your-county-elections-clerk-ready-for-russian-hackers
American Foreign Policy Has A Masculinity Problem
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/opinion-sandler-foreign-policy-trump-masculinity_us_5aa941fee4b0f7a689ce9915
Putin Will Undoubtedly Win Re-Election. But He Has Plenty To Be Nervous About.
Voter apathy is high and the opposition movement continues to gather steam.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/putin-dissent-reelection_us_5a8ed065e4b0161d43196e08
Don’t Celebrate The U.S. For Protecting Climate ‘Refugees’
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/opinion-lenferna-climate-refugees_us_5aa92f40e4b001c8bf15db8f
An Open Letter To Politicians Facing Young Protesters
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/opinion-hodges-guns-protests_us_5aa830ade4b001c8bf1496ed
‘NRA Has Got To Go’: The Most Powerful Signs From The Student Walkout - Yahoo! Lifestyle
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/nra-has-got-to-go-the-most-powerful-signs-from-the-student-walkout_us_5aaaa549e4b0fcbdb4a32609
original https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/most-meaningful-national-school-walkout-slideshow-wp-175601001/photo-p-students-science-language-arts-photo-181701373.html
‘Am I Next?’: Students Rally With Powerful Signs Against School Violence
Signs from Washington, D.C., to Washington state called for tighter gun control and background checks.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/powerful-student-walkout-signs_us_5aa95aebe4b0f4aaa112f0b4
Chain Stores Are Taking Over U.S. Cities. It Doesn’t Have To Be Like This.
This New Jersey neighborhood refuses to be overrun by Starbucks and CVS.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/local-business-jersey-city-chain-stores_us_5aa1a7e7e4b01b9b0a3986ea
Kenya Gambles On Dirty Energy With Its First Coal Plant
“If it goes on, we might lose it all.”
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/lamu-kenya-coal-plant_us_5aa7a8d5e4b009b705d5f3ac
Telling the Truth About CIA Torture - tie https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=139299412 , https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=39471610
Trump’s nominee to lead the agency should answer a number of tough questions about her role in its now-defunct “enhanced interrogation” program.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/03/telling-the-truth-about-cia-torture/555662/
Feinstein calls for release of Trump CIA pick's torture documents
http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/378572-feinstein-calls-for-release-of-trump-cia-picks-torture-documents
Trump’s nominee for CIA director could help bury key torture documents
The Panetta Review and a 7,000-page Senate study of the torture program recede further into the shadows.
https://thinkprogress.org/haspel-could-help-bury-torture-docs-7bae0045b2a3/
Gina Haspel as CIA director? It’s a test of America’s conscience.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2018/03/14/gina-haspels-nomination-for-cia-director-is-a-test-of-americas-conscience/
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/d9HxfCVHE-ogAOMxjEjTR-LEgTo8M?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Exclusive: Trump finalizing opioid plan that includes death penalty for dealers
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/15/exclusive-trump-finalizing-opioid-plan-death-penalty-418488
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dPbSolrj0uoeXUM_2l0Mi-gHIS4fM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Why hasn’t Mueller talked to Donald Trump Jr. yet?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/03/15/why-hasnt-mueller-talked-to-donald-trump-jr-yet/
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dO_sgBkeoOJtkzMcFysUPr4CnksjM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
The time I took Stephen Hawking to a cowboy bar - tie https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=139269175
The famed physicist was fearless, funny and inspiring. He was also my friend.
By Lawrence M. Krauss
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2018/03/15/the-time-i-took-stephen-hawking-to-a-cowboy-bar/
Stephen Hawking’s Most Profound Gift to Physics
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/15/opinion/stephen-hawking-quantum-gravity.html
How Stephen Hawking Transformed Our Understanding of Black Holes
https://www.space.com/39988-black-hole-mysteries-stephen-hawking.html
Stephen Hawking's Greatest Lesson—A Degenerative Disease Won't Stop Us Achieving Greatness
http://www.newsweek.com/stephen-hawkings-lesson-als-wont-stop-greatness-845874
What Stephen Hawking Taught Me
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/what-stephen-hawking-taught-me/
Here are 4 of Stephen Hawking's biggest predictions from human extinction to aliens
Stephen Hawking was well-known for his work on black holes and the theory of relativity.
He also had theories on topics from artificial intelligence to humans moving to other planets.
Hawking once predicted that the earth would turn into a giant ball of fire by 2600 and humans would need to colonize another planet or face extinction.
The scientist also claimed that the advent of artificial intelligence could be the "worst event in the history of our civilization."
Hawking died at the age of 76 on Wednesday.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/15/stephen-hawking-predictions-human-extinction-to-global-warming.html
Texas State Rep. Cain: 'Stephen Hawking now knows the truth about how the universe was actually made'
A Republican Texas state representative is facing backlash over his snide tweet regarding the death of famed physicist Stephen Hawking.
“Stephen Hawking now knows the truth about how the universe was actually made. My condolences to his family,” Briscoe Cain, a member of the Texas House Freedom Caucus, wrote [ https://twitter.com/BriscoeCain/status/973779271230676994 ] late on Tuesday.
https://www.aol.com/article/news/2018/03/15/texas-state-rep-cain-stephen-hawking-death-comment/23386983/
Texas state representative tweets jab at Stephen Hawking
https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/houston-texas/texas/article/stephen-hawking-texas-tweet-briscoe-cain-tweet-12752808.php
Texas State Rep. Cain: 'Stephen Hawking Now Knows The Truth About How The Universe Was Actually Made'
https://www.chron.com/news/media/Texas-State-Rep-Cain-Stephen-Hawking-Now-Knows-1216017.php
Stephen Hawking's Love for The Simpsons Was Deeper Than You Know
Sometimes the smartest of us can be the most childish.
https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a19442206/stephen-hawking-simpsons/
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/d5b7D3uiAB9vJOMStLLe4YOQj1FmM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
US Chamber of Commerce warns Trump against China tariffs
https://www.apnews.com/2fd5c508613a4168bf83df8a89c92ae9/US-Chamber-of-Commerce-warns-Trump-against-China-tariffs
Complaint claims Trump lawyers threatened Panama magistrate
https://www.apnews.com/9443755a28b3438a875fe5c142534092/Complaint-claims-Trump-lawyers-threatened-Panama-magistrate
Trump lawyers have no easy options on [Mueller] interview request
https://www.apnews.com/872c20f6b2e648218cfdbf72b5421fd2/Trump-lawyers-have-no-easy-options-on-interview-request
Mueller witness is convicted pedophile with shadowy past - George Nader
https://www.apnews.com/b9268204c9e040c7bca98af0fc7337db
Volunteers clean Dallas-area cemetery, former slaves plots - AP
IRVING, Texas (AP) - Jammie Simon can point to the tree where the body of his great-grandfather, Minnie Shelton, was laid to rest.
But like many of the nearly 200 former slaves and others buried at Shelton's Bear Creek Cemetery, Simon's great-grandfather, the former owner of the burial ground, no longer has a tombstone.
The Dallas Morning News reports Simon said since finding out about his family's connection with the cemetery in 2000, he's helped a handful of community members maintain the small and often-forgotten cemetery, including building and placing white wooden crosses where tombstones use to stand.
Simon and those other Irving residents recently had a helping hand from approximately 50 volunteers who raked leaves, cut the cemetery's overgrown grass and cleared branches and stumps from the small property off State Highway 161.
"This is in a lot better shape than it's been in nine years. It's been amazing that so many people have come out here to help," Simon said. "I'm glad they have enough respect to come out here and clean it up. It makes me feel like people care."
Several of the volunteers were FedEx employees who work in Irving. Zelda Celestine, a FedEx Irving operations administrator, said although many of her co-workers do not live here, they saw the cleanup project as a way to give back to the community.
She said the FedEx workers plan to go out to Shelton's Bear Creek Cemetery four times a year to help clean and maintain the property.
"It's just really incredible," Celestine said. "There are so many people that care ... the teamwork really shows up."
Anthony Bond, an Irving resident who has worked to preserve the cemetery since 1995, said he was amazed at FedEx's efforts to step up and care for Shelton's Bear Creek. He said the turnout earlier this month was even more remarkable to him because he recalls a time when he thought the cemetery would not survive and would become part of the highway.
"They were going to plow right through here," Bond said. "This is the first part of something. I feel disbelief, unbelievable joy."
He said the cleanup project was the first step in transforming the burial ground into a location where anyone can come and pay their respects to those who are buried there while learning more about the community's history.
The cemetery obtained a Texas Historical Marker in 2001, but Bond said the marker had been vandalized and was moved to a more a public location near the cemetery. Bond said he is hoping, however, to have Shelton's Bear Creek eventually designated as a national historical landmark.
Shane Wolfe, a FedEx package handler, said it was his first time visiting the cemetery. Wolfe, who lives in North Dallas, said he didn't know Shelton's Bear Creek existed. He said once he found out about the volunteer opportunity, he knew he had to see it in person and help care for it.
"This is giving back to the ancestors that were here before us," said Wolfe, 45. "Whenever they are out, I'll also be out here cleaning."
Irving Mayor Rick Stopfer also joined the cemetery's cleaning crew. He said he was hopeful FedEx's help would vastly help improve the cemetery, although he said there was still plenty to be done.
"It will really come together well," Stopfer said. "But it's going to take a combined effort to keep it to a high standard."
Information from: The Dallas Morning News, http://www.dallasnews.com
This is an AP Member Exchange shared by The Dallas Morning News
https://www.chron.com/news/texas/article/Volunteers-clean-Dallas-area-cemetery-former-12755386.php
original:
FedEx employees help give former slave cemetery in Irving needed makeover
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/irving/2018/03/13/fedex-employees-help-give-former-slave-cemetery-irving-needed-makeover
As Dallas prepares to revisit its Confederate past, a reminder of a long-ago mayor's 'despicable history' - John Henry Brown
https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2018/03/15/dallas-prepares-revisit-confederate-past-reminder-long-ago-mayors-despicable-history
The Words Trump Refuses to Speak
For the most verbally belligerent president in history, Trump’s comments about Russia’s nerve-agent attack have been conspicuously weak.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/03/trump-responds-to-russia-nerve-attack/555734/
Trump finally decided to get tough on Russia. But did he go far enough?
Trump just accused Russia of a chemical weapons attack in the UK — and finally hit Moscow for its election meddling.
https://www.vox.com/2018/3/15/17124348/trump-russia-sanctions-uk-treasury-mnuchin
U.S. says Russia hacked energy grid, punishes 19 for meddling - AP
http://www.oregonlive.com/today/index.ssf/2018/03/us_says_russia_hacked_energy_g.html
original not evident
US gets tougher on Russia; new sanctions, accusations
https://apnews.com/2964ce37e2084ae5b4c13da748b35cff
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dT5GZ1pEaUi8VcM0LwjGUMsSgj6gM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Donald Trump Jr.'s wife has filed for divorce
Vanessa Trump filed for divorce from Donald Trump Jr., President Donald Trump's eldest son, The New York Post's Page Six reported Thursday.
The divorce is not contested, meaning the president's daughter-in-law does not expect a fight over custody of the couple's children or assets.
http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-jr-wife-filed-for-divorce-2018-3
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dVyYl4kRfWKBuOMDgJTcbnt0r82IM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Trump White House Worked with Newt Gingrich on Political Purge at State Department, Lawmakers Say
Trump officials called civil servants “turncoat” and “Obama/Clinton loyalists.”
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/03/trump-white-house-worked-with-newt-gingrich-on-political-purge-at-state-department-lawmakers-say/
Dem letter re above
https://democrats-oversight.house.gov/sites/democrats.oversight.house.gov/files/documents/2018-03-15.EEC%20EEngel%20to%20WH%20%26%20State.pdf
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dlb6eVohrCgWJhMKFqcuEaZg1BxKM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Bill Cosby prosecutors score major victory; five other women allowed to testify in new trial
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2018/03/15/bill-cosby-prosecutors-score-major-victory-five-other-women-allowed-to-testify-in-new-trial/
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/daovOgTS5JSi1mMdzxW9BpLc45IDM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Russian Twitter trolls stoked racial tension in wake of Sherman Park rioting in Milwaukee before 2016 election
https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2018/03/15/russian-twitter-trolls-stoked-racial-tension-wake-sherman-park-riots-milwaukee-before-2016-election/421439002/
referenced by:
Report: Russia-linked accounts stirred discord in Milwaukee
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Russia-linked Twitter accounts sought to spur racial and political discord in Wisconsin after a police officer’s fatal shooting of a black man sparked riots, a newspaper reported Thursday.
The accounts sent more than 30 tweets during the August 2016 unrest in the city’s Sherman Park neighborhood following the shooting, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. The accounts garnered more than 5,000 retweets during the two nights of rioting.
One of the accounts, @TEN_GOP, is named in a recent federal indictment from special counsel Robert Mueller. The account tweeted during the riots: “These photos are not from Iraq ... This is Obama’s America! #Milwaukee.” Another account claimed Black Lives Matters supporters were targeting “white people for a beat down.”
Last year, jurors acquitted former officer Dominique Heaggan-Brown of homicide charges for fatally shooting Sylville Smith when Smith ran from a traffic stop. Heaggan-Brown is also black, but the shooting in the majority African-American neighborhood made already tense police-community relations boil over.
Police arrested about 40 demonstrators during the riots and multiple officers were hurt. Protesters also set fire to eight businesses and a squad car.
“To think that halfway around the world people are using this tragic series of events for partisan gain ... it’s daunting. It’s heartbreaking,” said Democratic state Rep. Evan Goyke, who represents the Sherman Park area.
The Journal Sentinel reported the Russia-linked accounts appeared aimed at boosting then-candidate Donald Trump’s chances in Wisconsin and spread fake news to help the primary challenger of U.S. Speaker Paul Ryan, who had criticized Trump in the lead-up to the election.
Trump was the first Republican to win Wisconsin since the 1984 presidential election.
The tweets also sought to elevate the voice of former Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke — a conservative firebrand who is one Trump’s biggest supporters — by quoting Clarke during the riots. The newspaper reported there is no indication Clarke was aware of what Russia was doing.
“These are enemies of the United States who are trying to sow dissention in our country and on the streets of Milwaukee,” Mayor Tom Barrett said in a statement.
The Journal Sentinel said it researched its story by using an NBC News archive of 203,000 tweets from 453 accounts that Twitter and Mueller have linked to Russia in their investigations. The newspaper said it also found images of some of the tweets by using other web archives.
https://www.apnews.com/0fbbe03b42114fb19b5584632624b15b/Report:-Russia-linked-accounts-stirred-discord-in-Milwaukee
Vladimir Taunts the West
Spy expulsions and small-scale sanctions won’t deter Moscow.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/vladimir-taunts-the-west-1521153708
Russia Says U.S. No Longer Rules the World as Tensions Mount in Middle East, Europe and Space
http://www.newsweek.com/russia-says-us-no-longer-rules-world-tensions-middle-east-europe-space-847097
LATEST VLADIMIR PUTIN NEWS ON RUSSIA AND TRUMP
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/vladimir_putin/index.html
Breaking mold, some Russian youth speak out against Putin - AP
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/breaking-mold-some-russian-youth-speak-out-against-putin/2018/03/15/06bbabbc-285a-11e8-a227-fd2b009466bc_story.html
original https://www.apnews.com/d7ea8f2e9f5f439da63f20f43e5c8e48/Breaking-mold,-some-Russian-youth-speak-out-against-Putin
On the campaign trail with Putin in Crimea
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrF2RLIT-34
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dd5HbOH_h3mQNLMl6zBpBDZi8rNGM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
What Is Robert Mueller Looking For?
The New York Times reports that the special counsel has demanded records from the Trump Organization.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/03/what-is-robert-mueller-looking-for/555743/
Special Counsel Robert Mueller Has Subpoenaed Trump Organization in Russia Investigation
Trump Organization had already been voluntarily producing documents to Mueller’s team
https://www.wsj.com/articles/special-counsel-robert-mueller-has-subpoenaed-trump-organization-in-russia-investigation-1521143068
Did Robert Mueller just cross Donald Trump's red line on Russia?
https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/15/politics/mueller-firing-analysis/index.html
Trump business partner: I’m only guilty of trying to build the world’s tallest building
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-business-partner-im-guilty-build-worlds-tallest/story?id=53782887
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dCR3ElifyLhrEYMMQsFc81UVkCvbM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
A Physicist’s Farewell to Stephen Hawking
By David Kaiser
https://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/a-physicists-farewell-to-stephen-hawking
FBI and DHS Warn That Russia Has Been Poking at Our Energy Grid - Maddow segment 3-15-18
https://gizmodo.com/fbi-and-dhs-warn-that-russia-has-been-poking-at-our-ene-1823806575
We're Putin our foot down! DHS, FBI blame Russia for ongoing infrastructure hacks
Alert adds detail to 'Dragonfly' cyber-attack disclosed last year
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/03/15/dhs_fbi_blame_russian_government_for_dragonfly_attack_on_infrastructure/
Alert (TA18-074A)
Russian Government Cyber Activity Targeting Energy and Other Critical Infrastructure Sectors
https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/alerts/TA18-074A
more: https://www.google.com/search?q=fbi+technical+alert
Cyberattacks Put Russian Fingers on the Switch at Power Plants, U.S. Says
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/15/us/politics/russia-cyberattacks.html
Trump Administration Penalizes Russians Over Election Meddling and Cyberattacks
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/15/us/politics/trump-russia-sanctions.html
A Cyberattack in Saudi Arabia Had a Deadly Goal. Experts Fear Another Try. - by one of the same authors on second item above
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/15/technology/saudi-arabia-hacks-cyberattacks.html
more: https://www.google.com/search?q=cyberattacks+put+russian+fingers
Hackers Are Targeting Nuclear Facilities, Homeland Security Dept. and F.B.I. Say
JULY 6, 2017
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/06/technology/nuclear-plant-hack-report.html
Hackers are targeting nuclear facilities, Homeland Security Department and FBI say
Since May, hackers have been penetrating the computer networks of companies that operate nuclear power stations.
Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation was one company targeted.
7 July 2017
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/07/hackers-are-targeting-nuclear-facilities-homeland-security-department-and-fbi-say.html
more: https://www.google.com/search?q=hackers+are+targeting+nuclear+facilities
Trump decides to remove national security adviser, and others may follow
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-decides-to-remove-national-security-adviser-and-others-may-follow/2018/03/15/fea2ebae-285c-11e8-bc72-077aa4dab9ef_story.html
more: https://www.google.com/search?q=mcmaster
Mnuchin’s plane travel cost taxpayers $1 million, documents show - use of military aircraft - All In segment 3-15-18 ( https://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/treasury-secy-mnuchin-s-air-travel-cost-taxpayers-1m-1187214403729 )
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/15/steven-mnuchin-plane-travel-cost-421176
8 trips Steve Mnuchin took on military planes in 2017 cost taxpayers more than $1 million
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin's air travel has come under scrutiny.
A government watchdog group obtained records detailing seven separate trips Mnuchin took last year that cost a total of almost $1 million.
This isn't the first time Mnuchin has come under fire for alleged excessive use of taxpayer dollars.
http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-mnuchin-airfare-cost-taxpayers-1-million-2018-3
more: https://www.google.com/search?q=mnuchin%27s+plane+travel+cost
US housing department adviser quits amid questions of fraud and inflated biography
Naved Jafry, who called for radical privatization to fix America’s cities, steps down following inquiry from the Guardian about his record
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/mar/15/ben-carson-adviser-naved-jafry-resigns-hud
more: https://www.google.com/search?q=us+housing+department+advisor
Publisher Offers Free E-Book Of Torture Report In Response To Gina Haspel’s CIA Nomination - https://www.mhpbooks.com/books/the-senate-intelligence-committee-report-on-torture/
Literary trolling.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/gina-haspel-torture-report_us_5aaa8eb9e4b045cd0a6f7722
Meghan McCain Rips Liz Cheney For Explaining Torture To Her Father
Sen. John McCain was tortured as a prisoner of war.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/meghan-mccain-liz-cheney-torture-dick-cheney_us_5aaac524e4b073bd82930689
Democrats’ Surrender On Torture Is Nearly Complete
By Marcy Wheeler
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/opinion-wheeler-haspel-cia_us_5aaab803e4b0fcbdb4a3510a
Steve Bannon Doesn’t Deny Anything He Said In ‘Fire And Fury’
“I don’t deny any of the content,” he told a French outlet.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/steve-bannon-fire-and-fury-no-denial_us_5aaabff4e4b073bd829303ed
Barron Trump’s School Signs Open Letter Demanding POTUS Enact Stricter Gun Laws
Over 100 schools from Maryland and the D.C. area signed the letter, which also railed against legislative proposals to arm teachers.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/barron-trump-donald-trump-gun-control_us_5aaaadade4b0fcbdb4a33f02
Melania Trump’s Meeting With Facebook, Twitter To Target Cyberbullying — And People Are Beside Themselves
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/melania-trumps-meeting-with-facebook-twitter-to-target-cyberbullying-and-people-are-beside-themselves_us_5aa9480ee4b0f4aaa112cfa6
Military Family’s Legally Adopted Daughter Could Be Deported
“I belong here. I have family here. That’s where I should be. This is my home.”
A woman who had been legally adopted by an American couple could be sent back to her birth country.
Patrick and Soo-Jinn Schreiber of Lawrence, Kansas, officially adopted Hyebin Schreiber, who’s originally from South Korea, when she was 17. The adoption was legally recognized under Kansas state law.
However, due to a legal loophole on her age at adoption, Hyebin, now 20, could be deported. And the family has filed a civil suit against U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
“I belong here. I have family here. That’s where I should be. This is my home,” Hyebin told KCTV5 in Kansas City.
Hyebin, a junior at the University of Kansas, came to the U.S. on a student visa when she was 15 years old after dealing with some family issues back in South Korea, KSHB in Kansas City reported. Patrick, a military veteran, is Hyebin’s biological uncle and had wanted to adopt her then. But the family postponed the process while he was deployed in Afghanistan for a year.
After the couple completed the adoption, Hyebin received a Kansas birth certificate and the family had assumed her immigration status would not pose any issues. But later on, the Schreibers discovered that their daughter would not be eligible for U.S. citizenship regardless of her birth certificate because of immigration law.
“It wasn’t until we applied for her citizenship, or a path to citizenship, is when we found out from [USCIS] that because we failed to adopt her prior to age 16, she would not be granted citizenship,” Patrick told KSHB.
What’s more, a state provision stipulates that a birth certificate from a foreign-born adoption does not guarantee U.S. citizenship. So Hyebin, who’s currently on a student visa, will have to leave the United States after she graduates from college, Military Times reported.
[...]
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/military-family-adopted-daughter-deportation_us_5aaa7985e4b0004c0407fab5
Ryan Zinke To U.S. Rep. Whose Grandparents Were Imprisoned In WWII: ‘Konnichiwa!’
Zinke made the dumb comment in response to a plea that we not forget a dark moment in our country’s history.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ryan-zinke-internment-camp-wwii-konnichiwa_us_5aaacf27e4b05b2217fd44c6
Judge Dismisses Discrimination Lawsuit Filed By Family Of Ahmed Mohamed
The Muslim teen was arrested in 2015 after bringing a homemade clock to school.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/judge-dismisses-discrimination-lawsuit-filed-by-family-of-ahmed-mohamed_us_5aaa8bd3e4b045cd0a6f6d8b
Russian Hackers Attacking U.S. Power Grid and Aviation, FBI Warns
U.S. officials warn of attacks, including on nuclear plants
Cyber-attacks underway since at least March 2016, U.S. says
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-15/russian-hackers-attacking-u-s-power-grid-aviation-fbi-warns
In a first, U.S. blames Russia for cyber attacks on energy grid
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-russia-sanctions-energygrid/in-a-first-u-s-blames-russia-for-cyber-attacks-on-energy-grid-idUSKCN1GR2G3
FBI and DHS Warn That Russia Has Been Poking at Our Energy Grid
https://gizmodo.com/fbi-and-dhs-warn-that-russia-has-been-poking-at-our-ene-1823806575
What Does It Mean to Hack an Electrical Grid?
https://slate.com/technology/2018/03/electrical-grid-hack-russia-explanation.html
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/daGDY4w1PmDEl_MOvVP37vxNvX4LM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Britain Hints at Tougher Blow Against Russia: Stripping Tycoons’ Assets
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/15/world/europe/britain-russia-assets-poisoning.html
UK's claims questioned: doubts emerge about source of Salisbury's novichok
A ceremony to mark the destruction of Russia’s stock of chemical weapons may have been held too soon
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/mar/15/uks-claims-questioned-doubts-emerge-about-source-of-salisburys-novichok
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dgu0Ou-emZMIPMMUO6mCUjAuZkHvM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
In a first, an undocumented immigrant is appointed to a statewide post in California
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2018/03/15/in-a-first-an-undocumented-immigrant-is-appointed-to-a-statewide-post-in-california/
Undocumented immigrant appointed to state post in California
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article205249624.html
First Undocumented Immigrant Appointed to State Post in California
For the first time in California's history, the state has appointed an undocumented resident to a statewide post, announcing the decision just a day after President Donald Trump attacked its immigration approach during a visit to San Diego.
The decision made by the Senate Rules Committee on Wednesday saw Lizbeth Mateo, a 33-year-old attorney and immigrant rights activist, appointed to serve on a committee that helps increase college access for students from low-income or underserved communities.
In announcing the decision, Senate President pro tempore Kevin de León appeared to recognize the move as an act of defiance in the face of the Trump administration's current immigration crackdown.
[...]
http://www.newsweek.com/first-undocumented-immigrant-appointed-state-post-california-846032
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dXrGeUx7kqQV3AMHtRpoOvSusMmZM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
A Twist in Our Sexual Encounters With Other Ancient Humans
A new study suggests that early humans mated with the mysterious Denisovans in two separate waves.
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/03/humans-denisovans-interbreeding-twice/555686/
study http://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(18)30175-2
Ancient Human Groups Mated With the Mysterious Denisovans at Least Twice
https://gizmodo.com/ancient-human-groups-mated-with-the-mysterious-denisova-1823776046
Neanderthals Weren't the Only Species Ancient Humans Hooked Up With
https://www.inverse.com/article/42346-denisovan-neanderthal-ancient-humans-mating
Modern humans interbred with mysterious Denisovans at least TWICE after leaving Africa 200,000 years ago (and millions of people today still have their DNA)
DNA has revealed two periods during which our ancestors bred with Denisovans
US researchers were developing a new method of comparing whole genomes
Researchers found two genomes - one from Oceania and another from East Asia
The genomes are completely different, suggesting that they mixed on at least two different occasions
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5501217/Modern-humans-interbred-Denisovans-TWICE.html
Humans and Denisovans had sex twice, not once
Genome research shows liaison between hominin species was more than a one-night stand.
https://cosmosmagazine.com/biology/humans-and-denisovans-had-sex-twice-not-once
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/d6iCiEGkyg7OisMxo_bXBeGWCtSfM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Colored Pigments and Complex Tools Suggest Humans Were Trading 100,000 Years Earlier Than Previously Believed
Transformations in climate and landscape may have spurred these key technological innovations
Black- and red-colored pigments reveal that humans were using pigments, potentially to communicate status or identity, by around 300,000 years ago
Read more: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/colored-pigments-and-complex-tools-suggest-human-trade-100000-years-earlier-previously-believed-180968499/#zFRehAac7VtM4gO0.99
Give the gift of Smithsonian magazine for only $12! http://bit.ly/1cGUiGv
Follow us: @SmithsonianMag on Twitter
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/colored-pigments-and-complex-tools-suggest-human-trade-100000-years-earlier-previously-believed-180968499/
studies:
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2018/03/14/science.aao2200
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2018/03/14/science.aao2646
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2018/03/14/science.aao2216
related article http://science.sciencemag.org/content/359/6381/1200
Rick Potts
http://humanorigins.si.edu/about/human-origins-program-team/rick-potts
Climate Change Forced Early Humans to Get Their Shit Together and Innovate
https://gizmodo.com/climate-change-forced-early-humans-to-get-their-shit-to-1823800842
Complex human cultures are OLDER than thought, according to ancient pigments and 320,000-year-old stone tools found in Kenya
Our ancient ancestors created the objects using stones traded with outsiders
They are characteristic of humans who lived tens of thousands of years later
Experts also found inhabitants were using colour pigments earlier than thought
Trading emerged during a period of environmental upheaval in the region
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5505159/Advanced-320-000-year-old-early-human-tools-Africa.html
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dJ4qV_ZYTgvymGM_BotAhppbIWndM?hl=en&ned=us&gl=US
A startup is pitching a mind-uploading service that is “100 percent fatal”
Nectome will preserve your brain, but you have to be euthanized first.
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/610456/a-startup-is-pitching-a-mind-uploading-service-that-is-100-percent-fatal/
Startup wants to upload your brain to the cloud, but has to kill you to do it
Nectome offers to preserve grey matter through ‘vitrifixation’ process tested on rabbits – but doesn’t have a method for uploading brains yet
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/mar/14/nectome-startup-upload-brain-the-cloud-kill-you
One Billionaire Has Already Paid $10K To Be Killed And Have Brain Digitally Preserved - Sam Altman, a Silicon Valley billionaire
Anyone want their brain uploaded to a computer?
http://www.craveonline.com/mandatory/1380553-one-billionaire-already-paid-10k-killed-brain-digitally-preserved
Nectome Startup Claims Brain Can Be Immortalized, Digitally Uploaded Into Cloud
http://www.ibtimes.com/nectome-startup-claims-brain-can-be-immortalized-digitally-uploaded-cloud-2662942
New Brain Preservation Technique Could Be a Path to Mind Uploading
https://gizmodo.com/new-brain-preservation-technique-could-be-a-path-to-min-1823741147
A technology designed to preserve synapses across the whole brain of a large mammal is successful
http://www.brainpreservation.org/large-mammal-announcement/
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/ds9bj_UkJ8AXpJMT9smF1BAOUYAyM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
NASA's Planet-Hunting Kepler Space Telescope Will Run Out of Fuel in Just Months
http://www.newsweek.com/nasas-planet-hunting-kepler-space-telescope-will-run-out-fuel-just-months-846069
NASA's Kepler Spacecraft Nearing the End as Fuel Runs Low
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/ames/nasa-s-kepler-spacecraft-nearing-the-end-as-fuel-runs-low
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/NASAs_Kepler_Spacecraft_Nearing_the_End_as_Fuel_Runs_Low_999.html
NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope Has Only a Few Months to Live
https://gizmodo.com/nasa-s-kepler-space-telescope-has-only-a-few-months-to-1823779480
Kepler observatory set to run out of fuel
NASA’s deep space telescope may not see Christmas, scientists warn.
https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/kepler-observatory-set-to-run-out-of-fuel
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/d2c5OfeVSSuw4DMh2BNgibxgjduJM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
After A Year In Space, NASA Astronaut’s Genes Have Changed. Possibly For Good.
Only 93 percent of Scott Kelly’s genes have “returned to normal” since his prolonged stint on the International Space Station, according to a new study.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/scott-kelly-astronaut-twin-study-dna-change_us_5aaa4639e4b0600b83006deb
NASA Twins Study Confirms Preliminary Findings
Jan. 31, 2018
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-twins-study-confirms-preliminary-findings
Twins Study | Key Points
https://www.nasa.gov/twins-study/key-points
Biologists Trace Genetic Roots Of Evolution, One Cell At A Time
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/03/15/593918690/biologists-trace-genetic-roots-of-evolution-one-cell-at-a-time
Mutating DNA caught on film
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/03/mutating-dna-caught-film
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/d435Zrhbhj1MjYMfaFc60cZOVBfAM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
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Published on Mar 15, 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 a historic day of action, more than a million students from over 3,000 schools walked out of classes to protest gun violence on Wednesday. Walkouts occurred in all 50 states as well as some schools overseas. The nationwide student walkouts occurred one month after 17 students and staff were shot dead at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. At many schools, students walked out for 17 minutes—one minute for each person murdered in Parkland. The students at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School are now organizing a massive March for Our Lives on March 24 in Washington, and solidarity marches are planned across the country. We air moments from marches in New York and talk with Luna Baez and Citlali Mares, two students in Denver, Colorado, who helped organize their school’s walkout for gun reform Wednesday.
https://www.democracynow.org/2018/3/15/enough_a_million_students_walk_out [with embedded video, and transcript]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S-pxrzQopcU [with comments]
*
Remembering Courtlin Arrington: The Victim of a Recent School Shooting Largely Ignored by Media
Published on Mar 15, 2018 by Democracy Now!
Wednesday’s nationwide student walkout occurred one month after 17 students and staff were shot dead at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida. Many students left classes for 17 minutes—one minute for each person murdered in Parkland. But in Alabama some students walked out for 18 minutes to remember another student who was recently killed by gun violence at school: Courtlin Arrington, a 17-year-old African-American student who was shot dead last week at Huffman High School in Birmingham, Alabama, by a fellow student. She was a high school senior who was planning to attend college next year. She had dreams of becoming a nurse. While the Parkland shooting has dominated national headlines for a month, far less coverage was paid to the death of Courtlin Arrington. We are joined by Courtlin’s aunt, Shenise Abercrombie.
https://www.democracynow.org/2018/3/15/remembering_courtlin_arrington_the_victim_of [with embedded video, and transcript]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jJErgGaS0CQ [with comments]
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Farmworkers Bring Human Rights Fight to Wendy’s Doorstep, Fasting & Calling for Boycott over Abuses
Published on Mar 15, 2018 by Democracy Now!
Dozens of farmworkers with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers have entered their last day of a 5-day fast outside the Manhattan office of Nelson Peltz, the board chair and largest shareholder of the restaurant chain Wendy’s. They are demanding Wendy’s sign onto the Fair Food Program, which would require the fast-food giant to purchase tomatoes from growers that follow a worker-designed code of conduct that includes a zero-tolerance policy for sexual harassment and abuse in the fields. Wendy’s is the only major fast-food chain that has refused to sign onto the Fair Food Program. Wendy’s competitors McDonald’s, Burger King, Subway, Chipotle and Taco Bell all have joined the Fair Food Program, which CIW members say has virtually ended sexual harassment and assault for tens of thousands of workers on participating farms in seven states. The fast today will end in a “Time’s Up Wendy’s” march in New York. For more, we are joined by Gerardo Reyes Chavez, a farmworker and an organizer with the Coalition of Immokalee Workers [ https://ciw-online.org/ ].
https://www.democracynow.org/2018/3/15/farmworkers_bring_human_rights_fight_to [with embedded video, and transcript]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ysPhkxgtOU [with comments]
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Rebecca Solnit on #MeToo, Mass Movements and the 10th Anniversary of “Men Explain Things to Me”
Published on Mar 15, 2018 by Democracy Now!
This month marks the 10th anniversary of Rebecca Solnit’s groundbreaking essay, “Men Explain Things to Me [ https://www.amazon.com/Men-Explain-Things-Rebecca-Solnit/dp/1608464660 ].” In 2008, Solnit wrote, “Men explain things to me, and other women, whether or not they know what they’re talking about. … Every woman knows what I’m talking about. It’s the presumption that makes it hard, at times, for any woman in any field; that keeps women from speaking up and from being heard when they dare; that crushes young women into silence by indicating, the way harassment on the street does, that this is not their world. It trains us in self-doubt and self-limitation just as it exercises men’s unsupported overconfidence.” The essay has also been credited with launching the term “mansplaining,” though Rebecca Solnit did not coin the phrase. For more, we’re joined now by Rebecca Solnit, writer, historian and activist. She is the author of 20 books.
https://www.democracynow.org/2018/3/15/rebecca_solnit_on_metoo_mass_movements [with embedded video, and transcript]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8QvgQuSFUo [with comments]
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Rebecca Solnit on What Makes Her Hopeful in the Age of Trump from #MeToo to Anti-Gun Protests
Published on Mar 15, 2018 by Democracy Now!
Extended interview with author and activist Rebecca Solnit. Her acclaimed essay, “Men Explain Things to Me,” is celebrating its tenth anniversary this month.
https://www.democracynow.org/2018/3/15/rebecca_solnit_on_what_makes_her [with embedded video, and transcript]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34NiZdYPtg4 [with comments]
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Jeremy Scahill on Trump’s Cabinet Shakeup, the Mueller Probe & the Iraq War 15 Years Later
Published on Mar 15, 2018 by Democracy Now!
Extended conversation with investigative journalist Jeremy Scahill, co-founder of The Intercept. Scahill talks about Trump’s pick for Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Erik Prince’s ties to China, Trump’s ties to Russia and the 15th anniversary of the U.S. invasion of Iraq.
https://www.democracynow.org/2018/3/15/jeremy_scahill_on_trump_s_cabinet [with embedded video, and transcript]
[further to the "Jeremy Scahill: Gina Haspel Should Be Answering for Her Torture Crimes, Not Heading the CIA" Democracy Now! segment included as the third item in the post to which this is a reply]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GK89bEpNT0g [with comments]
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Full Show - CIA Torture, Nerve Gas False Flag, & Breaking Central Bank Control - 03/15/2018
Published on Mar 15, 2018 by Real News with David Knight [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC1L9FOMSaPgMyoLSnps47g , https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCC1L9FOMSaPgMyoLSnps47g/videos ]
15Mar18 Broadcast
Rand Paul has thrown the gauntlet down, opposing the “Godmother of Torture”, Gina Haspel, picked by Trump to be CIA Director and opposing Pompeo at State Dept who has shown himself to be a neocon warmonger who, by his own admission, wants to censor the internet and end First Amendment protections. Then, is the attack on a Russian double agent associated with Christopher Steele (author of the fake ‘dirty dossier’) a bold, reckless attack by Putin on UK soil or a false flag? And, John McAfee addresses the attacks by giant banks, Google & the SEC to shut down cryptocurrency by releasing his own coin to transcend their reach.
[from Alex Jones and his merry band of batshit bullshitters]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N1JlvFEStag [with comments] [also at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UDnfH35o0GA (with comments)] [and again, see also in particular (linked in) https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=39471610 and preceding and following, as well as https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=139299412 and preceding (and any future following) (elsewhere this string)]
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Statement from the United States, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom on the Attack in Salisbury
Issued on: March 15, 2018
We, the leaders of France, Germany, the United States and the United Kingdom, abhor the attack that took place against Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury, United Kingdom, on March 4, 2018. A British police officer who was also exposed in the attack remains seriously ill, and the lives of many innocent British citizens have been threatened. We express our sympathies to them all, and our admiration for the United Kingdom police and emergency services for their courageous response. This use of a military-grade nerve agent, of a type developed by Russia, constitutes the first offensive use of a nerve agent in Europe since the Second World War. It is an assault on the United Kingdom’s sovereignty and any such use by a state party is a clear violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and a breach of international law. It threatens the security of us all. The United Kingdom thoroughly briefed its allies that it was highly likely that Russia was responsible for the attack. We share the United Kingdom’s assessment that there is no plausible alternative explanation, and note that Russia´s failure to address the legitimate request by the government of the United Kingdom further underlines Russia’s responsibility. We call on Russia to address all questions related to the attack in Salisbury. Russia should, in particular, provide full and complete disclosure of the Novichok program to the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). Our concerns are also heightened against the background of a pattern of earlier irresponsible Russian behavior. We call on Russia to live up to its responsibilities as a member of the U.N. Security Council to uphold international peace and security.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/statement-united-states-france-germany-united-kingdom-attack-salisbury/
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Readout of the Vice President’s Call with Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi of Iraq
Issued on: March 15, 2018
Vice President Mike Pence spoke today with Prime Minister Haider Al-Abadi of Iraq. The leaders discussed the Trump Administration’s deep commitment to protect persecuted Christians and other religious minorities in Iraq and the greater Middle East, a commitment which is shared by Prime Minister Abadi. They also discussed the upcoming May elections in Iraq, reports of Iran attempting to meddle in Iraq’s election and government formation, and the need to ensure free and fair elections that include Iraq’s citizens displaced by the fight against ISIS. Vice President Pence congratulated Prime Minister Abadi on Iraqi Security Force successes against ISIS and highlighted the continuing great partnership between Iraq’s Security Forces and the U.S. military and coalition partners. The Vice President was pleased to hear more about the re-opening of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region’s airports and the initial payment of some Kurdistan Regional Government salaries. Both leaders expressed looking forward to increased trade and economic ties between Iraq and the United States.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/readout-vice-presidents-call-prime-minister-haider-al-abadi-iraq/
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Cabinet Secretaries Testify on the President’s Proposal for Rebuilding Infrastructure in America
Five Cabinet Secretaries testified before the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation regarding the President’s proposal for Rebuilding Infrastructure in America [ https://www.commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/hearings?ID=D68FC40C-36BC-4319-B96F-CAC99129FE3E ].
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/cabinet-secretaries-testify-presidents-proposal-rebuilding-infrastructure-america/
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What You Need to Know About Infrastructure Funding
March 15, 2018
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/need-know-infrastructure-funding/
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Hearing: FY19 Budget Hearing - Department of Veterans Affairs (EventID=107986)
Streamed live on Mar 15, 2018 by HouseAppropsGOP [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMaSlF09S0fpoRshS2t_7XA / https://www.youtube.com/user/HouseAppropsGOP , https://www.youtube.com/user/HouseAppropsGOP/videos ]
The House Appropriations Subcommittee on Military Construction and Veterans Affairs holds a hearing [with Department of Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin] on the FY19 budget request for the Department of Veterans Affairs on March 15, 2018. Subcommittee Chairman Dent presides.
https://appropriations.house.gov/calendar/eventsingle.aspx?EventID=395122
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKsC4W5jxVo [comments disabled] [also at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3gKgHEzkUMw (comments disabled)]
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WATCH: Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks to Chiefs of Police
Streamed live on Mar 15, 2018 by PBS NewsHour [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC6ZFN9Tx6xh-skXCuRHCDpQ / https://www.youtube.com/user/PBSNewsHour , https://www.youtube.com/user/PBSNewsHour/videos ]
Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks to International Association of Chiefs of Police in Nashville, Tennessee.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8kt10eIT1O4 [comments disabled]
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The guide book that helped black Americans travel during segregation
Published on Mar 15, 2018 by Vox [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLXo7UDZvByw2ixzpQCufnA / https://www.youtube.com/user/voxdotcom , https://www.youtube.com/user/voxdotcom/videos ]
Until the Civil Rights Act passed in 1964, the Green Book was critical for black Americans wanting to travel across the country.
Road tripping in the 20th century became an iconic American obsession, and the rising middle class was eager to travel the country on the new interstate highway system. The Green Book was a unique travel guide during this time, when segregation was practiced all over the country.
The book, which grew to cover locations in all 50 states, listed hotels, restaurants, gas stations, beauty salons, and other services that would reliably serve African Americans. The listings grew from user correspondence and a network of African American postal workers under the guidance of Victor Hugo Green, the book’s publisher.
The American road trip would go on to be an anchor in the civil rights discussion, as it highlighted the injustices and prejudice that African Americans suffered under Jim Crow. Before the Civil Rights Act outlawed racial discrimination in public accommodations, Victor Green’s booklet helped black Americans navigate their country.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b33PN2NB2Do [with comments]
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President Trump Meets with Prime Minister Varadkar
Published on Mar 15, 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 and Prime Minister Varadkar of Ireland Before Bilateral Meeting
Oval Office
March 15, 2018
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-prime-minister-varadkar-ireland-bilateral-meeting/ [official transcript]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UYRKYBTiDuY [with comments]
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WATCH: President Trump and Speaker Ryan host Friends of Ireland luncheon
Streamed live on Mar 15, 2018 by PBS NewsHour
President Donald Trump and House Speaker Paul Ryan host the Friends of Ireland luncheon at the Capitol.
Remarks by President Trump at the Friends of Ireland Luncheon
U.S. Capitol
Washington, D.C.
March 15, 2018
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-friends-ireland-luncheon/ [official transcript]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpHcqz3Igok [with comments]
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A heated legal battle in Kansas could affect how you register to vote
Published on Mar 15, 2018 by ThinkProgress [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYdasX3ym3E5r1iozVllmzA , https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYdasX3ym3E5r1iozVllmzA/videos ]
There's a trial going on in Kansas right now that could fundamentally affect the way you register to vote. Kansas Secretary of State and Trump ally Kris Kobach is trying to reinstate a 2013 law that would force people to show documentary proof of citizenship when registering to vote. Here's what this could mean for you.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RZwkM3K35-4 [with comment]
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Full Show - The Future Of Freedom Is Being Threatened By Silicon Valley - 03/15/2018
Published on Mar 15, 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 ]
Thursday, March 15th 2018[, with an appearance by Roger Stone, and Anthony Cumia hosting the fourth hour]: White House Shake-Up! - A Trump administration purge may be incoming for John Kelly, H. R. McMaster, and up to three Cabinet secretaries. These " ides of March" turnovers are a result of Trump’s displeasure with ethical and boundary issues. Joining today's broadcast is election expert Bill Mitchell to break down current American political happenings. Also, author and television producer Ted Malloch discusses the U.S. economy and Trump's battle against globalism.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sE8RtbwYs48 [with comments] [also at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2tkmYRWVQU (additional text adapted from; with comments)] [a must-watch]
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RWW News: Linda Harvey Says Gay People Engage In 'Dead-End, Degrading Passions'
Published on Mar 15, 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/linda-harvey-gay-people-engage-in-dead-end-degrading-passions/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2h57hAlm-IM [with comments]
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Call Me By Your Twins
Published on Mar 15, 2018 by Funny Or Die [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzS3-65Y91JhOxFiM7j6grg / https://www.youtube.com/user/FunnyorDie , https://www.youtube.com/user/FunnyorDie/videos ]
Julius (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and Vincent (Danny DeVito) are back, and this time their love is deeper than ever. Get ready for the long awaited sequel to the 1988 comedy film 'TWINS' that proves that the love of family truly knows no bounds. A Twins/Call Me By Your Name mashup.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgOEg2Drs3w [with comments]
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Asylum Seekers Locked Up
Published on Mar 15, 2018 by aclu [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7M42vQrNmZ0tnmmenLWwBA / https://www.youtube.com/user/acluvideos , https://www.youtube.com/user/acluvideos/videos ]
Donald Trump wants to send the world a message: seek refuge elsewhere.
We have a message too: Locking up asylum seekers indefinitely violates the law, the Constitution, and ICE’ own policies. See you in court.
The ACLU filed a class action lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s pattern of illegally locking up immigrants who are seeking asylum in the United States. The plaintiffs are fleeing persecution, torture, or death in their countries of origin. They all followed procedure and presented themselves at the border to apply for asylum, were screened by a government official, and found to have a credible asylum claim that should be heard in court. Instead of offering a humane response, the Trump administration has locked them up indefinitely while their cases are adjudicated.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WWbwXEIyY5w [with comments]
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Remarks by LTG H.R. McMaster at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum Simon-Skjodt Center — “Syria, Is the Worst Yet to Come?”
Issued on: March 15, 2018
As prepared for delivery by LTG H.R. McMaster on March 15, 2018.
Thank you Cameron. It is an honor to be included in today’s event, as we mark the Seventh Anniversary of the start of the Syrian Civil War—and, this year, the 25th Anniversary of the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
This afternoon, we are privileged to be joined by many Holocaust survivors, including Irene Weiss, who will share her story of courage and resilience later in the program.
Irene, we are all so glad that you are here with us today. Thank you. You are an inspiration to all humanity.
Please join me in giving Irene, and all of the survivors in the audience, a round of applause.
We are gathered together this afternoon on holy ground. This museum bears witness to the most horrific acts of evil and atrocity ever inflicted on humanity.
The documents, recordings, and mementos contained in these walls provide testimony on behalf of millions of Holocaust victims, unjustly taken from us before they could share their stories.
Standing in the beautiful Hall of Remembrance here at the Museum, we can still feel the weight of every human life lost.
Engraved on the wall behind the eternal flame is the well-known passage from Deuteronomy:
“Guard yourself and guard your soul carefully, lest you forget the things your eyes saw […] and you shall make them known to your children, and to your children’s children.”
The United States Holocaust Museum teaches the importance of remembrance.
This Museum tells the stories of beloved children, like seven-year-old Tommy Pfeffer, who was gassed to death at Auschwitz alongside his ten-year-old brother, Jan-Peter.
It tells the stories of the righteous—rescuers who risked their lives to save others, like Raoul Wallenberg and Oskar Schindler.
And it tells the stories of inspiring Jewish resistance fighters, like young Hannah Senesh, who parachuted behind enemy lines with the British Army to aid anti-Nazi partisans and rescue Jews.
As many of you know, Hannah was captured in occupied Hungary, interrogated, and tortured. During her almost five months in prison, Hannah revealed no information about her mission.
Eventually convicted of treason, she was sentenced to death. On November 7, 1944, at just twenty-three years of age, Hannah was taken to a Budapest courtyard, where she refused a blindfold.
A poem found in Hannah’s cell after her execution read, in part, “I gambled on what mattered most.”
It is important to remember what happened to people like Hannah, Tommy, and Irene, because we know that these horrors can happen again.
But remembrance is only the first step: we cannot stop at remembrance alone.
If we are to fulfill our promise, “Never Again,” we must also act to protect victims and to hold all responsible parties accountable.
Unfortunately, today in Syria, we are confronted once more with some of the worst atrocities known to man.
This war has now raged on for seven years.
The Assad regime has killed indiscriminately, tortured, starved, raped, and used chemical weapons on its own people. It has attacked hospitals and schools, and countless Syrians have been arrested, abducted, or have simply disappeared.
And, ISIS has kidnapped, tortured, murdered, brutally persecuted religious minorities, and committed unspeakable horrors, such as burning victims alive in cages.
The Syria exhibit here at the Holocaust Museum, which I visited in January, details these horrifying crimes through photographs, film, first-person accounts, and other documentary evidence.
It is estimated that nearly 500,000 people have perished since the war began. In February alone, nearly 1,400 civilians have died. The conflict has created over 5 million refugees and over 6 million displaced persons.
Today, I want to tell you how the United States is taking action to protect innocent Syrians, defeat ISIS, and hold the Assad regime, and its sponsors, accountable for their crimes.
First, like so many in the room today, we are documenting atrocities.
The United States is declassifying intelligence that exposes Assad’s horrific crimes.
In May of last year, President Trump released images that we believe depict a crematorium at one of the regime’s prisons, likely installed to hide evidence of mass murder.
Our administration is also helping to fund the International, Impartial, and Independent Mechanism (Triple I-M) created by the United Nations General Assembly.
Triple I-M’s mission is to collect and analyze evidence of international humanitarian law and human rights violations in Syria and prepare this evidence for independent criminal proceedings.
We are also proud to support the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Syrian Arab Republic.
This independent and impartial commission documents serious human rights abuses committed by all parties to the conflict.
Second, we are fighting alongside partners, such as the Syrian Democratic Forces, to defeat terrorist organizations.
The Coalition to Defeat ISIS has now liberated almost 100 percent of territory previously held by these terrorists in Iraq and Syria.
We have made immense progress alongside allies and partners over the past year, but we have more work to do.
The United States will continue to pursue these murderers until ISIS is completely defeated, population centers are stabilized, and refugees can safely return home.
Third, we are providing humanitarian aid to the people who need it the most—the victims.
The United States has provided over $7.6 billion dollars to assist Syrians both in and outside of Syria.
We are sending our assistance in two directions: to Syrian refugees and to areas liberated from ISIS.
The United States and our partners will not provide reconstruction funding to areas controlled by the Assad regime until there is a political transition away from Assad’s rule.
Fourth, we are working to protect innocent civilians from chemical attack and to hold Assad accountable for using these heinous weapons.
These past four years have marked another anniversary: the 100th Anniversary of World War One. In the aftermath of that horrible war, nations came together and agreed not to use chemical weapons again.
Assad’s continued use of these weapons threatens to undo all of the progress we have made since the end of that terrible war.
Following Assad’s April 4, 2017, sarin attack on innocents, President Trump launched a powerful missile strike on the Syrian air base from which this attack originated, destroying twenty percent of the Syrian Air Force.
Our actions sent an unmistakable message: using these horrific weapons is never acceptable, and we will hold perpetrators accountable.
The United States is supporting the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in their efforts to compel Assad to fully dismantle his chemical weapons program.
Unfortunately, many of these life-saving efforts—to resolve the conflict, defeat ISIS, deliver humanitarian aid, and deter chemical weapons attacks—are impeded by the Assad regime’s sponsors in Tehran and Moscow.
All civilized nations must hold Iran and Russia accountable for their role in enabling atrocities and perpetuating human suffering in Syria.
Across the greater Middle East, Iran is proliferating dangerous weapons, fueling sectarian violence, and supporting terrorist proxies and militias, such as Hizballah.
This regime proudly chants “Death to America” and “Death to Israel.” It further offends the conscience of every human being by denying the Holocaust.
In Syria, Iran’s actions have directly interfered with efforts to de-escalate violence, defeat ISIS, and protect innocent civilians.
Since 2012, Iran has provided over $16 billion dollars to the Assad regime and to other proxies in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen. Tehran is also transporting foreign Shiite militias and weapons from Iran to Syria on illegal flights, including on Iranian civilian airlines.
Iran’s goal is to secure a permanent military foothold in Syria, which would threaten Israel, undermine U.S. interests, and strengthen the terrorist and proxy forces that Iran uses to weaken Arab states and foment violence.
We cannot let this happen.
All responsible nations must take action to counter Iran’s destabilizing activities in Syria and across the region.
For example, the United States has taken legislative and law enforcement action against Iran’s proxy, Hizballah, and we continue to call on all nations to do the same.
Anyone who cares about the plight of Syrians, Israelis, Lebanese, Yemenis—and all people in the region—should also stop doing business with companies affiliated with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Iran uses its relationship with these companies to fund and facilitate violence, terror, and bloodshed.
Sadly, Iran is not Assad’s only sponsor. Russia is also complicit in Assad’s atrocities.
The Russian government has bombed civilian areas and provided political cover for Assad’s crimes. Furthermore, Russia has done nothing to encourage Assad to ensure delivery of humanitarian aid, respect ceasefires and de-escalation agreements, or comply with UN Security Council Resolution 2254’s call for a UN monitored political process.
From February 24 to February 28, Russia conducted twenty bombing missions every day in the Eastern Ghouta and Damascus areas of Syria.
Russia has also repeatedly thwarted efforts by the OPCW to hold the Assad regime accountable for using chemical weapons.
This morning, the United States, France, Germany, and the United Kingdom condemned the abhorrent nerve-agent attack on Sergei and Yulia Skripal that took place in Salisbury, United Kingdom on March 4.
The statement made clear that we believe that Russia was responsible for this attack, and we call on the Russian government to answer all questions related to this incident and to provide full information to the OPCW.
No nation—Russia, Syria, or anyone else—should be using chemical weapons and nerve agents.
If Iran and Russia do not stop enabling the regime’s atrocities and adhere to UN Security Council resolutions, all nations must respond more forcefully than simply issuing strong statements.
It is time to impose serious political and economic consequences on Moscow and Tehran.
Assad should not have impunity for his crimes, and neither should his sponsors.
And if we needed reminding of the importance of acting now, we need not look any further than this Museum’s powerful exhibits and resources on the Syrian conflict.
Just as this Museum remembers Tommy Pfeffer, Oskar Schindler, and Hannah Senesh, it bears witness for innocent victims, righteous rescuers, and courageous resistors in the Syrian conflict.
This Museum bears witness for Ahmad al-Ahmad, a Syrian child murdered in one of Assad’s chemical weapons attacks.
This Museum bears witness for the Syrian Civil Defense—the White Helmets—unarmed first responders who voluntarily put themselves in the line of fire to save lives and rescue the wounded.
The co-founder of the White Helmets, Mounir Mustafa, travelled all the way from Syria with his colleague Radi Saad to be with us today. Thank you Mounir and Radi. Please join me in giving Mounir and his courageous colleagues a round of applause.
And this Museum bears witness for Syrians like Mansour Omari, who risked his life to confront Assad’s atrocities.
Mansour was working to document the Assad regime’s abuses when he was arrested and sent to a top-secret underground military prison.
While in prison, Mansour suggested collecting the names of other prisoners. Like brave Hannah Senesh, the prisoners would leave permanent traces of themselves, so that others might remember them and know their stories.
Using their blood and rust from cell bars, they wrote their names on scraps of fabric torn from clothes.
To hide the strips of fabric, a prisoner sewed them into the collar and cuffs of another prisoner’s shirt.
After nearly a year in captivity, Mansour received news that he would be released.
As he was leaving, other prisoners whispered four heart-wrenching words: “Please don’t forget us.”
He would not. Mansour was wearing the shirt, and the bloodied scraps of fabric containing the names of 82 prisoners are now on display here at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum.
Every visitor who passes through the Syrian exhibit will know their names and remember.
Today, on the Seventh Anniversary of the Syrian Civil War, let us all promise to remember and to act.
We will never forget the victims of the Holocaust, and we will listen to survivors like Irene.
We will never forget the victims of the Syrian Civil War, and we will listen to witnesses like Mansour.
Preventing genocide and mass atrocities falls on all of us. Every nation, and every person, must share this responsibility.
With allies, partners, and like-minded nations, we are acting: we are exposing atrocities, defeating ISIS, providing humanitarian assistance, deterring chemical weapons attacks, and holding Assad and his sponsors accountable for his horrific crimes.
Thank you again for the opportunity to join today’s events. It is an honor to be among so many survivors, advocates, and concerned citizens. We appreciate all that you do to bring greater awareness to these and other atrocities. Thank you.
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-ltg-h-r-mcmaster-united-states-holocaust-memorial-museum-simon-skjodt-center-syria-worst-yet-come/ [official transcript]
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WATCH: Sarah Sanders holds White House news briefing
Streamed live on Mar 15, 2018 by PBS NewsHour
President Donald Trump's press secretary Sarah Sanders holds White House news briefing.
[no official transcript (yet) at https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/ ]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cSdYLYJvUo [comments disabled] [official White House upload at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hNdhoVW6Rhw (with comments)]
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Full Show - Globalist And Liberals Trying To Suppress Free Speech World Wide - 03/15/2018
Published on Mar 15, 2018 by War Room [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClsn7QZVdszxLlUs-GOG0Sg , https://www.youtube.com/channel/UClsn7QZVdszxLlUs-GOG0Sg/videos ]
[from Alex Jones and his merry band of batshit bullshitters]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dE332RNnpfc [with comments] [also at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t1mavE-yiPU (with comments)]
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China’s Obsession with Mink Coats
Published on Mar 15, 2018 by VICE [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCn8zNIfYAQNdrFRrr8oibKw / https://www.youtube.com/user/vice , https://www.youtube.com/user/vice/videos , https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLDbSvEZka6GGxs-Ml4i49XioSrY9JlpH8 ]
When it comes to high fashion in China, there’s nothing quite as coveted as a mink coat. Everyday people save up for months to afford the plush, extravagant outerwear, flocking to malls by the busload every winter to get their hands on one.
VICE China took a deep dive inside the lucrative industry to find out why mink fur is so popular in the country, and to see how the coats get made—visiting the farms that harvest minks, the factories turning their fur into jackets, and the vendors selling them for thousands of dollars apiece.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PjD-jxnyb38 [with comments]
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WATCH: President Trump participates in the Shamrock Bowl Presentation
Streamed live on Mar 15, 2018 by PBS NewsHour
Remarks by President Trump at the Shamrock Bowl Presentation by Prime Minister Varadkar
East Room
March 15, 2018
https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefings-statements/remarks-president-trump-shamrock-bowl-presentation/ [official transcript]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=02xSbJ-upSY [comments disabled] [official White House upload at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7t3FjoBUaIE (with comments)]
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Checkmate: BuzzFeed corners Trump lawyer demanding Stormy docs from WH
The Beat with Ari Melber
3/15/18
A new BuzzFeed letter revealed first on “The Beat” demands the Trump White House “preserve any documents" related to “Michael Cohen…Stephanie Clifford and Karen McDougal.” In an exclusive interview on “The Beat” BuzzFeed’s Editor-in-Chief and lawyer say they are “ready to fight that fight" and Trump’s lawyer, Ty Cobb, responds exclusively to “The Beat”.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/the-beat-with-ari-melber/watch/checkmate-buzzfeed-corners-trump-lawyer-demanding-stormy-docs-from-wh-1187128899956 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sSNYVCfrUtk [with comments]
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Intel Dem: Speaker Ryan “enabling” Trump “to obstruct”
The Beat with Ari Melber
3/15/18
Special Counsel Mueller subpoenas the Trump Organization for Russia documents just as Republicans on the House intelligence committee shut down their Russia probe. Former DNC chair Donna Brazile and Kathleen Parker, Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist for The Washington Post join “The Beat.”
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/the-beat-with-ari-melber/watch/intel-dem-speaker-ryan-enabling-trump-to-obstruct-1187147843714 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0JZWhjYgXAg [with comments]
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Larry Krasner Is Trying To Transform Criminal Justice In Philadelphia (HBO)
Published on Mar 15, 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 ]
Larry Krasner is a highly atypical district attorney. For one thing, before he became Philadelphia's top prosecutor, he'd never prosecuted a criminal case. Instead, he made his name as a defense attorney, representing activists from Black Lives Matter and Occupy and filing civil rights lawsuits against the Philadelphia Police Department — 75 times.
So when Krasner ran for Philadelphia DA last year, his victory seemed highly unlikely: Philadelphia has the highest per capita incarceration rate among the 10 biggest cities in the U.S., and a deep-rooted, tough-on-crime culture has permeated the justice system for generations.
When Krasner ran on reversing decades of mass incarceration, his campaign drew scorn, and then fear, from the criminal justice establishment. The president of the local police union initially called his candidacy “hilarious,” and a group of former prosecutors penned a letter calling him a “radical candidate” who was “dangerous to the city.”
Nevertheless, Krasner trounced his opponents in both the Democratic primary and the general election, drawing many more voters than any DA’s race in recent memory. His was the most stunning in a recent series of victories for a national criminal justice reform movement focused on dismantling mass incarceration at the local level.
Now Krasner faces the unique challenges of an agitator who finds himself suddenly at the instruments of power. So far, he’s succeeded in shaking things up: He revealed that his predecessor kept a secret list of bad cops who weren’t allowed to testify in court; he’s stopped pursuing low-level marijuana possession cases; and he’s stopped charging cash bail for most minor offenses.
But there are bound to be obstacles in his way. When asked whether he expected resistance to his project from people within the system he’s trying to transform, Krasner said, “I think there will be resistance. I don’t worry about it. Because the fact is, these are the people who got us here. We have not always suffered from mass incarceration — it has been the accumulation of their decisions and their power over the last 30 years that caused this problem.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yuKdByZwuAo [with comments]
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Japan Is Rebuilding Its Military For The First Time Since WWII, Full Episode, VICE on HBO
Published on Mar 15, 2018 by VICE News
Japan is rearming itself for the first time since WWII in response to China’s increasing expansionism, and with tensions on the rise in the Pacific, the U.S. could be forced into war.
After Japan was defeated in World War II, the country was forced to disarm and swear off military capability ever again. Over time, that pacifism became part of the Japanese psyche, but nationalism is on the rise around the world and Japan has not been immune from the political tide.
China’s increasing expansionism, especially in the disputed islands in the East China Sea, and the looming nuclear threat from North Korea have revived decades old rivalries between the Asian superpowers.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and his backers are re-thinking the country’s previously peaceful stance, and moving to restore Japan’s military might. And if local hostilities did boil into conflict, the U.S. is expected to play a very specific role.
”Japan fully depends on the strategic deterrence and strike capabilities of the United States if China really goes for military action,” Retired Admiral Yoji Kada, who was once the commander in chief of Japan’s self-defense fleet told VICE News. “The cost they are going to pay is very bloody, they know that”
VICE’s Gianna Toboni traveled to Japan to see how big the country’s offense has become.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-qxsYkhN20 [with (nearly 7,000) comments]
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Using Drones To Gather Whale Snot — For Science (HBO)
Published on Mar 15, 2018 by VICE News
Iain Kerr has been studying whales for the last 30 years. Traditionally, this involves chasing a whale down, shooting it with a dart, and collecting a flesh sample of the whale.
But recently, he’s come up with a new source of data: whale snot.
Over the last few years, Kerr has been experimenting with flying drones through the slimy particulate matter that shoots up into the air when a whale surfaces to breathe. Petri dishes affixed to the drone pick up the sludge, which is then taken back to a lab for analysis.
He calls his tool the “Snotbot”.
Aside from the fun factor of flying through clouds of whale snot, Kerr views his research as part of a global conservation effort. "Whales are a great bio indicator of ocean health… so if you want to know what's going on with our oceans, there's no better species to look at than whales," Kerr says. "Healthy oceans means healthy humans."
VICE News followed his team of researchers as they chased a whale population around off the coast of Mexico, collecting as much snot as humanly possible (and accidentally discovering some new whale behavior in the process).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y07RmZvDnrY [with comments]
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What will Mueller find in the Trump Org documents?
All In with Chris Hayes
3/15/18
"It seems impossible to imagine there is not criminal activity recorded in e-mails, financial transactions, legal documents," says the New Yorker's Adam Davidson.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/what-will-mueller-find-in-the-trump-org-documents-1187209795886 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wwZhpP3RCPw [with comments]
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U.S., other nations condemn Russia chemical attack
All In with Chris Hayes
3/15/18
A joint statement by the United States, the United Kingdom, France and Germany calls for Russia to answer questions about the nerve agent attack on British soil earlier this month.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/u-s-other-nations-condemn-russia-chemical-attack-1187210819824
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Treasury Secy. Mnuchin's air travel cost taxpayers $1M
All In with Chris Hayes
3/15/18
Steve Mnuchin took eight separate trips on military aircraft for a total cost to taxpayers of nearly $1 million, seemingly putting his own comfort before the protection of public funds.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/treasury-secy-mnuchin-s-air-travel-cost-taxpayers-1m-1187214403729 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3d2teZRAmKs [with comments]
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Trump, White House falsely claim trade deficit with Canada
All In with Chris Hayes
3/15/18
In audio from a closed-door fundraiser, Donald Trump boasts about falsely claiming to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that the U.S. has a trade deficit with Canada.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/trump-white-house-falsely-claim-trade-deficit-with-canada-1187223107728
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Carson, Mnuchin give Trump reasons to keep firing cabinet members
The Rachel Maddow Show
3/15/18
Rachel Maddow looks at how Donald Trump secretaries Ben Carson and Steven Mnuchin are garnering the kind of embarrassing scandal headlines that seem likely to draw the ax-wielding attention of Donald Trump.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/carson-mnuchin-give-trump-reasons-to-keep-firing-cabinet-members-1187330627565
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Mueller demands Russia documents from Trump Organization: NYT
The Rachel Maddow Show
3/15/18
Rachel Maddow relays a report by The New York Times that Robert Mueller has sent a subpoena to the Trump Organization for Russia-related documents over a time that extends to before Donald Trump declared his candidacy.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/mueller-demands-russia-documents-from-trump-organization-nyt-1187333699580
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Trump skips Russian sanctions law, meekly echoes Mueller instead
The Rachel Maddow Show
3/15/18
Rachel Maddow reports on new U.S. sanctions on Russia, the first action against Russia by the Trump administration, but instead of implementing the sanctions passed into law by Congress, the Trump administration instead copied Robert Mueller's list of indicted Russian hackers.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/trump-skips-russian-sanctions-law-meekly-echoes-mueller-instead-1187336771589 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvDmzYFJD0A [with comments]
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New sanctions reveal Russian hacking of US energy infrastructure
The Rachel Maddow Show
3/15/18
Nicole Perlroth, cybersecurity reporter for The New York Times, talks with Rachel Maddow about new details of Russia's efforts to hack vital U.S. infrastructure accompanying new sanctions on Russia.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/new-sanctions-reveal-russian-hacking-of-us-energy-infrastructure-1187279939930 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CTNrNmyB0E [with comments]
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Trump set to dump McMaster pending soft landing arrangement: WaPo
The Rachel Maddow Show
3/15/18
Ashley Parker, White House correspondent for The Washington Post, talks with Rachel Maddow about Donald Trump being prepared to fire his second national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, as soon as he arranges a suitable replacement and a non-humiliating departure.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/trump-set-to-dump-mcmaster-pending-soft-landing-arrangement-wapo-1187235907805
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Donald Trump's business in Russia draws investigator attention
The Rachel Maddow Show
3/15/18
Rachel Maddow reports on how both Robert Mueller's investigation and the House Intelligence Committee Democrats have an eye on Donald Trump's business dealings with Russia.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/donald-trump-s-business-in-russia-draws-investigator-attention-1187368003973
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Mueller subpoenas Trump Org, Democrats point to Russian bank deal
The Rachel Maddow Show
3/15/18
Rep. Eric Swalwell talks with Rachel Maddow about evidence House Intel Democrats say they've seen that shows the Trump Organization negotiating a deal with a sanctioned Russian bank during the election season.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow/watch/mueller-subpoenas-trump-org-democrats-point-to-russian-bank-deal-1187305539950
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Rachel, Lawrence ask 'Could McMaster's replacement be an upgrade?'
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell
3/15/18
Amid reports that President Donald Trump will remove his National Security Advisor, Lawrence O'Donnell asks: H.R. McMaster was an upgrade from Michael Flynn — any chance of another upgrade? Rachel Maddow breaks it down.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/rachel-lawrence-ask-could-mcmaster-s-replacement-be-an-upgrade-1187298883752
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Lawrence: The subpoena Trump feared more than any other
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell
3/15/18
The New York Times reports that Mueller has subpoenaed the Trump Org. in "recent weeks." Lawrence O'Donnell theorizes it could have been the same day that the president, absent of any relevant news, shouted "WITCH HUNT!" on Twitter.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/lawrence-the-subpoena-trump-feared-more-than-any-other-1187292227876 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SNMFwPiecTA [with comments]
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Mueller subpoena expected by authors of 'Russian Roulette'
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell
3/15/18
Michael Isikoff and David Corn, the co-authors of 'Russian Roulette,' say they are "surprised it's taken so long" for Mueller to subpoena the Trump Org. because, as they put it, the people who work there are central to Trump's Russia connections.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/mueller-subpoena-expected-by-authors-of-russian-roulette-1187297859595 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLoufB_tStA [with comments]
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Howell Raines: PA-18 election shows Trump's base is vulnerable
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell
3/15/18
Former New York Times executive editor Howell Raines tells Lawrence O'Donnell why Trump's base is "not as secure as he may hope" after the Democrats' upset wins in Pennsylvania and Alabama.
©2018 NBCNews.com
http://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/howell-raines-pa-18-election-shows-trump-s-base-is-vulnerable-1187297347514 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zcM5oxhAWVQ [with comments]
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Mueller reportedly targets Trump's business with subpoena
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams
3/16/18
Special Counsel Robert Mueller is moving closer to the president, targeting The Trump Organization with a new subpoena for documents on Russia and other matters. Our panel reacts.
©2018 NBCNews.com
[originally aired March 15, 2018]
http://www.msnbc.com/brian-williams/watch/mueller-reportedly-targets-trump-s-business-with-subpoena-1187336771550 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ACUvjGzWfHc [with comments]
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Trump joins allies to condemn Russia after UK poisoning
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams
3/16/18
After first leaving his aides to condemn Russia for an attack on an ex-spy in the UK, Trump joined France and Germany to condemn Moscow. Christopher Dickey & Jillian Tett react.
©2018 NBCNews.com
[originally aired March 15, 2018]
http://www.msnbc.com/brian-williams/watch/trump-joins-allies-to-condemn-russia-after-uk-poisoning-1187338307896
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WaPo: WH mood verges on mania as Trump decides to oust McMaster
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams
3/16/18
The White House is pushing back on a Washington Post report stating Trump has decided to remove his second National Security Adviser, H.R. McMaster, has part of a bigger looming staff shake-up. Our panel reacts.
©2018 NBCNews.com
[originally aired March 15, 2018]
http://www.msnbc.com/brian-williams/watch/wapo-wh-mood-verges-on-mania-as-trump-decides-to-oust-mcmaster-1187342403630 , https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U6iVPII40Fo [with comments]
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Profiles in Tremendousness: Larry Kudlow | The Daily Show
Published on Mar 15, 2018 by The Daily Show with Trevor Noah [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwWhs_6x42TyRM4Wstoq8HA , https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwWhs_6x42TyRM4Wstoq8HA/videos ]
Larry Kudlow is named Chief Economic Adviser, and Trevor looks back on his tumultuous career as a CNBC host.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YY6p8B4IR24 [with comments]
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What Does Carter Page Not Know? - The Opposition w/ Jordan Klepper
Published on Mar 15, 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 ]
As Special Counsel Robert Mueller zeroes in on former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, Jordan sits down with him to find out exactly what he doesn't know.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2SHb4nO5UyE [with comments]
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The Jim Jefferies Show Season 2 Premieres March 27 - Uncensored
Published on Mar 15, 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 ]
Jim asks members of the White House Press Corps the question on everyone's mind: Which reporters are hooking up?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WCIJduTifX4 [with comments]
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Trump Lies to Trudeau, Fills His Staff with Loyalists: A Closer Look
Published on Mar 15, 2018 by Late Night with Seth Meyers [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCVTyTA7-g9nopHeHbeuvpRA / https://www.youtube.com/user/LateNightSeth , https://www.youtube.com/user/LateNightSeth/videos ]
Seth takes a closer look at Trump lying to Canada's prime minister, major news in the Russia investigation and rumors of more staff turnover at the White House.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FQfThSU11E [with comments]
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John Cleese Used His Autobiography as ID
Published on Mar 16, 2018 by Late Night with Seth Meyers
John Cleese explains why he hates staying at hotels and tells a story about using his autobiography as a form of identification.
[from the late-night March 15, 2018 show]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N0svrUhHLC0 [with comments]
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John Cleese Did Not Enjoy Filming Monty Python and the Holy Grail
Published on Mar 16, 2018 by Late Night with Seth Meyers
John Cleese explains why filming Monty Python and the Holy Grail was so horrible, reveals who saved Monty Python's Life of Brian and reviews his favorite questions audiences have asked him.
[from the late-night March 15, 2018 show]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1RSIwexj9g [with comments]
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stashed March 15, 2018:
How Democracies Die: One Small Change to Normalcy at a Time - excerpt from the book [ https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/562246/how-democracies-die-by-steven-levitsky-and-daniel-ziblatt/ ]
Even if Donald Trump does not break the hard guardrails of our constitutional democracy, he has increased the likelihood that a future president will.
https://www.alternet.org/books/how-democracies-die-one-small-change-normalcy-time
Slovak PM quits after journalist's murder but coalition stays in power
BRATISLAVA (Reuters) - Long-serving Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico resigned on Thursday, passing his government to a deputy after the murder of an investigative journalist provoked the country’s biggest protests since the fall of communism.
President Andrej Kiska asked Deputy Prime Minister Peter Pellegrini to form the next government, opening the way for the three-party coalition to stay in power even though tens of thousands of Slovaks are demanding early elections.
The unsolved killing of 27-year-old reporter Jan Kuciak, who delved into fraud involving businessmen with political connections, has fueled public anger over corruption and threatened to bring down the coalition before the party leaders agreed a change of guard.
Fico vowed on Thursday to remain in politics as the active leader of his Smer party.
Pellegrini presented the president with a list of signatures showing coalition lawmakers supported the switch in prime ministers, guaranteeing a parliamentary majority.
But Pellegrini, a former speaker of parliament, will face his first test already on Friday as the protests are scheduled to continue into a third week. Organizers are demanding new elections and a thorough investigation of Kuciak’s murder in late February.
The events of the past few weeks have also exposed growing unease in some central European countries that governments may be backsliding on democracy almost 30 years after communism was pushed out of the region.
President Kiska himself had urged a government shake-up or snap elections to restore public trust.
“After two weeks of international shame, a denial of political responsibility and mass protests, we are back at the start, at a government resignation and change of prime minister,” Kiska said before Fico tendered his resignation to him.
Fico had promised to step aside if Kiska allowed Smer, the biggest coalition party, to pick his successor.
The government will continue with Smer, the Most-Hid party which represents the ethnic Hungarian minority, and the Slovak National Party that has shifted to center in recent years from the far right.
Fico will stay on as caretaker prime minister until his successor is officially named.
Kiska and Fico were opponents in the last presidential run-off vote and have battled again in the crisis. Fico has accused outside forces of trying to destabilize the country and questioned Kiska’s meeting last year with financier George Soros, echoing attacks on the Budapest-born billionaire by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
NOT GOING AWAY
Protesters are also taking to the streets in the neighboring Czech Republic, a fellow member of the European Union and NATO. Thousands demonstrated last week against a Communist Party lawmaker being voted chairman of parliament’s police oversight commission despite his past as a riot policeman before the 1989 Velvet Revolution.
Thousands of Poles also protested last year against an overhaul of the judiciary that has put the right-wing government in Warsaw in dispute with Brussels over safeguarding the rule of law.
Fico has been the dominant figure in Slovak politics for over a decade, and despite keeping an anti-immigration line with central European neighbors has been trying to stand out from more euroskeptic leaders in the region. Last year, he called Slovakia a “pro-European island” in central Europe.
He said he was not finished. “I told the president: rest assured, I’m not leaving politics, I want to be an active party leader,” he said.
Slovakia’s economy has grown rapidly in the last decade and the country is a major car producer despite its small population of 5.4 million. But many accuse Fico of not clamping down harder on corruption and cronyism.
Just before he was found shot dead along with his fiancee at his house outside of Bratislava, Kuciak had been looking into suspected mafia links of Italians with businesses in Slovakia.
In his final report published after his death, Kuciak said one of the Italians had past business links with two Slovaks, including a former model, who later worked in Fico’s office. Both have resigned but deny connections to the murder. Their Italian former business partner has denied having connections with the mafia.
No one has been charged over the killing.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-slovakia-crime-politics/slovak-pm-quits-after-journalists-murder-but-coalition-stays-in-power-idUSKCN1GR16Z
U.S. military discloses firefight in Niger in December
DAKAR (Reuters) - U.S. and Niger troops killed 11 Islamist militants from a Boko Haram splinter group in a firefight in December, the U.S. military said on Thursday, publicly acknowledging a previously unreported incident.
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-niger-usa-security/u-s-military-discloses-firefight-in-niger-in-december-idUSKCN1GR2Q0
Dems say whistleblower emails show gov’t workers targeted for not backing Trump
Two top House Democrats sent a letter to the White House and State Department Thursday saying that information from a whistleblower alleges officials are targeting career civil servants who supposedly don't support President Donald Trump.
Reps. Elijah Cummings of Maryland, the ranking member of the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform and Eliot Engel of New York, ranking member on the Committee on Foreign Affairs, said the whistleblower alleges that high-level officials in the Trump administration have been coordinating with an outside network of prominent conservatives, including former GOP Speaker Newt Gingrich and a former adviser to Dick Cheney, to devise ways to undertake a "cleaning" of long-serving employees at the State Department.
Trump officials have described certain State Department employees as a "leaker and troublemaker," "turncoat" and "Obama/Clinton loyalists," according to emails the lawmakers said they obtained from the whistleblower.
"Over the past year, we have heard many reports of political attacks on career employees at the State Department, but we have not seen evidence of how extensive, blunt, and inappropriate these attacks are until now," the lawmakers wrote in the letter to White House Chief of Staff John Kelly and Deputy Secretary of State John Sullivan that seeks documents about staffing decisions and interviews with officials.
"They appear to have targeted these staffers despite being fully aware that they were career civil service employees and despite the career employees expressing willingness to support the policy priorities of the Trump Administration," their letter continues.
Cummings and Engel quote from an email forwarded by Gingrich in which the former Cheney aide, David Wurmser, says, "I think a cleaning is in order here. I hear Tillerson actually has been reasonably good on stuff like this and cleaning house, but there are so many it boggles the mind..."
In one case detailed in the Cummings-Engel letter, a 12-year State Department veteran raised concerns about being targeted by a conservative news outlet and emailed her boss at the State Department for help. Her supervisor then forwarded her email to the White House, where officials used her work under the Obama administration to question her loyalty to Trump. The employee was removed from her detail at the department, the lawmakers said.
Cummings and Engel indicate that they have not confirmed the authenticity of the whistleblower emails.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/dems-say-whistleblower-emails-show-gov-t-workers-targeted-not-n856976
House Democrats say a whistleblower has proof State Dept. is targeting career employees who don't support President Trump
Andrea Mitchell Reports
Mar.15.2018
https://www.msnbc.com/andrea-mitchell-reports/watch/house-democrats-say-a-whistleblower-has-proof-state-dept-is-targeting-career-employees-who-don-t-support-president-trump-1186733635878
more: https://www.google.com/search?q=house+democrats+whistleblower
Mueller Subpoenas Trump Organization, Demanding Documents About Russia
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/15/us/politics/trump-organization-subpoena-mueller-russia.html
As he prepares to face Mueller, Trump boasts of his ability to lie
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2018/03/15/as-he-prepares-to-face-mueller-trump-boasts-of-his-ability-to-lie/
more: https://www.google.com/search?q=mueller+trump
In fundraising speech, Trump says he made up trade claim in meeting with Justin Trudeau
President Trump boasted in a fundraising speech Wednesday that he made up information in a meeting with the leader of a top U.S. ally, saying he insisted to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau that the United States runs a trade deficit with its neighbor to the north without knowing whether that was true.
“Trudeau came to see me. He’s a good guy, Justin. He said, ‘No, no, we have no trade deficit with you, we have none. Donald, please,’ ” Trump said, mimicking Trudeau, according to audio of the private event in Missouri obtained by The Washington Post. “Nice guy, good-looking guy, comes in — ‘Donald, we have no trade deficit.’ He’s very proud because everybody else, you know, we’re getting killed.
“... So, he’s proud. I said, ‘Wrong, Justin, you do.’ I didn’t even know. ... I had no idea. I just said, ‘You’re wrong.’ You know why? Because we’re so stupid. … And I thought they were smart. I said, ‘You’re wrong, Justin.’ He said, ‘Nope, we have no trade deficit.’ I said, ‘Well, in that case, I feel differently,’ I said, ‘but I don’t believe it.’ I sent one of our guys out, his guy, my guy, they went out, I said, ‘Check, because I can’t believe it.’
‘Well, sir, you’re actually right. We have no deficit, but that doesn’t include energy and timber. … And when you do, we lose $17 billion a year.’ It’s incredible.”
The Office of the United States Trade Representative says the United States has a trade surplus with Canada. It reports that in 2016, the United States exported $12.5 billion more in goods and services than it imported from Canada, leading to a trade surplus, not a deficit.
In response to this story, Trump on Thursday went on Twitter to reiterate his false assertion that the United States has a trade “deficit” with Canada and said it was other countries that refused to accept that such imbalances exist.
"We do have a Trade Deficit with Canada, as we do with almost all countries (some of them massive). P.M. Justin Trudeau of Canada, a very good guy, doesn’t like saying that Canada has a Surplus vs. the U.S.(negotiating), but they do...they almost all do...and that’s how I know!"
[ https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/974276383051583488 ]
In his 30-minute speech to donors in Missouri, Trump made a blistering attack against major U.S. allies and global economies, accusing the European Union, China, Japan and South Korea of ripping off the United States for decades and pillaging the U.S. workforce. He also described the North American Free Trade Agreement as a disaster and heaped blame on the World Trade Organization for allowing other countries to box in the United States on trade.
Trump seemed to threaten to pull U.S. troops stationed in South Korea if he didn’t get what he wanted on trade with Seoul, an ally. He said that the country had gotten rich but that U.S. politicians never negotiated better deals. “We have a very big trade deficit with them, and we protect them,” Trump said. “We lose money on trade, and we lose money on the military. We have right now 32,000 soldiers on the border between North and South Korea. Let’s see what happens.”
“Our allies care about themselves,” he said. “They don’t care about us.”
Trump’s comments to donors that laid bare his approach to arguing trade facts with foreign leaders show how he might try to engage with other heads of state in the coming weeks. Trump has said he will impose tariffs on steel and aluminum imports as soon as next week, a steep increase in duties that could affect some of the U.S. government’s biggest trading partners.
Trump said countries can request exemptions from these tariffs but only after direct negotiations with him. The audio from the fundraiser shows how difficult these discussions could prove.
The president was in Missouri to raise money for Josh Hawley, who is taking on Sen. Claire McCaskill (D) in November's midterm election. He called McCaskill “bad for Missouri and bad for the country.” But he barely spoke about Hawley. Instead, he talked about himself — bragging about his 2016 election win and lavishing praise on himself while ticking through a list of U.S. allies that he said are taking advantage of the United States.
The president did not mention his abrupt firing earlier this week of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson by tweet, the personnel turmoil engulfing his administration, special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign or reports of his alleged affair with adult film star Stormy Daniels — and his lawyer paying her to keep silent about the relationship.
Trump spoke as his White House tried to pick up the pieces after Democrats' apparent victory in a special election in a western Pennsylvania congressional district that Trump won by 20 points in 2016. Pollsters said the results showed how Trump was dragging down the Republican Party, but the president took none of the blame. He said the Republican candidate, Rick Saccone, would have lost by a wider margin without his support — Trump held a rally for Saccone over the weekend. And he said the Democrat, Conor Lamb, won the seat because he was “like Trump” but that Lamb would vote with House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.).
Trump also described for donors his decision to meet with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un in the coming months through the prism of making history and besting his predecessors while lamenting his media coverage, questioning U.S. allies and labeling his presidency as “virgin territory.”
“They couldn’t have met” with Kim, he said, after mocking presidents Barack Obama and George W. Bush. “Nobody would have done what I did.”
“It was called appeasement: Please don’t do anything,” he said of other presidents.
“They say, ‘Maybe he’s not the one to negotiate,’ ” he said, mocking the voice of a news anchor. “He’s got very little knowledge of the Korean Peninsula. Maybe he’s not the one. ... Maybe we should send in the people that have been playing games and didn’t know what the hell they’ve been doing for 25 years.”
The through lines of Trump's meandering speech were simple: Trump was tougher than all the rest, and the United States was not going to be laughed at or taken advantage of.
He accused Japan of using gimmicks to deny U.S. auto companies access to its consumers, said South Korea was taking advantage of outdated trade rules even though its economy was strong and said China had single-handedly rebuilt itself on the back of its trade surplus with the United States.
"It's called the bowling ball test; do you know what that is? That's where they take a bowling ball from 20 feet up in the air and they drop it on the hood of the car," Trump said of Japan. "And if the hood dents, then the car doesn't qualify. Well, guess what, the roof dented a little bit, and they said, nope, this car doesn't qualify. It's horrible, the way we're treated. It's horrible." It was unclear what he was talking about.
Trump said he didn’t even want Japan to pay the tariffs but to build more automobiles in the United States, adding that Japan would do so if tariffs were imposed. There is no evidence of such a possibility as of now.
His comments were among his most protectionist to date and didn’t identify a single benefit the United States receives from its trading relationships.
The “free-trade globalists,” he said, are against his trade moves because “they’re worldly people, they have stuff on the other side.” Gary Cohn, the president’s top economic adviser, recently quit over the tariffs and was derisively labeled by his critics as a globalist.
Trump mocked other politicians for wanting to keep the North American Free Trade Agreement, calling Mexico “spoiled” and saying that Canada had outsmarted the United States. “The best deal is to terminate it and make a new deal,” he said.
Above all, he cast his presidency in historic terms, saying he was attracting so much media criticism because he was doing so well. He seemed fixated on his media coverage, even talking about a specific CNN segment with Erin Burnett.
He said the news media was criticizing him for “conceding” a meeting with Kim.
“They were afraid of being blown up. Then all of a sudden, they say, let’s not meet,” he said of reporters, referring to concerns that tensions between the United States and North Korea are increasing the chances of a military — and possibly nuclear — confrontation.
While Trump said some decry his rhetoric and think his bellicose and mercurial tendencies could lead the United States into a war, he explained why he taunted the North Korean president as “Little Rocket Man.” He said the South Koreans told him that Kim was agreeing to meet because of the tough U.S. sanctions and that they promised not to conduct any nuclear tests or missile launches until a meeting occurred. That comment could not be verified.
“He’s going to get us in a war,” he said, again mocking a news anchor. “You know what’s going to get us in a war is weakness.”
He said Republicans needed to run on their tax bill this year, but he was determined to not call it “tax reform,” as many other Republicans have done. He said Democrats would not appoint judges whom Republicans like while reversing tax cuts and taking away guns, an unproven claim.
He implicitly rebuked Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) for not changing the rules of the Senate to require only 51 votes to pass any legislation, saying more Republicans were needed because the current leadership would not act and no one could explain why the 60-vote status quo made sense.
Trump criticized judges in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit, saying his presidency would reshape the judiciary and change courts such as that one. He said he planned to pick 145 judges and thanked Obama for leaving so many vacancies.
At the end of the day, the event, as it usually is with Trump, was about marketing. He said Republicans needed to run on tax cuts because they were very “popular.”
“Do me a favor: Don’t call it tax reform. It hasn’t worked in 45 years,” Trump said he told others. “You say you’re reforming taxes, that means taxes could go up.”
“I actually said, ‘Let’s call it the Tax Cut Cut Cut plan,’ ” Trump said. “I actually did.”
He added: “They thought it sounded a little hokey, so we called it the tax cut and jobs plan. I liked the first one better.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2018/03/14/in-fundraising-speech-trump-says-he-made-up-facts-in-meeting-with-justin-trudeau/
Transcript of Trump’s remarks at fundraiser in Missouri on March 14
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2018/03/15/transcript-of-trumps-remarks-at-fundraiser-in-missouri-on-march-14/
Why Trump’s admission that he made stuff up to Justin Trudeau is particularly bad
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2018/03/15/why-trumps-admission-that-he-made-stuff-up-to-justin-trudeau-is-particularly-bad/
Trump Repeats False Claim About Canada After Admitting Uncertainty Over Figure
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/15/us/politics/trump-repeats-false-claim-about-canada-after-admitting-uncertainty-over-figure.html
Caught lying about trade with Canada, Trump tweets some new lies about trade with Canada
Nobody knows why this is happening.
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/3/15/17123880/trump-canada-trade-surplus
Trump repeats Canada trade claim after admitting he bluffed in meeting with Trudeau
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/15/trump-canada-trade-deficit-465464
Trump Openly Brags About Lying to Justin Trudeau’s Face
It was just one of many totally bizarre moments from a speech the president gave in Missouri.
https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/03/trump-openly-brags-about-lying-to-justin-trudeaus-face
Popular Nafta Arbitrage Trade Sours as Trump Aims Fury North
Buy loonie, sell Mexican peso wager has gone from stud to dud
U.S. rhetoric increasingly targets Canada amid negotiations
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-15/popular-nafta-arbitrage-trade-sours-as-trump-directs-fury-north
Trump doubles down on lie he told Canada’s Trudeau in jumbled new tweet
The president has completely invented a trade deficit with Canada.
https://www.rawstory.com/2018/03/trump-doubles-lie-told-canadas-trudeau-jumbled-new-tweet/
also at https://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/donald-trump-doubles-down-his-bizarre-lie-justin-trudeau
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dor3eKbIEBDnKqMN86BF8UJ_eyOPM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
The Finance 202: Kudlow the cable pundit already taking Trumpian approach to new job
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/the-finance-202/2018/03/15/the-finance-202-kudlow-the-cable-pundit-already-taking-trumpian-approach-to-new-job/5aa99c8230fb047655a06ca5/
Forget All the Cocaine, Trump’s New Economic Adviser Larry Kudlow is One of TV’s Worst Financial Pundits
https://www.mediaite.com/tv/forget-all-the-cocaine-trumps-new-economic-adviser-larry-kudlow-is-one-of-tvs-worst-financial-pundits/
'Let It Rip:' New Adviser Larry Kudlow Quickly Hops on the Trump Express
http://fortune.com/2018/03/15/larry-kudlow-trump-adviser-tariffs-inflation-fed/
Larry Kudlow solves what Trump believes is his real problem
In Kudlow, the cable news president has found a cable news economist.
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2018/3/15/17120702/larry-kudlow-trump-nec-economist-cable
Trump's New Economic Adviser Larry Kudlow Doesn't Actually Have a Clue About Economics
On tax cuts, inflation and the recession, Kudlow was spectacularly wrong.
https://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/trumps-new-economic-adviser-larry-kudlow-doesnt-actually-have-clue-about-economics
What to Expect From National Economic Council Under Lawrence Kudlow
Kudlow’s TV background suits him for role as salesman for Trump economic agenda
https://www.wsj.com/articles/what-to-expect-from-national-economic-council-under-lawrence-kudlow-1521121093
Economist Arthur Laffer: Trump's 'phase two' could 'outdo' the current tax cuts
Arthur Laffer says that Trump should reduce the number of tax brackets even further.
He also says Trump should get rid of the "deductions, exemptions, exclusions and loopholes" in the tax code.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/15/economist-arthur-laffer-trump-phase-two-could-outdo-new-tax-cuts.html
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dj0PWB5GHgtNKEMjYIu0uZCf9o6yM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Stormy Daniels' Lawyer Says More Women Are Exploring Legal Cases Against President Trump
A lawyer representing the adult film actor said he has received inquiries from other women about potential cases against the president.
https://www.buzzfeed.com/jimdalrympleii/stormy-daniels-lawyer-says-more-women-are-exploring-legal
Stormy Daniels' lawyer says other women are considering legal cases against Trump
https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/15/us/stormy-daniels/index.html
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/duo0LZJvkqDSCOMCmM-N6lfB9ua0M?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
North Korean Official’s Trip to Sweden Could Be Prelude to U.S. Talks
Foreign minister’s visit could be prelude to summit between Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un
https://www.wsj.com/articles/north-korean-officials-trip-to-sweden-paves-way-for-u-s-talks-1521116590
North Korean Envoy in Sweden Amid Planning for Trump-Kim Meeting
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/15/world/asia/north-korea-sweden-trump-kim-jong-un.html
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dz2O1yRuwFyt2MMGEJEyQyqIzVzFM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Conor Lamb Wins Pennsylvania House Seat, Giving Democrats a Map for Trump Country
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/14/us/politics/democrats-republicans-pennsylvania-special-election.html
more:
https://www.google.com/search?q=conor+lamb
https://news.google.com/news/story/d2dqhJMMo1g5t2M7mmJ3uqmWyHWMM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
California Parents Killed In Car Crash After Fleeing ICE Officers Who Mistook Father For Arrest Target
http://www.newsweek.com/california-parents-killed-car-crash-after-fleeing-ice-agents-who-targeted-846139
2 Central Valley Farmworkers Dead After SUV Overturns While Fleeing ICE: Police
http://ktla.com/2018/03/14/2-dead-after-suv-overturns-while-fleeing-ice-in-central-valley-police/
ICE: Man killed in Delano crash was not person agents were targeting
http://www.kerngoldenempire.com/news/local-news/ice-man-killed-in-delano-crash-was-not-person-agents-were-targeting/1046822300
Deadly I.C.E. Pursuit And Crash In Delano Raises Tough Questions
UFW Spokesman Says Couple Was Law Abiding, Hard Working
http://www.yourcentralvalley.com/news/deadly-ice-pursuit-and-crash-in-delano-raises-tough-questions/1045899216
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dF8R0Is_jJHGIdMbA--lR9z_84yJM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Sister Of Charleston Shooter Dylann Roof Arrested After Menacing Social Media Post
https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/03/15/593799322/sister-of-charleston-shooter-dylann-roof-arrested-after-menacing-social-media-po
Mass killer Dylann Roof’s sister charged with carrying weapons at S.C. high school
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2018/03/15/mass-killer-dylan-roofs-sister-arrested-on-weapons-charges-at-s-c-high-school/
Dylann Roof's sister arrested for having drugs and weapons at school
https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/15/us/dylann-roof-sister-arrested/index.html
Dylann Roof's sister arrested for carrying weapons to school on day of national walkout
https://www.postandcourier.com/news/dylann-roof-s-sister-arrested-for-carrying-weapons-to-school/article_ba4ba8f4-27eb-11e8-888e-93a51468d120.html
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dCeov8pj_I6OdRMCe_iWgAg8hAZhM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Man Who Claimed He Cremated Natalee Holloway's Remains Is Fatally Stabbed During Fla. Kidnapping Attempt
http://people.com/crime/natalee-holloway-case-man-says-cremated-teen-killed-attempted-kidnapping/
Natalee Holloway case: Man who claimed to help Joran van der Sloot dispose of teen's body is stabbed to death
Man who claimed to have cremated Natalee Holloway is killed in Fla.
http://www.9news.com/article/news/nation-now/natalee-holloway-case-man-who-claimed-to-help-joran-van-der-sloot-dispose-of-teens-body-is-stabbed-to-death/465-df1f5581-32d2-4e8b-b6a3-5085066886d3
Natalee Holloway-linked would-be kidnapper is stabbed to death
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/natalee-holloway-linked-would-be-kidnapper-stabbed-death-n856861
He claimed he helped dispose of Natalee Holloway’s body. He died after an attempted kidnapping, police say
http://www.bradenton.com/news/local/crime/article205269419.html
Man who claimed he buried Natalee Holloway killed trying to kidnap woman
http://www.wftv.com/news/local/man-who-claimed-he-buried-natalee-holloway-killed-trying-to-kidnap-woman/716284014
more:
https://news.google.com/news/story/dshwXHIgEgLetsMaYiYb8vHV-NtwM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
https://news.google.com/news/story/drRrgDv3p19FnLMiZaZH6zBjw8zRM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
IHeartMedia, largest U.S. radio station operator, files for bankruptcy to cut huge debt load
http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-iheart-bankrtuptcy-20180315-story.html
iHeartRadio Has Filed For Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
https://www.forbes.com/sites/hughmcintyre/2018/03/15/iheartradio-has-filed-for-chapter-11-bankruptcy-protection/#3b48de933baa
Thanks, Spotify! Radio Broadcaster iHeartMedia Files for Bankruptcy Under Pressure from Competitors
http://fortune.com/2018/03/15/iheart-media-bankruptcy-radio-chapter-11/
Largest US radio company iHeartMedia files for bankruptcy
iHeartMedia reaches in-principle agreement with some creditors
Says Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings unit not part of bankruptcy
Stock closed at 48 cents on Wednesday
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/15/iheartmedia-files-for-bankruptcy.html
IHeart Files for Bankruptcy With Last-Minute Creditor Deal
Biggest U.S. radio network seeks to shed debt tied to buyout
Liberty Media may be in the wings after turnaround is set
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-15/iheart-files-bankruptcy-with-last-minute-creditor-deal-in-hand
iHeartMedia's Chapter 11 Filing: What Happens Next for the Radio Giant
https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/8247540/iheartmedias-chapter-11-filing-what-happens-next
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dpO4qnfWelsrtJMDZoYB7NpGny8iM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
U.S., France and Germany join Britain in saying Russia likely responsible for chemical attack against former spy
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/russia-to-respond-very-soon-to-british-decision-to-expel-its-diplomats/2018/03/15/89e27b4a-2839-11e8-b79d-f3d931db7f68_story.html
UK, US, Germany and France unite to condemn spy attack
Joint statement deplores ‘assault on UK sovereignty’ and says only plausible explanation is that Russia is responsible
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/mar/15/salisbury-poisoning-uk-us-germany-and-france-issue-joint-statement
Trump: 'It certainly looks like' Russia behind attack on ex-spy
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/15/trump-russia-attack-spy-465500
Hitting Putin Where It Hurts
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/15/opinion/russia-britain-theresa-may.html
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dP8S3RKGoPP8V1M_m4w3ONRRGBpgM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Trump administration hits Russian spies, trolls with sanctions over U.S. election interference, cyberattacks
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-administration-sanctions-russian-spies-trolls-over-us-election-interference-cyber-attacks/2018/03/15/3eaae186-284c-11e8-b79d-f3d931db7f68_story.html
US punishes 19 Russians over vote meddling and cyber-attacks
The US has imposed sanctions on 19 Russians, accusing them of interference in the 2016 US election and alleged cyber-attacks.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-43419809
Treasury Sanctions Russian Cyber Actors for Interference with the 2016 U.S. Elections and Malicious Cyber-Attacks
https://home.treasury.gov/news/press-releases/sm0312
U.S. Sanctions Russians Charged by Mueller for Election Meddling
The financial penalties follow special counsel’s indictment
Prigozhin, known as ‘Putin’s chef,’ among those sanctioned
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-15/u-s-sanctions-russian-troll-farm-for-alleged-election-meddling
more:
https://news.google.com/news/story/dg7j7Pg6M4LyWtMbXATmLoAxsgCIM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
https://news.google.com/news/story/dT4CApvx-TDx_ZMTGRnbuaDY8GuSM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Saudi Arabia pledges to create a nuclear bomb if Iran does
Saudi Arabia has warned that it will develop its own nuclear weapon if regional rival Iran acquires one.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-43419673
U.S. officials: Saudi crown prince has hidden his mother from his father, the king
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/u-s-officials-saudi-crown-prince-has-hidden-his-mother-n847391
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/d4LGo482GTXDIpM_QEPp0ugkTAoNM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Russian aeroplane loses gold-silver bars on take-off
There has been shock at an airport in far east Russia after bars of precious metal rained down onto the runway.
A plane laden with tonnes of gold-silver alloy was taking off from Yakutsk airport in Siberia when a loading hatch broke off.
Some 200 bars, each weighing about 20kg (44 pounds), were then scattered across the runway.
All of the bars have now been recovered, a spokesman for the Canadian mine owner told news agency Interfax.
[...]
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-43416950
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dmOou-pi1_0fR4MRscNRlSaPjAhKM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
FDA moves to lower nicotine in cigarettes
FDA says the move will save lives
https://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-news/fda-moves-lower-nicotine-cigarettes-n856876
FDA seeks research, public input in fresh move to curb nicotine addiction
https://www.reuters.com/article/fda-tobacco-regulation/fda-seeks-research-public-input-in-fresh-move-to-curb-nicotine-addiction-idUSL3N1QX4YH
Are E-Cigarettes Leading Young People to Take Up Smoking? A New Study Says Yes
http://fortune.com/2018/03/15/e-cigarettes-study-smoking-vaping/
E-cigarettes 'may do more harm than good,' study suggests
https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321205.php
study http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0193328
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dVZ_ScA6FMWm4AMjnHvTwNtMoNQ0M?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
How Intel Is Moving From Software Fixes to Hardware Redesigns to Combat Spectre and Meltdown
http://fortune.com/2018/03/15/intel-chips-spectre-meltdown-hardware/
Microsoft offers $250,000 bounty to prevent the next Meltdown and Spectre CPU flaws
https://www.theverge.com/2018/3/15/17124362/microsoft-spectre-bug-bounty-speculative-execution
Intel Teases Chip Redesign to Stop Meltdown, Spectre Flaws
The first chips to feature the hardware protections, including the Xeon line and eighth-generation Intel Core processors, will arrive in the second half of 2018.
https://www.pcmag.com/news/359859/intel-teases-chip-redesign-to-stop-meltdown-spectre-flaws
Understanding Spectre and Meltdown
Intel Newsroom
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pi2ftnlfImo
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dreh7pf2Qe4lQVMHxyxLfhE_fqrjM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
John Skipper Details His ESPN Exit and a Cocaine Extortion Plot
https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/features/john-skipper-details-espn-exit-cocaine-extortion-plot-1094657
John Skipper Says ESPN Exit Was Tied to Extortion Attempt by Cocaine Dealer
Former network president confessed to a substance-abuse issue when he resigned
https://www.wsj.com/articles/john-skipper-says-espn-exit-was-tied-to-extortion-attempt-by-cocaine-dealer-1521128804
Ex-ESPN boss John Skipper said cocaine dealer's extortion attempt behind his abrupt exit
http://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/2018/03/15/ex-espn-boss-john-skipper-said-cocaine-dealers-extortion-attempt-behind-his-abrupt-exit.html
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/d6qIO9HVhcgDjNMIQbSaARSvbpKhM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Study: 93% of Bottled Water Contains Microplastics
https://www.ecowatch.com/bottled-water-plastic-contamination-2547834868.html
study https://orbmedia.org/sites/default/files/FinalBottledWaterReport.pdf
Microplastics: Bottled Water May Contain Thousands of Pieces of Plastic Waste
http://www.newsweek.com/microplastics-bottled-water-may-contain-thousands-pieces-plastic-waste-846506
WHO launches health review after microplastics found in 90% of bottled water
Researchers find levels of plastic fibres in popular bottled water brands could be twice as high as those found in tap water
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2018/mar/15/microplastics-found-in-more-than-90-of-bottled-water-study-says
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dke5vYe0R1IzHEMJkYGayyBwDXMmM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Swamp Thing
The vice president’s trusted chief of staff is young, handsome, talented and rich. He’s also got some skeletons.
http://highline.huffingtonpost.com/articles/en/nick-ayers-mike-pence/
Supreme Court’s Cake Case Could Set America Back 50 Years, Activists Warn
The Masterpiece Cakeshop battle echoes a similar case from half a century ago, they say.
A national coalition of more than 80 pro-LGBTQ organizations is aiming to show people how a Supreme Court ruling about a Colorado bakery could threaten a historic 1968 court decision.
The groups have been drawing attention to the potential implications of the upcoming court decision on Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission over the past few months and did so again Thursday with the release of a new ad.
In the clip, which can be viewed above, the Open to All alliance draws comparisons between the Masterpiece Cakeshop case, in which a baker cited his religious beliefs in refusing to prepare a wedding cake for a same-sex couple, and 1968's Newman v. Piggie Park Enterprises ruling.
Exactly 50 years ago this week, the Supreme Court ruled that Maurice Bessinger, who founded the Piggie Park barbecue chain in South Carolina, had discriminated against a black customer, John W. Mungin. A Baptist minister, Mungin was told to leave a Piggie Park franchise at gunpoint because Bessinger believed races should be kept segregated.
Produced in conjunction with the Movement Advancement Project and the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, the ad shows that “the free exercise of religion does not provide a license to discriminate,” according to its creators.
“Businesses and their owners have a right to their religious beliefs,” Movement Advancement Project Executive Director Ineke Mushovic told HuffPost in an email. “But that freedom shouldn’t give businesses a license to discriminate.”
To mark the 50th anniversary of Newman v. Piggie Park Enterprises, the coalition has dubbed March 12-18 “Open to All Week.” Mushovic said she hopes the weeklong commemoration urges Supreme Court justices not to turn the clock back half a century.
Whether the effort eases concerns among LGBTQ rights advocates, however, remains to be seen. Some legal experts say the decision regarding Masterpiece Cakeshop could have the most significant effect on the queer community since the Supreme Court’s 2015 ruling on marriage equality.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/masterpiece-cakeshop-piggie-park_us_5aa9d381e4b0600b82ffec48
Penn Won’t Punish Professor Who Said Black Students ‘Rarely’ Score Well
( https://youtu.be/cb9Ey-SsNsg )
While the law school dropped her from a first-year course over her comments, they stood by her faculty position.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/penn-law-professor-black-students_us_5aaa3ebfe4b0600b83005c2e
‘Love A Muslim’ Day Letter Is A Poignant Answer To Hate Threats
A letter campaign is encouraging violence against British Muslims. An activist wants to counter that hate with love, coffee and cake.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/love-a-muslim-day-letter-is-poignant-response-to-violent-islamophobic-campaign_us_5aa97bf7e4b0600b82ffa17c
Don’t Forget About Flint, Michigan
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/opinion-lewis-flint-needs-help_us_5aa7b857e4b087e5aaedb962
Oklahoma To Become First U.S. State To Execute Death Row Inmates With Nitrogen Gas
The method would replace lethal injection as the primary method.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/oklahoma-to-become-first-us-state-to-execute-death-row-inmates-with-nitrogen-gas_us_5aaa5fe2e4b0004c0407d148
A Crusader Against Police Violence Is Assassinated In Rio De Janeiro
City councilwoman Marielle Franco was a symbol of hope for Rio’s poorest residents.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/marielle-franco-assassination-rio_us_5aaa7a51e4b0004c0407fbe0
Is Your County Elections Clerk Ready For Russian Hackers? - Stateline
In a decentralized election system with more than 10,000 separate jurisdictions, the onus for security is on local officials.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/is-your-county-elections-clerk-ready-for-russian-hackers_us_5aaa7feee4b00a0ab2f5880b
original http://www.pewtrusts.org/en/research-and-analysis/blogs/stateline/2018/03/15/is-your-county-elections-clerk-ready-for-russian-hackers
American Foreign Policy Has A Masculinity Problem
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/opinion-sandler-foreign-policy-trump-masculinity_us_5aa941fee4b0f7a689ce9915
Putin Will Undoubtedly Win Re-Election. But He Has Plenty To Be Nervous About.
Voter apathy is high and the opposition movement continues to gather steam.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/putin-dissent-reelection_us_5a8ed065e4b0161d43196e08
Don’t Celebrate The U.S. For Protecting Climate ‘Refugees’
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/opinion-lenferna-climate-refugees_us_5aa92f40e4b001c8bf15db8f
An Open Letter To Politicians Facing Young Protesters
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/opinion-hodges-guns-protests_us_5aa830ade4b001c8bf1496ed
‘NRA Has Got To Go’: The Most Powerful Signs From The Student Walkout - Yahoo! Lifestyle
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/nra-has-got-to-go-the-most-powerful-signs-from-the-student-walkout_us_5aaaa549e4b0fcbdb4a32609
original https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/most-meaningful-national-school-walkout-slideshow-wp-175601001/photo-p-students-science-language-arts-photo-181701373.html
‘Am I Next?’: Students Rally With Powerful Signs Against School Violence
Signs from Washington, D.C., to Washington state called for tighter gun control and background checks.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/powerful-student-walkout-signs_us_5aa95aebe4b0f4aaa112f0b4
Chain Stores Are Taking Over U.S. Cities. It Doesn’t Have To Be Like This.
This New Jersey neighborhood refuses to be overrun by Starbucks and CVS.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/local-business-jersey-city-chain-stores_us_5aa1a7e7e4b01b9b0a3986ea
Kenya Gambles On Dirty Energy With Its First Coal Plant
“If it goes on, we might lose it all.”
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/lamu-kenya-coal-plant_us_5aa7a8d5e4b009b705d5f3ac
Telling the Truth About CIA Torture - tie https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=139299412 , https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=39471610
Trump’s nominee to lead the agency should answer a number of tough questions about her role in its now-defunct “enhanced interrogation” program.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/03/telling-the-truth-about-cia-torture/555662/
Feinstein calls for release of Trump CIA pick's torture documents
http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/378572-feinstein-calls-for-release-of-trump-cia-picks-torture-documents
Trump’s nominee for CIA director could help bury key torture documents
The Panetta Review and a 7,000-page Senate study of the torture program recede further into the shadows.
https://thinkprogress.org/haspel-could-help-bury-torture-docs-7bae0045b2a3/
Gina Haspel as CIA director? It’s a test of America’s conscience.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/plum-line/wp/2018/03/14/gina-haspels-nomination-for-cia-director-is-a-test-of-americas-conscience/
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/d9HxfCVHE-ogAOMxjEjTR-LEgTo8M?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Exclusive: Trump finalizing opioid plan that includes death penalty for dealers
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/15/exclusive-trump-finalizing-opioid-plan-death-penalty-418488
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dPbSolrj0uoeXUM_2l0Mi-gHIS4fM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Why hasn’t Mueller talked to Donald Trump Jr. yet?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2018/03/15/why-hasnt-mueller-talked-to-donald-trump-jr-yet/
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dO_sgBkeoOJtkzMcFysUPr4CnksjM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
The time I took Stephen Hawking to a cowboy bar - tie https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=139269175
The famed physicist was fearless, funny and inspiring. He was also my friend.
By Lawrence M. Krauss
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/posteverything/wp/2018/03/15/the-time-i-took-stephen-hawking-to-a-cowboy-bar/
Stephen Hawking’s Most Profound Gift to Physics
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/15/opinion/stephen-hawking-quantum-gravity.html
How Stephen Hawking Transformed Our Understanding of Black Holes
https://www.space.com/39988-black-hole-mysteries-stephen-hawking.html
Stephen Hawking's Greatest Lesson—A Degenerative Disease Won't Stop Us Achieving Greatness
http://www.newsweek.com/stephen-hawkings-lesson-als-wont-stop-greatness-845874
What Stephen Hawking Taught Me
https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/what-stephen-hawking-taught-me/
Here are 4 of Stephen Hawking's biggest predictions from human extinction to aliens
Stephen Hawking was well-known for his work on black holes and the theory of relativity.
He also had theories on topics from artificial intelligence to humans moving to other planets.
Hawking once predicted that the earth would turn into a giant ball of fire by 2600 and humans would need to colonize another planet or face extinction.
The scientist also claimed that the advent of artificial intelligence could be the "worst event in the history of our civilization."
Hawking died at the age of 76 on Wednesday.
https://www.cnbc.com/2018/03/15/stephen-hawking-predictions-human-extinction-to-global-warming.html
Texas State Rep. Cain: 'Stephen Hawking now knows the truth about how the universe was actually made'
A Republican Texas state representative is facing backlash over his snide tweet regarding the death of famed physicist Stephen Hawking.
“Stephen Hawking now knows the truth about how the universe was actually made. My condolences to his family,” Briscoe Cain, a member of the Texas House Freedom Caucus, wrote [ https://twitter.com/BriscoeCain/status/973779271230676994 ] late on Tuesday.
https://www.aol.com/article/news/2018/03/15/texas-state-rep-cain-stephen-hawking-death-comment/23386983/
Texas state representative tweets jab at Stephen Hawking
https://www.mysanantonio.com/news/houston-texas/texas/article/stephen-hawking-texas-tweet-briscoe-cain-tweet-12752808.php
Texas State Rep. Cain: 'Stephen Hawking Now Knows The Truth About How The Universe Was Actually Made'
https://www.chron.com/news/media/Texas-State-Rep-Cain-Stephen-Hawking-Now-Knows-1216017.php
Stephen Hawking's Love for The Simpsons Was Deeper Than You Know
Sometimes the smartest of us can be the most childish.
https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/tv/a19442206/stephen-hawking-simpsons/
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/d5b7D3uiAB9vJOMStLLe4YOQj1FmM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
US Chamber of Commerce warns Trump against China tariffs
https://www.apnews.com/2fd5c508613a4168bf83df8a89c92ae9/US-Chamber-of-Commerce-warns-Trump-against-China-tariffs
Complaint claims Trump lawyers threatened Panama magistrate
https://www.apnews.com/9443755a28b3438a875fe5c142534092/Complaint-claims-Trump-lawyers-threatened-Panama-magistrate
Trump lawyers have no easy options on [Mueller] interview request
https://www.apnews.com/872c20f6b2e648218cfdbf72b5421fd2/Trump-lawyers-have-no-easy-options-on-interview-request
Mueller witness is convicted pedophile with shadowy past - George Nader
https://www.apnews.com/b9268204c9e040c7bca98af0fc7337db
Volunteers clean Dallas-area cemetery, former slaves plots - AP
IRVING, Texas (AP) - Jammie Simon can point to the tree where the body of his great-grandfather, Minnie Shelton, was laid to rest.
But like many of the nearly 200 former slaves and others buried at Shelton's Bear Creek Cemetery, Simon's great-grandfather, the former owner of the burial ground, no longer has a tombstone.
The Dallas Morning News reports Simon said since finding out about his family's connection with the cemetery in 2000, he's helped a handful of community members maintain the small and often-forgotten cemetery, including building and placing white wooden crosses where tombstones use to stand.
Simon and those other Irving residents recently had a helping hand from approximately 50 volunteers who raked leaves, cut the cemetery's overgrown grass and cleared branches and stumps from the small property off State Highway 161.
"This is in a lot better shape than it's been in nine years. It's been amazing that so many people have come out here to help," Simon said. "I'm glad they have enough respect to come out here and clean it up. It makes me feel like people care."
Several of the volunteers were FedEx employees who work in Irving. Zelda Celestine, a FedEx Irving operations administrator, said although many of her co-workers do not live here, they saw the cleanup project as a way to give back to the community.
She said the FedEx workers plan to go out to Shelton's Bear Creek Cemetery four times a year to help clean and maintain the property.
"It's just really incredible," Celestine said. "There are so many people that care ... the teamwork really shows up."
Anthony Bond, an Irving resident who has worked to preserve the cemetery since 1995, said he was amazed at FedEx's efforts to step up and care for Shelton's Bear Creek. He said the turnout earlier this month was even more remarkable to him because he recalls a time when he thought the cemetery would not survive and would become part of the highway.
"They were going to plow right through here," Bond said. "This is the first part of something. I feel disbelief, unbelievable joy."
He said the cleanup project was the first step in transforming the burial ground into a location where anyone can come and pay their respects to those who are buried there while learning more about the community's history.
The cemetery obtained a Texas Historical Marker in 2001, but Bond said the marker had been vandalized and was moved to a more a public location near the cemetery. Bond said he is hoping, however, to have Shelton's Bear Creek eventually designated as a national historical landmark.
Shane Wolfe, a FedEx package handler, said it was his first time visiting the cemetery. Wolfe, who lives in North Dallas, said he didn't know Shelton's Bear Creek existed. He said once he found out about the volunteer opportunity, he knew he had to see it in person and help care for it.
"This is giving back to the ancestors that were here before us," said Wolfe, 45. "Whenever they are out, I'll also be out here cleaning."
Irving Mayor Rick Stopfer also joined the cemetery's cleaning crew. He said he was hopeful FedEx's help would vastly help improve the cemetery, although he said there was still plenty to be done.
"It will really come together well," Stopfer said. "But it's going to take a combined effort to keep it to a high standard."
Information from: The Dallas Morning News, http://www.dallasnews.com
This is an AP Member Exchange shared by The Dallas Morning News
https://www.chron.com/news/texas/article/Volunteers-clean-Dallas-area-cemetery-former-12755386.php
original:
FedEx employees help give former slave cemetery in Irving needed makeover
https://www.dallasnews.com/news/irving/2018/03/13/fedex-employees-help-give-former-slave-cemetery-irving-needed-makeover
As Dallas prepares to revisit its Confederate past, a reminder of a long-ago mayor's 'despicable history' - John Henry Brown
https://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2018/03/15/dallas-prepares-revisit-confederate-past-reminder-long-ago-mayors-despicable-history
The Words Trump Refuses to Speak
For the most verbally belligerent president in history, Trump’s comments about Russia’s nerve-agent attack have been conspicuously weak.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/03/trump-responds-to-russia-nerve-attack/555734/
Trump finally decided to get tough on Russia. But did he go far enough?
Trump just accused Russia of a chemical weapons attack in the UK — and finally hit Moscow for its election meddling.
https://www.vox.com/2018/3/15/17124348/trump-russia-sanctions-uk-treasury-mnuchin
U.S. says Russia hacked energy grid, punishes 19 for meddling - AP
http://www.oregonlive.com/today/index.ssf/2018/03/us_says_russia_hacked_energy_g.html
original not evident
US gets tougher on Russia; new sanctions, accusations
https://apnews.com/2964ce37e2084ae5b4c13da748b35cff
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dT5GZ1pEaUi8VcM0LwjGUMsSgj6gM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Donald Trump Jr.'s wife has filed for divorce
Vanessa Trump filed for divorce from Donald Trump Jr., President Donald Trump's eldest son, The New York Post's Page Six reported Thursday.
The divorce is not contested, meaning the president's daughter-in-law does not expect a fight over custody of the couple's children or assets.
http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-jr-wife-filed-for-divorce-2018-3
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dVyYl4kRfWKBuOMDgJTcbnt0r82IM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Trump White House Worked with Newt Gingrich on Political Purge at State Department, Lawmakers Say
Trump officials called civil servants “turncoat” and “Obama/Clinton loyalists.”
https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2018/03/trump-white-house-worked-with-newt-gingrich-on-political-purge-at-state-department-lawmakers-say/
Dem letter re above
https://democrats-oversight.house.gov/sites/democrats.oversight.house.gov/files/documents/2018-03-15.EEC%20EEngel%20to%20WH%20%26%20State.pdf
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dlb6eVohrCgWJhMKFqcuEaZg1BxKM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Bill Cosby prosecutors score major victory; five other women allowed to testify in new trial
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/arts-and-entertainment/wp/2018/03/15/bill-cosby-prosecutors-score-major-victory-five-other-women-allowed-to-testify-in-new-trial/
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/daovOgTS5JSi1mMdzxW9BpLc45IDM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Russian Twitter trolls stoked racial tension in wake of Sherman Park rioting in Milwaukee before 2016 election
https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/politics/2018/03/15/russian-twitter-trolls-stoked-racial-tension-wake-sherman-park-riots-milwaukee-before-2016-election/421439002/
referenced by:
Report: Russia-linked accounts stirred discord in Milwaukee
MILWAUKEE (AP) — Russia-linked Twitter accounts sought to spur racial and political discord in Wisconsin after a police officer’s fatal shooting of a black man sparked riots, a newspaper reported Thursday.
The accounts sent more than 30 tweets during the August 2016 unrest in the city’s Sherman Park neighborhood following the shooting, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported. The accounts garnered more than 5,000 retweets during the two nights of rioting.
One of the accounts, @TEN_GOP, is named in a recent federal indictment from special counsel Robert Mueller. The account tweeted during the riots: “These photos are not from Iraq ... This is Obama’s America! #Milwaukee.” Another account claimed Black Lives Matters supporters were targeting “white people for a beat down.”
Last year, jurors acquitted former officer Dominique Heaggan-Brown of homicide charges for fatally shooting Sylville Smith when Smith ran from a traffic stop. Heaggan-Brown is also black, but the shooting in the majority African-American neighborhood made already tense police-community relations boil over.
Police arrested about 40 demonstrators during the riots and multiple officers were hurt. Protesters also set fire to eight businesses and a squad car.
“To think that halfway around the world people are using this tragic series of events for partisan gain ... it’s daunting. It’s heartbreaking,” said Democratic state Rep. Evan Goyke, who represents the Sherman Park area.
The Journal Sentinel reported the Russia-linked accounts appeared aimed at boosting then-candidate Donald Trump’s chances in Wisconsin and spread fake news to help the primary challenger of U.S. Speaker Paul Ryan, who had criticized Trump in the lead-up to the election.
Trump was the first Republican to win Wisconsin since the 1984 presidential election.
The tweets also sought to elevate the voice of former Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke — a conservative firebrand who is one Trump’s biggest supporters — by quoting Clarke during the riots. The newspaper reported there is no indication Clarke was aware of what Russia was doing.
“These are enemies of the United States who are trying to sow dissention in our country and on the streets of Milwaukee,” Mayor Tom Barrett said in a statement.
The Journal Sentinel said it researched its story by using an NBC News archive of 203,000 tweets from 453 accounts that Twitter and Mueller have linked to Russia in their investigations. The newspaper said it also found images of some of the tweets by using other web archives.
https://www.apnews.com/0fbbe03b42114fb19b5584632624b15b/Report:-Russia-linked-accounts-stirred-discord-in-Milwaukee
Vladimir Taunts the West
Spy expulsions and small-scale sanctions won’t deter Moscow.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/vladimir-taunts-the-west-1521153708
Russia Says U.S. No Longer Rules the World as Tensions Mount in Middle East, Europe and Space
http://www.newsweek.com/russia-says-us-no-longer-rules-world-tensions-middle-east-europe-space-847097
LATEST VLADIMIR PUTIN NEWS ON RUSSIA AND TRUMP
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/vladimir_putin/index.html
Breaking mold, some Russian youth speak out against Putin - AP
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/breaking-mold-some-russian-youth-speak-out-against-putin/2018/03/15/06bbabbc-285a-11e8-a227-fd2b009466bc_story.html
original https://www.apnews.com/d7ea8f2e9f5f439da63f20f43e5c8e48/Breaking-mold,-some-Russian-youth-speak-out-against-Putin
On the campaign trail with Putin in Crimea
CBS News
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PrF2RLIT-34
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dd5HbOH_h3mQNLMl6zBpBDZi8rNGM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
What Is Robert Mueller Looking For?
The New York Times reports that the special counsel has demanded records from the Trump Organization.
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/03/what-is-robert-mueller-looking-for/555743/
Special Counsel Robert Mueller Has Subpoenaed Trump Organization in Russia Investigation
Trump Organization had already been voluntarily producing documents to Mueller’s team
https://www.wsj.com/articles/special-counsel-robert-mueller-has-subpoenaed-trump-organization-in-russia-investigation-1521143068
Did Robert Mueller just cross Donald Trump's red line on Russia?
https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/15/politics/mueller-firing-analysis/index.html
Trump business partner: I’m only guilty of trying to build the world’s tallest building
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-business-partner-im-guilty-build-worlds-tallest/story?id=53782887
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dCR3ElifyLhrEYMMQsFc81UVkCvbM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
A Physicist’s Farewell to Stephen Hawking
By David Kaiser
https://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/a-physicists-farewell-to-stephen-hawking
FBI and DHS Warn That Russia Has Been Poking at Our Energy Grid - Maddow segment 3-15-18
https://gizmodo.com/fbi-and-dhs-warn-that-russia-has-been-poking-at-our-ene-1823806575
We're Putin our foot down! DHS, FBI blame Russia for ongoing infrastructure hacks
Alert adds detail to 'Dragonfly' cyber-attack disclosed last year
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2018/03/15/dhs_fbi_blame_russian_government_for_dragonfly_attack_on_infrastructure/
Alert (TA18-074A)
Russian Government Cyber Activity Targeting Energy and Other Critical Infrastructure Sectors
https://www.us-cert.gov/ncas/alerts/TA18-074A
more: https://www.google.com/search?q=fbi+technical+alert
Cyberattacks Put Russian Fingers on the Switch at Power Plants, U.S. Says
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/15/us/politics/russia-cyberattacks.html
Trump Administration Penalizes Russians Over Election Meddling and Cyberattacks
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/15/us/politics/trump-russia-sanctions.html
A Cyberattack in Saudi Arabia Had a Deadly Goal. Experts Fear Another Try. - by one of the same authors on second item above
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/15/technology/saudi-arabia-hacks-cyberattacks.html
more: https://www.google.com/search?q=cyberattacks+put+russian+fingers
Hackers Are Targeting Nuclear Facilities, Homeland Security Dept. and F.B.I. Say
JULY 6, 2017
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/06/technology/nuclear-plant-hack-report.html
Hackers are targeting nuclear facilities, Homeland Security Department and FBI say
Since May, hackers have been penetrating the computer networks of companies that operate nuclear power stations.
Wolf Creek Nuclear Operating Corporation was one company targeted.
7 July 2017
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/07/hackers-are-targeting-nuclear-facilities-homeland-security-department-and-fbi-say.html
more: https://www.google.com/search?q=hackers+are+targeting+nuclear+facilities
Trump decides to remove national security adviser, and others may follow
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-decides-to-remove-national-security-adviser-and-others-may-follow/2018/03/15/fea2ebae-285c-11e8-bc72-077aa4dab9ef_story.html
more: https://www.google.com/search?q=mcmaster
Mnuchin’s plane travel cost taxpayers $1 million, documents show - use of military aircraft - All In segment 3-15-18 ( https://www.msnbc.com/all-in/watch/treasury-secy-mnuchin-s-air-travel-cost-taxpayers-1m-1187214403729 )
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/15/steven-mnuchin-plane-travel-cost-421176
8 trips Steve Mnuchin took on military planes in 2017 cost taxpayers more than $1 million
Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin's air travel has come under scrutiny.
A government watchdog group obtained records detailing seven separate trips Mnuchin took last year that cost a total of almost $1 million.
This isn't the first time Mnuchin has come under fire for alleged excessive use of taxpayer dollars.
http://www.businessinsider.com/steve-mnuchin-airfare-cost-taxpayers-1-million-2018-3
more: https://www.google.com/search?q=mnuchin%27s+plane+travel+cost
US housing department adviser quits amid questions of fraud and inflated biography
Naved Jafry, who called for radical privatization to fix America’s cities, steps down following inquiry from the Guardian about his record
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/mar/15/ben-carson-adviser-naved-jafry-resigns-hud
more: https://www.google.com/search?q=us+housing+department+advisor
Publisher Offers Free E-Book Of Torture Report In Response To Gina Haspel’s CIA Nomination - https://www.mhpbooks.com/books/the-senate-intelligence-committee-report-on-torture/
Literary trolling.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/gina-haspel-torture-report_us_5aaa8eb9e4b045cd0a6f7722
Meghan McCain Rips Liz Cheney For Explaining Torture To Her Father
Sen. John McCain was tortured as a prisoner of war.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/meghan-mccain-liz-cheney-torture-dick-cheney_us_5aaac524e4b073bd82930689
Democrats’ Surrender On Torture Is Nearly Complete
By Marcy Wheeler
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/opinion-wheeler-haspel-cia_us_5aaab803e4b0fcbdb4a3510a
Steve Bannon Doesn’t Deny Anything He Said In ‘Fire And Fury’
“I don’t deny any of the content,” he told a French outlet.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/steve-bannon-fire-and-fury-no-denial_us_5aaabff4e4b073bd829303ed
Barron Trump’s School Signs Open Letter Demanding POTUS Enact Stricter Gun Laws
Over 100 schools from Maryland and the D.C. area signed the letter, which also railed against legislative proposals to arm teachers.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/barron-trump-donald-trump-gun-control_us_5aaaadade4b0fcbdb4a33f02
Melania Trump’s Meeting With Facebook, Twitter To Target Cyberbullying — And People Are Beside Themselves
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/melania-trumps-meeting-with-facebook-twitter-to-target-cyberbullying-and-people-are-beside-themselves_us_5aa9480ee4b0f4aaa112cfa6
Military Family’s Legally Adopted Daughter Could Be Deported
“I belong here. I have family here. That’s where I should be. This is my home.”
A woman who had been legally adopted by an American couple could be sent back to her birth country.
Patrick and Soo-Jinn Schreiber of Lawrence, Kansas, officially adopted Hyebin Schreiber, who’s originally from South Korea, when she was 17. The adoption was legally recognized under Kansas state law.
However, due to a legal loophole on her age at adoption, Hyebin, now 20, could be deported. And the family has filed a civil suit against U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
“I belong here. I have family here. That’s where I should be. This is my home,” Hyebin told KCTV5 in Kansas City.
Hyebin, a junior at the University of Kansas, came to the U.S. on a student visa when she was 15 years old after dealing with some family issues back in South Korea, KSHB in Kansas City reported. Patrick, a military veteran, is Hyebin’s biological uncle and had wanted to adopt her then. But the family postponed the process while he was deployed in Afghanistan for a year.
After the couple completed the adoption, Hyebin received a Kansas birth certificate and the family had assumed her immigration status would not pose any issues. But later on, the Schreibers discovered that their daughter would not be eligible for U.S. citizenship regardless of her birth certificate because of immigration law.
“It wasn’t until we applied for her citizenship, or a path to citizenship, is when we found out from [USCIS] that because we failed to adopt her prior to age 16, she would not be granted citizenship,” Patrick told KSHB.
What’s more, a state provision stipulates that a birth certificate from a foreign-born adoption does not guarantee U.S. citizenship. So Hyebin, who’s currently on a student visa, will have to leave the United States after she graduates from college, Military Times reported.
[...]
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/military-family-adopted-daughter-deportation_us_5aaa7985e4b0004c0407fab5
Ryan Zinke To U.S. Rep. Whose Grandparents Were Imprisoned In WWII: ‘Konnichiwa!’
( https://youtu.be/8aRdjf5IHWc )
Zinke made the dumb comment in response to a plea that we not forget a dark moment in our country’s history.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ryan-zinke-internment-camp-wwii-konnichiwa_us_5aaacf27e4b05b2217fd44c6
Judge Dismisses Discrimination Lawsuit Filed By Family Of Ahmed Mohamed
The Muslim teen was arrested in 2015 after bringing a homemade clock to school.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/judge-dismisses-discrimination-lawsuit-filed-by-family-of-ahmed-mohamed_us_5aaa8bd3e4b045cd0a6f6d8b
Russian Hackers Attacking U.S. Power Grid and Aviation, FBI Warns
U.S. officials warn of attacks, including on nuclear plants
Cyber-attacks underway since at least March 2016, U.S. says
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-15/russian-hackers-attacking-u-s-power-grid-aviation-fbi-warns
In a first, U.S. blames Russia for cyber attacks on energy grid
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-russia-sanctions-energygrid/in-a-first-u-s-blames-russia-for-cyber-attacks-on-energy-grid-idUSKCN1GR2G3
FBI and DHS Warn That Russia Has Been Poking at Our Energy Grid
https://gizmodo.com/fbi-and-dhs-warn-that-russia-has-been-poking-at-our-ene-1823806575
What Does It Mean to Hack an Electrical Grid?
https://slate.com/technology/2018/03/electrical-grid-hack-russia-explanation.html
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/daGDY4w1PmDEl_MOvVP37vxNvX4LM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Britain Hints at Tougher Blow Against Russia: Stripping Tycoons’ Assets
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/15/world/europe/britain-russia-assets-poisoning.html
UK's claims questioned: doubts emerge about source of Salisbury's novichok
A ceremony to mark the destruction of Russia’s stock of chemical weapons may have been held too soon
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2018/mar/15/uks-claims-questioned-doubts-emerge-about-source-of-salisburys-novichok
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dgu0Ou-emZMIPMMUO6mCUjAuZkHvM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
In a first, an undocumented immigrant is appointed to a statewide post in California
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2018/03/15/in-a-first-an-undocumented-immigrant-is-appointed-to-a-statewide-post-in-california/
Undocumented immigrant appointed to state post in California
http://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article205249624.html
First Undocumented Immigrant Appointed to State Post in California
For the first time in California's history, the state has appointed an undocumented resident to a statewide post, announcing the decision just a day after President Donald Trump attacked its immigration approach during a visit to San Diego.
The decision made by the Senate Rules Committee on Wednesday saw Lizbeth Mateo, a 33-year-old attorney and immigrant rights activist, appointed to serve on a committee that helps increase college access for students from low-income or underserved communities.
In announcing the decision, Senate President pro tempore Kevin de León appeared to recognize the move as an act of defiance in the face of the Trump administration's current immigration crackdown.
[...]
http://www.newsweek.com/first-undocumented-immigrant-appointed-state-post-california-846032
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dXrGeUx7kqQV3AMHtRpoOvSusMmZM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
A Twist in Our Sexual Encounters With Other Ancient Humans
A new study suggests that early humans mated with the mysterious Denisovans in two separate waves.
https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2018/03/humans-denisovans-interbreeding-twice/555686/
study http://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(18)30175-2
Ancient Human Groups Mated With the Mysterious Denisovans at Least Twice
https://gizmodo.com/ancient-human-groups-mated-with-the-mysterious-denisova-1823776046
Neanderthals Weren't the Only Species Ancient Humans Hooked Up With
https://www.inverse.com/article/42346-denisovan-neanderthal-ancient-humans-mating
Modern humans interbred with mysterious Denisovans at least TWICE after leaving Africa 200,000 years ago (and millions of people today still have their DNA)
DNA has revealed two periods during which our ancestors bred with Denisovans
US researchers were developing a new method of comparing whole genomes
Researchers found two genomes - one from Oceania and another from East Asia
The genomes are completely different, suggesting that they mixed on at least two different occasions
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5501217/Modern-humans-interbred-Denisovans-TWICE.html
Humans and Denisovans had sex twice, not once
Genome research shows liaison between hominin species was more than a one-night stand.
https://cosmosmagazine.com/biology/humans-and-denisovans-had-sex-twice-not-once
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/d6iCiEGkyg7OisMxo_bXBeGWCtSfM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
Colored Pigments and Complex Tools Suggest Humans Were Trading 100,000 Years Earlier Than Previously Believed
Transformations in climate and landscape may have spurred these key technological innovations
Black- and red-colored pigments reveal that humans were using pigments, potentially to communicate status or identity, by around 300,000 years ago
Read more: https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/colored-pigments-and-complex-tools-suggest-human-trade-100000-years-earlier-previously-believed-180968499/#zFRehAac7VtM4gO0.99
Give the gift of Smithsonian magazine for only $12! http://bit.ly/1cGUiGv
Follow us: @SmithsonianMag on Twitter
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/colored-pigments-and-complex-tools-suggest-human-trade-100000-years-earlier-previously-believed-180968499/
studies:
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2018/03/14/science.aao2200
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2018/03/14/science.aao2646
http://science.sciencemag.org/content/early/2018/03/14/science.aao2216
related article http://science.sciencemag.org/content/359/6381/1200
Rick Potts
http://humanorigins.si.edu/about/human-origins-program-team/rick-potts
Climate Change Forced Early Humans to Get Their Shit Together and Innovate
https://gizmodo.com/climate-change-forced-early-humans-to-get-their-shit-to-1823800842
Complex human cultures are OLDER than thought, according to ancient pigments and 320,000-year-old stone tools found in Kenya
Our ancient ancestors created the objects using stones traded with outsiders
They are characteristic of humans who lived tens of thousands of years later
Experts also found inhabitants were using colour pigments earlier than thought
Trading emerged during a period of environmental upheaval in the region
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5505159/Advanced-320-000-year-old-early-human-tools-Africa.html
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/dJ4qV_ZYTgvymGM_BotAhppbIWndM?hl=en&ned=us&gl=US
A startup is pitching a mind-uploading service that is “100 percent fatal”
Nectome will preserve your brain, but you have to be euthanized first.
https://www.technologyreview.com/s/610456/a-startup-is-pitching-a-mind-uploading-service-that-is-100-percent-fatal/
Startup wants to upload your brain to the cloud, but has to kill you to do it
Nectome offers to preserve grey matter through ‘vitrifixation’ process tested on rabbits – but doesn’t have a method for uploading brains yet
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/mar/14/nectome-startup-upload-brain-the-cloud-kill-you
One Billionaire Has Already Paid $10K To Be Killed And Have Brain Digitally Preserved - Sam Altman, a Silicon Valley billionaire
Anyone want their brain uploaded to a computer?
http://www.craveonline.com/mandatory/1380553-one-billionaire-already-paid-10k-killed-brain-digitally-preserved
Nectome Startup Claims Brain Can Be Immortalized, Digitally Uploaded Into Cloud
http://www.ibtimes.com/nectome-startup-claims-brain-can-be-immortalized-digitally-uploaded-cloud-2662942
New Brain Preservation Technique Could Be a Path to Mind Uploading
https://gizmodo.com/new-brain-preservation-technique-could-be-a-path-to-min-1823741147
A technology designed to preserve synapses across the whole brain of a large mammal is successful
http://www.brainpreservation.org/large-mammal-announcement/
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/ds9bj_UkJ8AXpJMT9smF1BAOUYAyM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
NASA's Planet-Hunting Kepler Space Telescope Will Run Out of Fuel in Just Months
http://www.newsweek.com/nasas-planet-hunting-kepler-space-telescope-will-run-out-fuel-just-months-846069
NASA's Kepler Spacecraft Nearing the End as Fuel Runs Low
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/ames/nasa-s-kepler-spacecraft-nearing-the-end-as-fuel-runs-low
http://www.spacedaily.com/reports/NASAs_Kepler_Spacecraft_Nearing_the_End_as_Fuel_Runs_Low_999.html
NASA’s Kepler Space Telescope Has Only a Few Months to Live
https://gizmodo.com/nasa-s-kepler-space-telescope-has-only-a-few-months-to-1823779480
Kepler observatory set to run out of fuel
NASA’s deep space telescope may not see Christmas, scientists warn.
https://cosmosmagazine.com/space/kepler-observatory-set-to-run-out-of-fuel
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/d2c5OfeVSSuw4DMh2BNgibxgjduJM?ned=us&gl=US&hl=en
After A Year In Space, NASA Astronaut’s Genes Have Changed. Possibly For Good.
Only 93 percent of Scott Kelly’s genes have “returned to normal” since his prolonged stint on the International Space Station, according to a new study.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/scott-kelly-astronaut-twin-study-dna-change_us_5aaa4639e4b0600b83006deb
NASA Twins Study Confirms Preliminary Findings
Jan. 31, 2018
https://www.nasa.gov/feature/nasa-twins-study-confirms-preliminary-findings
Twins Study | Key Points
https://www.nasa.gov/twins-study/key-points
Biologists Trace Genetic Roots Of Evolution, One Cell At A Time
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2018/03/15/593918690/biologists-trace-genetic-roots-of-evolution-one-cell-at-a-time
Mutating DNA caught on film
( https://youtu.be/Vi38IqxkW68 )
http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2018/03/mutating-dna-caught-film
more: https://news.google.com/news/story/d435Zrhbhj1MjYMfaFc60cZOVBfAM?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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