President Donald J. Trump Proclaims April 2, 2018, World Autism Awareness Day
Issued on: April 2, 2018
World Autism Awareness Day is an opportunity to recognize and support all children and adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Today, millions of adults and an estimated 1 out of every 68 children in the United States have been diagnosed with some form of ASD. Notwithstanding these diagnoses, Americans with ASD make exceptional contributions across our Nation and around the world. On this day, we honor their accomplishments and recommit to ensuring that they enjoy the same opportunities to fulfill their potential that all Americans deserve.
To maximize the quality of life across the entire autism spectrum, we must ensure that ASD is accurately identified and diagnosed in both children and adults. We must also support access to effective care, critical resources, and support services. To further these important goals, I was pleased to sign into law the Recognize, Assist, Include, Support, and Engage (RAISE) Family Caregivers Act, which will provide a national framework to support families as they care for loved ones with ASD and other similar conditions.
My Administration also continues to focus on young adults with ASD. The Department of Health and Human Services, in accordance with the Autism CARES Act of 2014 and in coordination with other executive departments and agencies, has released a report that details services available for young people with ASD as they leave secondary education to help them transition to adulthood. In addition, the Department’s Interagency Autism Coordinating Committee ensures robust engagement with people with ASD and their families to help inform policies and priorities. My Administration remains focused on this critical work and committed to advancing initiatives that improve the lives of those living with ASD.
On World Autism Awareness Day, let us renew our commitment to support the entire international ASD community, including children and adults with ASD, their families, and caregivers. Together, we can increase access to information, encourage heightened understanding of ASD, promote respect and dignity, and support the services that assist people with ASD to reach their full potential.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim April 2, 2018, World Autism Awareness Day. I encourage all Americans to learn more about autism, and find ways to support people with autism and their families and caregivers.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this second day of April, in the year of our Lord two thousand eighteen, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and forty-second.
At least 18 Palestinians have died in Gaza after Israeli forces opened fire Friday on a protest near the Gaza Strip’s eastern border with Israel. As many as 1,700 Palestinians were wounded. The deaths and injuries came as 30,000 Gaza residents gathered near the wall, as part of a planned 6-week-long nonviolent protest against the blockade of Gaza and to demand the right of return for Palestinian refugees. The protests began on Friday, March 30, known as “Land Day,” marking the anniversary of the 1976 killing of six Palestinians protesting the Israeli confiscation of Arab land. Video posted online shows unarmed Palestinians being shot in the back while taking part in Friday’s protest. Another 49 Palestinians were injured by Israeli forces on Saturday. Israel’s actions have been condemned around the world, but Israel is rejecting calls to investigate the killings. At the United Nations, the U.S. blocked a move by the U.N. Security Council to open an investigation. https://www.democracynow.org/2018/4/2/massacre_in_gaza_israeli_forces_open[with embedded video, and transcript]
Starvation Wages are a “Crime”: Lessons from MLK & 1968 Memphis Sanitation Strike, 50 Years Later
Published on Apr 2, 2018 by Democracy Now!
This week, commemorations are being held to mark the 50th anniversary of the assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The civil rights leader and peace activist was gunned down April 4, 1968, on the balcony of his hotel room at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis, Tennessee. He was just 39 years old. King was in Memphis to support striking sanitation workers, who he saw as being on the front lines of fighting poverty and integral to his new initiative, the Poor People’s Campaign. “It is a crime for people to live in this rich nation and receive starvation wages,” King told people in Memphis shortly before his death. In the late 1960s, King recognized that the next phase in the quest for civil rights and equality would focus on the economic divide. We speak with William “Bill” Lucy, former secretary-treasurer with AFSCME. He played a key role in the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers’ strike. He is also president emeritus of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists. Also with us in Memphis is H.B. Crockett, one of the striking sanitation workers in 1968. He worked for the Memphis Sanitation Department for 53 years before retiring. https://www.democracynow.org/2018/4/2/starvation_wages_are_a_crime_lessons[with embedded video, and transcript]
From 1968 Memphis Sanitation Strike to Teachers’ Strikes in OK & KY Today, Workers Demand a Voice
Published on Apr 3, 2018 by Democracy Now!
This is Part 2 of our conversation about Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.'s role in the 1968 Memphis sanitation workers' strike, 50 years after his assassination. We go to Memphis to speak with William “Bill” Lucy, former secretary-treasurer with AFSCME, and H.B. Crockett, one of the striking sanitation workers in 1968. Crockett worked for the Memphis Sanitation Department for 53 years before retiring. Bill Lucy played a key role in the 1968 Memphis strike and is president emeritus of the Coalition of Black Trade Unionists. https://www.democracynow.org/2018/4/2/from_1968_memphis_sanitation_strike_to[with embedded video, and transcript]
Statement from the Press Secretary on President Donald J. Trump’s Upcoming Meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan
Issued on: April 2, 2018
President Donald J. Trump will welcome Prime Minister Shinzo Abe of Japan to Mar-a-Lago from April 17-18, 2018. President Trump and Prime Minister Abe’s third summit meeting will reaffirm the United States-Japan alliance as a cornerstone of peace, stability, and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region. The two leaders will discuss the international campaign to maintain maximum pressure on North Korea in advance of President Trump’s planned meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. President Trump and Prime Minister Abe will explore ways to expand fair and reciprocal trade and investment ties between the United States and Japan, two of the world’s wealthiest and most innovative economies.
A couple of thousand illegals are headed en masse to the US border according to a Buzzfeed reporter traveling with them and Trump has finally stopped fawning over DACA. What is the status of the wall? And, Trump not only talks about pulling out of Syria but has frozen money to keep US troops there. Saudi Arabia & Washington neocons are pushing back. What will Trump do? Then, Leo Zagami reports from Italy that Pope Francis has been charged with heresy by some in the Vatican. Will it lead to his removal as his predecessor Pope Benedict was pushed out (first time a Pope resigned in 600 years).
[from Alex Jones and his merry band of batshit bullshitters]
Monday, April 2nd 2018[, with Gerald Celente hosting the fourth hour]: Nuclear Option - Trump urges Congress to pass border legislation as an emergency maneuver to bolster America’s existing laws. In light of the invasion of illegals dubbed a caravan, Trump specifically called for the “Nuclear Option” to stop the flow of drugs and interlopers as soon as possible. Also, the president’s job approval rating is ahead of where Obama’s was at this stage of his term; this comes immediately after Trump made clear, “NO MORE DACA DEAL.”
RWW News: ‘An Absolute Beacon Of Light’: Liz Crokin Is Overjoyed That Roseanne Barr Is Promoting 'The Storm'
Published on Apr 2, 2018 by RightWingWatchdotorg
Right Wing Watch reports on the extreme rhetoric and activities of key right-wing figures and organizations by showing their views in their own words. In this clip, crackpot conspiracy theorist Liz Crokin declares that it is "nothing short of a miracle" that Roseanne Barr is helping to promote the right-wing conspiracy theory that Trump is taking down a massive elite pedophile ring. http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/an-absolute-beacon-of-light-liz-crokin-loves-that-roseanne-barr-is-promoting-the-storm/
RWW News: Katie Hopkins: ‘Multiculturalism Means That We All Die Together’
Published on Apr 2, 2018 by RightWingWatchdotorg
Right Wing Watch reports on the extreme rhetoric and activities of key right-wing figures and organizations by showing their views in their own words. In the first clip in this video, racist columnist Katie Hopkins claims that multiculturalism simply means "getting blown up together." In the second clip, Hopkins appears to rationalize Apartheid in South Africa by comparing it to a fence constructed around a fire station in Sweden to prevent burglaries. http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/katie-hopkins-multiculturalism-means-that-we-all-die-together/
Rafida Bonya Ahmed is a humanist campaigner, author and moderator of the award-winning Bengali blog, Mukto-Mona. She is the widow of Avijit Roy, a well-known Bengladeshi-American atheist activist and writer who was killed in a horrifying attack by radical Islamists in Dhaka on Feb. 26, 2015. She was critically wounded in the attack, but survived, and has been carrying on their secular work. She helps operate the blog Mukto-Mona (Free Thinker) started by Roy, and helps others in peril. She has received several international awards.
Readout of President Donald J. Trump’s Call with President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi of Egypt
Issued on: April 2, 2018
President Donald J. Trump spoke today with President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi of Egypt. President Trump congratulated President Al Sisi on his reelection. The two leaders affirmed the strategic partnership between the United States and Egypt, and noted that they look forward to advancing this partnership and addressing common challenges.
Readout of President Trump’s Meeting with Larry Kudlow and Senior Staff of the National Economic Council
Issued on: April 2, 2018
Today, President Donald J. Trump met with senior staff of the National Economic Council (NEC) to discuss his economic growth agenda and to welcome new NEC Director and Assistant to the President for Economic Policy Larry Kudlow. The President is glad to have Director Kudlow on board, following decades of experience in both the private and public sectors, including at the White House under President Reagan. The economy is booming under President Trump’s economic agenda: GDP for the fourth quarter was revised up to 2.9 percent from 2.5 percent. Over four million American workers have received pay raises, bonuses, or other benefits from President Trump’s tax cuts. Nearly three million jobs have been created since his election. Unemployment has remained steady at 4.1 percent, a sixteen-year low. The number of Americans rating the economy as good to excellent has surged to the highest level in 18 years. Larry and the NEC team look forward to building on the successes of the President’s economic agenda, raising wages, and creating jobs across the country. The President also thanked outgoing NEC Director Gary Cohn for his service to the hardworking American men and women who are seeing bigger pay checks and brighter futures thanks to the Trump economy.
Participants in the meeting included:
General John Kelly, Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff
Gary Cohn, Assistant to the President
Christopher Liddell, Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy Coordination
Larry Kudlow, Assistant to the President for Economic Policy
Shahira Knight, Deputy Assistant to the President for Economic Policy
Everett Eissenstat, Deputy Assistant to the President for International Economic Affairs
Statement by the Press Secretary on the Extradition of Yevgeniy Aleksandrovich Nikulin
Issued on: April 2, 2018
The United States is grateful to the Czech Republic for the extradition of Yevgeniy Aleksandrovich Nikulin, who allegedly hacked computers belonging to LinkedIn, Dropbox, and Formspring. Nikulin, a Russian citizen, was arrested by Czech law enforcement and has been in Czech custody since October 2016. Bringing criminals to justice is an important aspect of maintaining the reliability of the internet and defending our core values. We applaud the Czech Republic for upholding the principles of accountability and justice in this matter.
As new studies reveal the shocking link between cell phones and cancer, we ask the audience if they think there is any stopping the momentum of cell phone and wireless technology before it kills us all. We also look at the globalists attempt to invade the United States with tens of thousands of refugees as well as highlight the incredible accomplishment by President Trump to hit an approval rating of 50%.
[from Alex Jones and his merry band of batshit bullshitters]
Missing the Mark is still mad that I didn’t like a few dumb things he said, so he parodied my videos in an evil beekeeper costume. I’m sure it will be a deeply honest representation and not remotely hypocritical.
Published on Feb 12, 2018 by DeflatingAtheism [ https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChQtdEDRCbcBMadX8D5Wmbw , https://www.youtube.com/channel/UChQtdEDRCbcBMadX8D5Wmbw/videos ] A very special address from our newly-rebranded YouTube atheist, Rhetoricked! Missing The Mark's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCIuK0g2IASC08v5jyVQh0Ig “Men who know very little of science and men who know very little of religion do indeed get to quarreling, and the onlookers imagine that there is a conflict between science and religion, whereas the conflict is only between two species of ignorance.” - Robert Millikan “Man without God is a beast, and never more beastly than when he is most intelligent about his beastliness.” - Whittaker Chambers “Fools find no pleasure in understanding, but delight in airing their own opinions.” - Proverbs 18:2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJt84D7yViA [with comments]
Watch Zuckerberg go from denial to apology amidst Facebook scandal
The Beat with Ari Melber 4/2/18
Ahead of Mark Zuckerberg’s testimony on Russian election meddling before Congress, Ari Melber breaks down how Facebook has spent years lobbying against regulation.
Trump ally Roger Stone responded to an interview on ‘The Beat’ where his associates, Randy Credico and Sam Nunberg told Ari Melber he was lying about contact with Julian Assange.
Max Boot: Trump's "love" for Putin undermines U.S. foreign policy
The Beat with Ari Melber 4/2/18
The Kremlin reveals Trump proposed meeting Vladimir Putin at the White House as Republican Senator Lindsay Graham says Trump “for some reason” has a hard time pushing back against Putin directly. Council on Foreign Relations Senior Fellow, Max Boot, Editor at Large of the Weekly Standard, Bill Kristol, and former National Security Council spokesperson, Ned Price join The Beat.
Former Sinclair anchor: They are “not good for America"
The Beat with Ari Melber 4/2/18
Sinclair Broadcast Group is accused of parroting Donald Trump’s talking points about ‘false news’. Former Sinclair anchor Kirk Clyatt tells Stephanie Ruhle the company compels anchors to read “forced-run” and “extreme” commentaries that are “certainly not good for America”.
Richard Painter: Trump EPA chief actions “disgusting”
The Beat with Ari Melber 4/2/18
Trump’s EPA Chief is reportedly renting a condo in Washington D.C. from an energy lobbyist for just $50 a day. Hugh Hewitt notes the designated Ethics officer at the EPA reviewed and upheld the lease but former White House Ethics Chief Richard Painter calls the move “flat out wrong”.
Tens of thousands of teachers, educators and supporters descended on the Capitol building in Oklahoma this morning as part of a long-planned school work stoppage.
The protests happened despite the passage of House Bill 1010, a revenue package that increased teacher pay by an average of $6100 and added $50 million dollars of funding for textbooks, supplies and student activities. After signing the bill this past Thursday, Governor Mary Fallin declared it a “historic evening for the state of Oklahoma,” and intimated that a work stoppage might have been averted.
Those hopes were almost immediately dashed.
Teachers organizations around the state, led by the Oklahoma Education Association (OEA), just about unanimously called for the walkout to go on as planned, citing the fact that the legislature had only come up with $50 million of the $200 million the teachers say they need to pay for everything from textbooks to supplies to extra-curricular activities.
“It amounts to about one textbook per child and that will not solve the funding crisis in education,” Alicia Priest, President of the OEA, said.
VICE News followed Kambra Reynolds, a second grade teacher in Norman, as she went with her fellow educators to the Capitol on the first day of their walkout.
New York Magazine's Jonathan Chait argues that it's not Russia or Stormy Daniels that can stop the president, but rather the disconnect between his campaign promises and his presidential corruption.
Officials remove human role in climate change from report
All In with Chris Hayes 4/2/18
Officials at the National Park Service reportedly deleted every mention of humans' role in causing climate change in a scientific report just one month before Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke testified before Congress that he knew of no documents that had been changed.
Communications between Trump and Putin raise questions
The Rachel Maddow Show 4/2/18
Former Ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul talks to Joy about presidential communications and relationships with Putin amidst a report from the Kremlin that President Trump invited Putin to the White House.
Papadopoulos reportedly says Sessions “encouraged” him to find out about hacked Clinton emails
The Rachel Maddow Show 4/2/18
Former US Attorney Barbara McQuade speaks to Joy about new developments in the Mueller investigation involving George Papadopolous, Jeff Sessions and Alexander van der Zwaan.
Former pick for US Ambassador to South Korea on North Korea relations
The Rachel Maddow Show 4/2/18
Victor Cha, NBC News and MSNBC Korean Affairs Analyst, talks to Joy about John Bolton’s role in planned America – North Korea summit and China’s role in trade agreements and facilitating talks between the U.S. and North Korea.
Trump lawyer asks to keep Stormy Daniels case out of open court
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell 4/2/18
Lawrence O'Donnell explains why Trump’s lawyer essentially admitted Stormy Daniels is telling the truth with a move to force Stormy Daniels' lawsuit into private arbitration. Former U.S. Attorney Harry Litman and Kurt Andersen react to the new developments.
Parkland student David Hogg responds to attacks, boycott
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell 4/2/18
Parkland shooting survivor David Hogg responds to Bill O'Reilly's defense of Laura Ingraham, who drew advertiser boycotts for what she said about Hogg. David Hogg talks about the personal attacks students have faced and what's next for the Never Again movement.
WSJ: Mueller probing Roger Stone's ties to Wikileaks' Assange
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams 4/3/18
Mueller has reportedly turned his eyes to longtime Trump confidant Roger Stone who's had conflicting things to say over whether he ever met with Julian Assange. Our panel reacts.
Kremlin reveals Trump floated idea of Putin visiting White House
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams 4/3/18
The Kremlin today revealed when they last spoke in a recent phone call, Trump suggested a possible visit to the White House by Vladimir Putin - something that reportedly caught Trump officials by surprise. Our panel reacts.
Heineken’s “Sometimes Lighter is Better” Backlash | The Daily Show
Published on Apr 2, 2018 by The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Heineken faces accusations of racism after running an ad that features a beer bottle sliding past three black people before stopping in front of a light-skinned woman.
Ricky Martin - Reexamining Gianni Versace’s Murder on “American Crime Story” | The Daily Show
Published on Apr 2, 2018 by The Daily Show with Trevor Noah
Ricky Martin explains how the LGBTQ community is represented in "American Crime Story: The Assassination of Gianni Versace" and discusses aiding hurricane-ravaged Puerto Rico.
Seth takes a closer look at President Trump celebrating Easter by ranting about immigrants while more key members of his Cabinet are accused of corruption.
Senator Amy Klobuchar Talks About Her Viral Inauguration Selfie
Published on Apr 3, 2018 by Late Night with Seth Meyers
Senator Amy Klobuchar talks about her bipartisan friendships on Capitol Hill and her viral inauguration selfie with Senators John McCain and Bernie Sanders.
Senator Amy Klobuchar Isn't Going to Give Up on Gun Control
Published on Apr 3, 2018 by Late Night with Seth Meyers
Senator Amy Klobuchar talks about the #NeverAgain movement, the president's flip-flopping on gun control legislation and her unforgettable first day in D.C.
Did David Hogg Lie About Being on Campus During Mass Shooting? Conspiracy theorists used an out-of-context clip to raise "questions" about a statement made by a Parkland, Florida mass shooting survivor turned gun-control advocate. FALSE https://www.snopes.com/fact-check/david-hogg-on-campus-rumor-hoax/
Trump Suggested Putin Visit the White House, Officials Say - tie https://investorshub.advfn.com/boards/read_msg.aspx?message_id=139705353 MOSCOW - When President Trump called President Vladimir V. Putin last month, he not only ignored advisers’ pleas that he not congratulate the Russian leader on his lopsided election victory but also suggested that Mr. Putin visit the White House. That was the account of the leaders’ March 20 conversation given on Monday by a Kremlin foreign policy adviser, Yuri Ushakov. He told reporters in Moscow that Mr. Trump had suggested a meeting at the White House, saying, “This is a rather positive idea.” The White House spokeswoman, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, said Monday that the White House was among “a number of potential venues” discussed during the March 20 phone call. She said the administration had no further comment. Mr. Trump had told reporters in the Oval Office shortly after his call with the Russian leader that “probably we’ll be seeing President Putin in the not-too-distant future,” but officials said at the time that there were no plans for the two men to meet before November, when they are both expected to attend a Group of 20 gathering in Argentina. In the two weeks since the call, relations have spiraled downward, with the United States and numerous nations in Europe and elsewhere agreeing to the simultaneous expulsion of scores of Russian diplomats in retaliation for the March 4 nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy in Salisbury, England. Mr. Ushakov said that the two countries had not started any preparatory talks for a White House meeting, because of the tailspin in relations. He nonetheless voiced hope that Mr. Trump would not drop the idea. “I hope the Americans won’t abandon their proposal to discuss the possibility of holding the summit,” he said. Mr. Putin’s spokesman, Dimitri Peskov, however, was quickly quoted as dismissing Mr. Ushakov’s account as incorrect. Just as Mr. Trump has shown a curious reluctance to criticize Mr. Putin, even when the two countries are ejecting each other’s diplomats, the Kremlin and the Russian news outlets it controls have often avoided criticizing Mr. Trump directly. Many Russian officials and commentators have embraced the idea that, no matter how much the two countries shout at each other over the former spy’s poisoning, election meddling, Ukraine, Syria and various other points of friction, Mr. Trump wants a rapprochement but is being held back by “Russophobic” forces in Congress and the “Deep State.” Mr. Trump’s telephone call to Mr. Putin took place six days after Britain expelled 23 Russian diplomats over the Salisbury attack. It angered many in Washington, including some of Mr. Trump’s advisers, who wanted the president to address Moscow’s role in the nerve agent assault and to not congratulate the Russian leader for his victory in an election in which his best-known opponent was barred from competing. Mr. Trump followed neither recommendation, nor did he raise the issue of Russian meddling in the 2016 election. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/02/world/europe/trump-putin-white-house-meeting.html
Congressional Democrats raise ethics questions about Trump defense fund - AP WASHINGTON - Congressional Democrats raised ethics questions on Monday about the framework of a defense fund set up to help pay legal costs for White House, Trump campaign and transition officials caught up in investigations into Russian meddling in the election. Eighteen House Democrats claim the new defense fund appears to be structured more loosely than ones in earlier administrations. Because of the way it's set up, the fund could receive donations from lobbyists or others with interests before the Trump administration — and also could be used to influence witnesses, the Democrats warned in a letter to David Apol, the acting director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics. The Democrats asked the ethics office to provide records documenting communications between Wiley Rein LLP, the Washington law firm that set up the fund, and White House, Trump campaign and transition representatives. In late January, Apol told a group of Washington lawyers who set up the fund that a draft agreement of its structure appeared to be "in compliance" with federal ethics law. The ethics office, however, has not officially approved or disapproved of the structure of the fund — Patriot Legal Expense Fund Trust LLC — which has been in operation since late February. In their letter to Apol, the Democrats, including Maryland Rep. Elijah Cummings, the ranking member of the House Oversight committee, said that while previous defense funds earmarked money for individual officials, the new defense fund "has the authority to pay money to an unlimited number of individuals, with limited disclosure requirements." The fund was established in Delaware as a nonprofit organized under Section 527 of the U.S. tax code. That designation requires the fund to tell the Internal Revenue Service the names of all donors who donate more than $200. The Democrats claim the Patriot fund appears to allow donations by lobbyists or others with interests before the government — and could perhaps evade disclosure altogether. Despite the IRS requirement, the Patriot fund does not appear to prohibit donors giving money "on behalf of other undisclosed donors," the Democrats said. And while Office of Government Ethics guidelines prohibit donations from lobbyists or others with governmental interests, the Patriot fund says donations for legal expenses would be banned only if the donor "indicates in writing that the contribution is being given because of an eligible recipient's position or performance of duties." It's not clear from the fund's draft how donors would be compelled to provide that information. Democrats also raised concern about the fund's role in the possible influence of witnesses. Ethics rules ban contacts between the manager of a legal defense fund and those aided by the fund. But Democrats warned that a loophole would still let the fund manager contact Trump campaign representatives, who could, at the same time, remain in touch with fund recipients. "The agreement does not address the potential for pressure to be placed on potential recipients before they testify," the Democrats said. "The agreement also does not prohibit communications between the manager of the fund and campaign representatives who are themselves under investigation." A group of Wiley Rein lawyers sent a draft agreement of the Patriot defense fund to the ethics office on Jan. 29 after discussions with agency officials. The fund was officially unveiled in late February. Wiley Rein has deep expertise in election law and several partners have a history of ties to Republican administrations and the GOP. A spokesman for the law firm was not immediately available to respond to a request for comment from The Associated Press about the House Democrats' letter. According to the draft, the fund would "be operated as a political organization," with its donations listed in total in annual filings with the IRS. Previous defense funds, such as two 1990s-era funds for former President Bill Clinton and former first lady Hillary Clinton, had voluntary caps on the size of donations. The Patriot fund does not appear to have any limits on the size of donations. The draft explicitly says the fund was "formed to provide assistance paying legal expenses for persons involved in the investigations by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III," House and Senate inquiries into Russia meddling and any other congressional probes. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/congressional-democrats-raise-ethics-questions-about-trump-defense-fund/ original https://www.apnews.com/f033dd3b21e7466e8c24709d906ca889/Democrats-raise-ethics-questions-about-Trump-defense-fund
Israel Reaches Deal With U.N. on Resettling African Migrants JERUSALEM - In a surprising turnaround, Israel announced on Monday that it had reached a deal with the United Nations refugee agency to resettle thousands of African asylum seekers in Western countries, rescinding a highly contentious Israeli plan that offered the migrants a stark choice: deportation to Africa or prison. Under the new deal, the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees committed to persuading countries in the West to take at least 16,250 migrants over the next five years, while Israel will grant official status as temporary residents to most of those who remain. Estimates of the population of asylum seekers in Israel range from 35,000 to 39,000. Israel had told the migrants, most of them from Sudan and Eritrea, that to remain free, they had to agree to be sent back to Africa — not to their home countries, but to other nations. The Israeli prime minister’s office said in a statement on Monday that the deportation plan had been canceled “due to legal constraints and political difficulties on the part of the third countries,” suggesting that the expulsions were no longer an option. “The agreement states that for every person who leaves, one will stay,” Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a news conference in Jerusalem, noting that the refugee agency would be financing the departure. “I think it’s a good solution, a proper solution.” The plan is to be carried out in three phases, with the first 6,000 migrants expected to leave over the next 18 months. [...] https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/02/world/middleeast/israel-african-migrants-un-resettlement.html
Israel's Netanyahu puts African migrant deal with UNHCR on hold JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday he was putting on hold an agreement with the U.N. refugee agency to relocate thousands of African migrants to Western countries. Hours after announcing the deal, which was opposed by right-wingers as it would give thousands of migrants the right to stay in the country, Netanyahu posted a message on his Facebook page saying he was putting it on hold until further review. According to the agreement, about 16,000 of 37,000 African migrants who entered the country illegally would be relocated to Western nations while others would be allowed to stay in Israel. https://in.reuters.com/article/israel-migrants-netanyahu/israels-netanyahu-puts-african-migrant-deal-with-unhcr-on-hold-idINKCN1H91UI
Seven dead in massive India caste protests Seven people have died amid violent protests involving tens of thousands of protesters from the Dalit (formerly untouchable) community across India. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-india-43616242
Alex Jones Hit With Another Defamation Lawsuit, And It Could Go To A Jury Play stupid games, win stupid prizes. Alex Jones may soon learn that ruining the lives of innocent people comes with serious consequences. On Monday, attorneys for Marcel Fontaine ? a 24-year-old Boston man whom Jones’ website, Infowars, incorrectly identified as the Parkland, Florida, school shooter in a Feb. 14 article ? filed a defamation lawsuit against Jones and his publication. What’s more: Fontaine plans to take his case against Jones’ conspiracy-laden site to a jury instead of settling the matter behind closed doors, Fontaine’s lawyer Mark Bankston, of the law firm Farrar & Ball, told HuffPost. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Travis County, Texas, names Jones, Infowars, Free Speech Systems and author Kit Daniels as defendants in the case. Daniels’ Infowars article featured a photo of Fontaine and incorrectly identified him as the gunman who killed 17 people at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. “Another alleged photo of the suspect shows communist garb,” read part of the article, later removed from the website, that showed a photo of Fontaine wearing a popular shirt from 2005 depicting communist leaders partying. The story’s headline, featured on Infowars’ front page, changed numerous times, at one point reading, “Reported Florida Shooter Dressed as Communist, Supported ISIS,” according to the lawsuit, which Bankston provided to HuffPost. Retaliation against Fontaine ? who has never even traveled to Florida ? was swift, according to his lawsuit. “Plaintiff’s photograph spread across social media platforms with astonishing speed, resulting in its distribution to millions of additional people,” the suit stated. Bankston told HuffPost he estimates the number of people who connected Fontaine’s image to that of the shooter was in the “hundreds of millions.” Threats soon poured in against the innocent man, accusing him of being a “crisis actor” involved in a “false flag operation” as part of the “deep state,” according to the lawsuit. “In other words, Mr. Fontaine continues to suffer harassment and peril even from individuals aware of his identity as a Masschusets resident,” the lawsuit reads. The image became so prevalent that even North Carolina Republican legislator Larry Pittman weighed in on what he thought was a photo of the shooter, according to the suit. “Not surprising to see the people depicted on his T-shirt,” Pittman commented on Facebook in reference to a photo of Fontaine that portrayed him as the shooter. “So many of these shooters turn out to be communist democrats, that I suspect they are doing these things to push for gun control so they can more easily take over the country.” This is the second major defamation lawsuit that has come out against Jones and Infowars in the last month. In March, Jones and his program were hit with a suit by plaintiff Brennan Gilmore, who recorded the vehicular attack that left a counter-protester dead during the violent far-right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, last year. Jones labeled Gilmore a “deep state shill” and “CIA asset” who helped organize the car attack (he’s not, and he didn’t). Bankston said his client feels confident that a jury in Travis County ? where Jones started his career and where he recently lost a custody battle with his ex-wife ? will rule fairly. “The jury system itself is more representative of the best that our country has to offer and it’s representative of that community getting to have a voice in what’s being said,” Bankston said. “While [my client] has suffered tremendous injury from this, he knows this is more than just about him. What has happened to him is a matter of public importance. That’s why he’s very confident the people of Travis County are the right people to hear this.” Fontaine is seeking more than $1,000,000 in damages. Jones and Daniels were not immediately available for comment. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/alex-jones-another-defamation-lawsuit_us_5abe758ee4b055e50acd5e45
Here's how Amazon wins the tax war with Trump President Trump has been raging at Amazon on Twitter, calling the company a "scam" that costs the Post Office "billions" and claiming that it pays little or no sales taxes. The claims may not be accurate, but any efforts to curb the ecommerce giant will likely backfire, giving Amazon another win. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/02/how-amazon-will-win-the-tax-war-with-trump.html
The Autocrats’ Playbook By Michelle Goldberg In 2009, Turkey’s tax ministry imposed a $2.5 billion fine for alleged tax evasion on Dogan Yayin, a media conglomerate whose newspapers and television stations were critical of the Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Under financial and political pressure, the company began unloading some assets and closing others. Last month, the billionaire Aydin Dogan sold his remaining media properties, including the influential Hurriyet newspaper and CNN Turk, to a group of Erdogan loyalists. Modern authoritarians rarely seize critical newspapers or TV stations outright. Instead, they use state power to pressure critics and reward friends. As Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt, professors at Harvard, wrote in their recent book “How Democracies Die,” President Vladimir Putin of Russia turned the tax authorities on Vladimir Gusinsky, owner of an independent television network, NTV, which was considered bothersome. Gusinsky eventually signed NTV over to a government-controlled company. Under Hugo Chávez, Venezuelan authorities accused Guillermo Zuloaga, owner of Globovisión, a TV station frequently critical of the government, of illegal profiteering. In 2013, Zuloaga sold Globovisión to allies of Chavez’s successor, Nicolás Maduro. Now Donald Trump is going after Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and owner of The Washington Post. The president’s latest round of anti-Amazon tweets began last Thursday, when Trump claimed, inaccurately, that Amazon pays “little or no taxes to state & local governments” and that the United States Postal Service loses money on Amazon deliveries. On Saturday, he wrote that The Washington Post should be forced to “REGISTER” as an Amazon lobbyist. On Monday, he warned that Amazon may soon have to pay more for its deliveries: “Only fools, or worse, are saying that our money losing Post Office makes money with Amazon. THEY LOSE A FORTUNE, and this will be changed.” Trump’s antipathy has already affected Amazon’s fortunes. He threatened the company during the presidential campaign, and, as Forbes reported, Amazon’s stock plunged more than 6 percent after he won. Last Wednesday, after Axios reported that Trump was “obsessed” with Amazon, the company lost $53 billion in market value. In the wake of Trump’s tweets on Monday, Amazon’s stock fell more than 5 percent. Like the F.B.I., another regular Trump target, Amazon is hardly blameless. There’s a legitimate case for an antitrust investigation of the digital behemoth, which as of last year controlled around 44 percent of online retail sales. Lina Khan, director of legal policy at the antimonopoly Open Markets Institute, describes Amazon as the 21st-century equivalent of a railroad. Many independent retailers feel bullied by the company, she tells me, but have no choice but to use its platform because it’s so dominant. But Trump revealed his motive for condemning Amazon when he called for government registration of The Washington Post. A source who spoke to Trump told The Post’s own Philip Rucker that “a negative story in The Post is almost always the catalyst for one of his Amazon rants.” Trump’s tweets on Saturday came after The Post published a piece that read like an omnibus of Trump sensitivities: “From Mueller to Stormy to ‘emoluments,’ Trump’s business is under siege.” This is not the first time the Trump administration has appeared to be trying to punish enemies in the media. Reporting on Trump’s war with CNN last July, Michael M. Grynbaum of The New York Times wrote that White House advisers had discussed a “potential point of leverage” over the network: “a pending merger between CNN’s parent company, Time Warner, and AT&T.” In November, the Department of Justice sued to block the merger. Meanwhile, Trump uses his platform to praise obsequious outlets like Sinclair Broadcast Group, which ordered news anchors on its nearly 200 local television stations to record Trump-style warnings about fake news: “Unfortunately, some members of the media use their platforms to push their own personal bias and agenda to control ‘exactly what people think.’” After Deadspin produced a creepy viral video of Sinclair anchors reading their script in totalitarian unison, Trump came to the company’s defense, tweeting, “Sinclair is far superior to CNN and even more Fake NBC, which is a total joke.” Sinclair’s regime-friendly propaganda, which seems meant to erode trust in competing sources of information, is also familiar from other nations that have slid into authoritarianism. “When you look at many of these countries, it’s been a two-pronged attack on the media,” Daron Acemoglu, a Turkish-born M.I.T. economist and a co-author of “Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity and Poverty,” told me. “Even before the attacks against the Dogan group started in Turkey, or even before the attacks against a few remaining independent TV stations and newspapers had started under Putin, you had these troll-like media outlets that were flooding the market with what we are now calling fake news.” By the time those regimes moved against unsympathetic media companies, much of the population had been disoriented by disinformation. Under Trump, America has started down the same road. There are many reasons to be terrified of Amazon’s power, but Trump’s ability to undermine it with a tweet is far scarier. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/02/opinion/trump-autocrat-playbook.html
What’s the Matter With Trumpland? By Paul Krugman These days almost everyone has the (justified) sense that America is coming apart at the seams. But this isn’t a new story, or just about politics. Things have been falling apart on multiple fronts since the 1970s: Political polarization has marched side by side with economic polarization, as income inequality has soared. And both political and economic polarization have a strong geographic dimension. On the economic side, some parts of America, mainly big coastal cities, have been getting much richer, but other parts have been left behind. On the political side, the thriving regions by and large voted for Hillary Clinton, while the lagging regions voted for Donald Trump. I’m not saying that everything is great in coastal cities: Many people remain economically stranded even within metropolitan areas that look successful in the aggregate. And soaring housing costs, thanks in large part to Nimbyism, are a real and growing problem. Still, regional economic divergence is real and correlates closely, though not perfectly, with political divergence. But what’s behind this divergence? What’s the matter with Trumpland? Regional disparities aren’t a new phenomenon in America. Indeed, before World War II the world’s richest, most productive nation was also a nation with millions of dirt-poor farmers, many of whom didn’t even have electricity or indoor plumbing. But until the 1970s those disparities were rapidly narrowing. Take, for example, the case of Mississippi, America’s poorest state. In the 1930s, per-capita income in Mississippi was only 30 percent as high as per-capita income in Massachusetts. By the late 1970s, however, that figure was almost 70 percent — and most people probably expected this process of convergence to continue. But the process went into reverse instead: These days, Mississippi is back down to only about 55 percent of Massachusetts income. To put this in international perspective, Mississippi now is about as poor relative to the coastal states as Sicily is relative to northern Italy. Mississippi isn’t an isolated case. As a new paper by Austin, Glaeser and Summers documents, regional convergence in per-capita incomes has stopped dead. And the relative economic decline of lagging regions has been accompanied by growing social problems: a rising share of prime-aged men not working, rising mortality, high levels of opioid consumption. An aside: One implication of these developments is that William Julius Wilson was right. Wilson famously argued that the social ills of the nonwhite inner-city poor had their origin not in some mysterious flaws of African-American culture but in economic factors — specifically, the disappearance of good blue-collar jobs. Sure enough, when rural whites faced a similar loss of economic opportunity, they experienced a similar social unraveling. So what is the matter with Trumpland? For the most part I’m in agreement with Berkeley’s Enrico Moretti, whose 2012 book, “The New Geography of Jobs,” is must reading for anyone trying to understand the state of America. Moretti argues that structural changes in the economy have favored industries that employ highly educated workers — and that these industries do best in locations where there are already a lot of these workers. As a result, these regions are experiencing a virtuous circle of growth: Their knowledge-intensive industries prosper, drawing in even more educated workers, which reinforces their advantage. And at the same time, regions that started with a poorly educated work force are in a downward spiral, both because they’re stuck with the wrong industries and because they’re experiencing what amounts to a brain drain. While these structural factors are surely the main story, however, I think we have to acknowledge the role of self-destructive politics. That new Austin et al. paper makes the case for a national policy of aiding lagging regions. But we already have programs that would aid these regions — but which they won’t accept. Many of the states that have refused to expand Medicaid, even though the federal government would foot the great bulk of the bill — and would create jobs in the process — are also among America’s poorest. Or consider how some states, like Kansas and Oklahoma — both of which were relatively affluent in the 1970s, but have now fallen far behind — have gone in for radical tax cuts, and ended up savaging their education systems. External forces have put them in a hole, but they’re digging it deeper. And when it comes to national politics, let’s face it: Trumpland is in effect voting for its own impoverishment. New Deal programs and public investment played a significant role in the great postwar convergence; conservative efforts to downsize government will hurt people all across America, but it will disproportionately hurt the very regions that put the G.O.P. in power. The truth is that doing something about America’s growing regional divide would be hard even with smart policies. The divide will only get worse under the policies we’re actually likely to get. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/02/opinion/trumpland-economy-polarization.html
At Chicago nightclub, George Papadopoulos allegedly makes explosive new claim about Jeff Sessions A chance encounter with a man at the center of the Russia investigation. At a London bar in May 2016, after numerous drinks, Trump campaign adviser George Papadopoulos bragged to an Australian diplomat the Russians had obtained damaging information on Hillary Clinton. The diplomat reported the conversation to American officials, which prompted the FBI to launch their investigation of the Trump campaign and its connections to Russia. On Thursday at a Chicago nightclub, Papadopoulos had some drinks and, in a conversation with a new acquaintance, allegedly made new and explosive claims about Attorney General Jeff Sessions. Papadopoulos, according to this new acquaintance, said that Sessions was well aware of the contact between Papadopoulos and Joseph Mifsud, an academic from Malta with high-level connections in Russia. Papadopoulos’ indictment revealed that Mifsud had told Papadopoulos that the Russians had “‘dirt’ on then-candidate Hillary Clinton in the form of ‘thousands of emails.'” [...] https://thinkprogress.org/george-papadopoulos-new-claim-jeff-sessions-chicago-nightclub-da653988529c/
Massachusetts man files defamation suit against InfoWars - in re Parkland AUSTIN, Texas (AP) - A Massachusetts man filed a defamation lawsuit Monday against right-wing radio host and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and his Texas-based InfoWars website, alleging they falsely identified him as the gunman who killed 17 people at a Florida high school on Feb. 14. In a complaint filed in a state district court in Austin, Marcel Fontaine said InfoWars posted his photograph on its website the day of the shooting, depicting him as the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School gunman and labeling [him] a “commie” supported by the Islamic State group. However, Fontaine said he lives in Massachusetts and has never been to Florida. His attorneys claim InfoWars targeted him because of a novelty T-shirt depicting intoxicated Communist Party figures. The InfoWars article was redistributed by numerous right-wing websites. Florida authorities have charged Nikolas Cruz with capital murder in the school shooting. Fontaine’s attorneys described Jones’ career as “recklessly opportunistic” for the ways he misleads his listeners. “Mr. Jones feeds his audience a steady diet of false information intended to convince them that a shadowy association of global elites are hatching countless insidious schemes to destroy their way of life or threaten their bodily fluids,” the 22-page complaint states. Fontaine demanded a correction on Feb. 26, but Jones and InfoWars did not respond. Fontaine “continues to suffer harassment and peril even from individuals aware of his identity as a Massachusetts resident but who nevertheless remain convinced he was part of a horrifying conspiracy,” his attorneys said. Fontaine seeks unspecified damages exceeding $1 million. Jones and InfoWars didn’t respond immediately to message seeking comment. https://www.apnews.com/8ea2250d7dc04cafaef41b4aa1907b20/Massachusetts-man-files-defamation-suit-against-InfoWars
NASA's Hubble telescope spots most distant star ever: New images capture 'Icarus' supergiant 9 BILLION light years away from Earth The Hubble Space Telescope snapped images of the most distant star ever Dubbed 'Icarus' by astronomers, it's located 9 billion light years away from Earth The telescope typically cannot spot stars at that distance, but due to 'gravitational lensing' the supergiant was magnified more than 2,000 times Icarus is hundreds or thousands of times brighter than the sun, scientists say http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5570115/Far-away-star-distant-imaged.html
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