How Facebook Played “Instrumental” Role in Rise of Burma’s Ethnic Cleansing Campaign of Rohingya
Published on Apr 11, 2018 by Democracy Now!
In Burma, seven soldiers have been sentenced to 10 years in prison for participating in the massacre of Rohingya Muslims in the village of Inn Din in western Rakhine State. The bodies of 10 Rohingya men were discovered in a mass grave there last September. The victims are among thousands of Rohingya who have been killed by the Burmese military’s ethnic cleansing campaign against the minority Muslim group. For years, activists have demanded Facebook regulate hate speech against Rohingya on its platform, saying this speech has contributed to the rise in violence against the persecuted community. For more, we speak with Zeynep Tufekci, associate professor of information and library science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She is also a faculty associate at the Harvard Berkman Klein Center for Internet & Society. Her book is titled “Twitter and Tear Gas: The Power and Fragility of Networked Protest [ https://www.amazon.com/Twitter-Tear-Gas-Fragility-Networked/dp/0300215126 , https://yalebooks.yale.edu/book/9780300215120/twitter-and-tear-gas , full text pdf https://www.twitterandteargas.org/downloads/twitter-and-tear-gas-by-zeynep-tufekci.pdf ].” https://www.democracynow.org/2018/4/11/how_facebook_played_instrumental_role_in[with embedded video, and transcript]
ACLU: Facebook Has to Do Much More to Stop Housing & Job Discrimination on Platform
Published on Apr 11, 2018 by Democracy Now!
As Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testified to lawmakers Tuesday about the massive privacy scandal enveloping the platform, Facebook has also been slapped with a new lawsuit by fair housing groups who accuse Facebook of allowing employers and housing brokers to discriminate in their targeted advertising. The lawsuit says some of Facebook’s advertisers do not show job and housing listings to African Americans and women. For more, we speak with Neema Singh Guliani, legislative counsel for surveillance and privacy at the American Civil Liberties Union. https://www.democracynow.org/2018/4/11/aclu_facebook_has_to_do_much[with embedded video, and transcript]
Amid Privacy Scandal, Is Facebook Profiting off Data from Children & Teens?
Published on Apr 11, 2018 by Democracy Now!
During Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg’s 5-hour testimony to lawmakers Tuesday about the massive privacy scandal enveloping the platform, lawmakers also questioned him about Facebook’s increasing effort to market the platform to children. For more, we speak with Josh Golin, executive director of the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood. The group has launched a campaign to end Facebook Messenger Kids. https://www.democracynow.org/2018/4/11/amid_facebooks_privacy_scandal_growing_concern[with embedded video, and transcript]
Web Bonus: How “Vulture” Hedge Funds Are Killing Off the Newspaper Industry
Published on Apr 11, 2018 by Democracy Now!
Extended discussion looking at how The Denver Post has launched a revolt against its owner: New York-based hedge fund Alden Global Capital. On Sunday, The Denver Post’s editorial board published a lead editorial headlined “As vultures circle, The Denver Post must be saved.” Alden Global Capital is the parent company of Digital First Media, one of the country’s largest newspaper chains. We speak to former Denver Post editor Ricardo Baca. https://www.democracynow.org/2018/4/11/web_bonus_how_vulture_hedge_funds[with embedded video, and transcript]
President Donald J. Trump Proclaims April 12 through April 19, 2018, as the Days of Remembrance of Victims of the Holocaust
Issued on: April 11, 2018
On Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Remembrance Day, and during this week of remembrance, we reflect on one of the darkest periods in the history of the world and honor the victims of Nazi persecution. This year marks the 75th anniversary of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising, when the imprisoned Polish Jews mounted a courageous and extraordinary act of armed resistance against their Nazi guards.
The Holocaust, known in Hebrew as “Shoah,” was the culmination of the Nazi regime’s “Final Solution to the Jewish Question,” an attempt to eradicate the Jewish population in Europe. Although spearheaded by one individual, this undertaking could not have happened without the participation of many others who recruited, persuaded, and coerced in their efforts to incite the worst of human nature and carry out the ugliest of depravity. The abject brutality of the Nazi regime, coupled with the failure of Western leaders to confront the Nazis early on, created an environment that encouraged and enflamed anti-Semitic sentiment and drove people to engage in depraved, dehumanizing conduct.
By the end, the Nazis and their conspirators had murdered 6 million men, women, and children, simply because they were Jews. They also persecuted and murdered millions of other Europeans, including Roma and Sinti Gypsies, persons with mental and physical disabilities, Slavs and other minorities, Christians, Jehovah’s Witnesses, gays, and political dissidents.
Let us continue to come together to remember all the innocent lives lost in the Holocaust, pay tribute to those intrepid individuals who resisted the Nazis in the Warsaw Ghetto, and recall those selfless heroes who risked their lives in order to help or save those of their persecuted neighbors. Their bravery inspires us to embrace all that is good about hope and resilience; their altruism reminds us of the importance of maintaining peace and unity, and of our civic duty never to remain silent or indifferent in the face of evil. We have a responsibility to convey the lessons of the Holocaust to future generations, and together as Americans, we have a moral obligation to combat antisemitism, confront hate, and prevent genocide. We must ensure that the history of the Holocaust remains forever relevant and that no people suffer these tragedies ever again.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, DONALD J. TRUMP, President of the United States of America, do hereby ask the people of the United States to observe the Days of Remembrance of Victims of the Holocaust, April 12 through April 19, 2018, and the solemn anniversary of the liberation of Nazi death camps, with appropriate study, prayers and commemoration, and to honor the memory of the victims of the Holocaust and Nazi persecution by internalizing the lessons of this atrocity so that it is never repeated.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this eleventh 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.
Statement from Vice President Mike Pence on Speaker Ryan’s Decision to Not Seek Re-Election
Issued on: April 11, 2018
Few Americans have done more to advance the conservative agenda over the last 20 years than Paul Ryan and I will miss his leadership and friendship when he leaves Congress at the end of this year.
Paul is my friend, a former colleague, a true patriot, and I congratulate him on his long service to Wisconsin and to the American people.
As Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan was instrumental in enacting President Trump’s agenda and we will be always be grateful for his partnership and support.
Under his leadership, House Republicans delivered for the American people. Paul Ryan has been a fierce defender of our military, a leader in ushering historic tax reform through Congress, and a public servant with a heart for helping lift up the less fortunate.
I know Paul will continue to be a great representative for the people of Wisconsin through the rest of his term and we will continue to work every day with him to keep our promises to the American people.
Thank you Paul Ryan for your decades of service to our country. God bless you, Janna, and your three wonderful children, Liza, Charlie, and Sam.
Mark Zuckerberg testifies on Capitol Hill (full House hearing)
Streamed live on Apr 11, 2018 by Washington Post
Live coverage and analysis as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies for the second day, this time before the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Read more:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hJdxOqnCNp8 [coverage begins at c. the 1:29:00 mark; the hearing begins at c. the 1:43:55 mark; post-hearing coverage picks up at c. the 6:42:30 mark; with comments] [the hearing also, in addition to the official Committee upload linked above, at e.g. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QmA3TsQ_ULo (comments disabled)]
President Donald J. Trump Signs H.R. 1865 into Law
Issued on: April 11, 2018
H.R. 1865, the “Allow States and Victims to Fight Online Sex Trafficking Act of 2017,” which makes it a Federal crime to own, manage, or operate a website with the intent to promote or facilitate prostitution.
Readout of President Donald J. Trump’s Call with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey
Issued on: April 11, 2018
President Donald J. Trump spoke today with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey to discuss the current crisis in Syria. The two leaders agreed to stay in close contact about the situation.
Wednesday, April 11th 2018[, with an appearance by Andrey Afanasyev]: World Braces for War - President Trump has sent out strong tweets aimed at Russia, but Trump's allies in the media are reminding him the recent gas attack could be a false flag. In other news, we look into Facebook censorship with the dynamic duo Diamond and Silk joining the show. Furthermore, Dr. Shiva Ayyadurai weighs in on the swamp.
Today on FFRF's Ask an Atheist, Co-Presidents Annie Laurie Gaylor and Dan Barker join FFRF Director of Strategic Response Andrew Seidel in critiquing the Museum of the Bible. On a recent visit to the museum they noticed significant factual problems.
Ken Ham and his team have a bi-weekly "news" show, reacting to the news stories of the day from a Christian young-earth creation perspective from the Answers in Genesis staff at his Creation Museum.
Scientist Mel and I join Ken Ham, Dr. Georgia Purdom, and Avery Foley as they discuss aliens, Scott Kelly space genes, and more in this episode of Answers News hosted in front of a live audience at the Creation Museum.
Human and Chimp DNA: Playing the Percentages (feat. Shannon Q) - Creation Today Claims:
Human and Chimp DNA: Playing the Percentages (feat. Shannon Q) - Creation Today Claims
Published on Dec 5, 2017 by Paulogia Eric Hovind and the Creation Today Show managed to catch Dr. Georgia Purdom from Answers in Genesis in a convention hallway where she threw shade on the scientific consensus that human and chimpanzee DNA are 96% similar... dropping that number to a claim of 70%. Creation Today Season 3 Episode 5: - - - CT3-05: Do Creation scientists have the answers?
Excerpts from CIA Director Pompeo’s Prepared Remarks
Issued on: April 11, 2018
Thursday morning, Director of the Central Intelligence Agency Mike Pompeo will testify before the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations as they begin deliberations on his nomination to be the next U.S. Secretary of State. Please see below excerpts from his opening statement, as prepared for delivery.
On Working Closely with U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations:
“Should I be confirmed, the regular contact we’ve established throughout this process will continue. I’ll do my best to pick up your calls on the first ring, and I’ll be a regular visitor to the Capitol. Your counsel and support will, if I’m confirmed, be critical to my leadership of the Department of State.”
On Serving Alongside the Men & Women of the CIA:
“To the men and women of the CIA: To say that it has been an honor, a privilege, and a joy doesn’t do justice to the gratitude I feel to have served as your leader. I’ve demanded much over the last 15 months, setting expectations high. I’ve pushed responsibility and authority through the organization to every officer and, along with that, the required accountability. And you, the warriors of the CIA, have delivered—for America, for President Trump, and for me.”
On Setting the Mission & Empowering the Diplomatic Corps:
“Throughout my time in Congress and at the CIA, I’ve met hundreds of State Department leaders and officers, and I’ve met even more over the past month. In a recent series of Department briefings with team members at State, they all, to a person, expressed a hope to be empowered in their roles, and to have a clear understanding of the President’s mission. That will be my first priority. They also shared how demoralizing it is to have so many vacancies and, frankly, not to feel relevant. I’ll do my part to end the vacancies, but I’ll need your help. And I will work every day to provide dedicated leadership and convey my faith in their work—just as I have done with my workforce at the CIA.”
On Strengthening the Workforce Culture and Communication at the State Department:
“The State Department’s workforce must, by necessity, be diverse in every sense of the word—in terms of race, religion, background, and more. I’ll work to achieve that diversity, just as I have successfully done at CIA, by focusing on mission and demanding that every team member be treated equally and with dignity and respect.
But there is one more ingredient critical to our success—and that is listening to and working alongside each of you and your staffs. I have used, at CIA, the model former Director Panetta suggested to me: fewer hearings, more cups of coffee; shorter conversations, more frequently. I found it most useful with your colleagues on SSCI and hope that you, too, will find it valuable.
All of this—listening, leveraging differences, unleashing talent, teamwork—will become the fabric of a State Department culture that finds its swagger once again. We will be effective, expeditionary, diverse, and successful in fulfilling our mission.”
On Pompeo’s Sense of America’s Duty to Lead:
“Make no mistake: America is uniquely blessed, and with those blessings comes a duty to lead. As I have argued throughout my time in public service, if we do not lead the calls for democracy, prosperity, and human rights around the world, who will? No other nation is equipped with the same blend of power and principle.”
On Being Labeled a “Hawk”:
“I know firsthand the painful sacrifices of our men and women in uniform. So when journalists, most of whom have never met me, label me—or any of you—as “hawks,” “war hardliners,” or worse, I shake my head. There are few who dread war more than those of us who have served in uniform. And there is a great deal of room between a military presence and war. War is always the last resort. I would prefer achieving the President’s foreign policy goals with unrelenting diplomacy rather than by sending young men and women to war.
On Diplomatic Efforts for Ridding the World of a Nuclear North Korea:
“First, diplomatic efforts are underway to rid the world of a nuclear North Korea. There is no higher diplomatic task for the State Department team than solving this decades-in-the-making threat to our nation. The stakes are high for everyone, but I believe them to be the highest for the North Korean regime. The State Department has successfully rallied the world to cut ties and impose sanctions that have had a profound impact. But there is much diplomatic work left to do, including supporting the President’s intent to meet with the North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. That meeting will take place against a backdrop of commitment by our President to achieve denuclearization and prevent America from being held at risk by a North Korean arsenal of nuclear weapons. I have read the CIA histories of previous negotiations with the North Koreans, and am confident that we will not repeat the mistakes of the past. President Trump isn’t one to play games at the negotiating table—and I won’t be either.
On Iran’s Dangerous Behavior & Fixing the Egregious Flaws in the JCPOA:
“Iran, meanwhile, has been on the march and has paid too low a price for its dangerous behavior. Our administration has developed a strategy to counter Iran that will raise that cost. The issues surrounding Iran’s proliferation threat are real and we, along with our allies, must deal with the long-term risk that its capability presents. But we cannot let the nuclear file prevent us from acting against Iran’s cyber efforts or its attempts to provide missiles to the Houthis to attack Saudi Arabia and Americans who travel there. Iran’s activities in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon threaten the very existence of Israel, and the global reach of Hezbollah threatens us right here in the homeland. Iran freed American hostages for the sake of a deal and then turned immediately to holding still more. I will work for their freedom every day.
President Trump is prepared to work with our partners to revise the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action to fix its most egregious flaws. If confirmed, it will be an immediate personal priority to work with those partners to see if such a fix is achievable. The stakes are high for everyone, but especially Tehran. If confirmed in time, I look forward to engaging key Allies on this crucial and time-sensitive topic at the G7 Ministerial Meeting on April 22nd and the NATO Ministerial Meeting later that week.”
On Russia’s Aggressive Actions & Future Diplomatic Efforts:
“Next, Russia continues to act aggressively, enabled by years of soft policy toward that aggression. That’s now over. The list of this administration’s actions to raise the cost for Vladimir Putin is long. We are rebuilding our already strong military and recapitalizing our nuclear deterrent. We have imposed tough sanctions and expelled more Russian diplomats and intelligence officers from the U.S. than at any time since the Cold War. We are arming brave young men and women resisting Russian expansionism in Ukraine and Georgia. This list is much longer, and I’m confident I’ll have the opportunity to add to it today. But the actions of this administration make clear that President Trump’s national security strategy, rightfully, has identified Russia as a danger to our country. Our diplomatic efforts with Russia will prove challenging, but as in previous confrontations with Moscow, must continue.”
On Working Diplomatically with China toward a More Productive Bilateral Partnership:
“Even while America has reestablished a position of strength in our diplomatic relationship, China continues its concerted and coordinated effort to compete with the United States in diplomatic, military, and economic terms. For years, through IP theft and coercive technology transfer, China has exploited weak U.S. trade policy and leeched wealth and secrets from our economy. Militarily, it continues its provocation in the South and East China Seas, in cyberspace, and even in outer space. This administration is determined to work diplomatically with the Chinese government in an effort to develop a more productive bilateral partnership. We have been pleased with China’s support of our efforts to apply pressure on the North Korean regime, but it must do more. The State Department must be at the center of formulating and executing our China policy.”
For decades Hollywood studios needed to follow a strict set of moral guidelines if they wanted their movies to get made.
From 1934 to 1954 every Hollywood movie needed to follow a strict set of guidelines laid out by the Catholic church. They included such things as barring excessive drinking, on screen nudity, and even sexual relationships between races. Enforcement was overseen by the Production Code administration, which was led by Joseph Breen. In order to ensure that the production code was followed the Catholic Church founded the Legion of Decency, a group with millions of members that threatened to boycott any movie that didn’t adhere to the guidelines. For decades every line of dialogue needed to be approved by Breen and his administration, making him one of the most powerful people in the history of cinema.
The FBI is reportedly probing Trump lawyer Michael Cohen’s potential actions to suppress the 2016 Trump Access Hollywood tape. HuffPost's Laura Bassett notes Wikileaks stolen emails of John Podesta were leaked an hour after the tape emerged. The Daily Beast’s Betsy Woodruff and Vanity Fair’s Abigail Tracy also join Ari Melber.
Trump's lawyer for 15 years: Cohen a 'candidate for prosecution'
The Beat with Ari Melber 4/11/18
The lawyer who represented Trump for 15 years before Michael Cohen took over, Jay Goldberg, reveals Mueller’s deputy Andrew Weissmann may be pursuing a bank fraud case against Cohen and says he doesn’t think Cohen “ever handled litigation for Trump". As pressure mounts on Trump’s personal lawyer, former Federal Prosecutor Renato Mariotti speculates that Trump’s pardon power may prevent Cohen from flipping. Seth Waxman and Hank Sheinkopf also join Ari Melber.
Busted: Trump's attack on Comey backfires with newly revealed notes
The Beat with Ari Melber 4/11/18
Former FBI Director Jim Comey sends a warning to Trump that the American people will hear his story “very soon” as new documents appear to refute Trump’s claim that Comey was lying about their conversations. Comey’s former classmate, lawyer Colette Holt tells Ari Melber “its finally time” for Comey to defend himself against “bullies”. Former DOJ Chief Spokesperson Matt Miller also joins Ari Melber.
Ari Melber’s two takeaways from Zuckerberg’s testimony
The Beat with Ari Melber 4/11/18
Mark Zuckerberg may have left Washington D.C. unscathed after two days of congressional grilling, as lawmakers appeared to struggle with a basic understanding of how Facebook works. Ari Melber fact checks some of Zuckerberg’s responses to Congress and lays out which questions still require answers.
There’s a lot that’s confusing about the Cambridge Analytica Facebook story. But at the heart of it is a really simple motivation. Political campaigns want to advertise to voters in the most efficient way possible. That means they want to find voters at times when they’re paying attention and show them an ad that engages them.
A Literal Russian Troll Showed Up To Zuckerberg’s Senate Hearing (HBO)
Published on Apr 11, 2018 by VICE News
Amanda Werner is internet famous for her antics at congressional hearings. And yesterday, when the most famous man in the world of the internet met the Senate, Werner decided to try some antics again.
It didn't work. But Werner isn't sweating it.
In October 2017, Werner — a public interest lawyer and campaign activist — dressed as the Monopoly Man and sat right behind the witnesses at a congressional hearing over the Equifax data breach. All day on the cable nets, there was Werner, twirling the Monopoly Man's moustache as the witnesses from Equifax sweated under questioning.
The image went viral, and Werner became something of a celebrity for wonky progressives. On Tuesday, as Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg sat for his marathon Senate hearing, Werner hoped to replicate the Monopoly Man moment. But this time, Werner was dressed as "Russian Troll."
VICE News was there as Werner tried and failed to make lightning strike twice. It's an effort Werner calls a victory.
How To Prep Before Grilling The Most Powerful Person On The Internet (HBO)
Published on Apr 11, 2018 by VICE News
Rep. Greg Walden, the chairman of the House committee that grilled Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg on Thursday, told VICE News it may be time for other tech CEOs to come before his committee to outline their own data privacy practices.
“This is not just a Facebook issue,” he said in an interview, noting that other internet companies scrape and sell access to consumers’ data just like Facebook.
Walden, an Oregon Republican, said he’d like to know from companies like Amazon or Google, “what are their protections, what are their user agreements? What should we know about their activities? What can they better regulate themselves, so we don't have to over-regulate here?”
Walden chairs the House Energy and Commerce Committee, where Zuckerberg answered five hours worth of questions from members Thursday on everything ranging from its data sharing practices to its efforts to crack down on foreign election medddling. It was the Facebook CEO’s second round of questioning on the Hill, after he testified in front of a Senate panel on Tuesday — part of an apology tour on Capitol Hill meant to reassure lawmakers in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica data scandal.
Walden — an Oregon Republican whose district is home to three Facebook data centers — has been cautious on enacting new regulations to prevent similar abuses in the past. After Zuckerberg's testimony, Walden said he was still giving Facebook the benefit of the doubt when it came to implementing reforms to its data policies.
“They've got to show the consumer just us the consumer that they understand their problem, they're going to fix it and we're not going to see another apology tour in six months or two years from now,” he said.
If Facebook fails to do so, Walden added, “there are things in terms of how we can better control our own data I think if they don't fix we can.”
The Biohacking Company Testing Drugs On Itself (HBO)
Published on Apr 11, 2018 by VICE News
On October 17, 2017, Tristan Roberts, an activist and software engineer, injected himself with a chemical solution that he hoped would modify his genetic code to cure him of his HIV — and he live-streamed the entire thing on Facebook.
The gene therapy Roberts self-administered was not approved by the FDA: It was an experimental compound developed by a tiny startup called Ascendance Biomedical.
Roberts’s public self-experiment drew a new wave of attention to the practice of biohacking, an ill-defined term that means, in essence, biological research conducted outside of institutions like universities and pharmaceutical companies.
Ascendance Biomedical's business model is based on a regulatory loophole: While it’s illegal to market something as medicine if it hasn’t been approved by the FDA, chemical research compounds, typically for use in science experiments, are openly bought and sold all the time — and, legally speaking, people are free to make the individual decision to test them on themselves.
But, like any other startup, Ascendance Biomedical is plagued by infighting, and their philosophical divisions reveal a deeper rift in the biohacking community: While some biohackers are motivated by a desire to subvert a drug approval process they believe has been corrupted by big pharma and the profit motive, others are simply entrepreneurs at heart.
What is Michael Cohen's link to the 'Access Hollywood' tape?
All In with Chris Hayes 4/11/18
New York Times Reporter Michael Schmidt on his story that among the subjects the F.B.I. was pursuing in the raid on Trump's lawyer was the infamous Trump tape.
In the wake of the news that Paul Ryan won't run for reelection, Chris Hayes asks Congressman Michael Burgess of Texas why there have been so many retirements in his party.
Fired FBI Director Comey's much anticipated book describes the various meetings and phone calls he had with Trump, including numerous times in which Comey says Trump confronted him about the most salacious aspects of the infamous dossier.
Paul Ryan legacy gives lie to Beltway's deficit hawk mythology
The Rachel Maddow Show 4/11/18
Rachel Maddow shows how the Beltway media spun up an elaborate myth about Paul Ryan as a budget hawk focused on reducing spending and debt. Ryan announced his retirement two days after the CBO announced a record deficit resulting from the budget Ryan oversaw.
Bannon to Trump: DO NOT COOPERATE (also fire Rosenstein): WaPo
The Rachel Maddow Show 4/11/18
Robert Costa, national political reporter for The Washington Post, talks with Rachel Maddow about his new reporting that Steve Bannon is encouraging Donald Trump to fire Rod Rosenstein, stop cooperating with Robert Mueller, and fire his lawyer Ty Cobb as well.
Exclusive: Preservation notice shows breadth of Mueller probe
The Rachel Maddow Show 4/11/18
Rachel Maddow shares the contents of an exclusively obtained, previously unseen letter to Department of Justice officials directing them to preserve "Documents and Responsive Materials" related to Donald Trump's firing of James Comey.
Trump shoots self in foot with Twitter missile taunt at Russia
The Rachel Maddow Show 4/11/18
Courtney Kube, national security and military reporter for NBC News, talks with Rachel Maddow about Donald Trump warning Russia that he's launching missiles at Syria even though the US has not actually decided what kind of action to take Bashar al-Assad.
Lawrence: Paul Ryan is the worst House Speaker ever
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell 4/11/18
Lawrence O'Donnell argues Paul Ryan earned that title through unprecedented and unrelenting cowardice and by surrendering his powers to the Trump presidency.
Joy Reid says Paul Ryan showed "cowardice" as House Speaker in the face of Donald Trump's norm-breaking presidency. David Frum and Jennifer Rubin join Lawrence O'Donnell.
How Steve Bannon is signaling to Trump 'you're incredibly guilty'
The Last Word with Lawrence O'Donnell 4/11/18
The Washington Post reports that Steve Bannon wants Trump to cripple the Russia probe and fire Rod Rosenstein. David Frum says that means Bannon knows that Trump is in big legal trouble. Lawrence O'Donnell also discusses with Joy Reid and Jennifer Rubin.
The Illinois Senate voted 43-12 to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment. Only two more states are needed and with Senate passage, Illinois is now halfway there. Lawrence O'Donnell explains what it means.
WAPO: Bannon offers Trump a plan to ‘cripple’ Mueller
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams 4/12/18
Robert Costa of The Washington Post joins to discuss his new reporting that Steve Bannon is offering Trump a plan to ‘cripple’ Mueller and his investigation.
Four-star general: Trump will likely strike Syria in next 48 hours
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams 4/12/18
Retired four-star Gen. Barry McCaffrey discusses what an endgame in Syria might look like and predicts that the Trump administration will likely deploy strikes within the next two days.
Fmr. Clinton lawyer won’t say if he’s been asked to advise Trump
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams 4/12/18
Veteran DC attorney Bob Bennett, who represented Bill Clinton in the Paula Jones case, assesses the capabilities of Trump’s legal team while refusing to say if he’s been approached about representing the president.
Trump allies take to FOX News to give him legal advice on Mueller
The 11th Hour with Brian Williams 4/12/18
Late Wednesday, Trump tweeted to his followers that Sean Hannity was going to have a ‘big show.’ This comes as Trump’s legal & media allies take to the airwaves of his favorite cable news channel to give him advice on the Mueller probe. Our panel reacts.
Trump responds to the Syrian chemical attack via Twitter, Robert Mueller is on the chopping block, John Boehner flips his stance on legalizing marijuana and Paul Ryan announces that he is not running for re-election.
As advertisers separate themselves from Fox News host Laura Ingraham, Jordan insists that it's all part of a liberal plot to muzzle conservative voices.
Published on Apr 12, 2018 by The Late Show with Stephen Colbert
Speaker of the House Paul Ryan achieved his 'longtime dream' of passing tax reform and now wants to get away from President Trump, his 'longtime nightmare.
Roy Wood Jr. shares his deep love for 2 Live Crew and remembers the time he got to meet his hero, Uncle Luke, in person -- along with a legendary crew of strippers.
Sarah Huckabee Sanders holds an impromptu press briefing to answer burning questions, like "What excuse has Melania been using to get out of sleeping with Donald Trump?"
Russia vows to shoot down any and all missiles fired at Syria. Get ready Russia, because they will be coming, nice and new and “smart!” You shouldn’t be partners with a Gas Killing Animal who kills his people and enjoys it! https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/984022625440747520
Our relationship with Russia is worse now than it has ever been, and that includes the Cold War. There is no reason for this. Russia needs us to help with their economy, something that would be very easy to do, and we need all nations to work together. Stop the arms race? https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/984032798821568513
Syria war: Trump says missiles 'will be coming' US President Donald Trump has tweeted that Russia should "get ready" for missiles to be fired at its ally Syria, in response to an alleged chemical attack near Damascus on Saturday. http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-43727829
European air traffic control warns airlines about missile strikes over Mediterranean A European air traffic agency has warned of a missile threat into Syria. Airlines told to exercise caution over the eastern Mediterranean through next 72 hours. Russia warns western allies over military action. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/11/eurocontrol-warns-airlines-of-missile-strikes-into-syria.html
Russia vs the West: A War Scenario and a New Logic Of Confrontation How can Moscow respond to a possible US strike on Syria? Will it be forced to admit its defeat? Yes, Russia is a nuclear power, but will it decide to launch a nuclear strike because of the standoff with Americans in Syria, considering that it would be followed by retaliatory strike? The American rational choice theory can fail to estimate the options, when confronted with the Russian strategic culture and its tradition. Russians could push the red button. http://valdaiclub.com/a/highlights/russia-vs-the-west-a-war-scenario-and-a-new-logic/
Much of the bad blood with Russia is caused by the Fake & Corrupt Russia Investigation, headed up by the all Democrat loyalists, or people that worked for Obama. Mueller is most conflicted of all (except Rosenstein who signed FISA & Comey letter). No Collusion, so they go crazy! https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/984053549742067712
....doing things that nobody thought possible, despite the never ending and corrupt Russia Investigation, which takes tremendous time and focus. No Collusion or Obstruction (other than I fight back), so now they do the Unthinkable, and RAID a lawyers office for information! BAD! https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/984020136255541248
Madeleine Albright: ‘Trump Makes Us Look Like a Victim, a Chump’ In the wake of Donald Trump’s election, a troubling word re-emerged in the American political lexicon: fascism. The left says the president mimics strongmen by attacking the media and targeting immigrants. The right claims liberals suppress dissenting views on everything from climate change to gender politics. But is this really fascism? Few are in a better position to judge than former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Born in Czechoslovakia, she fled fascist regimes twice, first during the Nazi occupation of her home country in 1939 and then after a Communist coup a decade later. In her new book, Fascism: A Warning, Albright says she sees a revival of creeping nationalism and authoritarianism at home and abroad. Albright does not consider Trump a fascist, but she says his behavior is paving the way for fascism around the globe. In her book, she studies the rise of past autocrats like Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini and finds similar patterns in modern leaders like Turkey’s Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Hungary’s Viktor Orbán and Russia’s Vladimir Putin. The result is an in-depth look at a changing world order and America’s diminishing role in that hierarchy. I spoke with Albright, currently a professor of diplomacy at Georgetown University's School of Foreign Service, about Trump, Putin and what she describes as an international fraternity of “bullies.” In your book, you write that the term fascism has lost its meaning. People kind of think, OK, well, everything I disagree with is fascist—which is crazy. A fascist is someone who claims to speak for a whole nation or group, is utterly unconcerned with the rights of others and is willing to use violence and whatever other means to achieve the goals. In short, a fascist is a bully with an army. What are some of the key “warning” signs, as you call them? First of all, there’s an appeal to extreme nationalism. We’ve seen that in Europe, Turkey and, to some extent, in the United States. There's this “us against them” mentality, the disregard for the rights of others and a display of popular enthusiasm through rallies. Then there’s relentless propaganda, which is really an attempt to shape one's own truth. Is the United States vulnerable to modern-day fascism? If you look at this historically, fascism can find a foothold wherever people are unhappy and are looking for answers. We obviously have very strong democratic institutions, but I think that there are real questions in terms of how the government is responding to the needs of the people at this moment. That's why this book is a warning. How does President Trump fit into this picture? Let me make this absolutely clear: I'm not calling President Trump a fascist. I am very concerned about his lack of democratic instinct of any kind and his disdain for the press and the judiciary and the electoral process. Are his actions contributing to the rise of fascism around the globe? There are fascists in other countries who are taking some of the things that President Trump says in order to justify their own behavior. Instead of the U.S. being the leader in democratic values and the leader of the free world, the bottom line is [there’s] an empty chair there. Whether you're talking about [Philippine President Rodrigo] Duterte, Orbán or Putin, these people are a bunch of bullies. The president praising some of the aspects of those people, identifying with them, gives them even more strength. When he was in Poland, standing next to [Polish President Andrzej Duda], [his remarks] not only strengthened the anti-democratic things that are going on in Poland, but kind of gave [them] an American blessing, which is outrageous. Are you worried about war with North Korea? It concerns me a lot. I'm still the highest-level sitting official to have met with the North Korean leader. It takes a lot of work and preparation, and you need experts to understand what the background of a particular issue has been and what to push for, what to avoid. From what I can tell, that has not taken place. Is Putin trying to dismantle democracy in the West? He’s trying. You can’t forget that we’re dealing with a KGB agent. This is what Putin grew up on. He is not stupid. He's smart, and he's playing a weak hand very well. Are you concerned about more Russian interference in American elections? I am. We need to have the [congressional] investigations [into Russian meddling] go forward, not kind of say, “It's not happening.” We have an opportunity to stop what is going on. And it isn't just the president. It's on all of us to have people run for office, to voice our displeasure, to really take active measures in terms of pushing back to show what democracy is really about. What do you make of the antifa movement? I don't think one should fight fascism with violence. Violence is a tool of the fascist. What does President Trump’s “America first” agenda mean to you? It’s an unfortunate term from the ’30s when the United States cared only about itself and was isolationist, and things got worse and worse [globally]. This is a very personal thing for me, as somebody who was born in Czechoslovakia. The British and French made a deal with the Germans and Italians and sold the country I was born in down the river. The United States wasn't there. [Today], President Trump makes us look like a victim, a chump. We have the most powerful country in the world, and his whole message is about victimization. “Everybody's taking advantage of us.” It’s ridiculous. What’s the future of the U.S. on the world stage? It's going to take a while to rebuild trust in America and our alliance structure and how we behave, but we have it in us to do that, and we have done it in the past. We are leaders. http://www.newsweek.com/2018/04/20/madeleine-albright-fascism-trump-putin-881813.html
I’m joining the board of #AcreageHoldings because my thinking on cannabis has evolved. I’m convinced de-scheduling the drug is needed so we can do research, help our veterans, and reverse the opioid epidemic ravaging our communities. @AcreageCannabis https://twitter.com/SpeakerBoehner/status/984022770752290818
Ruble falls to a 2016 low after Trump raises stakes with Russia over Syria On Wednesday the Russian ruble hit its lowest level against the dollar since November 2016. The currency is under strain after sanctions last week and tensions related to Syria. One analyst sees the currency as having further to fall. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/11/ruble-falls-after-trump-tweet-raises-stakes-with-russia-over-syria.html
Trump's Russia tweetstorm is just his latest market-disrupting action as the Dow whipsaws President Donald Trump roiled markets once again Wednesday with tweets that escalated tensions with Russia. Traders shrugged off monthly US consumer price data that was in line with economist estimates. The early losses marked a reversal of two days of gains driven largely by reduced fears around a global trade war. Follow the Dow Jones industrial average and Nasdaq 100 indexes. http://www.businessinsider.com/stock-market-today-dow-jones-industrial-average-drops-amid-trump-russia-tweets-cpi-inflation-report-2018-4
Devin Nunes Is Ready To Impeach Someone, And It’s Not Donald Trump “We’re not messing around here.” Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.), a staunch supporter of Donald Trump, said on Tuesday night that he’s ready to begin impeachment proceedings. Just not against the president. Nunes told Fox News that he was ready to hold FBI Director Christopher Wray and Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein in contempt of Congress for failing to provide documents related to the 2016 counterintelligence investigation into Russian interference in the election and possible ties to the Trump campaign. Nunes even appeared to give a deadline of Wednesday evening, warning it “will get really complicated” after that. “We’re not going to just hold in contempt,” he told Laura Ingraham. “We will have a plan to hold in contempt and to impeach.” “To impeach Christopher Wray?” Ingraham asked. “Absolutely,” Nunes replied. “Rod Rosenstein?” “We’re not messing around here.” Nunes also predicted it wouldn’t reach that point because the documents would be turned over. https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/devin-nunes-impeach_us_5acda430e4b06a6aac8cf6ad
As numbers dwindle, Jews who fought Nazis recall struggle KFAR SABA, Israel (AP) - While most of his fellow Jews were being killed or brutalized in Nazi death camps and ghettos, Baruch Shub and his friends were hiding in the forests of the former Soviet Union, trying to undermine the Nazis by derailing trains, burning bridges, sabotaging communication lines and killing the occasional collaborator. “You couldn’t really fight the German army, given our means, but we did our best to disrupt them,” recalled the 94-year-old Shub at his retirement home in central Israel. “Whether or not it made a difference, I don’t know. But it gave me a great sense of joy that at least I was doing something to get even with them.” As Israel marks its annual Holocaust memorial day, those aging survivors who actively resisted and helped shape the country’s fighting spirit are quickly disappearing. Shub is among perhaps only a handful of remaining Soviet partisan fighters. Only two remain from the greatest symbol of resistance of all — the 1943 Warsaw ghetto uprising. Israel will come to a standstill Thursday for its annual remembrance of the Holocaust’s 6 million victims. It falls on the same date on the Hebrew calendar as the Warsaw uprising — the ultimately doomed revolt that played such an important role in defining the country’s psyche. Even the day’s official name — “Holocaust and Heroism Remembrance Day” — alludes to the image of the Jewish warrior upon which the state was founded. Shub said the conditions for resistance were limited given the all-encompassing scope of the Nazi genocide, but those who could fight back did so. With their actions, he said they continued a tradition dating back to biblical times. “Jews always fought for their survival and national honor,” he said. “I want history to remember that Jews did not walk like cattle to their slaughter.” Shub’s mother and three siblings were murdered by Nazis and their local collaborators in his native Lithuania. After a failed uprising in the Vilna ghetto, he escaped to the forests to join the underground network led by famed resistance fighter Abba Kovner. Four battalions of Jewish fighters raided villages for food and supplies and hacked away at communication and electricity lines used by German forces, he said. After the Red Army liberated the ghetto in what is now called Vilnius in 1944, Shub returned to find all its Jews killed by Nazi SS troops. Among the bodies strewn on the street was that of his father. A blood-soaked note in his hand, written in Yiddish, said, “If anyone sees my son, tell him to take revenge.” Israel’s identity is defined by the axiom that never again will Jews be helpless in the face of annihilation. But Shub fears that message is being lost. He is angered that a planned museum to honor Jewish fighters, along with the 1.5 million Jewish World War II veterans, has been bogged down in bureaucratic delays for more than a decade. Dina Porat, chief historian at Israel’s Yad Vashem memorial, said that thanks to the many books, films and collected testimony, there is little danger of their legacy being erased. Still, the live witness accounts pose a powerful rebuke to the current wave of historical revisionism in several eastern European countries seeking to play down their own wartime complicity. Survivors have been outraged by a Polish law criminalizing the blaming of Poland for crimes committed by Germany during the Holocaust. Lithuania also has recently pushed for legislation to prohibit the sale of books that “distort Lithuanian history” by mentioning its complicity. Lithuanian authorities have launched investigations into the partisans’ wartime activities and accused Yitzhak Arad, a former chairman of Yad Vashem, of killing Nazi collaborators who are regarded today as Lithuanian heroes for opposing communism. The charges were later dropped. “There is a process of rewriting history in these places,” said Arad, 91, who blew up 16 German supply trains as a teenager. “We are fading away, so it will be up to the next generation to continue this battle with the tools at their disposal.” There are even fewer who remain from the single greatest act of Jewish resistance during the Holocaust, which wiped out a third of world Jewry. Though guaranteed to fail, the Warsaw ghetto uprising symbolized a refusal to succumb to Nazi atrocities, and inspired other uprisings and underground resistance by Jews and non-Jews alike. Three-quarters of a century later, only 89-year-old Aliza Vitis-Shomron is left in Israel to tell the story. The only other known surviving fighter, Simcha Rotem, is in ill health. Vitis-Shomron said the hardest moment was fleeing just before the Nazis vanquished her comrades. They had few weapons and it seemed pointless to keep around a teenage girl who could escape and tell the world what had happened. “They said I was too young to die,” said Vitis-Shomron, who has three children, seven grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. “I still feel guilty that I got out and they stayed.” Along with her mother and younger sister, she found a cellar to hide in outside the ghetto. She vividly remembers poking a hole in the curtain and watching the red skies above the burning ghetto where her friends were waging war. The resistance movement began to grow after the deportation of July 22, 1942, when 265,000 men, women and children were rounded up and later killed at the Treblinka death camp. As word of the Nazi genocide spread, a small group of rebels began spreading calls for resistance, carrying out isolated attacks and sabotage. The Nazis entered the ghetto on April 19, 1943, the eve of the Passover holiday. Three days later, they set the ghetto ablaze, but the Jewish fighters kept up their struggle for nearly a month, fortifying themselves in bunkers and managing to kill 16 Nazis and wound nearly 100. Vitis-Shomron said that Mordechai Anielewicz and other fair-looking leaders of the revolt had ample opportunities to escape. “They are the real heroes, the ones who stayed knowing they would die,” she said. “They had daring and a will to avenge the Nazis and prove that the Jewish people did not surrender. There were those who fought back.” https://apnews.com/fa04f351fad14088afe7f35615194cdf
Bannon pitches White House on plan to cripple Mueller probe and protect Trump - ludicrous bullshit Stephen K. Bannon, who was ousted as White House chief strategist last summer but has remained in touch with some members of President Trump’s circle, is pitching a plan to West Wing aides and congressional allies to cripple the federal probe into Russian interference in the 2016 election, according to four people familiar with the discussions. The first step, these people say, would be for Trump to fire Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein, who oversees the work of special counsel Robert S. Mueller III and in recent days signed off on a search warrant of Trump’s longtime personal lawyer, Michael D. Cohen. Bannon is also recommending the White House cease its cooperation with Mueller, reversing the policy of Trump’s legal team to provide information to the special counsel’s team and to allow staff members to sit for interviews. And he is telling associates inside and outside the administration that the president should create a new legal battleground to protect himself from the investigation by asserting executive privilege — and arguing that Mueller’s interviews with White House officials over the past year should now be null and void. “The president wasn’t fully briefed by his lawyers on the implications” of not invoking executive privilege, Bannon told The Washington Post in an interview Wednesday. “It was a strategic mistake to turn over everything without due process, and executive privilege should be exerted immediately and retroactively.” There is no indication that Trump, who forced out Bannon and later said his former adviser had “lost his mind” after leaving the West Wing, would be willing to take Bannon’s advice or is aware of the plan. Several Trump aides also remain skeptical of the former strategist’s attempt to insert himself into the president’s decision-making process. “If you say his name in front of the president, it’s not a pretty sight,” said a senior administration official. “The president really goes off about him.” Nonetheless, Bannon’s efforts signify the growing pressure from an influential wing of Trump’s political base to thwart Mueller, who, many Trump allies believe, presents an existential legal and political threat to his presidency. Trump boosters in Congress are preparing to take legislative action against Rosenstein and other Justice officials over the disclosure of documents related to the Russia investigation. That push is seen by Bannon and others in the White House as a cause that could prompt Trump to act and shift much of the Russia investigation to Capitol Hill, where Republicans control both chambers. Trump remains furious with the Mueller probe, which on Wednesday he blasted on Twitter as “never ending and corrupt.” He has also considered firing Rosenstein, whom he has criticized for approving surveillance applications of former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, which extended a warrant that partly relied on information that was funded in a roundabout way by Hillary Clinton’s 2016 presidential campaign. Bannon and his allies sense that Trump simply needs a nudge to fire Rosenstein, according to the people familiar with Bannon’s discussions. They said Trump has recently told friends and aides that he is willing to engage in political warfare in the coming months to stop his presidency from being consumed by the investigation. Bannon’s conversations, including a meeting Tuesday night between the former strategist and Trump confidants, have so far remained through back channels. The 64-year-old strategist has huddled in recent days — at his Capitol Hill townhouse, a Washington hotel and over the phone — with a handful of White House aides, GOP lawmakers and conservative media figures who speak frequently with Trump, according to people involved, who spoke to The Post on the condition of anonymity to discuss private conversations. Bannon’s standing within Trump’s orbit is tenuous. In January, lawyers for Trump accused Bannon of breaking a confidentiality agreement by making critical comments about Trump and his family in “Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House,” by Michael Wolff. Ever since, Bannon has seen his domestic political operation — which was focused on the 2018 midterm elections — fizzle, and his attention has turned abroad to boosting far-right nationalist candidates in Europe, giving speeches and promoting his hard-line views on global affairs. Amid all of that activity, he has regularly spoken with White House officials and lawmakers about Trump and offered informal guidance on issues such as trade and the Russia investigation. Bannon, who has been interviewed extensively by Mueller’s team, remains sensitive about directly approaching Trump with his call to fire Rosenstein and curb Justice’s grip over the Russia probe, the people added, noting that federal investigators could raise questions about such exchanges. Some top Trump advisers, such as White House counsel Donald McGahn, are said to be alarmed by the suggestions to fire Rosenstein or Mueller, worrying that such moves could prompt mass resignations at Justice and a constitutional crisis, the people said. McGahn, who in the past has threatened to step down if the president fired Mueller, is widely seen within the West Wing as liable to resign if Rosenstein is fired. “A guy leaning on a mop over at the Justice Department may be the guy who ends up firing Mueller,” one person said. Asked Wednesday afternoon whether Trump would be pushing out Rosenstein, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said, “I don’t have any personnel announcements.” But she offered no words of support for Rosenstein, signaling that the deputy attorney general’s job may be in jeopardy. Later Wednesday, a White House spokesman pointed to Huckabee Sanders’s news conference when asked for comment about Bannon. Legal experts are dubious about Bannon’s idea that the White House could suddenly claim executive privilege on interviews that were given voluntarily by officials and be able to exclude them from an investigation that is partly reliant on those interviews. They also wonder if this action would even be allowed under the law and are certain it would be challenged in court. But Bannon believes Trump can argue he was given poor counsel by his lawyers on Russia, including Ty Cobb, who has encouraged a cooperative approach to Mueller’s team. “Ty Cobb should be fired immediately,” Bannon said. Cobb declined to comment. The case against Rosenstein has featured prominently in the closed-door discussions among Bannon and other figures on the right, with Bannon arguing that voters in the GOP base will stick by the president if he removes Rosenstein despite protests from Republican leaders and many others. Rosenstein’s approval of the Cohen warrant, which led to raids Monday on Cohen’s home and office, has angered Trump and prompted him to vent over the past day about Rosenstein being “out of control,” one Republican lawmaker said. If Rosenstein were fired, his replacement could reel in the authority that Mueller was granted last year and set new parameters for the scope of the Russia investigation, according to Louis Seidman, a constitutional-law professor at Georgetown University. “Depending on how aggressive this person wanted to be, they could dismiss the criminal cases, they could get rid of the grand jury,” Seidman said. “In the end, if Trump is determined, the people he appoints could shut it down.” For Bannon, this hostility to Mueller represents an evolution. A year ago, he opposed the firing of then-FBI Director James B. Comey and recommended a hands-off approach to the Russia investigation and Justice. “I have the utmost respect for Bob Mueller and Attorney General Jeff Sessions, but the developments over the past two weeks make it the right time to shift the center of gravity of this back to Capitol Hill,” Bannon said. “Make the Republican Party own this, force them to have his back.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/bannon-pitches-white-house-on-plan-to-cripple-mueller-probe-and-protect-trump/2018/04/11/1ec5b1b2-3d9f-11e8-a7d1-e4efec6389f0_story.html
Steve Bannon is reportedly pushing a plan to thwart the Mueller investigation Former White House chief strategist Bannon has proposed a way to end the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 presidential elections, The Washington Post reported. He suggested that the White House stops cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller, who is handling the probe, and fire Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. https://www.cnbc.com/2018/04/11/mueller-investigation-bannon-makes-plan-to-end-probe-protect-trump.html
Israel has intensified airstrikes over the Gaza Strip as tensions rise Israeli has intensified its airstrikes on alleged militant targets in the Gaza Strip, upping the ante on the already tense security situation along its border. Israel has launched several major airstrikes on the Gaza Strip in retaliation for what it says are terror efforts by the militant group Hamas. Tensions along the Gaza Strip may be at their most critical level since Israel entered into a ground war in the coastal enclave in 2014. http://www.businessinsider.com/israel-airstrikes-gaza-tensions-rise-2018-4
Pope Apologizes For 'Serious Mistakes' In Handling Of Chile's Sex Abuse Scandal Pope Francis has acknowledged "serious mistakes" in his handling of Chile's sex abuse scandal and summoned the country's bishops to an emergency meeting in Rome to discuss the matter. Francis blamed a lack of "truthful and balanced information" for misjudging the situation concerning Bishop Juan Barros, who he appointed to the small diocese of Osorno in 2015 despite allegations that he had helped cover up abuse by his mentor, the Rev. Fernando Karadima. Karadima was dismissed in 2011 after being found guilty by the church of abusing dozens of minors dating back to the 1980s. Following a canonical investigation, he was sentenced to a "life of prayer and penance" for his crimes. In the extraordinary three-page letter, Francis also apologized for accusing abuse victims of slandering Barros. "I ask forgiveness of all those I have offended and I hope to be able to do it personally in the coming weeks," the pope said in the letter released by the Vatican on Wednesday. [...] https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/04/12/601742861/pope-apologizes-for-serious-mistakes-in-handling-of-chile-s-sex-abuse-scandal
Breakthrough: Researchers fix Alzheimer's gene Groundbreaking research shows, for the first time, how the most well-known genetic risk factor for Alzheimer's disease causes signs in human brain cells. Also, the scientists managed to correct the gene and erase its harmful effects. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/321455.php
Alzheimer's gene has been neutralised in human brain cells for the first time, paving the way for a new treatment Scientists 'turned off' protein associated with the dementia apoE4 gene Gene damages nerve cells, with one copy doubling a person's Alzheimer's risk Having two apoE4 copies raises an individual's risk of the disease by 12 times Researchers warn therapies that are successful in the lab may fail in patients Alzheimer's disease affects approximately 5.5 million people in the US http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-5598041/Alzheimers-gene-neutralised-human-brain-cells-time.html
World's weather 'facing CHAOS because Atlantic Ocean's circulation is at weakest point for 1,500 years' Scientists say a key cog in the global ocean circulation system has not run at peak strength since the mid-1800s - and is now at its most vulnerable level in the past 1,600 years https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/worlds-weather-facing-chaos-because-12345246
Gulf Stream system at weakest point in 1,600 years A further weakening of the system of currents in the Atlantic Ocean could wreak havoc on the Earth's climate. But there isn't too much reason to be overly concerned about a looming ice age — at least not yet. http://www.dw.com/en/gulf-stream-system-at-weakest-point-in-1600-years/a-43348456
Earth's second magnetic field: Mysterious 'cocoon' that protects our planet from solar storms is mapped from space in stunning new detail New Esa movie shows thousands of tiny fluctuations in Earth's magnetic signals The European Space Agency used three satellites to build the digital map It is the most detailed ever rendering of the signals created by the lithosphere The map is being used to understand more about Earth's geological history http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5602959/Earths-protective-magnetic-field-mapped-space-stunning-new-detail.html
Take a trip to the moon: Incredible 4K tour of the lunar surface shows our satellite in stunning detail The lunar simulation was captured using images from Nasa's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter It gives a glimpse of the moon's dramatic boulders and craters in amazing detail The 4L Nasa film moves between regular videos of the moon to digitally enhanced footage The video is the culmination of years of high-resolution photographs captured by the orbiter http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-5603095/Incredible-4K-simulation-provides-unique-glimpse-moon-stunning-detail.html
Tiny distortions in universe's oldest light reveal strands in cosmic web Researchers map the network of filaments connecting the universe's visible matter Scientists have decoded faint distortions in the patterns of the universe's earliest light to map huge tubelike structures invisible to our eyes -- known as filaments -- that serve as superhighways for delivering matter to dense hubs such as galaxy clusters. https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/04/180410132703.htm study https://www.nature.com/articles/s41550-018-0426-z
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