Global Research

Apart from its propaganda value, U.S President Trump’s recent announcement to stop funding “rebels”[1] in Syria is meaningless.

The U.S-led coalition has been funding and arming all of the terrorists in Syria, and they will continue to do so.

Arms will continue to be shipped covertly by the CIA via airways such as Silk Way airlines, and through U.S firms such as Chemring, Culmen International, Orbital ATK and Purple Shovel.[2]

But the stories, repeated incessantly, and sold to an ever gullible public, are shifting. The original story that there were “moderate” terrorists and that they were somehow “legitimate” is running into difficulties – despite the fact that it is patently absurd and the public usually swallows stories that are the polar opposite to the truth – so now a back-up story is being introduced to divert attention from the previous lies.

In an earlier article I explained this CIA strategy:

The strategy of “stories within stories”, and using competing narratives to confuse, to distract, and to lead the public down false paths (red herrings) is entirely consistent with the 9/11 crimes, the subsequent “War On Terror”, and the criminal invasion of Syria.[3]

Now the minority Kurds are being portrayed as the “good guys”, and so they will be deemed “legitimate” by the purveyors of “official narratives”.

The PKK terrorists from Turkey are now being re-packaged as YPG and SDF in Syria – an alphabet soup of confusion, and the perfect foundation for more stories within stories.

These terrorists are also proxies for the U.S in Syria, and, as with all of the terrorists, they are being used to destroy Syria’s sovereignty and its territorial integrity. Apart from their differing ideological outlooks, the Kurds and ISIS serve the same functions on behalf of their imperial masters.

Now that the U.S is setting up illegal military installations in Syria[4] with the apparent pretext of aiding their Kurdish allies, the Kurdish terrorists in Syria might be more useful than their ISIS, and al Qaeda et al. predecessors. All of which is a recipe for more conflict, death, and destruction – exactly what the imperialists want — so that they can better sell the familiar “It’s a (white man’s) burden, but we are here to help” story.

Notes

[1] Washington Post, “Trump ends covert CIA program to arm anti-Assad rebels in Syria, a move sought by Moscow.” July 19, 2017, (https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-ends-covert-cia-program-to-arm-anti-assad-rebels-in-syria-a-move-sought-by-moscow/2017/07/19/b6821a62-6beb-11e7-96ab-5f38140b38cc_story.html?utm_term=.760c7e36c0e1) Accessed July 22, 2017.

[2] Thierry Meyssan, “Billions of Dollars’ Worth of Weapons Brought into Syria, ‘Arms Traffic Organized by CIA and Pentagon.’ “Global Research, July 20, 2017 (http://www.globalresearch.ca/billions-of-dollars-worth-of-weapons-brought-into-syria-arms-traffic-organized-by-cia-and-pentagon/5600204) Accessed July 22, 2017.

[3] Mark Taliano, “ ‘Stories within Stories’: The CIA’s Strategies to Dupe the American Public.” Global Research, July 24, 2016. (http://www.globalresearch.ca/stories-within-stories-the-cias-strategies-to-dupe-the-american-public/5537635) Accessed July 22, 2017.

[4] Sophie Mangal, “The U.S. Military Bases in Syria: Their Precise Location Revealed by Turkish Government?” Global Research, July 22, 2017. (http://www.globalresearch.ca/the-u-s-military-bases-in-syria-their-precise-location-is-known/5600527) Accessed July 22, 2017.

Featured image from South Front

350 “diplomatic” flights transporting weapons for terrorists – Trud

Azerbaijan’s Silk Way Airlines transported hundreds of tons of weapons under diplomatic cover to Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan Congo

• the weapons and ammunition are usual from east Europe (Bulgaria, Serbia, Croatia, Ukraine …)
• the contracts are with U.S. companies themselves hired by the CIA and/or Pentagon as well as with Saudi and Israeli companies
• offloading during unusual “fueling stops” allowed to disguise the real addressee of the loads

With lots of details from obtained emails.

Ten thousands of tons of weapons and ammunition to al-Qaeda and other Takfiris in Syria also came first from Libya by ship, then on at least 160 big cargo flights via Saudi Arabia and Qatar to Turkey and during the last years by various ships under U.S. contracts from mostly east-European countries.

***

With all the Trump-Russia nonsense flowing around one person’s involvement in the creation of the issue deserves more scrutiny:

McCain and the Trump-Russia Dossier: What Did He Know, and When? – Reason

A British spy. An Arizona senator. And one inflammatory dossier on Donald Trump. The connection between them is starting to unravel…

• there are indications that McCain was the one who hired the company which created the infamous Steele dossier.
• there is evidences that he distributed it to the CIA, FBI and to the media.
• the issue is now in front of a British court.

***

Another Scorpene Submarine Scandal – Asia Sentinel (a bit older but it was new to me)

Document hack could imperil subs in Oz, India, other countries

• a commercial cyber-crime case but likely with state involvement
• French submarine sales usually include the payment of various “commissions” with kickbacks to French politicians
• sometimes people involved in the business end up dead

VISIT MY NEW WEB SITE: stephenlendman.org (Home – Stephen Lendman). Contact at [email protected].

Obama’s war on Yemen, escalated by Trump, bears full responsibility for what Oxfam calls the worst outbreak of cholera “ever recorded in any country in a single year.”

Since April, they’ve been over 360,000 known cases, likely many more not officially reported, numbers rising exponentially.

By end of summer, they could double because of devastating war, creating conditions for the outbreak and spread of the disease.

It’s an infection of the small intestine, caused by contaminated food or water.

Symptoms include uncontrolled watery diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration, rapid heart rate, and abdominal cramps, among others. Untreated severe cases can cause death.

Over two years of US-supported Saudi terror-bombing targeted residential areas, hospitals and medical clinics, mosques, schools, food storage areas, and other civilian targets.

Yemen, the region’s poorest country in more normal times, is devastated by naked aggression, cholera and other diseases, famine and overall deprivation – the world community doing virtually nothing to stop the carnage.

Arms makers love it, profiting from genocide, destruction and human misery.

There’s no end of it in sight, civilians harmed most. A Yemeni child dies every 10 minutes from war-related malnutrition and starvation alone – a shocking indictment of imperial viciousness.

Weapons and munitions makers share guilt with America, Riyadh and their warring partners – guilty of the supreme high crime against peace.

Genocide stalks Yemen – terror-bombing and blockade creating famine and rampant diseases as a weapon of war.

Around 2,000 Yemenis died from cholera, according to estimates, likely many more, maybe multiples more than the reported number.

After returning from a fact-finding mission to the country, Oxfam’s humanitarian director Nigel Timmins said the following:

“It is quite frankly staggering that in just three months more people in Yemen have contracted cholera than any country has suffered in a single year since modern records began.”

“Cholera has spread unchecked in a country already on its knees after two years of war and which is teetering on the brink of famine. For many people, weakened by war and hunger, cholera is the knockout blow.”

“This is a massive crisis needing a massive response – if anything, the numbers we have…likely… underestimate the scale of the crisis. So far funding from government donors to pay for the aid effort has been lackluster at best, less than half is what is needed.”

“Cholera is easy to treat and simple to prevent. We need a massive well coordinated effort to get clean water and decent sanitation to people and simple things like soap to keep them safe from disease. We need an end to country entry restrictions of supplies and people so that we can get on with the job.”

“The war has destroyed the economy and left millions without jobs or the means to earn a living and forced 3 million people to flee their homes.”

“It has precipitated a crisis which has left 7 million people on the brink of starvation. And the war has destroyed or damaged more than half the country’s health facilities and ushered in one of the world’s worst cholera outbreaks in over 50 years.”

“Vital public servants such as health workers have not been paid for nearly a year. Hospitals, ports, roads and bridges have been bombed. All this is crippling efforts to tackle the cholera crisis.”

“Those countries providing the arms and military support, such as the US and the UK, are fueling a war that is causing widespread suffering and tipping a whole nation towards a catastrophe.”

“It is hard to imagine how much more Yemen can take before it collapses entirely.”

Explaining the horror of conditions doesn’t get more stark than that. The death toll is likely multiples more than officially reported, mostly affecting civilians, the scale of human suffering beyond what words can explain.

All essentials to life are in short supply or unavailable to millions. Most Yemenis have no access to clean water and sanitation. Millions face potential starvation.

The only viable solution is ending devastating war, carnage and blockade. Otherwise millions of Yemenis could perish if ongoing horrors continue endlessly.

VISIT MY NEW WEB SITE: stephenlendman.org (Home – Stephen Lendman). Contact at [email protected].

My newest book as editor and contributor is titled “Flashpoint in Ukraine: How the US Drive for Hegemony Risks WW III.”

http://www.claritypress.com/LendmanIII.html

Listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network.

Featured image: A screenshot from Bana al-Abed’s alleged Twitter account (Source: Activist Post)

Ever since the start of the Syrian crisis, the Western corporate media has presented the public with a number of human symbols of “Assad’s brutality” and the Syrian government’s “Crimes against humanity.” One by one, these symbols have been revealed to be the frauds that they are whether it is “Syria Danny,” “Gay Girl In Damascus,” “Little Omran,” or others.

One of the more recent propaganda stunts is the use of a seven-year-old girl named Bana al-Abed. Bana’s alleged Twitter feed has been used and cited by the Western media as not only a tired symbol of the “evil Assad government” but as a rather transparent tool of anti-Syrian propaganda. However, as time moves on, the little Twitter star is being revealed for being much different than what is presented by Western media outlets. In fact, it is rather clear by now that Bana is not a precocious little girl just trying to survive the war but that she (her social media profile) is actually an adult(s), adult terrorist(s), and perhaps a network of people not only connected to terrorist organizations but also to Western intelligence.

Bana al-Abed

Bana’s propaganda story began in September, 2016 when a supposed seven-year-old girl began allegedly tweeting from Eastern Aleppo (terrorist held area) about the tragedy of living under “Assad’s day to day bombing” and “war crimes.” The official narrative regarding Bana is that she lived with her parents and two brothers and that her mother, Fatemah, manages her Twitter account. Her father, Ghassan, allegedly worked in the “legal department of the local council.”

Bana’s First Tweet

Bana’s first tweet was simple enough and poignantly framed to gather attention from Westerners who still have hearts, albeit hearts that only bleed when they are told.

“I need peace,” her tweet read.

After that, Bana tweeted around twenty times, each time complaining about Assad and Putin’s “war crimes” and demanding that both men be brought before the International Criminal Court (ICC).

As Barbara McKenzie wrote for 21st Century Wire in her article, “Syria: Child Exploitation: Who Is ‘Bana Of Aleppo?”

Wee Bana hit the ground running on 24 September with about 20 tweets, and has continued at a good rate ever since, managing over 120 on 4 October (including retweets). I myself used twitter for weeks before I used hashtags and I was slow to learn the jargon. Bana, however, was up to speed from the beginning, and over the first two days we got #Aleppo, #HolocaustAleppo #MassacreInAleppo #StopAleppoMassacre. She is well up on acronyms like POTUS and OMG. Followers were impressed with Bana’s command of English idiom:

***

To have mastered English contractions like ‘I’ll’ and idiomatic expressions such as ‘horrible dream’ at the age of seven puts Bana in the genius category. The problem is, when cute Bana was videoed, it became apparent that she wasn’t a child prodigy at all, in fact she couldn’t put two words of English together if not rote-learned. It was clear that whoever wrote the tweets was nothing to do with the small actor reciting, eg. on her 1st day of tweeting (yes, that was all set to go from the outset too):

McKenzie is right to question Bana’s English skills which seem obviously non-existent to anyone who watches the interviews with her attempted by foreign media outlets in English. It appears Bana’s only English words are “Save the children of Syria.” In one video produced from just such an interview, Bana can be seen being prompted by her mother in answering questions posed to her. At one point, the interviewer asks her “What do you like?” to which she responds “Save the children of Syria.”

So the question then becomes, if Bana can’t speak English, who is authoring her Tweets?

Aside from her lack of English skills, one need only look at the fact that her mastering of the English language as it appears on Twitter is much more advanced than any normal seven year old. This is in addition to the fact that she is able to reference historical facts that few adults (in the Western world at least) are aware of as well as intelligent (albeit wrong) geopolitical analysis. It does not take a highly educated investigative reporter to discover that the Bana Twitter account is entirely fake and nothing more than propaganda.

The Bana Twitter Community

“After three weeks Bana was following 51 people,” writes McKenzie. “None of them would be an obvious pick for a seven year old girl: without exception they were politicians, corporate media or social media activists. Most of them could be considered sympathetic to the war on Syria; many of them have strong links with terrorist groups.”

McKenzie continues,

Iyad el-Baghdadi, Louisa Loveluck, Julian Roepcke, Sophie McNeill – all determined supporters of the Syrian ‘revolution’, are very familiar to pro-Syrian activists who spend any time on Twitter. Bana is also following the pro-terrorist National Coalition of Syrian Revolution and Opposition Forces and the White Helmets – the fake humanitarian organisation that presently has a petition calling for a No-Fly (i.e. NATO bombing) zone in Syria. A particularly sinister choice is @IranArabSpring, which is focused on regime change in Iran, presumably by the same bloody route.

One of the first to be followed by Bana, and typical, was the Australian journalist Sophie McNeill who was instrumental in promoting the Madaya hoax/beatup in January 2016. The story went that inhabitants of Madaya, a town besieged by the government, were starving and that it was all the fault of the Syrian government who were preventing aid from reaching the town. In fact many if not all the photos were fake, aid for three months had gone into Madaya in October, and the chief problem was terrorists selling food at exorbitant prices. Many of the others followed by Bana are likewise involved in pushing misinformation on the Syrian war.

Bana built-up a huge following within days, reaching 65,000 by 3 October. A very large proportion of the followers appeared to be fake accounts, which again suggests that very savvy people are managing the project.

The corporate media, however, have without exception taken Bana to their hearts, with poignant articles free of all doubt appearing in the Telegraph, the Guardian, and on all the main television channels. The New Statesman went on the attack against the many people who have made fun of the account.

I highly encourage accessing Barabara McKenzie’s article “Syria: Child Exploitation: Who Is ‘Bana Of Aleppo?’” for a sizeable sample of Bana’s tweets.

Bana’s Connection To Terrorists And Terrorism

Tim Hayward of 21st Century Wire has written an insightful piece regarding Bana’s family entitled “Bana: The Heartbreaking Story Of Child Exploitation, Propaganda, And Media Falsehood,” where he sources the work of Syrian journalist Khaled Iskef, who lives in Aleppo. Ever since the liberation of East Aleppo, Iskef has been able to travel to the Eastern portion and investigative a number of elements of the war that had previously gone unreported.

Hayward writes,

In this latest video, Khaled takes us on a short walk around the Alabed house and environs, accompanied by Nour Al Ali doing the filming and photography. They show us into the Alabed house, and then into the Al Nusra headquarters adjacent to it.

The proximity of the house to the Al Nusra headquarters is demonstrated – each a few meters from a shared street corner. This explains why the house was in an area being bombed. About 100 men were quartered in the basement of the adjacent building, according to a local witness interviewed.

We learn about the Alabed family. The paternal grandfather was running a weapons dealership and repair workshop for Al Nusra and other militant groups; his sons worked there; one of them had served a criminal sentence, even before the war, for gun smuggling; and we are shown a photo of the now famous granddaughter at about 3 years posing with a serious-looking weapon that is as big as her.

Her father Ghassan worked as a lawyer, before joining the armed groups. We see photos of Ghassan, armed, with the militant factions Al Nusra and the Islamic Safwat Brigade. We see documents showing he served in the Sharia Court based in the ‘Eye Hospital’. Amidst other papers strewn about the abandoned house is one that indicates he was ‘assistant director of the Civil Registry of Aleppo Council’ – a “rebel” organisation with links to foreign states and armed groups in the governorate.

Another document shows he worked as a military trainer and investigating judge for the Islamic Safwa brigades. Prior to 2015 he had been working with ISIS in the Sharia court in the Eye Hospital. We see a photo of him brandishing an AK47 beneath an ISIS flag; and another of him in the midst of an armed Asafwa group. We see him with four brothers, each holding a serious weapon, outside the store.

Also lying around is a dog-eared piece of paper with one of Bana’s famous #StandWithAleppo messages on.

Outside, and a few steps just around the corner, we are taken into the basement. We are now inside the headquarters of Al Nusra. There we see rolled militant flags, Turkish supplies, and a prison.

On this and the other videos there is much more to see. So I recommend them. They don’t have the slick production values of Channel 4 and the other corporate media outlets. What they do offer is honest and dispassionate testimony. Or as dispassionate as a participant observer can be under the circumstances.

As a resident of Aleppo, Khaled is visibly affected by the whole situation. He expresses something close to despair about “the exploitation of children in politically motivated attempts to distort the image of his government.” His fellow citizens in that part of town have confirmed on the video that they had been human shields for the militants.

Khaled also has a word about the little boy Omran who, photographed in the orange-seated ambulance, was another major media sensation in the West. We meet Omran today in videos with Khaled (and others, like this and this). He is in Aleppo, back in his original home, not Turkey. He was thrust into the world’s media spotlight against his family’s wishes. His family is glad Aleppo was liberated from the likes of those that created the propaganda for #Bana.

The Purpose of the Twitter Account

Barbara McKenzie, who has covered the Bana Project at length says there is no doubt that the whole show is a scam and that it is nothing more than propaganda aimed to promote the NATO narrative of the war and to demonize the Syrian and Russian governments as well as Assad and Putin individually.

She writes,

The sympathies of the Bana Project are totally with the extremists who are terrorising residents of eastern Aleppo, shelling western Aleppo, and are in imminent danger of being forced out by the Syrian Arab Army and allies like Hezbollah and the Palestinian Al Quds brigade.

From the first days Bana accused Assad and Putin of perpetrating a holocaust, a massacre, of carrying out a bombing campaign using cluster bombs, phosphorus, thermite bombs, and of course barrel bombs. Since then the account has continued the theme of bombing and Assad/Putin culpability, along with constant calls for the world to do something, ‘to stop the bombing’.

***

No mention is ever made of the terrorists who mow down demonstrators in the streets of eastern Aleppo and prevent humanitarian aid reaching the area. Bana’s family may be in a position to repeat the dubious claim that Russia bombed a school in Idlib, but show no interest in the atrocities caused by hellfire cannon directed by terrorists at western Aleppo. When young swimmer Mireille Hindoyan was killed by a terrorist shell in the Armenian quarter in western Aleppo, the Bana Project, along with the Independent (UK), smoothly implied that this was due to Russian bombing.

***

The purpose of the Bana Project is to create in the outside world a conviction that Russia and Syria are committing serious war crimes by recklessly bombing civilians [eastern Aleppo]. In fact both Russia and Syria have denied that they are bombing in Aleppo, and given that Syria has launched a massive land operation to take Aleppo it seems most unlikely that the alliance is bombing at the same time.

The Defense Of Bana By Other Propaganda Outlets

After Bana’s role as patsy for the propaganda mill, a number of media outlets and typical terrorist-supporters like BellingCat have run to the defense of the shadowy adult running the Bana Twitter account. Of course, all of their defenses center around three straw man arguments they have created themselves. For instance, the defenders seek to disprove the idea that

1.) Bana does not exist

2.) Bana herself is a terrorist

3.) Bana does not live in Aleppo.

Personally, I have never heard anyone argue the first two claims as they are ridiculous. Thus, the claims are likely the result of people like Bellingcat himself who wish to create a straw man, debunk it, and then claim intellectual victory.

The third, however, is legitimate. There is little way to know for sure at this point, but one question that must be asked is how Bana and her family were constantly able to tweet from East Aleppo when there was no power where she was supposed to be located? Indeed, the independent journalists who traveled to East Aleppo during that time all reported extreme difficulty in accessing the Internet, if not outright impossibility. Thus, it is hard to believe that the Bana Twitter account had access to the only Internet and power supply in the entirety of East Aleppo.

Conclusion

At the end of the day, Bana, who mainstream media outlets, never missing a chance to pimp the holocaust, have named the “Anne Frank of Syria,” is just one more in a long line of propaganda figures produced by the U.S. State Department, Western-backed White Helmets, and the corporate media. Ironically, it is now being reported that Bana is preparing a book of memoirs, no doubt a vomit-inducing pamphlet that will be shoved down the throats of Westerners in order to pull on what little heart strings they have left. The evidence is clear, however, where Bana al-Abed may be, she is most certainly not on Twitter.

Brandon Turbeville – article archive here – is the author of seven books, Codex Alimentarius — The End of Health Freedom, 7 Real Conspiracies, Five Sense Solutions and Dispatches From a Dissident, volume 1 andvolume 2, The Road to Damascus: The Anglo-American Assault on Syria, The Difference it Makes: 36 Reasons Why Hillary Clinton Should Never Be President, and Resisting The Empire: The Plan To Destroy Syria And How The Future Of The World Depends On The Outcome. Turbeville has published over 1000 articles on a wide variety of subjects including health, economics, government corruption, and civil liberties. Brandon Turbeville’s radio show Truth on The Tracks can be found every Monday night 9 pm EST atUCYTV. His website is BrandonTurbeville.com He is available for radio and TV interviews. Please contact activistpost (at) gmail.com.

Massive aid effort and cease-fire needed as rainy season approaches.

The number of people with cholera in Yemen is now the largest ever recorded in any country in a single year, Oxfam said today. At over 360,000 suspected cholera cases in just three months since the outbreak started, it is now already the largest number of cases in a year, topping the previous annual record of 340,311 in Haiti in 2011. 

Though there are signs that the increase in numbers is slowing, the country’s rainy season from July to September will increase the risk of the disease spreading further. It is feared that the total number of people infected could eventually rise to over 600,000, making it one of the largest outbreak since records began in 1949.

Almost 2,000 people in Yemen have died from suspected cholera since late April this year and many more are now at risk, weakened by hunger, disease and the ongoing war.

Nigel Timmins, Oxfam’s Humanitarian Director who has just returned back from a fact finding mission to Yemen, said: 

“It is quite frankly staggering that in just three months more people in Yemen have contracted cholera than any country has suffered in a single year since modern records began. Cholera has spread unchecked in a country already on its knees after two years of war and which is teetering on the brink of famine. For many people, weakened by war and hunger, cholera is the knockout blow.

“This is a massive crisis needing a massive response – if anything the numbers we have are likely to underestimate the scale of the crisis. So far funding from government donors to pay for the aid effort has been lacklustre at best, less than half is what is needed.

“Cholera is easy to treat and simple to prevent. We need a massive well coordinated effort to get clean water and decent sanitation to people and simple things like soap to keep them safe from disease. We need an end to country entry restrictions of supplies and people so that we can get on with the job.

“The war has destroyed the economy and left millions without jobs or the means to earn a living and forced 3 million people to flee their homes. It has precipitated a crisis which has left 7 million people on the brink of starvation. And the war has destroyed or damaged more than half the country’s health facilities and ushered in one of the world’s worst cholera outbreaks in over 50 years.

“Vital public servants such as health workers have not been paid for nearly a year. Hospitals, ports, roads and bridges have been bombed. All this is crippling efforts to tackle the cholera crisis.

“Those countries providing the arms and military support, such as the US and the UK, are fuelling a war that is causing wide-spread suffering and tipping a whole nation towards a catastrophe. It is hard to imagine how much more Yemen can take before it collapses entirely.”

War has had a devastating effect on Yemen’s people and its infrastructure – almost 5,000 civilians have been killed in the fighting and parts of the country stand on the brink of famine. Health, water and sanitation systems have been bombed to the point of collapse leaving over 15 million people without adequate access to clean drinking water and safe sanitation. Millions more are hungry and need help in getting a decent meal.

Waste is piling up on the streets and in the settlements of displaced people because sanitation services, severely damaged by the two year war, cannot cope. Aid agencies tackling the cholera crisis are in danger of being overwhelmed by the scale of the outbreak.

Meanwhile, the world’s major arms exporters – which include the UK and US – are making more money from arming the Saudi led coalition force than they are spending on Yemen’s humanitarian appeal. In 2016, Saudi Arabia spent nearly $3 billion on arms from the world’s major arms exporters. As of this month, many of those same governments had given just $620 million toward the $2.1 billion UN appeal for Yemen.

Oxfam is calling for an immediate cease-fire to enable a nationwide cholera campaign to tackle the disease unhindered by fighting and allow people to get their lives back together. It is calling for the opening of ports and Sanaa airport to allow a massive injection of aid and for the UN and aid agencies’ appeal to be fully funded.

Featured image: Northeast exposure of Al-Aqsa Mosque on the Haram al-Sharif, in the Old City of Jerusalem. Considered to be the third holiest site in Islam after Mecca and Medina. (Source: Andrew Shiva / Wikimedia Commons)

As usual, commentary on the latest stand-off between Israel’s forces and Palestinian Muslims due to the closure of al-Aqsa mosque compound to Friday prayers on July 21, 2017 was confusing.

One commentary goes like this: Yes, these are Muslims being killed, gassed and pushed around, but the “clashes” are not really about the encroachment on al-Aqsa by the so-called Temple movement – a messianic Jewish extremist movement supported by the Israeli government that aims to replace Al-Aqsa with a Jewish temple; that’s just a pretext, a provocation designed to allow Israel to perfect its Jewish nationalist goals in Jerusalem or to cloak colonialism.

Yes, Israel has been vigorously judaizing illegally annexed and occupied East Jerusalem, but the thousands of devout Jews colonizing the city have nothing to do with Judaism – they are there simply as a front for the settler colonial state – and a provocation to push Palestinian Arabs out, who just happen to be mostly Muslim.

Well, it looks like Muslims in Palestine on either side of the Green Line, not to mention in the Gaza enclave, believe deeply Israel is all about Judaism – as much or even more so than about nationalism – especially in al-Quds (Jerusalem).

Since Palestinians on the street are praying, speaking and shouting in Arabic, much of what they are saying goes over the heads of the non-Arabic speaking TV viewer, and that includes the majority of Israeli Jews.

The following is a translation of a speech, captured on video and posted on Facebook. The setting is Salah-al-Din Street close to one of the gates of the Old City (Bab al-Amoud). The speaker is addressing a crowd of worshippers who had been prevented by Israeli police from accessing al-Aqsa mosque for Friday prayer.

These crowds standing here are sending one message to the whole world that al-Quds is Arabic, Islamic and Palestinian, a city that raises the heads of al umma up high everywhere – this is how al-Quds was; this is how al-Aqsa was and so it will be. (Chants of Allahuakbar). We repeat, these crowds of people come here to pray and nobody can put a stop to them or the freedom of worship. The majority of Muslims in this homeland are unable to reach al-Aqsa mosque. That’s why the occupation is responsible. We refuse the gates because they are coming from the occupation; if they place roses in al-Aqsa, we will refuse it because it is coming from the occupation … we are for life, not death, but a life with dignity. Life needs a stand for dignity and as we said in the past and say and repeat now al-Aqsa mosque is a place of worship for Muslims period. During the time of the Crusades and foreign invasions the gates of the al-Aqsa mosque were closed for 90 years. The foreigners left and al-Aqsa mosque remained and that is what must be. Be certain that the stand you are taking now is one that has moved the world – the stand of the youth with whom we stood in solidarity all week is what has moved the world and that is what will impose justice and truth that al-Aqsa is for Muslims (chants) You are chanting here that al-Aqsa mosque is sorrowful. You are here to make a stand for the dignity and authenticity of al-Aqsa whether they like it or not. Say it along with me – al-Aqsa mosque is a place of worship for Muslims. May the blessing and mercy of God be upon you (assalmu alaikum wa rahmatu allahu wa barakatoh).

The attitude reflected by Jewish youth who have been parading through the Old City on Jerusalem Day since May 12, 1968, shouting racist chants against Arabs (a euphemism for Muslim), has much to do with Judaism and the role that the city plays in its ancient traditions.

Unfortunately for the Zionist project, it is Palestinian Arabs – Jews, Christians and Muslims – who are the true heirs of that tradition and not immigrant or colonizing Jews.  The Palestinian speaker above claims the heritage of Al-Aqsa for all the Muslim “umma”, but he understands it as a spiritual heritage, not as a nationalist one.  It’s the same for Christians worldwide; the Holy Land has not been turned into a real-estate bargain for Christians worldwide despite their historic connection to the land.  But by claiming Palestine for all Jews worldwide, Zionist nationalism as a “homeland for Jews” does not make any distinctions.

In The Zionist Idea: A Historical Analysis and Reader, Arthur Hertzberg writes:

Zionism cannot be typed, and therefore easily explained, as a ‘normal’ kind of national risorgimento. To mention only one important difference, all of the other 19th-century nationalisms based their struggle for political sovereignty on an already existing national land or language (generally there were both). Zionism alone chose to acquire both of these usual conditions of national identity by the elan of its nationalist will. It is therefore a maverick in the history of modern nationalism, and it simplifies the task of general historians to regard it, at least by implication, as belonging only on the more parochial stage of the inner history of the Jewish community.

The “right” to establish Israel in Palestine is predicated on the powerful mythical idea of Palestine as the religious homeland of the Jews and both secular Zionists as well as religious Zionists are wedded to this notion.  It is a mistake to believe that the religious war brewing now in Palestine is not part and parcel of the Zionist project in a fundamental way, and not simply as a political strategy.

Rima Najjar is a Palestinian whose father’s side of the family comes from the forcibly depopulated village of Lifta on the western outskirts of Jerusalem. She is an activist, researcher and retired professor of English literature, Al-Quds University, occupied West Bank.

In the wake of Senate Republicans’ ever-deepening debacle over their flailing attempts to strip health insurance from 22 million people, Majority Leader Mitch McConnell is desperate to do something – anything – to show that he can get legislation passed. To this end, he’s bypassing the standard committee review process to push a complex 850+ page energy bill straight to the full Senate floor. Perhaps not surprisingly, this legislation, the Energy and Natural Resources Act of 2017, would be a disaster for public health and our climate.

Despite its benign-sounding name, the bill would be a catastrophe, effectively locking the US into fossil-fuel dependency for decades. This dirty energy legislation would allocate millions of dollars for the discovery and extraction of fossil fuels off US coastal waters, speed up the review period required for fracked gas terminals, and instruct the Bureau of Land Management to create a program to expedite drilling and fracking permits. These are shameful giveaways to the oil and gas industry—directly in line with Trump’s pro-fossil fuel agenda.

Even worse, the bill gives no mention of clean wind and solar power – precisely at a moment in our history when we need to transition to 100 percent renewable energy now. The science is clear: If we’re going to have a chance of avoiding the worst of climate catastrophes and public health crises in coming years, we need to get off fossil fuels immediately.

Thankfully, the Trump/McConnell dirty energy bill could be shelved indefinitely. After all, the Republicans are looking for an easy win, and any significant opposition from Democrats to this bill would deter them from proceeding. But as of this publication, not a single Senate Democrat has come out against the legislation!

Senate Democrats need to hear from all of us urgently – tell them to oppose the Trump/McConnell Dirty Energy Bill now.

We know who Trump and McConnell are really looking out for: their deep-pocketed Big Oil and Gas donors. But we have a chance to stop this bill and move immediately on the path to the Clean Energy Revolution. We must each tell our senators to stand up to this dangerous bill, and publicly oppose it. Our health and the future of our planet depend on it.

Featured image from Food & Water Watch

For informational purposes only (GR Editor)

On 18.7.2017 the Head of the Donetsk People’s Republic, Alexander Zakharchenko, gave a declaration on the creation of a new federal state, Malorossiya, which will become the legal successor of ‘Ukraine’. The new state formation will consist of 19 regions of the former Ukraine with the capital in Donetsk city. Kiev remains a historical and cultural center without the status of the capital city.

Here is the full English translation of the declaration:

Political Declaration

The project of the state of “Ukraine”, formulated one hundred and fifty years ago and implemented in different versions during the twentieth century, has reached its logical conclusion and led to the country’s disintegration, the civil war and the death of tens of thousands of people, including children, women, and elderly people. And this process is irreversible. An attempt to turn the story back will result in “balkanization” of the conflict, expansion of chaos, escalation of the civil war and even bigger number of casualties.

To stop the civil war and avoid new victims, we, representatives of the majority of the regions of the former “Ukraine” assembled in Donetsk on July 18, 2017, discussed the current situation and came to the following conclusions:

– the state of “Ukraine” has revealed itself as a failed state and demonstrated its being incapable of granting its inhabitants a peaceful and prosperous present and future;

– the current authorities – ‘president’ Poroshenko and the Verkhovna Rada – elected in Kiev after the coup d’etat against the backdrop of political terror and the absence of elections in the Crimea and Donbass, are illegitimate;

– the state of “Ukraine” is on the brink of economic catastrophe and depopulation;

– an ultranationalist coup is brewing in Kiev, as a result of which outright neo-Nazis will come to power instead of “Banderites with a European face”;

– as a result of the neo-Nazi coup, a civil war of all against all will begin in the country and cause its subsequent disintegration;

– the Ukrainian nationalistic project (the Galician one) has discredited itself by the shedding of civilians’ blood in the country;

– the ideology of “Ukrainism” has proved to be misanthropic, mixed with xenophobia (Russophobia, anti-Semitism, Polonophobia) and neo-Nazism (the ideology of national exclusivity and superiority);

– resulting from historical development and due to the Maidan, the word “Ukraine” is forever associated with the names of the Nazi accomplices Bandera and Shukhevich, with the tragedies of the Baby Yar, the Volyn massacre and Khatyn, and, nowadays, with mass murders of people on the Maidan, in the Trade Unions’ House in Odessa, and the Genocide of the Donbass people.

On the basis of the above, we believe that the state of “Ukraine” in the form it was established after the collapse of the USSR is UNSERVICEABLE.

We, representatives of the regions of the former “Ukraine”, propose to re-establish the state and to proclaim the state of MALOROSSIYA under historical background out of the former “Ukraine”. In this case, it is of fundamental importance to rename the country, since “Ukraine” as a state is guilty of war crimes, mass terror and genocide of its own people.

In turn, the new name of the country based on historical traditions will enable us to reunify those pieces of the former “Ukraine” that seemed to have parted ways forever, including because of participation in the civil war on different sides of the front line.

We must turn the page of our people’s history which is flooded with the blood of our brothers and sisters.

Malorossiya is an INDEPENDENT, SOVEREIGN state with a new name, a new flag, a new constitution, a new state structure, new principles of social and economic development, and new historical prospectives. But this is NOT A REVOLUTION! This is a return to history. This is a novelty that restores, not destroys.

In view of the economic plight of the country, the chaos and disintegration potential, regarding the possibility of launching a “war of all against all”, we consider it necessary to declare a state of emergency for the transition period – up to 3 years. During this time, the process of adoption of the new Constitution and the establishment of the rule of law should be completed.

Under a state of emergency, a ban on the activities of political parties and foreign funds is to be introduced, and penalties for criminal offenses, especially against the person, are to be increased. The fight against corruption will be toughened, as well as penalties for it. The shadow arms market is to be eliminated, including by registering weapons in accordance with the new law.

In the same period, an investigation is to be carried out with the involvement of foreign specialists – from Russia, Belarus, the European Union – into the crimes committed by the Maidan Kiev regime: murders on the Maidan, the murder of Odessa citizens in the Trade Unions’ House on May 2, 2014, war crimes in Donbass in the so-called ATO.

In the same period, the People’s Tribunal is to be prepared to charge the state criminals who have led the country to disintegration and civil war: V.F. Yanukovich (with a request to Russia for his extradition), P.A. Poroshenko and his clique: Turchinov, Yatsenyuk, Kolomoisky, Paruby, Nalivaichenko and others.

We are sure that, having recovered from the criminal neo-Nazi ideology of “Ukrainism”, we will be able to build a new society on the basis of friendship and mutual assistance, but not hatred and envy. The creative genius of our people will manage to bring Malorossiya to the forefront of global civilization and play a role in history. The role of Good and Truth.

Official translation by the DONi Donbass News Agency

All images in this article are from the author.

In recent times, there hasn’t been much cheery in the power circles of Washington. The US is gradually finding itself unmoored and floating from international agreements at a dizzying rate. Its president is cool-mad distant, self-serving and occasionally clenching in peculiarity. And the traditional buffet room of conflict continues to be stacked with US interests and US armaments, armaments sales and exchanges.

Last week, however, activity of a different sort took place. The House of Representatives, often asleep at the wheel of history, arose from their ignorant slumber. The issue of concern was the war in Yemen, where the US-backed Saudi-UAE effort against the Houthi-Saleh alliance continues its blood-soaked merry way.

Yemen has every reason to be on the US radar, though how if filters through to the body polity is something else. A Navy SEAL was lost in a raid against al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula as one of the first authorised foreign acts of engagement by President Donald Trump. It was a raid sizzling with some notoriety, not least because it cost the lives of 8-year-old Nawar al-Awlaki and involved the actual physical deployment of US boots on the ground.

The range of interests at play in the small country is bewildering: the Saudis on the one hand, pushing for their case for the overthrown Sunni government; the Iranians on the other, vicariously, and actively, supplying their Shia Houthi counterparts; and the US itself, keen on focusing on the bubbling fundamentalists of al-Qaida.

Congress has shown varied degrees of interest in the conflict, even if has been tinged with ample amounts of disingenuousness. Blocking the Trump administration’s efforts to cut US humanitarian assistance was certainly laudable. Even better was the appropriating of $1 billion of additional aid to the beleaguered state.

But what is given with one pure washed hand is taken away with the other grubbier one, notably in terms of allowing the munitions and equipment for the conflict to continue. US arms exporters, as Trump has made so clear, will not be denied.

US representatives saw their chance to make a further contribution to the debate with amendments to the annual National Defence Authorisation Act (NDAA) on the subject of support for Riyadh. Rep. Ro Khanna from California was keen to cut the funding line to refuelling coalition aircraft, while also calling for an inspector general report on the possible perpetration of war crimes by the coalition. That very fact would bar the continued supply of air-to-ground munitions.[1]

Rep. Warren Davidson (R-Ohio) also advanced an amendment forbidding US military action in Yemen that does not fall within the 2001 Authorisation for Use of Military Force Against Terrorists (AUMF). The motivation behind this legislative measure should, technically, be a non sequitur, given the fact that US participation in Yemen is not, in any case, authorised by the AUMF with the one caveat about operations against al-Qaida. But spelling out the obvious is such an important feature of these political engagements, a back hand confession of confused illegality.

There is, at least, some awareness about the indispensable nature of Washington’s backing to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. “The Saudis,” noted Connecticut Democratic Sen. Chris Murphy, “simply could not operate this bombing campaign without us. Their planes can’t fly without US refuelling capacity.”[2]

Senator Murphy, at the very least, notes the gruesome fact that American largesse and Yemeni citizens share an inseparably bloody bond in the conflict. “There’s a US imprint on every civilian death inside Yemen that’s caused by the Saudi bombing campaign.” The munitions dropped have been US in provenance; intelligence was being shared and distributed between the Saudi-UAE grouping and US officials.

Since October, the Saudi-led coalition has proven particularly voracious in, of all things, the re-fuelling department. Washington has doubled the amount, while most of the bombers that have been fuelled by the US, according to Pentagon sources, are from the UAE.

The theme of the useless obviousness also tells with the Nolan amendment, advanced by the Minnesota Democrat Nolan which prohibits the deployment of US troops to the Yemen conflict. One thing to be said about this particular measure is that it would block the US refuelling of UAE and Saudi aircraft operating against targets in Yemen.[3]

Things are not looking for rosy for a mutilated Yemen, now in the grip of famine and a cholera outbreak that has affected tens of thousands. The terms of suffering are staggering for a state essentially on death row, with 18.8 million Yemenis needing humanitarian assistance. The point is further hampered by the partial aerial and naval blockade of the state imposed by the coalition.[4]

In what can only be regarded as the pale sick irony of the entire conflict, Saudi Arabia’s new crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, was not only a key decision maker in pushing the Yemen conflict, but also an enthusiastic donor to UNICEF and the WHO’s anti-cholera efforts.[5]

This remains a conflict without end, violent in its circularity and contradictions. The one group that can truly be said to have done well in amidst the slaughter and disease is al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula. Their existence remains a siren call for the next haphazard US mission.

Dr. Binoy Kampmark was a Commonwealth Scholar at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He lectures at RMIT University, Melbourne. Email: [email protected]

Notes

Now, and for many decades past, the American public has displayed far higher confidence and trust in “The Military” than in any other “Institution” (including than churches, schools, the Presidency, the police, courts — any). 

And yet — according to the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Defense — many billions, and sometimes even trillions, of dollars, in the Department’s periodic financial reports, are not documented. What has happened to the taxpayers’ money is unknown — it’s missing (alleged to have been spent, but to payees unidentified). 

According to the DOD’s IG, this goes on year-after-year (yet without at all reducing Americans’ trust in “The Military”). Apparently, Americans, as a lot, are gluttons for punishment — or else our ’news’media haven’t sufficiently reported the “waste, fraud, and abuse” that “The Military” are doing to the American public. Either way, there is this extraordinarily high public confidence in the military ongoing year-after-year though the U.S. DOD continues to be the only unauditable federal Department, and expenditures amounting (over the years) into trillions of dollars remain unaccounted-for. But here will now be the American ‘news’media’s chance to call to the public’s attention this discrepancy between the military’s reality and the public’s perceptions of that reality, by publishing this documentation:

On July 14th, Catherine Austin Fitts posted to her website links to some of the key relevant federal documents. Her site is linked-to below, and some of the documents that refer to trillions of dollars unaccounted-for are also linked-to below, and are then quoted from, so that a reader can obtain a sense both of the enormity of the corruption, and also of the authoritativeness of the official statements that are being made here, regarding that corruption. 

I am using here the word “corruption” because whenever an official finding by a U.S. government agency is reporting trillions of dollars of taxpayer money that have been spent for purposes and recipients that are unknown, I call it “corruption,” on the basis that: regardless of whether or not the matter is intended or is instead sloppiness, even mere sloppiness is heinous if it ranges into trillions of dollars of taxpayer-money missing or wrongly spent. Even sloppiness of that magnitude, in the expenditure of taxpayer funds, reflects corruption, if it continues on for years, or especially (as it is shown to do here) for decades, and still has not been stopped.

In fact, the most recent such IG report makes clear (on page “7 of 74”) that 

“Army and Defense Finance and Accounting Service Indianapolis personnel did not adequately support $2.8 trillion in third quarter adjustments and $6.5 trillion in yearend adjustments made to Army General Fund data during FY 2015 financial statement compilation.” 

These “adjustments” had been made to prior unacceptable reports, but were still failing to explain where the money had gone. Here is the main site (solari, of Catherine Austin Fitts), and excerpts from the main documents, which excerpts are posted immediately below it:

***

https://solari.com/blog/dod-and-hud-missing-money-supporting-documentation/

DOD and HUD Missing Money: Supporting Documentation

Catherine Austin Fitts, News & Commentary on July 14, 2017 at 11:07 pm 

***

1. 2015 Semiannual Report to Congress

http://www.dodig.mil/pubs/documents/DODIG-2016-113.pdf

“We determined that 236, totaling $2 trillion, of the 263 third quarter JV adjustments in our sample, and 170, totaling $2.1 trillion, of the 194 yearend JV adjustments in our sample, were in fact unsupported.”

***

6. 2010 Testimony of the Deputy Inspector General, DOD

http://www.dodig.mil/IGInformation/IGInformationReleases/DoDIG_Testimony_Final%20(HOGR-20110923).pdf

“We found the Department’s review process included less than half of the fiscal year 2010 first quarter gross outlays.10 Comptroller officials stated that the $167.5 billion in outlays the Department did not examine for improper payments included internal and intragovernmental transfers. Those outlays were not subject to the OMB reporting requirements since the payments did not leave the Government. However, we later determined that Comptroller officials did not perform a reconciliation to determine whether these outlays were internal or intragovernmental transfers. A complete reconciliation is still needed to demonstrate that all outlays are being examined for overpayments and in order to accurately report the extent of the overpayments. Specifically, DoD did not review approximately $167.5 billion of the $303.7 billion in gross outlays for high dollar overpayments. Additionally, some overpayments that we or the Department identified were not reported, and the First Quarter FY 2010 High Dollar Overpayments Report did not include sufficient information about recoveries and corrective actions.”

“Unless DoD improves its methodology to review all its disbursements, it will continue to understate its estimate of overpayments and will likely miss opportunities to collect additional improper payments.”

“We are concerned with the accuracy and reliability of the Department’s estimation process. Without a reliable process to review all expenditures and identify the full extent of improper payments, the Department will not be able to improve internal controls aimed at reducing improper payments. 12 The Department’s financial management processes are not always adequate to prevent or detect improper payments. For example, in our recent audit of a contract supporting Broad Area Maritime Surveillance, we found DoD personnel did not validate that the contractor was entitled to $329.3 million it received as of January 12, 2010. These are costs paid to contractors that Defense Contract Audit Agency questioned because they do not comply with rules, regulations, laws and/or contract terms which meets the definition of an improper payment. These improper payments the audit agency identified are greater than the $1.3 billion of improper payments the Department identified during 2004 to 2010.”

***

https://solari.com/00archive/web/solarireports/2017/unsupported_adjustments/DOD/DODIG-2016-113.pdf

Inspector General U.S. Department of Defense Report No. DODIG-2016-113 JULY 26, 2016 Army General Fund Adjustments Not Adequately Documented or Supported.

“OASA(FM&C) and DFAS Indianapolis personnel did not adequately document or support adjustments made to AGF data during FY 2015 financial statement compilation. Specifically, OASA(FM&C) and DFAS Indianapolis personnel did not adequately support $2.8 trillion in JV adjustments for third quarter and $6.5 trillion in JV adjustments for yearend.17”

***

https://solari.com/00archive/web/solarireports/2017/unsupported_adjustments/DOD/00-167.pdf

STATEMENT OF ROBERT J. LIEBERMAN ASSISTANT INSPECTOR GENERAL DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE BEFORE THE TASK FORCE ON DEFENSE AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS HOUSE BUDGET COMMITTEE ON DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT Report No. D-2000-167 DELIVERED: July 20, 2000

“The audits of the FY 1999 DoD financial statements indicated that $7.6 trillion of accounting entries were made to compile them. This startling number is perhaps the most graphic available indicator of just how poor the existing systems are. The magnitude of the problem is further demonstrated by the fact that, of $5.8 trillion of those adjustments that we audited this year, $2.3 trillion were unsupported by reliable explanatory information and audit trails or were made to invalid general ledger accounts. About $602.7 billion of accounting entries were made to correct errors in feeder reports.”

***

IN CLOSING:

Here, from the list of the 100 largest, are the 20 largest recipients of U.S. federal government money:

http://www.bga-aeroweb.com/Top-100-Defense-Contractors-2015.html

1. Lockheed Martin Corp.

2. The Boeing Company

3. Raytheon Company

4. General Dynamics Corp.

5. Northrop Grumman Corp.

6. United Technologies Corp.

7. L-3 Communications Holdings Inc.

8. BAE Systems plc

9. Humana Inc.

10. Huntington Ingalls Industries Inc.

11. Bechtel Group Inc.

12. Health Net Inc.

13. Unitedhealth Group Inc.

14. SAIC Inc.

15. General Atomic Technologies Corp.

16. McKesson Corp.

17. Bell-Boeing Joint Project Office

18. AmerisourceBergen Corp.

19. Booz Allen Hamilton Holding Corp.

20. United Launch Alliance L.L.C.

As is obvious, all or almost all of these firms are contractors to (recipients of money from) the U.S. Department of Defense; and they may reasonably be presumed to be benefiting significantly from some of the unaccounted-for payments from the U.S. DOD. However, if the money isn’t going to them, then where is it going? And why? And for what? Why is there no congressional investigation to answer these questions? And why are U.S. ‘news’media not publicizing this matter so as to force such investigations? Are payoffs involved — payoffs for silence? Why are none of the ‘news’media that have the resources to explore these questions, publishing their own investigations into it, since Congress won’t investigate? And, since the Inspector General’s reports into these matters have had no impact, why isn’t the focus finally shifting away from studying to find how much is missing, toward instead prosecuting the people who — at the very least — failed to do what they were being paid to do: keep track of every cent of taxpayers’ money? If doing that job is too dangerous, then shouldn’t the people who are tasked to do it be paid more, so as to cover their exceptionally high personal risk? Is all of this secrecy really necessary in order to keep “The Military” way on top as the most respected of all institutions in the United States — even after all of the harms that the U.S. military has actually caused in Iraq, Libya, Syria, etc., destroying those countries and others? How much would the public’s respect for the military — the mass-killing institution — be brought down, if the truth about it were known? Would the mass-killing institution deserve to be the most respected institution even if it weren’t so corrupt?

Investigative historian Eric Zuesse is the author, most recently, of  They’re Not Even Close: The Democratic vs. Republican Economic Records, 1910-2010, and of  CHRIST’S VENTRILOQUISTS: The Event that Created Christianity.

As it was to be expected, the reaction of the U.S. Department of Defense (the US DoD) to the publication on the location of the U.S. military bases in Syria was not slow in coming.

Pentagon spokesman Major Adrian Rankin-Galloway said the US Department of Defense is concerned about the disclosure of secret military bases in Syria, which was due to the publication of a map of American positions by the Turkish state news agency.

“The publication of the secret military information exposes coalition forces to unnecessary risk and may disrupt current operations to defeat ISIS. And although we cannot independently verify the sources that contributed to this publication, we would be very concerned if NATO ally officials deliberately put our forces at risk,” told the spokesman.

An expert of the Atlantic Council (Editor’s note: it is an American think tank in the field of international affairs founded in 1961 that provides a forum for international political, business, and intellectual leaders), Aaron Stein, claims the information on the location of the notorious military bases the Anadolu news agency received came from the Turkish authorities. Mr. Stein, however, did not comment on why the Turkish government decided to leak damaging info about the U.S. bases in Syria.

It should be noted that the news source stated the data on the location of the bases was obtained not as a result of a leak but in the wake of their s own investigation, as well as from publications of Kurdish fighters in social networks. The person who wrote the article for Anadolu, correspondent Levent Tok even stated that

“the U.S. leadership should have thought about the possible development of events ages ago, when Washington was only about to plan to cooperate with a terrorist organization” (Editor’s note: Kurds).

To be recalled is that the map with the pointed ten U.S. bases in the Syrian provinces of Al-Hasakah, Manbij and Raqqa, as well as in the areas of Harab-Isk and Rmeilan, was published on Tuesday by Turkey-controlled leading media, Anadolu Agency. The source also reported on the number of the U.S. servicemen deployed at these bases.

Thus, the true source of data on American bases in Syria remains unclear. It is also unknown what purpose the source of leak pursued when sharing the materials.

Who declassified the data on the location of the U.S. military bases in Syria? What was the purpose? A special investigation report at Inside Syria Media Center is to appear soon.

Follow the latest developments by reading Inside Syria Media Center.

Sophie Mangal is a special investigative correspondent and co-editor at Inside Syria Media Center.

Featured image from the author

Featured image: Left to Right: Carlos Salinas de Gortari, George H. W. Bush, Brian Mulroney 

This article was first published by Global Research in February 2002

The Enron scandal is but the tip of the Iceberg. Fully documented by the US and British media, the Bush family has been implicated in a string of financial scams since the 1980s.

The following text based on a compilation of press excerpts (first published in December 2000 in the wake of the US presidential elections) is self-explanatory.

The personal links between the Bush and Salinas de Gortiari families are also documented. The Salinas family was closely tied to the Mexican drug cartel.

When Carlos Salinas was inaugurated as President, the entire Mexican State apparatus became criminalised with key government positions occupied by members of the Cartel. The Minister of Commerce in charge of trade negotiations leading up to the signing of NAFTA was Raul Salinas Lozano, father of Raul Junior the Drug kingpin and of Carlos the president.

The Bush Family and the Savings and Loans (S&L) Scandal (1980s)

In the 1980s, George W Bush‘s younger brother Neil was involved in the Savings and Loan scam. According to the Los Angeles Times, other members of the Bush family were also involved:

“As a director of the defunct Silverado Savings & Loan in Denver, Neil Bush [brother of George W] was found by federal regulators to have engaged in a conflict of interest by participating in the approval of loans totaling $132 million from the S&L to his own business partners. In 1990, when George W. Bush’s little-known firm, Harken Energy, was awarded a lucrative contract from the Persian Gulf nation of Bahrain, the deal was widely seen as an effort on the part of Bahrain’s royal family to win favor with the White House.

In 1985, Jeb Bush [brother of George W and Governor of Florida] interceded with officials of the Health and Human Services Department on behalf of Miguel Recarey Jr., the owner of a health-maintenance organization who later fled the country after being charged in what is believed to be the nation’s biggest Medicare scandal. Jeb Bush received $75,000 from Recarey for a business deal that never materialized. Likewise, Prescott Bush [brother of former President George Bush] has been accused of taking advantage of his brother’s sympathetic approach to China to negotiate business deals in that country.” (Los Angeles Times, 10 May 1992)

According to the Dayton Daily News:

“After Silverado, Neil got a $ 2 million loan from the Small Business Administration and walked on it. Son Marvin Bush also has a spotty business record, and our own Gov. Shrub (George W. Bush) was accused of violating securities laws governing insider stock sales when he sold his shares of Harken Oil on the eve of the Persian Gulf war. (Nothing ever came of the allegations.)” (Dayton Daily News, 10 May 1992)

The Bank of Commerce and Credit International (BCCI) Scandal (1992)

According to the Wall Street Journal:

“Lawyers in class-action suit against Bank of Credit and Commerce International identify presidential sons George Bush and Jeb Bush as potential witnesses in their case.”(Wall Street Journal, 10 March 1992)

In the course of his investigation, Manhattan District Attorney Robert Morgenthau in charge of prosecuting the BCCI case had looked into Harken Energy: In a December 1991 story the Wall Street Journal pointed out

”numerous links among Harken, Bahrain and individuals close to the Bank of Credit and Commerce International.” Stephens is one of them. Several years ago, the Journal said, Stephens arranged for a Swiss bank to provide Harken with $25 million at a time when the bank was a partner with BCCI in another project. When snags developed, Stephens lined up Abdullah Bakhsh, whose business partners include an alleged BCCI front man and whose banker had been a large BCCI shareholder. Bakhsh became Harken’s third-largest stockholder — and also owns 10 percent of Stephens’s Worthen Banking.” (quoted in Common Cause Magazine, Spring 1992) “Stephens was the investment banker for Harken Energy, which in early 1990 won rights to drill for oil off Bahrain — surprising since the company had never drilled an offshore well. Further questions were raised because presidential son George W. Bush, a friend of Stephens, serves on Harken’s board. (The San Diego Union Tribune, 17 January 1992)

The Mexican Drug Cartel: What links to Raul Salinas de Gortiari? (1995)

According to the Houston Chronicle and the Ledger (Lakeland, Florida), Jeb Bush (brother of George W) –before becoming Governor of the Sunshine State– was a close friend of Raul Salinas de Gortiari, and brother of former President of Mexico Carlos Salinas. Raul –who was a leading member of the Mexican Drug Cartel– is now serving a 27 year jail term for having murdered a political opponent:

“There has also been a great deal of speculation in Mexico about the exact nature of Raul Salinas’ close friendship with former President George Bush’s son, Jeb. It is well known here that for many years the two families spent vacations together — the Salinases at Jeb Bush’s home in Miami, the Bushes at Raul’s ranch, Las Mendocinas, under the volcano in Puebla. There are many in Mexico who believe that the relationship became a back channel for delicate and crucial negotiations between the two governments, leading up to President Bush’s sponsorship of NAFTA.” (Houston Chronicle, 9 March 1995)

The personal relationship between the Bush and Salinas families is a matter of public record. Former President George Bush — when he worked in the oil business in Texas in the 1970s– had developed close personal ties with Carlos Salinas and his father, Raul Salinas Lozano. According to Andres Openheimer writing in the Miami Herald (February 17 1997):

“witnesses say former Mexican president Carlos Salinas de Gortiari, his imprisoned brother Raul and other members of country’s ruling elite met with drug lord Juan Garcia Abrego at a Salinas family ranch; Jeb Bush admits he met with Raul Salinas several times but has never done any business with him.”

According to a report published in The Dallas Morning News, behind the scam was Raul Salinas Lozano, the family patriarch father of Carlos and Raul Junior. The former private secretary to Raul Salinas Lozano:

“told [US] authorities [in testimony] that Mr. Salinas Lozano was a leading figure in narcotics dealings that also involved his son, Raul Salinas de Gortiari, his son-in-law, Jose Francisco Ruiz Massieu, the No. 2 official in the governing Institutional Revolutionary Party, or PRI, and other leading politicians, according to the documents. Mr. Ruiz Massieu was assassinated in 1994.” (Dallas Morning News, 26 February 1997).

According to former DEA Michael Levine, the Mexican drug Cartel was a “family affair”. Both Carlos and Raul were prominent members of the Cartel. And this was known to then US Attorney General Edward Meese in 1987 one year prior to Carlos Salinas’ inauguration as the country’s president.

Back row, left to right: Mexican President Carlos Salinas de Gortari, U.S. President George H. W. Bush, and Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, at the initialing of the draft North American Free Trade Agreement in October 1992. In front are Mexican Secretary of Commerce and Industrial Development Jaime Serra Puche, United States Trade Representative Carla Hills, and Canadian Minister of International Trade Michael Wilson. (Source: Wikipedia)

When Carlos Salinas was inaugurated as President, the entire Mexican State apparatus become criminalised with key government positions occupied by members of the Cartel. The Minister of Commerce in charge of trade negotiations leading up to the signing of NAFTA was Raul Salinas Lozano, father of Raul Junior the Drug kingpin and of Carlos the president.

And it is precisely during this period that the Salinas government launches a sweeping privatisation program under advice from the IMF. The privatisation program becomes a multibillion dollar money laundering operation. Narco-dollars are channelled towards the acquisition of State property and public utilities.

Richard Barnet of the Institute for Policy Studies, testified to the US Congress (April 14, 1994) that “billions of dollars in state assets have gone to supporters and cronies” (Dallas Morning News, 11 August 1994). These included the sale of Telefonos de Mexico, valued at $ 3.9 billion and purchased by a Salinas crony for $ 400 million.(Ibid). Raul Salinas was behind the privatisation programme. He was known as ”Mr. 10 Percent” “for the slice of bid money he allegedly demanded in exchange for helping acquaintances acquire companies, concessions and contracts [under the IMF sponsored privatisation program”(The News, InfoLatina, .Mexico, October 10, 1997).

NAFTA Negotiations with the Salinas Family

According to the Dallas Morning News report cited above, the Bush administration was fully aware of the links of the Salinas presidency to organized crime. Public opinion in the US and Canada was never informed so as not to jeopardize the signing of NAFTA:

“Other former officials say they were pressured to keep mum because Washington was obsessed with approving NAFTA”.

“The intelligence on corruption, especially by drug traffickers, has always been there,” said Phil Jordan, who headed DEA’s Dallas office from 1984 to 1994. But “we were under instructions not to say anything negative about Mexico. It was a no-no since NAFTA was a hot political football.” (Dallas Morning News, 26 February 1997)

Michael Levine had confirmed that Carlos Salinas role in the Mexican drug cartel was known to US officials including US Attorney General Edward Meese prior to his inauguration as President of Mexico.

US President George Bush is regularly briefed by officials from the Department of Justice, the CIA and the DEA. In other words, at the time the NAFTA Agreement was signed, both Bush and Mulroney must have been informed that one of signatories of NAFTA had links to the Mexican Drug Cartel.

In 1995 in the wake of the scandal and the arrest of his brother Raul for murder, Carlos Salinas left Mexico to take up residence in Dublin. His alleged links to the Drug Cartel did not prevent him from being appointed to the Board of the Dow Jones Company on Wall Street, a position which he held until 1997:

Salinas, who left Mexico in March 1995 after his brother, Raul, was charged with masterminding the murder of a political opponent, has served on the company’s board for two years. He was questioned last year in Dublin by a Mexican prosecutor investigating the murder in March 1994 of Luis Donaldo Colosio, who wanted to succeed Salinas as president. A Dow Jones spokesman last week denied that Salinas had been forced out of an election for the new board, which will take place at the company’s annual meeting on April 16… Salinas, who negotiated Mexico’s entry into the free trade agreement with the United States and Canada, was appointed to the board because of his international experience. He was unavailable for comment at his Dublin home last week.” (Sunday Times, London, 30 March 1997).

Washington has consistently denied Carlos Salinas involvement. “it was his brother Raul”, Carlos Salinas “did not know”, the American media continues to uphold Salinas as a model statesman, architect of free trade in the Americas and a friend of the Bush family.

What bothers me is not that we are unable to find the solution to our problems, what bothers me more is the fact that neoliberals are so utterly unaware of real structural issues that their attempts to sort out tangential issues will further exacerbate the main issues. Religious extremism, militancy and terrorism are not the cause but the effect of poverty, backwardness and disenfranchisement. 

Empirically speaking, if we take all other aggravating factors out: such as poverty, illiteracy, disenfranchisement, deliberate training and arming of certain militant groups by regional and global players and, more importantly, grievances against the duplicitous Western foreign policy, I don’t think that the Islamic State, al-Qaeda and the likes would find abundant supply of foot soldiers that they are getting now in the troubled regions of the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia.

Although I do concede that the rallying call of “Jihad in the way of God” might be one reason for abundant supply of foot soldiers to jihadists’ cause, but on an emotional level it is the self-serving and hypocritical Western interventionist policy in the energy-rich Middle East that adds fuel to the fire. When Muslims all over the Islamic countries see that their brothers-in-faith are dying in Palestine, Syria, Iraq, Libya, Yemen, Somalia and Afghanistan, on an emotional level they feel outraged and seek justice.

This emotional outrage, in my opinion, is a far more potent factor than the sterile “rationalist” argument of God’s supposed command to fight holy wars against the infidels. If we take all other contributing factors out of the equation, which I have described above, I don’t think the Muslims are an “exceptional” breed of human beings who are hell-bent on killing heretics all over the world.

Identifying the victims and beneficiaries of neocolonialism:

It’s very easy to distinguish between the victims of structural injustices and the beneficiaries of the existing neocolonial economic order all over the world. But instead of using words that can be interpreted subjectively I’ll let the figures do the talking.

Pakistan’s total GDP is $300 billion and with a population of 200 million, its per capita income amounts to a paltry $1450; similarly, India’s per capita income is also only $1850. While the GDP of the US is $18 trillion and per capita income is well in excess of $50,000.

Likewise, the per capita incomes of most countries in the Western Europe are also around $40,000. That’s a difference of more than twenty times between the incomes of Third World countries and the beneficiaries of neocolonialism, i.e. North America and Western Europe.

Only the defense budget of the Pentagon is $700 billion, which is more than twice the size of Pakistan’s total economy. A single multi-national corporation based in the Wall Street and other financial districts of the Western world owns assets in excess of $200 billion which is more than the total GDP of many developing economies. Examples of such business conglomerates are: Investment banks – JP Morgan, Goldman Sachs, Barclays, HSBC, BNP Paribas; Oil majors – Exxon Mobil, Chevron, BP, RDS, Total, Vitol; Manufacturers – Apple, Microsoft and Google.

On top of that, semi-legit wealth from all over the world flows into the Western commercial and investment banks: in July 2014, the New York Post published a report [1] that the Russian oligarchs have deposited $800 billion in the Western banks from 2002 to 2014, while the Chinese entrepreneurs have similarly deposited $1.5 trillion in the Western financial institutions during the same period of time.

Moreover, in April this year the Saudi foreign minister threatened [2] that the Saudi kingdom would sell up to $750 billion in treasury securities and other assets if the US Congress passed a bill that would allow the Americans to sue the Saudi government in the US courts for its role in the September 11, 2001 terror attack.

Bear in mind, however, that $750 billion is only the Saudi investment in the US, if we add its investment in the Western Europe, and the investments of oil-rich UAE, Kuwait and Qatar in the Western economies, the sum total would amount to trillions of dollars of Gulf’s investment in North America and Western Europe.

The first and foremost priority of the Western powers is to save their corporate empire, and especially their financial institutions, from collapsing; everything else like eliminating terrorism, promoting democracy and “the responsibility to protect” are merely arranged side shows to justify their interventionist foreign policy, especially in the energy-rich Middle East.

How the neoliberal mindset is structured? 

The irony is that the neoliberal dupes of the mainstream media justify and validate the unfair practices of the neocolonial powers and hold the victims of structural injustices responsible for their misfortunes. If a Third World’s laborer has been forced to live on less than $5 a day and a corporate executive sits on top of hundreds of billions of dollars of business empire in the Wall Street, neoliberals don’t find anything wrong with this travesty.

Regardless, we need to understand that how the neoliberal mindset is structured? As we know that mass education programs and mass media engender mass ideologies. We like to believe that we are free to think, but as a matter of fact human beings don’t exist in vacuums; the human mind is always socially constituted and socially situated.

Thus, our narratives aren’t really “our” narratives. These narratives of injustice and inequality have been constructed for the public consumption by the corporate media, which is nothing more than the mouthpiece of the Western political establishments and their business interests.

The media is our eyes and ears through which we get all the inputs and it is also our brain through which we interpret raw data. If the media keeps mum over vital structural injustices and blows the isolated incidents of injustice and violence out of proportions, then we are likely to forget all about the former and focus all of our energies on the tangential issues which the media portrays as the real ones.

Arranged sideshows to distract attention from structural injustices: 

Monopoly capitalism and the global neocolonial political and economic order are the real issues, while Islamic radicalism and terrorism are the secondary issues which are itself an adverse reaction to the former. This is how the mainstream media constructs artificial narratives and dupes its audience into believing the absurd: during the Cold War it created the “Red Scare” and told its audience that communism is an existential threat to the free world and the Western way of life. Its audience willingly bought this narrative.

Then, the West and its regional collaborators financed, trained and armed the Afghan so-called “freedom fighters” and used them as proxies against the Soviet Union. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, however, they declared the former “freedom fighters” to be terrorists and another existential threat to the free world and the Western way of life. Its gullible audience again bought this narrative.

And finally, during the Libyan and Syrian proxy wars, the former terrorists once again became freedom fighters – albeit in a more nuanced manner, this time around the corporate media sells them as “moderate rebels.” And the naive audience of the mainstream media has once again willingly bought this narrative. It really stretches the limit of human credulity that how easy it has been for the mainstream media to sell “fake news” and false narratives to its uncritical audience.

Nauman Sadiq is an Islamabad-based attorney, columnist and geopolitical analyst focused on the politics of Af-Pak and Middle East regions, neocolonialism and petro-imperialism.

Notes

[1] Why $10 billion of China’s money is laundered every month:

http://nypost.com/2014/07/26/why-10b-of-chinas-money-is-laundered-every-month/

[2] Saudi Arabia Warns of Economic Fallout if Congress Passes 9/11 Bill:

https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/16/world/middleeast/saudi-arabia-warns-ofeconomic-fallout-if-congress-passes-9-11-bill.html?_r=0

With the recruitment of novice French President, Emmanuel Macron, the US Israel lobby can now boast a powerful political agent inside the corridors of power of the Élysée Palace, to liaise with those agents already resident in the British Parliament and at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, Washington. It is, of course, no small achievement to have managed to recruit half of the European Union as well as the United States Senate to support the dispossession of five million indigenous Arabs who have populated the West Bank, East Jerusalem, the Golan Heights and Gaza for over a thousand years.

No small achievement of the powerful minority Zionist movement of America to enforce its political agenda upon the United Nations Assembly in direct violation of UN Security Council Resolution 2334.

Hiding behind the usual accusations of ‘antisemitism’, the US Zionist movement is now in a position to control EU foreign policy as well as that of America through the new French President, the British Prime Minister (CFI) and the US Congress (AIPAC) together with the tacit approval of Germany’s Angela Merkel (who has already supplied Israel with a fleet of submarines now armed with nuclear cruise missiles). Not a bad achievement for a neo-colonial, minority political Zionist movement, in the 21^st century!

So, what would be the likely consequence in the event of Political Zionism succeeding in its expansionist agenda?

1. Under the pretext of a future pre-emptive strike against Hezbollah, US-backed Israeli forces are expected to attack both Lebanon and Gaza in order to occupy and control the entire Eastern Mediterranean seaboard from Rafah to Beirut – a coastline of some 312 kms (194 miles) in length.

2. The next objective of the ‘Greater Israel’ project would be to consolidate all the land up to and including the Jordan River in the East; to Eilat in the South; Beirut in the North and the Mediterranean in the West. This would entail the forced displacement of millions of Lebanese, Gazan and Jordanian citizens as well as the original Palestinians, to neighbouring states, plus the expropriation of their land and wealth by turning the population into refugees within their own countries – countries now occupied by Political Zionist migrants from Europe, FSU and America.

However, such a ‘Greater Israel’ project can only end one way, and that is in a nuclear war, which is not an existential threat that the Macron presidency, or the EU, should facilitate because gamma radiation recognises no borders.

Note: ‘Greater Israel: a nuclear-armed, US-aided, Zionist state with an agenda to confront Iran and Turkey for regional hegemony.   Intended eventually to extend from the Euphrates to the Nile by gaining control of large areas of Lebanon, Jordan, Syria and Iraq plus the Sinai Peninsula and the Eastern Mediterranean from Cairo to Beirut.’

The Washington Post is reporting that Trump has “decided to end” CIA’s program to funnel arms, money and training to Syria’s largely Islamist rebels.

There’s a couple of things to say about that.

1. We’re going to need confirmation that this has indeed happened. Ideally from people who have a direct line to some of the CIA-backed groups.

2. Is this the definite end of the CIA program, or a temporary halt? The aid was already frozen once before, in February-March of this year, but was then restored.

3. Is the end of CIA backing going to be coupled with instructions to Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Turkey to stop their aid to rebels as well? Seeing how inclined the US is to appease the Saudis, and how fast its influence over Turkey is shrinking, I don’t see it.

4. Will the end of the CIA program be coupled with increased aid to the rebels by the Pentagon? Will the CIA-backed groups actually be cut off, or just go from CIA-backed to Pentagon-backed? That’s a particularly pertinent question for southeastern Syria around al-Tanf where Pentagon-backed groups like Commandos of the Revolution rub shoulders with CIA-backed groups like Lions of the East. Many of these CIA-backed groups were trained by US Special Forces hired out to the CIA, so links between them and the US military already exist.

The Washington Post and the rest of the establishment media want to paint this decision as Trump appeasing Russia, but that is highly unlikely. There are a number of far better reasons why it came to this.

1. This is the natural evolution of the trajectory the US was already on since mid-2016. Recall that in September 2016 under the Kerry-Lavrov deal the US basically agreed to enter the war against extremist elements of the Syrian Islamist rebellion. Also recall that just before leaving office Obama sent B-52s against Jabhat al-Nusra and claimed over 100 killed.

2. Trump has been an outspoken opponent of US backing for Syrian rebels for years. You only need to glance at his Twitter to see that.

Remember, all these ‘freedom fighters’ in Syria want to fly planes into our buildings.

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) August 28, 2013

3. The US military, which between Mattis and McMaster is highly influential in the Trump administration, never liked the CIA program. Recall the bombshell Seymour Hersh story from 2015 detailing how the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the Defense Intelligence Agency kept warning the Obama administration that toppling Assad would lead to chaos and possible takeover by jihadis. The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Martin Dempsey went so far as to secretly leak information on jihadis to the Russians, while the DIA chief, Mike Flynn was sacked when he made his opposition public.

4. The new CIA director was not wedded to the program. The Washington Post says the decision CIA would stop funneling arms into Syria was made by General McMaster and CIA’s new chief, Mike Pompeo. Even within the CIA, John Brennan, its director under Obama, was probably the biggest supporter of what was dubbed sardonically “Brennan’s war”. It was his pet project and he was the driving force behind it. Almost whoever was going to replace Brennan was likely to at least scale it down.

5. Along with increased infighting between the rebels, particularly in their main territory in Idlib, there has been consolidation of the rebel groups into two rival blocs, both of them led by salafist jihadists. Continuing to arm the rebels now would at best mean directly arming Ahrar al-Sham, whose leadership includes former al-Qaeda members, and which used to be extremely cozy with Syrian al-Qaeda (Jabhat al-Nusra).

An end to the CIA fanning the flames of war in Syria is a good thing, but it doesn’t mean the US is retreating from the country. It only means the reigns have been handed over to the Pentagon. The Pentagon has pursued a more rational course in Syria than the CIA, but it has been, if anything, even more heavy-handed.

Recently there has been a dramatic upsurge in Pentagon deliveries of military aid to the secessionist Syrian Kurds, along with an upsurge in US base building in Syria, in part to accommodate the transport planes hauling in this vast aid.

Also we’ve seen the US military repeatedly bomb the Syrian armed forces, cruise missiled one of its airbases, and shoot down one of its jets.

With Pentagon fully in control of US Syria policy regime change is finally out completely, but the danger of a US-orchestrated partition and permanent occupation of the east only increases.

Featured image from Russia Insider

Catherine Austin Fitts just published documentation of Department of Defense (DOD) official audit reports from 1998 that acknowledge “losing track” of $6.5 trillion, along with Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) admission of “losing” over $100 billion. This is euphemistically termed “unaccounted,” and literally means that DOD agrees they received these funds, agrees the funds are gone, and then claims to not have records of where the money went.

This is the work of Dr. Mark Skidmore and graduate students; Dr. Skidmore is the Director of the North Central Regional Center for Rural Development at Michigan State University and Professor and Morris Chair in State and Local Gov’t Finance and Policy. Catherine was managing director and member of the board of directors of the Wall Street investment bank Dillon, Read & Co. Inc., Assistant Secretary of Housing and Federal Housing Commissioner for HUD in the first Bush Administration, and president of Hamilton Securities Group, Inc. She has designed and closed over $25 billion of transactions and investments to-date, and has led investment strategy for $300 billion of financial assets and liabilities.

I wrote last year upon publication of DOD’s report. Of course, such “official” looting never happens with lawful accounting because records always show where the money goes. This would be like your bank agreeing they received a $65,000 deposit from you, agreeing the money was gone, and not refunding your account while claiming no further information of this “unaccountable,” “lost,” and “missing” money.

The most common historical explanation of governments “losing” money is, of course, embezzlement to enrich an oligarchy.

$6.5 trillion means how much now?

• ~$65,000 per US average household, based upon ~$50,000 annual income. This means if your household’s annual income is ~$100,000, your family was looted ~$130,000.
• Embezzling a billion dollars from a US military project 6,500 times.
• Embezzling a billion dollars of our tax money every day for 18 years (that’s $10 from every US household everyday).

Please read those three real-world comparisons twice to allow your emotions to feel the outrageous .01% looting of your family.

An Inspector General is supposed to be head of an independent and non-partisan auditing organization to discover and investigate waste, embezzlement, and fraud. They are supposed to act as “watchdogs” to ensure government agencies are transparent and lawful, with power to subpoena and take testimonies under oath.

You may recall that DoD’s claims of trillions of our tax dollars somehow going missing isn’t new, and reported as $2.3 trillion by Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld on September 10, 2001 as “a matter of life and death” the day before a claimed airplane bulls-eyed into the Pentagon’s accounting department, killing the very accountants tasked to find the “missing” money.

3-minute CBS report:

The fact that the Inspector General has not investigated with subpoenas and testimonies under oath speaks strongly as evidence of criminal complicity with the embezzlers.

A similar condition exists with the Federal Reserve, but we’re allowed a little clarity from this 5-minute video of Congressman Alan Grayson (an economist) asking questions of the Fed’s Inspector General during the Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations in 2009, where she admits she has no idea who received trillions in off-balance-sheet transfers from the Fed:

Both cases are .01% oligarchs transferring public funds to “other than public” recipients; that is, massive theft.

This could never occur within an ethical, law-abiding government, but would occur within a dictatorial empire. Let’s look at connected facts:

• DoD engages in ongoing Orwellian unlawful Wars of Aggression.
• DoD’s wars are started with lies known to be false as they were told, as fully disclosed by official US government documentation.
• Corporate media is criminally complicit by “covering” these crimes.
• As with any historical empire, what is used for money has to also be controlled to enrich “masters” and pay minions, and is with the Federal Reserve system. In contrast, obvious reforms can quickly be calculated at ~$1,000,000 per US household.
• Taken together, the US cannot be defined as a constitutional republic, but has become a rogue state.
• This US behavior reaches back deep into history.

Therefore: DoD acts as its Orwellian opposite: Department of Offensive Wars.

Therefore: Government of the people, by the people and for the people acts as its Orwellian opposite: Government of the oligarchs, using the people, and enriching themselves.

Essential economic facts showing .01% looting & lying

Before we consider the obvious solution of We the People seeing the Emperor’s New Clothes facts and demanding arrests to stop these OBVIOUS crimes centered in war, money, and lies, a few more data points of more trillions of our dollars looted from us by oligarchs:

• We’ve already documented how the global so-called “elite” 1% are now wealthier than the 99% while ~30,000 children die daily from preventable poverty in gruesomely-slow agony. Just 62 people on Earth own more than the bottom 50%, with the most recent data of just five humans owning almost more than the poorest half of us (a ratio of 5: 3,500,000,000 or 1:750,000,000).
• The US .1% own more than the bottom 90%.
• The top 20 Americans (.000006%) own more than the bottom 50%.
• The top three public benefits of monetary and banking reform would add ~$1,000,000 to every US household. The lies of omission and commission by US “leaders” with legal fiduciary responsibility to communicate full and transparent economic data to never advise Americans of these options is a massive crime causing damages in the trillions of dollars yearly.
• Our current system of creating what we use for money as debt has the so-called “developed” and “former” colonial nations $50 trillion in debt, and lying for public austerity rather than admit the option of monetary and banking reforms.

For Americans still zombiefied to “believe” in America, please embrace the reality that 40% of US children live at least one year of their lives in under-measured poverty, while oligarchs most responsible literally laugh in grandiose glee of the poverty they euphemise as “income inequality.” Please absorb this 1-minute reality check:

John Perkins’ 2-minutes of context as an illustration of what the US rogue state executes:

More game-changing economic data that confirm what we receive for economic leadership is literal criminal fraud:

• decaying infrastructure getting uglier from “deferred maintenance,”
• real unemployment near 25% with most families demanding both parents work longer and longer hours,
• real inflation well above official reports,
• US poverty of 20% among children, 40% for living at least a year in poverty,
• 72% of California students in schools with over half the children classified as “socio-economically disadvantaged,”
• the annual interest payment of ~$450 billion for the US national debt is over four times the amount needed to invest for ending all forms of global poverty (~$100 billion/year for ~10 years).
• a rigged-casino economy designed for “peak inequality,”
• “too big to fail” banks demand public subsidies (so-called “bailouts”) while gambling with over $200 TRILLION in derivatives,
• these “too big to fail/jail” banks deriving most of their income from subsidies and apparent market manipulations,
• Daily and never-ending Orwellian criminal-complicit lies of corporate media.
• US college Class of 2015 students average $35,000 in debt, with the total for 2015 graduates nearly $70 billion: more than ten times the amount from just 20 years ago. The average time to pay this debt is now 15 years (think paying until age 40).
• half of US 25-year-olds live with their parents, more than twice the number from 15 years ago.
• Over one million US college students are “Sugar babies”: selling sex as part-time employment. The UK has the same condition (here, here).
• 31% of US adjunct professors live in poverty.

15-minute video of obvious solutions: Mark Anielski and Ellen Brown’s powerful 15-minute response to an interview at the Seizing an Alternative conference (and here, with videos here) with former World Bank economist Herman Daly and co-author John B. Cobb of For the Common Good (video should start at 1:04:43):

81-minute interview with Byron Dale and Greg Soderberg of WealthMoney.org (the three of us have combined over 90 years of research on this topic):

Demand .01% arrests for Orwellian lies and crimes

Obviously, when the truth is rogue state empire annually killing millions, harming billions, and looting trillions, the foremost response for justice is public call for .01% arrests.

Obviously. 

I mean really, this is beyond anyone’s imagination of psychopathic Big Lie crimes (although the facts will show more .01% horrendous crimes when Truth is unleashed).

The categories of crime we can demonstrate beyond reasonable doubt now include:

• Wars of Aggression (the worst crime a nation can commit).
• Likely treason for lying to US military, ordering unlawful attack and invasions of foreign lands, and causing thousands of US military deaths.
• Crimes Against Humanity for ongoing intentional policy of poverty that’s killed over 400 million human beings just since 1995 (~75% children; more deaths than from all wars in Earth’s recorded history).
• Tens of trillions in looting beyond the $6.5 trillion just reported by the US Department of “Defense” as “lost.”

In just 90 seconds, former US Marine Ken O’Keefe powerfully states how you may choose to voice “very obvious solutions”: arrest the criminal leaders (video starts at 20:51, then finishes this episode of Cross Talk):

Note: I make all factual assertions as a National Board Certified Teacher of US Government, Economics, and History, with all economics factual claims receiving zero refutation since I began writing in 2008 among Advanced Placement Macroeconomics teachers on our discussion board, public audiences of these articles, and international conferences (and here). I invite readers to empower their civic voices with the strongest comprehensive facts most important to building a brighter future. I challenge professionals, academics, and citizens to add their voices for the benefit of all Earth’s inhabitants.

Carl Herman is a National Board Certified Teacher of US Government, Economics, and History; also credentialed in Mathematics. He worked with both US political parties over 18 years and two UN Summits with the citizen’s lobby, RESULTS, for US domestic and foreign policy to end poverty. He can be reached at [email protected]

Let us be under no illusions.

Washington objective is to fracture and break up Syria as well as establish a permanent military presence in both Northern and Southern Syria. 

(Michel Chossudovsky, GR, Editor)

*  *  *

Turkey’s state-owned Anadolu news agency has publicized the locations of 10 US bases in northern Syria, many of them previously unknown to the wider public.

For Turkey revealing the extent of increased US support for the Kurdish YPG militia—which Turkey insists is one and the same with the Kurdish PKK group it faces at home—serves to mobilize its public against the US.

Blowing the cover of the Americans is just a cherry on top.

#AA'nın 'PKK/PYD'ye ABD desteği' haberi uluslararası basında yankı uyandırdı https://t.co/8IJbm9w16D pic.twitter.com/svt4u9v5CD

— ANADOLU AJANSI (@anadoluajansi) July 19, 2017

The angle US media is centering on is just how upset the US is with Turkey for publishing this. Pentagon has asked US outlets not to reprint the information published by Anadolu and claimed doing so would endanger lives of US soldiers.

The Daily Beast:

Spokesmen for Operation Inherent Resolve, the U.S.-led coalition fighting ISIS, and for the U.S. Central Command in Tampa, Florida, asked The Daily Beast not to publish the detailed information reported by Anadolu.

“The discussion of specific troop numbers and locations would provide sensitive tactical information to the enemy which could endanger Coalition and partner forces,” wrote Col. Joe Scrocca, coalition director of public affairs.

“Publishing this type of information would be professionally irresponsible and we respectively [sic] request that you refrain from disseminating any information that would put Coalition lives in jeopardy.”

RT:

“While we cannot independently verify the sources that contributed to this story, we would be very concerned if officials from a NATO ally would purposefully endanger our forces by releasing sensitive information.”

However, we’d like to point out there is a party that has far more reason to be upset than the US. That would be Syria itself.

Along with the base at Al-Tanf the the US now has at least 11 permanently manned installations on the territory of Syria — all of them illegal.

All images in this article are from the author.

In the utter confusion distinguishing the European Union, improvisation is the dominant feature. At the height of the US election campaign, the European Commission President Junker dared to issue a surprising statement: the idea of forming a European army was now on the agenda.

Someone picked up his statement; many wondered where the idea came from, while most of the platoon stayed silent.

The topic is about “Danger: high voltage!” And, moreover, Junker is a prudent man and, by announcing the new agenda, he made sure not to explain what he meant. But the message came from Washington, where candidate Donald Trump had repeatedly said that Europe is worth far less than we believe and that America would have bothered less about the lives of Europeans and more about its own interests.

Junker then launched a counter-message: if by chance, the US reduced its Atlantic claims, Europe will take a few steps aside. So let’s start thinking about whether to defend ourselves. Naturally, a nonsense idea, like anyone should have understood. This is a “threat” that is equivalent to a toy trumpet sound. Europe is entirely entrusted with “American protection” throughout the course of NATO’s existence. Europe never mattered at all in any of NATO’s decisions, limiting itself to obey American commands that have invariably been renewed without even consulting their own European friends. Europe could never do anything without NATO.

Do not even think about it. But the fact is that there are many people in Europe who are still able to do the math and to connect the dots. And when it comes to the issue of its lost sovereignty, it is to be assumed that no real sovereignty will be allowed, by remaining within NATO. Neither tomorrow nor ever. So Junker and the people behind him had to deal with a possible reaction coming from people who care for sovereignty. He did so by releasing a safety valve. You know how things are going: they open a debate on baloney and drag it on for months, maybe for years, leaving the commentators to indulge in the hypothesis, but making sure nothing will change.

Then Trump was elected and his mind changed: not only does NATO remain a key pillar for him to protect Europe, but he will have to increase spending. And the request to European allies has become pressing: pay! That is “raise your defense costs to at least 2% of GDP in each country”. For a struggling Europe, the shot has been strong. Someone got away. Others, such as Italy, immediately bowed down. The Baltic states, for example, have applauded. Junker was left speechless.

But the ‘sovereign people’ of every flag have done the math a second time: they wonder if it would not really be the case to create a European defense spending less money than what Donald Trump is requiring. At a first glance, their probability of success is close to zero. Could it be done? Perhaps it could, it will be enough to stop thinking of Russia as a deadly enemy. But, in reality, this is very unlikely to happen. Yet the Atlantic fear of such an outcome is so great that, in order to prevent such an eventuality, they are preparing all the European forces available for battle.

In recent days, the meeting between Ms. Federica Mogherini and NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg was followed by an uprising of the numerous cohorts of NATO’s supporters. The “European Leadership Network”, usually silent, has gathered no less than 61 senior military and diplomatic personalities to express a true statement of support for the “deepening of EU-NATO cooperation”, inviting peremptorily “governments to invest a greater Political energy in such an effort.”

The depth of the ELN document has certainly required many joint efforts. Among the participants and signatories are a former NATO Secretary-General (Willy Claes); a former deputy commander of allied forces (Gen. Sir John McColl); ten former Foreign Ministers (including Massimo D’Alema); and seven former Defense Ministers (including Admiral Giampaolo di Paola) …

We then assume that the debate around a “European army” has definitely been cut off. It is not known if Junker was informed of the event.

Global Research Editor’s Note

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) which are backed by the US are said to be fighting the ISIS which is also backed by the US. (Covertly supported by the US and its allies since Summer of 2014). 

The Terrorists R Us:

So what is the purpose of this diabolical process. The ISIS is a proxy force controlled by US intelligence. It is integrated by “special forces” which are directly or indirectly in liaison with the Western military alliance. 

The unspoken objective is the destruction of Syria as a Nation State under the banner of a fake war on terrorism.  

The terrorists are “intelligence assets”, they are paid killers. They are being used in the pursuit of a criminal military agenda. And the Western media serves to mislead public opinion through lies and fabrications.

In turn, the media upholds Western intervention as part of a humanitarian endeavor. 

And if the truth is not reaching the broader public, it’s because the corporate media controls the internet.

Visibly, the independent and alternative online media is being filtered out by the search engines and social media. 

Michel Chossudovsky, July 21, 2017

*    *    *

An intense fighting is ongoing between government forces and ISIS terrorists in the area of the Homs-Palmyra highway and near the border with Iraq.

According to pro-government sources, 30 ISIS members were killed and over 50 were injured during clashes in the area of Humaymah near the border with Iraq. 2 Syrian soldiers were killed as a result of the ISIS attack at the Al-Musheirefah Hill in the eastern Homs countryside.

At the same time, the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and its allies advanced north of the Homs-Palmyra road and captured the Al-Alam Hill south of Taliaa al-Gharbia.

Meanwhile, Russian airstrikes destroyed at least 3 ISIS vehicles in the area of Jub Al-Abied east of Salamiyah.

According to local sources, government forces are going to resume the operation in the eastern Hama countryside within few days. The SAA, the National Defense Forces (NDF) and the Desert Hawks Brigade still see the liberation of Uqayrabat as a key part of the wider effort against ISIS in central Syria.

Right now, government forces cannot push to Deir Ezzor because of a high number of ISIS units operating in the rear of its logistical lines. Sukhna is another point that has to be liberated to resolve the situation.

An intense fighting is ongoing in eastern Damascus where the SAA and the NDF have been attempting to pressure Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra, the  Syrian branch of al-Qaeda), Faylaq al-Rahman and Jaish al-Islam on multiple fronts. The main clashes are ongoing in the Ayn Tarma area. However, sporadic firefights were also reported in the northeastern part of the pocket. According to pro-militant sources, over 30 government soldiers were killed in the recent clashes.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), backed up by the US-led coalition, are storming the neighborhoods of Nezlit Shehada and Al-Shaddadi in Raqqah city. According to pro-SDF sources, over 27 ISIS members were killed in the recent clashes and an IED plant was captured. According to ISIS, 8 SDF members were killed recently.

The battle for Raqqah has turned into a very complicated task for the US-backed force. While there is little doubt that the city will be liberated, the question is how much time and manpower will this effort take?

If you’re able, and if you like our content and approach, please support the project. Our work wouldn’t be possible without your help: PayPal: [email protected], BTC: 1PvKhgVDoXp96Yyp7Pgs5uMPkChSMA2G5n or via: http://southfront.org/donate/ or via: https://www.patreon.com/southfront

The Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI) reports that total expenditures on Ontario hospitals increased to $23.7-billion in 2016. This is an increase of 2.4% since 2015 and 6.1% since 2012. While provincial government expenditures increased 4.7% over the four years between 2012 and 2016, private sector expenditures on hospitals increased at a much faster rate – 15.8%. That is more than three times the percentage increase of the provincial government increases.

Private sector expenditures increased $124.9-million in 2016 to $3.62-billion. That was a typical increase. The four year private sector increase was $493.1-million, averaging $123.3-million per year. That’s a lot more than chump change.

Hospitals are now relying significantly more on private sector funds. In 2012 private sector expenditures accounted for 13.99% of total expenditures on hospitals but by 2016 they accounted for 15.27%.

Looking deeper, this in fact continues a decades long trend of an increasing portion of expenditures on hospitals coming from the private sector.

In 1975 just 6.17% of expenditures on hospitals came from the private sector. But this has continuously increased:

The average increase in private sector expenditure on hospitals since 1975 has been 8.9% compared with a total average expenditure increase on hospitals of 6.4%. Over the last 41 years, private sector percentage increases have averaged almost one-third more than public sector expenditure increases.

Over the last four years, however, private sector percentage expenditure increases have been over twice as much as total expenditure increases.

Here is a comparison of the annual percentage increases for the last four years:

This is an alarming trend – private payments are made for a purpose and that purpose is likely access to some aspect of hospital service on better terms than the general public.

As this change is four decades long, it likely reflects some deeply entrenched trends that will not be easy to reverse, unfortunately. It certainly sounds like it fits with the squeeze of public services and the increasing inequality that has characterized developed capitalist societies since the 1970s.

But the larger role of private sector expenditures on hospitals also indicates that provincial government or public sector expenditures no longer paint a full story of hospital funding.

Even with provincial government (austerity) expenditure increases of only 4.7% over the last four years, total expenditures on hospitals increased 6.1% thanks entirely to a 15.8% increase in private payments.

The relevant CIHI numbers are embedded here. For all the CIHI healthcare expenditure data, download “data tables” on this CIHI hyperlink.

Doug Allan writes the blog Defend Public Healthcare.

Featured image from Mark Martinez’ Blog

Global Research strives for peace, and we have but one mandate: to share timely, independent and vital information to readers across the globe. We act as a global platform to let the voices of dissent, protest, and expert witnesses and academics be heard and disseminated internationally.

We need to stand together to continuously question politics, false statements, and the suppression of independent thought.

Stronger together: your donations are crucial to independent, comprehensive news reporting in the ongoing battle against media disinformation. (click image above to donate)

*     *     *

Geopolitical Turbulence in the Caucasus

By Stephen Karganovic, July 21, 2017

The occasion for the flag display was the visit of US lieutenant-general Frederick Hodges, commander of US forces in Europe, who arrived on a special mission, ostensibly to commend the performance of Georgian troops who were undergoing combat training at the US military base in Oberpfalz, in Germany.

Demands of Colonialism Reparations to the Caribbean

By Colonialism Reparation, July 21, 2017

On June 23, 2017 dozens of organizations and five Nobel Peace Laureates supported the demand for justice of the Haitian people by calling on the United Nations Security Council delegation visiting Haiti for the complete withdrawal of MINUSTAH and the compensation of victims of the cholera epidemic.

United States Drowning in an Ocean of Subjectivism. Make America What?

By John Stanton, July 21, 2017

Everywhere in the United States the disease of subjectivism is present. The evidence abounds: The polarization of the political system; the dismissal of history because of discomfort with historical facts; “trigger” warnings for literary texts that offend sensibility; the vicious censure befalling authors for developing literary characters of a different race or ethnic experience, applying the rules of law for some and not others; or disavowing a higher spiritual power of some sort.

Political Insanity in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Crisis in Qatar, The Plight of the Camels

By Felicity Arbuthnot, July 21, 2017

With the imposition of the embargo the Saudi government expelled the Qatari owners of more than fifteen thousand camels and ten thousand sheep, with nine thousand camels reportedly expelled in just thirty-six hours. 

Afghanistan: A Morally Corrupting War

By Prof. Alon Ben-Meir, July 21, 2017

Nearly 2,400 American soldiers have been killed and 20,000 wounded; over 33,000 Afghani civilians have lost their lives. A record number of civilians—1,662—were killed in the first six months of 2017 alone, and over 3,581 civilians were wounded. Overall, Afghani casualties are estimated at 225,000, with 2.6 million Afghani refugees and more than one million internally displaced.

“Electronic Money” under “The One World Order” (OWO): Are We Becoming Western Money Slaves? Solutions? “Resistance Economy”, “De-dollarization”, “De-globalization”

By Peter Koenig, July 20, 2017

Why reduced to the Occident? – Because the Orient, China, Russia and the other countries belonging to the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and to the Eurasia Economic Union (EEU) have already largely delinked themselves from the western dollar-based system of fraud. They are saved from slavehood.

Someone wanted the public to know that the new Saudi clown prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MbS) took up his new position by unceremoniously disposing his predecessor Mohammed bin Nayef (MbN) by force. The juicy details, true or not, were briefed to Reuters, the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times on the same day:

As next in line to be king of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Nayef was unaccustomed to being told what to do. Then, one night in June, he was summoned to a palace in Mecca, held against his will and pressured for hours to give up his claim to the throne.By dawn, he had given in, and Saudi Arabia woke to the news that it had a new crown prince: the king’s 31-year-old son, Mohammed bin Salman.

Bin Nayef was a darling of the CIA and his disposal was not welcome. It may well be that the author of the tale of his ouster has his office in Langley, Virginia.

We had correctly called the MbN removal a coup and predicted that “the old al-Saud family king [..] will be offed soon.” From the current Reuters piece:

Quoting a witness at the palace, one Saudi source said King Salman this month pre-recorded a statement in which he announces the transfer of the throne to his son. The announcement could be broadcast at any time, perhaps as soon as September.

We also wrote that “[m]any Arab peninsula citizens will want to see [the new clown prince’s] head on a pike.”

The details of how MbS deposed the previous crown prince MbN will enrage additional parts of Saudi Arabia’s population. Additional leaks about extensive MbS contacts with Israel will increase the bad feelings against him. This especially as Israeli is further encroaching on the al-Haram a-Sharif and the Al-Aqsa mosque on the (likely falsely) claimed Jewish temple mount.

MbS’ attempt to push Qatar around has, as predicted, failed. The four countries that had joined against Qatar could not agree to increase the pressure. The demands made to Qatar have now been retracted. This is a huge loss of face for MbS and his Emirati mentor Mohammad bin Zayed. The Saudi war against Yemen kills many civilians and costs billions of dollars but is militarily lost. The announced big economic reforms have made no progress. The Gulf Cooperation Council is defunct and may fall further apart.

Everything MbS has touched failed. His actions violate traditions and religious commandments. His coup has set an example that can now be used against himself. It would not be astonishing to see a revolt against Mohammed Bin Salman even before he is able to make himself king. The way he shifted MbN to the side broke all traditional rules. The example he set with the ouster of the former crown prince can now be used against himself.

UPDATE: Bin Salman is now consolidating all internal security organizations and functions under himself. The Interior Ministry, traditionally headed by the Nayef family branch, will be stripped of all significant powers. MbS is afraid. He knows that many forces, including the CIA, are now working against him. This attempt to coup-proof his rule is probably coming too late.

“Our soils are sick from greed-based, irresponsible agricultural practices, pesticides, chemical fertilizers, erosion and mineral depletion, all of which stop or reduce adequate microbial activity in the soil, rendering them sick and/or dead and sterile. Sick soils make for sick plants and sick plants make for sick humans and animals.” Scott Tips, president of the National Health Federation, Crashing Monsanto’s Pesticide Party in Beijing.

In the area of food and agriculture, you may be aware of various reports and discussions about GMOs, pesticides and organics. You might also know about the power, influence, crimes and shameful lobbying practices of transnational agribusiness companies like Monsanto. And you might have also discovered what (GMO) chemical-intensive agriculture is doing to soils, rivers, biodiversity, human health and crops.

It’s all been well documented. But what you might find little mention of is Codex Alimentarius (Latin for ‘food code’), a collection of international food standards, guidelines and codes of practice that are supposed to contribute to the safety, quality and fairness of international food trade.

The Codex Alimentarius Commission is based in Rome and was created in 1963. An international organization jointly run by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) and the World Health Organization (WHO), it has 27 different committees. Codex’s published goals are to develop and adopt uniform food standards for its member countries and to promote the free and unhindered international flow of food goods, thereby eliminating trade barriers to food and providing food safety.

Biotechnology, pesticides, food additives and contaminants are some of the issues discussed in Codex meetings. The FAO says:

“Codex standards are based on the best available science assisted by independent international risk assessment bodies or ad-hoc consultations organized by FAO and WHO.”

Although Codex offers recommendations for voluntary application by members, Codex standards serve in many cases as a basis for national legislation. The reference made to Codex food safety standards in the WTO’s Agreement on Sanitary and Phytosanitary measures (SPS Agreement) means that Codex has far reaching implications for resolving trade disputes. WTO members that wish to apply stricter food safety measures than those set by Codex may be required to justify these measures scientifically.

Codex began in 1963 and seemingly got off on the right foot in terms of having some good intentions. However, consider that, among other things, Codex decides on minimum food residue levels for pesticides, allowable amounts of aluminum, lead and arsenic in food and which substances or products are dangerous. These decisions affect the products and markets of huge corporations that have hundreds of millions of dollars at stake.

Do you think the agrochemical companies, for instance, are going to sit back and do nothing? Or do you think they would, as is usually the case, get together and attempt to lobby away or discredit any potential decision that may affect their bottom line?

The National Health Federation

Established in 1955, the National Health Federation (NHF) is a health freedom organization that works to protect individuals’ rights to choose to consume healthy food, take supplements and use alternative therapies without government restrictions.

With consumer members all over the world and a board of governors and advisory board containing representatives from different countries, it is the only such organization with a seat at Codex Alimentarius. Moreover, it is one of only five consumer groups present at Codex meetings in a room of country and industry delegates whose motivations, according to NHF, “are often at odds with the best interest of the people of the world.”

The NHF has monitored meetings of the Codex Alimentarius Commission since the mid-1990s and has been present at these meetings since 2000. It obtained official Codex-recognised status as an international non-governmental organisation (INGO), which allows it the right to speak out in support of health freedom at these Codex meetings.

By having an official voice at Codex, the NHF can actively shape global policies for food, beverages and nutritional supplements. And by having an accredited seat at Codex, the NHF can submit scientific research and arguments about food standards and guidelines, speak out during the many meetings of delegates and influence the wording of final reports on all meetings that thNHF attends.

Over the last decade, the NHF has worked to keep steroids and dangerous antibiotics out of the global meat and honey supply, to reduce the allowable amounts of aluminum, lead and arsenic in food, to get aspartame declared a dangerous and harmful artificial sweetener and for standardised full-disclosure food labelling. Today, it continues to work against the harmful agendas of big agriculture/pharmaceuticals concerns.

The NHF reflects the widely held belief (based on a good deal of evidence; for example, see this, this, this and this) that a small elite has gained control of governmental agencies, not least the large agribusiness corporations. Attendees at Codex meetings are therefore regulatory bureaucrats who very often are unduly influenced by commercial interests.

Scott Tips, president of the NHF:

“What we see here all too often is that some government agencies are nothing more than regional field agencies for corporate interests.”

Tips contends that the Codex Alimentarius Commission is heavily influenced by the appointments it makes and its infiltration by powerful sectors: food, agricultural, biotech and pharmaceutical industries.

As a result, unhealthy guidelines are being established.

Codex and pesticides

Codex Alimentarius Commission answers to the WHO and FAO. The WTO is the enforcement arm of Codex on issues brought before it. In the absence of a trade dispute, each country that incorporates Codex standards and guidelines into its rules and regulations enforces them. In other words, Codex matters!

During April 2017, The Codex Alimentarius Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR) met in Beijing. Scott Tips attended the meeting and says of the giant agritech corporations:

“They have been running amok for years, unchallenged. The Codex Alimentarius Committee on Pesticide Residues (CCPR) is their playground and they know it. Monsanto, Syngenta, DuPont, Dow, Bayer, and other agrochemical companies – cozily snuggled together at Codex as the disarmingly named, front group CropLife – sent no fewer than 39 representatives to the 49th session of the CCPR meeting held in Beijing, China from April 24-29, 2017, to coerce, charm and bedazzle government regulators.”

Tips argues that the agrochemical companies tell us these compounds are safe and are ensuring adequate food production to feed the world, but the facts tell us another story. He adds that glyphosate tops the list of poisons applied every day to plants and soil that in turn destroy humans, animals, and our environment. Some 9.4 million tons of glyphosate have been spread on our fields. It is in our water table, our soil, crops, the food industry and over 90% of people in the West have it in their bodies and even breast milk.

Tips says:

“Glyphosate is poisoning our soil, destroying our gut biome, and laying the foundation for destroying our ability to produce healthy foods for future generations. Industry and regulators claim that glyphosate is safe for humans and animals because the means by which it kills weeds (the shikimate pathway) is not present in in humans and animals. However, the shikimate pathway is present in bacteria, which dominate human and animal gut biomes. The glyphosate preferentially destroys beneficial gut bacteria, thereby allowing disease and inflammation to take hold.”

In Beijing, a growing list of approved and soon-to-be-approved pesticides was before the Committee for its consideration, a list that included chlorpyrifos-methyl, buprofezin, teflubenzuron, saflufenacil, fluazifop-p-butyl, flupyrdifurone, and glyphosate. Figures representing the interests of the agrochemical companies were all present, but Tips spoke out over the four-day meeting against the pesticides listed above. Depending on the pesticide, NHF argued that they were carcinogenic, killed bees and other vital insects as well as aquatic life and damaged the environment, including the oceans in the case of glyphosate.

In addition, there was much debate about the maximum residue limits (MRLs) for numerous pesticides.

When attending Codex meetings, given the presence of the agritech giants and co-opted officials, Tips is often a lone voice. He says of the objections he raised in Beijing:

“These solitary objections in a roomful of hundreds of delegates reminded me of the same circumstances I had found myself in at the Food Additives Committee meeting in 2008 and the Contaminants Committee meeting in 2009 when I was the only one to speak against aluminum in food additives and melamine contamination levels in infant formula. A few years later and both committees had come around entirely to the NHF positions and adopted them.”

He adds:

“Of course, CropLife and its captured regulators in Australia and New Zealand did all that they could during the meeting to advance pesticide MRLs that fail to protect consumers but do protect worldwide sales.”

Scott Tips and his colleagues at the NHF are tireless in their efforts to roll back corporate influence at Codex. In the profit-motivated world of big business where bought science and scientists, shady lobbying, smear campaigns and corrupt politics are the norm, integrity doesn’t count for much.

In the world of Tips, however, integrity is everything.

He concludes:

“The fight rages on. There are victories, such as in the 55 lawsuits filed against Monsanto in Northern California, where the court recently ordered release of Monsanto e-mails and other documents showing probable collusion between the company and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.”

If at the mention of Azerbaijan its delicious lamb and rice national dish plov comes to mind, or the equally tasty vinegret salad in the case of Georgia, that certainly would not be the wrong association. Lamentably, however, both countries – as well as the entire Caucasus region where they are key strategic players – are increasingly becoming notable for reasons far less innocuous than outstanding gastronomy.

To put it very simply, after Syria the Caucasus – barely 800 miles to the northeast – is literally Russia’s second line of defense, its “soft underbelly,” to use a worn but apposite phrase. Quite understandably, Russia is in Syria, among other reasons, precisely to make sure that it would not have to fall back to the aforementioned defense line. Its geopolitical opponents, however, are doing their utmost to see to it that it does. Hence the intense turbulence and maneouvering between Baku and Tbilisi, and beyond.

NATO Flags in Tbilisi. On a recent day, the main street of Georgia’s capital of Tbilisi was awash with American flags. Like neighboring Azerbaijan, Georgia is another strategically positioned former Soviet republic in the Caucasus. The occasion for the flag display was the visit of US lieutenant-general Frederick Hodges, commander of US forces in Europe, who arrived on a special mission, ostensibly to commend the performance of Georgian troops who were undergoing combat training at the US military base in Oberpfalz, in Germany. But as it turns out, the US is also constructing a new military facility in Georgia.[1] According to Georgia’s defense minister Levan Izoriya, the base is expected to open before the end of this year.

It takes little imagination to appreciate that the training Georgian soldiers are currently undergoing could, at some point in the future, come in handy for hypothetical operations such as, for instance, raising tensions on the border with Abkhazia or again, as in 2008, South Ossetia. True enough, with Saakashvilli’s unregretted departure Georgia now seems to have a leadership that is disinclined to become involved in such reckless adventures. It is also true, however, that the US military presence in Georgia is not confined to maintaining just a special forces training facility. A slew of foreign operated antennae, radar installations, and other surveillance facilities in Georgia attests to that. The US and NATO, Georgia’s prospective membership in the latter is again becoming an active conversation topic, apparently are committed to some long-range goals in this particular part of the world.

Georgian and NATO flags on top of the Sakrebulo (local government) building in Tbilisi. (Photo by Nino Alavidze/Agenda.ge)

The scope of observable foreign activities would be incomprehensible on the theory that they are designed to serve no more than purely regional ambitions. Their true goal is more likely to be significantly broader: to extend US and NATO presence beyond the Caucasus. In that context, Georgia is no more than Washington’s stepping stone, a forward post. At a recent meeting with Georgia’s foreign minister Mikhail Janelidze, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson promised “full US support.”

“The US is ready to back Georgia in any situation,” Janelidze gloated ominously after the meeting. Ominously, because backing Georgia means getting involved in its myriad border disputes and internal separatist issues.

A bit of recent Georgian political history could come in handy. During the post-Soviet period Georgia had four presidents. The first, the poet Zviad Gamsahurdia, wanted Georgia to be neutral, a goal which the prosaic realists in NATO and Washington, bent on occupying the post-Soviet space left vacant by Moscow’s withdrawal, found utterly repugnant. The more cooperative successor whom they subsequently installed, Eduard Shevernadze of perestroika memory, attempted a two-track policy. On the one hand, he signed agreements allowing the construction of Western-sponsored pipelines in his country. On the other, in 1994 he made Georgia a member of the post-Soviet grouping, Commonwealth of Independent States (SNG).

After the wavering Shevernadze was thrown under the bus, his successor Mikhail Saakashvilli pursued a clearly delineated and radical pro-Western policy, presumably more likely to impress his overseas backers. During Saakashvilli’s presidency diplomatic relations with Russia were broken off. Borders between the two countries were closed for a long period. Saakashvilli did his best to drag Georgia into NATO.

“Our presidents are continuously dashing off to the US and other Western countries as mere vassals. We are subservient to the West. For at least nine years we have had nothing resembling our own independent policy,” laments Georgian political analyst Hatuna Lasagidze.

“Balanced politics,” Azerbaijani style. For the West, Azerbaijan is a strategically important country, capable of supplying the European Union with gas while bypassing Russia. It can also become a staging area for access to other Central Asian energy supplies. As a result, Azeri leadership has had little choice but to maneouver continuously between the various power centers while implementing the so-called “policy of balance.” That is no easy task, particularly at a time when the competing interests of Russia and the West seem more polarized than ever.

The Eastern Partnership project seeks to link six former Soviet republics – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Moldavia, Ukraine, and Belarus – as closely and inextricably to the EU as possible. Three of those countries, Georgia, Moldavia, and Ukraine, signed EU Association Agreements in 2014. As far as Azerbaijan is concerned, its adherence to “European values” has been proceeding somewhat less smoothly. Azerbaijan refused to sign the Association Agreement so as not to undermine its good relations with Russia. So says, at least, Azeri parliament deputy Azay Guliev.

Azeri public opinion for the moment seems dead set against an overtly pro-European policy and is calling upon President Ilham Aliev not to rush to coddle the arrogant Europeans, whose perceived double standards with regard to the Nagorno Karabakh dispute with Armenia many find irritable. For over twenty years Azerbaijan has been in a state of frozen conflict with Armenia on the Karabakh issue. More than a million Azeris have been expelled and have found refuge elsewhere (which is a little known fact). There is armed conflict from time to time. In April 2016 it intensified to the point that a genuine four-day war was fought between Azeri and Armenian forces.

Ilham Aliyev with his first lady during the Moscow Victory Day Parade, 9 May 2015 (Source: Kremlin.ru / Wikimedia Commons)

Azerbaijan is at a delicate stage in the transition process. Government overreaction to criticism is far from rare. Nepotism is rampant. Azeri president Ilham Aliev appointed his wife the country’s first vice-president. According to the constitution, the first vice-president is slated to take over the reigns of government if the president is incapacitated.

In the meantime, apathy reigns in Azerbaijan and citizens are showing little interest in politics.

A compromised opposition. While the story line in the West increasingly is that “non-government organizations” are experiencing hard times in Azerbaijan, political sources in Baku, on the other hand, maintain that this is not the whole truth of the matter. They point out that, while pursuing their strategic interests, several European countries and the US are, in fact, generously funding Azeri “NGO’s”. Those outfits are, in turn, obliged to earn their keep.

In that regard, it is also relevant to point out that since the Aliev clan (the current president Ilham and his predecessor in the office, Geydar) have been in charge of the country, Azerbaijan has been conducting an evenhanded, neutral foreign policy. There is no indication of that changing any time soon at the top levels of the government. Against such a background, radical Islam has been gaining strength in the country and is rapidly turning into a major internal problem and source of instability. With encouragement and financing from the Saudis (as well as “all the usual suspects”), Wahabbi ideas are being aggressively disseminated throughout Azerbaijan. In the process, Islamists have been using internal political conditions skillfully to their advantage. The opposition is gradually gathering under the Islamists’ banner notwithstanding the fact that, as in other Central Asian post-Soviet republics, the authorities are doing their best keep it as confined as possible.

US ambassador in Baku Robert Cekuta has been working hard to broaden the ranks of the secular at the expense of the clerical opposition. Washington has apparently awakened to the fact that the greatest threat to its strategic interests locally comes precisely from the Islamist factor. Nevertheless, perhaps as a reflection of the West’s less than entirely coherent current policy of keeping the Azeri government just enough off-balance to be cooperative but not so much as to push it off the cliff just yet, last year Islamists who were being held in confinement in Azerbaijan were for the first time officially listed by EU as having the status of “political prisoners.”

Those with reasonably good memory will recall that in the past such dilettantish experiments with opening the Pandora’s Box not a few times have blown up in the faces of the mad scientists attempting them, often with devastating consequences for the luckless countries selected to serve as their laboratory.

So far this year, Western financial support to the Azeri opposition is said to exceed 60 million dollars. Most of the funding originates from the US, Great Britain, Germany, Poland, and the Czech Republic. Most of the money is funneled through Georgia, which for all practical purposes has been turned into a staging area for exerting political influence in Azeri affairs.

That is quite unsurprising because Georgia has been for some time the springboard of Western hegemonism for expanding Western political and ideological influence throughout the region. On Saakashvilli’s watch, Georgia was made to take the Azerbaijani opposition under its wing. Nothing changed in that regard after his departure. As a result, the Azeri underground continues to feel quite at home in Tbilisi. This subversive pattern is literally cut-and-paste of how in the year 2000 the Western-backed “Otpor” opposition in Yugoslavia was logistically and financially supported from neighboring Hungary against the sovereign-minded Milosevic government.

Leaders of the Azeri opposition such as R. Ibrahimbegov and E. Namazov (National Council of Democratic Forces), A. Kerimli (Azeri National Front), N. Jafarli, and A. Gajili (Musavat Movement), as well as their close associates, are regular visitors in Tbilisi. In the Georgian capital they maintain regular contacts with their Western mentors from the Prague Democracy Center [2] as well as other notable “democracy” heavyweights such as The Human Rights Watch, Freedom House, People In Need, [3] and the National Democratic Institute. Meetings of Azeri opposition figures with high-ranking US and Dutch diplomats are also becoming more frequent. A veritable “perfect storm” of democratic activism is taking place. The Azeri government would be ill-advised not to take note off, including evidence of its ultimate provenance.

Map of the Caucasus (Source: Wikivoyage)

To cover their operating costs, on their visits to Tbilisi Azeri opposition leaders have been receiving significant sums of money that  are ultimately traceable to such “pro-democracy” outfits as NED, IREX, [4] and the Heinrich Boell Foundation.[5] Notably, such pow-wows are known to take place on the eve of opposition events scheduled in Azerbaijan. Allegations have been rife that opposition leader Ali Kerimli was recently awarded the tidy sum of $100,000 by some Western embassies. Of this sum, Kerimli distributed around about $30,000 for political activities, while keeping the remaining $70,000 for himself, according to Baku investigative journalist Maksud Talibili. By all accounts, Western sponsorship of protest operations and attempts to corrupt principal opposition leaders in Azerbaijan are in full swing.

Azerbaijan may not be a paradise… Azerbaijan is far from being a paradise, according to Samed Seidov, chairman of the foreign relations committee of the Azeri parliament. But it is also far from being a hell-hole, he is quick to add. He is critical of what he calls the double standard of Western politicians and journalists:

“There are abuses in Azerbaijan, but they can also be found in Armenia and Georgia. Except that they draw attention only when they occur in Azerbaijan. Then they are investigated, analyzed, and take the form of resolutions. But not when such things are happening elsewhere.”[6]

To be fair, Azerbaijan has been through some economic hard times, but it has managed to overcome the consequences of the global financial and economic crisis relatively painlessly. In 2001 poverty was estimated to affect about 50% of the population, while currently it stands at 7.6%. Economic growth has continued steadily thanks to oil and gas revenues. But in order to keep up the current pace of growth the government will have to diversify the economy. The Azeri market has also proved attractive for German firms. About 80% of Germany’s trade with South Caucasus is with Azerbaijan.

The Azeri economy can benefit from the transit of goods and raw materials, inasmuch as the country happens to be located between Russia and Iran. On the strategic level, Azerbaijan’s current relations with Russia are satisfactory, though not without tensions. Trade volume is on the rise. There is a high level of mutual political trust, which is reflected in continuous dialogue and increasing contacts. Business and trade cooperation between the two countries is on the rise, according to Fariz Ismailzade, vice-rector of Baku’s prestigious ADA University.[7]

“We do not want to be Western puppets. They are exerting pressure in order to undermine our relations with Russia and to make us choose between Russia and the West,” observes Azay Guliev, chairman of the “NGO Support Council” in the office of Azerbaijan’s president.

Significantly, Azerbaijan’s parliament recently voted not to join the “Eastern Partnership” program. Disobedience has a price, and the machinations we have described are designed to make Azerbaijan pay it. Political rumblings in the Caucasus are about much more than gastronomic rivalry, plov versus vinegret. Stay tuned.

Notes

[1] https://report.az/en/region/us-to-build-military-base-in-georgia/

[2] https://democracyctr.org/about/; as for the Center’s funding, see here: https://democracyctr.org/about/funding/

[3] https://www.clovekvtisni.cz/en

[4] https://www.irex.org/about-us

[5] https://www.boell.de/en

[6] A case in point: https://www.swissinfo.ch/eng/amnesty-condemns-arrest-of-another-human-rights-activist-in-azerbaijan/40538014

[7] http://www.ada.edu.az/en-US/Pages/home.aspx

Oil prices remain below $50 per barrel. Saudi Arabia and its longtime ally Qatar are now clashing. The situation on the Korean Peninsula is intensifying. The USA is being more and more hostile to China, while Venezuela faces an internal crisis.

How does one make sense of all this? Are these just random world events, which happen to all be occurring simultaneously? Hardly. These events can be understood and explained in the context of the ongoing global conflict. Much like during the Cold War, two different social and political systems are clashing with each other. Unlike the Cold War, the lines are not at all ideologically clear, but the underlying contradiction remains the same.

The dominant force in the world today is western liberal capitalism. Banking institutions and major corporations controlled by very wealthy people in New York City, Silicon Valley, London, Paris, and Frankfurt sit at the center of a global financial empire. They function as monopolists, collaborating with states to eliminate their competitors and keep the profits of the world market flowing directly toward them.

A bloc of independent countries are resisting their domination. The emerging bloc of nations seek to bring themselves up from poverty. They do not want to remain impoverished client states within the western financial apparatus, but rather to become modernized, self-reliant and developed countries. In order to develop and establish independence, these countries have been forced to adopt more or less state controlled, centrally planned economies.

The Siege Against “Petro-Socialism”

Venezuela, Russia, and Iran all have economies centered around government control of oil and natural gas. These natural resources are in the hands of the state, and while each of these countries have a large market sectors, the state controlled natural resources are the center of the economy, and the market sector is subordinated to them. The governments of Russia, Iran, and Venezuela draw support from a loyal, well organized population, which receives many benefits paid for with state oil revenue.

The Islamic Republic of Iran emerged from the 1979 popular revolution. The US backed dictator was toppled, and with slogans of “Not Capitalism But Islam” and “War of Poverty Against Wealth” the new government seized power. The Islamic Republic draws its support from the Revolutionary Guards and the Bassigue who act on a local level to enforce policy. Oil proceeds have been used to industrialize the country, provide free healthcare and education for the population, and establish a vibrant domestic economy.

In Russia, the state controlled oil and natural gas resources were utilized to restore order to the country, following the chaotic aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union. As oil and natural gas prices boomed during the first years of the 21st century, the Putin government was able to reassert state control over the economy and restore industrial production. Preaching what some call the “New Russian Patriotism” along with the Russian Orthodox Church, the Russian state has become an independent, powerful entity, working on behalf of its population, often against the wishes of western and domestic capitalists.

The Bolivarian government that was elected in Venezuela in 1999 became much stronger in 2002 after defeating an attempted coup d’etat. With the proceeds of state controlled oil, Venezuela has built hospitals, schools, and universities across the country. It has drastically reduced poverty, increased home ownership, and wiped out illiteracy.

While neither Venezuela, Iran, or Russia are “socialist” in the sense that the Soviet Union was, they cannot be called capitalist either. Capitalism means private ownership of major economic heights with the drive for profits being central. In all three of these countries, the decisions of state bureaucracies, not the drive of owners to make money, sets the economic agenda. The market sectors are subordinated to the power of state controlled, not for profit, economic entities, funded by government controlled oil and natural gas companies.

As for any government, the loyalty of the population is essential. In the “Petro-Socialist” countries loyalty has been won with economic benefits like education, healthcare, state investment, government jobs and subsidies.

The western elite has seized on the fact that these “Petro-Socialist” economies are so dependent on oil and natural gas as a weakness. Starting in 2014, Saudi Arabia, a longtime vassal of Exxon-Mobile, Royal Dutch Shell, Chevron, and British Petroleum, has flooded the market with cheap oil.

This glut was further compounded by the rise of hydraulic fracking. Now pulling oil and natural gas from shale, the United States has become the top oil and natural gas producer in the world. The USA has lifted the 1974 oil export ban, and began selling its oil on the world market.

The efforts of Saudi Arabia and the United States to flood the world market with oil and drop the price are not accidental. The intent is to cash-starve the state sectors of Russia, Iran, and Venezuela, and weaken the stability and popularity of the governments.

By drastically reducing state revenue, a domestic crisis of inflation has been created in Venezuela. Food importing companies have coordinated with opposition activists to create a shortage. Sanctions from the United States have made it very difficult for Venezuela to function on the world market. The Venezuelan government is now fighting for its life as opposition forces burn food, and foment riots and chaos in the streets, while many citizens who were formerly loyal to Bolivarianism are now cynical.

While the US media blames the socialist government for the crisis, Venezuela’s Minister of Urban Agriculture has pointed out that the USA is actively working to prevent food imports, saying

“The United States pressures shipping companies that if they make purchases, sales or transactions with Venezuela, they will be sanctioned.”

While Iran and Russia have suffered due to the oil price drop, both governments have managed to prevent any domestic crisis from erupting. Venezuela seems to be the primary target, as oil prices still hover below $50 per barrel, and the crisis in the country deepens.

The Sunni Alliance Cracks

In addition to dropping oil prices by flooding the market, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has been key in the direct military effort to defeat independent governments. Saudi Arabia was key in providing weapons and funding to the extremist groups and “rebels” that toppled the Islamic Socialist Government of Libya in 2011.

Since the fall of Gaddafi’s “Petro-Socialist” oil exporting regime in Libya, oil production has dramatically decreased, as this once most prosperous African country has been reduced to poverty and chaos. Nigeria has now replaced Libya as the top oil producer in Africa.

Many of the extremists who toppled Gaddafi, including the Islamic Fighting Group of which the Manchester bomber Salman Abedi had deep connections, are adherents to a Saudi interpretation of Islam called “Wahabbism.” Almost all terrorists who embrace Islam such as ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Al-Nusra, are adherents of the Wahhabi interpretation. The Wahhabi teaching calls for enforcing Islamic government at the point of a gun, and killing non-believers as well as other Muslims deemed to be “apostates.”

In addition to being embraced by terrorists, the Wahhabi interpretation of Sunni Islam is also widely promoted by the Saudi Arabian government. Wahhabi broadcasts and propaganda are funded by Saudi Arabia and spread across the world.

Much like in Libya, Wahhabi extremists armed and funded by Saudi Arabia are now the primary core of the fighting force working to bring down the Syrian Arab Republic. Various factions in Syria, many made up of non-Syrian foreign fighters, seek to transform the secular, religiously plural country into a pro-western, Islamic caliphate. Many of them openly state their intent to slaughter Alawites and forcibly expel the Christians in the process of creating a Sunni Muslim regime in Syria.

The Syrian government, which was on the verge of constructing a pipeline to connect Iranian oil fields to the Mediterranean Sea, is now fighting for its life in a bloody civil war. From among the religiously motivated anti-government fighters in Syria, sponsored by the USA and Saudi Arabia, the monstrous ISIS terrorists have emerged to horrify the world.

The Wahhabi terrorists who toppled Gaddafi with help from NATO bombs and now terrorize Syria, have had a critical ally in their efforts to conduct “regime change.” Alongside them has been the Muslim Brotherhood, an international Sunni Muslim extremist organization. The Muslim brotherhood is a religious mass movement that originated in the Middle East, and began working with the United States in the 1950s, seeing the rise of Arab Nationalism and Socialism as anti-Islamic. The Muslim Brotherhood provides services to its followers, and is based among small business owners who believe in a kind of Islamic capitalism, and view secular Arab Nationalism, Shia radicals, Israel, Socialists, and Communists as their enemies.

The monarchy of Qatar is a primary funder of the Muslim Brotherhood and its activities around the world, and the Qatari sponsored TV network Al-Jazeera promotes the activities and worldview of the Brotherhood across the planet. The Erdogan government in Turkey draws its support from the Muslim Brotherhood, and also funds its activities.

First in Libya and now in Syria, while Saudi backed terrorists bombed and killed, Turkish and Qatari backed organizations linked to the Muslim Brotherhood raised money and conducted propaganda work to promote regime change. The Muslim Brotherhood regime in Turkey allowed terrorists to cross the border into Syria. Muslim Brotherhood organizations, under the guise of humanitarian work, have funneled money to anti-government forces in Syria. Qatar has provided weapons and funding, while Al-Jazeera often reports favorably on the activities of Wahhabi “rebels” and demonizes the Syrian government.

Across Europe and even in the United States, Muslim Brotherhood linked Mosques and community organizations have held rallies to support the so-called “Syrian Revolution” and work to build up public relations in support of bombing and military intervention in Syria by western powers.

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia outlaws the Muslim Brotherhood within its own borders, and has a deeply different theological perspective. Regardless, on the international sphere, Saudi backed Wahhabism, and Qatari-Turkish backed Muslim Brotherhood affiliates have been close allies.

When Donald Trump visited Saudi Arabia and attempted to build an “Arab NATO” against Iran, Qatar seemed reluctant. While Qatar generally sides with Saudi Arabia against the Islamic Republic of Iran, it still maintains diplomatic relations. The Muslim Brotherhood is Sunni, but it does not consider Shia Muslims such as those who rule Iran as being “apostates” worthy of death.

As the Muslim Brotherhood refuses to go all-in with the US-Saudi effort to target the Iranian government, Qatar now finds itself at odds with Saudi Arabia. Possibly in an effort to please the Saudis, Donald Trump has accused Qatar of funding terrorism. Saudi Arabia demands that Qatar shut down Al-Jazeera and its activities in support of the Muslim Brotherhood, possibly because the Brotherhood exists as a competing ideology to Wahhabism among radicalized Muslims around the world.

In response, Qatar has now released a large number of documents purporting to show Saudi and UAE connections to ISIS and Al-Qaeda. Meanwhile, Erdogan’s Brotherhood linked regime in Turkey seems much less hostile to Russia than just a few years prior, and has loudly protested against US funding and arming of Kurdish forces in Syria.

The Wahhabi-Brotherhood alliance utilized by the USA for “regime change” in Syria and Libya seems to be coming apart. The Muslim Brotherhood linked organizations seem more and more reluctant to trust the USA and Saudi Arabia, and much more open to friendly relations with Iran and Russia.

It should be noted that the Muslim Brotherhood’s Palestinian affiliate is Hamas, the primary battlefield enemy of Israel. Trump has positioned himself as a strong ally of Israel, and Israeli pressure against the Muslim Brotherhood and its backers may have an influence on the continuing split.

Low Oil Prices Do Not Weaken Chinese Socialism

While the non-capitalist economies of Russia, Venezuela, and Iran are centered around the revenue created by oil and natural gas exports, China’s state directed economy depends on oil imports.

During the Mao era, when China maintained a Soviet style model, China’s domestic oil resources were adequate to provide for the gradually emerging industries. However, in 1978, China’s economy was drastically altered. The Soviet style “command economy” was abandoned. Deng Xiaoping adjusted China to a model known as “Socialism with Chinese Characteristics.” While banking and major industries like steel manufacturing remained under state control, much of China’s economy was privatized. “Free Economic Zones” were established, and joint ventures between Chinese capitalists and western investors became widespread.

Under “Socialism with Chinese Characteristics” China’s economy continues to be subject to five year plans of development, and despite market forces being prevalent, the 90 million-member Communist Party maintains control over the market. China is known to execute billionaires and capitalists who run afoul of the party or endanger the public, and corporations have no real property rights or economic freedom respected by the state.

As China’s apparatus of production greatly expanded, a need for resources developed. In 1993, China became a net oil importer. As production boomed on China’s mainland, China became increasingly dependent on oil imports. Today, 60% of Chinese oil consumption involves imported petroleum.

The more China’s economy grew, the more dependent it became on oil. One of the key factors in the rise of Bolivarian “Petro-Socialism” in Latin America was China’s willingness to purchase from previously untapped reserves of oil. Sanctions from the United States did not deter China from purchasing oil from Venezuela.

Evo Morales visited China after being elected President of Bolivia. The Socialist politician praised Mao’s “Proletarian Revolution” during his state visit to China, and since Morales election, China has purchased natural resources from Bolivia at a very high rate. China’s investments throughout south and central America have greatly increased in the last two decades. Petrobas, the state owned oil company in Brazil, has greatly benefitted from Chinese investment. China has also assisted Brazil in constructing hydro-power plants and bringing electricity to impoverished rural areas.

The “Oil Veto” in the South China Sea

While the low oil prices since 2014 have hurt the economies of the petro-socialist, oil centered countries, the state controlled centrally planned economy of China has been strengthened. Cheap oil has enabled China to continue to expand its apparatus of production and influence around the world.

Today, half the steel in the world is produced in China’s government controlled steel industry. China’s state owned industries are also churning out huge amounts of copper, iron, and other metals. The wages of Chinese workers are increasing, and almost every day another Chinese millionaire is created.

US media echoed alarmist reports on a “Chinese Slowdown” in 2015, but the economy did not falter. The rate of growth has slightly decreased, but remains around 7%, a rate that is envious to almost every other country on earth.

While a very small amount of China’s oil imports comes from land pipelines, the majority of it comes by sea on oil tankers. China has worked very hard to secure the South China Sea, and make sure that nothing can interfere with the flow of oil to the Chinese mainland via its ports in Shanghai, Guangzhou and Hong Kong.

The USA has long had power over China’s growing economy via a potential “oil veto.” A naval blockade from the United States in the South China Sea could easily bring production on the mainland to a grinding halt by cutting off the flow of oil.

The existence of the Philippines as a pro-US regime hosting American military forces has long been a potential source of weakness for China. However, the government of Rodrigo Duterte has altered this situation. Duterte’s anti-US speeches, and willingness to negotiate with China has been a big game-changer in the pacific. The populist President linked to anti-drug vigilante groups has reached an understanding with China, and effectively enabled China-bound oil tankers in the South China Sea to be far more secure than before.

Tensions on the Korean Peninsula

The THAAD Missile System being erected in southern Korea is also a threat to China’s security. The missile system has a radar that penetrates deep into Chinese territory, and the system is “strike enabling” allowing US forces in Korea to potentially attack China, Russia, or North Korea, and then deflect any response.

As soon as the first components of the THAAD system were unloaded in Korea, China responded with economic penalties. The world took notice of how the economy in southern Korea screamed in response to a sudden loss of Chinese cooperation.

Shortly afterward, the widely unpopular and corrupt President who had arranged for THAAD to be constructed, was removed from office. The rightist President Park, daughter of the military dictator, was driven from office, and replaced with Moon Jae-In, who is far friendlier to China and more skeptical of the United States.

The United States has lashed out at China on the floor of the UN Security Council for its alleged economic ties to the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. China maintains all of its relations with DPRK are consistent with international agreements, but the USA is now demanding complete isolation of the state in northern Korea.

China and Russia have opposed Korea’s nuclear proliferation and missile tests, but also opposed continued US war games in the south, rehearsing invasion and destruction of the DPRK. The proposal from Russia and China for the DPRK, the US, and South Korea to all de-escalate the military activity on the Peninsula seems to have fallen on deaf ears. The USA maintains that it has the right to engage in provocative war games, but the DPRK does not have the right to continue proliferating nuclear weapons or testing missiles.

In Latin America, China’s influence has continued to grow despite the crisis of Petro-Socialism. China seeks to secure maritime trade routes in order to ensure that oil can flow safely and that its state controlled economy can continue to produce. The pro-US regime in Panama gives the USA a certain control over global Sea routes. For example, shipments to the Democratic Peoples Republic of Korea from Cuba were stopped and inspected in June of 2013.

China is now working with the Socialist government of Nicaragua to construct an alternative to the Panama Canal that will be controlled by anti-capitalist forces. China has rewarded Nicaragua for its cooperation with a huge amount of investment. The Wall Street Journal reports an increase of 36% in Nicaragua’s GDP between 2007 and 2016, along with a 30% reduction of poverty. The United Nations World Happiness Index report for 2016, lists the greatest increase in happiness for 2016 as taking place in Nicaragua. The life expectancy is also rising.

Nicaragua’s socialist government is led by the Sandinistas and uses the slogan “Christianity, Socialism and Solidarity.” Like China’s economy, Nicaragua’s socialism is not dependent on state controlled oil, but imports, rather than exports, oil. Socialism in Nicaragua is emerging in the form of state controlled industries and cooperatives, often done with heavy investment and cooperation from China. The US congress now has a bill in the works to place sanctions on this highly successful, socialist government, which the US media often labels as a “dictatorship” that violates “human rights.”

Internal Conflict in Both Camps

As the western capitalist powers clash with the rising block of planned economies, both sides face internal conflict. In the west, the computer revolution has eliminated millions of industrial jobs and reduced the next generation to a far lower standard of living.

Western capitalism has “globalized” and in the process, driven wages and living standards down across the board. Workers in western countries now compete with workers in third world free market states. The poverty and drug chaos taking place under free market capitalist regimes in Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras has resulted in a crisis of mass migration to the USA. Poverty and terrorism in the Middle East has resulted in a mass flow of refugees into Europe.

In the western capitalist countries, the rising poverty and migration has accompanied a rise in police state repression and government spying. In the political sphere, the far left and far right have become more powerful, as centrist forces who believe in free markets and social liberalism prove unable to resolve the crisis.

Meanwhile, in the anti-imperialist countries, a clash and divide is also growing. The pro-American private capitalists of Iran, for example, are growing more and more hostile to the Revolutionary Guard and the principalists associated with the state sector. In the midst of a political crisis, Venezuela’s state has become much more dependent on the grassroots Communist and Socialist activists who brought Bolivarianism into power. A constituent assembly is being formed to adjust the constitution, and the Communes and “Collectivos” are functioning as organizing centers. Armed Bolivarian militias of ideological young people are being formed to defend the government from the opposition, alongside the military.

In China, Xi Jinping is rapidly centralizing the leadership of the Communist Party, and reintroducing a more ideological tone. A nationwide crackdown on corruption and bribery is forcing the party and the government sector to act in a more disciplined and coordinated manner, and to be less friendly and tolerant of questionable activities from foreign capitalists.

China pushes an alternative form of globalization with its New Silk Road and One Belt, One Road initiative. While neoliberal trade organizations like the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank usually mandate reduction of the state sector and privatizations, China’s Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank loans money to states in order to build highways, railways, hospitals, universities, and airports. Infrastructure tends to strengthen the domestic economy, while privatizations tend to weaken it. China’s particular interest in modern infrastructure like high speed rail tends to embarrass western countries like the United States where the mass public transportation systems are plagued with disrepair, delays, accidents, and underfunding.

In the west, the ideology of globalist free market capitalism is on the defensive as right-wing nationalists and left-wing socialists blame it for the crisis, and offer more radical sounding alternatives. The western elites are hoping to contain the growing outrage, and redirect the public with increasing anti-Russian and anti-Chinese propaganda campaigns. Within the anti-imperialist blocks, the more pragmatic forces are being challenged by more ideological and radical sections of the state apparatus, that are committed to the anti-capitalist foundations. Meanwhile, market sector forces are being more widely viewed as a potential fifth column.

While 21st century political science is filled with proclamations of “post-ideology” and “non-ideological thought” on both sides of the global conflict, ideology seems to be in high demand. Some kind of explanation of the crisis and its roots, and some kind of ultimate solution is something many are desperately searching for.

China was once the “sick man of Asia” dominated by western powers amid mass poverty, drug addiction, and national humiliation. Today, China is the second largest economy on earth. The horrors of the post-Soviet period in the 1990s have been radically corrected by Putin, who is now one of the most popular leaders in the world. Russia is a force to be reckoned with on the global stage once again. In Latin America and Asia many countries are being pulled into the orbit of the two Eurasian superpowers as they forge an alternative to western free market globalism.

The ongoing clash between the two economic models is not likely to erupt into some dramatic explosion at this time. Rather, the two economies will attempt to coexist with each other despite their obvious contradiction.

However, in places like Syria, Yemen, and Ukraine, the clash between the two forces has broken out into open warfare, with the two blocs lining up respectively behind their allies. While peace is in the universal interests of humanity, the danger of war increases, and tensions are getting higher.

Caleb Maupin is a political analyst and activist based in New York. He studied political science at Baldwin-Wallace College and was inspired and involved in the Occupy Wall Street movement, especially for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook”.

Featured image from New Eastern Outlook

Reports by major Western news outlets such as the Washington Post regarding US President Donald Trump’s undertaking to end the covert CIA operation to arm rebels in Syria are essentially misleading. It assumes that there is truth to the official sanitized narrative of a bona fide faction of insurgents who could be classified as ‘moderate rebels’. This was of course publicly discredited by the revelation that a 500 million-dollar investment aimed at creating a viable rebel force yielded a grand total of five guerrillas.

The whole point about the anti-Assad insurgency was to introduce fanatical Islamic warriors to destabilise and then balkanise Syria.

General Wesley Clark, the retired former supreme commander of Nato, once said during a CNN interview words to the effect that you don’t put up recruitment posters in the Middle East exhorting the masses to volunteer for a militia in order to make the world a better place. In other words a conventional idealist is not the sort of person who in Clark’s words “will fight to the death against Hezbollah.”

The so-called Islamic State and Jabhat al-Nusra, the former a renegade group metastasized from al-Qaeda and the latter, an al-Qaeda affiliate, are precisely the sort of militias that have benefitted from a covert operation which has been overseen by the state and military intelligence agencies of the United States.

The unvarnished truth is that the United States, alongside its regional allies Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, has overseen the recruitment, training and financing of Syrian and foreign jihadis. The state of Israel has also provided jihadis operating near the Golan Heights with medical, financial and logistical support.

There have been episodes where the United States-led West has provided overt support for jihadis. For instance, the United States clearly sought to help al Nusra during the siege of Aleppo through a combination of disinformation and military intervention. The former relates to the role of the Western media in propagating the narrative of a Russian-induced humanitarian calamity, while the latter consisted of at least one significant military act of intervention: the supposedly ‘accidental’ killing of dozens of Syrian Army personnel in Deir al-Zour.

With the defeat of the Islamic State nearing, Trump’s undertaking to President Vladimir Putin amounts to a piecemeal concession. The defeat of Islamic State and others by a coalition of the Syrian military, Russia, Hezbollah and Iran -effectively a defeat for the United States- will not put out the fires in Syria.

This is because the United States will continue striving to ensure that Syria is balkanised. The instrument through which it will work towards achieving this end is through its support for Kurdish militias. The attack using Tomahawk missiles on a Syrian airbase which was ordered by Trump himself despite the lack of evidence that the Syrian military used chemical weapons, was designed to aid Kurdish rebels.

Israel, which for all of its existence has been committed to the balkanization of the Arab world, also supports the creation of a Kurdish state. While the secular government of President Bashar al-Assad has not been overthrown, it will take comfort from weakening of a neighbouring nationalist Arab state. The dismantling of Syria would, the Israelis hope, nullify or at least make more difficult any future claims by a successor state to the Golan Heights which Israel illegally annexed in 1981.

Trump’s undertaking does not mean that after being displaced from the territories of which they took control, the Islamic State and al-Nusra will not continue to receive funding in order to operate underground as saboteurs and assassins much as the Muslim Brotherhood once functioned with Western support against the governments of Egypt and Syria. Turkey will oppose any efforts to create a Kurdish state and Israel will continue in its efforts to weaken the Assad government.

Thus with the future involvement of the United States, Turkey and Israel in Syrian affairs a guaranteed matter, Donald Trump’s apparent concession is unlikely to bring an end to the tragedy of Syria.

Adeyinka Makinde is a London-based law lecturer with an interest in intelligence and security matters. He can be followed on Twitter @AdeyinkaMakinde.

Colonialism Reparation supports the demands of reparations to the Caribbean and calls on the United Nations for the complete withdrawal of MINUSTAH and the compensation of victims of the cholera epidemic.

On June 1, 2017 the Court of Basse-Terre in Guadeloupe has concluded the trial for the demand of reparations for slavery to the French State fixing the date of the sentence on September 7. The lawyers of the CIPN (Comité International des Peuples Noirs) have called for the appointment of a panel of experts to assess the suffered damages and to propose the reparatory measures for the descendants of the victims.

On June 23, 2017 dozens of organizations and five Nobel Peace Laureates supported the demand for justice of the Haitian people by calling on the United Nations Security Council delegation visiting Haiti for the complete withdrawal of MINUSTAH and the compensation of victims of the cholera epidemic.

From 4 to July 6, 2017 was held in Grand Anse, Grenada, the thirty-eighth Summit of Heads of Government of the Caribbean Community with the participation of about twenty delegations. During the meeting the Caribbean Nations noted responses to the letters sent to European leaders and mandated the CARICOM Reparations Commission to coordinate the preparation of a diplomatic, communicative and training strategy to advance the reparations claim.

Colonialism Reparation supports the demands of reparations to the Caribbean and calls on the United Nations, as already done in November 2011 and September 2016, for the complete withdrawal of MINUSTAH and the compensation of victims of the cholera epidemic.

For further information, inquiries and interviews:
Colonialism Reparation http://www.colonialismreparation.org/
Press Office: [email protected]

***

Colonialism Reparation is part of the movement for the condemnation, the reconciliation, the apologies and the compensation for colonialism.

Colonialism Reparation promotes, supports and spreads non-violent activities aimed to create awareness of the current world situation and thereby to encourage the achievement of its objective

• that the colonizing nations condemn their colonial past recognizing it as a crime against humanity and that the colonized nations exert pressure to make it happen
• that the colonizing nations reconcile with their past, permanently distancing themselves from it by officially apologizing the colonized nations
• that the colonizing nations compensate the colonized nations for the atrocities and abuses committed thus allowing an improvement in their socio-economic conditions.

The contribution of every person who recognizes the importance of this activity to the creation of a climate of friendship and cooperation between peoples is necessary and appreciated. This contribution will create an extremely positive precedent in international relations as well, promoting the supremacy of the “force of law” on the “law of force”.

Featured image: The croissant stand in Aamarie district of Thomas Gate is known not only to Damascenes but visitors from other areas of Syria. While prices for most goods have risen all across Syria, the stand keeps its prices low: 125 Syrian pounds per sumptuous croissant. On the first day of ‘Eid celebrations the stand is packed. (Source: MintPress News)

Damascus — On prior visits to Damascus, staying in the Old City, the sound of mortars being fired from terrorist-held districts outside of the city was a constant. In recent months, the mortars on Damascus have stopped. Previously, Jebhat al-Nusra (Al Qaeda in Syria), Jaysh al-Islam and the Free Syrian Army, among other terrorist factions, rained mortars daily on residential areas of Damascus, hitting schools, homes, vehicles and pedestrians, killing and maiming indiscriminately, leaving civilians, including children, with critical injuries and amputations.  

With the recent absence of mortars, Damascenes have opened outdoor establishments where before it was formerly too dangerous. Sidewalks cafes and outdoor eateries open at night were unthinkable less than half a year ago, let alone rooftop cafes and lounges. Although Syrians suffer immensely from an economy devastated by war and western sanctions, in Damascus there is a renewed sense of defiance, a refusal to give in, or as a young man in his twenties visiting from Aleppo said:

“They have their own war against death by living.”

A snapshot of life in Damascus, June and July 2016:

Wedding procession in the Old City of Damascus. Love and life continue. A newcomer to Syria might be surprised by the vibrancy of life among Damascus residents, who have lived under al-Nusra and Jaysh al-Islam mortars for years, as well as cruel sanctions. “Tawadna” is a phrase that is heard often in Syria: “We got used to it.” Even when mortars rained down, Syrians celebrated their weddings and festivals. Now, in Damascus at least, it is safer to do so outside.

The book market near the President’s Bridge and Damascus University is an institution in Damascus, known to book lovers who can’t afford bookstores. It is one Damascus venue which refused to shut down over the years, mortars or not. In addition to its Arabic books, one can find English language books and cookbooks, English literature, popular English-language thrillers and taudry romance novels.

In the narrow lanes of Old Damascus, a wooden mosaic artisan explains the techniques of his trade. The tediously-crafted and beautiful woodwork is a favourite for tourists. In spite of the dearth of customers in the past five and a half years, craftsmen and women continue to practise their skills in hopes that when peace returns to Syria, so too will tourists.

The Abu Zolouf bar is one among many bars and lounges opened in the East Gate quarter of the Old City in recent months. Two years ago, I sat with the adjacent restaurant owner, Nabil, outside his then-vacant restaurant discussing the frequent mortars that Jebhat al-Nusra and the Free Syrian Army were firing on Damascus, from Jobar, less than 1 km to the northeast. As mortars fell in nearby districts of the Old City, Nabil narrated close-calls he had had with such mortars hitting outside his restaurant. He also lamented the loss of customers in recent years. Since their May 30, 2016, opening, the Abu Zolouf bar has nightly from 70 to 150 patrons looking to relax outdoors.

Le Visage, also in the East Gate quarter, was among the first outdoor establishment to open after the mortars stopped some months ago. From its rooftop position, one can look down on the historic Straight Street leading up to East Gate, as well as see life on balconies opposite, where months prior they were empty. A display of lighted alcohol bottles gleam in the dark, with Jobar less than 1 km beyond. A Damascus youth noted: “Imagine, ISIS are about 4 km away and we are opening new bars. This is the Syrian people.”

In an artsy restaurant along the Straight Street, stone walls are adorned with the owner’s brightly-coloured paintings and a solitary board with the words “Cup of Coffee Pending” at the top. Hekmat Daoud, an artist and prominent costume designer, also the eccentric hospitable owner of Kasida Dimashqia restaurant, employs a tradition he says is common in Naples, Italy.

“When paying for their bill, people can pay extra towards free drinks for students or those too poor to afford one.”

After a thirsty weekend, only a few promises of coffee remain.

“There were more before, but students came and wanted arak and beer,” Daoud laughed.

A shared meal with local family in the Old City. After over five years of the war on Syria, prices for all basic goods have risen dramatically, while incomes remain the same or shattered. The Western sanctions on the Syria worsen the situation, hurting the Syrian people and social services the most.

Behind the Umayyad Mosque in Old Damascus, one of tens of volunteers daily helps prepare the Iftar (fast-breaking) meals that the Saaed Association was serving to impoverished Damascus residents, even delivering to those unable to pick up meals themselves. Starting with 3,000 recipients, by the end of Ramadan, the volunteers were providing 10,000 meals daily in Damascus alone, with another combined 7,000 meals prepared in Hama and Homs.

Volunteers from the Saaed Association relax after the second day of ‘Eid activities for children. Instead of clothes or money, “we gave children hope and joy,” one volunteer said. In contrast to the sectarianism imposed on Syria by Gulf States and Turkey, Syrians maintain their unity and secularism, emphasized by such volunteers whose allegiance is to humanitarianism and helping the less fortunate.

The phenomenon of children begging in the streets was not common in Syria prior to 2011. While some children work to help support their families who have been rendered destitute due to various effects of the war on Syria, according to Damascus locals, the majority of these children work in a sort of forced labour for ring-leaders coming from the eastern Ghouta region. Many associations work to provide basic services to these children. One such volunteer organization provides education and meals, teaching children not only the basics of reading and writing, but also works to instill moral values and give opportunities, however briefly in their work-day, for children to be children.

Statistics from the Syrian Ministry of Information (November 2015) cite as many as 50 “members of Syrian mass media establishments” killed while at work or reporting. Thaer Al-Ajlani, top left, was killed on July 27, 2015 when hit with shrapnel from a mortar fired by Jebhat al-Nusra, then occupying much of Jobar. Other martyred journalists have been killed by terrorists’ sniper attacks, point-blank assassinations, shellings and gunfire while reporting. Corporate media and international associations to protect journalists have largely ignored the deaths of Syrian journalists killed by western-backed terrorist factions.

Stopping to buy water in an Old City shop, the owner’s only issue with me taking a photograph of his fridge is that he wants to dust off the photos of President Assad a bit first, apologizing that they are old, from well-before the current crisis.

“We are here and will stay here. Our leader and our army is our hope.” The sign speaks the sentiment of Syrians I have met in Aleppo, Homs, Latakia, Sweida, Ma’loula, and Damascus. The popularity of President al-Assad has even been admitted by western sources in recent years as at least 70%, although popular sentiment on the streets would put the figure even higher.

Children on the second day of ‘Eid. Although Damascus is largely secure and safe, many living in the city are directly affected by the war on Syria, with many having lost a family member, been rendered financially-insecure, or been displaced from areas of the country.

Eva Bartlett is a Canadian activist/freelance journalists covering the Middle East, especially the Syrian conflict. 

All images in this article are from the author.

In early January 1918, the Soviet government suspended payment on foreign debt, and in early February 1918 it decreed that all Tsarist debts were repudiated as were those contracted to continue the war by the provisional government between February and November 1917. At the same time, it decided that all assets of foreign capitalists in Russia would be confiscated and returned to the national heritage. In repudiating these debts, the Soviet government was implementing a decision made in 1905 by the soviet (people’s council) of Petrograd (St Petersburg) and the various parties that supported it. This triggered a wave of unanimous protest from the capitals of the major allied powers.

Decree on Peace

The Soviet government proposed peace with neither annexation nor compensation or reparations. It also added a clause enacting the self-determination of peoples. This was the application of totally innovative and revolutionary principles to relations between States. It turned out that the Soviet government’s policy simultaneously confounded and influenced that of the US president Woodrow Wilson |1| who had made the right to self-determination of peoples a central element of US foreign policy. |2| Certainly, the Bolsheviks and the United States had different motives. The US, not having significant colonial territories, saw an interest in weakening the British and German Empires and the powers of Belgium, the Netherlands and France, in order to step into their shoes, though using other methods. Their strongest diplomatic and humanitarian argument was the right to self-determination of African, Caribbean and Asian peoples still under the colonial yoke. As for the Bolsheviks, they wanted to have done with the Tsarist Empire that they denounced as a prison of peoples.

The desire for peace was one of the basic causes of the revolutionary uprising of 1917. The great majority of Russian soldiers were set against pursuing war. Almost all were peasants who wished to go home and work on the land. Moreover, for many years, since long before the start of the war, the Bolsheviks, who had been members of the Socialist International until its betrayal of the working classes in August 1914, had opposed the policy of preparation for war. They maintained that what was needed was a common struggle to bring capitalism and its imperialist phase and colonized territories to an end.

To bring this orientation to bear, the Soviet government was forced to enter separate negotiations with Berlin and its allies as in 1917, London, Paris and Washington wished to carry on with the war. The Soviet government did endeavour to bring these capitals of the allied nations to the negotiating table but to no avail. Having signed an armistice with the German Empire in mid-December 1917, it managed to drag out the negotiations with Berlin over five months in the hopes of seeing several populations of Europe, especially the German people, rise up against their governments to demand peace. It also vainly hoped that President Wilson would support Soviet Russia against Germany |3|. The Soviet government also wanted to show international public opinion that it wished for universal peace embracing East and West and that only as a last resort would it agree to sign a separate peace treaty with Berlin.

From December 1917, the Soviet government began to make public numerous secret documents revealing how the major powers were preparing to share out territories and populations with scant regard for their right to self-determination. One of the most sensitive of these was an agreement between Paris, London and Moscow dating from 1915 which established that at the time of victory, the Tsarist Empire would be entitled to take Constantinople, France would recover Alsace-Lorraine and London could take control of Persia |4|. Early in March 1918, the Soviet government signed the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk with Berlin. The cost was high, with the German Empire taking a large portion of the western territory of the Russian Empire: part of the Baltic countries, part of Poland and Ukraine. In short, the treaty would deprive Russia of 26% of its population, 27% of cultivated areas and 75% of its steel and iron production.

Intervention of the Allied Powers against Soviet Russia 

The Soviet government’s call for worldwide revolution combined with its desire to end the war, its repudiation of debts demanded by the Allied Powers and its nationalization measures convinced the Western leaders that they should launch a massive attack against Soviet Russia to bring down the revolutionary government and restore capitalist order. The foreign intervention began in the summer of 1918 and finished at the end of 1920 when the Western capitals took stock of their failure and were obliged to acknowledge that the Red Army had taken back control of the territory. Fourteen countries sent troops to take part in this attack. France sent 12,000 soldiers (to the Black Sea and the North), London sent 40,000 (mainly to the North), Japan 70,000 (in Siberia), Washington 13,000 (in the North with the British and the French), the Poles 12,000 (in Siberia and Murmansk), Greece 23,000 (to the Black Sea), Canada 5,300 |5|. The Japanese intervention was to last until October 1922. According to Winston Churchill, Minister of War in the British government, there was a total of 180,000 allied foreign troops.

Allied troops on parade in Vladivostok, 1918

The French government was the most bitterly hostile towards the Soviet government, right from the start. There were several reasons for this: firstly, it was feared that the revolutionary movement initiated by the Russian people might spread to France as much of the French population was vehemently opposed to carrying on with the war; secondly, the Soviet decision to repudiate debt affected France more than any other country since Russian loan bonds had been issued in Paris and were mainly held in France.

It is now known that in 1917 the French government had begun secret talks with Berlin hoping to conclude a peace treaty that would allow the German Empire to spread eastwards to the detriment of revolutionary Russia, on condition that Alsace and Lorraine be returned to France. Berlin’s refusal to make this concession to Paris brought negotiations to an end |6|.

The armistice of 11 November 1918 signed between the Western capitals and Berlin made provision for German troops to stay temporarily in the “Russian” territories that they were occupying. According to article 12 of the armistice, Germany was to evacuate all former Russian territories as soon as the Allies deemed it opportune, in view of the internal situation of those territories |7|. The idea was to help the imperial army prevent the Soviet government from rapidly regaining control over the territories they had conceded to Germany under the Brest-Litovsk treaty. The Allies meant to enable anti-Bolshevik forces to take over these territories which would then serve as a rear-base while they overthrew the government.

The British historian E. H. Carr shows how unpopular the intervention against Soviet Russia was :

“In January 1919 when the allied statesmen, assembled in Paris for the peace conference, discussed the occupation of Russia by allied troops, the British Prime Minister [Lloyd George] bluntly assured his colleagues that ‘if he now proposed to send a thousand British troops to Russia for that purpose, the armies would mutiny’, and that, ‘if a military enterprise was started against the Bolsheviki, that would make England Belshevist and there would be a soviet in London’. Lloyd George was talking for effect, as was his manner. But his perceptive mind had correctly diagnosed the symptoms. Serious mutinies in the first months of 1919 in the French fleet and in French military units landed in Odessa and other Black Sea ports led to en enforced evacuation at the beginning of April. Of the troops of several nationalities under British command on the Archangel front the Director of Military Operations at the War Office reported in March 1919 that their morale was ‘so low as to renderthem a prey to to the very active and insidious Bolshevik propaganda which the enemy are carrying out with increasing energy and skill’. The details were disclosed much later through official American reports. On March 1, 1919, a mutiny occurred among French troops ordered to go up to the line; several days earlier a British infantry company ‘refused to go to the front’, and shortly afterwards an American company ‘refused for a time to return to duty at the front’. It was in the light of such experience that the British government decided in March 1919 to evacuate north Russia, though the evacuation was not in fact completed till six months later.” |8|

The Russian Civil War 1917

Winston Churchill was one of the main hawks in the Western camp. Taking advantage of the absence of Lloyd George and President Wilson at a summit meeting held in Paris on 19 February 1919, Churchill intervened to persuade the other governments to complete their intervention by directly supporting the army of the White Russian generals. He suggested sending them “volunteers, technical experts, arms, munitions, tanks, aeroplanes, etc.” and “arming the anti-Bolshevik forces” |9|.

The Allies tried to persuade the new (pro-Western) German government to take part in the action against Bolshevik Russia. Despite strong pressure from the Western capitals, in October 1919 the Reichstag (the German parliament), where socialists (SPD) and liberals held the majority, voted unanimously against Germany’s participation in the blockade on Soviet Russia decreed by the Allies. To give the full picture, it should be added that at the same time certain German generals like Ludendorff, and especially Von der Goltz, who led the last organized remnants of the former imperial army, supported military actions in the East to help out the anti-Bolshevik White Russian generals. This, with the support of the Western capitals |10|.

It is quite clear that both the Western governments and those of the defeated central powers (the German Empire and Austria-Hungary) feared that revolution would spread to their own countries. Lloyd George wrote in a confidential memorandum early in 1919: The whole of Europe is filled with the spirit of revolution. There is a deep sense not only of discontent but of anger and revolt amongst the workmen against pre-war conditions. The whole existing order in its political, social and economic aspects is questioned by the masses of the population from one end of Europe to the other” |11|. This fear of revolution was by no means fanciful and largely explains the violence of the attacks against Bolshevik Russia.

Foreign intervention backed up the White Russian generals’ attacks and prolonged what was an extremely bloody civil war (it caused more deaths than the World War in Russia |12|). The cost of the foreign was considerable, in terms of human lives and of material destruction; the Soviet government later demanded that this be taken into account in the international negotiations regarding debt repudiation (see below).

The economic and financial blockade against Soviet Russia and the blockade on Russian gold

From 1918, the Allied powers led a blockade against Soviet Russia. The Soviet government was prepared to pay in gold to import goods of absolute necessity, but none of the major banks or any government in the world could accept Soviet gold without crossing swords with the Allied governments. In fact Paris, London, Washington, Brussels all considered that they had a right to Russian gold to compensate Russia’s expropriated capitalists and repay debts. This became a huge obstacle to Soviet trade. In the United States any person or company wishing to use gold for any transaction or to take gold into the country had to sign an official statement that the gold in their possession had nothing to do with the ‘so-called’ Bolshevik government and that they guaranteed that the US had a right on it without any reservation |13|.

It should be mentioned that after the German capitulation of November 1918, France managed to recover the heavy ransom in gold that Berlin had got from Russia in application of the Brest-Litovsk peace treaty signed in March 1918 |14|. France refused to return this gold to Russia, considering it as part of the reparations Germany owed Paris. The blockade of Russian gold was carried on to some extent for years. This was how France again managed in 1928 to get the Washington authorities to prohibit a payment in Russian gold for a contract between Russia and a private US company.

Part 1: Russia: Repudiation of debt at the heart of the revolutions of 1905 and 1917

Part 2: From Tsarist Russia to the 1917 revolution and the repudiation of debt

Eric Toussaint is a historian and political scientist who completed his Ph.D. at the universities of Paris VIII and Liège, is the spokesperson of the CADTM International, and sits on the Scientific Council of ATTAC France. He is the author of Bankocracy(2015); The Life and Crimes of an Exemplary Man (2014); Glance in the Rear View Mirror. Neoliberal Ideology From its Origins to the Present, Haymarket books, Chicago, 2012 (see here), etc. See his bibliography: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%89ric_Toussaint He co-authored World debt figures 2015 with Pierre Gottiniaux, Daniel Munevar and Antonio Sanabria (2015); and with Damien Millet Debt, the IMF, and the World Bank: Sixty Questions, Sixty Answers, Monthly Review Books, New York, 2010. Since the 4^th April 2015 he is the scientific coordinator of the Greek Truth Commission on Public Debt.

Translated by Vicki Briault in collaboration with Christine Pagnoulle

Notes

|1| Thomas Woodrow Wilson, born in Staunton on 28 December 1856 and died in Washington, D.C. on 3 February 1924, was the 28^th president of the United States. He was elected for two successive mandates, from 1913 to 1921.

|2| See W. Wilson’s declaration of February 1918: “every territorial settlement in this war must be made in the interest and for the benefit of the population concerned, and not as part of any mere adjustment compromise of claims amongst rival states”. See also his declaration made at the signature of the pact founding the Society of Nations in 1919: ”The fundamental principle of this treaty is a principle never acknowledged before… that the countries of the world belong to the people who live in them”. These two citations are due to Odette Lienau, Rethinking Sovereign Debt : Politics, Reputation, and Legitimacy in Modern Finance, Harvard University, 2014, p. 62-63. http://www.hup.harvard.edu/catalog….

|3| In January-February 1918, President Wilson adopted an apparently benevolent public attitude towards Soviet Russia. See especially point 6 of his declaration in 14 points to the US Congress on 8 January1918. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fourt… 
However in the end Wilson did not give any aid to the Soviets.

|4| See Edward H. Carr. 1952. (A History of Soviet Russia), The Bolshevik Revolution (1917-1923) Vol. 3, Norton Paperback Editions, New York, 1985 (Macmillan, 1953) chapter 21, pp; 12-13, note 3.

|5| See in particular, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allie…

|6| Lloyd George reported these talks in his memoirs: Lloyd George, War Memoirs, IV, 1934, 2081-2107. See Edward H. Carr. 1952. (A History of Soviet Russia), The Bolshevik Revolution (1917-1923) Vol. 3, Norton Paperback Editions, New York, 1985 (Macmillan, 1953) chapter 22.

|7| See Edward H. Carr. 1952. (A History of Soviet Russia), The Bolshevik Revolution (1917-1923) Vol. 3, Norton Paperback Editions, New York, 1985 (Macmillan, 1953) chapter 28, p. 308.

|8| See Edward H. Carr. 1952. (A History of Soviet Russia), The Bolshevik Revolution (1917-1923) Vol. 3, Norton Paperback Editions, New York, 1985 (Macmillan, 1953) chapter 23, pp. 126-7.

|9| Ibid., chapter 23, p. 111.

|10| E. H. Carr, Vol. 3, p. 308.

|11| Quoted by E. H. Carr, vol. 3, p.128.

|12| On the Russian Civil War, see among other scholarly studies Evan Mawdsley, The Russian Civil War, Pegasus Book, 2007.

|13| See The New York Times, 2 April 1921 quoted by Alexander N. Sack, “Diplomatic Claims against the Soviets  (1918-1938)”, in New York School of Law Contemporary Law Pamphlets Series 1 No.7, N Y University Quarterly Review, 1938.

|14| See: Alexander N. Sack, “Diplomatic Claims against the Soviets (1918-1938)”, in New York School of Law Contemporary Law Pamphlets Series 1 No.7, N Y University Quarterly Review 253, 1938-1939.

All images in this article are from the author.

“The very idea of freedom presupposes some objective moral law which overarches rulers and ruled alike. Subjectivism about values is eternally incompatible with democracy. We and our rulers are of one kind only so long as we are subject to one law. But if there is no Law of Nature, the ethos of any society is the creation of its rulers, educators and conditioners; and every creator stands above and outside his creation.”

“We should value those who solicit our votes by other standards than have recently been in fashion. While we believe that good is something to be invented, we demand of our rulers such qualities as “vision,” “dynamism,” “creativity,” and the like. If we returned to the objective view we should demand qualities much rarer, and much more beneficial – virtue, knowledge, diligence and skill. Vision is for sale, or claims to be for sale, everywhere. But give me a man who will do a day’s work for a day’s pay, who will refuse bribes, who will not make up his facts, and who has learned his job.” The Poison of Subjectivism, CS Lewis

CS Lewis has a great point. Everywhere in the United States the disease of subjectivism is present. The evidence abounds: The polarization of the political system; the dismissal of history because of discomfort with historical facts; “trigger” warnings for literary texts that offend sensibility; the vicious censure befalling authors for developing literary characters of a different race or ethnic experience, applying the rules of law for some and not others; or disavowing a higher spiritual power of some sort.

Be forewarned that going forward, every individual and in-group in the United States is cautioned to stay in their own lane with their own histories. In this new American society you run the danger of being pilloried if you express an opinion outside your own individual/in-group reality. The reasoning goes something like this: “You weren’t there, how can you have an opinion on that?” The response might be, “Sure, I wasn’t around when Alexander the Great was rampaging across the world, but I have some opinion based on studies I’ve done.” And the response you’re likely to get these days is, “No good, you are not Macedonian.”

Make America What?

This calls into question the very notion of what it means to be an American. Is there such a thing as the United States? What does anyone have in common any longer? It is as if “the educators, conditioners and creators”, that Lewis refers to, have tried to apply the Many World’s Theory from Quantum Mechanics in creating and managing society, a society in which all possible outcomes are sought and all outcomes are obtained, each in a different world/reality that only you and your in-group are aware of.

In this new American society “reality” exists at two different poles. One reality seeks shelter in its own individual/in-group world and is content to live a two dimensional as described in Edwin Abbott Abbott’s Flatland. They are not aware that they are being manipulated by realities at the other end of the pole and shun those who posit that such manipulation exists or even in the reality of other worlds.

At the other pole exists a “reality” in which the individual/in-group are able to create ever more realities in which compasses show no direction, alternative histories exist and problems/issues are dealt with by wiping one reality out for another. Every day is new, yesterday is forgotten, fads and technology appear and disappear, politicians and corporate heads sell vision and disruption, you create your own news and reality; and, well, hubris leads humanity to believe it is the highest order species in any world or universe.

Excess and Passivity

According to William James in his lecture The Dilemma of Determinism,

“Subjectivism everywhere fosters the fatalistic mood of mind. It makes those who are already too inert more passive still; it renders wholly reckless those whose energy is already in excess. All through history we find how subjectivism, as soon as it has a free career, exhausts itself in every sort of spiritual, moral, and practical license. Its optimism turns to an ethical indifference, which infallibly brings dissolution in its train. It transforms life from a tragic reality into an insincere melodramatic exhibition, as foul or as tawdry as anyone’s diseased curiosity pleases to carry it out.”

“I have heard a graduate of this very school express in the pulpit his willingness to sin like David, if only he might repent like David. You may tell me he was only sowing his wild, or rather his tame, oats; and perhaps he was. But the point is that in the subjectivistic oat-sowing, wild or tame, it becomes a systematic necessity and the chief function of life. After the pure and classic truths, the exciting and rancid ones must be experienced; and if the stupid virtues of the philistine herd do not then come in and save society from the influence of the children of light, a sort of inward putrefaction becomes its inevitable doom.”

Subjectivism will destroy the country unless some commonalities are agreed upon to unite the country. Who does not long, as CS Lewis said, for

“Virtue, knowledge, diligence and skill. Vision is for sale, or claims to be for sale, everywhere. But give me a man who will do a day’s work for a day’s pay, who will refuse bribes, who will not make up his facts, and who has learned his job.”

This is no call for a return to the “good old days” in which slavery, racism, anti-LGBTQ, and a “woman’s place in the kitchen” were widespread. What is needed is a set of beliefs or fundamentals that all citizens in the USA—human beings—can adhere too to find common bond. There must be ideals, codes that go beyond crass alliances that seek to cut taxes or undercut healthcare for the young and the old. Americans need to get out of their lanes and take care of each other.

As it stands now, it seems that Americans are segregated themselves into stovepipes, as if by some sort of invisible hand. What follows that is distasteful.  Lewis warned that subjectivism is the mother of fascism. The “F” word is on a lot of people’s minds these days as authoritarian leadership seems to be on the upswing not only in the United States, but elsewhere in the world. New realities are being created.

“Many a popular “planner” on a democratic platform, many a mild-eyed scientist in a democratic laboratory means, in the last resort, just what the Fascist means. He believes that “good” means whatever men are conditioned to approve. He believes that it is the function of him and his kind to condition men; to create consciences by eugenics, psychological manipulation of infants, state education and mass propaganda. Because he is confused, he does not yet fully realize that those who create conscience cannot be subject to conscience themselves. But he must awake to the logic of his position sooner or later; and when he does, what barrier remains between us and the final division of the race into a few conditioners who stand themselves outside morality and the many conditioned in whom such morality as the experts choose is produced at the experts’ pleasure?” CS Lewis

John Stanton can be reached at [email protected]

The U.S. government has invaded and occupies Syria to overthrow its President, Bashar al-Assad and also to destroy ISIS, which is one of the jihadist organizations that are (like the U.S.) trying to defeat Syria’s government forces (Assad’s forces). The U.S. government has been supporting the ‘rebels’ (tens of thousands of imported foreign jihadists who aren’t ISIS but who are instead allied with or led by Al Qaeda) against the nation’s internationally recognized legal secular (non-religious) government. 

The only two U.S. Senators who are at all disturbed that the U.S. has violated both U.S. law and international law by having our soldiers and weapons invade Syria, are the two libertarians, Rand Paul and Mike Lee. Even they — the Senate’s two libertarians — don’t care about America’s violation of international law by America’s invasion and occupation of Syria; even they care only about our government’s violation of the U.S. Constitution. Even they do not challenge America’s right to violate international law (which wasn’t even an issue in that Senate vote).

The other 98 U.S. Senators don’t object, at all, to the U.S. government’s invasion into, and occupation of, Syria; they don’t object to this government’s violation of international law, and they (the other 98) also don’t care about its violation of the U.S. Constitution.

If any progressive had been in the U.S. Senate, that person would have objected to both violations; a progressive is concerned about both; but, in the Senate’s votes on these matters, neither Bernie Sanders, nor Elizabeth Warren, nor Sherrod Brown (the Senate’s three supposed ‘progressives’), has joined with Paul and with Lee, even on the objections to the violation of the U.S. Constitution, much less have they extended such objections to include this government’s violation of international law regarding this invasion. 

That’s how lawless our government actually is today: almost 100%.

This is therefore entirely a bipartisan issue: the outlaw nature of the U.S. government is almost 100% acceptable to the U.S. Senate, as regards this government’s violation of the U.S. Constitution, and is 100% acceptable to the U.S. Senate, as regards this government’s violation of international law. 

And things have been that way both when the President was the Democrat Obama, and when the President is the Republican Trump. In this respect (as in so many others), it’s really the same regime in Washington: whichever Party is in power: it’s the regime of America’s oligarchs; that’s to say, of the U.S. aristocracy (the controlling U.S. stockholders in U.S.-based international corporations) who demand this — they demand these invasions: Iraq, Libya, Syria, etc. — they’re virtually all neoconservatives. If you want to know the source of neoconservatism, it’s the aristocracy, the few people who mainly fund politics, not only directly by donating to politicians, but by buying newsmedia, donating to think tanks, etc., so as to promote their political positions and to provide employment to their agents who have retired from political office. The aristocracy own “the revolving door.” 

Not only is the invasion and occupation of Syria illegal, but it is aggressive. The basic charge against the Nazis at the Nuremberg International War Crimes Tribunals in 1945 was aggressive invasion, or invading a country that had not invaded one’s own country; and certainly the U.S. and its recent Presidents (top agents of U.S. aristocrats instead of German ones) would be in the prosecution-dock there today, if international law were being applied — which is unfortunately not done.

Moreover, in Syria, not only has the U.S. invaded and occupied the country, but the U.S. government demands the overthrow and replacement of that sovereign nation’s government — regime-change in Syria. Indeed, the main objection that the U.N. Secretary General has raised against the U.S. position is that only an internationally monitored democratic Presidential election should determine whom the next President of Syria should be, but the U.S. government has rejected that, and supported instead armed overthrow and imposed rule of the country.

The U.S. ‘news’media pay little attention to this matter; and, to the extent that they do pay attention to it, none call-out this renegade government, the U.S.; they instead claim such vagueries as that the U.S. does not “have clear authority under international law to attack Syria”, even when they do discuss this matter; and, in that statement, which appeared in the New York Times on April 7th, right after Trump had bombed Syria, facts are acknowledged which make quite clear that the use of the qualifier ‘clear’ there is actually profoundly misleading: The U.S. simply has no authority under international law to be in Syria. Here is the way that the NYT’s Charlie Savage summarized the situation:

The United Nations Charter, a treaty the United States has ratified, recognizes two justifications for using force on another country’s soil without its consent: the permission of the Security Council or a self-defense claim. In the case of Syria, the United Nations did not approve the strike, and the Defense Department justified it as “intended to deter the regime from using chemical weapons again,” which is not self-defense.

Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson, in a briefing with reporters, invoked Syria’s violation of the Chemical Weapons Convention and a related Security Council resolution from 2013, saying, “The use of prohibited chemical weapons, which violates a number of international norms and violates existing agreements, called for this type of a response, which is a kinetic military response.”

However, while the resolution said the Security Council would impose “measures” if anyone used chemical weapons in Syria in the future, it did not directly authorize force. The chemical weapons treaty does not provide an enforcement mechanism authorizing other parties to attack violators as punishment.

It’s amazing that he can hold his job and yet report such devastating and incontrovertible proof of the outlaw nature of the U.S. government, in terms of international law. All major U.S. ‘news’media are mouthpieces for the U.S. government whenever the issue is international relations (they were such mouthpieces regarding Iraq, Libya, Syria, Ukraine, and much more, which is why the U.S. public accepts this U.S. government), and Mr. Savage was there saying something which violated that iron rule. He has reason to be personally worried, to have written the there, about that.

This NYT article enabled him to publish that stunning fact, in answering only the falsely qualified question which had been posed there, of “Did Trump have clear authority under international law to attack Syria?” and Mr. Savage might have gotten into really hot water if he had instead been answering the question posed as, “Did Trump have authority under international law to attack Syria?” Only thinking readers (perhaps that’s 1% of the Times’s audience) would recognize the subtle deception of their readership to believe that the U.S. President might have such authority, but that it’s merely not ‘clear’. Such deception is the way to lobotomize the public (99% of it, perhaps) into accepting their own fundamentally lawless government whenever it invades — as Americans supported, for example, the invasions of Iraq, and of Libya, and now of Syria.

Mr. Savage also dealt with the question (and here also will be the opening of his answer to it):

Did Trump have domestic legal authority to attack Syria?

The answer is murky because of a split between the apparent intent of the Constitution and how the country has been governed in practice. Most legal scholars agree that the founders wanted Congress to decide whether to go to war, except when the country is under an attack. But presidents of both parties have a long history of carrying out military operations without authorization from Congress, especially since the end of World War II.

His use there of ‘murky’ is similar to the prior question’s having introduced the deceptive (not to say unnecessary) term ‘clear’: The routine violation of the U.S. Constitution here isn’t murky, any more than the international illegality of America’s unprovoked invasions isn’t clear. But, perhaps that’s the way people such as Charlie Savage can keep their jobs, by playing along with the myth.

It’s the myth that enables this gangster-government (who are both international and U.S. gangsters) to remain in control over the U.S.

That government is now seeking from Congress the authorization for U.S. military forces to continue occupying Syria even after ISIS becomes eradicated there.

On July 13th, Al-Monitor headlined and opened:

Pentagon wants to build new US facilities in Iraq, Syria

The Donald Trump administration is pushing Congress for the authority to build new “temporary” facilities in Iraq and Syria as part of the US-led campaign against the Islamic State.

Summary

The Trump administration has asked Congress for the authority to build new “small-scale,” “temporary facilities” to help defeat the Islamic State. …

The term “temporary” is not defined.

What had happened is that the White House, on July 11th, posted this:

H.R. 2810 – National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018

July 11, 2017
(House Rules)

STATEMENT OF ADMINISTRATION POLICY

H.R. 2810 – National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2018 
(Rep. Thornberry, R-TX, and Rep. Smith, D-WA) …

… Extension and Modification of Authority to Provide Assistance to Counter the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria: The Administration appreciates the increased funding authority included in section 1222, but notes its concern that the provision does not contain additional requested authority for small-scale construction of temporary facilities that are necessary to meet operational needs and force protection requirements in both Iraq and Syria. As the campaign to defeat ISIS transitions beyond the liberation of Mosul [in Iraq] and Raqqa [in Syria], operational commanders will need the requested authority to build temporary intermediate staging facilities, ammunition supply points, and tactical assembly areas that have adequate force protection. These facilities, supply points, and assembly areas will enable the pursuit of ISIS into the Euphrates River Valley and help improve the security of Iraq’s borders. Current authorities, limited only to repair and renovation of existing Iraqi facilities [because the U.S. government still hasn’t officially announced its invasion of Syria], severely limit the coalition’s maneuverability and its ability to respond quickly to changing operational conditions.

Extension and Modification of Authority to Support Operations and Activities of the Office of Security Cooperation in Iraq [because Congress authorized only the invasion of Iraw]: The Administration appreciates the continuation of existing authority, but is disappointed by the lack of authority in section 1223 to expand the list of eligible recipients to include the “military and other security forces of or associated with the Government of Iraq with a national security mission.” The expanded authority would help address capability gaps, professionalization efforts, and defense institution building across the breadth of the Government of Iraq’s (GoI’s) national security institutions.

Trump wants Congress to add funding “for small-scale construction of temporary facilities that are necessary to meet operational needs and force protection requirements in both Iraq and Syria” — and this very much includes continuation of America’s military occupation of Syria, even though only Iraq had allowed the U.S. forces in, but the U.S. is in Syria only illegally (only as an invading force).

George W. Bush after 9/11, requested and got from Congress unlimited authorization for war against Al Qaeda, but now the U.S. regime says that this was unlimited authorization also for war against ISIS — and, now, if ISIS becomes defeated, then still the unlimited war against Syria will continue and be unlimited, and will continue to grow even more without limit until perhaps all non-military expenses of the U.S. government (other than repayment of America’s national debt) will be stripped-out. (Aristocrats don’t care about those things — and they demand elimination of government regulations.)

With any crook, give him an inch, and he’ll demand a mile. Why don’t these ‘representatives of the people’ start, finally, to serve the people, instead of to serve the donors who allowed them to be there? Is it because those donors won’t allow it?

Trump is now requesting funds to be added for continuation of a U.S. invasion and occupation that America’s political mega-donor-class have craved since at least 1949 and finally got under Obama; and, Trump wants to continue it. He, too, turns out to be a neocon (like Obama, and Bush, and Clinton).

Here is the one member of the U.S. House and Senate who is trying to defeat him and them: Rep. Tulsi Gabbard. She’ll certainly need good bodyguards. The CIA-founded Daily Kos website was trying to smear her even as early as 2012, and that site’s followers took the bait and the reader-comments were very hostile toward her, but she still won Hawaii’s House seat, despite the smears etc. Rarely, but it happens: someone comes along who will fight for what is right. It’s dangerous work.

UPDATE: On July 19th, the neoconservative Washington Post headlined the most important breaking news story thus far in Trump’s Presidency, “Trump ends covert CIA program to arm anti-Assad rebels in Syria, a move sought by Moscow”, and reported,

 “President Trump has decided to end the CIA’s covert program to arm and train moderate Syrian rebels battling the government of Bashar al-Assad, a move long sought by Russia, according to U.S. officials. The program was a central plank of a policy begun by the Obama administration in 2013 to put pressure on Assad to step aside.” 

Neoconservatives of both Parties were quoted condemning the move.

Investigative historian Eric Zuesse is the author, most recently, of  They’re Not Even Close: The Democratic vs. Republican Economic Records, 1910-2010, and of  CHRIST’S VENTRILOQUISTS: The Event that Created Christianity.

If truth has a chance it is in a different country than America.

Masters of propaganda from its inventor, Jewish public relations expert Edward Louis James Bernays, to the Nazi Minister of Propaganda Paul Joseph Goebbels, agree that a lie can be turned into truth by constant repetition.

The more pure the lie, the more complete the success in turning it into The Truth. Lies partly based in fact or half-truths open themselves to factual challenge. For a propagandist the best lie is a lie unfettered by even a distant relationship to truth. Such a lie can be turned into such self-evident truth that no evidence is necessary. As Nikki Haley and Hillary Clinton put it:

“Evidence! We don’t need any stinking evidence. We know Russia hacked our election!”

For the typical American, who doesn’t know anything, the confidence of the former Secretary of State and “rightful President of the USA” and the confidence of President Donald Trump’s own Ambassador to the United Nations are sufficient to convince them that the lie that Russia stole the US presidency for Trump is true. We all know it. Why? Because we have all heard it endlessly repeated for many months. As one acquaintance said:

“If it were false, surely the media would have exposed it.”

This insouciant naivete is characteristic of Western populations.

As Bernays and Goebbels knew, one good propagandist can control the opinion of the targeted group, whether it is a gender or a nation.

Initially for Benays the targeted group was American women. As a propagandist for an American tobacco company, “the father of spin” promoted female smoking as a sign of feminist independence. He called cigarettes “Torches of Freedom.” He also provided the propaganda that enabled the United Fruit Company to have the US Government overthrow the elected government of Guatemala in 1954.

Goebbels turned Germans into servants of the Third Reich, an accomplishment the neoconservatives have yet to attain in the United States, but they are still working at it.

The neoconservatives, the military/security complex, the Israel Lobby, and the US presstitutes have succeeded in blocking Trump from withdrawing from Syria and from normalizing relations with Russia. They have succeeded in this by using their fabrication, “Russia-gate,” to put President Trump in a box. If Trump now normalizes relations with Russia, it will be presented to the world by the presstitutes as proof that the Putin/Trump conspiracy against Western democracy is real. If Trump were to normalize relations, thereby removing “the threat” that justifies the power and profit of the military/security complex’s budget, he would likely be impeached as a traitor to the USA. Trump’s tweets would be overwhelmed by the onslaught of the presstitutes.

Americans, British, Europeans, Russians, Chinese, Indians, and everyone else need to understand that Washington’s hostility toward Russia is in the service of powerful interest groups. These interest groups are more powerful than the President of the US.

Israel and its design on the Middle East is one of these powerful interest groups. As Admiral Tom Moorer, Chief of Naval Operations and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said,

“No American president can stand up to Israel.”

The neoconservatives, who serve both the Zionist state of Israel and the US military/security complex, are another of the powerful interest groups that constrain the American government. That the neocons are firmly allied with Israel and the military/security complex increases their power and influence. President Eisenhower warned Americans in 1961 in his last public address to the American people that the power of the military/industrial complex made it a threat to American democracy:

Eisenhower’s warning was 56 years ago. With the President of the United States concerned about the military/industrial complex 56 years ago, try to imagine how much more this power is entrenched after the decades of the Cold War and “Soviet Threat.” The power of the military/security complex is the premier power in Washington.

Eisenhower’s speech is the best speech any American President has ever delivered. It is only 14 minutes and 4 seconds long; yet it covers everything. There is awareness that we can be victims of our own success. Whatever their public position, neoconservatives have no alternative but to hate President Eisenhower with a passion, because he compared the threat to America from the military/industrial complex to the threat from the Soviet Union.

Americans need to wise up, as do the Russians, Chinese, Europeans and everyone else over whom the neoconservatives intend to exercise hegemony regardless of the cost. The total budget of the US military/security complex has been estimated at $1.1 trillion, a figure that is 70% of Russia’s estimated 2017 GDP. It is larger than the GDP of Mexico and Turkey. It is 45% of the GDP of France or England, and 32% of the GDP of Germany. There are 195 countries in the world. Only 14 of them have A Gross Domestic Product larger than the budget of the US military/security complex.

Washington’s wars in the Middle East involve many interests, including mundane ones such as who controls pipeline locations and energy flows. It also involves Israel’s interests. Twice Israel has sent its army into southern Lebanon for the purpose of occupying and annexing the water resources of southern Lebanon, and twice the militia Hezbollah has defeated and driven out the Israeli army, the fighting capability of which is overrated. Hezbollah receives financial and military support from Syria and Iran. Using their neoconservative allies and the orchestrated-by- propaganda American hatred of Muslims, Israel intends to use the US military to put Syria and Iran in the same state of chaos as Iraq and Libya. If deprived of outside support, Hezbollah can finally be defeated by the Israeli army. With Syria and Iran in chaos, the Russophobic neoconservatives can send jihadism into the Russian Federation to break up the biggest constraint on US unilateralism.

If we consider the combined power of these interest groups—the US military/security complex with an annual budget greater than the GDP of most countries, the neoconservatives with their ideology of US world hegemony and alliance with both Democratic and Republican parties, and Israel which has the US government in its pocket and brags about it—how is it possible for President Trump to do as he said he would do and normalize relations with Russia and withdraw from the US interventions in the Middle East? The prospect of Trump succeeding is remote.

If the Russian government fails to understand that President Trump is not the one who is in charge, Russia will be destroyed along with America and the rest of the world.

The last straw will break the camel’s back. (Various attributions.)

After his visit to the Kingdom in May, Donald Trump decided to back the Saudi-led blockade of tiny Qatar (2015 population 2.235 million, but just 313,000 citizens) imposed less than a month later. 

The siege was also joined by Bahrain, Doha, the Maldives, the UAE – Abu Dhabi, Ajman, Dubai, Fujairah, Ras al-Khaimah, Sharjah and Umm al-Quwain. It was quickly pointed out that:

“(The) US President has long history of lucrative investment deals with Saudi Arabia but few ties to the small Gulf nation.” (1) 

Trump’s financial bounties from Saudi: “… includes the purchase of tens of millions of dollars in Trump’s real estate properties by wealthy Saudis over the years.” 

Moreover: 

“In 1995, when Trump was struggling to make payments on one of his most important New York properties, the landmark Plaza Hotel, it was (Saudi) Prince Alwaleed bin Talal, who came to his rescue … In 1991, bin Talal also bought a huge (282-foot) yacht, the Trump Princess, from creditors at a time when Trump’s other big venture, the Atlantic City casinos, were under pressure.” 

In fact it was far more than mere “pressure.” In July 1991 the Trump corporation owned Taj-Mahal casino, the world’s largest, filed for bankruptcy. (2) 

So, seemingly keen to back up benefactors and apparently unknowing and uncaring of even major regional complexities, it is unlikely Donald Trump had camels on his mind. 

Ironically the stated reason for the potentially crippling embargo – Qatar imports almost everything – is the accusation of support for extremism, an allegation which has been leveled, with documentation, at both Saudi and the US in orders of magnitude. Another demand is that Qatar ends an independent minded foreign policy. As Newsweek puts it (22^nd June 2017): 

“What Saudi and its allies are trying to do is increase the costs on Qatar for its actions, hoping that it will realign its policy with those of the GCC. 

“The conflict between Qatar and its neighbours dates back to the Qatari desire for political relevance in the late 90s and early 2000s. It engaged with Israel, Hezbollah, and Iran, when its neighbors could not, and carved out a niche for itself as an arbiter and link between international powers and … groups that no one else wanted or had the capacity to deal with. 

“Even the United States saw value in this role, asking the Qataris to liaise with the Taliban during the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan.”

Now the US, back stabber in chief, has stabbed again. 

In wars, embargoes and disputes affecting borders, animals too are often victims, if ignored and forgotten ones. Also forgotten are Trump’s repeated campaign commitments that the US would no longer murderously meddle in policies in far away places. Indeed, the Brookings Institute went as far as to call him an “isolationist”, a position they hold, he had adhered to since, nearly thirty years ago, when he spent $95,000 on a full page advertisement in the New York Times expounding on those views. (Brookings.edu, 24^th March, 2016.) 

How quickly he changed “beliefs” of decades and avowed commitments. For example a recent headline (3) read: 

“It Took Obama More Than Two Years to Kill This Many Civilians. It Took Trump Less Than Six Months.”

The sub-heading was:

“Civilian deaths in Iraq and Syria from coalition strikes were roughly eighty per month during the Obama White House, compared to roughly three hundred and sixty per month during Trump’s administration.” 

With such disregard for human life, camels, if they have ever even registered as existing in his seemingly gnat like attention span, don’t stand a chance. 

An emaciated camel receives some of the emergency supplies delivered by Doha (Source: The New Arab)

With the imposition of the embargo the Saudi government expelled the Qatari owners of more than fifteen thousand camels and ten thousand sheep, with nine thousand camels reportedly expelled in just thirty-six hours. 

Qatar, just 4,414 sq. miles, had arrangements to use the vast spaces of neighbouring Saudi (830,000 sq. miles) for grazing, explained the Daily Mail (4) further: ‘Camel owner, Hussein Al-Marri, from Abu Samra, said:

“I have returned from Saudi Arabia. I myself saw more than 100 dead camels on the road as well as hundreds of lost camels and sheep.” 

Another farmer recounted:

“I lost fifty heads of sheep and five camels and there are ten missing. I do not know anything about them.” 

Video footage shows animals: “herded into huge pens after restricted border opening hours meant only a few hundred could cross each day, and many died of thirst or untreated injuries. 

“Heartbreaking footage showed animals succumbing to the harsh conditions, including one female camel which died while giving birth.” 

This camel was part-way through giving birth when she succumbed to the harsh conditions (Source: The New Arab)

Local reports recount: “as many as one hundred baby camels died during the arduous journey back to Qatar.” 

Another camel owner described these great, graceful, “ships of the desert” as exhausted and confused, not knowing which way to go in temperatures of 50 degrees C – 122F. 

Farmers recounted that without the intervention of the Qatari government the plight of the animals could have been worse. The Environment Ministry provided emergency shelter on the Qatari side of the border with water tanks and food for more than eight thousand camels. Veterinarians and animal experts were also provided. 

The speed of the expulsion left farmers with huge logistical problems, with camels lost, their owners not knowing whether they were dead or alive. 

Camel owner Ali Magareh spoke for many:

“We just want to live out our days, to go to Saudi Arabia and take care of our camels and go back and take care of our family … We don’t want to be involved in these political things.” 

A spokesperson for international animal charity SPANA told the paper: 

“All too often around the world, working animals and livestock become the forgotten victims of conflict and political disputes. 

“’It’s also important to remember that the communities that depend on working animals worldwide are usually the poorest in society – these animals are often all they have and are absolutely crucial to their livelihoods.”

50,000 Qatari camels remain in Saudi Arabia. The outcome of their fate remains unknown. 

There is a poignant irony at this treatment of the camels by Saudi Arabia, custodian of the two holiest sites in Islam, Mecca and Medina. When the Prophet Muhammad left Mecca for Medina he allowed his camel to roam, deciding that where she stopped to rest would determine where he would make his home. 

He is buried in the city’s great al-Masjid an-Nabawi (“the Prophet’s Mosque.”) 

In the Qur’an the 17th verse of the Chapter Al-Gashiyah asks: “Do they not look at the Camels, how they are made?” It is explained that as the wonder of all creatures, the camel is created with many characteristics and then placed on earth as a sign of the uniqueness of the Creator and Creation. The camel gifted with superior physical features, to survive the harshest of climates and conditions, has been given to the service of mankind. 

Mankind, however, has the responsibility to recognize, respect, all miracles of creation throughout the universe. 

It has to be wondered if the custodians of the holy cities, ruling from Riyadh are as forgetful of the inherited holy tenets as those in Washington are unknowing and uncaring. 

Global Research’s Professor Michel Chossudovsky has just returned from Qatar, where he recorded camels in the barren, vegetation-less desert a short distance from the Saudi border. He comments with bitter irony:

“The Saudis expulsed them [camels whic belonged to Qataris] on the pretext that, even those born in Saudi Arabia, did not have the right of abode, they are non-residents in the KSA (Kingdom of Saudia Arabia.)

“They are stateless and the camels are now applying to the UN for the relevant documents which will enable them to stroll through the Qatari desert where there is absolutely nothing to eat, since they are not allowed to go back to the KSA.”

Source: Global Research, Michel Chossudovsky, Camels in the desert  near the Saudi border, Qatar, July 15, 2017

So far, Washington has not demanded a wall be built.

Notes

1. https://www.theguardian.com/ us-news/2017/jun/23/qatar- diplomatic-crisis-what-are- trumps-financial-links-to-the- region

2. https://www.washingtonpost. com/investigations/trumps-bad- bet-how-too-much-debt-drove- his-biggest-casino-aground/ 2016/01/18/f67cedc2-9ac8-11e5- 8917-653b65c809eb_story.html? utm_term=.710b97c55a8d

3. https://www.commondreams.org/ news/2017/07/17/it-took-obama- more-two-years-kill-many- civilians-it-took-trump-less- six-months

4. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/ news/article-4682076/Qatari- camels-die-kicked-farms-Saudi. html

Featured image from NDTV

The Syrian Army Tiger Forces and Tribal Forces have captured Qurat Rumailan, the Rumailan Dam, and 15 oil and gas wells 10km east of Dibisan in the southern Raqqah countryside. Government troops have also captured the Dibisan 1 and Dibisan 2 pumping stations.

ISIS allegedly lost 7 VBIEDs, a battle tank, and four vehicles during the clashes. At the same time the terrorist group headquarters in the vicinity of Al-Zemla was bombed by the Syrian Air Force.

According to pro-ISIS sources, 8 Syrian soldiers were killed near the village of Abu Allaj at the Raqqah-Ithriyah road. General Mundhir Mayhoub and Brigadier General Ayman Habib of the Syrian Army 5th Assault Corps were allegedly killed in the same area. However, this still has to be confirmed.

Reports are circulating that the Tiger Forces and Tribal forces have almost reached the southern entrance to Raqqah after capturing the Ittihad University near Qusrat Afnan. However, no videos or photos have appeared which might confirm these claims by pro-government sources.

Recently, the Syrian military command increased military censorship and operations security, preventing soldiers from releasing and spreading information about army movements, actions, and plans. A lack of information from the ground is related to this issue.

Government forces advanced east and northeast of the Al-Heel field and deployed within about 10 km from the ISIS-held town of Sukhna at the Palmyra-Deir Ezzor road.

Earlier this week, the army and its allies captured a number of hills in the area steadily setting up the ground for the storm of Sukhna.

ISIS claimed that 19 Syrian soldiers were killed after their fighters attacked SAA positions east of the Al-Heel field.  The terrorist group allegedly destroyed two army tanks with an ATGM and a rocket-propelled shell during the clashes.

ISIS attacked army positions in Wadi al-Wa’ar near the Syrian-Iraqi border and allegedly killed 25 Syrian soldiers and captured 3 others. ISIS also destroyed several SAA vehicles and seized weapons and ammunition.

ISIS expanded its operations against the army and its allies in the Palmyra countryside and near the border with Iraq in order to prevent government forces from advancing on Deir Ezzor.

The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) received a new batch of American weapons and equipment, including M-ATV US armored vehicles and D7R armored bulldozers. Tankers were spotted in the military convoy loaded with fuel for US helicopters which are deployed at several bases inside Syria.

Meanwhile, the SDF, backed up by the US-led coalition, is developing momentum against ISIS in the southern part of the city of Raqqah. The US-backed force was not able to seize the old city area and is now attempting to isolate it from the southern direction.

Voiceover by Harold Hoover

If you’re able, and if you like our content and approach, please support the project. Our work wouldn’t be possible without your help: PayPal: [email protected], BTC: 1PvKhgVDoXp96Yyp7Pgs5uMPkChSMA2G5n or via: http://southfront.org/donate/ or via: https://www.patreon.com/southfront

Sixteen years have passed and we are still fighting a war in Afghanistan which is not only the longest in American history (at a cost approaching one trillion and the blood of thousands of brave soldiers), but one which is morally corrupting from which there seems to be no exit with any gratification but shame. It was necessary to invade Afghanistan to destroy al-Qaeda following 9/11, but once it was defeated we should have departed, leaving behind some residual forces to clean up the mess. Instead, we decided to introduce democracy, a totally alien concept to a land historically governed by tribes, and which no foreign power has ever been able to govern or fully conquer for long.

Today, we are still discussing the best course of action to bring this war to some form of a satisfactory conclusion. Before we discuss prospective solutions, however, we should take a hard look at the real cost of the war and its implications that will startle many to their core.

Nearly 2,400 American soldiers have been killed and 20,000 wounded; over 33,000 Afghani civilians have lost their lives. A record number of civilians—1,662—were killed in the first six months of 2017 alone, and over 3,581 civilians were wounded. Overall, Afghani casualties are estimated at 225,000, with 2.6 million Afghani refugees and more than one million internally displaced.

Thus far, the cost of the war to date is approximately $783 billion; the cost for each soldier is $3.9 million per year. If we were to divide the war’s cost among Afghanistan’s 30 million citizens, it would amount to $33,000 per head, from which the ordinary Afghan has derived zero benefit in a country where the average annual per capita income was only $670 in 2014.

While we are spending these sums of money on an unwinnable war, fifteen million US children (21 percent) live in households below the federal poverty threshold. Hundreds of thousands go to sleep hungry, and many are living in squalid conditions, with infrastructure and homes on the verge of collapsing.

To understand the travesty of these expenditures on the war, just think of the cost to America, not only in human lives and money, but our moral standing in the world and the pervasive, corrosive thinking that the war can still be won with military muscle.

It is naïve to think that after 16 years of fighting, dispatching an additional military force of 4,000 soldiers (as recommended by Secretary of Defense Mattis) will change anything, when at its peak over 140,000 soldiers were unable to win and create a sustainable political and security structure that would allow us to leave with dignity.

No one in the Trump administration, including the Pentagon, is suggesting that additional forces would win the war. At best, they can arrest the continuing advances of the Taliban, which is now in control of more than one third of the country—and then what?

After a visit to Afghanistan, Senator John McCain was asked to define winning:

“Winning is getting major areas of the country under control and working toward some kind of ceasefire with the Taliban.”

But as Robert L. Borosage of The Nation points out,

“we’ve had major areas under control before, and the Taliban continued to resist, while corruption and division continued to cripple the Afghan government.”

Beyond this resurgent Taliban threat, al-Qaeda is back in full force and is successfully spreading its wings far beyond the Afghani borders.

If anything, the situation today is even worse both in the political and security spheres, and the prospects of developing sustainable conditions on the ground and a functioning government in Kabul are next to zero. Sadly, Defense Secretary Mattis resembles a gambling addict pouring money into a slot machine, but ends up leaving depressed and frustrated for having lost every dollar, hoping against hope to win a jackpot that never pays out.

One might ask Secretary Mattis, what is our goal now in Afghanistan, and what is our exit strategy? For the past 16 years, no Defense Secretary provided a clear answer, and now we are asked to gamble again with the lives of our soldiers, with no hope of ever winning this debilitating war, which has now become a war of choice.

To be sure, there will not be a military solution to the Afghan war. The sooner we accept this reality, however bitter it may be, the better so we can focus on a practical outcome that can emerge only through negotiations with moderate elements of the Taliban.

The second option of conducting the war, which is championed by Trump’s chief strategist Steve Bannon, is to hire private contractors in lieu of American troops to fight a proxy war on our behalf. There is nothing more disdainful than such a proposal. If we were to choose this route—sending mercenaries to foreign lands to do our killing—will there be anything more morally decadent than this breach of our humanity?

The fact that we used mercenaries in the past to act as security guards or manage detention centers was bad enough, in that they abused their mandate and committed egregious crimes while making billions of dollars.

We should never repeat such a practice which is morally reprehensible. This scheme, not surprisingly, comes from the self-serving master manipulator Bannon, whose advice to Trump so far has got the president in more trouble than he cares to handle. A war for which we are not prepared to sacrifice the life of a soldier for a worthy cause must never be fought.

In a series of conversations I had with Ajmal Khan Zazai, tribal leader and Paramount Chief of Paktia province in Afghanistan, he spoke with deep frustration about the American military approach that has never had a chance of succeeding. He said,

“Afghanistan is a tribal country, the tribes are the past, present, and the future. To win this hard fight against the Taliban and their associates [including al-Qaeda and ISIS] without the support and backing of the tribes would be a miracle and I doubt a miracle is happening these days.”

He was emphatic about the naivete of successive American administrations, saying that government officials in the Departments of State and Defense going back to the Bush era appeared to be “either obsessed with their version of ‘democracy’ and ‘human rights’ or believe only in a US military solution. They don’t believe in homegrown or Afghan local solutions led by the tribes, or even winning hearts and minds.”

It is time for the US to realize that the long-term solution lies, as Zazai said, with the full backing and support of the tribes. He told me that he is prepared to gather the chiefs of all the tribes to seek commitment from top US officials to empower them by providing four to five hundred million dollars a year, over a few years (which is a fraction of what we spend today). The purpose would be to recruit and train their own militia to fight their own battles—not mercenaries for hire, who want to prolong the war only to enrich themselves.

The solution to the Afghanistan debacle lies with the Afghani tribes, who must take the lead in fighting the insurgency. The tribes will be fighting for their country because they want an end to outrageous foreign interventions that did nothing but cause havoc in the name of pursuing an illusionary democracy.

In the end, the solution lies in peace negotiations with moderates in the Taliban, who are Afghani nationals and will not be dislodged from their own land, and no one is better equipped to achieve that than the tribal chiefs. They want to take matters into their hands and end the decades-long suffering, death, and destruction they have and continue to endure.

Dr. Alon Ben-Meir is a professor of international relations at the Center for Global Affairs at NYU. He teaches courses on international negotiation and Middle Eastern studies. 
[email protected] Web: www.alonben-meir.com

Featured image: Contaminated earth storage area within the Iitate Village evacuated zone, December 2014. Photo: Eric Schultz / EELV Fukushima via Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA).

Former nuclear industry senior vice president Arnie Gundersen, who managed and coordinated projects at 70 US atomic power plants, is appalled at how the Japanese government is handling the Fukushima nuclear crisis.

“The inhumanity of the Japanese government toward the Fukushima disaster refugees is appalling,” Gundersen, a licensed reactor operator with 45 years of nuclear power engineering experience and the author of a bestselling book in Japan about the Fukushima Daiichi disaster, told Truthout.

He explains that both the Japanese government and the atomic power industry are trying to force almost all of the people who evacuated their homes in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster to return “home” before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

This March Japan’s federal government announced the subsidies that have, up until now, been provided to Fukushima evacuees who were mandated to leave their homes are being withdrawn, which will force many of them to return to their contaminated prefecture out of financial necessity.

And it’s not just the Japanese government. The International Olympic Commission is working overtime to normalize the situation as well, even though conditions at Fukushima are anything but normal. The commission even has plans for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to have baseball and softball games played at Fukushima.

Gundersen believes these developments are happening so that the pro-nuclear Japanese government can claim the Fukushima disaster is “over.” However, he note,

“The disaster is not ‘over’ and ‘home’ no longer is habitable.”

His analysis of what is happening is simple.

“Big banks and large electric utilities and energy companies are putting profit before public health,” Gundersen added. “Luckily, my two young grandsons live in the US; if their parents lived instead in Fukushima Prefecture [a prefecture is similar to a state in the US], I would tell them to leave and never go back.”

Reports of radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, which began when a tsunami generated by Japan’s deadly earthquake in 2011 struck the nuclear plant, have been ongoing.

Seven more people who used to live in Fukushima, Japan were diagnosed with thyroid cancer, the government announced in June. This brings the number of cases of thyroid cancer of those living in the prefecture at the time the disaster began to at least 152.

While the Japanese government continues to deny any correlation between these cases and the Fukushima disaster, thyroid cancer has long since been known to be caused by radioactive iodine released during nuclear accidents like the one at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant. A World Health Organization report released after the disaster started listed cancer as a possible result of the meltdown, and a 2015 study in the journal Epidemiology suggested that children exposed to Fukushima radiation were likely to develop thyroid cancer more frequently.

The 2011 disaster left 310 square miles around the plant uninhabitable, and the area’s 160,000 residents were evacuated. This April, officials began welcoming some of them back to their homes, but more than half of the evacuees in a nearby town have already said they would not return to their homes even if evacuation orders were lifted, according to a 2016 government survey.

Officials from Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the company responsible for cleaning up the disaster, announced this February they were having difficulty locating nuclear fuel debris inside one of the reactors. Radiation inside the plant continues to skyrocket to the point of causing even robots to malfunction.

Cancer cases continue to crop up among children living in towns near Fukushima.

And it’s not as if the danger is decreasing. In fact, it is quite the contrary. Earlier this year, radiation levels at the Fukushima plant were at their highest levels since the disaster began.

TEPCO said atmospheric readings of 530 sieverts an hour had been recorded in one of the reactors. The previous highest reading was 73 sieverts an hour back in 2012. A single dose of just one Sievert is enough to cause radiation sickness and nausea. Five sieverts would kill half of those exposed within one month, and a dose of 10 sieverts would be fatal to those exposed within weeks.

Dr. Tadahiro Katsuta, an associate professor at Meiji University, Japan, is an official member of the Nuclear Reactor Safety Examination Committee and the Nuclear Fuel Safety Examination Committee of the Nuclear Regulation Authority. Truthout asked him what he was most concerned about regarding the Japanese government’s handling of the ongoing nuclear disaster at Fukushima.

“What I regard as the most dangerous, personally, is the fact that the Japanese government has chosen the national prestige and protection of electric power companies over the lives of its own citizens,” Katsuta, who wrote the Fukushima update for the World Nuclear Industry Status Report, said.

Gundersen thinks it simply makes no sense to hold the Olympics in Japan.

“Holding the 2020 Olympics in Japan is an effort by the current Japanese government to make these ongoing atomic reactor meltdowns disappear from the public eye,” Gundersen said. “I discovered highly radioactive dust on Tokyo street corners in 2016.”

According to Gundersen and other nuclear experts Truthout spoke with, the crisis is even worse.

Fukushima and Surrounding Prefectures Radioactively “Contaminated”

“The Japanese government never dedicated enough resources to trying to contain the radiation released by the meltdowns,” Gundersen said.

Gundersen said that during his first trip to Japan in 2012, he stated publicly that the cleanup of Fukushima would cost more than a quarter of a trillion dollars, and TEPCO scoffed at his estimate. But now in 2017, TEPCO has reached and announced the same conclusion, but as a result of its inaction in 2011 and 2012, the Pacific Ocean and the beautiful mountain ranges in Fukushima and surrounding prefectures are contaminated.

One of the tactics that Prime Minister Shinzō Abe‘s administration chose to deploy at Fukushima to contain radiation was an underground “ice wall.”

“As the ‘ice wall’ was being designed, I spoke out that it was doomed to fail, and was [an] incredibly expensive diversion,” Gundersen said. “There are techniques that could stop water from entering the basements of the destroyed reactors so that the radioactivity would not migrate through the groundwater to the ocean, but the Japanese government continues to resist pursuing them.”

Gundersen argues that Japan could and should build a sarcophagus over all three destroyed reactors and wait 100 years to dismantle them. This way, the radioactive exposure will be minimized for Japanese workers, and ongoing radioactive releases to the environment would be minimized as well.

Gundersen also points out that it is equally important that radioactive water continues to run out of the mountain streams into the Pacific, so a thorough cleanup of the mountain ranges should begin right now, but that is a mammoth undertaking that may never succeed.

IAEA experts depart Unit 4 of TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station on 17 April 2013 as part of a mission to review Japan’s plans to decommission the facility. (Source: Greg Webb / IAEA / Wikimedia Commons)

In addition to his other roles, Arnie Gundersen serves as the chief engineer for Fairewinds Energy Education, a Vermont-based nonprofit organization founded by his wife Maggie. Since founding the organization, Maggie Gundersen has provided paralegal and expert witness services for Fairewinds. Like her husband, she’s had an inside view of the nuclear industry: She was an engineering assistant in reload core design for the nuclear vendor Combustion Engineering, and she was in charge of PR for a proposed nuclear reactor site in upstate New York.

When Truthout asked her how she felt about the Abe government’s response to Fukushima, she said,

“Human health is not a commodity that should be traded for corporate profits or the goals of politicians and those in power as is happening in Japan. The Japanese government is refusing to release accurate health data and is threatening to take away hospital privileges from doctors who diagnose radiation symptoms.”

Maggie Gundersen added that her husband also met with a doctor who lost his clinic because he was diagnosing people with radiation sickness, instead of complying with the government’s story that their illnesses were due to the psychological stress of the Fukushima Daiichi meltdowns.

M.V. Ramana is the Simons Chair in Disarmament, Global and Human Security at the Liu Institute for Global Issues at the University of British Columbia in Canada, and is also a contributing author to the World Nuclear Industry Status Report for 2016. Like the Gundersens, he is critical of the Abe administration’s mishandling of Fukushima.

“I am not sure we can expect much better from the Abe administration that has shown so little regard for people’s welfare in general and has supported the nuclear industry in the face of clear and widespread opposition,” Ramana told Truthout. “As with restarting nuclear power plants, one reason for this decision seems to be to reduce the liability of the nuclear industry, TEPCO in this case. It is also a way for the Abe administration to shore up Japan’s image, as a desirable destination for the Olympics and more generally.”

Katsuta agreed.

“Prime Minister Abe has neither the knowledge about the issue of Fukushima accident nor the interest at all,” Katsuta said. “The Abe administration has yet to clearly apologize for its responsibility for promoting the nuclear energy policy.”

Instead, according to Katsuta, the Abe administration has lifted evacuation orders in an effort to “erase the memories of the accident.”

Fukushima Evacuees “Forced” Back Home

In the immediate wake of the Fukushima Daiichi meltdowns, 160,000 people fled areas around the plant. The Abe government has been providing housing subsidies to those who were evacuated, but its recent announcement means those subsidies will no longer be provided. Many “voluntary evacuees” will be forced to consider returning despite lingering concerns over radiation.

“This is very unfortunate,” Ramana said of the withdrawal of the subsidies. “The people who were evacuated from Fukushima have already been through a lot and for some of them to be told that the government, and presumably TEPCO, does not have any more liability for their plight seems quite callous.”

He explains that, in enacting this callous move, the Japanese government is claiming that radiation exposure is now within “safe levels” for people to return home. This claim ignores the fact that levels now are even higher than before the accident, and also disregards the widespread uncertainties plaguing the measurement of radiation in the affected areas.

Katsuta expressed similar concerns.

“The lifted evacuation area has not been restored completely, as the radiation dose is still high, and decontamination of the forest is excluded,” he said. “Besides, the decontamination waste is often stored in the neighborhood, and there were many families who did not return, and then the local community collapsed.”

Katsuta added that the subsidies only amount to $1,000 per refugee, so paying them for the next 10 years is “not expensive” in order to safeguard human lives.

Given her work in PR for the nuclear industry, Maggie Gundersen had an interesting position on the Abe government’s tactics.

When she was working for the atomic power industry, she was “carefully taught” certain misinformation about atomic power reactors by industry scientists and engineers. She said she would never have done that work if she had known the “hidden truth.” She and Arnie were both taught that atomic power was the “peaceful use of the atom” — she does not support war and believes that the use of atomic weapons or depleted uranium are horrific crimes — and she explains that she never would have worked for or promoted atomic power knowing what she knows now.

“Arnie and I immediately noticed that TEPCO and the Japanese government were using the same playbook that was used at Chernobyl and Three Mile Island (and for that matter, Deepwater Horizon),” Maggie Gundersen explained. “Governments immediately minimize the amount of radiation being released, or in the case of Deepwater Horizon, the amount of oil.”

She added that in each of these cases, the mainstream press dutifully reported shortly after the crisis that there was nothing to fear, even though there was no evidence to support these assertions. The governments’ objectives were to minimize fear and chaos, and most media simply echoed officials’ claims. The responses to the Fukushima disaster are following the same pattern.

“Is the Abe regime glossing over the seriousness of the Fukushima meltdowns and ongoing radioactivity? Absolutely,” she said. “What is happening in Japan to the known and unknown victims is a human rights violation and an environmental justice debacle.”

2020 Tokyo Olympics to Be Held Amidst “Hot Particles”

Katsuta said that the Fukushima evacuees are “extremely worried” that their plight will be overshadowed by the Olympics. He believes the Japanese government is using the Olympics to demonstrate to the world that Japan is now a “safe” country and that the Fukushima disaster “has been solved.”

“In Japan, the people are really forgetting the Fukushima accident as … the news of the Olympics increases,” he said.

Arnie Gundersen doesn’t think it makes sense to have some of the Olympic venues (soccer, baseball and possibly surfing) in Fukushima Prefecture itself.

“Radioactively ‘hot particles’ are everywhere in Fukushima Prefecture and in some of the adjacent prefectures as well,” he said. “These ‘hot particles’ present a long-term health risk to the citizens who live there and the athletes who will visit.”

Ramana, too, believes that the events held closer to Fukushima “may be adding to the radiation dose of the competitors and the spectators.”

Fukushima Disaster “Will Continue for More Than 100 Years”

Maggie Gundersen pointed out that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission consistently claims it has learned lessons from Fukushima, but she doesn’t think the commission — or the Japanese government, or corporations — learned any lessons at all.

“Energy production is all about money,” she said. “After the meltdowns, many banks in Japan invested in keeping the atomic power reactors on hold until the disaster could sort itself out. Those banks and the government supporting its access to the use of the atom have a vested interest in starting the old reactors up.”

Katsuta has a dire outlook for the future of Fukushima, and said there are already numerous evacuees who have given up hope of returning because they are aware of the crisis being unsolvable by the current means of TEPCO and the Abe administration.

“Even if decontamination and decommissioning work progresses, the problem will not be solved,” he said. “We have not yet decided how to dispose of decontamination waste and decommissioning waste.”

Ramana believes Fukushima should be a reminder of the inherent hazards associated with nuclear power, and how those hazards become worse when entities that control these technologies put profits over human wellbeing.

Arnie Gundersen had even stronger words.

“The disaster at Fukushima Daiichi will continue for more than 100 years,” he explained. “Other atomic power reactor disasters are bound to occur. Chernobyl and Fukushima Daiichi should have taught everyone around the world that nuclear power is a technology that can destroy the fabric of a society overnight.”

According to him, the remains of the reactor containments at Units 1, 2 and 3 are highly susceptible to damage from another severe earthquake, and any earthquake of 7.0 or higher at the Fukushima site could provoke further severe radiation releases.

Shortly after the meltdowns, Maggie and Arnie Gundersen both spoke about Japan being at a “tipping point”: It could respond to the disaster by leading the world in renewable energy while choosing to protect people and the pristine rural environment through sustainable energy economies.

But obviously it didn’t work out that way.

“The world saw Japan as technologically savvy, but instead of moving ahead and creating a new worldwide economy, it continues with an old tired 20th century paradigm of energy production,” Maggie Gundersen said. “Look at the huge success and progress of solar and wind in other countries like Germany, Nicaragua and Denmark. Why not go energy independent, creating a strong economy, producing many more jobs and protecting the environment?”

Arnie Gundersen has plans to return to Japan later this year on a crowdsourced trip with scientific colleagues in order to teach Japanese citizen scientists how to take additional radioactive samples. Fairewinds Energy Education is currently fundraising to make this possible.

In the meantime, dramatic examples of the ongoing dangers of nuclear power in Japan abound.

In June, radioactive materials were found in the urine of five workers exposed to radiation in an accident at a nuclear research facility in Japan’s Ibaraki Prefecture. In that incident, one of the workers had a large amount of plutonium in his lungs.

Recent polls in Japan show that the Japanese public has lost faith in nuclear safety regulation, and a majority of them favor phasing out nuclear power altogether.

Meanwhile in the US, President Donald Trump has put nuclear energy first on the country’s energy agenda and has announced a comprehensive study of the US nuclear energy industry. Trump’s energy secretary Rick Perry said,

“We want to make nuclear cool again.”

Dahr Jamail, a Truthout staff reporter, is the author of The Will to Resist: Soldiers Who Refuse to Fight in Iraq and Afghanistan (Haymarket Books, 2009), and Beyond the Green Zone: Dispatches From an Unembedded Journalist in Occupied Iraq (Haymarket Books, 2007). Jamail reported from Iraq for more than a year, as well as from Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Turkey over the last 10 years, and has won the Martha Gellhorn Award for Investigative Journalism, among other awards.

His third book, The Mass Destruction of Iraq: Why It Is Happening, and Who Is Responsible, co-written with William Rivers Pitt, is available now on Amazon.

Dahr Jamail is the author of the book, The End of Ice, forthcoming from The New Press. He lives and works in Washington State.

Copyright, Truthout. Reprinted with permission.

Featured image: Contaminated earth storage area within the Iitate Village evacuated zone, December 2014. Photo: Eric Schultz / EELV Fukushima via Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA).

Former nuclear industry senior vice president Arnie Gundersen, who managed and coordinated projects at 70 US atomic power plants, is appalled at how the Japanese government is handling the Fukushima nuclear crisis.

“The inhumanity of the Japanese government toward the Fukushima disaster refugees is appalling,” Gundersen, a licensed reactor operator with 45 years of nuclear power engineering experience and the author of a bestselling book in Japan about the Fukushima Daiichi disaster, told Truthout.

He explains that both the Japanese government and the atomic power industry are trying to force almost all of the people who evacuated their homes in the wake of the Fukushima nuclear disaster to return “home” before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

This March Japan’s federal government announced the subsidies that have, up until now, been provided to Fukushima evacuees who were mandated to leave their homes are being withdrawn, which will force many of them to return to their contaminated prefecture out of financial necessity.

And it’s not just the Japanese government. The International Olympic Commission is working overtime to normalize the situation as well, even though conditions at Fukushima are anything but normal. The commission even has plans for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to have baseball and softball games played at Fukushima.

Gundersen believes these developments are happening so that the pro-nuclear Japanese government can claim the Fukushima disaster is “over.” However, he note,

“The disaster is not ‘over’ and ‘home’ no longer is habitable.”

His analysis of what is happening is simple.

“Big banks and large electric utilities and energy companies are putting profit before public health,” Gundersen added. “Luckily, my two young grandsons live in the US; if their parents lived instead in Fukushima Prefecture [a prefecture is similar to a state in the US], I would tell them to leave and never go back.”

Reports of radiation from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster, which began when a tsunami generated by Japan’s deadly earthquake in 2011 struck the nuclear plant, have been ongoing.

Seven more people who used to live in Fukushima, Japan were diagnosed with thyroid cancer, the government announced in June. This brings the number of cases of thyroid cancer of those living in the prefecture at the time the disaster began to at least 152.

While the Japanese government continues to deny any correlation between these cases and the Fukushima disaster, thyroid cancer has long since been known to be caused by radioactive iodine released during nuclear accidents like the one at the Fukushima Daiichi power plant. A World Health Organization report released after the disaster started listed cancer as a possible result of the meltdown, and a 2015 study in the journal Epidemiology suggested that children exposed to Fukushima radiation were likely to develop thyroid cancer more frequently.

The 2011 disaster left 310 square miles around the plant uninhabitable, and the area’s 160,000 residents were evacuated. This April, officials began welcoming some of them back to their homes, but more than half of the evacuees in a nearby town have already said they would not return to their homes even if evacuation orders were lifted, according to a 2016 government survey.

Officials from Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO), the company responsible for cleaning up the disaster, announced this February they were having difficulty locating nuclear fuel debris inside one of the reactors. Radiation inside the plant continues to skyrocket to the point of causing even robots to malfunction.

Cancer cases continue to crop up among children living in towns near Fukushima.

And it’s not as if the danger is decreasing. In fact, it is quite the contrary. Earlier this year, radiation levels at the Fukushima plant were at their highest levels since the disaster began.

TEPCO said atmospheric readings of 530 sieverts an hour had been recorded in one of the reactors. The previous highest reading was 73 sieverts an hour back in 2012. A single dose of just one Sievert is enough to cause radiation sickness and nausea. Five sieverts would kill half of those exposed within one month, and a dose of 10 sieverts would be fatal to those exposed within weeks.

Dr. Tadahiro Katsuta, an associate professor at Meiji University, Japan, is an official member of the Nuclear Reactor Safety Examination Committee and the Nuclear Fuel Safety Examination Committee of the Nuclear Regulation Authority. Truthout asked him what he was most concerned about regarding the Japanese government’s handling of the ongoing nuclear disaster at Fukushima.

“What I regard as the most dangerous, personally, is the fact that the Japanese government has chosen the national prestige and protection of electric power companies over the lives of its own citizens,” Katsuta, who wrote the Fukushima update for the World Nuclear Industry Status Report, said.

Gundersen thinks it simply makes no sense to hold the Olympics in Japan.

“Holding the 2020 Olympics in Japan is an effort by the current Japanese government to make these ongoing atomic reactor meltdowns disappear from the public eye,” Gundersen said. “I discovered highly radioactive dust on Tokyo street corners in 2016.”

According to Gundersen and other nuclear experts Truthout spoke with, the crisis is even worse.

Fukushima and Surrounding Prefectures Radioactively “Contaminated”

“The Japanese government never dedicated enough resources to trying to contain the radiation released by the meltdowns,” Gundersen said.

Gundersen said that during his first trip to Japan in 2012, he stated publicly that the cleanup of Fukushima would cost more than a quarter of a trillion dollars, and TEPCO scoffed at his estimate. But now in 2017, TEPCO has reached and announced the same conclusion, but as a result of its inaction in 2011 and 2012, the Pacific Ocean and the beautiful mountain ranges in Fukushima and surrounding prefectures are contaminated.

One of the tactics that Prime Minister Shinzō Abe‘s administration chose to deploy at Fukushima to contain radiation was an underground “ice wall.”

“As the ‘ice wall’ was being designed, I spoke out that it was doomed to fail, and was [an] incredibly expensive diversion,” Gundersen said. “There are techniques that could stop water from entering the basements of the destroyed reactors so that the radioactivity would not migrate through the groundwater to the ocean, but the Japanese government continues to resist pursuing them.”

Gundersen argues that Japan could and should build a sarcophagus over all three destroyed reactors and wait 100 years to dismantle them. This way, the radioactive exposure will be minimized for Japanese workers, and ongoing radioactive releases to the environment would be minimized as well.

Gundersen also points out that it is equally important that radioactive water continues to run out of the mountain streams into the Pacific, so a thorough cleanup of the mountain ranges should begin right now, but that is a mammoth undertaking that may never succeed.

IAEA experts depart Unit 4 of TEPCO’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station on 17 April 2013 as part of a mission to review Japan’s plans to decommission the facility. (Source: Greg Webb / IAEA / Wikimedia Commons)

In addition to his other roles, Arnie Gundersen serves as the chief engineer for Fairewinds Energy Education, a Vermont-based nonprofit organization founded by his wife Maggie. Since founding the organization, Maggie Gundersen has provided paralegal and expert witness services for Fairewinds. Like her husband, she’s had an inside view of the nuclear industry: She was an engineering assistant in reload core design for the nuclear vendor Combustion Engineering, and she was in charge of PR for a proposed nuclear reactor site in upstate New York.

When Truthout asked her how she felt about the Abe government’s response to Fukushima, she said,

“Human health is not a commodity that should be traded for corporate profits or the goals of politicians and those in power as is happening in Japan. The Japanese government is refusing to release accurate health data and is threatening to take away hospital privileges from doctors who diagnose radiation symptoms.”

Maggie Gundersen added that her husband also met with a doctor who lost his clinic because he was diagnosing people with radiation sickness, instead of complying with the government’s story that their illnesses were due to the psychological stress of the Fukushima Daiichi meltdowns.

M.V. Ramana is the Simons Chair in Disarmament, Global and Human Security at the Liu Institute for Global Issues at the University of British Columbia in Canada, and is also a contributing author to the World Nuclear Industry Status Report for 2016. Like the Gundersens, he is critical of the Abe administration’s mishandling of Fukushima.

“I am not sure we can expect much better from the Abe administration that has shown so little regard for people’s welfare in general and has supported the nuclear industry in the face of clear and widespread opposition,” Ramana told Truthout. “As with restarting nuclear power plants, one reason for this decision seems to be to reduce the liability of the nuclear industry, TEPCO in this case. It is also a way for the Abe administration to shore up Japan’s image, as a desirable destination for the Olympics and more generally.”

Katsuta agreed.

“Prime Minister Abe has neither the knowledge about the issue of Fukushima accident nor the interest at all,” Katsuta said. “The Abe administration has yet to clearly apologize for its responsibility for promoting the nuclear energy policy.”

Instead, according to Katsuta, the Abe administration has lifted evacuation orders in an effort to “erase the memories of the accident.”

Fukushima Evacuees “Forced” Back Home

In the immediate wake of the Fukushima Daiichi meltdowns, 160,000 people fled areas around the plant. The Abe government has been providing housing subsidies to those who were evacuated, but its recent announcement means those subsidies will no longer be provided. Many “voluntary evacuees” will be forced to consider returning despite lingering concerns over radiation.

“This is very unfortunate,” Ramana said of the withdrawal of the subsidies. “The people who were evacuated from Fukushima have already been through a lot and for some of them to be told that the government, and presumably TEPCO, does not have any more liability for their plight seems quite callous.”

He explains that, in enacting this callous move, the Japanese government is claiming that radiation exposure is now within “safe levels” for people to return home. This claim ignores the fact that levels now are even higher than before the accident, and also disregards the widespread uncertainties plaguing the measurement of radiation in the affected areas.

Katsuta expressed similar concerns.

“The lifted evacuation area has not been restored completely, as the radiation dose is still high, and decontamination of the forest is excluded,” he said. “Besides, the decontamination waste is often stored in the neighborhood, and there were many families who did not return, and then the local community collapsed.”

Katsuta added that the subsidies only amount to $1,000 per refugee, so paying them for the next 10 years is “not expensive” in order to safeguard human lives.

Given her work in PR for the nuclear industry, Maggie Gundersen had an interesting position on the Abe government’s tactics.

When she was working for the atomic power industry, she was “carefully taught” certain misinformation about atomic power reactors by industry scientists and engineers. She said she would never have done that work if she had known the “hidden truth.” She and Arnie were both taught that atomic power was the “peaceful use of the atom” — she does not support war and believes that the use of atomic weapons or depleted uranium are horrific crimes — and she explains that she never would have worked for or promoted atomic power knowing what she knows now.

“Arnie and I immediately noticed that TEPCO and the Japanese government were using the same playbook that was used at Chernobyl and Three Mile Island (and for that matter, Deepwater Horizon),” Maggie Gundersen explained. “Governments immediately minimize the amount of radiation being released, or in the case of Deepwater Horizon, the amount of oil.”

She added that in each of these cases, the mainstream press dutifully reported shortly after the crisis that there was nothing to fear, even though there was no evidence to support these assertions. The governments’ objectives were to minimize fear and chaos, and most media simply echoed officials’ claims. The responses to the Fukushima disaster are following the same pattern.

“Is the Abe regime glossing over the seriousness of the Fukushima meltdowns and ongoing radioactivity? Absolutely,” she said. “What is happening in Japan to the known and unknown victims is a human rights violation and an environmental justice debacle.”

2020 Tokyo Olympics to Be Held Amidst “Hot Particles”

Katsuta said that the Fukushima evacuees are “extremely worried” that their plight will be overshadowed by the Olympics. He believes the Japanese government is using the Olympics to demonstrate to the world that Japan is now a “safe” country and that the Fukushima disaster “has been solved.”

“In Japan, the people are really forgetting the Fukushima accident as … the news of the Olympics increases,” he said.

Arnie Gundersen doesn’t think it makes sense to have some of the Olympic venues (soccer, baseball and possibly surfing) in Fukushima Prefecture itself.

“Radioactively ‘hot particles’ are everywhere in Fukushima Prefecture and in some of the adjacent prefectures as well,” he said. “These ‘hot particles’ present a long-term health risk to the citizens who live there and the athletes who will visit.”

Ramana, too, believes that the events held closer to Fukushima “may be adding to the radiation dose of the competitors and the spectators.”

Fukushima Disaster “Will Continue for More Than 100 Years”

Maggie Gundersen pointed out that the Nuclear Regulatory Commission consistently claims it has learned lessons from Fukushima, but she doesn’t think the commission — or the Japanese government, or corporations — learned any lessons at all.

“Energy production is all about money,” she said. “After the meltdowns, many banks in Japan invested in keeping the atomic power reactors on hold until the disaster could sort itself out. Those banks and the government supporting its access to the use of the atom have a vested interest in starting the old reactors up.”

Katsuta has a dire outlook for the future of Fukushima, and said there are already numerous evacuees who have given up hope of returning because they are aware of the crisis being unsolvable by the current means of TEPCO and the Abe administration.

“Even if decontamination and decommissioning work progresses, the problem will not be solved,” he said. “We have not yet decided how to dispose of decontamination waste and decommissioning waste.”

Ramana believes Fukushima should be a reminder of the inherent hazards associated with nuclear power, and how those hazards become worse when entities that control these technologies put profits over human wellbeing.

Arnie Gundersen had even stronger words.

“The disaster at Fukushima Daiichi will continue for more than 100 years,” he explained. “Other atomic power reactor disasters are bound to occur. Chernobyl and Fukushima Daiichi should have taught everyone around the world that nuclear power is a technology that can destroy the fabric of a society overnight.”

According to him, the remains of the reactor containments at Units 1, 2 and 3 are highly susceptible to damage from another severe earthquake, and any earthquake of 7.0 or higher at the Fukushima site could provoke further severe radiation releases.

Shortly after the meltdowns, Maggie and Arnie Gundersen both spoke about Japan being at a “tipping point”: It could respond to the disaster by leading the world in renewable energy while choosing to protect people and the pristine rural environment through sustainable energy economies.

But obviously it didn’t work out that way.

“The world saw Japan as technologically savvy, but instead of moving ahead and creating a new worldwide economy, it continues with an old tired 20th century paradigm of energy production,” Maggie Gundersen said. “Look at the huge success and progress of solar and wind in other countries like Germany, Nicaragua and Denmark. Why not go energy independent, creating a strong economy, producing many more jobs and protecting the environment?”

Arnie Gundersen has plans to return to Japan later this year on a crowdsourced trip with scientific colleagues in order to teach Japanese citizen scientists how to take additional radioactive samples. Fairewinds Energy Education is currently fundraising to make this possible.

In the meantime, dramatic examples of the ongoing dangers of nuclear power in Japan abound.

In June, radioactive materials were found in the urine of five workers exposed to radiation in an accident at a nuclear research facility in Japan’s Ibaraki Prefecture. In that incident, one of the workers had a large amount of plutonium in his lungs.

Recent polls in Japan show that the Japanese public has lost faith in nuclear safety regulation, and a majority of them favor phasing out nuclear power altogether.

Meanwhile in the US, President Donald Trump has put nuclear energy first on the country’s energy agenda and has announced a comprehensive study of the US nuclear energy industry. Trump’s energy secretary Rick Perry said,

“We want to make nuclear cool again.”

Dahr Jamail, a Truthout staff reporter, is the author of The Will to Resist: Soldiers Who Refuse to Fight in Iraq and Afghanistan (Haymarket Books, 2009), and Beyond the Green Zone: Dispatches From an Unembedded Journalist in Occupied Iraq (Haymarket Books, 2007). Jamail reported from Iraq for more than a year, as well as from Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Turkey over the last 10 years, and has won the Martha Gellhorn Award for Investigative Journalism, among other awards.

His third book, The Mass Destruction of Iraq: Why It Is Happening, and Who Is Responsible, co-written with William Rivers Pitt, is available now on Amazon.

Dahr Jamail is the author of the book, The End of Ice, forthcoming from The New Press. He lives and works in Washington State.

Copyright, Truthout. Reprinted with permission.

Featured image: Jack Shaheen (Source: NPR)

The event of 9/11 is unparalleled in history, in drama, in audacity, in the terrorific images, in deaths, in its live transmission, in its ongoing controversies. It remains a traumatizing American experience with continually unfolding consequences. One result is the rise and persistence of hostility by Americans not only towards the [alleged] perpetrators, Arab agents purportedly motivated by a religious ideologue, but also entire Arab nations and Arab and Muslim peoples worldwide.

This everlasting bitterness exaggerates the tragedy in the minds of Americans. At the same time, it interrupts and distorts Muslims’ self-identity and the daily injustices we experience.

Any conversation, private or public, with other Muslims about our current woes and anxieties– our prayers and dreams, our relations with fellow students, neighbors and co-workers– somehow finds its way back to that dreadful iconic date in 2001. It is a shadow haunting us wherever we go—to the ballot box, in our classroom, at a job interview, down our neighborhood street, on a holiday.

That event has become such a part of us, even if we think we buried it, that we unwittingly own it. We write books and magazine essays condemning terror and demonstrating our American-ness; we pen memoirs documenting our victimization; we reply to surveys testifying to our children’s bullying by classmates and teachers alike; we join interfaith sessions; we seek out grants to teach others about the calm nature of our religion and the beauty of our cultures. Even as we do so, that awful event remains the peg around which our existence rotates—favorably or otherwise.

The death of media critic Jack Shaheen earlier this month is an opportunity to offer our post-9/11 generation (there it is again) of activists and commentators an essential historical perspective on the demonizing process in which we are enmeshed.

Shaheen’s work needs to be better known by American Muslims. It warns us:

“Go beyond 9/11; that vicious blight consuming our history and humanity has been with us for a long time. It’s not only driven by our nightly news broadcasts; it is embedded in our children’s school books and our most entertaining action films starring our favorite actors”.

As powerful as the medieval Christian crusade, Hollywood’s film industry is behind a century of productions targeting Arab and Muslim peoples—in animated children’s films, exotic tales of romance, and in American war legends.

Shaheen was a professor of communications who focused his attention as a media critic on film portrayals of Arabs; his exhaustive work provides irrefutable documentation of the creation of the “bad arab” in cinema and lore. He expanded his arguments, first published in TV Arab (1984), in his later book, Reel Bad Arabs (2001 and 2012), offering hundreds of examples of the mindless belly dancer, the veiled seductress, the sword-wielding assassin, the hook-nosed desert nomad, the oil-rich despot. You know them well.

Since the early days of the silent cinema those images remain popular in today’s biggest Hollywood blockbusters. The terrifying Arab was ultimately given a tangible personality in the form of the PLO (Palestinian Liberation Organization). As noted by Rima Najjar writing about the political manipulation of this concept “The pattern of dehumanizing Palestinian Arabs and/or deliberately obscuring their humanity are factors that have facilitated Israel’s project of designating Palestinian resistance movements as terror organizations.”

Although the PLO was distinctly secular and socialist, by the 1980s their image became layered with a religious identity conveniently found in the Gaza-based movement Hamas. As Hamas gained recognition as the image of Palestinian resistance, the threat to Israel was now ‘Islamic terror’.

In 1984 came the highly successful autobiography Not Without My Daughter which in 1991 was made into a popular film of the same name starring Sally Fields. Its promotional blurb sums up the storyline thus: “An American woman, trapped in Islamic Iran by her brutish husband, must find a way to escape with her daughter…”. Septembers of Shiraz, a 2015 film I plucked at random from my local library only yesterday, assures continuation of filmic exploitation of a ‘revolutionary Iran’ and Islam, and the racist values they perpetuate. We are reminded of our media’s role in this process with a recent admission by the New York Times.

The course by which Islam became such a fearsome concept, effectively manipulated for political purposes primarily through American media is best documented by the outstanding culture critic Edward Said in his 1981 Covering Islam. Even today, with our abundance of so-called experts on Islam, from gadflies to published professors, Covering Islam remains unsurpassed as an analysis of the role of our media in designing a frightening ogre for American consumption, a creation that daily deepens mistrust among peoples and shapes foreign policy. Nothing I have read in these decades of overwhelming attention on Islam supersedes Said’s brilliant, straightforward analysis. Along with Mahmood Mamdani’s Good Muslim, Bad Muslim, it ought to be read and used by every journalism student, every political scientist, every anthropologist, and every Muslim.

Shaheen’s exposé on the role of film in fostering and supporting racism applies to education (sic) about our Native Americans, Black Americans, Asian peoples, even Irish and Italian. Our Black citizens are hard at work using their resources and political savvy to overturn centuries of misrepresentation. Muslims can do it too. We must. Muslim comedians have broken the ground; the next step is to make our own films.

Analysis has its limits; film is a powerful artistic tool that can sweep aside all arguments and misunderstandings.

Barbara Nimri Aziz is a New York based anthropologist and journalist. Find her work at www.RadioTahrir.org. She was a longtime producer at Pacifica-WBAI Radio in NY.

This article was first published by CounterPunch

Venezuela’s right-wing opposition groups are often portrayed in parts of the international media as defenders of democracy, but nothing could be further from the truth.

Since Hugo Chavez was first elected president in 1998, right-wing groups have used every method imaginable to undermine and destabilise the country’s elected presidents, first Chavez and then Nicolas Maduro.

Chavez’s first few years of office saw the introduction of wide-ranging reforms designed to tackle poverty and inequality, meaning Venezuela’s resources were used to benefit the majority instead of the wealthy elite.

However, Chavez’s reforms made enemies among the old elite. They disliked his land reforms and his plans to halt the privatisation of the oil industry and they feared his mobilisation of the poor.

Almost immediately the right-wing opposition began their relentless, undemocratic and often violent attacks on the government and its allies, which continue until this day.

Perhaps the most well-known example of their anti-democratic actions was the April 2002 coup d’etat which temporarily removed Chavez, when an alliance of sections of Venezuela’s corrupt old ruling elite — including industrialists and businessmen, media owners and conservative military officers, with the support of the US government — conspired to overthrow Venezuela’s elected government.

The leaders of the coup refused Chavez’s offer to negotiate and engineered his arrest, falsely claiming that he had resigned the presidency.

They installed a new president — Pedro Carmona — who immediately decreed the abolition of democratic institutions such as the National Assembly and granted himself the right to select and remove governors and mayors.

Another decree suspended a series of popular laws passed by Chavez.

But, as crowds demonstrated in support of Chavez, word reached the generals in the President’s Guard that no resignation had taken place and that the attempted change of government was unconstitutional.

Chavez was then released and democracy restored.

During the two-day coup over 60 “Chavistas” were killed in Venezuela, but the coup’s defeat didn’t deter Venezuela’s right-wing opposition from carrying on with their unconstitutional attempts to oust Chavez.

Later in 2002 and into 2003, Venezuela’s oil industry was paralysed by management lockouts, resulting in billions of dollars of lost revenue, with catastrophic effects on the government’s social investment programmes.

Shortages of petrol for transport led to a wave of shortages of essential goods.

The lockout was initiated by various right-wing groups calling for a “national strike,” including managers within the oil industry and the Venezuelan Chamber of Commerce.

Once again the aim of the lockout was to create enough chaos and hardship to force Chavez to resign. But again the right wing was defeated.

The lockout ended after 63 days, with workers loyal to the government managing to restart production.

While the right wing continued their anti-democratic antics — and to receive large amounts of funding from the US — throughout the rest of Chavez’s presidency, it was with his tragic death in 2013 that they again a saw chance to overturn social progress, and have stepped up their efforts to this end since.

After Chavez’s successor Nicolas Maduro’s victory in the 2013 presidential elections, losing candidate Henrique Capriles refused to accept the results and called his supporters onto the streets to “vent their anger.”

Thousands of right-wing protesters took to the streets and attacked the homes of prominent politicians and the head of the electoral council.

Health clinics and other social services built by the government also came under attack.

Capriles’s supporters set fires in the streets and marched through Caracas demanding a recount.

Eleven government supporters died in the violence. Opposition leaders insisted on a full recount, as well as the usual 46 per cent audit, despite the excellent reputation of the Venezuelan electronic voting system.

The Electoral Council agreed a full audit of the paper records and fingerprint registry, which confirmed Maduro’s victory.

Then in 2014, following an inflammatory speech by right-wing opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, anti-democratic sections of the opposition took to the street in violent protest, demanding La Salida (“the ousting”) of Maduro.

Barricades in the roads, known as “guarimbas,” were constructed with burning tyres, rubbish and barbed wire, whilst protesters attacked anyone who appeared to be a government supporter.

Motor cyclists were killed by barbed wire stretched across the roads. Universities were ransacked, health clinics were set on fire, bus stations wrecked and food delivery vehicles attacked.

The death toll, including members of the public from all sides as well as police and security forces, reached 43 before the violence subsided.

Now, again, this year, antidemocratic elements of Venezuela’s right-wing opposition have again sought to force the removal of Venezuela’s elected president, no doubt encouraged by increasingly hostile statements from the US Trump administration towards Maduro’s government, with leading right-wing opposition figures openly encouraging sections of the military to oust the government.

As part of this we have seen a new wave of right-wing opposition violence, as exemplified by a recent armed attack from a stolen helicopter on the Supreme Court and Ministry of Justice.

Some of the worst (but by no means all) examples have seen protesters topple the main gate of a commune for low-income citizens, firing guns at residents, burning several homes and mortally wounding a child.

Other deaths have occurred in street violence, roadblocks, fire-setting and attacks on police officers trying to keep order.

Again this week, President Maduro has called for dialogue to find a peaceful way forward for the country to solve its difficulties but these calls have been rejected by much of the right-wing opposition, many of whom are hoping for a military coup or external intervention to remove Maduro before his term ends.

Progressives internationally shouldn’t be taken in by those seeking to portray Venezuela’s antidemocratic, right-wing opposition as beleaguered democrats, and should support dialogue and self-determination as the peaceful way forward for Venezuela to meet the challenges it currently faces.

Susan Grey is a member of the Venezuela Solidarity Campaign executive committee — you can join up at www.venezuelasolidarity.co.uk/join

Featured image from Land Destroyer Report

I first heard about Hassan Diab several years before his extradition, at a talk by his wife Rania Tfaily and activist journalist Matthew Behrens, and was immediately struck by his story.

I joined the Hassan Diab Support Committee and eventually met Diab and his family. I put together a speaking event in Toronto at Beit Zatoun called J’Accuse, which included the prison writings of Mumia Abu-Jamal, Leonard Peltier, Henry David Thoreau and Martin Luther King. Diab wrote several poems for the occasion.

Recently, I had dinner with Tfaily and their two children in Toronto, shortly before they were to visit Diab in a Paris prison, where he has been in pre-trial detention without charge for more than two years.

The Lebanese-born former Carleton University sociology professor was whisked from his home by Canadian officials in 2014 after he had exhausted all his appeals, and was extradited to France on suspicion of his involvement in the 1980 bombing of a Paris synagogue. Four people were killed in the attack, which has been blamed on the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine.

It does not seem to matter to Canadian and French authorities that evidence has now emerged that Diab was in Beirut at the time of the bombing and that handwriting evidence used to convict him was flawed.

In April, French investigative judges ordered Diab’s conditional release as a result of the new evidence. But it was overturned on appeal. French judges have ordered Diab’s release on five other occasions. All have been summarily overturned on appeal.

On June 22, Amnesty International Canada executive director Alex Neve released an open letter addressed to Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland and Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould expressing concern over France’s “alleged use of anonymous, unsourced and uncircumstanced evidence that may have been obtained by torture” against Diab. The letter urged the Canadian government to advocate for Diab’s release.

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association, the Canadian Association of University Teachers, Independent Jewish Voices, Noam Chomsky, Canadian filmmaker John Greyson, activist Monia Mazigh and Canadian Labour Congress president Hassan Yussuff have joined the call for Diab’s release.

There is no personal history that could connect Diab to the bombing.

The Canadian judge who ordered Diab’s extradition, Justice Robert Maranger, acknowledged the evidence against him was “weak,” and “very confusing.” Maranger called the conclusions drawn by prosecutors “suspect.” He nevertheless ordered Diab into French custody noting with “regret” in his decision that Canadian extradition law does not require a high standard of proof. France had only to make a prima facie case for extradition to be granted.

Diab’s ordeal began in October 2007 when he noticed he was being followed and someone later tried to break into his home.

He reported these incidents to the Ottawa police, but the intimidation and surveillance continued.

He was arrested in 2008 shortly after a French journalist showed up at one of his classes at Carleton. That was the first he heard that he was wanted by French authorities.

Diab’s contract to teach a summer course at the university was revoked a short time later in 2009 after B’nai Brith Canada Executive Vice President Frank Dimant issued a statement charging that Diab’s employment was endangering the “safety and security of the community as a whole, and of the Carleton University campus.”

At the time of Diab’s initial detention in the post-9/11 era, there was a culture of indifference in Ottawa under the Harper government to state violence against civilians, Maher Arar and Omar Khadr among them.

Cui bono? Who benefits?

In Canada, Diab’s continued incarceration has a strong and powerful advocate in Avi Benlolo, CEO of the Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Centre, the organization named for the Holocaust survivor who became a “Nazi hunter” after World War II. The Wiesenthal Centre more recently hunts alleged Islamic terrorists.

Benlolo’s power connections include “senior officials in law enforcement” and “thought-leaders” including George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Shimon Peres and Tony Blair, according to the Simon Wiesenthal Centre’s website. Benlolo was among the select group to accompany Harper to Israel in 2014. This year Benlolo has been made an honoree of the University of Haifa, “in recognition of his leadership as a prominent Canadian human rights activist promoting tolerance and democracy.”

Every person educated in France, and many Canadians, know about the Dreyfus Affair. At the turn of the 20th century, the Jewish French soldier Alfred Dreyfus was charged with treason and given a life sentence at Devil’s Island. The accusation was based on fraudulent handwriting analysis. In 1898, French novelist Émile Zola wrote about the framing of Dreyfus in J’Accuse, his famous rallying cry against racism and injustice stating that, in part, “It is a crime to exploit patriotism for works of hate.” The actual perpetrator was known to French authorities but was never charged. Dreyfus remained in prison and it took years for him to be exonerated.

Diab was not allowed to say goodbye to his daughter when he was extradited. Many in power today have yet to understand justice.

Judith Deutsch is a former president of Science for Peace.

Featured image from NOW Magazine

Who are the real sponsors of terrorism in Syria and Iraq and the instigators of regime change in Venezuela?

What is the real threat posed by the US state aggression against Russia?

And who are backing up Israel in its crimes against Palestine?

If you solely rely on the Western media for enlightenment, your acquired knowledge is plain ignorance. You will never learn the truth because they simply manipulate the news. Read our selection of articles below. 

*     *     *

Canada’s Involvement in Supporting Terrorism and Aggressive Warfare

By Mark Taliano, July 19, 2017

Canada presents itself as being progressive, as being a nation that supports human rights and seeks peace, yet our foreign policy decisions create and perpetuate war, terrorism, and poverty, on a global scale. Support for the Gulf State monarchies and selling them military hardware amounts to direct support for terrorism. Canada is guilty.

Time For the “International Left” to Take a Stand on Venezuela

By Gregory Wilpert, July 19, 2017

Unknown to most consumers of the international media would be that opposition protesters detonated a bomb in the heart of Caracas on July 11, wounding seven National Guard soldiers, that a building belonging to the Supreme Court was burnt by opposition protesters on June 12th or that opposition protesters attacked a maternity hospital on May 17.

CNN: “Russia Is an Adversary, Ukraine Is Not.”

By Gary Leupp, July 19, 2017

Moscow only became, in the minds of some, an adversary when it started to seriously challenge Washington’s unremitting efforts to expand its anti-Russian military alliance, NATO.

Emmanuel Macron’s Extraordinary Error in Joining the Israel Lobby

By Anthony Bellchambers, July 19, 2017

Macron was absolutely right to acknowledge the criminal insanity of the wartime Vichy government that collaborated with the Nazis by voluntarily transporting a quarter of the Jews of France to death camps in Eastern Europe but he is completely wrong to equate anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism.

Hidden History: The Secret Origins of the First World War

By Antony C. Black, July 19, 2017

Of the many myths that befog the modern political mind, none is so corrupting of the understanding or so incongruent with historical fact as the notion that the wealthy and the powerful do not conspire.

*     *     *

Global Research is a small team that believes in the power of information and analysis to bring about far-reaching societal change including a world without war.

Consider Making a Donation to Global Research

Dusting away the must on a constitutional text may be a rare thing, but it should be a point of order for the elected officials of a country. Often, these contain laws that are irretrievably archaic, and resist change by virtue of being embedded in a document deliberated over in another age.

The one provision in the Australian Constitution that has received considerable attention of late is section 44, one unmistakably dull yet absolute in effect: “Any person who is under any acknowledgment of allegiance, obedience, or adherence to a foreign power, or is a subject or citizen or entitled to the rights or privileges of a subject or a citizen of a foreign power shall be incapable of being chosen or of sitting as a senator or a member of the House of Representatives.”

It is a provision that nabs the unsuspecting member of Parliament who discovers, by self-pursuit or otherwise, that he or she is, in fact, seized of the loyalty of another state, with its “rights or privileges”. A mere snifter of benefit from a foreign power disentitles and disables.

This was the situation Greens Senators Larissa Waters and Scott Ludlam found themselves when they discovered that their previous nationalities (in Waters case, Canada, in Ludlam’s, New Zealand) had not been extinguished by the act of naturalisation. This bumbling did not just come at some cost to the Greens: it also excised two able working representatives who risk being hounded for their pay.

The resignations precipitated a dash in the halls of Parliament, with members rushing to consult paperwork, embassies and home offices as to what, exactly, their status might be. Of 23 other Australian MPs and senators born overseas, a near half have made public announcements about their position.

Springing into action with an enthusiastic rumble was Labor Senator Sam Dastyari, who admitted to forking out a good $25,000 in the process of giving up his Iranian citizenship. The ones to profit heartily from the endeavour seemed to have been those “two teams of lawyers (Australian and Iran)”. Apostasy to a state can be a dear business indeed.

Some of the responses were drawn from the bottomless pit of faux patriotism, sounding more relieved than sensible. Ian Goodenough sought confirmation from the Singapore High Commission, who “unequivocally confirmed I’m part of Team Australia.”[1] (The good member of parliament was also good enough to sport a hat and snap a shot of himself in front of the Australian flag.)

Matthias Corman, much to the disappointment of some, merely confirmed that his Belgian citizenship had ceased to exist in accordance with that country’s laws. (Good timing, that.) Derryn Hinch, born in New Zealand, also passed muster, claiming that he, rather than Ludlam, had been the original target of Perth constitutional lawyer John Cameron.

“Ludlam was actually collateral damage.”

Hinch has since focused his ire on Liberal Senator Eric Abetz.

“It turns out that Abetz only renounced his German citizenship in 2010,” claimed Hinch to radio host Neil Mitchell. “He was a Senator long before that. So, why isn’t he in the gun?”[2]

On that score, Hinch is trawling over old news. Antique dealer John Hawkins had tabled a petition in the Court of Disputed Returns in 2010 asking that the High Court declare Abetz unfit to remain in the Senate. John Sackar QC, acting on Hawkins’ behalf, withdrew the petition once evidence was revealed showing that the senator had renounced his German citizenship.

One Nation climate change sceptic and comical fantasist Malcolm Roberts got on with the business of confessing to being true blue to earth and soil (his leader Pauline Hanson, would have had it no other way) despite being born in India in 1955, before throwing a few grenades of his own.

“On another note, I do not own, nor have I ever owned, a 7-11. I’m not even a chucker.”[3]

Because Indians (as opposed to Sri Lankans) have such proclivities on the cricket field.

But the pearl in this swinish lot would have been former Prime Minister Tony Abbott, who staved off critics at the pass by producing a letter from January 5, 2015 from UK Visas & Immigration showing that he had renounced his British citizenship prior to entering federal politics. As with other amateur sleuths, Abbott had had his own agitator, a certain Tony Magrathea who failed to net his quarry.[4]

Due diligence, as it tends to be called, requires combing, investigation and verification. But section 44 remains an anachronism in an age where dual nationality has become a pressing reality, less a matter of patriotism than access. Nothing gets away from the fact that Ludlam and Waters were also Australian tax-paying citizens who could also be electors. That they could not be sitting members in a legal sense will be the stinging travesty in all of this.

All chat about reform is fine and good, till one realises how grindingly difficult it is to adjust the wording of Australia’s functional, as opposed to aspirational, document. In a rather odd twist of fate, the change would be, not to add a right so much as to remove an impediment. The constitution continues being more a poor bill of fare than a bill of rights.

Dr. Binoy Kampmark was a Commonwealth Scholar at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He lectures at RMIT University, Melbourne. Email: [email protected]

Notes

[1] https://twitter.com/IanGoodenoughMP/status/887242838978711552?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.abc.net.au%2Fnews%2F2017-07-19%2Faustralian-politicians-born-overseas-jump-to-clarify-citizenship%2F8721994

[2] http://www.3aw.com.au/derryn-hinch-turns-citizenship-blowtorch-on-liberal-senator/

[3] https://twitter.com/SenatorMRoberts/status/887187235543539713?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.businessinsider.com.au%2Fone-nations-malcolm-roberts-offered-proof-he-wasnt-an-indian-citizen-then-followed-it-up-with-a-racist-tweet-2017-7

[4] http://thenewdaily.com.au/news/national/2017/07/14/tony-abbott-citizenship/

Featured image from peo.gov.au

The Computational Propaganda Research Project (COMPROP) investigates the interaction of algorithms, automation and politics. This work includes analysis of how tools like social media bots are used to manipulate public opinion by amplifying or repressing political content, disinformation, hate speech, junk or fake news.

In their most recent report COMPROP have identified how organisations, often with public money, have created a system to help ‘define and manage what is in the best interest of the public.’COMPROP have compared such organisations across 28 countries, created an inventory system and logged the kinds of messages, valences (positive or negative messaging) and communication strategies used. They have also catalogued organisational forms and evaluated their capacities in terms of budgets and staffing.

This article focuses on the use of cyber-troops.

Cyber-troops are identified as government, military or political party teams committed to manipulating public opinion over social media. Its findings include the use of cyber troops that are now a pervasive and global phenomenon. Many different countries employ significant numbers of people and resources to manage and manipulate public opinion online, sometimes targeting domestic audiences and sometimes targeting foreign publics.

The basic finding include:

• The earliest reports of organised social media manipulation emerged in 2010, and by 2017 there are details on such organisations in 28 countries, including the US and UK.
• Looking across the 28 countries, every authoritarian regime has social media campaigns targeting their own populations, while only a few of them target foreign publics. In contrast, almost every democracy in this sample has organised social media campaigns that target foreign publics, while political-party-supported campaigns target domestic voters.
• Authoritarian regimes are not the only or even the best at organised social media manipulation. The earliest reports of government involvement in nudging public opinion involve democracies, and new innovations in political communication technologies often come from political parties and arise during high-profile elections.
• Over time, the primary mode for organising cyber troops has gone from involving military units that experiment with manipulating public opinion over social media networks to strategic communication firms that take contracts from governments for social media campaigns.

The report mentions that

“In January 2015, the British Army announced that its 77th Brigade would “focus on non‐lethal psychological operations using social networks like Facebook and Twitter to fight enemies by gaining control of the narrative in the information age”. The primary task of this unit is to shape public behaviour through the use of “dynamic narratives” to combat the political propaganda disseminated by terrorist organisations. The United Kingdom is not alone in allocating troops and funding for influencing online political discourse. Instead, this is part of a larger phenomenon whereby governments are turning to Internet platforms to exert influence over information flows and communication channels to shape public opinion.”

What is of concern in the report is that Cyber troops use a variety of strategies, tools and techniques for social media manipulation. Generally speaking, teams have an overarching communications strategy that involves creating official government applications, websites or platforms for disseminating content; using accounts—either real, fake or automated—to interact with users on social media; or creating substantive content such as images, videos or blog posts. These teams engage in sending pro‐government, positive or nationalistic messages when engaging with the public online. Other teams will harass, troll or threaten users who express dissenting positions.

Other, more popular forms of individual targeting involves various forms of harassment. This generally involves verbal abuse, hate speech, discrimination and/or trolling against the values, beliefs or identity of a user or a group of users online. Of course, some governments will use this type of harassment during important political events, namely, elections.

In addition to official government accounts, many cyber troop teams run fake accounts to mask their identity and interests. This phenomenon has sometimes been referred to as “astroturfing”, whereby the identity of a sponsor or organisation is made to appear as grassroots activism (Howard, 2003). In many cases, these fake accounts are “bots”—or bits of code designed to interact with and mimic human users. According to media reports, bots have been deployed by government actors in Argentina (Rueda, 2012), Azerbaijan (Geybulla, 2016), Iran (BBC News, 2016), Mexico (O’Carrol, 2017), the Philippines (Williams S, 2017), Russia (Duncan, 2016), South Korea (Sang‐Hun, 2013), Syria (York, 2011), Turkey (Shearlaw, 2016) and Venezuela (VOA News, 2015).

These bots are often used to flood social media networks with spam and fake news. They can also amplify marginal voices and ideas by inflating the number of likes, shares and retweets they receive, creating an artificial sense of popularity, momentum or relevance.

Some cyber troop teams create content to spread certain political messages. This content creation amounts to more than just a comment on a blog or social media feed, but instead includes the creation of content such as blog posts, YouTube videos, fake news stories, pictures or memes that help promote the government’s political agenda. In the United Kingdom, cyber troops have been known to create and upload YouTube videos that “contain persuasive messages” under online aliases (Benedictus, 2016).

Government‐based cyber troops are public servants tasked with influencing public opinion. These individuals are directly employed by the state as civil servants, and often form a small part of a larger government administration. The report finds that “cyber troops can be found across a variety of government ministries and functions.” GCHQ is one such department.

The Australian Coalition Party used social media during its 2013 campaign to manipulate the public by using fake accounts to artificially inflate the number of followers, likes, shares or retweets a candidate receives, creating a false sense of popularity.

In Israel, the government actively works with student volunteers from Jewish organisations or other pro‐Israel groups around the world (Stern‐Hoffman, 2013). In many cases these top-performing volunteers awarded scholarships for their work (Stern‐Hoffman, 2013).

The report concludes:

“There is no doubt that individual social media users can spread hate speech, troll other users, or set up automated political communication campaigns. Unfortunately, this is also an organised phenomenon, with major governments and political parties dedicating significant resources towards the use of social media for public opinion manipulation.”

“I don’t think people realise how much governments are using these tools to reach them. It’s a lot more hidden,” Samantha Bradshaw, the report’s lead author told Bloomberg, noting the prominence of social media manipulation among democratic governments.

“They are using the same tools and techniques as the authoritarian regimes,” Bradshaw said. “Maybe the motivations are different, but it’s hard to tell without the transparency.”

In the meantime, it should not be forgotten that whilst on the one hand governments around the world, including Britain are actively engaging in online public manipulation, Theresa May, the prime minister, has already asked governments to unite to regulate what tech companies like Google, Facebook and Twitter allow to be posted on their networks. The EU has already clamped down with calls that they are effectively shutting down free speech as apposed to curtailing hate speech, whilst engaging in exactly that – hate speech.

Whilst you might expect some governments around the world such as Azerbaijan, China, Israel and North Korea to be engaging cyber-troops to manipulate pubic opinion, you would not expect other western democracies such as the USA, UK or Germany to be doing so. But then again, these very same countries have built massive 360 degree mass surveillance systems without any public debate at all.

Featured image from TruePublica

Some 331 Palestinian minors were arrested by Israel between January and May this year, a 62 per cent increase on figures from 2012 to 2015, NGO Defence for Children International – Palestine (DCIP) revealed yesterday.

According to a report released by the human rights group, Israeli forces regularly abuse Palestinian children, depriving them of food, subjecting them to beatings and preventing them from accessing legal counsel.

Accountability Programme Director at DCIP, Ayed Abu Eqtaish, stated:

“For over a decade, ill-treatment of Palestinian children in the Israeli military detention system has been widespread and systematic.”

From the persistent and institutionalised ill-treatment and torture of Palestinian children, to the systematic denial of their due process rights, emerges a system of control far removed from justice.

DCIP records of cases between January and June also show that 81 per cent of Palestinian children were strip searched upon detention, two thirds were denied legal counsel prior to interrogation and only three had a parent present during proceedings.

The report details that one of the youngest children to be detained was 12-year-old Suheib from a refugee camp in the occupied Ramallah-area. He was allegedly throwing stones when he was knocked to the ground by Israeli officers and then restrained, beaten and blindfolded. He was subsequently held overnight at a police station where he was interrogated and denied food for 24 hours.

In another case, a 13-year-old boy known only as Anas M. was tortured as an Israeli soldier grabbed his neck and attempted to strangle him.

Israel prosecutes up to 700 children each year in military courts. Last month DCIP held a congressional meeting on the situation of Palestinian children over 50 years of illegal occupation, concluding that Israel’s actions against minors outdoes all security rationale.

Remember the attempted coup d’état in Venezuela in 2002, which failed miserably as Hugo Chavez thrashed his treacherous assailants like a Grand Master of Chess humiliating a rookie with a fool’s mate in three seconds flat? Well ladies and gentlemen they are trying it on again, this time using traitors inside Venezuela (“Opposition”) to create chaos.

Fraudulent manipulation by Western stooges

This week (on Sunday) the “Opposition” organized an illegal and unofficial public consultation on Government plans to appoint a new Constituent Assembly with powers to substitute the National Assembly, giving it the possibility to alter the constitution. The other side of the coin is that the National Assembly is a bastion of Opposition members blocking Government measures, willfully sabotaging the process of Government and creating chaos to then blame the Government of President Nicolas Maduro of mismanagement.

In the 2015 legislative election, 7.7 million of Venezuela’s 19.5 million voters favored Opposition parties to the ruling PSUV (United Socialist Party of Venezuela). In this week’s unofficial election, 7,186,170 people voted, 96 per cent of these against the Government plans. However the Venezuelan Opposition and their masters in Washington have to understand that an illegal vote by 28 per cent of the electorate does not constitute a valid constitutionally-backed position or statement. It is a protest vote by those who fear they will lose their vested interests and this affirmation is backed up by the fact that most Venezuelans back the PSUV.

The Venezuelan Government has accused the Opposition of staging an illegal act which anyway is fraught with fraud, manipulation and violation of the principles of a democratic vote. Of the 102,000 registered Venezuelan voters abroad, some 600,000 voted, for instance. Jorge Rodríguez, leader of PSUV, declared that there is evidence that some people voted seven times, others 14 times.

European Union duped, swallowed nonsense hook, line and sinker

He states that the western observers, including the EU, were duped into thinking that “voters” was the same thing as “votes”. They fell for the Opposition swansong hook, line and sinker, including outrageous acts such as adding 50,000 votes to the result in the State of Aragua, a practice which was allegedly commonplace among Opposition campaign managers.

Venezuela repudiates erratic US communiqué

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela repudiates the unusual communiqué published by the White House, 17/07/2017.

It is a document never seen before, because of its low level and poor quality, and makes it difficult to understand the intentions of the aggressor country intellectually. Obviously, the United States government is accustomed to humiliating other nations in its international relations and believes that it will receive the subordination it is accustomed to. The gap that the United States government is digging into its relations with Venezuela hampers a rational prediction of its actions for the entire international community.

The United States government unabashedly shows its absolute partiality with the violent sectors and extremists of Venezuelan politics, who favor the use of terrorism to overthrow a popular and democratic government.

The moral ruin of the Venezuelan opposition has dragged President Trump to commit an open aggression against a Latin American country. We do not know who could have written, let alone authorized, a communiqué of so much conceptual and moral poverty.

The thin democratic veil of the Venezuelan opposition has fallen, and reveals the brutal interventionist force of the US government, which has been behind the violence suffered by the Venezuelan people in the last four months.

This is not the first time we have denounced and confronted threats as wild as those contained in this unusual document.

We call upon the peoples of Latin America and the Caribbean and the free peoples of the world to understand the magnitude of the brutal threat contained in this imperial communiqué and to defend sovereignty, self-determination and independence, fundamental principles of international law.

The original constituent power is contemplated in our Magna Carta and it is only up to the Venezuelan people. The National Constituent Assembly shall be elected by the direct, universal and secret vote of all Venezuelans and all Venezuelans, under the authority of the National Electoral Council as contemplated by our legal system. It is an act of political sovereignty of the Republic, nothing and nobody can stop it. The Constituent Assembly Goes Ahead!

Today the Venezuelan people are free and will respond united before the insolent threat posed by a xenophobic and racist empire. The anti-imperialist thinking of the Liberator is more valid than ever:

“The United States seems destined by Providence to infest America with misery in the name of freedom” Simón Bolívar

Timothy Bancroft-Hinchey has worked largely on various publications, TV stations and media groups that include the Russian Foreign Ministry publication Dialog and the Cuban Foreign Ministry Official Publications. He is currently the Director and Chief Editor of the Portuguese version of Pravda.Ru. He has spent the last two decades in humanitarian projects that fight against gender violence, sexism, racism and homophobia. Twitter: @TimothyBHinchey; [email protected]

Over the last seven years, several billion dollars’ worth of armament has been illegally introduced into Syria – a fact which in itself is enough to disprove the myth according to which this war is a democratic revolution. Numerous documents attest to the fact that the traffic was organised by General David Petraeus, first of all in public, via the CIA, of which he was the director, then privately, via the financial company KKR with the aid of certain senior civil servants. Thus the conflict, which was initially an imperialist operation by the United States and the United Kingdom, became a private capitalist operation, while in Washington, the authority of the White House was challenged by the deep state. New elements now show the secret rôle of Azerbaïdjan in the evolution of the war.

During the liberation of Aleppo and the capture of the Saudi military staff who were on site, Bulgarian journalist Dilyana Gaytandzhieva noted the presence of weapons from her country in nine warehouses abandoned by the jihadists. She carefully noted the information on the boxes, and once she returned home, she investigated the way in which the weapons had been delivered to Syria.

Since 2009 – with the short exception of the period between March 2013 to November 2014 – Bulgaria has been governed by Boïko Borissov, a highly colourful character allegedly with links to one of Europe’s main criminal organisations, the SIC. Let’s remember that Bulgaria is a member of both NATO and the European Union, and that neither of these two organisations offered the slightest criticism concerning the accession to power of a Mafia lord who had been identified as such a long time previously by the international police services.

It is therefore clearly at the risk of their lives that Dilyana Gaytandzhieva uncovered the organisation, and the editors of the Sofia daily, Trud, published her article [1]. While Bulgaria was one of the main arms exporters to Syria, it received help from Azerbaïdjan.

The gigantic CIA arms traffic against Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria and India

Since the beginning of the Arab Springs, a gigantic arms traffic was organised by the CIA and the Pentagon in violation of a number of resolutions by the UNO Security Council. All the operations that we will be mentioning here are illegal under international law, including those organised publicly by the Pentagon.

As far as arms traffic is concerned, even when individuals or private companies are used as shields, it is impossible to export sensitive equipment without the authorisation of the governments concerned.

All the weapons we will be mentioning, apart from the electronic intelligence systems, are ’Soviet-type’. By definition, even if we pretend that the armies supplied with NATO-type weapons are indeed the final recipients, this is an impossibility. These armies serve only to cover the traffic.

We already knew that the CIA had contacted the SIC, and that Boïko Borissov had been called upon to manufacture an emergency quantity of Captagon destined for the jihadists, first in Libya, then in Syria. Since Maria Petkova’s investigation, which was published in the Balkan Investigative Reporting Network (BIRN), we knew that between 2011 and 2014, the CIA and the SOCOM (Pentagon Special Operations Command) had bought 500 million dollars’ worth of weapons from Bulgaria on behalf of the jihadists. Then, later, we learned that other weapons were paid for by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates and transported by Saudi Arabian Cargo and Etihad Cargo [2].

According to Krešimir Žabec, of the Zagreb daily Jutarnji list, at the end of 2012, Croatia delivered 230 tonnes of weapons to the Syrian jihadists for a value of 6.5 million dollars. The transfer to Turkey was handled by three Ilyushins from Jordan International Air Cargo, and the weapons were then parachuted by the Qatai Army [3]. According to Eric Schmitt of the New York Times, the whole system had been created by General David Petraeus, director of the CIA [4].

In 2012, when Hezbollah attempted to unearth the CIA / SOCOM network, an attack was perpetrated against a number of Israëli tourists at Burgas airport, the nerve centre of the traffic. Ignoring the Bulgarian police enquiry and the report of the medical examiner, the Borissov government blamed the crime on Hezbollah, and the European Union labelled the Lebanese Resistance as a “terrorist organisation” (sic). We had to wait for the provisional fall of Borissov before the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Kristian Vigenine, pointed out that this accusation is without foundation.

According to a source close to the PKK, in May and June 2014, the Turkish secret services chartered special trains to deliver Ukranian weapons to Rakka – which was then called the Islamic Emirate in Iraq and Syria, and is now known as Daesh. The weapons were paid for by Saudi Arabia, as were more than a thousand Hilux vehicles (double cabin pick-ups) specially altered to resist desert conditions. According to a Belgian source, the purchase of the vehicles had been negotiated with the Japanese firm Toyota by the Saudi company Abdul Latif Jameel.

According to Andrey Fomin of the Oriental Review, Qatar, which did not want to be left out, bought the most recent version of the Air Missile Defense Complex “Pechora-2D” from the Ukranian state company UkrOboronProm, for the jihadists. The delivery was made by the Cypriot company Blessway Ltd [5].

According to Jeremy Binnie and Neil Gibson of the professional arms magazine Jane’s, the US Navy Military Sealift Command launched two tenders in 2015 for the transport of arms from the Romanian port of Constanta to the Jordanian port of Aqaba. The contract was won by Transatlantic Lines [6]. It was implemented on 12 February 2016, just after the signature of the cease-fire by Washington, in violation of its engagement.

According to Pierre Balanian of Asia News, this system was extended in March 2017 with the opening of a regular maritime line by the US company Liberty Global Logistics, linking Livorno (Italy) / Aqaba (Jordan) and Jeddah (Saudi Arabia) [7]. According to geographer Manlio Dinucci, it was mainly used to deliver tanks to Syria and Yemen [8].

According to Turkish journalists Yörük Işık and Alper Beler, the last contracts of the Obama era were implemented by Orbital ATK, who organised, via Chemring and Danish H. Folmer & Co, a regular line between Burgas (Bulgaria) and Jeddah (Saudi Arabia). For the first time, we are now talking not only about weapons produced by Vazovski Machine Building Factory (VMZ) (Bulgaria), but also by Tatra Defense Industrial Ltd. (Czech Republic) [9].

Many other operations took place in secret, as demonstrated by the affairs of the cargo Lutfallah II, inspected by the Lebanese Navy on 27 April 2012, or the Togolese cargo the Trader, inspected by Greece on 1 May 2016.

The total of these operations represent hundreds of tonnes of weapons and ammunition, perhaps even thousands, mainly paid for by the absolute monarchies of the Gulf, allegedly to support a “democratic revolution”. In reality, these petro-dictatorships only intervened to dispense the Obama administration with having to explain themselves to the US Congress (Operation Timber Sycamore) and cement their belief that the moon is made of green cheese [10]. All of this traffic was under the personal control of General David Petraeus, first of all via the CIA, of which he was the director, then via the financial investment company KKR, for which he worked thereafter. He benefited from the assistance of senior civil servants, sometimes under the presidency of Barack Obama, and then – massively – under that of Donald Trump.

The secret rôle – until now – of Azerbaïdjan

According to Sibel Edmonds – ex-FBI agent and founder of the National Security Whistleblowers Coalition – Azerbaïdjan, under President Heydar Aliyev, from 1997 to 2001 hosted in Bakou the number 2 of Al-Qaïda, Ayman el-Zawahiri. This was done at the request of the CIA. Although officially wanted by the FBI, the man who was then the number 2 of the international jihadist network travelled regularly in NATO planes to Afghanistan, Albania, Egypt and Turkey. He also received frequent visits from Prince Bandar ben Sultan of Saudi Arabia [11].

To its security relations with Washington and Riyadh, Azerbaïdjan – whose population is nonetheless mainly Chiite – adds Sunni Ankara, which supports it in its conflict with Armenia concerning the secession of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).

Heydar Aliyev died in the United States in 2003, and was succeeded by his son Ilham Aliyev. The USA-Azerbaïdjan Chamber of Commerce thus moved into Washington’s backyard, with, alongside President Aliyev, stood Richard Armitage, James Baker III, Zbigniew Brzeziński, Dick Cheney, Henry Kissinger, Richard Perle, Brent Scowcroft and John Sununu.

According to Dilyana Gaytandzhieva, in 2015, Minister for Transport Ziya Mammadov placed the state company Silk Way Airlines at the disposition of the CIA , at the expense of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The Minister for Foreign Affairs, minimally scrupulous Elmar Mammadyarov, sent requests for official recognition of “diplomatic flights” to several of his embassies, which protected the flights from being searched under the Vienna Convention. In less than three years, more than 350 flights benefited from this extraordinary privilege.

Although, according to the international treaties, neither civil nor diplomatic flights are authorised to carry military material, requests for recognition as “diplomatic flights” require the explicit detailing of the cargo transported. However, at the request of the US State Department, at least Afghanistan, Germany, Saudi Arabia, Bulgaria, Congo, the United Arab Emirates, Hungary, Israël, Pakistan, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Turkey and United Kingdom closed their eyes to this violation of international law, just as they had ignored the CIA flights to and from their secret prisons.

In less than three years, Silk Way Airlines transported at least one billion dollars’ worth of armament.

One thing leading to another, journalist Dilyana Gaytandzhieva uncovered a vast system which also supplied the jihadists not only in Iraq and Syria, but also in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Congo – also paid for by the Saudis and the Emiratis. Some of the arms delivered in Arabia were redirected to South Africa.

The arms transported to Afghanistan were delivered to the Talibans, under the control of the US, which is pretending to fight them. Those delivered to Pakistan were probably destined to commit Islamist attacks in India. We do not know who were the final recipients of the arms delivered to the Republican Guard of President Sassou N’Guesso in the Congo, or those delivered to South Africa under President Jacob Zuma.

The main arms dealers were the US firms Chemring (already mentioned), Culmen International, Orbital ATK (also mentioned) and Purple Shovel.

Apart from the Soviet-type arms produced by Bulgaria, Azerbaïdjan, under the responsibility of Minister of the Defence Industry Yavar Jamalov, bought stocks in Serbia, the Czech Repûblic and also in other states, declaring each time that Azerbaïdjan was the final recipient of the merchandise. Concerning the electronic intelligence material, Israël placed at their disposition the firm Elbit Systems, which pretended to be the final recipient, since Azerbaïdjan does not have the right to buy this type of equipment. These exceptions attest to the fact that the Azerbaïdjani system, although requested by the United States and Saudi Arabia, was controlled from start to finish from Tel-Aviv.

The Hebrew state, which pretended to be neutral during the whole of the Syrian conflict, nonetheless bombed the Syrian Arab Army on many occasions. Each time Tel-Aviv recognised the facts, it pretended that it had destroyed the arms destined for the Lebanese Hezbollah. In reality, all these operations, with perhaps a single exception, were coordinated with the jihadists. So today we learn that Tel-Aviv supervised the deliveries of arms to these same jihadists, so that although Israël limited itself to the use of its air force to support them, it did in fact play a central rôle in the war.

According to the international conventions, the falsification of certificates of final delivery, and the supply of weapons to mercenary groups who overthrow legitimate governments, or destroy recognised states, are considered to be international crimes.

Translated by Pete Kimberley

Thierry Meyssan is a political consultant, President-founder of the Réseau Voltaire (Voltaire Network). Latest work in French – Sous nos Yeux. Du 11-Septembre à Donald Trump (Right Before our Eyes. From 9/11 to Donald Trump).

Notes

[1] “350 diplomatic flights carry weapons for terrorists”, Dilyana Gaytandzhieva, Trud, July 2, 2017.

[2] “War Gains : Bulgarian Arms Add Fuel to Middle East Conflicts”, Maria Petkova, Balkan Investigative Reporting Network, December 21, 2015.

[3] “TAJNA LETOVA JORDANSKIH AVIONA S PLESA Sirijski pobunjenici dobivaju oružje preko Zagreba!”, Krešimir Žabec, Jutarnji list, 23 veljača 2013. «TRANSFER HRVATSKOG ORUŽJA POBUNJENICIMA U SIRIJI Sve je dogovoreno prošlog ljeta u Washingtonu!», Krešimir Žabec, Jutarnji list, 26 veljača 2013. “VIDEO: JUTARNJI OTKRIVA U 4 mjeseca za Siriju sa zagrebačkog aerodroma Pleso otišlo 75 aviona sa 3000 tona oružja!”, Krešimir Žabec, Jutarnji list, 7 ožujak 2013. “PUT KROZ ASADOVU SIRIJU Nevjerojatna priča o državi sravnjenoj sa zemljom i njezinim uništenim ljudima: ’Živote su nam ukrali, snove ubili…’”, Antonija Handabaka, Jutarnji list, 9 ožujak 2013.

[4] “In Shift, Saudis Are Said to Arm Rebels in Syria” and “Airlift To Rebels In Syria Expands With C.I.A.’S Help”, C. J. Chivers & Eric Schmitt, The New York Times, February 26 and March 25, 2013.

[5] “Qatar and Ukraine come to deliver Pechora-2D to ISIS”, by Andrey Fomin, Oriental Review (Russia), Voltaire Network, 22 November 2015.

[6] “US arms shipment to Syrian rebels detailed”, Jeremy Binnie & Neil Gibson, Jane’s, April 7th, 2016.

[7] “Jordan strengthens military presence on border with Syria and Iraq”, Pierre Balanian, AsiaNews, April 11, 2017.

[8] “From Camp Darby US weapons for the war in Syria and Yemen”, by Manlio Dinucci, Translation Anoosha Boralessa, Il Manifesto (Italy) , Voltaire Network, 18 April 2017.

[9] “The Pentagon is following through on arms agreements that Obama made with Jihadists”, Translation Anoosha Boralessa, Voltaire Network, 30 May 2017.

[10] “U.S. Relies Heavily on Saudi Money to Support Syrian Rebels”, Mark Mazzetti & Matt Apuzzojan, The New York Times, January 23, 2016.

[11] Classified Woman. The Sibel Edmonds Story: A Memoir et The Lone Gladio, Sibel Edmonds.

Taking the extraordinary USA and EU economic sanctions against Russia and low oil prices since 2014 into account, Russia’s economic outlook looks excellent going forward while that of Trump’s America looks bleak, to put it mildly. Paraphrasing the memorable 1992 Presidential candidates debate between a then-young William Jefferson Clinton and George H.W. Bush, “It’s the debt, stupid.”

In the past few years too many US economists and analysts such as Moody’s Credit Rating have tried to dismiss the economy of the Russian Federation as a near-bankrupt Soviet-era oil and gas-dependent economy, devastated by the 2014 collapse in oil price. This is a grave mistake, especially so as military calculations of NATO in many cases depend on such poorly-informed and dated judgments. Here are just a few select examples of what is really going on in terms of cutting edge and even bleeding edge technology R&D and commercialization in Russia in the civilian sector. The West’s neo-colonial smug arrogance has no place.

Yes, the physical economy Russia has great problems. I’ve traveled throughout Russia many times since 1994. I have seen much beyond the breath-taking beauty of the Czar palaces of St. Petersburg or the spectacular Moscow Kremlin fortress constructed in the 1480’s. I’ve seen dilapidated infrastructure and streets with New York-style potholes in Russia’s smaller cities.

I grew up and for some time worked in proximity of slums and poverty in cities such as Boston, New York, Newark, or Dallas as a young man in the United States during the 1960’s and 1970s and after. The differences with Russia’s economic deficits are enormous. The growing poverty in America since the beginning of the 1970’s was as a deliberate economic policy consequence of Wall Street policies and notably so after the decision to abandon the Bretton Woods Gold Exchange Standard in 1971.

By contrast, the poverty in Russia today is a residue of the seventy years of Soviet conditions during the military necessities of the Cold War and the fatal flaws of its rigid central planning that suppressed individual initiative and creativity, or rather penalized it. That was aggravated in a devastating manner by the Gorbachev Perestroika monetary mistakes and the criminal CIA-backed looting of Russian state assets by the Yeltsin mafia in the decade of the 1990s.

In brief, the United States, when the falsified US Government economic data are stripped away, is falling deeper into debt and decay as money and Wall Street mega-banks reign supreme like Gods of Money. Russia in contrast is growing slowly but definitely out of its economic and infrastructure deficit of the past decades, in fact of the past century since the Western-backed Lenin coup d’etat of 1917. While the United States over the past five decades has been tearing down its once prospering cities, infrastructure and industry, Russia is building up its national economy on an advanced technological basis with some of the most creative scientific and engineering minds on Earth. As Moody’s or S&P language might put it,

“USA economy: Outlook Negative going forward; Russia economy: Outlook Positive going forward.”

A Debtors’ Prison

The difference between the present economic prospects of the United States and that of the Russian Federation is fundamental. To begin with we need to examine the relative debt structures of the West versus the East. In the United States debts are soaring and the slums and homelessness are spreading, hidden behind United States’ Potemkin Village ultra-wealthy gentrified urban areas like Manhattan in New York City or Washington D C and its wealthy suburbs.

View from Midtown Manhattan, facing south toward Lower Manhattan (Source: Anthony Quintano / Wikimedia Commons)

Household debt in the USA, almost nine years after the financial collapse of September 2008, and after more than 8 years of near-zero Federal Reserve interest rates, is alarmingly high, higher than almost any time in the postwar period at almost 80% of GDP.

Of that household private debt, student loan debt for college education is more than $1.3 trillion, or an average debt of $48,000 a student. Astonishingly, students’ indebtedness for higher education has passed Americans’ legendary credit card debt in dollar terms. In early 2017 according to Federal Reserve and other data more than 44 million Americans held a total of some $1.3 trillion in debts for higher education. In 1997, only 20 years ago, total student debt was less than $30 billion, hardly a drain.

One reason for the explosion of debt is that total costs of a higher education in America today are soaring, notably at state-supported colleges. Costs rose 41% from 2002 to 2012. At the same time the incomes of the families of the households sending their children to college has stagnated and after 2008 declined in real terms.

For most of the immediate postwar period until the great economic crises of the 1970’s, higher education in the United States had a tradition–most especially at state universities– that tuition costs were minimal or state subsidized so that higher education could be open to anyone “with brains” as Harvard President Charles W. Eliot once charmingly put it. Higher education was seen by states and communities as an investment in the nation’s future. Those were the days before globalization and the great labor outsourcing. Now Federal government monies to support low-cost state college tuition have been severely cut, and state budgets across the country are still bleeding from the 2007-8 financial crisis.

Total private household debt in the United States today is over $12 trillion for combined home mortgage debt, college loans, car debt, credit card debt. That’s a huge burden weighing on the growth potential of the US economy.

Add to this the exponential growth of the US national debt, now just under $20 trillion, and it becomes clear that the campaign rhetoric of the Trump Presidency to “make America Great Again” requires emergency economic measures and effective and well-thought-through Chapter 9 type bankruptcy-reorganization of the nation’s debt in order to allow the United States to again become a real manufacturing economy not merely a financial speculator in debt.

In 1980 at the start of the “debts don’t matter” irresponsibility of the Reagan-Bush era, the level of Federal debt was a very manageable 30% of GDP. By the end of Bush Senior’s term in January 1993, it stood at more than double or 63% of GDP. It was beginning to “matter,” but Wall Street and bond traders loved it. When George W. Bush, took office in 2001 it had fallen back to 54% through no fault of Bush but rather to Baby-boomer demographics. From there US national debt took off like a ballistic missile, doubling by March 2017 to more than 104% of GDP today, just a whisker below a staggering $20 trillion.

This debt in the USA, private and public, is the true reason the Fed, more than eight years after the worst financial crisis in world history, still fears to bring interest rates much beyond the historically low 1.25% at present for fear of triggering a domino debt default collapse of the entire economy. Russia faces nothing remotely comparable in terms of such a debt prison.

The situation for the EU countries is only slightly better. The Eurozone countries have an average of 90% debt to GDP, far beyond the 60% ceiling of the Maastricht Treaty. In Greece it stands at 179 % , followed by Italy at 133 %, Portugal at 130 %, Cyprus at 107 % and Belgium at 106 %.

Russia looks quite healthy

By contrast Russia’s state debt is almost miniscule at 13% of GDP in 2016, the US dollar equivalent at present exchange rates of $190 billion. Inflation is currently measured between 4-5%. The Ruble is stable since the sanctions crisis and oil shock of 2014. And foreign investment is coming back into Russia’s economy. Moreover, despite the collapse of world oil prices after September 2014, Russian oil exports have held firm or grown and gas exports via new pipelines to China and elsewhere in east Eurasia are about to give added revenue to state-owned Gazprom and other Russian oil companies. Russian domestic production costs for oil and gas are priced in Rubles and sold for dollars so the impact of a significant Ruble fall versus the dollar after 2014 was hardly severe as US Treasury financial warfare jockeys might have hoped.

Bank of Russia headquarters in Moscow (Source: NVO / Wikimedia Commons)

Russia’s Central bank reserves today are more than healthy. In addition to a major restocking of its gold reserves the total reserves today stand at $406 billion, higher than in 2014 when it stood at $385 billion. In addition the Finance Ministry’s Sovereign Wealth Funds total another $90 billion at current exchange rates. Moody’s and S&P, tell me where is the ”risk“ of sovereign debt default that you still insist rating Russian state bonds as “junk”?

Political Bias Against Russia?

A note here is in order about the political nature of select sovereign credit risk ratings by the dominant US credit rating agencies Moody’s and S&P. During the depth of the ruble crisis in 2014 when plunging oil prices and US and EU sanctions forced Russian companies to repay foreign dollar or euro loans, as the West was threatening cutoff of SWIFT interbank lines to Russia, capital outflow reached $151 billion for the crisis year 2014, most in the last quarter.

In 2016 capital outflows out of Russia totaled a mere $15 billion, most to Russian companies overseas and the ruble remained stable. Despite the absence of any hint of a possible Russian sovereign debt default as in the Soros-linked ruble default crisis of August 1998 under the chaotic Yeltsin era, both Moody’s and S&P still keep Russian government debt rated at “below investment grade,” or “junk” grade, meaning that international pension funds and other major investors are prohibited by their own regulators from holding Russian state debt despite very attractive interest rates compared with the EU or USA or Japan.

Critics of the political bias of certain Moody’s and S&P sovereign debt ratings see the giant Wall Street rating companies who hold a de facto monopoly on world credit ratings, as too often operating with political bias. They cite the example of the spectacular bankruptcy of Enron in 2001 and the fact the two US rating companies continued to give Enron top ratings until the eve of bankruptcy. Enron’s CEO Kenneth Lay happened to be a close friend of the Bush family which some believe played a role in the ratings blindness. Similarly, Moody’s and S&P did not warn of the largest financial collapse, that triggered by the meltdown in the bond-rated Mortgage Backed Securities market in so-called sub-prime real estate loans in the USA beginning in March 2007. They should have. They rated the Mortgage Backed bonds behind the crisis.

In effect it would appear that Moody’s and S&P (less so Fitch the smallest US rater of the three) act as an integrated adjuvant of the US Treasury economic warfare sanctions unit, using a blackmail of lowered credit rating to pressure Russia into destructive liberal economic reforms it does not at all need.

Let’s look briefly at some positive industrial areas of the Russian real economy instead of the virtual reality of Western ratings games. Here it looks anything but bankrupt or junk.

Civilian Sector to Gain from Military

The very advanced military technology that Russia’s intervention into the Syria war has demonstrated to the world confirms that Russian science and technology are world-class, and often far more.

In a speech July 9 at the opening ceremony in Yekaterinburg in central Russia of the International Industrial Trade Fair INNOPROM-2017, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin stated,

“Another key issue is to boost volumes of hi-tech production for the civil purposes by the defense industry complex. The Ministry of Industry and Trade is actively engaged in this issue now.”

This represents a sea change in Russian attitude towards its military technology sector. During the Cold War, a heritage of Stalin-era obsession with security, the military industry was completely sealed from any possible interaction with the civilian economy, resulting in huge imbalances in technology spread into the domestic economy to the present.

Civilian Advanced Aircraft

An instance of the kind of innovation and technology potential of this policy of supporting high-tech manufacture drawing on Russia’s extraordinary military aircraft experience is the rollout this May of the first test flight of Russia’s Irkut MC-21 narrow-body commercial jet. The development reportedly sent shock waves through the boardrooms of Boeing and Airbus.

The Irkut MC-21 has the widest fuselage of any narrow-body jet in the market giving more passenger comfort compared with the “sardines-in-a-can” passenger space on comparable Boeing 737 and Airbus A320 models. More attractive, especially for many developing markets in the Middle East and Asia, is the fact its price is some 15% below the A320. More interesting is the technology in the construction. The MC-21 has Russian-developed unique carbon fiber wings, giving the plane a 30% composite content. The wings were developed using a revolutionary new resin transfer infusion process created by AeroComposit in Ulyanovsk, Russia. Boeing 737 Max and Airbus A320 use metal wings.

Maiden flight of MC-21 (Source: Denis Fedorko / Wikimedia Commons)

Notably, the Irkut manufacturer is part of a new state aircraft group United Aircraft Corporation or UAC. It was during his first Presidency that Vladimir Putin merged the former military aircraft makers from Ilyushin, Irkut, Sukhoi, Tupolev, and Yakovlev to form a single aircraft group, UAC, which is 80% state-owned.

In addition to the MC-21 narrow-body passenger medium-range jet, UAC has developed the regional Superjet-100 aircraft, certified for international routes in 2012. UAC subsidiary company, Sukhoi, claims direct operating costs to be 6–8% lower than its key competitor, the Brazilian Embraer 190/195 and can accommodate 22 more passengers. I can personally attest the aircraft is very comfortable.

Russia’s entry into the strategic civilian passenger jet market has recently taken on another new dimension in terms of creation of a Russian-Chinese joint venture. In June, 2016, the UAC and the China state aircraft corporation Comac created China-Russia Aircraft International Co, Ltd. (CRAIC), based in Shanghai. CRAIC is responsible for product and technology development, manufacturing, marketing, sales and customer service, consulting, program management. The two companies are creating a new generation of long-range wide-body commercial aircraft to compete with Airbus A380 and Boeing 787. The Sino-Russian jet will have a range of up to 12,000 kilometers (7,500 miles) and seat 280 passengers with operating costs 10-15% less than its rivals. UAC expects the new joint jet will take 10 percent of a market dominated by the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350.

Advanced Railway Equipment

Another sector of infrastructure manufacturing excellence from Russia is the extraordinary development of Russia’s United Wagon Company. Russia’s Putin, then-Prime Minister, attended the opening of the highly sophisticated new cutting-edge rail car factory of United Wagon’s Tikhvin Railway Car Building Plant in 2012 at a cost of almost $1 billion. Since then United Wagon has grown to be a major world-class builder of advanced specialized rail wagons, and is larger than any European freight wagon producer with 22,000 wagons a year.

The company took best practice experiences from the automotive, aerospace and rail industry around the world in the design of the factory. It combines foundry production and vehicle assembly on a single site giving it flexibility and productivity rates “several times” in excess of established Russian wagon plants. TVSZ can produce a wheelset every 4½ minutes and complete a wagon every 24 minutes. The factory outside St. Petersburg features the most advanced automated equipment and robots similar to equipment used by BMW and Airbus. The only comparable casting machinery is used by Daimler in Germany. TVSZ rail wagons are 50% cheaper to maintain than established Russian designs, and more track friendly.

During their recent talks before the Hamburg G20 meeting, Russian President Putin and China President Xi Jinping discussed incorporating Russian rail car manufacturing capacities in the development of the vast high-speed rail infrastructure that is being built across Eurasia today including Russia and the Eurasian Economic Union. Clearly United Wagon was uppermost in Putin’s mind.

Unlike the United States which to the present day has managed to not build one single mile or kilometer of high-speed rail track capable of speeds above 140 mph, Russia is expanding its high speed rail, now officially in coordination with China’s vast One Belt, One Road Eurasian infrastructure project. Russia and China are jointly developing the priority project of a new high-speed rail link from Russia’s Kazan to Moscow, ultimately to be a key link in the OBOR Beijing to Moscow line. The Moscow-Kazan high-speed rail link will be 770 km long, with trains moving up to 400 km/hr and stops every 50-70 km. The high-speed journey from Moscow to Kazan will take 3.5 hours compared to the current 14 hours, revolutionizing economic relations all along the line.

With an eye to its growing trade relations to her East, Russia announced last year that it will build a new railway corridor in the Russian Far East for a faster connection between the Trans-Siberian railway and the Pacific Ocean via a new port on the Sea of Japan to be completed by 2025. The new transport corridor will be able to serve most of the ports of the Russian Far East, as well as Japan, China and Korea, and cuts the distance to the Trans-Siberian railway by 550 km, allowing much faster transportation of cargo to the European part of Russia.

Truly prospects for a dynamic, economically growing Russian real economy today is more positive than at any time in the past two centuries or more. I can’t help but feel it would do our world far more in terms of the good to end with the silly losing wars everywhere and return to building up our nations and civilization. The energy of war is a no-brainer. Building up is exciting as China and increasingly Russia realize.

F. William Engdahl is strategic risk consultant and lecturer, he holds a degree in politics from Princeton University and is a best-selling author on oil and geopolitics, exclusively for the online magazine “New Eastern Outlook.”

Featured image from New Eastern Outlook

Given impetus after the September 11th attacks in New York in 2001, the technology of “colour revolutions” as an element of fourth generation warfare has become the primary method of hijacking the functions of a foreign sovereign State. This is partially due it being both economically cheaper and less risky than a military incursion, but also due to the truncated way in which people now communicate. In general, the interactions between people in cyberspace can be measured in the microseconds category, thus it is much more difficult for any event to escape a camera lens. The perfect example of this is the way in which footage of bombings in Syria, Iraq, Yemen etc is uploaded to video hosting websites such as YouTube literally within the same hour that they happened.

This is in fact why the British businessman James Le Mesurier, the director of Mayday Rescue, was tasked by the architects of the Syrian war to create the “White Helmets“ – a NGO that would serve as a way to control the narrative being broadcasted from the scene of the latest airstrike either by the Syrian or Russian airforce.

For Washington and allies it was absolutely imperative that during urban combat in cities like Aleppo, where civilians were being used as human shields by “moderate rebels” and Al-Qaeda in Syria, the Pentagon’s proxies were never shown in a bad light. Of course, in areas under the control of terrorists it was not possible for Damascus to send in ambulances and medical workers to help potential victims of bombings or shelling, and visa-versa – it wasn’t possible for medical workers terrorists to attend the scene of what was usually VBIED attacks in Assad-held areas. Thus, the status quo was the Syrian State media did its work in the government-controlled areas, and the West’s NGO network did its work in the jihadist-controlled areas.

Of course, the work that reached the eyes and ears of European and American corporate news viewers wasn’t that of the former, for obvious reasons. This is perhaps why the “White Helmets” received an Oscar – as a “thank you” for their “wonderful” work in ensuring the scent doesn’t follow Uncle Sam back across the Atlantic.

Whilst this mechanism worked efficiently for Washington et al during the most critical moments in the Syrian war, which, incidentally, cannot at all be described as “civil”, since the terrorists with weapons in their hands are 100% funded and armed by foreign States, the fact that it is unable to control every informational element of the conflict in the Levant highlights a key flaw in the “colour revolution”blueprint stored away on Capitol Hill.

To illustrate this point, the reader should now watch the video from July 18th, 2017, below, in which the notorious Al-Qaeda Saudi-born cleric Abdullah al-Muhaysini – a key person in today’s jihadist movement in Bilad al-Sham, responsible for both recruitment and washing brains – is being interviewed by one of the key people in the West’s NGO circle Bilal Abdul Kareem.

Before talking about the content of the video above, it is very important to immediately recall that Muhaysini – the main ideological component of Al-Qaeda in Syria – has his own YouTube channel (Google permits this) as well as social media pages (his Twitter account was eventually deleted, but not before acquiring over 50k followers; he subsequently created multiple other accounts). Throughout the entire Syrian war he has been regularly interviewed by “journalists”, and usually the information that comes from his mouth is very damaging to the narrative of the war broadcasted by the media of Western States.

So, in the July 18th interview with Bilal Abdul Kareem he once again stated information that is contrary to what the US State Department expects observers to believe. To paraphrase, Muhaysini insists that not only is the so-called “Free Syrian Army” (FSA) not an organisation itself, but the name of an “umbrella” that covers many local formations, but also that the “FSA” sees eye-to-eye with the Mujahideen on core issues, primarily the extermination of the Shia.

However, Western officials and media always insisted that the “FSA” is an organic “Army” consisting of “moderate rebel Syrian defectors” that represent the Syrian people (which are mostly Sunni), and was “vetted“ by the US in the fight against the “non-democratic dictator” Assad, who “gasses his own people”. This difference in narrative regarding the “FSA” creates a very large void in the information sphere, and ultimately Washington et al is not able to deter people from approaching it, because to do so would lead a curious mind to the fact that Muhaysini in this instance is actually telling the truth. In fact, the Saudi cleric is only echoing what the leader of al-Nusra (al-Qaeda in Syria) Abu Mohammad al-Julani previously said –

“there is no such thing as the FSA, only slogans”.

Muhaysini’s statement explains what journalists (none from the West, by the way) who entered East Aleppo post-liberation saw first hand:

Stockpiles of western-made weapons that were being stored in schools, libraries, medical facilities – anywhere with four walls, were being used by various al-Qaeda affiliated groups to attack the Western side of the city. One such discovered weapon – $50,000 per unit TOW missiles – could only have come from a US-“vetted” group like Nour al-Din al-Zenki, which is known for beheading a child and filming it in Aleppo, and which fought side-by-side with al-Nusra in the same city. Now factor in Syrian “rebel” commanders revealing probably too much when giving interviews to the press, and it really becomes difficult to prove that there is a single non-terrorist entity called the “FSA”.

“FSA” groups that fought alongside al-Nusra in Aleppo…

By using what Muhaysini said in this video in conjunction with things he said in other videos (for example), the entire NGO network created by the “civilised” western world starts to get its wires crossed, leading to self-strangulation. This is in fact what happened with the fraudulent “Bana” personage. She has now been completely exposed, but she already served her purpose (to hide the West’s footprints in East Aleppo) and became null and void the moment Aleppo was liberated and the West’s attempts to declare a no-fly zone failed.

The crux of the matter is that the West knows from experience that propaganda and falsehoods have an expiration date, and thus there is a need for a reverse narrative, akin to following the same trail of footprints created when entering a forest in order to exit from it. However, as a result of what can only be described as sloppiness when implementing the “colour revolution” scenario in Syria, the green-white french-mandate flag used by the West to depict the imaginary “Syrian revolution” can today be seen flying over the heads of terrorist groups in Idlib – a city proven to be exclusively under al-Nusra control, and where the remnants of the “moderate rebels” that don’t opt to join Ahrar al-Sham (pro-Qatar and pro-Turkey) are being massacred by al-Nusra, above the heads of Turkish proxies in Northern Syria, which is precisely where they originate from, or above the heads of militants of the YPG/SDF, which now echo the Saudi wahhabist anti-Iran mantra whilst being used by the US as human shields to partition the country.

Sheikh Muhaysni , Khattab (Saudis) and Qahtani (ex Abu Ghraib & Boca detainee) are in charge of #Syrian Revolution. Rest is all fiction https://t.co/tKce1itzmH

— EHSANI2 (@EHSANI22) May 30, 2017

All images in this article are from the author except for the featured image.

Note: With few exceptions, sources are from mainstream media.

GR Editor’s Note:

This compilation does not constitute an endorsement of the mainstream media stories below. The list of news headline stories is intended to reveal the details of a political timeline, namely a sequence of key policy decisions taken since the inception of the Trump administration on January 19, 2017. These key policy decisions have been the object of mainstream media coverage.

*  *   *

January 20, 2017 Trump Inauguration (Friday):

– Trump signs first executive action canceling Obama’s FHA mortgage rate premium cuts

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-01-20/trump-administration-overturns-obama-s-fha-mortgage-fee-cut

– Trump signs executive order to roll-back Obamacare hours after taking office

http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/20/politics/trump-signs-executive-order-on-obamacare/

– Trump writes memo temporarily banning new federal government regulations.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/20/politics/reince-priebus-regulations-memo/

January 21, 2017 (Saturday)

– Massive Women’s March in U.S. and World.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/01/21/world/womens-march-pictures.html

http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/21/politics/trump-women-march-on-washington/

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/peace-positivity-massive-women-s-march-make-voices-heard-d-n710356

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/womens-march-washington-chicago-massive-turnout-change-of-plans/

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/01/women-world-protest-president-trump-170121134424671.html

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/315442-massive-womens-march-crowds-swarm-dc-metro

– U.S. Customs asks Canadians entering for D.C. if “pro-Trump” or “anti-Trump”. Some anti-Trump barred from entering.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/01/21/u-s-border-agents-turned-away-canadians-hoping-to-come-to-the-womens-march/

– Throughout weekend, Trump argues about size of his inaugural crowds compared to those who attended Women’s rally

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/315484-trump-defends-size-of-his-inaugural-crowd

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/21/us/politics/trump-white-house-briefing-inauguration-crowd-size.html

January 23, 2017 (Monday):

– Trump signs repeal of TPP.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/315654-trump-signs-orders-on-tpp-abortion-federal-hiring-freeze

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/23/us/politics/tpp-trump-trade-nafta.html

– Trump freezes federal hiring (except military).

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/trump-freezes-hiring-of-federal-workers/2017/01/23/f14d8180-e190-11e6-ba11-63c4b4fb5a63_story.html

– Trump bans federal money to those who counsel on abortions (incl international groups).

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2017/01/23/trump-reverses-abortion-related-policy-to-ban-funding-to-international-health-groups/

– Trump blames voter fraud for loss of popular vote.

http://elections.ap.org/content/trump-wrongly-blames-fraud-loss-popular-vote

January 24, 2017 (Tuesday)

– Executive Order to continue construction of Keystone XL and Dakota Access pipelines.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jan/24/keystone-xl-dakota-access-pipelines-revived-trump-administration

– Trump orders EPA freeze and media blackout, banning press releases, blog updates or posts to the agency’s social media accounts. Also told Agricultural and Interior Depts, if not also DHS.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/01/23/trump-administration-tells-epa-to-freeze-all-grants-contracts/

January 25, 2017 (Wednesday)

– Trump sends directives to build a 2,000 mile wall at the US-Mexican border and curtail immigration.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/24/us/politics/wall-border-trump.html

– Trump vows to strip funding from cities shielding illegal immigrants.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/01/25/trump-slashes-federal-funding-sanctuary-cities/CEXMyIvNZXEgtDTOOoyn3N/story.html

– Trump to direct federal resources toward building a border wall.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/24/politics/donald-trump-immigration-refugees/

– DOW hits 20,000

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-immigration-idUSKBN1591HP

http://money.cnn.com/2017/01/25/investing/dow-20000-stocks/index.html

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/markets/dow-hits-20-000-first-time-history-n698381

January 26, 2017 (Thursday)

– Trump calls Chelsea Manning an “ungrateful traitor.”

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/01/trump-manning-234207

– Trump tells Republicans meeting in PA, “now is the dawn of a new era.”

https://www.c-span.org/video/?422829-1/president-trump-tells-congressional-republicans-now-deliver

– Mexico cancels meeting with Trump citing disagreement over paying for wall.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/26/world/mexicos-president-cancels-meeting-with-trump-over-wall.html

– Trump calls for 20% tax on Mexican imports to pay for border wall.

http://www.businessinsider.com/sean-spicer-trump-considering-20-tax-on-mexican-imports-2017-1

– Scientists move Doomsday Clock ahead 30 seconds, closest to midnight in 63 years, due to threats such as nuclear weapons, climate change and Donald Trump’s election

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-science-doomsdayclock-idUSKBN15A2JJ

http://thebulletin.org/sites/default/files/Final%202017%20Clock%20Statement.pdf

– Bannon tells the NY Times the media is the “opposition party” of the new administration and should “keep its mouth shut.”

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/steve-bannon-donald-trump-war-media-transparency-liberal-elite-interview-new-york-times-a7548406.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/26/business/media/stephen-bannon-trump-news-media.html

– Trump signs first presidential proclamation declaring this week “National School Choice Week.”

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/president-trump-proclaims-national-school-195900813.html

– DHS has temporarily halted trips by staff to interview refugees abroad

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-refugees-idUSKBN15A2TD

– Trump pulls ad budget in the closing days of HealthCare.gov. Former Obama officials call it “sabotage”.

http://money.cnn.com/2017/01/27/news/economy/obamacare-ads-trump/

January 27, 2017 (Friday)

– U.S. U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley warned U.S. allies if they don’t support Washington, she is “taking names” and will respond.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/27/world/americas/nikki-haley-united-nations.html

– Trump signs executive order that will limit immigration and refugees from some Muslim-majority countries for six months; suspends the United States’ Syrian refugees program indefinitely.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/27/us/politics/refugee-muslim-executive-order-trump.html

– Trump signs executive action to begin military buildup

http://www.defensenews.com/articles/report-draft-executive-order-would-give-pentagon-short-term-funding-boost

– British PM Theresa May and Trump pledge allegiance to special relationship. White House misspelled Theresa “Teresa” three times. British press corp was locked outside the White House because their birthdates were submitted in UK format and Secret Service didn’t understand it.

http://news.sky.com/story/theresa-may-pledges-to-renew-special-relationship-ahead-of-trump-talks-10742727

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/theresa-may-teresa-spelling-misspell-donald-trump-republican-retreat-speech-a7548616.html

– Melania Trump wins first round in libel lawsuit against MD blogger (Webster Tarpley) for citing she was in escort service. Tarpley asked for dismissal of suit and denied by judge.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/01/melania-trump-libel-suit-blogger-234263

– Trump tells Mexican president Peña Nieto, “You have a bunch of bad hombres down there. You aren’t doing enough to stop them. I think your military is scared. Our military isn’t, so I just might send them down to take care of it.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/no-gday-mate-on-call-with-australian-pm-trump-badgers-and-brags/2017/02/01/88a3bfb0-e8bf-11e6-80c2-30e57e57e05d_story.html

January 28, 2017 (Saturday)

– Trump’s immigration ban causes chaos and controversy

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jan/28/airports-us-immigration-ban-muslim-countries-trump

– Trump and Putin discuss ‘mutually beneficial’ trade, security

(Leaked later – Feb. 9 – and reported by Reuters, Putin raised possibility of extending START treaty. Trump asked his aides what it was and then told Putin the treaty was one of several bad deals negotiated by the Obama administration, saying that New START favored Russia. Trump also talked about his own popularity, the sources said.)

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-putin-idUSKBN15O2A5

– Trump signs executive order banning administration officials from ever lobbying the U.S. on behalf of a foreign government and imposing a separate five-year ban on other lobbying.

http://time.com/4652703/president-trump-lobbying-ban/

– Trump signs memorandum giving military leaders 30 days to construct and present a report outlining the U.S. strategy for defeating ISIS.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-executive-order-isis-defeat-30-days-a7551521.html

– Trump signs memorandum ordering a reorganization of the National Security Council, gives seat to Steve Bannon.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jan/28/lobbying-ban-trump-executive-order-isis-strategy

– Trump blasted Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull over a refugee agreement and boasted about the magnitude of his electoral college win.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/no-gday-mate-on-call-with-australian-pm-trump-badgers-and-brags/2017/02/01/88a3bfb0-e8bf-11e6-80c2-30e57e57e05d_story.html

– The federal court for the Eastern District of New York issued an emergency stay halting President Donald Trump’s executive order banning entry to the US from seven majority-Muslim countries

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/social-issues/refugees-detained-at-us-airports-challenge-trumps-executive-order/2017/01/28/e69501a2-e562-11e6-a547-5fb9411d332c_story.html

January 29, 2017 (Sunday)

– Trump travel ban continues to sow chaos at airports, outrage at protests.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jan/29/protest-trump-travel-ban-muslims-airports

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/29/nyregion/trump-travel-ban-protests-briefing.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-immigration-protests-idUSKBN15D15H

– Judges in Massachusetts, Virginia and Washington state block federal authorities from enforcing Trump’s executive order restricting immigration from seven Muslim-majority countries

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/volokh-conspiracy/wp/2017/01/29/four-federal-judges-issue-orders-blocking-parts-of-trumps-executive-order-on-immigration/

– Global backlash:

German Chancellor Merkel: global fight against terrorism “does not justify putting people of a specific background or faith under general suspicion.”

British Foreign Minister Boris Johnson tweeted: “Divisive and wrong to stigmatise because of nationality.”

French President Hollande: defending democratic principles required compliance with “the principles on which it is founded, in particular the acceptance of refugees”.

UK PM Theresa May said she “did not agree” with the restrictions.

Prime Minister Mark Rutte of the Netherlands said his country believes refugees “deserve a safe haven” … “we reject this travel ban.”

– Presidential counselor Kellyanne Conway said television networks should be “cleaning house” of “these people who said things that just weren’t true [about Donald Trump] … The election was three months ago. None of them have been let go.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/president-trump-seeks-to-quash-dissent-inside-the-government/2017/02/01/788bdefa-e7ed-11e6-b82f-687d6e6a3e7c_story.html

January 30, 2017 (Monday)

– Mass protests continue over Trump immigration ban.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/30/politics/travel-ban-protests-immigration/

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-immigration-protests-idUSKBN15D15H

– Trump denies chaos at airports from immigration ban but from computer glitch, demonstrators and “fake tears” of Charles Schumer.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-01-31/trump-denies-immigration-ban-to-blame-for-airport-chaos/8225196

– Trump signs an executive action aimed at cutting regulations for small businesses – a “one in, two out” plan, requiring government agencies requesting a new regulation to identify two others they will cut.

http://www.bbc.com/news/business-38800090

– Trump fires acting justice department head Sally Yates for refusing to enforce immigration ban.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jan/30/justice-department-trump-immigration-acting-attorney-general-sally-yates

– State Department officials circulated a draft memo criticizing Trump’s executive order on immigration.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-immigration-cables-idUSKBN15E21X

– Washington State sues Trump over immigration order.

http://www.businessinsider.com/washington-becomes-first-state-to-sue-trump-over-immigration-order-2017-1

– Trump replaces acting Immigration Enforcement head.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/317025-trump-boots-acting-ice-head-report

January 31, 2017 (Tuesday)

– Democrats stall confirmation hearings of Steven Mnuchin (Treasury) and Tom Price (DHHS).

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/senate-democrats-face-a-key-test-tuesday-amid-promises-to-stand-up-to-trump/2017/01/31/1685487a-e7bd-11e6-b82f-687d6e6a3e7c_story.html

– More State Dept protests on their dissent channel drawing 1,000 signatures.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/31/world/americas/state-dept-dissent-cable-trump-immigration-order.html

– New York, Massachusetts and Virginia join Washington state sue Trump over immigration ban.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jan/31/trump-travel-ban-state-lawsuits

– Trump nominates Neil Gorsuch to be associate justice of the Supreme Court.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-trump-idUSKBN15F1OW

– European Commission President Donald Tusk lists US administration as one of EU’s ‘external threats’.

http://www.dw.com/en/ec-president-tusk-lists-us-administration-as-one-of-eus-external-threats/a-37360291

February 1, 2017 (Wednesday)

– Senate Republicans suspend the rules to approve two Trump nominees, Rep. Tom Price (R-Ga.) for secretary of health and human services and Steve Mnuchin to lead the Treasury. Republicans also advanced the nomination of Sen. Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) for attorney general, and they finalized confirmation of former ExxonMobil chief executive Rex Tillerson for secretary of state by a vote of 56 to 43. Trump urged Senate Republican leaders Wednesday to be prepared to tear up the rules of the Senate and “go nuclear” if Democrats try to block Supreme Court nominee Gorsuch — that is, change long-standing Senate rules to permit the confirmation of a Supreme Court nominee with a simple majority vote.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/republicans-ram-through-committee-approval-of-trump-cabinet-nominees/2017/02/01/aa2b5458-e87f-11e6-b82f-687d6e6a3e7c_story.html

– Trump’s national security adviser Michael Flynn delivered a tight-lipped warning to Iran over its most recent ballistic missile test, “As of today, we are officially putting Iran on notice.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/with-flynn-putting-iran-on-notice-the-first-days-of-president-trumps-foreign-policy-set-a-combative-tone/2017/02/01/0645f248-e709-11e6-b82f-687d6e6a3e7c_story.html

– Trump reverses campaign pledge to let Medicare negotiate for lower prescription drug promises. After meeting with Big Pharma lobbyists, he would oppose apparent “price-fixing” by Medicare, rather than working to stymie the industry’s grip on drug prices.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-big-pharma-prescription-drug-prices-lobbyists-medicare-negotiations-a7557726.html

– Senate confirms Rex Tillerson as secretary of state, sworn in.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/01/us/politics/rex-tillerson-secretary-of-state-confirmed.html

February 2, 2017 (Thursday)

– The European parliament’s main political parties are making an unprecedented attempt to block Trump’s likely choice as ambassador to the European Union from EU buildings, describing Ted Malloch as hostile and malevolent.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/02/european-union-trump-ambassador-ted-malloch-parliament

– Defense Sec. Mattis warns North Korea of “effective and overwhelming” retaliation if country attacks U.S. ally.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-southkorea-usa-mattis-idUSKBN15I060

February 3, 2017 (Friday)

– Trump signed a pair of executive orders aimed at lightening the regulatory load on financial institutions, setting the stage for a broader push to scale back the Dodd-Frank financial reform law.

http://thehill.com/policy/finance/317799-trump-signs-executive-orders-to-loosen-wall-street-regs

– The Trump administration slapped new sanctions on Iran after the administration signaled it wanted to punish Tehran for its latest ballistic missile test. The Treasury Department announced that 13 people and 12 companies face new restrictions

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/iran-sanctions-234604

– COURT TEMPORARILY BLOCKS TRUMP’S TRAVEL BAN, and Airlines Are Told to Allow Passengers.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/federal-judge-declines-to-extend-one-week-freeze-against-trumps-travel-ban/

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/03/us/visa-ban-legal-challenge.html

Trump Cries ‘Witch Hunt’ as Russia Questions Pile Up.

http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/first-read/trump-cries-witch-hunt-russia-questions-pile-n728611

February 4, 2017 (Saturday)

– Trump administration filed notice of appeal to suspension of immigration ban.

http://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/politics/trump-administration-appeals-seattle-judges-halt-of-refugee-travel-ban/

– “So-called” judge in immigration hold decried by Trump.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/02/04/trump-lashes-out-at-federal-judge-who-temporarily-blocked-travel-ban/

– Tens of thousands join marches across UK against Trump’s travel ban.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/feb/04/tens-of-thousands-in-new-march-against-trumps-travel-ban

– Thousands swarm New York’s Stonewall Inn to protest Trump.

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local/Hundreds-Push-Back-Against-Executive-Orders-at-Stonewall-Inn-LGBTQ-Rally-412783683.html

– Hundreds of anti-Trump protesters marched on Trump’s private Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Fla. Other protests at White House, Supreme Court and Paul Ryan’s hometown office.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/317942-hundreds-of-anti-trump-protesters-march-on-mar-a-lago-resort

– Trump stands by voter fraud claim in Fox News interview.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/317946-trump-defends-claims-of-widespread-voter-fraud

– Iran would use its missiles if its security is under threat after Trump imposed sanctions on entities linked to the Revolutionary Guards. Flynn said it put the country “on notice” after it test-fired ballistic missiles.

http://in.reuters.com/article/iran-usa-military-missiles-idINKBN15J0DX

February 5, 2017 (Sunday)

– A federal appeals court denied an initial bid by the Trump administration to restore its controversial immigration order.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-trump-travel-ban-20170205-story.html

– Trump attacks judge and court system. Trump said Americans should blame U.S. District Judge James Robart and the court system if anything happened.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-immigration-idUSKBN15K0AF

– Trump said he would put Vice President Mike Pence in charge of a commission to probe what he believes was voter fraud in last November’s election.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-voterfraud-idUSKBN15K0TS

February 6, 2017 (Monday)

– Corporate titans among 100 companies joining brief against Trump travel ban. “The order inflicts significant harm on American business, innovation, and growth as a result. Immigrants or their children founded more than 200 of the companies on the Fortune 500 list.”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/06/amicus-brief-trump-travel-ban

– Trump reaffirmed his support for NATO before military leaders and troops at U.S. Central Command, and laced his speech with references to homeland security.

http://www.voanews.com/a/trump-to-visit-centcom/3707656.html

– New York Assembly passes bill to make New York State a “sanctuary state” in response to Trump’s promised crackdown on sanctuary cities.

http://www.politico.com/states/new-york/albany/story/2017/02/assembly-passes-sanctuary-state-bill-as-trump-response-109389

February 7, 2017 (Tuesday)

– Betsy DeVos is confirmed Education Secretary. Senate voted 50-50 with V.P. Pence casting decisive vote.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/07/us/politics/betsy-devos-education-secretary-confirmed.html

– Blogger Webster Tarpley settles defamatory lawsuit filed by Melania Trump paying her a “substantial sum”. He had repeated rumors in his blog that Melania Trump had worked as a “high-end escort”. Her lawyers claimed she suffered “multiple millions of dollars” in economic damages because of the lost value to her brand.

https://www.buzzfeed.com/zoetillman/melania-trump-settles-her-defamation-lawsuit-against-a-blogg

– Sen. Elizabeth Warren was stopped by Republicans from reading a nine-page letter written by the late Coretta Scott King, Martin Luther King’s widow. In the 1986 letter, addressed to Strom Thurmond, then the Senate Judiciary committee chairman, King expressed her opposition to Sessions, who had been nominated for a federal judgeship in Alabama. She was accused of ‘impugning’ Jeff Sessions.

http://time.com/4663497/coretta-scott-king-letter-warren-senate-sessions/

February 8, 2017 (Wednesday)

– Jeff Sessions confirmed as Attorney General.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/08/us/politics/jeff-sessions-attorney-general-confirmation.html

– Trump bashes Nordstrom after it drops Ivanka’s line.

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/02/08/514203791/trump-slams-nordstrom-for-dropping-ivanka-s-clothing-line

– Supreme court nominee Neil Gorsuch calls Trump judge attacks ‘demoralizing’ and ‘disheartening.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/21/politics/neil-gorsuch-trump-criticism-disheartening/

– Trump went after a panel of federal judges weighing whether a court order blocking his travel ban should be lifted. Trump argued the law gives him broad powers to control who enters and leaves the U.S.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/318451-trump-attacks-judges-weighing-travel-ban

– ACLU vows to sue Sessions if he violates Constitution as AG.

http://www.businessinsider.com/aclu-warns-jeff-sessions-attorney-general-trump-civil-rights-2017-2

– New York Post reporter sues after being fired for critical Trump tweet. He Bart Hubbuch called Trump’s election a “national tragedy,” and compared his victory to the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/writer-sues-new-york-post-firing-anti-trump-tweet-article-1.2967303

February 9, 2017 (Thursday)

– British PM Theresa May says Trump’s travel ban is wrong and Britain does not plan to adopt a similar policy.

http://thehill.com/policy/international/318676-british-pm-theresa-may-says-trump-immigration-order-was-wrong

– NY Times and Washington Post report Michael Flynn, National security adviser, discussed sanctions with Russian ambassador during the month before Trump took office, contrary to public assertions by Trump officials, current and former U.S. officials said.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/national-security-adviser-flynn-discussed-sanctions-with-russian-ambassador-despite-denials-officials-say/2017/02/09/f85b29d6-ee11-11e6-b4ff-ac2cf509efe5_story.html

– Trump signs three executive orders to combat crime, further his “law and order” agenda, crack down on international crime and crimes against law enforcement.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/09/us/politics/trump-law-enforcement-drug-cartels-order.html

– In call with Putin, Trump denounced Obama-era nuclear arms treaty.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-putin-idUSKBN15O2A5

– Federal appeals court rules 3 to 0 against Trump on travel ban, a sweeping rebuke of the administration’s claim that the courts have no role as a check on the president.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/09/us/politics/appeals-court-trump-travel-ban.html

– Trump calls the appeals court ruling “a political decision.” “SEE YOU IN COURT, THE SECURITY OF OUR NATION IS AT STAKE!” Trump wrote on Twitter.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/318838-trump-responds-to-ruling-see-you-in-court

– Trump promises Chinese president Xi Jinping he’ll honor ‘One China’ policy.

http://fortune.com/2017/02/09/trump-one-china-xi-jinping/

February 10, 2017 (Friday)

– Trump meets with Japan’s President Shinzo Abe but only takes questions from Murdoch owned media reporters from the New York Post and Fox Business Network.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/318971-rupert-murdoch-owned-outlets-get-only-us-questions-at-trump-japan

– Trump hints at new travel order coming next week.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/trump-hints-at-new-travel-order-coming-next-week/ar-AAmOqxG

– Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was greeted with protesters when she tried to enter a Washington middle school.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/protesters-rally-at-dc-school-ahead-of-visit-by-education-secretary-betsy-devos/2017/02/10/faad4962-ef06-11e6-b4ff-ac2cf509efe5_story.html

– British government drops plan to allow Trump to address joint houses of Parliament. Officials are trying to ensure that Trump is not in London at a time when parliament is sitting, in order to avoid a formal snub.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/feb/10/british-officials-drop-plans-donald-trump-address-parliament-queen-elizabeth

– Obamacare opponent Tom Price sworn in as Health Secretary.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/10/us/politics/tom-price-health-secretary-senate.html

– The Central Intelligence Agency has denied elite security clearance for Michael Flynn’s top National Security Council deputy Africa Robin Townley.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/319073-top-flynn-aide-rejected-for-key-security-clearance-report

– Democrats call for Michael Flynn’s dismissal after reported Russia talks, a potential violation of the Logan Act, which prohibits private citizens from negotiating with foreign governments in disputes involving the American government.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/flynn-holds-call-with-pence-amid-calls-for-probes-of-contacts-with-russian-ambassador/2017/02/10/f8fb83a0-efe1-11e6-9973-c5efb7ccfb0d_story.html

– Undocumented Immigrants Arrested Nationwide, Stoking Fears Of Trump’s ‘Deportation Force’.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-immigration-raids-deportation_us_589e1eb0e4b094a129eb03b0?2t8f9pbl78u22ihpvi

February 11, 2017 (Saturday)

– Anti-abortion protesters rallied at scores of Planned Parenthood clinics to urge Congress and President Trump to strip the health services provider of federal funding, while supporters of the organization staged counter-demonstrations around the United States. All told, rallies and marches were called in 45 states in cities large and small.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-abortion-idUSKBN15Q0AS

– Army veterans return to Standing Rock to form a human shield against police.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/11/standing-rock-army-veterans-camp

– Trump claimed that his daughter Ivanka had been “abused” by news media following renewed scrutiny over the family’s potential conflicts of interest.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/trump-media-abused-ivanka-234933

February 12, 2017 (Sunday)

NO ENTRIES

February 13, 2017 (Monday)

– GOP says it will not investigate Trump’s tax returns.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-tax-returns-idUSKBN15S2GZ

– Senate confirms Steven Mnuchin as treasury secretary.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/02/13/senate-confirms-mnuchin-as-treasury-secretary/

– Justin Trudeau meets with Trump at W.H.

http://news.nationalpost.com/news/canada/canadian-politics/trudeau-trump

February 14, 2017 (Tuesday)

– Trump national security aide Flynn resigns over Russian contacts.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-flynn-idUSKBN15S0BR

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/michael-flynn-resigns-as-national-security-adviser/2017/02/13/0007c0a8-f26e-11e6-8d72-263470bf0401_story.html

– Secret Service director to step down.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-secretservice-idUSKBN15T2J0

– Intel leaks reveal Trump aides were in constant touch with senior Russian officials during campaign.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/14/politics/donald-trump-aides-russians-campaign/index.html

– Trump signs repeal of transparency rule for oil companies, to scrap Dodd-Frank rule on oil extraction.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/trump-signs-law-rolling-back-disclosure-rule-for-energy-and-mining-companies/2017/02/14/ccd93e90-f2cd-11e6-b9c9-e83fce42fb61_story.html

February 15, 2017 (Wednesday)

– NY Times and Washington Post cast doubt on claims made by Trump’s team that there had been no contact with Russian officials; report intel knows of contacts between Trump campaign figures and Russia. “Phone records and intercepted calls show that members of Donald J. Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign and other Trump associates had repeated contacts with senior Russian intelligence officials in the year before the election.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/daily-202/2017/02/15/daily-202-it-s-bigger-than-flynn-new-russia-revelations-widen-trump-s-credibility-gap/58a3c5b9e9b69b1406c75cb4/

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/14/us/politics/russia-intelligence-communications-trump.html

– Andy Puzder withdraws nomination for labor secretary after he admitted employing an illegal immigrant as a former housekeeper.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/15/politics/top-senate-republicans-urge-white-house-to-withdraw-puzder-nomination/

– Trump blasts ‘criminal’ leaks by intelligence agencies, calls Flynn ‘wonderful’.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-flynn-idUSKBN15U2C1

February 16, 2017 (Thursday)

– Trump gives 76 minute press conference and berates media.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-media-out-of-control_us_58a5ea16e4b07602ad529bb7

– Mick Mulvaney, staunchly conservative tea-party, confirmed by Senate to run Trump’s OMB.

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/02/16/515578360/senate-narrowly-confirms-mulvaney-as-trumps-nominee-for-omb-director

– Six Donald Trump staffers fired today, escorted out of White House, after flagged by FBI.

http://www.palmerreport.com/opinion/donald-trump-forced-fire-six-white-house-staffers-fail-fbi-background-checks/1564/

February 17, 2017 (Friday)

– Senate confirms climate-denier Scott Pruitt to head EPA.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/02/17/scott-pruitt-long-time-adversary-of-epa-confirmed-to-lead-the-agency/

– John McCain broke with the reassuring message that U.S. officials visiting Germany have sought to convey saying that the administration of President Donald Trump was in “disarray”.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-security-usa-idUSKBN15W1J2

– Trump considered using national guard to round up immigrants, memo suggests.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/17/trump-immigration-roundup-national-guard

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-admin-considers-using-100000-national-guard-troops-for-immigration-raids/

– Trump Calls the News Media the ‘Enemy of the American People’.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/17/business/trump-calls-the-news-media-the-enemy-of-the-people.html

– Senate Intelligence Committee meets behind closed-doors, summoning Comey, to discuss Trump-Russian ties.

http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/320161-comey-meets-with-intel-senators-amidst-russia-uproar

– Senate Intelligence Committee asked more than a dozen agencies, organizations and individuals to preserve communications related to the panel’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. (This wasn’t reported until days later.)

http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/19/politics/senate-intelligence-committee-russia-materials/

February 18, 2017 (Saturday)

– (story) Eight people flee U.S. border patrol to seek asylum in Canada.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-canada-refugees-idUSKBN15W2GN

– Trump holds rally in Orlando complete with promises to repeal the health care law, insults for the news media and a playlist highlighted by the Rolling Stones.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/18/donald-trump-attacks-press-dishonest-media-florida-rally

– At Orlando rally Trump states that a terrorist attack had occurred in Sweden, which has admitted tens of thousands of refugees in recent years. He based it on a Fox News report. (No such attack took place.)

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/19/sweden-trump-cites-non-existent-terror-attack

– Memos signed by DHS secretary describe sweeping new guidelines for deporting illegal immigrants.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/memos-signed-by-dhs-secretary-describe-sweeping-new-guidelines-for-deporting-illegal-immigrants/2017/02/18/7538c072-f62c-11e6-8d72-263470bf0401_story.html

– U.S. inquiries into Russian election hacking include three FBI probes.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-cyber-idUSKBN15X0OE

February 19, 2017 (Sunday)

– NY Times reveals a back-channel plan for Ukraine and Russia was circulated with aims to unseat President Poroshenko, install a pro-Russian president, lift sanctions, “lease” Crimea to Ukraine.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/19/us/politics/donald-trump-ukraine-russia.html

February 20, 2017 (Monday)

– Trump named Lieutenant General Herbert Raymond McMaster as his new national security adviser, again turning to the U.S. military to play a central role on his foreign policy team.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-idUSKBN15Z1Z0

– Russia’s ambassador to the UN, Vitaly Churkin, died suddenly in New York after being taken ill at work, the Russian Foreign Ministry said.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/russian-ambassador-un-vitaly-churkin-dead-diplomat-dies-suddenly-new-york-puton-a7590366.html

– Norway pledges $10 million to counter Trump’s global anti-abortion move.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-norway-abortion-idUSKBN15Z1KL

– Protests take place across the US for “Not My President’s Day”.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/20/us/not-my-presidents-day-protests/index.html

http://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/not-my-presidents-day-protests/

– The Senate Intelligence Committee has now informed more than a dozen government agencies that they must secure documents relating to the Trump-Russia investigation and are not allowed to destroy them.

http://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/trumps-russia-scandal-takes-unexpected-turn

– More than 100 headstones at the Chesed Shel Emeth cemetery in St Louis were damaged or knocked. More than 50 bomb threats had been made against Jewish organisations in the US since January, including 11 today.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/feb/21/vandals-damage-dozens-of-headstones-in-jewish-cemetery-in-missouri

February 21, 2017 (Tuesday)

– Millions of people living in the United States illegally could be targeted for deportation – including people simply arrested for traffic violations – under a sweeping rewrite of immigration enforcement policies announced Tuesday by the Trump administration. The broad scope of the president’s ambitions are: to publicize crimes by immigrants; enlist local police officers as enforcers; strip immigrants of privacy rights; erect new detention facilities; discourage asylum seekers; and, ultimately, speed up deportations.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/21/us/politics/dhs-immigration-trump.html

February 22, 2017 (Wednesday)

– Mexico fumes over Trump deportations to Mexico. DHS unveiled plans on Tuesday to consider almost all illegal immigrants subject to deportation, and will seek to send many of them to Mexico if they entered the United States from there, regardless of their nationality.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-mexico-idUSKBN16127O

– Police surrounded the Standing Rock camps to evict the remaining Native American activists fighting the Dakota Access pipeline.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/22/dakota-access-pipeline-standing-rock-evacuation-police

– DoJ moves to prevent CIA official from detailing role in Bush-era torture.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/22/cia-torture-gina-haspel-court-deposition-trump

– Trump Administration Rescinds Rules on Bathrooms for Transgender Students.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/24/learning/questions-for-trump-rescinds-rules-on-bathrooms-for-transgender-students.html

February 23, 2017 (Thursday)

– Alt-right leader Richard Spenser expelled from CPAC after organizer denounces ‘sinister organization’. Dan Schneider, the executive director of the American Conservative Union labeled the alt-right leftist: “We must not be deceived by [a] hateful, left-wing fascist group,” a reference to National Review columnist Jonah Goldberg’s “Liberal Fascism”.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/02/23/cpac-organizer-denounces-alt-right-as-left-wing-fascist-group/

– Conservative activist O’Keefe posts tapes targeting CNN.

https://www.yahoo.com/tv/conservative-activist-james-okeefe-release-cnn-tapes-115023325.html

– At CPAC, Bannon states Trump administration is locked in an unending battle against the media and other globalist forces to “deconstruct” an outdated system of governance. “If you think they are giving you your country back without a fight, you are sadly mistaken.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/02/23/bannon-trump-administration-is-in-unending-battle-for-deconstruction-of-the-administrative-state/

http://www.dailykos.com/stories/2017/2/23/1637159/-President-Bannon-threatens-media-We-re-going-to-make-it-worse-every-day-for-you

– Trump says efforts to remove undocumented immigrants is a “military operation.”

http://www.politico.com/blogs/donald-trump-administration/2017/02/trump-undocumented-immigrants-military-operation-235308

– At CPAC, Ted Cruz suggested that another seat on the U.S. Supreme Court will open up this summer (with no explanation).

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/02/23/ted-cruz-predicts-second-supreme-court-vacancy-this-year-but-doesnt-explain-why/

– Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) on Thursday invoked the 2011 shooting of former Rep. Gabby Giffords (D-Ariz.) at a constituent event as a reason not to hold a public town hall. “At this time there are groups from the more violent strains of the leftist ideology, some even being paid, who are preying on public town halls to wreak havoc and threaten public safety,” Gohmert said in a statement.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/2/23/1636854/-Louie-Gohmert-invokes-Giffords-shooting-as-reason-not-to-hold-town-hall

– White House chief of staff Reince Priebus asked a top FBI official to dispute media reports that Trump’s campaign advisers were frequently in touch with Russian intelligence agents during the election.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/23/politics/fbi-refused-white-house-request-to-knock-down-recent-trump-russia-stories/index.html

– Trump tells Reuters he wants to expand nuclear arsenal, make US ‘top of the pack’.

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/02/23/trump-tells-reuters-he-wants-to-expand-nuclear-arsenal-make-us-top-of-the-pack.html

February 24, 2017 (Friday)

– Trump addresses CPAC: calls for an arms-race, vows military build-up, hammers nationalist themes; reiterates that media is “enemy of the people”. He vowed to “do something about it [the press].”

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-idUSKBN1630HH

– Trump blasted the FBI for being “totally unable to stop the national security ‘leakers’ that have permeated our government for a long time.”

http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/fbi/320954-trump-fbi-totally-unable-to-stop-leaks

– Trump promises border wall ‘soon, way ahead of schedule’.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39080356

– Trump issues executive order requiring federal agencies to create “deregulatory” task forces responsible for eliminating outdated and unnecessary rules.

https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/02/24/presidential-executive-order-enforcing-regulatory-reform-agenda

– Media outlets were denied entry to later press briefing by Spicer: Guardian, the New York Times, Politico, CNN, BBC, LA Times, The Hill, NY Daily News, Huffington Post, Daily Mail, BuzzFeed and others. AP, USA Today and Time were invited but boycotted the briefing to show solidarity with fellow news outlets. The White House Correspondents Association condemned the White House’s move

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/24/media-blocked-white-house-briefing-sean-spicer

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/trump-media-makes-up-sources-235345

– State legislators take steps to criminalize protests.

http://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/321018-state-legislators-take-steps-to-criminalize-protests

– The White House acknowledged its chief of staff Reince Priebus asked the FBI’s deputy director to dispute a New York Times article alleging Moscow links.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39080673

– Trump puts regulation monitors in U.S. agencies. Trump signed the executive order in the Oval Office with chief executives of major U.S. corporations standing behind him including Dow Chemical Co., Lockheed Martin Corp. and U.S. Steel Corp.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-regulations-idUSKBN1631NV

– Hate crime is feared as 2 Indian engineers are shot in Kansas. It raised new alarms about a climate of hostility toward foreigners in the United States, where Trump has made clamping down on immigration a central plank of his “America first” agenda.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/24/world/asia/kansas-attack-possible-hate-crime-srinivas-kuchibhotla.html

– John Dean Accuses The White House Of A Russia Cover-Up.

http://www.politicususa.com/2017/02/24/john-dean-trump-white-house-covering-russia-scandal.html

February 25, 2017 Saturday

– Wary of Trump unpredictability, China ramps up naval abilities.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-defence-navy-idUSKBN16500P

– Trump decides to skip White House press dinner. U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that he would not attend the annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner, a high-profile event that draws celebrities, politicians and journalists.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-press-idUSKBN1640TF

– Former Secretary of Labor Tom Perez was elected DNC Chair in a close election, and in his first move as Chair, he created the new position of DNC Deputy Chair for his opponent Keith Ellison. The Democratic Party is now led by a Hispanic son of immigrants and a Muslim.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/25/us/politics/dnc-perez-ellison-chairman-election.html

February 26, 2017 Sunday

– Trump’s first budget proposal will spare big social welfare programs such as Social Security and Medicare from any cuts, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said in an interview. (Entitlements will be cut, says a NYT report.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-economy-idUSKBN1650LL

– Spicer cracking down on leaks coming out of the West Wing, with increased security measures that include random phone checks of White House staffers, overseen by White House attorneys.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/sean-spicer-targets-own-staff-in-leak-crackdown-235413

– Sixty to one-hundred Jewish headstones vandalized in Philadelphia.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/26/us/jewish-cemetery-vandalism-philadelphia/

February 27, 2017 Monday

– House Intelligence chairman Nunes denies evidence of Trump team’s ties to Russia. Nunes contended there was no need at this time for a special prosecutor. Instead, the “major crimes” that have been committed are leaking to the news media on the subject of Russia.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/house-intelligence-chairman-denies-evidence-of-trump-teams-ties-to-russia/2017/02/27/66495ce8-fcfd-11e6-99b4-9e613afeb09f_story.html

– Trump will propose a federal budget that dramatically increases defense-related spending by $54 billion while cutting virtually all other federal agencies by the same amount.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/trump-to-propose-10-percent-spike-in-defense-spending-massive-cuts-to-other-agencies/2017/02/27/867f9690-fcf2-11e6-99b4-9e613afeb09f_story.html

– Wilbur L. Ross, Jr., a former banker and investor who earned billions during decades of buying and selling industries, dubbed the “king of bankruptcy”, was confirmed as secretary of commerce by the Senate in a 72-to-27 vote.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/02/27/billionaire-investor-wilbur-ross-confirmed-as-trumps-secretary-of-commerce

– Trump administration will formally end opposition to Texas voter ID law. Justice department says administration won’t challenge the strict law, in a shift from Obama-era opposition to such discriminatory laws.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/feb/27/texas-voter-id-law-trump-administration-no-challenge

– Jewish community centers in Cherry Hill, NJ, North Jersey, Wilmington, Delaware, and York, Pennsylvania, were among those evacuated, targeted in wave of bomb threats. NBC News lists at least 20 bomb threats to Jewish Community Centers and day schools in 13 states.

http://www.courierpostonline.com/story/news/local/south-jersey/2017/02/27/cherry-hill-jewish-community-center-evacuated/98476938/

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/321338-new-wave-of-bomb-threats-against-jewish-community-centers

– A federal appeals court rejected a Justice Department request to place on hold an appeal over President Donald Trump’s travel ban on people from seven majority-Muslim countries.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-court-idUSKBN16627W

– House Republicans beat back a Democratic attempt to smoke out President Donald Trump’s tax returns, after the issue was forced on the floor.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/house-gop-thwarts-democrats-pursuit-of-donald-trumps-tax-returns-1488251818

– Sens. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), Ted Cruz (R-Texas) and Mike Lee (R-Utah) argue they want full repeal of Obamacare.

http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/321489-cruz-lee-paul-demand-full-repeal-of-obamacare

February 28, 2017 Tuesday

– Washington Post reports FBI once planned to pay MI6 agent Christopher Steele. An agreement with the FBI was reached a few weeks before the election for the bureau to pay him to continue his work.The agreement fell apart once Steele’s dossier was published and reported.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/fbi-once-planned-to-pay-former-british-spy-who-authored-controversial-trump-dossier/2017/02/28/896ab470-facc-11e6-9845-576c69081518_story.html

– White House lawyers instructed Trump’s staff to preserve materials that could be connected to Russian interference in November’s election.

https://apnews.com/23cca28e11b74f0cb369fda6fac64d67

– Trump gives address to Congress heralding a “new chapter of American greatness,” overhauling the health care system, boosting military spending, spending $1 trillion to upgrade infrastructure, tax relief for middle-class and reduction in corporate tax rates, promotes new immigration crime office. Trump invited relatives of those killed by undocumented people to Capitol Hill.

– Donald Trump signs bill allowing mentally ill people to buy guns.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-guns-bill-mentally-ill-background-checks-nra-a7604876.html

– House Judiciary Committee voted along party lines not to investigate the Trump-Russia scandal.

https://thinkprogress.org/house-republicans-government-information-trump-russia-852121abe2d6

March 1, 2017 Wednesday

– Senate confirms Ryan Zinke to head Interior Department.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/03/01/senate-confirms-ryan-zinke-as-interior-secretary/

– Justice Department admits Sessions had contacts with Russians, though he had denied it earlier. Adam B. Schiff, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said in a statement that if the reports about Mr. Sessions were accurate, “it is essential that he recuse himself from any role in the investigation of Trump campaign ties to the Russians.” Mr. Schiff added, “This is not even a close call; it is a must.” Nancy Pelosi, the Democratic leader of the House, called on Mr. Sessions to resign, saying on Twitter that “he is not fit to serve as the top law enforcement officer of our country.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/01/us/politics/obama-trump-russia-election-hacking.html

– House Intelligence Committee has agreed an investigation into Russia’s alleged interference in the 2016 US elections.

http://www.theindependentbd.com/post/83382

http://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/321924-house-intelligence-sets-goals-for-russia-investigation

– Trump Delays New Travel Ban After Speech to Congress Gets High Marks. “We want the [executive order] to have its own ‘moment,’” a White House official told CNN.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/02/28/politics/trump-travel-ban-visa-holders/

March 2, 2017 Thursday

– Ben Carson confirmed to head HUD.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/02/us/politics/ben-carson-housing-urban-development.html

– Trump stands by Session in Russia controversy.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-sessions-idUSKBN16908L

– Euro lawmakers press EU to impose visas on U.S. citizens. (File under Western nationalism.)

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-usa-visa-idUSKBN1691Q9

– Senate confirms Rick Perry as Energy Secretary.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/rick-perry-confirmed-energy-secretary-235617

– Sessions recuses himself on all current and future investigations into Russia ties with the Trump campaign.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/top-gop-lawmaker-calls-on-sessions-to-recuse-himself-from-russia-investigation/2017/03/02/148c07ac-ff46-11e6-8ebe-6e0dbe4f2bca_story.html

– White House EPA budget proposal cuts climate protection program 70 percent to $29 million, targets climate, clean water programs. An EPA climate protection program on cutting emissions of greenhouse gases like methane that contribute to global warming would be cut 70 percent to $29 million.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-epa-budget-idUSKBN1692XA

– Adam Schiff, leading Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, claims FBI holding back information on Russia probes. “At this point we know less than a fraction of what the FBI knows.”

https://www.yahoo.com/news/fbi-not-answering-congress-questions-russia-probe-democrat-190000262.html

– Vice President Mike Pence used a private email account to conduct public business when he was governor of Indiana, a practice that was legal but raised questions about the security of the communications, some of which addressed sensitive topics.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/02/us/mike-pence-used-private-email-as-governor-news-report-says.html

– ‘The fuse is lit’: Dan Rather says Trump-Russia scandal is about to go off like a bomb.

http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/the-fuse-is-lit-dan-rather-says-trump-russia-scandal-is-about-to-go-off-like-a-bomb/

March 3, 2017 Friday

– Women and children crossing together illegally into the United States could be separated by U.S. authorities under a proposal being considered by the Department of Homeland Security.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-children-idUSKBN16A2ES

– Vice President Pence said there was “no comparison whatsoever” between his use of a private email account for state business while he was governor of Indiana and the email woes of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/03/politics/mike-pence-personal-email-address/http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/03/politics/mike-pence-personal-email-address/

– Trump administration is seeking a 17 percent cut to the budget of the government’s meteorological agency that monitors the climate and issues daily weather forecasts. Proposed reductions in NOAA would affect research and satellite programs and eliminate funding for some smaller programs.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/03/03/white-house-proposes-steep-budget-cut-to-leading-climate-science-agency/

– Current and former officials said that in a departure from past practice, access to a classified computer system at the White House has been tightened by political appointees to prevent professional staffers from seeing memos being prepared for the new president. And at the Department of Homeland Security, some officials told Reuters they fear a witch hunt is under way for the leaker of a draft intelligence reportwhich found little evidence that citizens of seven Muslim-majority countries covered by Trump’s now-suspended travel ban pose a threat to the United States.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-secrecy-exclusive-idUSKBN16A0GD

– The Transportation Security Administration has started using a new and more rigorous pat-down at airports, which one passenger this week likened to “groin scrutiny.”

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-03-03/u-s-airport-pat-downs-are-about-to-get-more-invasive

– European Parliament votes to end visa-free travel for Americans. The passing of the non-binding resolution comes after the US failed to agree visa-free travel for citizens of five EU countries.

http://www.business-standard.com/article/news-ians/european-parliament-ends-visa-free-travel-for-americans-117030301077_1.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/03/world/europe/eu-visas-parliament-united-states.html

– Trump leaves White House furious that Sessions recused himself.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/322363-reports-trump-told-aides-sessions-shouldnt-have-recused-himself

– Carter Page, Adviser Once Linked to Trump Campaign, Met With Russian Ambassador.

http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/carter-page-adviser-once-linked-trump-campaign-met-russian-ambassador-n728511

March 4, 2017 Saturday

– Trump suggested Obama had improperly tapped his phones, without citing evidence, in a series of tweets on Saturday morning. “No president can order a wiretap. Those restrictions were put in place to protect citizens from people like you,” Ben Rhodes wrote on Twitter.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-obama-idUSKBN16B0CC

– The White House budget director Mulvaney confirmed that the Trump administration will propose “fairly dramatic reductions” in the U.S. foreign aid budget later this month.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-budget-idUSKBN16B0NC

– Mexico opened legal aid centers at its 50 consulates across the United States on Saturday to defend its citizens, the Mexican government said, amid worries of a crackdown on illegal immigration under U.S. President Donald Trump.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-mexico-immigration-idUSKBN16B0PL

– Supporters of Trump held a second day of small rallies in communities around the country, a counterpoint to a wave of protests that have taken place since his election in November.

http://www.newsweek.com/trump-backers-series-small-rallies-support-president-563923

– The U.S. Department of Citizenship and Immigration Services will temporarily suspend expedited processing of H-1B visas, halting the option for American companies to quickly bring skilled immigrants to the United States for employment.

http://time.com/money/4691238/us-suspends-expedited-processing-h1b-visas/

– Before heading to his so-called winter White House in Palm Beach, Florida, Trump summoned some of his senior staffers to the Oval Office and went “ballistic,” a senior White House source told ABC News. Trump furious that Sessions recused himself. Washington Post reporter Robert Costa tweeted Saturday morning that Trump left the White House “in a fury” on Friday, “fuming about [Jeff] Sessions’s recusal and telling aides that Sessions shouldn’t have recused himself,” also calling the reports of his meeting “bull.”

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/322363-reports-trump-told-aides-sessions-shouldnt-have-recused-himself

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-flashes-anger-sessions-recusal-russia-stories-tense/story

March 5, 2017 Sunday

– White House asks Congress to probe Trump’s accusation of Obama wiretap.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-idUSKBN16C0MG

– Former DNI James Clapper tells “Meet the Press” “There was no such wiretap activity mounted against the president-elect at the time, or as a candidate or against his campaign.”

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-idUSKBN16C0MG

– James B. Comey, the director of the F.B.I., asked the Justice Department to publicly reject President Trump’s claim that former President Barack Obama ordered his phones to be tapped. It has not.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/05/us/politics/trump-seeks-inquiry-into-allegations-that-obama-tapped-his-phones.html

– In a Mere 6 Weeks, Trump Alters More Than 90 Regulations. The Trump administration has pushed a flurry of deregulations, giving more freedoms to gun sellers, bankers and miners, and corporate lobbyists are clamoring for more.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/05/us/politics/trump-deregulation-guns-wall-st-climate.html

– Priebus and Bannon didn’t fly with Trump to Florida. Various interpretations allege Trump punished them.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4284566/Video-emerges-Trump-s-Oval-Office-row-Bannon.html

http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/04/politics/donald-trump-jeff-sessions-reince-priebus/

March 6, 2017 Monday

– Trump signed a revised executive order for a U.S. travel ban, leaving Iraq off the list of targeted countries.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-exclusive-idUSKBN16D154

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/new-executive-order-bans-travelers-from-six-muslim-majority-countries-applying-for-visas/2017/03/06/3012a42a-0277-11e7-ad5b-d22680e18d10_story.html

– Senators push Trump to release White House, Mar-a-Lago visitor logs.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-visitors-idUSKBN16D2AG

– House Republicans reveal bill to repeal and replace Obama’s healthcare law. American Health Care Act would shrink government role in healthcare and could leave more people without insurance despite Trump administration promises. Replaces subsidies with tax credits.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/mar/06/house-republicans-healthcare-law-bill-obamacare-repeal

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/new-details-emerge-on-gop-plans-to-repeal-and-replace-obamacare/2017/03/06/04751e3e-028f-11e7-ad5b-d22680e18d10_story.html

– Senate votes to repeal labor protection laws that safeguarded poultry workers.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/mar/06/labor-protection-laws-repeal-poultry-industry-workers

– Ben Carson compared slaves to immigrants seeking a better life in his first official address Monday as HUD secretary.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/03/06/carson-compares-slaves-to-immigrants-coming-to-a-land-of-dreams-and-opportunity/

– Gold Star father of American soldier killed in Iraq who criticized Trump says travel rights reviewed. Khizr Khan had planned to speak at a luncheon in Toronto on Tuesday in a discussion about President Trump’s administration.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-khan-idUSKBN16D2MI

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/toronto/khizr-khan-toronto-talk-cancelled-1.4012696

– The US has temporarily suspended the fast-track processing of H1B visas, leaving many foreign workers in limbo. H1B visas allow skilled workers to come to the US temporarily. They are in high demand, particularly in Silicon Valley and the medical sector, and are allocated by lottery.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/mar/06/us-h1b-visa-program-suspended-trump-silicon-valley

– The Homeland Security Department is considering separating children from parents caught crossing the Mexican border illegally, Secretary John Kelly said.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/03/07/dhs-is-considering-separating-mothers-and-children-who-cross-the-border-illegally/

– The Supreme Court is leaving the issue of transgender rights in schools to lower courts for now after backing out of a high-profile case.

http://bigstory.ap.org/article/8cb7fb31f1214e63851028bd731bc332

– Top member ff House Intel Committee, Rep. Adam Schiff, questions Trump’s mental state on MSNBC.

http://www.politicususa.com/2017/03/06/top-member-house-intel-committee-questions-trumps-mental-state-msnbc.html

March 7, 2017 Tuesday

– House intelligence chief has seen no evidence to back Trump’s wiretap charge.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-hearing-idUSKBN16E2RS

– House schedules first hearing in Trump-Russia investigation.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/house-trump-russia-investigation-hearing-235789

– Conservatives rebel against Trump-backed Republican healthcare plan. Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky decried it as “Obamacare Lite.” Conservative groups including Heritage Action for America, the Club for Growth, Americans for Prosperity and Freedom Partners, backed by the billionaire Republican donor Koch brothers, urged its defeat for different reasons.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-obamacare-idUSKBN16D2RC

– Bomb threats against Jewish centers continue: The threats Tuesday targeted facilities in at least eight states, Washington, D.C., and Toronto, officials said. “Four ADL offices in Atlanta, Boston, New York and Washington D.C. received bomb threats. Before Tuesday, the ADL had reported 121 bomb threats made across the United States and Canada.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-security-jewish-idUSKBN16E1X5

– A vast portion of the CIA’s computer hacking arsenal appeared to have been exposed by the anti-secrecy organization WikiLeaks, which posted thousands of files revealing secret cyber-tools used by the agency to convert cellphones, televisions and other ordinary devices into implements of espionage.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/wikileaks-says-it-has-obtained-trove-of-cia-hacking-tools/2017/03/07/c8c50c5c-0345-11e7-b1e9-a05d3c21f7cf_story.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/03/07/as-more-jewish-facilities-get-threats-senators-ask-trump-administration-for-swift-action/

– Trump’s nominee for deputy attorney general, Rod Rosenstein, declined Tuesday to endorse the appointment of a special prosecutor to investigate ties between the Trump campaign and Russian officials, bucking pressure from Democrats.

http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/322772-doj-nominee-declines-to-back-special-prosecutor-on-russia

March 8, 2017 Wednesday

– Trump’s administration is weighing a deployment of up to 1,000 American soldiers to Kuwait to serve as a reserve force in the fight against Islamic State as U.S.-backed fighters accelerate the offensive in Syria and Iraq, U.S. officials told Reuters.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-islamicstate-exclusive-idUSKBN16F2SK

– Mexico has canceled existing sugar export permits to the United States. The letter sent by Mexico’s sugar chamber to mills on Monday partly blamed the situation on unfilled positions at the U.S. Department of Commerce, which it said has led to a “legalistic” interpretation of rules with no U.S. counterparts in place in Washington for Mexican officials to negotiate with.

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/07/mexico-cancels-sugar-export-permits-to-the-us-in-absurd-dispute.html

– China has granted preliminary approval for at least 35 trademarks linked to Donald Trump, documents on China’s state trademark office show, giving the U.S. President and his family protection were they to develop the “Trump” brand in the market.

http://www.newsweek.com/china-donald-trump-trump-hotel-trump-business-565511

– Pivotal industry and consumer groups mounted intensifying opposition to the Republican health care bill. The American Medical Association, the American Hospital Association and AARP, the nation’s largest advocacy group for older people, were arrayed against the GOP measure.

https://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/politics/GOP-Heath-Care-Bill-Committee-Votes-415675993.html

– Many American women stayed home from work, joined rallies or wore red to demonstrate how vital they are to the U.S. economy, as International Women’s Day was observed with a multitude of events around the world.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/08/world/gallery/international-womens-day-marches-2017/index.html

– The Trump administration has considered more than $6 billion in cuts at the Department of Housing and Urban Development, according to preliminary budget documents obtained by The Washington Post. The plan would squeeze public housing support and end most federally funded community development grants. HUD’s budget would shrink by about 14 percent to $40.5 billion in fiscal 2018, which begins in October. While suggesting significant cuts, the preliminary budget maintains the same level of funding to rental assistance programs and avoids reductions that could directly put families on the streets. Budgets for public housing authorities — city and state agencies that provide subsidized housing and vouchers to local residents — would be among the hardest hit. Under the preliminary budget, those operational funds would be reduced by $600 million, or 13 percent. Under the proposal, direct rental assistance payments — including Section 8 Housing and housing vouchers for homeless veterans — would be cut by at least $300 million, to $19.3 billion. Additionally, housing for the elderly — known as the Section 202 program — would be cut by $42 million, nearly 10 percent.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-administration-considers-6-billion-cut-to-hud-budget/2017/03/08/1757e8e8-03ab-11e7-b1e9-a05d3c21f7cf_story.html

– Hawaii Mounts Legal Challenge To Trump’s Revised Travel Ban.

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/03/08/519263084/hawaii-will-mount-legal-challenge-to-presidents-revised-travel-ban

– Turkish client paid $530,000 to Michael Flynn’s consulting firm. Flynn, fired last month from his White House post, formally registered as a foreign agent this week with the Justice Department and disclosed the details of his work for Inovo BV, a Dutch consulting firm owned by a Turkish businessman with ties to Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/03/09/michael-flynns-lobbying-firm-received-530000-turkish-client/

March 9, 2017 Thursday

– Two House of Representatives committees approved the legislation that would undo much of the 2010 Affordable Care Act, popularly known as Obamacare, moving it closer to a vote before the full House.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-obamacare-idUSKBN16G0DP

– Three states suing to block Trump’s new travel ban: Hawaii, NY and Oregon.

http://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/323226-three-states-sue-to-stop-trumps-new-travel-ban

– EPA head Scott Pruitt denies that carbon dioxide causes global warming.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/mar/09/epa-scott-pruitt-carbon-dioxide-global-warming-climate-change

– Bill Clinton, “Resurgent nationalism ‘taking us to the edge of our destruction’”

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/bill-clinton-nationalism-235894

– U.S. Is Sending About 400 Marines To Syria.

March 10, 2017 Friday

– Trump’s administration is asking for resignation letters from all 46 remaining U.S. attorneys appointed by President Barack Obama.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/10/us/politics/us-attorney-justice-department-trump.html

– More States Join Legal Challenge to Trump Travel Ban: Massachusetts, Minnesota New York and Oregon.

http://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/more-states-join-legal-challenge-to-travel-ban

– Maryland joins states suing over Trump’s travel ban.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/323509-maryland-joins-states-suing-over-trumps-travel-ban

– State Dept asked NYC Medical Examiner not to disclose cause of death of Russian UN ambassador who died last month.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/323403-state-dept-asks-ny-medical-examiner-not-to-release-russian

– Seattle synagogue targeted by anti-Semitic vandalism. “Holocaust is fake history” was spray-painted across a wall of Temple de Hirsch Sinai, with each instance of the letter “S” replaced with dollar signs.

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/323545-seattle-synagogue-targeted-by-anti-semitic-vandalism-report

– Trump’s revised travel ban dealt first court setback. A federal judge in Wisconsin dealt the first legal blow to President Donald Trump’s revised travel ban on Friday, barring enforcement of the policy to deny U.S. entry to the wife and child of a Syrian refugee already granted asylum in the United States.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-court-idUSKBN16I02F

March 11, 2017 Saturday

– Defiant U.S. prosecutor fired by Trump. New York U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara, a prominent Obama appointed U.S. prosecutor said the Trump administration fired him on Saturday after he refused to step down, adding a discordant note to what is normally a routine changing of top attorneys when a new president takes office.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-justice-idUSKBN16I0PZ

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/attorney-preet-bharara-donald-trump-lawyer-manhattan-us-barack-obama-a7625081.html

– Man faces 10-year sentence after scaling White House fence.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-intruder-idUSKBN16I0KU

– A federal court has dealt Texas another loss over voting rights, finding that Republicans racially gerrymandered some congressional districts to weaken the electoral influence of the state’s booming minority population. A federal three-judge panel in San Antonio invalidated three Texas congressional districts for violating the Voting Rights Act or the Constitution in a decision late Friday night.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/texas-redistricting-racial-lines-235956

https://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/invalidated-texas-congressional-districts

– 134 foreign policy experts condemn Trump travel ban

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/323559-134-foreign-policy-experts-condemn-trump-travel-ban

– Sanders: US facing ‘very scary times’. “We have a president who is a pathological liar. Trump lies all of the time. He lies in order to undermine the foundations of American democracy.”

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/323550-sanders-very-scary-times-but-we-must-fight-back

– ACLU To Hold ‘Resistance Training’ So Americans Can Fight Trump’s Dangerous Policies.

http://www.politicususa.com/2017/03/11/aclu-host-resistance-training-americans-fight-trumps-dangerous-policies.html

– Preet Bharara was investigating Fox News when Sean Hannity urged Donald Trump to fire him.

http://www.palmerreport.com/politics/preet-bharara-was-investigating-fox-news-when-sean-hannity-urged-donald-trump-to-fire-him/1887/

March 12, 2017 Sunday

– Aides to Trump attacked the credibility of The Congressional Budget Office that will analyze the costs of a replacement for Obamacare, as the White House sought to quell opposition from many conservative Republicans.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-obamacare-idUSKBN16J0XH

– Mayors of Santa Fe and Philadelphia said in a SXSW panel that the president’s orders and immigration policies represent a threat to the safety and prosperity of US cities. ‘We cannot submit to a bully’.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/mar/12/trump-immigration-sxsw-sanctuary-cities-philadelphia-santa-fe

– A Jewish community center in Rochester, New York, closed temporarily on Sunday after receiving its second bomb threat in less than a week.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/12/us/jcc-rochester-ny-bomb-threat/index.html

– Kellyanne Conway suggests Obama could have spied on Trump through a microwave.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/kellyanne-conway-donald-trump-barack-obama-spying-through-microwave-claims-a7626826.html

– Trump budget expected to seek historic contraction of federal workforce.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/through-his-budget-a-bottom-line-look-at-trumps-new-washington/2017/03/12/29739206-05be-11e7-b9fa-ed727b644a0b_story.html

March 13, 2017 Monday

– CBO: 14 million would lose coverage in 2018 under GOP Obamacare repeal.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/cbo-gop-obamacare-repeal-plan-236007

– Trump gives CIA authority to conduct drone strikes. The move would be a change from the policy of former President Barack Obama’s administration of limiting the CIA’s paramilitary role.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-cia-drones-idUSKBN16K2SE

– White House Seeks to Cut Billions in Funding for United Nations. U.S. retreat from U.N. could mark a “breakdown of the international humanitarian system as we know it.”

http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/03/13/white-house-seeks-to-cut-billions-in-funding-for-united-nations/

– The chief federal prosecutors in Connecticut and northern New York have won short-term reprieves from Trump’s abrupt action Friday demanding immediate resignations from several dozen U.S. attorneysappointed by President Barack Obama.

– Trump signs Executive Order on a Comprehensive Plan for Reorganizing the Executive Branch. The order directs OMB Director Mick Mulvaney to “propose a plan to reorganize governmental functions and eliminate unnecessary agencies … components of agencies and agency programs.” The Executive Branch Is About to Be ‘Reorganized’ into Oblivion. Steve Bannon’s time has come.

http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/news/a53848/trump-executive-order-reorganization/

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/13/trump-to-sign-executive-order-aiming-to-see-where-money-is-being-wasted-in-government-spicer-says.html

March 14, 2017 Tuesday

– ‘Never Trump’ Republicans join call for select committee to investigate Russia and Trump. “Never Trump” Republicans are planning to pressure GOP leaders to establish a bipartisan select committee to take over the inquiries and settle the matter once and for all.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/josh-rogin/wp/2017/03/14/never-trump-republicans-join-call-for-select-committee-to-investigate-russia-and-trump/

– Secretary of State Tillerson told the U.N. advocates and human rights groups that the U.S. “continues to evaluate the effectiveness” of the Human Rights Council but is skeptical about being in a group with nations such as China, Egypt and Saudi Arabia, which have poor human rights records. UN Human Rights Council must reform or US will leave.

http://thehill.com/policy/international/un-treaties/323926-tillerson-to-un-rights-council-reform-or-we-leave

– Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer warned Republicans on Tuesday that they’d risk a government shutdown if they try to attach money for Trump’s U.S.-Mexico border wall to a must-pass bill to keep the government open. The same applies to any attempt to defund Planned Parenthood, Schumer said.

– Trump set to completely scrap US consumer protection agency.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-scrap-us-consumer-protection-agency-randy-neugebauer-cfpb-texan-congressman-finance-a7614731.html

– Trump gives CIA power to carry out its own drone strikes. New authority sparks fears about accountability as until now all lethal remote strikes had to be launched by military.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-cia-power-drone-strikes-military-a7628561.html

– Trump’s administration is preparing to release a wide-ranging executive order to reduce the role that climate change plays in policy decisions. The move could alter how U.S. agencies weigh regulations on a broad array of industries, from drilling, coal mining and auto manufacturing to refining.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-carbon-idUSKBN16L2R4

– Kushners, Trump In-Laws, Weigh $400 Million Deal in sale of NY skyscraper with Chinese Firm. The Kushner family, owners of the tower, would reap a financial windfall courtesy of a Chinese company, even as Jared Kushner, a senior adviser to Mr. Trump as well as his son-in-law, helps oversee American foreign policy.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/14/nyregion/kushner-companies-anbang-insurance-group.html

March 15, 2017 Wednesday

– Hawaii judge halts Trump’s new travel ban before it can go into effect. A U.S. federal judge in Hawaii dealt another legal blow to President Donald Trump on Wednesday, issuing an emergency halt to his revised travel ban just hours before it was set to go into effect early on Thursday. U.S. District Judge Derrick Watson put out an emergency stop on Trump’s executive order, which aimed to temporarily bar entry to the United States of most refugees as well as travelers from six Muslim-majority countries.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-court-idUSKBN16M17N

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/social-issues/lawyers-face-off-on-trump-travel-ban-in-md-court-wednesday-morning/2017/03/14/b2d24636-090c-11e7-93dc-00f9bdd74ed1_story.html

– The U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly to confirm former Republican senator Dan Coats to be Trump’s director of national intelligence and to approve Army Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster’s transfer to become his national security adviser.

http://www.businessinsider.com/senate-confirms-gop-senator-coats-as-director-of-national-intelligence-2017-3

– The Republican chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Devin Nunes, who has been one of the few defenders of Trump’s claims, made clear Wednesday that there is zero evidence to suggest Trump Tower was wiretapped.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/03/15/the-evidence-of-trump-tower-being-wire-tapped-just-does-not-exist/

– US Federal Reserve raises interest rates to 1% in bid to hold off inflation. Fed chair Janet Yellen says US economy in strong health as she announces third rate rise since 2008 and the first of several expected this year

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/15/fed-raises-rates-at-march-meeting.html

– US charges two Russian spies and two hackers in Yahoo data breach.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/mar/15/fbi-charges-two-russian-spies-hackers-yahoo-data-breach

– Trump has begun the process of rolling back carbon pollution standards for vehicles following a meeting with automakers in Detroit, Michigan. Trump has directed the EPA to review fuel efficiency standards that were a key plank of Barack Obama’s effort to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. The move is a victory for carmakers who have claimed the standards are too onerous and out of step with Americans’ car buying habits.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/15/us/politics/trump-obama-fuel-economy-standards.html

– FBI Director James Comey briefed a group of top senators Wednesday amid growing demands that he clarify if the bureau is investigating any contacts between Moscow and the Trump campaign.

http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/324194-fbi-director-briefs-top-senators-on-russia

March 16, 2017 Thursday

– The Republican and Democratic leaders of the Senate Intelligence Committee said on Thursday they saw no evidence to support Trump’s claim that the Obama administration tapped his phones during the 2016 presidential campaign.

http://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-wiretap-trump-tower-barack-obama-senate-569273

– Trump vows to appeal against travel ban ruling to Supreme Court.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-court-idUSKBN16N0YS

– Trump unveiled a $1.15 trillion budget, proposing a far-reaching overhaul of federal spending that would slash many domestic programs to finance a big increase for the military and make a down payment on a U.S.-Mexico border wall. Massive cuts to the arts, science and the poor.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/trump-federal-budget-2018-massive-cuts-to-the-arts-science-and-the-poor/2017/03/15/0a0a0094-09a1-11e7-a15f-a58d4a988474_story.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/16/us/politics/trump-budget.html

March 17, 2017 Friday

– The White House has apologized to the British government after alleging that a UK intelligence agency spied on President Donald Trump at the behest of former President Barack Obama.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/17/politics/gchq-trump-wiretap-denial/index.html

– U.S. prepared to take military action against N. Korea, if necessary, Sec. of State Tillerson says.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/17/politics/tillerson-south-korea-dmz/index.html

– German Chancellor Angela Merkel Meets Trump, the Defender Versus the Disrupter.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/17/world/europe/angela-merkel-donald-trump.html

– Trump defiantly backs-away from apologies to Britain at his news conference with Angela Merkel, making clear that the White House had nothing to retract or apologize for because his spokesman had simply repeated an assertion made by a Fox News commentator. Fox itself later disavowed the report.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/17/world/europe/trump-britain-obama-wiretap-gchq.html

– Immigration judges headed to 12 U.S. cities to speed deportations.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-judges-exclusive-idUSKBN16O2S6

– The U.S. government took the legal battle over Trump’s travel ban to a higher court, saying it would appeal a federal judge’s decision that struck down parts of the ban on the day it was set to go into effect.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-appeal-idUSKBN16O2MT

March 18, 2017 Saturday

– On the heels of a visibly awkward visit from the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, Donald Trump said that Germany owed “vast sums of money” to Nato and the US, even though the alliance does not stipulate payments to America. His remarks prompted a former US permanent representative to Nato to reply “that’s not how Nato works.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/18/trump-merkel-nato-germany-owe-money-tweet

– China has rebuffed Donald Trump’s latest Twitter attack after the US president accused Beijing of doing little to help force North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, to abandon his nuclear ambitions. Speaking in Beijing alongside the US secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, the Chinese foreign minister, Wang Yi, claimed a responsible China had “devoted a lot of energy and effort over the years” to resolving the North Korean issue.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/mar/18/china-rejects-trump-criticisms-over-north-korea

– G20 Leaders Roll Back Free Trade Pledge After Pushback From Trump Administration. At a meeting of finance ministers and central bankers from the Group of 20 industrialized and emerging nations and the European Union, Steven Mnuchin signaled that American policy would follow the campaign promises made by President Trump to put “America first” and review existing trade agreements to seek better deals for the United States.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/18/business/group-of-20-summit-us-trade.html

– Roger J. Stone Jr., an informal adviser to President Trump, has been asked by the Senate Intelligence Committee to preserve any records he may have in connection to a broader inquiry into Russian attempts to interfere with United States elections.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/18/us/politics/roger-stone-senate-trump-russia-documents.html

– One person was in custody after a car drove up to a White House checkpoint and the driver claimed to have a bomb in the vehicle, CNN reported. There wasn’t any immediate confirmation that a device was in the car, but the vehicle was being checked, CNN reported citing law enforcement sources. The report followed another incident earlier Saturday when a man was detained after jumping a pedestrian barrier near the White House.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/324669-1-person-in-custody-after-driver-makes-bomb-claim-at-wh-report

March 19, 2017 Sunday

– Germany rejects Trump’s claim it owes NATO and U.S. ‘vast sums’ for defense.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-germany-defence-idUSKBN16Q0D8

– Sir Peter Westmacott, writing in the Guardian, has accused the White House of ‘peddling falsehoods’ by suggesting British intelligence spied on Trump Tower.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/mar/19/white-house-trump-wiretap-uk-ambassador-peter-westmacott

– Intruder Arrested at White House After Saying He Has ‘Bomb in the Trunk’.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/19/us/politics/white-house-intruder-bomb.html

– White House installs political aides at Cabinet agencies to be Trump’s eyes and ears.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/white-house-installs-political-aides-at-cabinet-agencies-to-be-trumps-eyes-and-ears/2017/03/19/68419f0e-08da-11e7-93dc-00f9bdd74ed1_story.html

– Chair of the House Intelligence Committee Devin Nunes told Fox News host Chris Wallace on-air that a current person in the White House is under investigation and surveillance.

http://shareblue.com/wait-what-house-intel-chair-says-no-one-at-white-house-under-surveillance-but-one/

– The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, Adam Schiff, said there was “circumstantial evidence” of collusion between the Trump campaign and Russian officials — and “direct evidence” of deception.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/schiff-trump-russia-democrats-investigation-236231

March 20, 2017 Monday

– Day 1 of Neil Gorsuch Senate Hearings.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/20/us/politics/judge-gorsuch-supreme-court-confirmation-hearings.html

– FBI: Trump campaign, Russia ties investigated, no wiretap evidence found. In a hearing before the House Intelligence Committee, FBI Director James Comey said for the first time that the bureau is investigating whether there was any coordination between the Trump campaign and Moscow while Russia was interfering in the presidential election. Comey also delivered an implicit rebuke to President Donald Trump, saying that he had “no information” to support claims by the President that he was wiretapped on the orders of predecessor Barack Obama. What made the moment even more extraordinary was Trump’s tweeted commentary on – and misrepresenting of – the hearing as it was happening. Trump’s spokesman Sean Spicer said Trump would not apologize to Obama for the accusations against him, adding that there were questions still remaining about surveillance that may or may not have taken place during the campaign.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/20/politics/comey-hearing-russia-wiretapping/index.html

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/mar/20/fbi-director-comey-confirms-investigation-trump-russia

http://www.bbc.com/news/live/world-us-canada-39328507

– Donald Trump tweets lies during Russia hearings, but MSNBC corrects him in real time.

http://www.palmerreport.com/opinion/donald-trump-live-tweets-russia-hearings-but-msnbc-corrects-his-false-claims-in-real-time/1992/

http://www.palmerreport.com/politics/lie-james-comey-donald-trump-russia-tweet/1994/

March 21, 2017 Tuesday

– Day 2 of Neil Gorsuch Senate Hearings.

– Trump tells GOP critics of health-care bill: ‘I’m gonna come after you’

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/trump-arrives-on-capitol-hill-to-sell-house-gop-health-care-package/2017/03/21/e8ede3d2-0e2b-11e7-9b0d-d27c98455440_story.html

– Chair of House Intelligence Committee Devin Nunes received a phone call that caused him to bail on his Uber ride and disappear from the staffer he was with.

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2017/03/24/devin-nunes-vanished-the-night-before-he-made-trump-surveillance-claims.html

March 22, 2017 Wednesday

– House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes – without any notice to the committee’s Democrats – held a press conference and then briefed the White House on what he called new evidence, provided to him by an unnamed source, that members of the Trump transition might have been improperly monitored by U.S. intelligence agencies following the November election.

March 23, 2017 Thursday

– Trump hosted conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh for dinner at the White House. Limbaugh and his wife had dinner with the president, Vice President Pence and Pence’s wife Karen at the White House.

http://thehill.com/homenews/news/327525-trump-invited-limbaugh-to-dine-at-the-white-house-report

March 24, 2017 Friday

– New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio is calling what police said was a racially-motivated murder of a black Manhattan resident by a white man who traveled to the city from Baltimore an “act of domestic, racist terrorism.” And he believes that “a dynamic of hatred” is growing in America that “is clearly related to the rhetoric of Donald Trump and even other candidates during the presidential election.”

http://www.politico.com/states/new-york/city-hall/story/2017/03/de-blasio-dynamic-of-hatred-is-clearly-related-to-donald-trump-110677

– Republican Chairman Devin Nunes of the House Intelligence Committee cancels next week’s open hearing where Sally Yates, John Brennan and James Clapper were to give public testimony. Democratic Co-Chair Schiff strongly objected, calls it a “serious mistake”.

http://www.newsweek.com/russia-election-probe-public-session-canceled-house-intelligence-chair-573893

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2017/3/24/1646841/-Breaking-Nunes-Cancels-Public-Intelligence-Committee-Hearings

http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/adam-schiff-slams-intel-chair-devin-nunes-for-caving-to-white-house-and-canceling-key-russia-hearing/

– Devin Nunes, the head of the House Intelligence Committee, secretly went to the White House grounds to meet with a source, before he surprised his colleagues by briefing the president — and the press — on information they hadn’t seen.

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/03/27/521667814/head-of-house-intel-committee-went-to-white-house-grounds-to-meet-source

– Democrats are plotting their next move after questioning House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes’ fitness to lead the panel’s investigation into Russia’s involvement in the 2016 election.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/devin-nunes-russia-trump-investigation-democrats-236471

– House repeal and replacement of ACA fails, is pulled lacking enough votes. Ryan said he told President Trump the best thing to do was pull this bill and Trump agreed with that decision. Trump blamed Democrats.

http://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/ryan-concedes-on-health-care-says-house-will-move-on

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/house-leaders-prepare-to-vote-friday-on-health-care-reform/2017/03/24/736f1cd6-1081-11e7-9d5a-a83e627dc120_story.html

– FBI Director James Comey was at the White House, days after he confirmed his bureau is investigating ties between associates of President Trump and Russia. The White House said Comey visited to attend a “routine interagency meeting,” but did not say with whom he met. No meeting with Comey was listed on the president’s public schedule. Comey was spotted leaving the White House less than an hour later after television cameras showed him entering the West Wing.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/325670-fbi-director-comey-visits-white-house

– NBC News Chief Andrea Mitchell has learned that staffers in the Trump Administration are racing to “purge their cellphones” of relevant information as the threat of a subpoena by one of the three investigations into the Trump team’s potentially treasonous collusion with the Russian Federation grows with each passing day.

http://occupydemocrats.com/2017/03/25/nbc-just-busted-trump-team-purging-smartphones-hide-proof-russian-treason/

March 25, 2017 Saturday

– New York Mayor De Blasio blames Trump for ‘dynamic of hatred’ in US.

http://thehill.com/homenews/325782-nyc-mayor-links-race-related-murder-to-trump

– Fights erupt at pro-Donald Trump rally on California beach.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/mar/26/fights-erupt-at-pro-donald-trump-rally-on-california-beach

– Trump aide Boris Epshteyn leaving White House, officials say.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/25/politics/epshteyn-leaving-white-house/

– Politico and London Times reveals Trump handed Angela Merkel a bill thought to be for more than £300 billion supposedly owed by Germany to NATO.

http://www.politico.eu/article/donald-trump-handed-angela-merkel-outrageous-nato-bill-report/

March 27, 2017 Monday

– Devin Nunes said that he did not coordinate his allegations that Trump’s transition team was monitored by U.S. intelligence officials with the White House. CNN reported on Monday morning that Nunes had gone to the White House grounds to view those documents, which further raised the question of whether the Trump administration had given them to him and coordinated the story.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/devin-nunes-trump-intelligence-wiretapping-236567

– The storm around intensified after it was revealed that Nunes secretly visited the White House grounds the day before announcing incidental surveillance of Trump’s transition team. The visit raised questions about whether the White House itself was the source of the mysterious intelligence that Nunes, but no one else on Capitol Hill, has seen. Nunes has vowed to protect his source while offering contradictory descriptions of what the documents reveal.

http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/326036-storm-builds-around-intel-chair-after-secret-white-house-trip

– Pelosi, Schiff call on Devin Nunes to recuse himself from Russia probe. The calls are a stunning breakdown for a committee that has traditionally operated in a bipartisan manner.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/schiff-calls-on-nunes-to-recuse-himself-from-russia-probe-236565

– Trump is reportedly creating a new White House innovation office that will be led by his son-in-law and senior adviser, Jared Kushner. The new office, which is described in the Post report as a “SWAT team” to fix the federal bureaucracy, is working with tech giants. It is expected to pull ideas from the business world and may consider privatizing some government functions. The team will include former business executives, according to the report.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/325869-kushner-to-lead-white-house-innovation-office-report

– Trump criticized former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s policies on Russia in a series of tweets, adding, the “Trump Russia story is a hoax.”

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/trump-clinton-russia-236571

March 28, 2017 Tuesday

– Trump administration sought to block Yates from testifying to Congress on Russia.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-administration-sought-to-block-sally-yates-from-testifying-to-congress-on-russia/2017/03/28/82b73e18-13b4-11e7-9e4f-09aa75d3ec57_story.html

– Trump signs executive order to sweep away Obama-era climate change regulations. The decree’s main target is Obama’s Clean Power Plan that required states to slash carbon emissions from power plants – a critical element in helping the United States meet its commitments to a global climate change accord reached by nearly 200 countries in Paris in 2015. The so-called “Energy Independence” order also reverses a ban on coal leasing on federal lands, undoes rules to curb methane emissions from oil and gas production, and reduces the weight of climate change and carbon emissions in policy and infrastructure permitting decisions.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-energy-idUSKBN16Z1L6

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/trump-moves-decisively-to-wipe-out-obamas-climate-change-record/2017/03/27/411043d4-132c-11e7-9e4f-09aa75d3ec57_story.html

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article141773404.html

– Europe poised to take baton from US as leader in global efforts to fight climate change, with America’s commitment to Paris accords at risk.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/mar/28/climate-change-eu-leader-trump-executive-order

– White House backs repeal of broadband privacy rules.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-internet-idUSKBN16Z2JI

– Congress voted to kill rules meant to prevent internet service providers from selling users’ web browsing histories and app storage histories to advertisers.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/mar/28/privacy-protection-sell-web-browsing-history-data

– House of Representatives Republican leaders said they still intended to repeal and replace Obamacare after their White House-backed bill failed to get enough support and collapsed last week.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-obamacare-republicans-idUSKBN16Z23K

– House Republicans blocked more attempts by Democrats to obtain Trump’s tax returns from the IRS.

http://www.wcax.com/story/35017580/house-gop-blocks-effort-by-democrats-to-obtain-trumps-taxes

– Trump asks police union officials (FOP) to find out which cops didn’t vote for him.

http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/watch-police-union-officials-laugh-uneasily-when-trump-asks-them-to-find-out-which-cops-didnt-vote-for-him/

– Veteran newsman Dan Rather warns Americans of Trump’s ‘power to decimate and destroy’.

http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/he-is-a-threat-dan-rather-warns-americans-of-trumps-power-to-decimate-and-destroy/

https://www.facebook.com/theDanRather/posts/10158421087140716

– Trump Administration Omits LGBTQ People from 2020 Census.

http://www.out.com/news-opinion/2017/3/28/breaking-trump-administration-removes-lgbtq-people-2020-census

March 29, 2017 Wednesday

– (incidentally) Britain’s PM Theresa May triggers Brexit. Britain now has two years to negotiate the terms of the divorce before it comes into effect in late March 2019.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-39431428

– Trump’s business network reached alleged Russian mobsters.

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/29/trumps-business-network-reached-alleged-russian-mobsters.html

– A judge in Hawaii has extended a broad block on Trump’s revised travel ban, turning aside pleas from the federal government to narrow or drop an earlier order forbidding the president from implementing key parts of his plan.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/trump-travel-ban-order-hawaii-236675

– A supervisor at the Energy Department’s international climate office told staff this week not to use the phrases “climate change,” “emissions reduction” or “Paris Agreement” in written memos, briefings or other written communication, sources have told POLITICO.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/energy-department-climate-change-phrases-banned-236655

– Seattle filed a lawsuit against the Trump administration Wednesday, charging that President Donald Trump’s executive order threatening funding for “sanctuary cities” is “unconstitutional and ambiguous,” and violates the 10th Amendment of the Constitution.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/seattle-trump-sanctuary-cities-236672

– Ivanka Trump will become a federal employee as part of unpaid White House role.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/03/ivanka-trump-federal-employee-unpaid-236657

March 30, 2017 Thursday

– First day of Senate Intelligence Committee hearings on Trump-Russia probe. Clinton Watts informed the committee that Russia had been targeting Rubio, along with other of Donald Trump’s Republican opponents, with propaganda or fake news stories during the primary.

– V.P. Pence broke a tie in a Senate vote to roll back federal funding for family planning and reproductive health (derail grants flowing to clinics that provide contraception and other health services to low-income women in states that want to block the funding, e.g., Planned Parentood). In recent years states such as Texas have blocked some healthcare providers from receiving the grants.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-congress-abortion-idUSKBN1712NY

– Nineteen U.S. states have introduced bills that would curb freedom of expression and the right to protest since Donald Trump’s election as president, an “alarming and undemocratic” trend, U.N. human rights investigators said on Thursday. Maina Kiai and David Kaye, independent U.N. experts on freedom of peaceful assembly and expression respectively, said in a statement that the state bills were incompatible with international human rights law.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-rights-un-idUSKBN1712SG

– Mike Flynn, President Trump’s former national security adviser, has told the FBI and congressional committees investigating the Trump campaign’s potential ties to Russia that he is willing to be interviewed in exchange for a grant of immunity from prosecution.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/mike-flynn-offers-to-testify-in-exchange-for-immunity-1490912959

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/mar/30/michael-flynn-trump-russia-investigation-testify-immunity

March 31, 2017 Friday

– Trump urged Mike Flynn, his former national security adviser, to strike an immunity deal because he’s facing “a witch hunt.”

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/michael-flynn-talks-congress-wary-prosecution-46484973

– Trump officials defend immigration arrests at California courthouses. Sessions and Department of Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly gave no indication that agents would stop the arrests.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-courthouses-idUSKBN1722T1

– Come Monday, the Trump administration may quietly revoke the ability of hundreds of thousands of immigrants — almost all women — from legally working in the United States, forcing them to choose between heading back to their kitchens or leaving the country altogether.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trump-may-force-thousands-of-legal-immigrants-to-stop-working-or-head-home/2017/03/30/27d2d8c6-1586-11e7-833c-503e1f6394c9_story.html

– Trump’s EPA has issued a new, more detailed plan for laying off 25 percent of its employees and scrapping 56 programs including pesticide safety, water runoff control, and environmental cooperation with Mexico and Canada under the North American Free Trade Agreement.

– Trump signs executive order aimed at identifying and targeting foreign trade abuses and orders stricter and more effective enforcement of US anti-dumping laws to prevent foreign manufacturers from undercutting US companies by selling goods at an unfair price.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/03/31/politics/donald-trump-executive-order-signing-walk-out/index.html

– The Trump administration released the financial disclosure forms from members of the White House staff.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/31/us/politics/white-house-releases-staff-financial-disclosures.html

April 1, 2017 Saturday

– A federal judge has rejected President Donald Trump’s free speech defense against a lawsuit accusing him of inciting violence against protesters at a campaign rally. Trump’s lawyers sought to dismiss the lawsuit by three protesters who say they were roughed up by his supporters at a March 1, 2016 rally in Louisville, Kentucky.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/judge-to-trump-no-protection-for-speech-inciting-violence/2017/04/01/e9320d68-1737-11e7-bb16-269934184168_story.html

– Wealthy White House staffers’ finances detailed in new disclosures.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-disclosures-idUSKBN173331

– Fox, Bill O’Reilly settle claims with five women

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-twenty-firstfox-oreilly-idUSKBN1733W8

April 2, 2017 Sunday

– EPA chief, Scott Pruitt, said the Paris climate change agreement is a “bad deal” for the country. He did not confirm whether the United States would remain in the global climate change pact, under which nearly all countries agreed in 2015 to halt or curb their greenhouse gas emissions, even as the world’s biggest emitter China reaffirmed its commitment to the agreement.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-climatechange-paris-idUSKBN1740NP

– Adam Schiff accused Trump of trying to divert Congress from its investigations of Russia’s role in the 2016 U.S. election and any links between Moscow and the Trump campaign. He said the Republican president and his aides have instead attempted to throw the focus on the possibility of illegal leaks of classified information and whether Trump or his associates were caught up in incidental collection by surveillance that was targeting foreigners.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-idUSKBN1740OL

April 3, 2017 Monday

– Democrats secure enough votes to block Gorsuch, setting stage for ‘nuclear option’. Senate Democrats secured enough votes to filibuster the nomination of Judge Neil Gorsuch to the U.S. Supreme Court on Monday, increasing the likelihood that Republicans will change the rules of the U.S. Senate to ensure his confirmation later this week.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/senate-panel-prepares-to-consider-gorsuch-as-threat-of-filibuster-looms/2017/04/03/129bcd8c-186a-11e7-bcc2-7d1a0973e7b2_story.html

– Trump signed a resolution approved by the U.S. House and Senate to revoke a U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service rule banning most predator control on Alaska refuges.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/national-politics/article142522494.html

– Attorney General Jeff Sessions ordered Justice Department officials to review reform agreements with troubled police forces nationwide, saying it was necessary to ensure these pacts do not work against the Trump administration’s goals of promoting officer safety and morale while fighting violent crime.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/article142521054.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/sessions-orders-justice-department-to-review-all-police-reform-agreements/2017/04/03/ba934058-18bd-11e7-9887-1a5314b56a08_story.html

– Blackwater founder, Erik Prince, held secret Seychelles meeting to establish Trump-Putin back channel.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/blackwater-founder-held-secret-seychelles-meeting-to-establish-trump-putin-back-channel/2017/04/03/95908a08-1648-11e7-ada0-1489b735b3a3_story.html

– California lawmakers gave initial approval to a measure that prevents law enforcement from cooperating with federal immigration officials, a measure that proponents said rebukes President Donald Trump for his immigration crackdown. It makes California a statewide sanctuary for many people who are in the country illegally.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/national-politics/article142506584.html

– The Senate Judiciary Committee approved Neil Gorsuch’s nomination to the Supreme Court, the first hurdle in a week heading towards a political showdown and a permanent change to Senate rules.

http://time.com/4723448/neil-gorsuch-confirmation-vote-senate

– Top White House officials met moderate and conservative Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives in an effort to revive a plan to repeal and replace Obamacare.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-obamacare-pence-idUSKBN1752Q2

– Ever since he seized power in a military takeover nearly four years ago, President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi of Egypt has been barred from the White House. But Trump made clear on Monday that the period of ostracism was over as he hosted Mr. Sisi and pledged unstinting support for the autocratic ruler.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/03/world/middleeast/-egypt-sisi-trump-white-house.html

– Ex-Trump adviser, Carter Page, gave energy industry documents to Russian spy, court files show.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/apr/03/trump-russia-carter-page-energy-industry-files-spy

– Trump signed into law a resolution that repealed protections requiring Internet service providers to get your permission before collecting and sharing data. Democrats and privacy advocates have argued this approach effectively hands over the customer’s personal information to the highest bidder.

http://money.cnn.com/2017/04/03/technology/internet-privacy-law-trump/index.html

– Trump and his son hype misleading reports blaming Susan Rice for alleged wiretap. Right-wing conspiracy theorist Mike Cernovich claims Obama’s national security adviser, Susan Rice, ordered the “unmasking” of Trump campaign associates ensnared in U.S. surveillance of foreign agents. It was picked up by Bloomberg’s Eli Lake and then amplified in other conservative media outlets — as vindication of the president’s claims, which have been debunked by various lawmakers, intelligence officials and federal investigators.

https://www.rawstory.com/2017/04/trump-and-his-son-hype-misleading-reports-blaming-susan-rice-for-alleged-wiretap/

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-04-03/top-obama-adviser-sought-names-of-trump-associates-in-intel

– Fox News hit with new Ailes harassment suit in wake of O’Reilly bombshell.

http://money.cnn.com/2017/04/03/media/julie-roginsky-lawsuit-fox-news-roger-ailes/index.html

– Eleven killed in suspected suicide bombing on Russian metro train.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-blast-metro-idUSKBN17519G

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/03/europe/st-petersburg-russia-explosion/index.html

April 4, 2017 Tuesday

– A chemical attack occurred in Syria and Trump blamed the Syrian regime’s “heinous actions” on the Obama administration’s “weakness and irresolution.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/activists-say-gas-attack-kills-civilians-in-syria-as-eu-leaders-discuss-reconstruction/2017/04/04/16093d24-190a-11e7-8003-f55b4c1cfae2_story.html

– Advertisers flee ‘The O’Reilly Factor’ amid sexual-harassment claims against host.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/advertisers-flee-the-oreilly-factor-amid-sexual-harassment-claims-against-host/2017/04/04/38f63464-1959-11e7-855e-4824bbb5d748_story.html

– U.S. would slash EPA vehicle testing budget under Trump plan.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-autos-environment-idUSKBN1762R4

– Trump’s senior adviser Kushner meets Iraqi PM.

http://www.aljazeera.com/video/news/2017/04/trumps-senior-adviser-kushner-meets-iraqi-pm-170404083555815.html

– Democratic Rep. Joaquin Castro predicted Tuesday that the investigations into Trump’s campaign’s ties to Russia would lead to imprisonment for some of the key players. “I wouldn’t be surprised after all of this is said and done that some people end up in jail.”

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/04/politics/joaquin-castro-cnntv-jail/

– Republicans are set to use the “nuclear option” to get Neil Gorsuch confirmed to the Supreme Court.

http://mindy-fischer-writer.com/2017/04/republicans-using-nuclear-option-win-democratic-party-base/

– North Korea test-fires missile into sea ahead of Trump-Xi summit.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-idUSKBN1762XX

– Trump officials are evaluating whether to require foreign nationals who visit the U.S. to divulge cellphone contacts and passwords for social media; new rules could potentially force visitors to supply their phones to authorities to check their contacts. Another method would require visitors to supply authorities with the passwords for online accounts so they may view both public and private interactions. Foreigners entering U.S. could be forced to hand over phones, answer questions on ideology; changes could apply to allies like France and Germany.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/327133-administration-reviewing-extreme-vetting-policies-report

https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-administration-considers-far-reaching-steps-for-extreme-vetting-1491303602

– Infowars host Alex Jones threatens Adam Schiff: “I’ll beat your goddamn ass”.

http://www.salon.com/2017/04/04/infowars-host-alex-jones-threatens-adam-schiff-ill-beat-your-goddamn-ass/

https://www.mediamatters.org/video/2017/04/04/trump-ally-alex-jones-threatens-beat-rep-adam-schiff-s-goddamn-ass-anti-gay-tirade/215903

– Politico.com reports Gorsuch plagiarized. Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch copied the structure and language used by several authors and failed to cite source material in his book and an academic article, according to documents provided to POLITICO.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/gorsuch-writings-supreme-court-236891

April 5, 2017 Wednesday

– Trump removed his chief strategist Steve Bannon from the National Security Council on Wednesday, reversing his controversial decision early this year to give a political adviser an unprecedented role in security discussions. The New York Times reported Wednesday evening that Bannon “resisted the move” and threatened to resign if the change was made. It took the intervention of billionaire Rebekah Mercer to persuade him to stay after he was ousted from the NSC saying that achieving their shared nationalistic goals was a “long-term play” and that he needed to remain. The shifting roles also restored the Joint Chiefs chairman and intelligence director roles as “regular attendees” of the Principals Committee on the NSC.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-security-idUSKBN17724S

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/327534-bannon-threatened-to-quit-if-removed-from-national-security-council

http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/04/bannon-threatens-to-quit-white-house

– House GOP mulls emergency meeting to push Obamacare repeal.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/obamacare-repeal-republican-emergency-236941

– White nationalists’ latest tactic to recruit college students: paper flyers and tape.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/05/white-nationalists-posters-college-student-recruitment

April 6, 2017 Thursday

– Senate Republicans on Thursday crushed a Democratic blockade of Trump’s U.S. Supreme Court nominee in a fierce partisan brawl, approving a rule change dubbed the “nuclear option” to allow for conservative judge Neil Gorsuch’s confirmation by Friday. Trump had encouraged Republican Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to “go nuclear.” “In 20 or 30 or 40 years, we will sadly point to today as a turning point in the history of the Senate and the Supreme Court, a day when we irrevocably moved further away from the principles our founders intended for these institutions: principles of bipartisanship, moderation and consensus,” Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer said on the Senate floor.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-gorsuch-idUSKBN17814Y

– Trump arrived in Florida to hold his first meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping, facing pressure to make good on promises for trade concessions and prevent a spiraling crisis with North Korea.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-idUSKBN17815O

– Twitter Inc said in a lawsuit on Thursday that it had received a demand from U.S. officials for records that could reveal the user behind an account opposed to Trump and that it was challenging the demand in court.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-twitter-lawsuit-idUSKBN1782PH

https://www.buzzfeed.com/chrisgeidner/twitter-sues-feds-over-attempt-to-reveal-identity-behind

– Devin Nunes steps aside from House intelligence committee’s Russia inquiry. Nunes said he would ‘temporarily’ leave the inquiry into Trump’s connections to Russia, saying that ‘leftwing activists’ had filed ethics complaints against him.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/06/devin-nunes-leaves-house-intelligence-committee-russia-inquiry-ethics-inquiry

– Trump weighing military options following chemical weapons attack in Syria. When asked if Trump would be organizing an international coalition to remove Assad, Tillerson said, “Those steps are underway.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-weighing-military-options-following-chemical-weapons-attack-in-syria/2017/04/06/0c59603a-1ae8-11e7-9887-1a5314b56a08_story.html

https://www.yahoo.com/news/tillerson-steps-way-remove-assad-power-syria-200018022.html

– The House Ethics Committee announced today that it is investigating Nunes’ actions after “allegations of unauthorized disclosures of classified information,” noting that the investigation “does not itself indicate that any violation has occurred.”

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/congress/article143054719.html

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/rep-devin-nunes-steps-russia-probe/story?id=46620555

http://www.alternet.org/news-amp-politics/devin-nunes-russia-probe

– House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) told Republicans as they departed Washington on Thursday that their recesses could be cut short if a deal is reached on legislation to repeal and replace ObamaCare.

http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/327616-gop-leader-suggests-house-could-be-called-back-from-recess-to-vote

– TRUMP LAUNCHES MILITARY STRIKE AGAINST SYRIA. US warships launched between 50-60 Tomahawk cruise missiles at a Syrian government airbase where the warplanes that carried out the chemical attacks were based, US officials said.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/06/politics/donald-trump-syria-military/index.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-weighing-military-options-following-chemical-weapons-attack-in-syria/2017/04/06/0c59603a-1ae8-11e7-9887-1a5314b56a08_story.html

– Canada Welcomes Tech Companies That Are Spooked by Trump.

http://time.com/4728289/canada-welcomes-tech-companies-spooked-trump/

April 7, 2017 Friday

– The Republican-led Senate confirmed Neil Gorsuch to the Supreme Court tilting it to the right for decades.

https://www.theguardian.com/law/2017/apr/07/senate-confirms-neil-gorsuch-supreme-court-trump

– Russia warns of “extremely serious consequences” from U.S. strike in Syria. Russian Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev charged that the U.S. strikes were one step away from clashing with Russia’s military.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-idUSKBN1782S0

– Russia is suspending a communications channel with the United States set up to avoid midair incidents between Russian and U.S. pilots in the skies over the Syria.

http://thehill.com/policy/defense/327751-russia-suspends-communication-line-with-us-meant-to-avoid-collisions-in-syria

– Truck drives into crowd in Stockholm, killing four people. Suspect arrested over incident which police are treating as act of terrorism.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/07/truck-crashes-in-central-stockholm-sweden

– Syrian military officials appeared to anticipate Thursday night’s raid on Syria’s Shayrat air base, evacuating personnel and moving equipment ahead of the strike, according to an eyewitness.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/eyewitness-syrian-military-anticipated-us-raid/story

– Syrian strikes didn’t target runway as to not effect Russians, says US military official, & Tomahawk type used was precision, not cratering. This might offer some reassurance to Assad that the air strikes were more a slap on the wrist than the beginning of a knockout blow.

https://twitter.com/CarlaBabbVOA/status/850358298918494209

https://www.csmonitor.com/World/Middle-East/2017/0407/US-strike-sends-message-to-Syria-what-it-didn-t-say

http://en.addiyar.com/article/1340877-pentagon-informed-several-countries-of-planned-targeted-missile-strikes-in-syria

https://www.state.gov/secretary/remarks/2017/04/269543.htm

– The US had provided Russia with advance information of its deadly missile strikes on Syria, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Friday.

https://sputniknews.com/world/201704071052397457-russia-kremlin-syria-strike/

April 9, 2017 Sunday

– A joint command center made up of the forces of Russian, Iran and allied militia alliance supporting Syrian President Bashar al Assad said the U.S. strike on a Syrian air base crossed “red lines” and it would now respond to any new aggression.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-allies-idUSKBN17B0K7

Asked at a press conference whether the U.S. would lead an international coalition to oust the Syrian leader, Tillerson replied that “those steps are underway.”

http://www.wfaa.com/news/world/tillerson-steps-are-underway-to-oust-syrias-assad/429294858

– Palm Sunday bombings of Egyptian Coptic churches kill 44.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-egypt-violence-idUSKBN17B06U

– As the US navy deployed a strike group towards the western Pacific Ocean, to provide a presence near the Korean peninsula, the secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, said China agreed with the Trump administration that “action has to be taken” regarding North Korea.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/09/us-navy-strike-group-north-korea-peninsula-syria-missile-strike

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/08/politics/navy-korean-peninsula/index.html

– Third Trump ally KT McFarland removed from National Security Council. Her departure follows that of Michael Flynn and Stephen Bannon.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/kt-mcfarland-national-security-council-singapore-ambassador-stephen-bannon-michael-flynn-donald-a7675361.html

April 10, 2017 Monday

– North Korea ‘ready for war’ after US navy strike team redeploys. Pyongyang cites ‘reckless moves’ by US and says it will defend the country from invasion ‘by powerful force of arms’.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/11/north-korea-ready-for-war-us-navy-redeploys

– White House warns of potential US ‘red line’ over Syria barrel bomb attacks

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/10/syria-top-of-agenda-as-g7-foreign-ministers-meet-in-italy

– Neil Gorsuch is Sworn in as Supreme Court Justice, placing a devoted conservative in the seat once occupied by Justice Antonin Scalia and handing President Trump a victory in his push to shape the court for decades to come.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/10/us/politics/neil-gorsuch-supreme-court.html

– Russia and Iran request an ‘unbiased investigation’ into Syrian chemical attack

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/syria-chemical-attack-russia-iran-joint-investigation-weapons-donald-trump-sergey-lavrov-mohammad-a7676856.html

– Russia and Iran warn US they will ‘respond with force’ if red lines crossed in Syria again.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/russia-iran-us-america-syria-red-lines-respond-with-force-aggressor-air-strikes-war-latest-a7675031.html

– Don Benton, the controversial former state senator from Vancouver who was an early Donald Trump supporter, will be nominated to head the U.S. Selective Service System.

http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation-politics/after-tension-at-epa-ex-state-sen-don-benton-to-lead-selective-service/

[Other] It’s not just Syria. Trump is ratcheting up wars across the world.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/apr/10/not-just-syria-trump-ratcheting-up-wars-world

April 11, 2017 Tuesday

– White House spokesman Sean Spicer triggered an uproar on Tuesday by saying Adolf Hitler did not use chemical weapons.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-hitler-idUSKBN17D2N9

– North Korean state media warned on Tuesday of a nuclear attack on the United States at any sign of American aggression, if provoked.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-nuclear-idUSKBN17D0A4

– The FBI obtained a secret court order last summer to monitor the communications of Carter Page saying there was probable cause to believe Page was acting as an agent of a foreign power (Russia).

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-idUSKBN17E00G

– Trump’s message to bankers: Wall Street reform rules (Dodd-Frank) may be eliminated. Trump said major banking rules put in place after the 2008 financial crisis were planned to get a “major haircut”.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-business-idUSKBN17D1ZD

April 12, 2017 Wednesday

– Russian President Vladimir Putin said trust had eroded between the United States and Russia as Moscow delivered an unusually hostile reception to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in a face-off over Syria.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-russia-idUSKBN17E1AF

– Trump administration moving quickly to build up nationwide deportation force.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-administration-moving-quickly-to-build-up-nationwide-deportation-force/2017/04/12/7a7f59c2-1f87-11e7-be2a-3a1fb24d4671_story.html

– Trump on NATO: ‘I said it was obsolete. It’s no longer obsolete.’

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/04/12/trump-on-nato-i-said-it-was-obsolete-its-no-longer-obsolete/

April 13, 2017 Thursday

– U.S. drops ‘mother of all bombs’ in Afghanistan. The United States dropped a massive GBU-43 bomb (cost $16M), also known as the “mother of all bombs,” in eastern Afghanistan on Thursday against a series of caves used by Islamic State militants, the military said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-afghanistan-bomb-idUSKBN17F27U

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/04/13/u-s-military-drops-22000-pound-bomb-on-islamic-state-forces-in-afghanistan/

http://www.deagel.com/Defensive-Weapons/GBU-43B_a000978001.aspx

– China warns against force against North Korea. With a U.S. aircraft carrier group steaming to the area and tension rising, China said military force cannot resolve tension over North Korea.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-event-idUSKBN17E2CT

– NATO deploys troops to Poland. Poland on Thursday welcomed the first U.S. troops in a multi-national force which is being posted across the Baltic region to counter potential threats from Russia.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-nato-russia-poland-idUSKBN17F290

– Improperly stored raw meat among violations found at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago. Undercooled meat, potentially dangerous raw fish and broken coolers were among 13 violations found by restaurant inspectors at Mar-a-Lago.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-maralago-idUSKBN17F23A

– Trump signed a resolution that will allow U.S. states to restrict how federal funds for contraception and reproductive health are spent, a move cheered by anti-abortion campaigners.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-abortion-idUSKBN17F2IH

– CIA director labels WikiLeaks a ‘hostile intelligence service’.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/mike-pompeo-wikileaks-hostile-intelligence-service-237206

– British intelligence passed Trump associates’ communications with Russians on to US counterparts.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/13/politics/trump-russia-british-intelligence/index.html

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/apr/13/british-spies-first-to-spot-trump-team-links-russia

– Trump signs bill that guts Title X emboldening states that try to block access to health care, particularly at Planned Parenthood health centers, which provides basic health care, including family planning, to millions of Americans every year.

http://shareblue.com/donald-trump-just-killed-family-planning-for-millions-of-americans/

– The former head of the British Secret Intelligence Service went on the record saying Donald Trump owes money to Russia, putting Trump in a compromised position that “lingers” over him as president.

http://shareblue.com/breaking-former-uk-spy-chief-says-trump-likely-owes-money-to-russia/

– Trump administration issued a final rule that will shorten the Obamacare enrollment period and give insurers more of what they say they need, likely making it harder for some consumers to purchase insurance. It could also raise out-of-pocket medical expenses, the experts said, because it gives insurers more flexibility in determining the value of their coverage.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-healthcare-rule-idUSKBN17F2RX

– Trump administration halts Obama-era rule aimed at curbing toxic wastewater from coal plants.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/04/13/trump-administration-halts-obama-era-rule-aimed-at-curbing-toxic-wastewater-from-coal-plants/

– Trump’s administration has been quietly loosening firearms restrictions in the United States after successfully seeking the support of gun owners on the campaign trail.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/white-house/article144436204.html

April 14, 2017 Friday

– China fears North Korea-US conflict ‘at any moment’. China said tension over North Korea had to be stopped from reaching an “irreversible and unmanageable stage.”

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-39600426

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-event-idUSKBN17E2CT

– Trump will keep list of White House visitors secret.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/04/14/trump-to-discontinue-obama-policy-of-voluntarily-releasing-white-house-visitor-logs/

– EPA chief Scott Pruitt calls for an ‘exit’ from the Paris climate agreement.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/04/14/trumps-epa-chief-scott-pruitt-calls-for-an-exit-to-the-paris-climate-agreement/

– Trump’s lawyers in a federal court filing argued that he cannot be sued for inciting his supporters to hurt protesters because, as the president, he is immune from civil lawsuits.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/trump-inciting-violence-protest-rally-lawsuit-237249

April 15, 2017 Saturday

– Thousands at U.S. rallies demand Trump release tax returns.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-taxes-idUSKBN17H0FW

– Right, left-wing protesters clash in Berkeley, California park.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-berkeley-protests-idUSKBN17H0LU

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/national-politics/article144817389.html

– U.S. judge puts hold on Arkansas plan for successive executions. Arkansas planned to begin the lethal injections of at least six convicted murderers on Monday and complete the executions before the end of April (totaling 8). Arkansas had scheduled the fast-paced series of executions in order to beat the expiration date on its batch of one of the three drugs used in its lethal injection cocktail.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-arkansas-execution-stay-idUSKBN17G1L4

– Former Afghan president calls decision to drop massive U.S. bomb ‘treason’.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-afghanistan-bomb-idUSKBN17F27U

– North Korea displays apparently new missiles as U.S. carrier group approaches. New missiles centre of huge parade as Kim Jong-un aide threatens ‘annihilating’ nuclear strike

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-usa-anniversary-idUSKBN17G0WU

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/north-korea-nuclear-war-weapons-tests-launch-kim-jong-un-donald-trump-parade-missiles-day-of-the-sun-a7684776.html

– Maxine Waters rallies Tax March crowd for Trump’s impeachment.

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/328979-waters-rallies-tax-march-crowd-for-trumps-impeachment

– Man accused of assaulting woman at election rally says Trump inspired him. Lawyers for veteran being sued over an altercation at a Trump campaign rally in Kentucky says he acted at the candidate’s urging.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/apr/15/trump-campaign-rally-lawsuit-assault-kentucky

– G.O.P. Bill Would Make Medical Malpractice Suits Harder to Win.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/15/us/politics/republicans-health-care-bill-medical-malpractice-suits.html

April 16, 2017 Sunday

– EPA emerges as major target after Trump solicits policy advice from industry, dramatic steps that Trump officials are likely to take in overhauling federal policies, especially those designed to advance environmental protection and safeguard worker rights.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/epa-emerges-as-major-target-after-trump-solicits-policy-advice-from-industry/2017/04/16/87a8a55a-205d-11e7-ad74-3a742a6e93a7_story.html

– ICE immigration arrests of noncriminals double under Trump.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/immigration-arrests-of-noncriminals-double-under-trump/2017/04/16/98a2f1e2-2096-11e7-be2a-3a1fb24d4671_story.html

– Trump reverses campaign pledge to label China ‘currency manipulator’ in light of North Korea

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-china-currency-manipulator-treasury-department-report-manufacturers-xi-jinping-meeting-a7686261.html

– Trump claimed that the tens of thousands of protesters that want his tax returns made public were paid; demanding an investigation into who paid them.

http://www.politicususa.com/2017/04/16/trump-bonkers-demands-investigation-protesters-tax-returns.html

– Mike Pence warns North Korea: ‘Era of strategic patience is over’; reiterates commitment to protect South Korea during visit the heavily armed border with the North.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/apr/17/mike-pence-north-korea-missile-nuclear-strategic-patience-is-over

April 17, 2017 Monday

– Trump called Turkey’s Erdogan to congratulate him on referendum win.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-turkey-election-usa-idUSKBN17J1M3

– Burying ‘Trumpomania,’ Kremlin TV says Trump scarier than North Korean leader.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-russia-trump-media-idUSKBN17J16D

– Trump’s travel policies hurting ‘U.S. brand’ and discouraging tourists, experts say.

http://money.cnn.com/2017/04/17/news/economy/trump-travel-tourism/index.html

– Trump says he has ‘exposed the total failure’ of Obama’s foreign policy.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-obama-foreign-policy-failure-tweet-syria-afghanistan-twitter-a7687331.html

April 18, 2017 Tuesday

– Trump ordered federal agencies to look at tightening a visa program used to bring high-skilled foreign workers to the United States, as he tries to carry out his campaign pledge to put “America First.”

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-visa-idUSKBN17K02U

– Asylum applications in Mexico surge after Trump election win.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-mexico-exclusive-idUSKBN17K2CE

– Congressional critics of the Department of Homeland Security should “shut up’’ and assume the agency is acting appropriately and following the law, the agency’s chief said in a combative public speech.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/dhs-secretary-kelly-says-congressional-critics-should-shut-up-or-change-laws/2017/04/18/8a2a92b6-2454-11e7-b503-9d616bd5a305_story.html

– Trump just targeted a new opponent — Canada’s dairy trade industry.

http://time.com/4745273/donald-trump-canada-dairy-trade-industry/

– World Leaders On Edge as Trump Weighs Pulling U.S. Out of Paris Climate Deal.

http://time.com/4723481/donald-trump-paris-agreement-withdraw/

– Pruitt allies explore hiring private lawyers to rewrite EPA rule to bypass the EPA employees who spent five years writing the Waters of the U.S. regulation — the kinds of career federal bureaucrats whom supporters of President Donald Trump often deride as the “deep state.”

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/pruitt-water-rules-private-lawyers-237339

– U.S. carrier not near North Korea after all despite what the president said.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/18/world/asia/aircraft-carrier-north-korea-carl-vinson.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/despite-talk-of-a-military-strike-trumps-armada-was-a-long-way-from-korea/2017/04/18/e8ef4237-e26a-4cfc-b5e9-526c3a17bd41_story.html

April 19, 2017 Wednesday

– U.S. House banking chairman unveils Dodd-Frank replacement.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-banks-doddfrank-idUSKBN17L2VE

– Putin-linked think tank drew up plan to sway 2016 U.S. election to Trump and undermine voters’ faith in the American electoral system.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-russia-election-exclusive-idUSKBN17L2N3

– The EPA said it would begin the process of shrinking its 15,000-employee workforce through buyouts, in the wake of President Trump’s executive order last month aimed at streamlining agencies throughout the federal government.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/04/19/epa-plans-to-offer-buyouts-as-part-of-trump-push-to-shrink-workforce/

– Berkeley cancels conservative firebrand Ann Coulter’s speech over fears of more violent protests.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/04/19/berkeley-cancels-ann-coulter-speech-over-fears-of-more-violent-protests/

– [Other] How Bill O’Reilly created Donald Trump.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/19/politics/bill-oreilly-fox-news-ailes/index.html

– [Other] Neurologist Diagnoses Trump With ‘Cognitive Failure’ – Mental Ability Limited.

http://bipartisanreport.com/2017/04/19/neurologist-diagnoses-trump-with-cognitive-failure-mental-ability-limited-details/

http://www.palmerreport.com/opinion/donald-trumps-mental-lapses-rapidly-worsen-as-he-keeps-calling-paul-ryan-by-wrong-name/2352/

http://www.palmerreport.com/politics/brain-specialist-doctor-believes-donald-trumps-frontal-lobe-is-failing/2354/

– The White House is gearing up for a government shutdown fight to secure money for a border wall, more immigration enforcement officers and a bigger military.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/19/donald-trump-border-security-shutdown-fight-237376

– [Other] Dan Rather: While we were distracted by O’Reilly, Trump brought us closer to World War III.

http://resistancereport.com/politics/dan-rather-oreilly/

April 20, 2017 Thursday

– White House Officials, Craving Progress, Push Revised Health Bill.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/20/us/politics/affordable-care-act-house-republicans-trump.html

– Trump launches trade probe targeting Chinese steel.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-steel-idUSKBN17M237

– U.S. Representative Jason Chaffetz, the Republican chairman of the House oversight committee, said on Thursday he has not ruled out leaving before his term finishes.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-politics-chaffetz-idUSKBN17M29S

– Rex Tillerson Warns Iran Over ‘Alarming’ Behavior in The Middle East.

http://time.com/4747912/rex-tillerson-iran-middle-east-nuclear-deal/

– Exxon seeking U.S. permission to resume oil project in Russia. With its old C.E.O. Rex Tillerson running the State Department, this should be a piece of cake.

http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/04/exxon-russia-sanctions-rex-tillerson

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/19/business/energy-environment/exxon-mobil-russia-sanctions-waiver-oil.html

– U.S. defense secretary James Mattis met with Saudi royals, American officials suggested that Washington might provide additional military and intelligence assistance to the kingdom’s fight in Yemen.

http://www.newsweek.com/yemen-civil-war-us-saudi-arabia-airstrikes-houthi-rebels-587018

– US could end visa-free travel for Europeans, Trump’s Secretary of Homeland Security says.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/us-visa-waiver-ends-european-travel-donald-trump-john-kelly-homeland-security-a7692861.html

– Trump hosts man who called for death of Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton at White House.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-ted-nugent-sarah-palin-white-house-visit-kid-rock-photo-a7693361.html

– Pentagon chief: US won’t reveal ‘mother of all bombs’ toll.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/national-politics/article145732534.html

– A divided Supreme Court has rejected appeals that would have put off the execution of Arkansas inmate Ledell Lee. New justice Neil Gorsuch voted with the majority of five to deny the stay of execution sought by Lee and the other inmates.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/national-politics/article145719289.html

– US prepares charges to seek arrest of WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/20/politics/julian-assange-wikileaks-us-charges/index.html

– UC Berkeley reverses course, re-books canceled Ann Coulter speech.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-california-coulter-idUSKBN17M1W1

– White House turns up heat on Congress to revise the Affordable Care Act.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/gop-leaders-downplay-revisions-to-health-care-bill-offered-by-house-moderate/2017/04/20/3890a8f8-25d7-11e7-bb9d-8cd6118e1409_story.html

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/20/obamacare-repeal-republicans-new-deal-237397

– Trump’s lawyers argued in a Thursday court filing that protesters “have no right” to “express dissenting views” at Trump’s campaign rallies because such protests infringed on his First Amendment rights.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/20/donald-trump-protest-rallies-speech-237431

– Palin invited Ted Nugent and Kid Rock to the White House because ‘Jesus was booked’.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/20/trump-ted-nugent-kid-rock-sarah-palin-237402

– Jeff Sessions doesn’t think a judge in Hawaii — a.k.a. ‘an island in the Pacific’ — should overrule Trump.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/04/20/jeff-sessions-doesnt-think-a-judge-in-hawaii-a-k-a-an-island-in-the-pacific-should-overrule-trump/

– FCC votes to allow some broadcasters to buy more TV stations.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/fcc-votes-allow-broadcasters-buy-165159526.html

April 21, 2017 Friday

– Sanctuary Cities Face Aid Cuts as Justice Dept. Tightens Screws. Trump administration sent letters Friday to nine jurisdictions telling them they were obligated to prove compliance.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/21/us/politics/sanctuary-city-justice-department.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-sanctuary-idUSKBN17N2JA

– California cities ready to fight Trump’s call to punish so-called ‘sanctuary cities’.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article146093959.html

– [Other] Tech firms look to Canada in light of Trump H1-B visa reform.

https://ca.finance.yahoo.com/news/tech-firms-look-canada-light-trump-h1-b-visa-reform-122513990.html

– Arkansas execution flurry marks early test for new Justice Gorsuch who casts death-penalty vote in one of his first Supreme Court cases. Gorsuch helped clear the way for Arkansas to hold its first execution in 12 years, a sign of the challenges facing other inmates seeking to block their executions next week.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/gorsuch-casts-death-penalty-vote-in-one-of-his-first-supreme-court-cases/2017/04/21/2d9bc5dc-26a8-11e7-a1b3-faff0034e2de_story.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-arkansas-execution-idUSKBN17N1IO

– Treasury Department will not grant exemptions to companies looking to drill in Russia, including Exxon Mobil, in a move aimed at showing the United States would maintain a tough stance on sanctions against Moscow.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-exxon-mobil-sanctions-russia-usa-idUSKBN17N2B5

– Trump: Marine Le Pen is ‘strongest candidate’ in French election. Trump claims he did not ‘explicitly endorse’ when appearing to support the far-right leader known for her Islamophobic and xenophobic platform.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/apr/21/donald-trump-marine-le-pen-french-presidential-election

– Trump ordered his Treasury Department to review measures put in place by the Obama administration, setting the stage for a rollback of regulations that were intended to curtail corporate tax evasion and prevent another financial crisis.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/21/us/politics/trump-order-takes-aim-at-tax-regulations-imposed-by-obama.html

– U.S. states realign in legal battle over Trump’s travel ban which faces its second challenge at a U.S. appeals court next month, and this time more Republican states are backing the measure.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-legal-idUSKBN17O00W

– Trump on US charging Julian Assange: ‘It’s OK with me’.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-julian-assange-wikileaks-response-a7696326.html

– Trump has ‘dangerous mental illness’, say psychiatry experts at Yale conference. Mental health experts say President is ‘paranoid and delusional’.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-dangerous-mental-illness-yale-psychiatrist-conference-us-president-unfit-james-gartner-a7694316.html

– Indian techies, IT firms fret as Trump orders U.S. visa review.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-india-immigration-idUSKBN17N1VA

– Transcript of AP interview with Trump.

https://apnews.com/c810d7de280a47e88848b0ac74690c83

April 22, 2017 Saturday

– March for Science draws big crowds across U.S. The marches were effectively protests against steep cuts that Trump has proposed for federal science and research budgets and his administration’s skepticism about climate change and the need to slow global warming. ‘There is no Planet B’. More than 600 marches held around the world, with organizers saying science ‘under attack’ from a White House that dismisses the threat of climate change.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/apr/22/march-for-science-earth-day-climate-change-trump

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/big-turnout-expected-for-march-for-science-in-dc/2017/04/21/67cf7f90-237f-11e7-bb9d-8cd6118e1409_story.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-earth-day-usa-march-idUSKBN17O09F

– Trump’s promised “big announcement” next week on overhauling the U.S. tax code will consist of “broad principles and priorities,” an administration official said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-tax-trump-idUSKBN17O0KY

– Trump officials delay grant for Caltrain upgrade. California officials, who had hoped the long-awaited project would mesh nicely with Trump’s call for fresh spending on the nation’s aging infrastructure but an otherwise popular initiative has become a GOP target, seen as a pet project of the former president.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/though-shovels-are-ready-trump-officials-delay-grant-for-caltrain-upgrade/2017/04/22/013ee458-160c-11e7-ada0-1489b735b3a3_story.html

– Surgeon general is removed by Trump administration, replaced by deputy for now.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2017/04/22/surgeon-general-vivek-h-murthy-removed-by-trump-administration-replaced-by-deputy-for-now/

– Trump and his top aides have been calling on Congress to take dramatic action in the coming week: vote on health care, take up tax reform and demand that Democrats agree to a stopgap spending measure that includes funding for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/ryan-promises-to-keep-government-open–and-makes-no-promises-on-health-care/2017/04/22/2f9aeaea-2769-11e7-b503-9d616bd5a305_story.html

April 23, 2017 Sunday

– (Other) North Korea says it is ready to strike U.S. aircraft carrier.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-usa-japan-idUSKBN17P01Y

– Trump, Pence allies rake in millions as new Washington lobbyists.

http://www.wgrz.com/ext/news/nation-now/trump-pence-allies-rake-in-millions-as-new-washington-lobbyists/71/nationnow/5ouEeJqVqwEIg6sc00IOGI

– Senior US officials hint that Donald Trump’s Mexican border wall could lead to government shutdown.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/mexican-us-border-wall-funding-congress-donald-trump-veto-shut-down-government-john-kelly-mick-a7697846.html

– Trump has worst poll approval rating at 100 days than any President since 1945.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-worst-approval-rating-since-1945-barack-obama-higher-foreign-policy-jobs-hillary-a7697381.html

April 24, 2017 Monday

– Trump pressed congressional Republicans to use the threat of a government shutdown to win funding for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/showdown-looms-as-trump-demands-funding-for-wall-on-us-mexico-border/2017/04/23/5e0a2840-276a-11e7-b503-9d616bd5a305_story.html

– Trump’s boastful AP interview – Some of the claims are truly remarkable, including that he may have given the greatest speech in the history of the House chamber and that a Democrat told him he’d be among the greatest presidents ever.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/04/24/trumps-bragging-boastful-ap-interview-annotated/

– U.S. college campuses have been the “hotbed of anti-Semitism,” according to researchers at Tel Aviv University. The Anti-Defamation League found that anti-Semitic incidents overall, which it says were driven by the presidential election, skyrocketed last year and in first months of 2017.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2017/04/24/the-hotbed-of-anti-semitism-isnt-a-foreign-country-but-u-s-college-campuses-report-says/

– Trump calls for new U.N. sanctions on North Korea.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-usa-idUSKBN17Q06N

– China urges ‘restraint’ amid North Korea threat to sink a U.S. aircraft carrier. Xi Jinping Urges Trump to ‘Avoid Aggravating’ North Korea.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-39695503

http://time.com/4753577/xi-jinping-donald-trump-north-korea-restraint/

– Entire U.S. Senate to go to White House for North Korea briefing. All 100 senators have been asked to the White House for the briefing by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats and General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-nuclear-usa-senate-idUSKBN17Q1LR

– U.S. Senate confirmed former Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue as secretary of agriculture.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-perdue-idUSKBN17Q2BS

– U.S. State Department website published an article this month about Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, stoking criticism from prominent ethics experts.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-resort-ethics-idUSKBN17Q2BC

– Students who invited conservative commentator Ann Coulter to speak at the University of California at Berkeley sued school officials saying their postponement of her talk was discriminatory and violated free speech rights.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-california-coulter-idUSKBN17Q22Y

– Trump to impose tariffs on Canadian softwood lumber.

http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/business-a-lobbying/330335-trump-to-impose-tariffs-on-canadian-softwood-lumber

– AP uses the word “Unintelligible” sixteen times in its interview transcript with Donald Trump.

http://www.palmerreport.com/opinion/ap-uses-the-word-unintelligible-sixteen-times-in-its-interview-transcript-with-donald-trump/2432/

– US Supreme Court clears way for rare double execution in Arkansas. Ruling came just minutes before another inmate was pronounced dead. Lethal injections will be first double execution in more than 16 years.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/apr/24/arkansas-double-executions-supreme-court-jack-jones-marcel-williams

– Trump fumes about supposedly ‘fake’ polls giving him a dismal approval rating.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-fumes-supposedly-fake-polls-giving-dismal-approval-rating-131804187.html

– Trump seeks 15 percent corporate tax rate, even if it swells the national debt. Trump has instructed advisers to propose cutting the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 15 percent, according to White House officials.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/trump-seeks-15-percent-corporate-tax-rate-even-if-it-swells-the-national-debt/2017/04/24/0c78a35c-2923-11e7-be51-b3fc6ff7faee_story.html

– Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor wrote Monday that the court is developing a “disturbing trend” of siding with police officers accused of excessive force at the expense of their alleged victims, a notion disputed by two of her colleagues.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/sotomayor-sees-disturbing-trend-of-unequal-treatment-regarding-police-alleged-victims/2017/04/24/dfe8c368-2912-11e7-b605-33413c691853_story.html

– Republicans in Congress push for religious liberty executive order asking Trump to scale back Obama-era protections for gays and lesbians in order to make good on a campaign promise to protect religious liberty.

http://www.khou.com/news/politics/national-politics/republicans-in-congress-push-for-religious-liberty-executive-order/433803421

April 25, 2017 Tuesday

– German crowd boos Ivanka Trump for calling her father a ‘champion’ for families.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/04/25/ivanka-trump-wants-to-help-female-entrepreneurs-they-say-her-dad-is-making-their-work-harder/

– Public pans Republicans’ latest approach to replacing Affordable Care Act. American public disagrees with the course that Trump and congressional Republicans are pursuing to replace the Affordable Care Actwith conservative policies, according to a new Washington Post-ABC News poll.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/public-pans-republicans-latest-approach-to-replacing-affordable-care-act/2017/04/25/25355eb0-26aa-11e7-bb9d-8cd6118e1409_story.html

– Trump signals delay on border wall funding to avoid government shutdown; tells conservative media his $1.4bn demand could be pushed to September, avoiding a spending freeze on his 100th day in office.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/apr/25/trump-signals-delay-on-border-wall-funding-to-avoid-government-shutdown

– Michael Flynn’s Russia payment likely broke disclosure laws, the leading Republican and Democrat on the House oversight committee said.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/apr/25/michael-flynn-russia-payment-house-panel-investigation

– White House refuses to hand over documents to House Oversight Committee on Michael Flynn to Trump-Russia investigation.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-russia-investigation-michael-flynn-documents-white-house-a7701921.html

– Trudeau vows to defend Canada interests as U.S. targets lumber and trade tensions between the two countries escalated, sending the Canadian dollar to a 14-month low..

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-canada-trade-idUSKBN17R1VZ

– Trump to strip all funding from State Department team promoting women’s rights around the world.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-budget-2018-state-department-cut-office-global-womens-issues-oxfam-ivanka-a7701631.html

– Trump behaviour ‘showing a lot of signs’ of dangerous mental illness, says psychiatrist.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-mental-illness-signs-yale-psychiatrist-dr-bandy-lee-dangerous-us-president-goldwater-a7700816.html

– Hannity: Liberal ‘fascism’ trying to silence every conservative voice.

http://thehill.com/homenews/media/330362-hannity-liberal-fascism-trying-to-silence-every-conservative-voice

– Sen. Richard Burr, Republican chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said in a recent interview that the U.S. and Russia are locked in a new Cold War.

http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/330439-burr-us-in-new-cold-war-with-russia

– A U.S. judge blocked Trump’s executive order that sought to withhold federal funds from so-called sanctuary cities, dealing another legal blow to the administration’s efforts to toughen immigration enforcement.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-ruling-idUSKBN17R2QO

– [Other] New Alt-Right “Fight Club” Ready for Street Violence.

https://www.splcenter.org/hatewatch/2017/04/25/new-alt-right-%E2%80%9Cfight-club%E2%80%9D-ready-street-violence

April 26, 2017 Wednesday

– Trump unveiled a one-page plan proposing deep U.S. tax cuts, many for businesses, that would make the federal deficit balloon if enacted, and would be the largest overhaul since Reagan era.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/26/us/politics/trump-tax-cut-plan.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-tax-idUSKBN17S1CE

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/apr/26/trump-tax-cuts-proposal-deductions-brackets

– Mnuchin: Trump has ‘no intention’ of releasing his tax returns.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/26/trump-no-tax-returns-steven-mnuchin-237642

– U.S. Commerce Department launched an investigation to determine whether a flood of aluminum imports from China and elsewhere was compromising U.S. national security, a step that could lead to broad import restrictions on the metal.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trade-aluminum-idUSKBN17T044

– (Pew Research) Among white evangelicals, regular churchgoers are the most supportive of Trump.

http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/04/26/among-white-evangelicals-regular-churchgoers-are-the-most-supportive-of-trump/

– Republican lawmakers launched the next round in their fight against federal regulation as the U.S. Senate began work on legislation to change nearly every step agencies take in creating and applying new rules.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-congress-regulation-idUSKBN17S33P

– The conservative House Freedom Caucus came out in support of a reworked U.S. healthcare overhaul bill. The bill would replace Obamacare’s income-based tax credit with a flat age-based credit, roll back an expansion of the Medicaid government health insurance program for the poor and repeal most Obamacare taxes. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimated 24 million fewer people would have insurance under the bill.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-healthcare-idUSKBN17S2F1

– FCC Chairman Ajit Pai proposed overturning the landmark 2015 Obama-era net neutrality rules that prohibit broadband providers from giving or selling access to certain internet services over others.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-fcc-neutrality-idUSKBN17S2I3

– Trump looks to renegotiate, not cancel NAFTA With Canada.

http://time.com/4757113/trump-nafta-renegotiate-cancel/

http://www.npr.org/2017/04/27/525918213/trump-looks-to-renegotiate-nafta-with-canada

– Trump is considering splitting up the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit after its recent rulings that have blocked two of his executive orders.

http://time.com/4756872/donald-trump-ninth-circuit-court/

– Pentagon and Trump officials sound alarm on North Korea nuclear threat, summoning all 100 senators to the White House to hear top defense officials declare that defending the U.S. from a possible nuclear attack has become a top priority.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/white-house/article147000349.html

http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/330791-senators-get-n-korea-briefing-in-rare-meeting

– Iran fires new cruise missiles amid gulf tensions with U.S.

http://www.newsweek.com/iran-military-fire-cruise-missiles-gulf-tensions-us-590462

– US conducts missile test amid growing tensions over North Korea.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-missile-test-intercontinental-ballistic-minuteman-california-donald-trump-north-korea-kim-jong-un-a7704391.html

– Nuclear attack drills staged near Manhattan as US-North Korea tensions escalate.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/new-york-nuclear-attack-drills-manhattan-north-korea-bomb-threat-trump-a7704516.html

– Watergate journalist Carl Bernstein on Trump-Russia investigation: ‘Oh my god, there’s a cover-up going on’.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-russia-investigation-cover-up-michael-flynn-carl-bernstein-a7704381.html

April 27, 2017 Thursday

– U.S. Senate confirms R. Alexander Acosta to head Labor Department, first Hispanic member of the Trump cabinet.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-congress-labor-idUSKBN17T3D1

– FCC chief unveils plan to scrap Obama-era internet rules to reverse the landmark 2015 “net neutrality” order and disclosed the agency may withdraw “bright line” rules barring internet companies from blocking, throttling or giving “fast lanes” to some websites.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-internet-fcc-idUSKBN17T34W

– Mike Flynn under formal investigation by Pentagon over payments from Russia.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/apr/27/mike-flynn-pentagon-formal-investigation-russia

– White House press secretary Spicer blames Obama for Flynn’s security clearance.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/330925-spicer-blames-obama-for-flynns-security-clearance

– Senate Minority Leader Schumer objected to a deal on passing a one-week stopgap government funding bill, citing concerns about ongoing negotiations over a larger spending agreement. Schumer said there were still unresolved “poison pill riders” being worked out on a longer spending deal that would fund the government through Sept. 30.

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/331009-schumer-blocks-one-week-stopgap-funding-bill

– Senate Democrats are exploring a lawsuit against Trump on the grounds that his vast business empire has created conflicts of interest that violate the Constitution.

http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/330996-democrats-exploring-lawsuit-against-trump

– Rep. Adam Schiff said Trump is likely to blame his predecessor Barack Obama for any shortcomings or difficulties during his time in office. “I’m confident of this, Chuck: On the last day of the Trump administration, Trump will be blaming Obama for something,” Schiff told MSNBC.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/331011-schiff-trump-will-blame-obama-during-his-entire-presidency

– Trump will abolish women’s right to abortion, warns expert US doctor. Dr Willie Parker said he expected the Trump presidency to succeed in overturning Roe v Wade.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-abortion-illegal-dr-willie-parker-planned-parenthood-roe-v-wade-pro-life-choice-neil-a7670496.html

– House Republican leaders delayed a vote on their Obamacare repeal bill until next week at the earliest, denying Trump a major legislative victory during his first 100 days in office.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/27/house-republicans-obamacare-repeal-votes-237685

April 28, 2017 Friday

– The House passed legislation to avoid a government shutdown just hours ahead of a midnight deadline. The weeklong stopgap measure easily passed. After the Senate clears the bill late Friday, lawmakers will have one week to hash out a longer-term spending package that lasts through September.

http://thehill.com/policy/finance/331058-house-passes-bill-to-avoid-shutdown

– Attorney General Sessions recuses himself from any Michael Flynn investigation. The attorney general recused himself from the Justice Department’s investigation into Russian interference in last year’s election amid reports that he had met on multiple occasions with Russia’s ambassador to the U.S. during the campaign even though he had testified during his Senate confirmation hearing that he had not interacted with Russian officials.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/28/jeff-sessions-recusal-michael-flynn-investigation-237736

– Trump picks former anti-abortion leader, Charmaine Yoest, for health and human services post

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/apr/28/trump-health-human-services-anti-abortion-charmaine-yoest

– Trump warns of ‘major, major conflict’ with North Korea, though he would prefer to solve the standoff over the country’s nuclear and missile programmes through diplomacy.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/apr/28/donald-trump-warns-of-major-major-conflict-with-north-korea

– Trump pledges fealty to NRA gun lobby.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-guns-idUSKBN17U2SX

– House and Senate approve stopgap spending measure while negotiators work to reach an agreement over a longer-term funding package.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/apr/28/government-shutdown-congress-hours-before-deadline

– Trump tells NRA: ‘I am going to come through for you’.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/apr/28/donald-trump-nra

– DeMint to be ousted from Heritage Foundation.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/28/demint-set-to-be-ousted-from-heritage-foundation-237754

– EPA scrubs website of references to Obama climate plans.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/28/epa-website-scrubbed-obama-climate-plans-237779

– North Korea test-fires ballistic missile in defiance of world pressure.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-idUSKBN17U2XB

– U.S. could speed up North Korea sanctions in response to missile test.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-usa-idUSKBN17U34D

– U.S. says time to act on North Korea, China says not up to Beijing alone.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-usa-un-tillerson-idUSKBN17U27O

April 29, 2017 Saturday

– North Korea test-fires ballistic missile in defiance of world pressure, fails for second time this month.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-idUSKBN17U2XB

– Pope warns of broad destruction if Korean tensions escalate.

http://www.wbrc.com/story/35284964/pope-warns-of-broad-destruction-if-korean-tensions-escalate

– Neo-Nazi leader: ‘Trump is controlled by the Jewish lobby’ (video).

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2017/apr/29/neo-nazi-art-jones-donald-trump-kentucky

– Armed neo-Nazis prepare for potential clash in small Kentucky town.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/apr/29/neo-nazi-rally-pikeville-kentucky-anti-fascist

– Trump appeals for loyalty as 100th day fanfare threatens to fall flat.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/apr/29/donald-trump-loyalty-day-100th-pennsylvania-rally

– Trump on Saturday marked his 100th day in office by saying he had brought “profound change” to Washington and reaffirming that “my only allegiance” is to those he governs.

http://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/Trump-to-spend-Day-100-in-office-talking-tough-on-11108412.php

– Opposition protests to counter President Trump’s 100-day rally.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/04/29/protesters-to-hold-opposition-march-as-president-trump-hosts-100-day-rally/

– Protesters marched in Washington on a second consecutive Saturday to challenge Trump’s stance on the environment and call on him to stand by policies to stop climate change championed by his predecessor.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-protest-idUSKBN17V0B7

– Environmental protesters swarm outside White House as Trump hits milestone.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-protest-idUSKBN17V0B7

– Trump says he thought being president would be easier than his old life.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-100days-idUSKBN17U0CA

– FULL TRANSCRIPT: President Donald Trump’s interview with “Face the Nation” (recorded Apr. 29)

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-interview-full-transcript-face-the-nation/

– Trump blames constitution for chaos of his first 100 days, slams ‘archaic’ US constitution that is ‘really bad’ for the country; claims the checks and balances on power woven into the US system is to blame for his problems.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/apr/29/trump-blames-constitution-for-first-100-days-chaos-presidency

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-us-constitution-archaic-really-bad-fox-news-100-days-trump-popularity-ratings-barack-a7710781.html

– Trump rallies his base on his 100th day.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/29/politics/donald-trump-100-days-rally/index.html

– Trump mocks members of the media attending the White House Correspondents’ Dinner in Washington DC during a rally in Pennsylvania.

https://www.theguardian.com/global/video/2017/apr/30/trump-trolls-white-house-correspondents-dinner-video

– Trump’s 100-day rally: president launches attack on ‘failing’ media. The speech in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania returns to familiar campaign themes and includes a dig at the ‘very boring’ White House correspondents’ dinner and repeats pledge on wall.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/apr/30/trumps-100-day-rally-president-attacks-media-and-repeats-pledge-on-wall

– ‘Bikers for Trump’ mistake non-white rally-goer for protester and physically force him out of Harrisburg 100-day rally arena.

https://www.aol.com/article/news/2017/04/30/trump-rally-goer-roughed-up-after-being-wrongly-ided-as-a-protester/22061975/

Trump’s first 100 Days: What media has said:

Wikipedia:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_100_days_of_Donald_Trump%27s_presidency

The White House:

https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/04/27/president-trumps-100-days-accountability

Washington Post:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/04/28/the-32-word-history-of-trumps-first-100-days/

Wall Street Journal:

http://www.wsj.com/livecoverage/donald-trumps-first-100-days

New York Times:

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/26/opinion/donald-trumps-first-100-days-the-worst-on-record.html

Fox News:

http://insider.foxnews.com/2017/04/27/president-trump-best-and-worst-moments-his-first-100-days

NPR:

http://www.npr.org/2017/04/27/525584236/in-trumps-first-100-days-a-dramatic-reduction-in-immigration

Reuters:

http://www.reuters.com/news/picture/first-100-days-of-trump

Guardian:

https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2017/apr/27/the-simpsons-trump-first-100-days

Politico:

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/04/26/trump-first-100-days-president-rating-accomplishments-215071

Time:

http://time.com/4748940/historians-president-trump-100-days/

Newsweek:

http://www.newsweek.com/simpsons-trump-first-100-days-us-president-590692

NBC News:

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/president-trumps-first-100-days

CBS News:

http://www.cbsnews.com/trump-first-100-days/

ABC News:

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/photos/trumps-100-days-45102963/image-47090714

CNN:

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/28/politics/donald-trump-100-days-tweets/

BBC (UK):

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39724045

The Telegraph (UK):

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/04/25/donald-trumps-achievements-failures-first-100-days-president/

CBC (Canada):

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/donald-trump-100-days-analysis-boag-1.4083673

Deutsche Welle (Germany)

http://www.dw.com/en/100-days-of-us-president-donald-trump-what-you-need-to-know/a-38605502

France 24 (France):

http://www.france24.com/en/20170425-trump-mark-first-100-days-white-house-usa-president

RT (Russia):

https://www.rt.com/shows/boom-bust/386412-donald-trump-100-days/

Global Times (China)

http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/president-trump-completes-100-days-so-did-he-keep-his-promises/story-8D8xGLYAyk5QShH3weh6KK.html

Hindustan Times (India)

http://www.hindustantimes.com/world-news/president-trump-completes-100-days-so-did-he-keep-his-promises/story-8D8xGLYAyk5QShH3weh6KK.html

South China Morning Post (Hong Kong):

http://www.scmp.com/topics/donald-trumps-first-100-days

New York Times: Our White House Reporters Recall Their Most Vivid Moments of Trump’s First 100 Days.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/28/us/politics/trump-white-house-first-100-days-new-york-times-reporters.html

Washington Post: Winners and losers from President Trump’s first 100 days.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/04/29/winners-and-losers-from-president-trumps-first-100-days/

Reuters: In first 100 days, a reversal of fortune for Trump favorites on Wall Street.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-stocks-idUSKBN17U2JN

USA Today: Diary of Trump’s first 100 days: Highlights of an unconventional presidency.

http://www.9news.com/news/politics/national-politics/diary-of-trumps-first-100-days-highlights-of-an-unconventional-presidency/435508741

Associated Press: Trump’s first 100 days: A president’s very public education.

http://globalnews.ca/news/3414161/donald-trump-100-days-u-s-presidents-very-public-education/

Fortune: Larry King on 35 Years of Knowing Donald Trump: “His Ego is Beyond Egoism”. (video)

http://fortune.com/2017/04/28/donald-trump-larry-king-anniversary-interview/

CNBC: Here’s how Trump’s stock market in the first 100 days stacks up against the rest.

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/27/heres-how-trumps-stock-market-in-the-first-100-days-stacks-up-against-the-rest.html

CNN: You know who’s had a rougher 100 days than Trump? (video)

http://www.cnn.com/videos/tv/2017/04/29/jake-tapper-puts-trumps-100-days-in-perspective.cnn

CNN: 100 days of Russia drama for the Trump White House, with no end in sight.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/28/politics/russia-investigation-congress-donald-trump/index.html

Fox News: 100 Days of Disruption: How Trump rewrote the presidential script.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/04/29/100-days-disruption-how-trump-rewrote-presidential-script.html

Guardian: 100 days of Trump: orders, tweets, leaks and military attacks. (video)

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/video/2017/apr/26/donald-trump-first-100-days-office-in-four-minutes-video

Newsweek: First 100 Days: Trump Runs Slap Bang Into the Constitution. (video)

http://www.newsweek.com/first-100-days-trump-runs-slap-bang-constitution-590787

Politifact: Tracking Donald Trump’s flip-flops in his first 100 days.

http://www.politifact.com/truth-o-meter/article/2017/apr/27/tracking-trumps-policy-reversals-his-first-100-day/

CBS News: Fact-checking Trump’s claims about his progress in first 100 days.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-first-100-days-tracker-fact-checks/

Washington Post: FACT CHECKS: 100 days of Trump claims.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/trump-claims/

Politico: Trump’s First 100 Days, Ranked. The best, the worst and everything in between.

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/04/29/trumps-first-100-days-ranked-215083

Politico: The 100 most Donald Trump quotes about his first 100 days. ‘I really just see the bigness of it all.’

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/28/trump-100-days-quotes-237770

Politico: Which campaign promises has Trump kept?

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/29/donald-trump-first-100-days-campaign-promises-237746

The Hill: Report: Trump tweeted 470 times in first 99 days.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/331314-analysis-of-trumps-tweeting-habits-behind-99-days-in-office-report

AOL News: TIMELINE Trump’s First 100 Days.

https://www.aol.com/news/trump-first-100-days/

MSNBC: 100 days of Trump = 100 days of the best late night jokes. (video)

http://www.msnbc.com/the-last-word/watch/100-days-of-trump-100-days-of-late-night-jokes-932553283888

CNET: ‘The Simpsons’ trolls President Trump with ‘100 Days’ video. (video)

https://www.cnet.com/news/the-simpsons-donald-trump-first-100-days-video/

CNN: Trump’s presidency: Cartoon views from around the world and at home.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/29/opinions/gallery/trump-100-days-cartoon-gallery/index.html

Moyers: The 100 Days That Turned America Upside Down.

http://billmoyers.com/story/100-days-turned-america-upside/

What Trump said:

“My fellow Americans, I truly believe that the first 100 days of my administration has been just about the most successful in our country’s history.”

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/331154-trump-first-100-days-just-about-the-most-successful-in-history

“In my first 100 days, I kept my promise to Americans.”

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/president-trump-in-my-first-100-days-i-kept-my-promise-to-americans/2017/04/29/ad1c9574-2cfd-11e7-a616-d7c8a68c1a66_story.html

April 30, 2017 Sunday

– Trump dominates the 101st day with tweets, tough talk about health care.

http://www.wtsp.com/news/politics/national-politics/trump-dominates-the-101st-day-with-tweets-tough-talk-about-health-care/435411500

– Trump on whether he could start war with North Korea: ‘I don’t know. I mean, we’ll see’.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-north-korea-nuclear-latest-war-a7710521.html

– South Korea said the United States had reaffirmed it would shoulder the cost of deploying the THAAD anti-missile system, days after Trump said Seoul should pay for the $1-billion battery designed to defend against North Korea.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-usa-idUSKBN17W04T

– Trump says China could have hacked Democratic emails.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-china-idUSKBN17W0N4

– McCain on pre-emptive strike on North Korea: ‘We have to consider that option’.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/30/mccain-north-korea-missiles-237803

– U.S.-led fight on ISIS has killed 352 civilians: Pentagon.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-usa-civilians-idUSKBN17W0ML

– Reince Priebus says White House is looking into change to libel laws.

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/apr/30/reince-priebus-libel-law-change-media-white-house

– Attorney General Eric Holder: Trump’s first 100 days full of ‘chaos, carnage’.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/331329-holder-trumps-first-100-days-full-of-chaos-carnage

– Neo-Nazis and anti-fascist protesters leave Kentucky after standoff.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/apr/30/neo-nazis-anti-fascist-protesters-kentucky-pikeville

– Trump invited President Rodrigo Duterte, an authoritarian leader accused of ordering extrajudicial killings of drug suspects in the Philippines, to visit him at the White House.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/30/us/politics/trump-duterte.html

– Spread of Hate Crimes Has Lawmakers Seeking Harsher Penalties.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/30/us/hate-crimes-legislation.html

– Immigrant workers at Churchill Downs fear deportation.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/immigrant-workers-fear-deportation-churchill-downs-134258304.html

– Trump guarantees protection for those with preexisting medical conditions — but it’s unclear how.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/04/30/trump-guarantees-protection-for-those-with-preexisting-medical-conditions-but-its-unclear-how/

– After a lost court battle, New Orleans protesters launch last-ditch effort to protect Confederate monuments.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/04/30/after-a-lost-court-battle-new-orleans-protesters-launch-last-ditch-effort-to-protect-confederate-monuments/

– Sebastian Gorka to leave White House. Gorka is a former Breitbart national security editor who has been outspoken on the need to confront Islamic terrorism.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/04/30/politics/gorka-leaving-white-house/index.html

(Opinion) Rick Perlstein: The Alt-Right Is Gunning for Anti-Trump Protesters.

http://www.newsweek.com/rick-perlstein-alt-right-gunning-anti-trump-protesters-590732

– FULL TRANSCRIPT: President Donald Trump’s interview with “Face the Nation” (recorded Apr. 29)

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-interview-full-transcript-face-the-nation/

– Pelosi accidentally refers to Trump as Bush: ‘I am so sorry’.

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/331283-pelosi-accidentally-refers-to-trump-as-president-bush

May 1, 2017 Monday

– Congress strikes budget deal that shortchanges Trump. The bill doesn’t include money for the border wall or block funds for ‘sanctuary cities.’

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/30/budget-deal-congress-shutdown-237822

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/05/01/whats-in-the-spending-agreement-we-read-it-so-you-dont-have-to/

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/01/us/politics/winners-and-losers-of-the-spending-deal-spoiler-alert-trump-lost.html

– After spending-bill win, Democrats confident they can block Trump agenda. By exploiting Republican divisions over spending priorities, Democrats secured nearly $5 billion in new money for domestic programs in the five-month budget deal. The lopsided victory means it will be very difficult — if not impossible — for the GOP to exert its will in future budget talks.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/after-their-spending-bill-win-democrats-confident-they-can-block-trumps-agenda/2017/05/01/5be2915e-2e97-11e7-9534-00e4656c22aa_story.html

– Trump administration scraps Michelle Obama’s health and education programs.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/01/michelle-obama-school-lunch-let-girls-learn-scrapped-trump

– GOP suffers surprise defection on Obamacare repeal. The scramble for votes is still very much on.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/01/does-gop-have-obamacare-repeal-votes-237843

– (Other) In Donald Trump, European elites see a threat that rivals Vladimir Putin. Three months into his presidency, the rest of Europe too [besides Sweden] is still deeply unsettled over this new president unlike any other, confused about whether he’s a dangerous ideologue or merely dangerously ignorant.

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/05/01/trump-europe-carl-bildt-global-politico-215087

– The White House is quietly starting to pull the plug on its shadow Cabinet of Trump loyalists who had been dispatched to federal agencies to serve as the president’s eyes and ears.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/01/trump-starts-dismantling-his-shadow-cabinet-237819

– Trump voices confusion over US history: ‘Why was there a civil war? Walks out on interview.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/01/donald-trump-civil-war-cause-andrew-jackson

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-jackson-idUSKBN17X20W

http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/05/trump-interviews-civil-war-wiretapping

– U.S. issues travel alert for Europe, citing threat of terrorist attacks.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-europe-alert-attacks-idUSKBN17X2CV

– May Day Marked With Defiant Rallies for Worker Rights Around the Globe.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-may-day-usa-protests-idUSKBN17X1H1

http://time.com/4761103/may-day-labor-day-rallies/

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/inpictures/2017/05/millions-hit-streets-worldwide-day-rallies-170501124327738.html

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p050y2s6

– Arrests made as thousands rally in US against Trump’s immigration and labor policies on May Day.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/immigrants-unions-march-us-rights-trump-47123801

– Trump says he would be ‘honored’ to meet with North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/05/01/trump-says-hed-be-honored-to-meet-with-north-korean-dictator/

– Trump keeps praising international strongmen, alarming human rights advocates. Trump appears to be buttering up totalitarian leaders with long records of human rights abuses.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-keeps-praising-international-strongmen-alarming-human-rights-advocates/2017/05/01/6848d018-2e81-11e7-9dec-764dc781686f_story.html

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/01/trump-duterte-dictators-white-house-237848

– Historians see a dark underside to Trump’s Civil War riff.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/01/trump-civil-war-237854

– Trump’s treasury secretary, Steven T. Mnuchin, told a Beverly Hills audience at the annual conference of the Milken Institute, an economic research group: ‘Thank me for your bank stocks doing better’.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/05/01/trumps-treasury-secretary-thank-me-for-your-bank-stocks-doing-better/

– Senate Republicans introduce anti-net neutrality legislation.

http://thehill.com/policy/technology/331483-republicans-introduce-anti-net-neutrality-legislation

– Historian Timothy Snyder: “It’s pretty much inevitable” that Trump will try to stage a coup and overthrow democracy.

http://www.salon.com/2017/05/01/historian-timothy-snyder-its-pretty-much-inevitable-that-trump-will-try-to-stage-a-coup-and-overthrow-democracy/

May 2, 2017 Tuesday

– Trump Says U.S. Needs Government ‘Shutdown’ in September or an immediate end to filibusters in the Senate so that he might gain more leverage in the next round of budget talks.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/02/us/politics/good-shutdown-congress-trump.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/05/02/trump-raises-prospect-of-government-shutdown-to-leverage-better-budget-for-gop-in-fall/

– (Other: morning TV): Scarborough: ‘I’m Not Saying He [Trump] Has Dementia’ But…

http://theweek.com/speedreads/696001/joe-scarborough-frets-about-trumps-mental-state-compares-mother-dementia

http://crooksandliars.com/2017/05/scarborough-im-not-saying-he-has-dementia

– Democrats save arts funding for NPR and PBS from Donald Trump.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-npr-pbs-public-arts-cuts-democrats-save-funding-budget-a7712421.html

– Trump rally altercations could add to legal woes. The rough treatment of protesters by Bikers for Trump at the president’s rally Saturday could provide fodder for lawsuits by people who had similar experiences during the campaign.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/02/trump-rally-fights-protesters-237861

– Clinton says Comey’s letter, Russian hackers cost her the election.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-clinton-idUSKBN17Y2FF

– Former Acting Attorney General Sally Yates plans to tell a Senate panel next week that she strongly warned the White House about then-national security adviser Michael Flynn weeks before he was fired.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/331640-cnn-yates-to-testify-that-she-gave-white-house-forceful-warning-on

– U.S. Senate votes to confirm Jay Clayton as SEC chairman.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-senate-sec-clayton-idUSKBN17Y2KS

– Senate intel panel to CIA headquarters for briefing on Russia probe.

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2017/05/02/politics/senate-intelligence-committee/index.html

– U.S. high school cancels Canada trip over fears students might not be let back in.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/02/washington-high-school-field-trip-canada

– FDA delays enforcement of stricter standards for e-cigarette, cigar industry.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/fda-suspends-enforcement-of-stricter-standards-for-e-cigarette-cigar-industry/2017/05/02/be7e557a-2ed6-11e7-9534-00e4656c22aa_story.html

– USDA shifts Obama-era school lunch guidelines. The Trump administration is scaling back school meal nutritional requirements set by the Obama White House in 2012, relaxing standards in three key areas: whole grains, salt and milk.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/02/health/school-lunch-changes/index.html

– Trump and Putin discuss cease-fire in Syria in first conversation since U.S. airstrikes.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/russias-putin-to-talk-with-the-leaders-of-the-west–separately/2017/05/02/d77dd446-2ecd-11e7-a335-fa0ae1940305_story.html

– Frustrated by failures, Trump now demands more power.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/04/29/trump-is-now-talking-about-consolidating-his-own-power/

– Nouriel Roubini, the man who called the 2008 financial crisis, fears Wall Street is badly underestimating the negatives lurking beneath Trump’s agenda.

http://money.cnn.com/2017/05/02/investing/roubini-dr-doom-trump-biggest-risk/index.html

– As tensions mount over Syria and North Korea, World War III again a U.S. fear.

http://www.kgw.com/ext/news/nation-now/as-tensions-mount-over-syria-and-north-korea-world-war-iii-again-a-us-fear/283/nationnow/jcv16fADCwcy4YKkUWKKC

– White House leaning toward exiting Paris climate pact.

http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/331671-white-house-leaning-toward-exiting-paris-climate-pact

– Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross calls Trump’s Syria airstrikes ‘after-dinner entertainment’.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/wilbur-ross-calls-syria-airstrike-after-dinner-entertainment-article-1.3130681

May 3, 2017 Wednesday

– The House approved a bipartisan spending deal to keep the federal government funded through September and avoid a shutdown at the end of this week.

http://thehill.com/policy/finance/331773-house-passes-spending-deal-to-avoid-shutdown

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/03/us/politics/budget-spending-government-shutdown.html

– Trump wins over two Republican holdouts in new healthcare bill push breathing new life into the embattled effort to make good on the party’s top legislative priority of the last seven years.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/03/obamacare-repeal-healthcare-reform-trump-republicans

– FBI Director James Comey appeared before the Senate Judiciary Committee. The tense, four-hour appearance exposed still-raw emotions over President Trump’s surprise victory in November. ‘Mildly Nauseous’ Over Idea He Swayed the Election.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/03/us/politics/james-comey-fbi-senate-hearing.html

http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/331809-fbi-director-to-congress-no-regrets

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/03/politics/comey-senate-hearing-highlights/index.html

– Comey’s Calculations Favored the GOP.

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-05-03/comey-s-calculations-favored-the-gop

– Susan Rice declines Senate request to testify on Russian hacking.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/03/politics/susan-rice-refuses-graham-russia-hearing/index.html

– Rex Tillerson: ‘America first’ means divorcing our policy from our values, spoke of a separation between American values and policies that support its interests, a distinction that alarmed former diplomats.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/03/rex-tillerson-america-first-speech-trump-policy

– Scott Pruitt, EPA chief, argued that using coal for electricity is necessary for the reliability of the electric grid. Pruitt and President Trump have worked on numerous fronts in recent months to push policies that help coal, mainly through working to repeal regulations that harmed the industry.

http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/331819-epa-chief-us-needs-coal-to-protect-electric-grid

– Trump Is Expected to Relax Tax Rules on Churches Taking Part in Politics.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/03/us/politics/trump-religion-executive-order-gay-rights.html

– 141 House Republicans support repealing defense budget caps.

http://thehill.com/policy/defense/331827-141-house-republicans-support-repealing-defense-budget-caps

– Code Pink activists convicted for disrupting Sessions’s confirmation hearing.

http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/331790-code-pink-activist-found-guilty-for-disrupting-sessions-confirmation

– Fed holds interest rates steady, downplays economic weakness.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-fed-idUSKBN17Z28S

– Trump was elected 176 days ago. He’s spent 68 of them talking about the election.

http://theweek.com/speedreads/696382/trump-elected-176-days-ago-hes-spent-68-talking-about-election

– House to vote Thursday on Obamacare repeal. GOP leaders are confident they have the support but acknowledge it will be very close.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/03/house-to-vote-thursday-on-obamacare-repeal-bill-237949

– GOP rushing to vote on healthcare without analysis of changes. House Republicans are once again fast-tracking consideration of their ObamaCare replacement bill without knowing the full impact of the legislation they’ll vote on.

http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/331863-gop-rushing-to-vote-on-healthcare-without-analysis-of-changes

– Groups brace for Trump’s religious liberty order that they fear will give individuals and organizations a sweeping license to discriminate against women and LGBT Americans. The ACLU and the Human Rights Campaign are already on the attack.

http://thehill.com/regulation/administration/331792-groups-brace-for-trumps-religious-liberty-order

May 4, 2017 Thursday

– U.S. Senate passes bill to fund government through September.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-budget-idUSKBN1802FI

– House banking panel passes bill to undo U.S. financial crisis rules. With support only from the panel’s Republicans, the bill approved by the House Financial Services Committee would eliminate significant parts of the Dodd-Frank financial reform law and place new restrictions on regulators monitoring Wall Street.

– Jay Clayton sworn in as chairman of the U.S. SEC.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-sec-clayton-idUSKBN1802O6

– Trump signs order to ease ban on political activity by churches, an executive order on religious liberties designed to ease a ban on political activity by churches and other tax-exempt institutions. The order also mandates regulatory relief to religious employers that object to contraception. It does not include provisions to allow government agencies and businesses to deny services to gay people in the name of religious freedom, as was feared by some civil liberties and gay rights groups.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-religion-idUSKBN18025T

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-signs-order-aimed-at-allowing-churches-to-engage-in-more-political-activity/2017/05/04/024ed7c2-30d3-11e7-9534-00e4656c22aa_story.html

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/03/politics/trump-religious-liberty-executive-order/index.html

– GOP HOUSE DISMANTLES ACA 217-213. The U.S. House of Representatives narrowly approved a bill to repeal Obamacare, handing Republican President Donald Trump a victory that could prove short-lived as the healthcare legislation heads into a likely tough battle in the Senate.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-healthcare-idUSKBN18014F

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/04/us/politics/health-care-bill-vote.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/republicans-plan-health-care-vote-on-thursday-capping-weeks-of-fits-and-starts/2017/05/03/e7dd7c28-306d-11e7-9dec-764dc781686f_story.html

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/04/politics/health-care-vote/index.html

– Trump congratulated Republican members of the House after the passage of a bill to repeal and replace major parts of the Affordable Care Act.

https://www.nytimes.com/video/us/politics/100000005080570/trump-obamacare-repeal.html

– Trump savors health care win: ‘Hey, I’m president’.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/04/trump-health-care-win-238005

– State Dept. seeks tougher visa scrutiny, including social media checks.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-visa-idUSKBN18020A

– Senate GOP to Snub House Obamacare Repeal Bill and Write Its Own. The decision will likely delay even further the prospect of any repeal bill reaching Trump’s desk.

https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-05-04/senate-gop-plans-own-obamacare-repeal-bill-after-house-action

– [Bloomberg Editorial Board] The Shame of the House. Nothing can redeem the Republicans’ health-insurance legislation.

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-05-04/the-shame-of-the-house-health-care-vote

– American Medical Association condemns House healthcare bill passage.

http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/331966-american-medical-association-condemns-house-healthcare-bill-passage

– Senators face lobbying onslaught from liberals, health care groups.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/congress/article148726669.html

– FBI Director Comey and NSA chief brief House panel amid Russia probe.

http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/332002-comey-rogers-brief-house-intelligence-committee

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/national-security/article148719984.html

– The U. S. will shoot itself in the foot if it quits the Paris climate accord because China, India and Europe will snap up the best power sector jobs in future, U.N. Environment chief Erik Solheim said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-climatechange-un-idUSKBN1802H3

– Secretary of State Tillerson urges ASEAN to cut North Korea funding, minimize ties.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-asean-northkorea-idUSKBN1802EI

– Protesters turn out for Trump’s New York return. President forced to make a quick getaway after his first visit home since winning the White House.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/332027-protesters-turn-out-for-trumps-new-york-return

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/05/hes-an-embarrassment-hostile-welcome-for-trump-on-return-to-new-york

– Trump’s malignant narcissism is toxic: Psychologist.

https://www.intellinews.org/united-states/usa-today/2017/05/04/trumps-malignant-narcissism-is-toxic-psychologist/

May 5, 2017 Friday

– Republican healthcare bill heads to Senate, where it may undergo drastic changes.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/05/republicans-house-healthcare-bill-senate

– Trump-Russia investigation reignites as Senate asks aides to hand over notes – Carter Page, Roger Stone and others.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/05/trump-russia-investigation-senate-carter-page

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/05/us/politics/senate-russia-trump-associates.html

– Planned Parenthood head: ‘Being a woman is now a pre-existing condition’.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/05/planned-parenthood-healthcare-bill-devastating-women-cecile-richards

– Trump rejoices: ‘We will have truly great healthcare!’ Trump touted House Republicans’ “very exciting” win, while predicting a bright future for American health care.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/05/obamacare-repeal-bill-passes-trump-tweet-response-238029

– Trump to stay in N.J. to avoid causing ‘big disruption’ in NYC. “Rather than causing a big disruption in N.Y.C., I will be working out of my home in Bedminster, N.J. this weekend. Also saves country money!,” Trump tweeted.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/05/trump-stay-in-new-jersey-tweet-238030

– North Korea accuses CIA of biochemical plot to kill Kim Jong-un.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/05/north-korea-accuses-cia-biochemical-plot-kill-kim-jong-un

– Saudi Arabia, U.S. in talks for billions in arms sales.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-saudi-arms-exclusive-idUSKBN18124K

– FCC chairman wants to cut regulations, speed new innovation approvals.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-fcc-idUSKBN181273

– Poll: Most federal employees disapprove of Trump.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/332125-poll-most-federal-employees-disapprove-of-trump

– Canada studying ban on U.S. coal exports from Pacific ports. Trudeau revealed the news in a letter to British Columbia premier Christy Clark, who asked him last month for the ban in response to fresh U.S. tariffs on Canadian exports of lumber.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trade-canada-coal-idUSKBN18125U

– S&P 500 hits record on rebound in U.S. job growth, energy shares.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-stocks-idUSKBN18118G

– Make Pregnancy Expensive Again: A Woman’s Guide to the New Health Bill.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-05/make-pregnancy-expensive-again-a-woman-s-guide-to-the-new-health-bill

– U.S. Bluntly Rebuffs Queries on Climate. The Trump administration, responding to skepticism about its commitment to the Paris climate accord from China and other countries, bluntly told them that it is putting American jobs first.

https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-05-05/u-s-bluntly-rebuffs-queries-from-china-u-k-on-climate-change

– White House fires its chief usher — the first woman in that job.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/05/05/white-house-fires-its-chief-usher-the-first-woman-in-that-job/

– FDA denies memo saying it only allows Fox News on TVs.

http://thehill.com/homenews/media/332133-fda-denies-memo-saying-it-only-allows-fox-news-on-tvs

– Mark Green withdraws his nomination for Army secretary. The decision by Green, Trump’s second pick for the post, came after his nomination ran into trouble following a backlash after past controversial statements on LGBT issues, Islam and evolution were revealed.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/05/politics/mark-green-army-secretary-withdrawal/index.html

– Amid opioid epidemic, White House may cut drug control office budget.

http://www.9news.com/news/politics/national-politics/amid-opioid-epidemic-white-house-may-cut-drug-control-office-budget/437214011

– States That Voted for Trump May Have the Most to Lose Under House Health Care Bill.

http://time.com/4769170/congress-ahca-trump-voters/

– Senate Intelligence Committee Russia investigators issue veiled subpoena threat to Carter Page.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/05/senate-subpoena-threat-carter-page-238038

– Pentagon to lease privately owned Trump Tower apartment for nuclear ‘football’.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-pentagon-trumptower-idUSKBN1812B5

May 6, 2017 Saturday

– Trump suggests financing for historically black colleges may be unconstitutional.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/05/trump-historically-black-colleges-financing-unconstitutional-238061

– Chicago mayor Emanuel posts EPA’s deleted climate change page.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/06/chicago-mayor-rahm-emanuel-posts-epa-deleted-climate-change-page-238067

– Commerce secretary warns Canada against ‘retaliatory action’ on lumber tariff.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/06/canadian-softwood-lumber-tariffs-wilbur-ross-retaliatory-action-238072

– U.S. far-right activists, WikiLeaks and bots help amplify Macron leaks: researchers.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-election-cyber-idUSKBN1820QO

– U.S. Far-Right Activists Promote Hacking Attack Against Macron.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/06/world/europe/emmanuel-macron-hack-french-election-marine-le-pen.html

– Kushner family in Beijing: ‘Invest $500,000 and immigrate’ to US. The Kushner family hopes to lure investments from wealthy business owners in China with the promise of American visas.

http://money.cnn.com/2017/05/06/news/jared-kushner-nicole-family-event/index.html

– GOP Congressman Raul Labrador: ‘Nobody Dies Because They Don’t Have Access to Health Care’.

http://time.com/4769830/raul-labrador-gop-congressman-nobody-dies-health-care/

– Warren Buffett, at Berkshire Meeting, Condemns Republican Health Care Bill.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/06/business/dealbook/warren-buffett-berkshire-health-care.html

– Trump former aide Carter Page refuses to provide Russia contacts to Senate.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-carter-page-russia-contacts-senate-refuse-putin-latest-a7721651.html

– Michelle Obama responds with class to reports Trump may abolish her flagship education policy for girls.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/michelle-obama-trump-response-let-girls-learn-policy-white-house-attack-a7720611.html

May 7, 2017 Sunday

– Reporters barred from Kushner Companies’ visa-for-investment event in China.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-kushner-idUSKBN1830E7

– Jared Kushner’s Sister Woos Chinese Investors With Much-Criticized U.S. Visa Program.

http://time.com/4769960/jared-kushner-sister-visa-chinese-investors/

– Trump and Kushner exploitation of presidency ‘unlike anything we have ever seen before’, Obama’s ethics lawyer says.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-and-jared-kushners-exploitation-of-presidency-unlike-anything-we-have-ever-seen-before-a7722996.html

– Price defends cutting nearly $1 trillion from Medicaid.

https://sg.finance.yahoo.com/news/hhs-secy-1t-proposed-medicaid-cuts-gives-states-141024827–politics.html

– Tempers Flare Over Removal of Confederate Statues in New Orleans.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/07/us/new-orleans-monuments.html

– Eric Trump said family golf courses attracted Russian funding, author claims.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/07/trump-family-golf-courses-russia-funding-author-claims

– Trump tries to pressure Senate Republicans on health care.

http://www.sfgate.com/news/medical/article/HHS-sec-y-1T-proposed-Medicaid-cuts-gives-11127611.php

– As some Republicans rush to defend House health bill, Senate GOP warily pauses.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/as-some-republicans-rush-to-defend-house-health-bill-senate-gop-warily-pauses/2017/05/07/47cde200-3346-11e7-b412-62beef8121f7_story.html

– The government wants Julian Assange in jail.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/the-government-wants-julian-assange-in-jail-thats-bad-for-the-rest-of-us/2017/05/05/c8e153dc-3197-11e7-8674-437ddb6e813e_story.html

– If Shutdown Needed to Fix Washington, ‘So Be It,’ Mulvaney Says.

https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-05-07/if-shutdown-needed-to-fix-washington-so-be-it-mulvaney-says

– White House health care victory short-lived as Russia probe looms.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/07/trump-health-care-russia-238086

– GOP onslaught on Obama’s ‘midnight rules’ comes to an end. Republicans are about to end a special period for killing Obama-era rules with an impressive array of trophy heads for their wall.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/07/obama-regulations-gop-midnight-rules-238051

– Texas Republican governor signs into law bill to punish ‘sanctuary cities‘.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-texas-idUSKBN18402L

– Obama voices ‘fervent hope’ Congress will tread carefully on healthcare.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-obama-idUSKBN1830KX

– EPA dismisses half of its scientific advisers on key board, citing ‘clean break’ with Obama administration.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/05/07/epa-dismisses-half-of-its-scientific-advisers-on-key-board-citing-clean-break-with-obama-administration/

May 8, 2017 Monday

– Left launching blitz against Republicans who backed Obamacare repeal.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/08/liberals-obamacare-repeal-238089

– Anti-protest bills would ‘attack right to speak out’ under Donald Trump. The ACLU says more than 30 bills have been introduced amid a huge swell of activism, prompting UN intervention over criminalization of peaceful protest.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/08/donald-trump-anti-protest-bills

– EPA removes half of scientific board, seeking industry-aligned replacements.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/08/epa-board-scientific-scott-pruitt-climate-change

– Obama warned Trump against Flynn as national security adviser: ex-official.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-flynn-idUSKBN1841UO

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/08/politics/obama-trump-michael-flynn/index.html

– Trump administration seeks to convince judges to revive travel ban.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-court-idUSKBN1840ZU

– A Global Trump Movement? France Election Signals No.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/08/world/europe/trump-macron-france.html

– Domestic violence hotline: Immigration-linked calls increase. The nation’s most prominent domestic violence hotline reports a sharp increase in calls from abuse victims struggling with issues related to their immigration status.

http://www.live5news.com/story/35370439/domestic-violence-hotline-immigration-linked-calls-increase

– Hedge fund mogul Robert Mercer sued by hedge fund worker fired after blasting Trump.

https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-05-08/trump-backer-mercer-sued-by-employee-fired-after-speaking-out

– McCain hammers Tillerson in NYT op-ed. Sen. John McCain slammed Secretary of State Rex Tillerson in a New York Times op-ed published Monday morning, accusing the nation’s chief diplomat of adopting a foreign policy that abandons both U.S. values and victims of oppression around the world.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/08/john-mccain-rex-tillerson-new-york-times-op-ed-238107

– International climate negotiators stare into a looming American void.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/08/climate-negotiators-paris-agreement-trump-238117

– Senate judiciary committee questions former DNI director James Clapper and former Acting AG Sally Yates. Yates says she told White House that Michael Flynn was ‘compromised’. Clapper said Russia Is ‘Emboldened’ to Interfere in Elections After 2016.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/yates-set-to-testify-about-white-house-meeting/2017/05/08/ade2ca2c-33f7-11e7-b4ee-434b6d506b37_story.html

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/08/sally-yates-trump-russia-michael-flynn-blackmail-compromised

http://time.com/4771349/sally-yates-michael-flynn-white-house/

https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-05-08/yates-says-she-warned-white-house-flynn-was-at-risk-of-blackmail

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/08/politics/sally-yates-senate-testimony/index.html

– Trump slams Yates hearing: ‘Nothing but old news’.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/08/trump-sally-yates-hearing-238133

– Trump: Russia collusion story ‘a total hoax’.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/332458-trump-russia-collusion-story-a-total-hoax

– Condoleezza Rice chides Trump for criticism of judges, media.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-rice-idUSKBN18427E

– FCC website hit by attacks after ‘net neutrality’ proposal.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-fcc-idUSKBN18428T

– Divided Senate Republicans Turn to Health Care With a Rough Road Ahead; Form All-Male Panel on Health Bill.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/08/us/politics/women-health-care-senate.html

May 9, 2017 Tuesday

– Trump’s remarks about Muslims could be what ends the travel ban, testimony suggests. Federal appeals judges cites comments Trump made on the campaign trail.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/08/trump-travel-ban-appeals-court-hearing

– House Republicans face fiery town halls following healthcare vote.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/09/house-republicans-healthcare-bill-town-halls-activists

– U.S. Republican Senator Graham to examine Trump’s business deals.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-graham-idUSKBN1851TV

– How the White House Explains Waiting 18 Days to Fire Michael Flynn.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/09/us/politics/michael-flynn-russia.html

– Comey misstated key Clinton email evidence at hearing, say people close to investigation.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/comey-misstated-key-clinton-email-evidence-at-hearing-say-people-close-to-investigation/2017/05/09/074c1c7e-34bd-11e7-b373-418f6849a004_story.html

– How Trump Won: White Working Class Voters Motivated by Fear of Immigrants Not Economic Woes.

http://www.newsweek.com/trump-voters-immigration-working-class-605930

– (Opinion) The GOP’s health-care fantasy is a libertarian delusion.

http://theweek.com/articles/697336/gops-healthcare-fantasy-libertarian-delusion

– More than 20 US states have cracked down on protests since Donald Trump’s election.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-states-ban-protests-donald-trump-election-more-than-20-arkansas-georgia-iowa-a7725946.html

– Who has Trump’s ear? Often rich, white, Republican men.

http://www.politico.com/interactives/2017/trump-white-house-visitor-logs-and-records/index.html

– Senate GOP invites female senator to healthcare group after criticism.

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/332536-senate-gop-invites-female-senator-to-healthcare-working-group

– Texas AG sues ‘sanctuary cities’ after state law signed.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2017/05/09/Texas-AG-sues-sanctuary-cities-after-state-law-signed/9591494342028/

– U.S. Census director resigns amid turmoil over funding of 2020 count.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/social-issues/us-census-director-resigns-amid-turmoil-over-funding-of-2020-count/2017/05/09/8f8657c6-34ea-11e7-b412-62beef8121f7_story.html

– Burr threatens subpoenas if Trump aides ignore his deadlines.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/09/richard-burr-subpoenas-trump-238173

– Reporter arrested after repeatedly questioning Health secretary Tom Price.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/332675-reporter-arrested-for-asking-hhs-secretary-price-healthcare-questions

– All of Trump’s campaign statements just vanished from his website. So let’s remember them.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/05/09/all-of-trumps-campaign-statements-just-vanished-from-his-website-so-lets-remember-them/

GRAND JURY SUBPOENAS ISSUED in FBI’s Russia investigation. Flynn associates subpoenaed in Russia probe.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/09/politics/grand-jury-fbi-russia/index.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-flynn-idUSKBN18607N

http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/fbi/332670-grand-jury-subpoenas-issued-in-fbi-russia-probe-report

– FBI DIRECTOR COMEY FIRED BY TRUMP HOURS AFTER SUBPOENAS WERE ISSUED

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39866170

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-comey-idUSKBN1852MV

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/09/politics/james-comey-fbi-trump-white-out/index.html

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/09/james-comey-fbi-fired-donald-trump

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/09/us/politics/james-comey-fired-fbi.html

– (Opinion) In Trump’s Firing of James Comey, Echoes of Watergate.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/09/us/politics/trump-fbi-investigation-nixon.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/09/opinion/donald-trumps-firing-of-james-comey.html

– (Opinion) James Comey’s firing won’t end election controversy over Russia.

http://chicago.suntimes.com/politics/analysis-james-comeys-firing-wont-end-election-controversy-over-russia/

– (Opinion) Trump firing Comey demands fuller explanation. The timing feeds suspicions that Comey’s firing is really an effort to disrupt or derail the FBI’s investigation into the Russian connection.

http://www.clarionledger.com/story/opinion/editorials/2017/05/10/other-view-trump-firing-comey-demands-full-explanation/101509628/

– (Opinion) Comey Firing Poses Toughest Test Yet for Senate’s Russia Probe.

https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-05-10/comey-firing-poses-toughest-test-yet-for-senate-s-russia-probe

– (Opinion) Donald Trump’s Firing of James Comey Is an Attack on American Democracy.

http://www.newyorker.com/news/john-cassidy/donald-trump-james-comey-attack-american-democracy

– White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said that it was “time to move on” from the investigations into ties between Trump campaign officials and Russia, hours after the president fired FBI Director James Comey.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/332669-white-house-spokesperson-time-to-move-on-from-russia-probes

– Comey learned he was fired from TV, thought it was prank.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/332662-comey-learned-he-was-fired-from-tv-reports

– Schumer calls for special prosecutor, suggests cover-up.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/09/comey-firing-congress-reaction-238180

– Scarborough to GOP: ‘Stand the hell up’ to Trump.

http://thehill.com/homenews/media/332664-scarborough-to-gop-stand-the-hell-up-to-trump

– Dems ask Justice Dept, FBI to ‘preserve any and all files’ on Comey firing.

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/332679-dem-lawmakers-ask-justice-dept-fbi-to-preserve-any-and-all-files-related-to

– FBI in turmoil over Comey firing, scramble on for new chief.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-comey-succession-idUSKBN18606G

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/09/omey-firing-fbi-tears-238190

– Timeline: How the Comey saga played out at the FBI.

http://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/332665-timeline-how-the-comey-saga-played-out-at-the-fbi

– Commentators mostly agree: Firing Comey was positively Nixonian.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/commentators-mostly-agree-firing-comey-positively-nixonian-014845404.html

May 10, 2017 Wednesday

– Trump Defends Comey Firing In Early-Morning Tweetstorm.

http://talkingpointsmemo.com/livewire/trump-tweets-comey-firing

– In Trump’s Twitter feed, Comey news is good news

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/10/politics/trump-twitter-comey-trnd/index.html

– Capitol Hill was roiled by the aftershocks of President Trump’s firing of FBI Director James B. Comey.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/after-comeys-ouster-democrats-press-for-independent-probe-of-russias-meddling-in-election/2017/05/10/88c45624-3529-11e7-b373-418f6849a004_story.html

– Pence: Comey’s firing wasn’t due to Russia probe.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/10/politics/mike-pence-james-comey/index.html

– McConnell: ‘Too much is at stake’ for new investigation after Comey firing.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/10/politics/congress-james-comey/index.html

– Comey’s ouster raises questions about Russia probe.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/comey-misstated-key-clinton-email-evidence-at-hearing-say-people-close-to-investigation/2017/05/09/074c1c7e-34bd-11e7-b373-418f6849a004_story.html

– The Comey firing is already backfiring on Trump. It’s only going to get worse.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/daily-202/2017/05/10/daily-202-firing-fbi-director-comey-is-already-backfiring-on-trump-it-s-only-going-to-get-worse/5912635de9b69b209cf2b7fb/

– (Opinion) No, Firing Comey Won’t Prove Trump’s Undoing. The president has wormed his way out of far worse jams.

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/05/10/no-firing-comey-wont-prove-trumps-undoing-215122

– (Opinion) Michael R. Bloomberg: After Comey, Justice Must Be Served.

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-05-10/after-comey-justice-must-be-served

– What Wall Street Is Saying About FBI Director Comey’s Ouster.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-10/what-wall-street-is-saying-about-fbi-director-comey-s-ouster

– Graduates at Florida university turn backs in protest of DeVos speech.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-education-devos-idUSKBN18625L

– U.S. government posts $182 billion surplus in April confounding market expectations for a deficit.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-economy-budget-idUSKBN1862KV

– Bid to revoke Obama methane rule fails in surprise U.S. Senate vote.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-congress-idUSKBN18620F

– Trump meets Russia foreign minister amid Comey controversy.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-russia-idUSKBN1861V4

– Trump Bars U.S. Press, but Not Russia’s, at Meeting With Russian Officials.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/10/us/politics/trump-russia-meeting-american-reporters-blocked.html

– Senate Intelligence Committee subpoenas documents from Michael Flynn in Russia probe – the first subpoena the committee has announced in its Russia investigation. The subpoena comes after Flynn’s lawyer, Robert Kelner, alerted the panel that he would not provide documents in response to their April 28 request.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/senate-intelligence-committee-subpoenas-documents-from-flynn-in-russia-probe/2017/05/10/d8153e8a-35d0-11e7-b4ee-434b6d506b37_story.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-flynn-idUSKBN186309

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/10/politics/flynn-subpoena/index.html

– Paul Ryan rejects calls for special prosecutor in Russia investigation.

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/332868-paul-ryan-rejects-calls-for-special-prosecutor-in-russia-investigation

– The Department of Homeland Security will reportedly ban laptops on all inbound flights from Europe.

http://thehill.com/policy/transportation/332822-us-to-ban-laptops-on-all-inbound-flights-from-europe-report

– Comey called Trump ‘crazy’ after Obama wiretapping claims.

http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/fbi/332882-comey-called-trump-crazy-report

– Wyden Announces Hold On Treasury Nominee Until Administration Produces Documents on Russian Dealings With Trump Associates.

https://www.wyden.senate.gov/news/press-releases/wyden-announces-hold-on-treasury-nominee-until-administration-produces-documents-on-russian-dealings-with-trump-associates-

– Here’s the presidential order of succession — just in case.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/presidential-order-succession-case-article-1.2973129

May 11, 2017 Thursday

– Trump admits asking Comey if he was under investigation for ties to Russia, contradicting previous statements on his decision to fire him.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/11/donald-trump-james-comey-firing-russia-investigation

– Trump says he was going to fire ‘showboat’ Comey regardless of recommendation.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-says-fbi-director-comey-told-him-three-times-he-wasnt-under-investigation-once-in-a-phone-call-initiated-by-the-president/2017/05/11/2b384c9a-3669-11e7-b4ee-434b6d506b37_story.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/11/us/politics/trump-comey-showboat-fbi.html

– Acting F.B.I. Chief Contradicts White House on Russia and Comey.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/11/us/politics/andrew-mccabe-fbi-chief-russia-trump.html

– (Opinion) President Trump just decimated the White House’s entire Comey narrative. In one fell swoop, Trump totally contradicted his three top spokespeople and offered a polar-opposite version of events than they had provided.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/05/11/president-trump-just-decimated-the-white-houses-entire-comey-narrative/

– Republican Strategy Firm in Maryland Raided by FBI.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-11/republican-fundraising-firm-in-maryland-raided-by-fbi-reports

– FBI agents change their Facebook profile photos to James Comey – a gesture normally reserved for slain colleagues.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/fbi-agents-james-comey-change-profile-photos-a7730496.html

– Attorneys general from 19 states and the District of Columbia are calling for a special prosecutor to be appointed to investigate Russian influence on the 2016 presidential election.

http://www.newsweek.com/20-attorneys-general-call-special-prosecutor-russian-election-interference-607752

– The Feds have ‘Trump tapes’ akin to Nixon’s ‘Watergate tapes’.

http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/the-administration/332939-the-feds-have-trump-tapes-akin-to-nixons-watergate

– Senate Democrats demand answers from Rod Rosenstein about involvement in Comey firing.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/05/11/schumer-to-rod-rosenstein-your-reputation-is-at-risk-is-it-true-you-threatened-to-quit/

– Trump signed an executive order launching a commission to review alleged voter fraud and voter suppression, building upon his unsubstantiated claims that millions of people voted illegally in the 2016 election.

http://time.com/4776675/donald-trump-voter-fraud-commission-executive-order/

http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/trump-creates-panel-investigate-voter-fraud/

– Texas seeks unprecedented federal money to defund Planned Parenthood.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/11/texas-federal-financing-defund-planned-parenthood-healthcare

– U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson signed an agreement recognizing the landmark Paris climate accord at a meeting of Arctic nations in Alaska on Thursday, but said President Donald Trump was not rushing to decide whether to leave or weaken U.S. commitments to the pact.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-arctic-summit-idUSKBN1870FT

– More Price Hikes Likely for Government Insurance Markets.

http://yanoonews.com/trending/more-price-hikes-likely-for-government-insurance-markets.DAsBVwcKW1QGVVYMVAVWVgMHWARRWgNW.html

– ICE announces major anti-gang operation, mostly US citizens arrested.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/11/politics/ice-gang-arrests-operation/index.html

– New Orleans removes Confederate monument under cover of darkness after receiving death threats.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/new-orleans-removes-confederate-statues-monuments-a7731216.html

– Hawaiians warned not to travel to Texas because of controversial immigration law. Some say the new law is akin to racial profiling

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/hawaii-texas-warning-aclu-police-documents-check-a7730671.html

– Muslim family racially abused by Trump supporter on Texas beach.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/muslim-family-beach-abuse-video-trump-supporter-racism-a7730911.html

– The Trump Administration was ordered by a federal judge to disclose a memo drafted under the guidance of former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani that allegedly served as an outline to make the president’s travel ban look like it wasn’t aimed at Muslims.

https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-05-11/trump-ordered-to-turn-over-giuliani-memo-in-travel-ban-suit

May 12, 2017 Friday

– Trump warns ousted FBI chief not to leak to media, threatens ‘tapes’, suggesting there might be tapes of conversations between the two men that could contradict his account.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-fbi-idUSKBN1881YJ

– In private meeting just after Trump took office, Trump demanded Comey’s loyalty. Comey demurred.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/11/us/politics/trump-comey-firing.html

– (Opinion) American Fascism, in 1944 and Today. “And in my view, he [vice president Henry A. Wallace] predicted President Trump.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/12/opinion/american-fascism-trump.html

– Dems escalate talk of Trump impeachment.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/12/trump-impeachment-democrats-rhetoric-238307

– In blow to Trump, GE backs NAFTA and plans growth in Mexico.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trade-mexico-ge-idUSKBN18829I

– HUGE CYBER-ATTACKS reported WORLDWIDE.

http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-39901382

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-security-hospitals-idUSKBN18820S

https://www.cnet.com/news/england-hospitals-hit-by-ransomware-attack-in-widespread-hack/

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-security-hospitals-ransomware-idUSKBN1882O2

– Kremlin says may retaliate against U.S. over expulsion of Russian diplomats.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-usa-idUSKBN1881SV

– ‘What is wrong with you?’ Michelle Obama savages Trump’s gutting of her legacy.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/12/michelle-obama-trump-school-lunches-childhood-obesity

– Attorney general calls for prosecutors to ‘charge and pursue the most serious, readily provable offense’, in a major reversal of Obama-era policies.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/12/jeff-sessions-prison-sentences-obama-criminal-justice

– (Opinion) The Dakota pipeline is already leaking. Why wait for a big spill to act?

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/may/12/dakota-access-pipeline-leaking-big-spill

– Two scientists resign from EPA roles in protest at Donald Trump’s climate change stance.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/epa-scientists-resign-trump-climate-change-protest-a7733601.html

– One Republican’s ‘shameful’ plan to save money: Turn 82,000 non-English-speaking kids over to ICE.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/05/11/one-gop-lawmakers-plan-to-save-money-turning-non-english-speaking-kids-over-to-ice/

– Trump Doubles Down on Idea of Ending White House Press Briefings.

http://time.com/4777982/donald-trump-end-press-briefings/

– James Comey Declines to Testify Before Senate Intelligence Committee.

http://time.com/4778010/james-comey-testify-senate-intelligence-committee/

– Schiff demands Trump turn over Comey ‘tapes’.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/12/adam-schiff-donald-trump-comey-tapes-238321

– WikiLeaks Offers $100K Reward for Trump-Comey ‘Tapes’.

http://www.newsweek.com/trump-comey-tapes-wikileaks-reward-608568

– The Trump Tapes: What We Know.

http://www.newsweek.com/comey-donald-trump-tapes-tweets-russia-surveillance-fbi-obama-608361

– White House won’t say if Trump secretly recorded Comey.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/white-house-wont-say-trump-secretly-recorded-comey-182652479.html

– Amid FBI fallout, Trump escalates war against media and Comey.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/12/donald-trump-war-against-james-comey-media-twitter-238313

– ‘Looking Like a Liar or a Fool’: What It Means to Work for Trump.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/12/us/politics/trump-sean-spicer-sarah-huckabee-sanders.html

– Senate panel investigating Russia outraged by Comey firing.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/12/senate-trump-russia-probe-comey-firing-238340

– Trump lawyers: Tax returns show no income, debt tied to Russia ‘with a few exceptions’.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/12/donald-trump-tax-returns-russia-lawyers-238322

– Sinclair Requires TV Stations to Air Segments That Tilt to the Right.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/12/business/media/sinclair-broadcast-komo-conservative-media.html

May 13, 2017 Saturday

– Trump pledges to move quickly to name new FBI director.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-fbi-idUSKBN1881YJ

– Comey, chaos … crisis? Trump enters new territory after most explosive week yet.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/13/donald-trump-james-comey-fbi-explosive-week

– Trump at Liberty University commencement: ‘In America, we don’t worship government; we worship God’.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/05/13/trump-at-liberty-university-commencement-in-america-we-dont-worship-government-we-worship-god/

– Senate’s Russia investigation is moving faster than its Watergate counterpart 44 years ago.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/believe-it-or-not-senates-russia-investigation-is-moving-faster-than-its-watergate-counterpart-44-years-ago/2017/05/13/8e3f8bcc-3746-11e7-b4ee-434b6d506b37_story.html

– (Opinion) Trump must be impeached. Here’s why.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trump-must-be-impeached-heres-why/2017/05/13/82ce2ea4-374d-11e7-b4ee-434b6d506b37_story.html

– Judge orders government to turn over documents from Rudy Giuliani on travel ban.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/05/13/judge-orders-government-to-turn-over-documents-from-rudy-giuliani-on-travel-ban/

– Ex-Justice Department officials call for independent counsel in Russia probe.

http://www.kvue.com/ext/news/nation-now/exjustice-department-officials-call-for-independent-counsel-in-russia-probe/269/nationnow/9t9S37xBVCoe2aowuKCEU

– Trump Impeachment Inevitable, Historian Says.

http://www.newsweek.com/trump-impeached-comey-fired-fbi-608708

– North Korea fires missile: South Korea military.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-idUSKBN1890UO

– U.S. fails to reassure Europe, Japan over ‘Trumponomics’.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-g7-usa-mnuchin-idUSKBN1890FP

– NHS ‘robust’ after cyber-attack.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-39909441

– Ransomware attack reveals breakdown in US intelligence protocols, expert says.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/may/13/ransomware-cyber-attack-us-intelligence

– Cyberattack Shows Growing Danger of Ransomware.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/13/technology/hack-ransomware-scam-cyberattacks.html

– Trump Still Seethes Over Lack of Credit for Election Win.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/13/us/politics/election-is-over-but-trump-still-cant-seem-to-get-past-it.html

– What an Immigrant Murder in Kansas Says About America.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2017-05-11/what-an-immigrant-murder-in-kansas-says-about-america

– Protesters spell out ‘RESIST’ at Trump golf course.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/333291-protestors-spell-out-resist-at-trump-golf-course

– Gingrich urges Trump: ‘Close down the press room’.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/333244-gingrich-urges-trump-close-down-the-press-room

May 14, 2017 Sunday

– James Clapper: democratic institutions are ‘under assault’ by Trump. Former national intelligence director hammers the president’s actions, calling James Comey’s firing ‘another victory for Russia’.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/14/james-clapper-donald-trump-russia-james-comey-firing

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/14/politics/james-clapper-russia-collusion/index.html

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/dni-clapper-comey-uneasy-dinner-president/story

– NBC/WSJ Poll: Just 29 Percent Approve of Trump’s Firing of James Comey.

http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/nbc-wsj-poll-just-29-percent-approve-trump-s-firing-n759196

– Schumer: block any nominee to lead the FBI until an independent prosecutor is named to oversee an investigation into Russia’s interference into last year’s presidential election.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/14/schumer-fbi-chief-prosecutor-238368

– Alt-right’s Richard Spencer leads torch-bearing protesters defending Confederate statue.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/alt-rights-richard-spencer-leads-torch-bearing-protesters-defending-lee-statue/2017/05/14/766aaa56-38ac-11e7-9e48-c4f199710b69_story.html

– GOP wins in reversing Obama-era rules on guns, environment.

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/wireStory/gop-wins-reversing-obama-era-rules-guns-environment-47400707

– High court could soon signal view on Trump immigration plans.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/high-court-signal-view-trump-immigration-plans-47400741

– Businesses brace for Monday as ransomware threat lingers.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-security-hospitals-idUSKBN18820S

– U.S. lawmakers ask Trump to turn over any Comey tapes.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-fbi-idUSKCN18A0TU

– G.O.P. Senators Pull Away From Trump, Alarmed at His Volatility.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/14/us/politics/trump-republican-senators.html

– Republicans plan massive cuts to programs for the poor.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/14/republicans-cuts-programs-food-stamps-welfare-veterans-238314

– Under Trump, inconvenient data is being sidelined.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/under-trump-inconvenient-data-is-being-sidelined/2017/05/14/3ae22c28-3106-11e7-8674-437ddb6e813e_story.html

– Songwriter: ‘If you’re a Trump supporter, don’t come to my show’.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/333369-songwriter-if-youre-a-trump-supporter-dont-come-to-my-show

– Muslim hate crimes: Reports of Islamophobic incidents in the US soared again in 2016.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/muslim-hate-crimes-increased-2016-islamophobia-donald-trump-latest-a7735141.html

May 15, 2017 Monday

– Morning Joe says FBI close to exposing the president: ‘It’s a criminal issue — and Trump knows that’.

https://www.rawstory.com/2017/05/morning-joe-says-fbi-close-to-exposing-the-president-its-a-criminal-issue-and-trump-knows-that/

– TRUMP REVEALED HIGHLY CLASSIFIED INFORMATION TO RUSSIAN FOREIGN MINISTER and ambassador.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-revealed-highly-classified-information-to-russian-foreign-minister-and-ambassador/2017/05/15/530c172a-3960-11e7-9e48-c4f199710b69_story.html

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/15/donald-trump-shared-classified-information-russia-white-house-report

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/15/us/politics/trump-russia-classified-information-isis.html

– In travel ban case, U.S. judges focus on discrimination, Trump’s powers.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-court-idUSKCN18B0RB

– U.S. Supreme Court lets North Carolina voter law die, rebuffing a Republican bid to revive a strict voter-identification law that a lower court found deliberately discriminated against black voters.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-election-idUSKCN18B1QB

– Trump expands policy that bans US aid for overseas abortion providers.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/15/trump-abortion-rule-mexico-city-policy

– (Story) They hate the US government, and they’re multiplying: the terrifying rise of ‘sovereign citizens’.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/15/sovereign-citizens-rightwing-terrorism-hate-us-government

– Woodward and Bernstein say Comey firing is different than Watergate.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/woodward-bernstein-say-comey-firing-different-watergate-132623513.html

– New Yorkers Protest the President Inside Trump Tower’s Private Public Spaces.

http://www.nbcnews.com/video/new-yorkers-protest-the-president-inside-trump-tower-s-private-public-spaces-944069187584

– White House refuses to say if Comey tapes exist.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/333461-white-house-refuses-to-say-if-comey-tapes-exist

– McMaster dodges reporters, saying ‘This is the last place in the world I wanted to be’.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/333510-mcmaster-bumps-into-press-makes-quick-exit

– Cyberattack Spreads in Asia; Thousands of Groups Affected.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/15/world/asia/china-cyberattack-hack-ransomware.html

– White House pushes back against report Trump shared classified info with Russians.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/15/trump-classified-russia-pushback-238415

– Trump’s handling of classified info brings new chaos to White House.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/15/trump-russia-classified-information-238417

– Commentary: Focusing on Trump’s Coming Deep Cuts in Basic Assistance for Struggling Families – and Deep Tax Cuts for the Top.

http://www.cbpp.org/federal-budget/commentary-focusing-on-trumps-coming-deep-cuts-in-basic-assistance-for-struggling

– Indian Americans Reckon With Reality Of Hate Crimes.

http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2017/05/15/471270843/indian-americans-reckon-with-reality-of-hate-crimes

– Ford Motor to slash workforce by about 10 percent: WSJ.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-ford-motor-layoffs-idUSKCN18C03P

– Analysis: Trump intel sharing likely to leave allies anxious.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/analysis-trump-intel-sharing-likely-leave-allies-anxious-030728421.html

– Ex-intelligence leaders: ‘Nightmare’ if Trump leaked to Russia.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/15/trump-secrets-russia-isis-238421

– Emoluments Clause projected onto Trump’s DC hotel.

http://thehill.com/homenews/news/333546-emoluments-clause-projected-onto-trumps-dc-hotel

– (Opinion) When the World Is Led by a Child. At base, Trump is an infantalist. There are three tasks that most mature adults have sort of figured out by the time they hit 25. Trump has mastered none of them.

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/05/15/opinion/trump-classified-data.html

May 16, 2017 Tuesday

– Trump defends sharing information with Russians. In a series of early-morning posts on Twitter, he said he had the “absolute right” to give “facts pertaining to terrorism and airline flight safety” to Russia’s foreign minister and ambassador.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/16/us/politics/trump-intelligence-russia-classified.html

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/333550-trump-i-had-absolute-right-to-share-facts-with-russia

– TRUMP PRESSURED COMEY TO END INVESTIGATION OF MICHAEL FLYNN. ‘I hope you can let this go,’ Trump said, according to notes taken by Comey and described by associates.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/16/us/politics/james-comey-trump-flynn-russia-investigation.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/notes-made-by-former-fbi-director-comey-say-trump-pressured-him-to-end-flynn-probe/2017/05/16/52351a38-3a80-11e7-9e48-c4f199710b69_story.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-tweets-idUSKCN18C19Y

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/16/politics/trump-james-comey-memo/index.html

– Israel was source of classified information Trump shared with Russia, say officials. Israel will think twice before sharing sensitive info.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/trump-russia-leak-israel-source-classified-information-say-officials-a7739496.html

http://abcnews.go.com/Blotter/trumps-disclosure-endangered-spy-inside-isis-israel-officials/story

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/former-mossad-chief-israel-will-think-twice-before-sharing-sensitive-info/

– Chaffetz: I’m ready to subpoena for Comey memo.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/16/politics/congress-reactions-trump-michael-flynn-memo/index.html

– Trump might have obstructed justice if Comey’s allegation is true, legal analysts say.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/legal-analysts-trump-might-have-obstructed-justice-if-comeys-allegation-is-true/2017/05/16/24f17d0c-3a83-11e7-8854-21f359183e8c_story.html

– Waters: Comey memo helps ‘cement’ Trump’s impeachment.

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/333738-waters-comey-memo-helps-cement-trumps-impeachment

– McConnell: No concerns about Trump’s handling of classified info.

http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/333666-mcconnell-no-concerns-about-trumps-handling-of-classified-info

– (Opinion) Trump can do whatever he wants. God help us.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trump-can-do-whatever-he-wants-god-help-us/2017/05/16/67c2283e-3a6a-11e7-8854-21f359183e8c_story.html

– (Opinion) Under Trump, Everything Is Wrong in Washington.

http://www.newsweek.com/under-trump-everything-wrong-washington-609994

– (Opinion) Trump Should Worry: Comey Memo Describes a High Crime.

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-05-17/trump-should-worry-comey-memo-describes-a-high-crime

– Tempers Flare and Confusion Swirls at Rattled White House.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/16/us/white-house-staff.html

– Trump’s aides heard ‘yelling’ in White House office as presidency descends into chaos.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-white-house-aides-yelling-russia-leaks-us-president-oval-office-sergey-lavrov-a7738161.html

– Following advice, potential FBI chiefs steer clear of job under Trump.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-fbi-idUSKCN18C2PI

– White House scrambles to limit damage after latest bombshell.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/333691-white-house-scrambles-to-limit-damage

– Top House Intel Dem: Comey memo paints ‘alarming portrait’ of potential Trump interference.

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/333754-top-house-intel-dem-comey-memo-paints-alarming-portrait-of-potential-trump

– Press freedom group rips Trump for suggesting Comey jail reporters.

http://thehill.com/homenews/news/333746-press-freedom-group-rips-trump-for-suggesting-comey-jail-reporters

– White House rocked by allegation Trump tried to shut down FBI’s Flynn probe.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/16/trump-comey-flynn-shutdown-238467

– Trump’s Russia problem grows, leaving Washington breathless, stunned.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/congress/article150905047.html

– King: Trump approaching ‘obstruction of justice,’ impeachment.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/16/angus-king-trump-obstruction-238475

– McCain: Trump scandals reaching ‘Watergate size and scale’.

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/333755-mccain-trump-scandals-reaching-watergate-size-and-scale

– Trump tries to brush off Russia leak scandal as nations begin to question US trust.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-russia-leak-scandal-president-brushes-off-while-others-question-trust-a7739666.html

– (Other) A GOP senator’s guide to a Trump scandal: 1) Say you’re ‘troubled.’ 2) Keep walking.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/a-gop-senators-guide-to-a-trump-scandal-1-say-youre-troubled-2-keep-walking/2017/05/16/1b0ff5ec-3a66-11e7-a058-ddbb23c75d82_story.html

– Trump and Erdogan Meet at White House Amid Tensions Over Arming Kurds in Syria. Turkish Leader Calls Trump His ‘Dear Friend,’ Despite Decision To Arm Syrian Kurds.

http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-erdogan-meet-white-house-amid-tensions-over-arming-kurds-n760266

http://www.npr.org/2017/05/16/528614863/turkish-leader-calls-trump-his-dear-friend-despite-decision-to-arm-syrian-kurds

– Feds Subpoena Records for $3.5M Mystery Mortgage on Manafort’s Home.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/feds-subpoena-records-3-5m-mortgage-manaforts-home-n759866

– Price’s Remarks On Opioid Treatment Were Unscientific And Damaging, Experts Say.

http://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/05/16/528614422/prices-remarks-on-opioid-treatment-were-unscientific-and-damaging-experts-say

– Trump challenges London Mayor Sadiq Khan to IQ test.

http://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-36299929/donald-trump-challenges-sadiq-khan-to-iq-test

– CNN analyst: ‘We’re in impeachment territory’.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/333765-cnn-analyst-were-in-impeachment-territory

May 17, 2017 Wednesday

– More Republicans back independent probe of possible collusion between Trump’s 2016 campaign and Russia, spurred by a memo from former FBI Director Comey.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-idUSKCN18D1XT

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/hill-republicans-show-growing-concern-over-trump-controversies/2017/05/16/57dd4f14-3aad-11e7-9e48-c4f199710b69_story.html

– Putin offers transcript to prove Trump did not pass Russia secrets.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-putin-idUSKCN18D1EA

– Trump claims ‘no politician in history’ has been ‘treated worse or more unfairly’.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-claims-no-politician-in-history-has-been-treated-worse-or-more-unfairly/2017/05/17/f9c59056-3b1c-11e7-9e48-c4f199710b69_story.html

– Two moderate Senate Republicans [Collins and Murkowski] suggest the need to consider a special prosecutor.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2017/live-updates/trump-white-house/trump-comey-and-russia-how-key-washington-players-are-reacting/two-moderate-republicans-suggest-the-need-to-consider-a-special-prosecutor/

– Trump Gave Russians Secrets News Orgs Are Being Asked To Withhold.

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-uncovered/trump-gave-russians-secrets-news-orgs-are-being-asked-withhold-n760811

http://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/isis-uncovered/trump-gave-russians-secrets-news-orgs-are-being-asked-withhold-n760811

– ‘Erdoğan’s bodyguards’ in violent clash with protesters in Washington DC.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/may/17/erdogans-bodyguards-in-violent-clash-with-protesters-in-washington-dc

– The Right Builds an Alternative Narrative About the Crises Around Trump.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/17/us/politics/trump-scandal-conservatives-media.html

– (Opinion) The 25th Amendment Solution for Removing Trump.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/16/opinion/25th-amendment-trump.html

– (Opinion) No, the 25th Amendment Isn’t the Way to Boot Trump. Sorry, Congress: If you believe Trump needs to go, you’re going to have to do it yourselves.

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-05-17/no-the-25th-amendment-isn-t-the-way-to-boot-trump

– (Opinion) Republicans must impeach Trump — for their own good.

http://theweek.com/articles/699462/republicans-must-impeach-trump–good

– Household Debt Makes a Comeback in the U.S. In the first quarter of 2017, consumer debt rose to $12.73 trillion, exceeding its peak in the third quarter of 2008.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/17/business/dealbook/household-debt-united-states.html

– The Comey memo was also about Trump’s request to arrest reporters. Journalists call it ‘crazy and scary.’

https://www.yahoo.com/news/comey-memo-also-trumps-request-arrest-reporters-journalists-call-crazy-scary-160122212.html

– Restive Dems amplify calls for impeachment.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/333872-restive-dems-amplify-calls-for-impeachment

– Senate Intel panel asks Comey to testify publicly.

http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/333838-senate-intel-panel-asks-comey-to-testify-publicly

– Obstruction? Impeachment? A look at the legal challenges Trump could face.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/white-house/article151061997.html

– Congressman calls for Trump’s impeachment on House floor.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/17/politics/al-green-impeachment-call/index.html

– Paul Ryan: ‘I do’ have confidence in Trump.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/17/politics/paul-ryan-news-conference/index.html

– GOP blocks House vote on independent Russia-Trump investigation.

http://us.pressfrom.com/news/politics/-49860-gop-blocks-house-vote-on-independent-russia-probe/

– Defense secretary backs plan to spin off air traffic control.

http://thehill.com/policy/transportation/333903-defense-secretary-backs-air-traffic-control-spin-off-plan

– Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly jokes Trump should use saber on the press.

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/333876-homeland-secretary-to-trump-use-that-saber-on-the-press

– Sheriff David Clarke says he’s accepted DHS job as a deputy secretary of Homeland Security.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/333899-sheriff-david-clarke-says-hes-accepted-dhs-job

– Previous Homeland Security officials condemn Sheriff David Clarke taking role.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/333935-sheriff-david-clarkes-predecessors-slam-news-that-he-accepted-role-in

– US: Immigrant arrests soar under Trump because of a surge in the detention of immigrants who have no criminal convictions.

http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/us-more-immigrants-arrested-fewer-deported-under-trump/

– Dow Falls 370 Points, the biggest loss since September; Bonds Rally on Trump Turmoil; volatility spiked higher as the turmoil surrounding the Trump administration roiled financial markets around the globe.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-16/yen-climb-to-weigh-on-japan-stocks-gold-gains-markets-wrap

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/trump-controversies-rattle-stock-markets-worldwide/2017/05/17/3e564680-3b0d-11e7-8854-21f359183e8c_story.html

– Fox News unable to find Republicans ‘willing to go on camera’ to defend Trump following explosive Comey memo.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-comey-memo-fox-news-brett-baier-republican-guests-russia-investigation-michael-flynn-a7740906.html

– Officials put Trump’s name in ‘as many memo paragraphs as we can because he keeps reading if he’s mentioned’.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-intelligence-reports-white-house-read-them-mentioned-name-president-a7740726.html

– Trump denounces media as White House goes quiet on Comey.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/333917-trump-denounces-media-as-white-house-goes-quiet-on-comey

– 6 Million With Pre-Existing Conditions Could Be Hit Hard Under GOP Plan.

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-care/6-million-pre-existing-conditions-could-be-hit-hard-under-n761146

– The deputy attorney general has appointed former FBI director Robert Mueller AS SPECIAL COUNCIL to oversee probe of Russian interference in election.

http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/333947-former-fbi-director-robert-mueller-to-lead-russia-investigation

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/deputy-attorney-general-appoints-special-counsel-to-oversee-probe-of-russian-interference-in-election/2017/05/17/302c1774-3b49-11e7-8854-21f359183e8c_story.html

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/05/17/justice-department-taps-former-fbi-director-robert-mueller-special-counsel-russia-investigation/101806472/

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/17/us/politics/robert-mueller-special-counsel-russia-investigation.html

– The worst job in Washington right now: Working for Trump.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/the-worst-job-in-washington-right-now-working-for-trump/2017/05/17/a3d9ec00-3b17-11e7-a058-ddbb23c75d82_story.html

– Conservatives begin to whisper: President Pence.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/17/mike-pence-president-trump-238525

May 18, 2017 Thursday

– Trump blasted the appointment of Robert Mueller to be the special prosecutor overseeing the investigation into Russia’s meddling into the 2016 election, calling the probe “the single greatest witch hunt of a politician in American history.”

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/18/trump-tweets-special-prosecutor-robert-mueller-appointment-238543

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/05/18/trump-claims-to-be-victim-of-witch-hunt-following-appointment-of-special-counsel-in-russia-case/

– Kochs boost Trump tax plan.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/18/koch-brothers-trump-tax-plan-238530

– Michael Flynn ‘refuses to hand over documents to Russia investigation’ despite subpoena.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/michael-flynn-subpoena-russia-investigation-refusal-senate-intelligence-a7743231.html

– Former top counsel for the NSA and the CIA: Special prosecutor Robert Mueller ‘will take Donald Trump from frying pan to fire’ over Russia investigation.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/robert-mueller-donald-trump-special-prosecutor-frying-pan-fire-russia-investigation-former-fbi-a7742071.html

– Roger Ailes, architect of conservative TV juggernaut Fox News, is dead at 77.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/entertainment/tv/roger-ailes-architect-of-conservative-tv-juggernaut-fox-is-dead-at-77/2017/05/18/b5b9e73a-3bc7-11e7-9e48-c4f199710b69_story.html

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/may/18/roger-ailes-dead-fox-news-ceo-chairman

– Roger Ailes Isn’t Dead, He Lives on in Trump, Sexual Harassment Suits and Alternative Facts.

http://www.newsweek.com/roger-ailes-isnt-dead-he-lives-trump-sexual-harassment-suits-and-alternative-611543

– House Majority Leader McCarthy told colleagues in 2016: ‘I think Putin pays’ Trump.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/house-majority-leader-to-colleagues-in-2016-i-think-putin-pays-trump/2017/05/17/515f6f8a-3aff-11e7-8854-21f359183e8c_story.html

– Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein will brief the full Senate in a closed session.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/deputy-attorney-general-rod-rosenstein-will-brief-the-full-senate-in-a-closed-session/2017/05/18/41de8548-3bd4-11e7-8854-21f359183e8c_story.html

– Trump loyalists pay little heed to revelations rocking DC.

http://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/nation-politics/trump-loyalists-pay-little-heed-to-revelations-rocking-dc/

– U.S. academic groups oppose Trump’s visa-vetting plans.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-visa-idUSKCN18E35H

– Trump campaign had at least 18 undisclosed contacts with Russians.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-contacts-idUSKCN18E106

– Trump, striking a defiant tone, denied colluding with Russia during his 2016 campaign or asking former FBI Director James Comey to drop a probe into his former national security adviser.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-idUSKCN18E1P7

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/05/18/trump-to-hold-news-conference-at-white-house-as-political-crisis-deepens/

– Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein told the full Senate he knew before he wrote his controversial memo that Comey would be fired.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/deputy-attorney-general-rod-rosenstein-will-brief-the-full-senate-in-a-closed-session/2017/05/18/41de8548-3bd4-11e7-8854-21f359183e8c_story.html

– FCC votes to dismantle net neutrality as critics cry ‘war on open internet’.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/may/18/net-neutrality-vote-fcc-open-internet

– Trump supporters blame leaks, conspiracy for his woes.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-supporters-blame-leaks-conspiracy-woes-210602825–politics.html

– Chaffetz will resign, raising doubts about Trump probe.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/utahs-chaffetz-expected-leave-office-end-june-165533680–politics.html

– Vice President Pence has a growing credibility problem.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/05/18/vice-president-pence-has-a-growing-credibility-problem/

– European leaders fear Trump’s political chaos is undermining U.S. power.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/european-leaders-fear-trumps-political-chaos-is-undermining-us-power/2017/05/18/2152eee2-3a47-11e7-a59b-26e0451a96fd_story.html

– Mueller to ask Congress to step back Russia investigations.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/334181-mueller-to-ask-congress-to-step-back-russia-investigations-report

– Appointment of Mueller could complicate other probes into alleged Russian meddling.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/appointment-of-mueller-could-complicate-other-probes-into-alleged-russian-meddling/2017/05/18/f75b8a36-3be5-11e7-8854-21f359183e8c_story.html

– Trump meets with lawyers at the White House.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/18/trump-lawyers-white-house-238579

– $110 Billion Weapons Sale to Saudis Has Jared Kushner’s Personal Touch.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/18/world/middleeast/jared-kushner-saudi-arabia-arms-deal-lockheed.html

– What Donald Trump Needs to Know About Bob Mueller and Jim Comey. The two men who could bring down the president have been preparing their entire lives for this moment.

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/05/18/james-comey-trump-special-prosecutor-robert-mueller-fbi-215154

May 19, 2017 Friday

– FCC security guards manhandle reporter, eject him from meeting for asking questions.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/morning-mix/wp/2017/05/19/fcc-security-guards-manhandle-reporter-eject-him-from-meeting-for-asking-questions/

– Trump diehards dismiss Russia scandal: ‘Show me the proof – or get off his case’.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/19/trump-russia-the-promise-scandal-proof

– Rosenstein: I stand by Comey memo; he stands by his memo that was initially used as the reason for former FBI Director James Comey’s firing.

http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/senate/334240-rosenstein-i-stand-by-comey-memo

– Dem frustration grows with Rosenstein, saying Rosenstein refused to answer “simple yes-and-no questions,” fueling concerns that the Trump appointee overseeing the Justice Department probes may be influenced by the White House.

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/334234-dem-frustration-grows-with-rosenstein

– Trump Told Russians That Firing ‘Nut Job’ Comey Eased Pressure From Investigation.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/19/us/politics/trump-russia-comey.html

– Kushner Family Woos Investors With Visas, Trump Name.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/19/business/kushner-trump-china-green-cards.html

– White House adviser close to Trump is a person of interest in Russia probe. Investigation into Russian meddling reaches highest level of government.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/russia-probe-reaches-current-white-house-official-people-familiar-with-the-case-say/2017/05/19/7685adba-3c99-11e7-9e48-c4f199710b69_story.html

– Trump-Russia probe now includes possible cover-up, Congress is told.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/congress/article151565947.html

– Russia probe reaches current White House official, people familiar with the case say.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/article151563807.html

– Washington Post Fact Checker’s ongoing database of the false and misleading claims by Trump.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/trump-claims-database/

– Trump said to favor move that could destabilize Obamacare. Trump has told advisers he wants to end payments of key Obamacare subsidies, a move that could send the health law’s insurance markets into a tailspin.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/19/donald-trump-end-payments-obamacare-subsidies-238616

– Sheriff David Clarke Is Determined to Suspend Habeas Corpus and Shred the Bill of Rights.

https://www.thenation.com/article/sheriff-david-clarke-is-determined-to-suspend-habeus-corpus-and-shred-the-bill-of-rights/

– Trump Is a Cornered Megalomaniac—and That’s a Grave Danger to the Country.

https://www.thenation.com/article/trump-is-a-cornered-megalomaniac-and-thats-a-grave-danger-to-the-country/

– Maduro to Trump: ‘Get your dirty hands off Venezuela!’.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-usa-idUSKCN18F2HB

– Russian officials bragged they could use Flynn to influence Trump.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/19/politics/michael-flynn-donald-trump-russia-influence/index.html

– James Comey to testify in public Senate intelligence committee hearing.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/19/james-comey-testify-us-senate-russia-election-trump

– Israeli Intelligence Furious Over Trump’s Loose Lips. Israeli intelligence officials were shouting at their American counterparts in meetings, furious over news that Trump may have compromised a vital source of information on the Islamic State and possibly Iran.

http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/05/19/israeli-intelligence-furious-over-trumps-loose-lips-russia-iran-syria/

– White House looking at ethics rule to weaken special investigation.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-mueller-idUSKCN18F2KK

May 20, 2017 Saturday

– Trump awarded with Saudi Arabia’s highest civilian honour within hours of landing in the country.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-latest-saudi-arabia-highest-civilian-honour-king-abdulaziz-al-saud-collar-gold-a7746566.html

– Under fire at home, Trump reaps Saudi arms deal.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-gulf-arrival-idUSKCN18G06K

– U.S., Saudi firms sign tens of billions of dollars of deals as Trump visits.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-saudi-usa-trump-deals-idUSKCN18G05P

– Saudi leaders hail Trump visit as ‘reset of regional order’.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/20/trump-visit-hailed-by-saudi-leaders-as-reset-of-regional-order

– Twitter leader laments social media role in Trump’s election.

https://www.yahoo.com/tech/twitter-leader-laments-social-media-234906014.html

https://mobile.nytimes.com/2017/05/20/technology/evan-williams-medium-twitter-internet.html

– A cancer patient wonders: ‘Will the government still have my back?’

https://www.yahoo.com/news/cancer-patient-wonders-will-government-still-back-090024209.html

– Rep. Al Green (D-Texas) said that he has been threatened with lynching following his call for President Trump’s impeachment.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/334417-congressman-threatened-with-lynching-after-calling-for-trumps\

– Corporate A-Listers Descend on Riyadh for Trump’s CEO Summit.

https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-05-20/corporate-a-listers-descend-on-riyadh-for-trump-s-ceo-summit

– Conservative Media’s Alternative Take on Trump and Russia.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/conservative-media-s-alternative-take-trump-russia-n761941

May 21, 2017 Sunday

– McMaster does not deny details of Trump’s discussion with Russian officials.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/05/21/mcmaster-does-not-deny-details-of-trumps-discussion-with-russian-officials/

– Trump summons Muslim nations to confront ‘Islamic terror of all kinds’.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/us-and-gulf-nations-agree-to-crack-down-on-terror-financing/2017/05/21/e1222b34-3dfd-11e7-9e48-c4f199710b69_story.html

– Trump’s Islam Speech in Saudi Arabia Follows a Long History of Verbal Attacks and Policies Targeting Muslims in America and Abroad.

http://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-saudi-arabia-trump-islam-612995

– ‘Trump has declared war’: journalists denounce any attack on press freedom. Trump’s apparent suggestion that the FBI should ‘consider putting reporters in prison’ prompts call to action from journalists increasingly under attack.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/21/trump-threat-reporters-press-freedom

– ‘Spiteful and petty’: Maine governor bans signs to Obama-designated monument.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/may/21/katahdin-woods-waters-obama-monument-signs-banned

– Chicago launches campaign in response to Trump’s immigration policies.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/21/politics/one-chicago-campaign/index.html

– At Notre Dame, Pence attacks campus ‘political correctness’. Students walk out of Pence’s commencement speech.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/21/students-walk-out-mike-pence-notre-dame-commencement

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/21/pence-pc-freedom-of-speech-238655

– Tillerson held a news conference with the Saudi foreign minister in Riyadh but he left the American media behind.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/on-media/2017/05/21/tillerson-no-reporters-press-238658

– Netanyahu says all government ministers must attend Trump’s arrival.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/21/middleeast/israel-netanyahu-ministers-must-meet-trump/index.html

– (International) Trump’s White House: A Vortex of Scandal, Chaos and Absurdity.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/trump-white-house-descends-into-chaos-and-scandal-a-1148569.html

– (International) A Danger to the World: It’s Time to Get Rid of Donald Trump.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/donald-trump-is-a-menace-to-the-world-opinion-a-1148471.html

– (International) Trump and Saudi Arabia: Have we reached peak hypocrisy yet?

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/trump-and-saudi-arabia-have-we-reached-peak-hypocrisy-yet/article35076477/

– (International) After Riyadh Speech, Trump Comes to Israel as a Messianic Opportunist.

http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-1.790790

– Trump to propose big cuts to safety-net in new budget, slashing Medicaid and opening door to other limits.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/trump-to-propose-big-cuts-to-safety-net-in-new-budget-this-week/2017/05/21/62c01f44-3e34-11e7-adba-394ee67a7582_story.html

May 22, 2017 Monday

– Trump tells Israel Iran will never have nuclear weapons.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-39973197

– Ex-national security adviser Michael Flynn ‘defies Senate Russia inquiry’.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40004300

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-idUSKBN18I1U9

– Supreme Court rules North Carolina congressional districts unconstitutional.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/22/supreme-court-north-carolina-congressional-dsitricts-238673

– Republicans used race to redraw North Carolina voter maps.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40002569

– Scandal-plagued Fox News hit with more lawsuits in U.S. court.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-fox-lawsuits-idUSKBN18I2F6

– Mississippi lawmaker calls for lynchings after removal of Confederate symbols.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/22/mississippi-confederate-symbols-karl-oliver-lynching-comments

– White House proposes slashing funds to clean up toxic sites despite EPA’s pleas.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/may/22/toxic-sites-environment-cleanup-trump-budget-plan

– Trump’s plans to cut food stamps could hit his supporters hardest.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/05/22/trumps-plans-to-cut-food-stamps-could-hit-his-supporters-hardest/

– White House pitches budget as welfare reform. The Trump administration wants to take an ax to the safety net in order to balance the budget.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/22/trump-budget-what-is-in-it-238679

– Groups sue FDA over food additive rule.

http://thehill.com/regulation/court-battles/334575-groups-sue-fda-over-food-additive-rule

– Sinkhole opens in front of Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/334555-sinkhole-opens-in-front-of-trumps-mar-a-lago-resort

– Israelis fear Trump might ‘blurt out’ something that’s not easy to ‘fix’.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/white-house/article151902907.html

– Americans Say U.S. Moral Values at a Seven-Year Low.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-05-22/americans-see-u-s-moral-values-at-a-seven-year-low

– Trump brings up Russian meeting during Israel event.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-says-i-never-mentioned-the-word-or-name-israel-to-russians/

– Manafort, Stone Turn Over Russia Documents to Senate Intel Committee.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/manafort-stone-turn-over-russia-documents-senate-intel-committee-n763141

– Trump Effect Inspires Radical Christians in Military.

http://www.newsweek.com/christian-fundamentalists-us-armed-forces-national-security-threat-613428

– Lockheed Martin secures $28 billion in Saudi contracts.

http://www.upi.com/Defense-News/2017/05/22/Lockheed-Martin-secures-28-billion-in-Saudi-contracts/4211495470735/

– Robert Reich: Our European Allies Are Appalled by Trump.

http://www.newsweek.com/robert-reich-our-european-allies-are-appalled-trump-613342

– Texas will allow adoption agencies to reject parents on religious grounds.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2017/05/22/Texas-will-allow-adoption-agencies-to-reject-parents-on-religious-grounds/9581495460144/

– Trump asked intelligence chiefs to push back against FBI collusion probe after Comey revealed its existence.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-asked-intelligence-chiefs-to-push-back-against-fbi-collusion-probe-after-comey-revealed-its-existence/2017/05/22/394933bc-3f10-11e7-9869-bac8b446820a_story.html

– (Analysis) The three most damaging paragraphs from the revelation about Trump pushing back against the FBI.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/05/22/the-three-most-damaging-paragraphs-from-the-revelation-about-trump-pushing-back-against-the-fbi/

– Trump close to choosing outside counsel for Russia investigation. Trump is moving rapidly toward assembling outside counsel to help him navigate the investigations into his campaign and Russian interference in last year’s election.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-close-to-choosing-outside-counsel-for-russia-investigation/2017/05/22/8709f62e-3f22-11e7-9869-bac8b446820a_story.html

– Trump’s budget: major slashes to social programs – but $1.6bn for the wall.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/22/donald-trump-budget-proposal-2018-social-care-border-wall

– Trump Seeks $3.6 Trillion in Cuts to Reshape Government,

https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-05-23/trump-seeks-3-6-trillion-in-spending-cuts-to-reshape-government

– MANCHESTER, ENGLAND EXPLOSION AND BLAST AT POP CONCERT.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/police-report-deaths-following-apparent-blast-at-concert-in-manchester/2017/05/22/2b6bfd1e-3f43-11e7-b29f-f40ffced2ddb_story.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/manchester-explosions-latest-news-updates-arena-ariana-grande-bangs-police-a7750381.html

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-manchester-40007886

May 23, 2017 Tuesday

– Trump FY2018 budget officially unveiled.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-budget-idUSKBN18I26X

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/05/23/trump-proposes-dramatic-changes-to-federal-government-slashing-safety-net-programs-that-affect-up-to-a-fifth-of-americans/

– Trump seeks to slash $3.6 trillion of spending in austere budget.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-budget-idUSKBN18I26X

– Trump budget keeps pledges: Cuts for poor, more for military.

https://finance.yahoo.com/news/trump-administration-sending-congress-4-1-trillion-budget-073622842–finance.html

– Former CIA Director John Brennan told House Russia investigators Tuesday that Russia “brazenly interfered” in US elections, including actively contacting members of the President Donald Trump’s campaign — but he stopped shy of dubbing it “collusion.”

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/23/politics/john-brennan-house-intelligence-committee/index.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-idUSKBN18J2DE

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/cia-director-warned-russian-security-service-chief-about-interference-in-election/2017/05/23/ebff2a7e-3fbb-11e7-adba-394ee67a7582_story.html

– DNI Dan Coats, speaking before the Senate Armed Services Committee, would not comment on reports that Trump had asked Coats and NSA Director Adm. Michael Rogers to push back on the FBI’s probeinto whether there was any collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/dan-coats-wont-say-whether-trump-asked-him-to-deny-russian-collusion/

– Trump retains Marc Kasowitz as private attorney for Russia probe.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-counsel-idUSKBN18J30W

– (Other) Soldiers on UK streets as threat raised to critical after Manchester bombing.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/may/23/salman-abedi-police-race-to-establish-if-manchester-suicide-bomber-acted-alone

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/manchester-bombing-critical-terrorist-threat-theresa-may-upgrades-from-severe-latest-news-a7752336.html

– Trump advisers call for privatizing some public assets to build new infrastructure.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/trump-advisers-call-for-selling-off-old-assets-to-build-new-infrastructure/2017/05/23/657aa2c6-2f53-11e7-9534-00e4656c22aa_story.html

– Trump told his Philippine counterpart Rodrigo Duterte that Washington has sent two nuclear submarines to waters off the Korean peninsula, the New York Times said, comments likely to raise questions about his handling of sensitive information.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-submarines-idUSKBN18K15Y

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/23/us/politics/trump-duterte-phone-transcript-philippine-drug-crackdown.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-calls-kim-jong-un-a-madman-with-nuclear-weapons-according-to-transcript-of-duterte-call/2017/05/23/211d1474-3fe8-11e7-9869-bac8b446820a_story.html

May 24, 2017 Wednesday

– The Congressional Budget Office reports the bill passed by U.S. House Republicans would cause 23 million people to lose healthcare coverage by 2026 while de-stabilizing health insurance markets in some states and making it hard for sick people to buy insurance.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-healthcare-cbo-idUSKBN18K2X2

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/24/us/politics/cbo-congressional-budget-office-health-care.html

– CBO sees premiums rising 850 percent for poor elderly under House health bill.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/05/24/the-three-numbers-you-need-to-understand-the-cbo-report-on-republicans-health-care-bill/

– Trump said he would save jobs at Carrier. The layoffs start July 20.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/05/24/here-is-the-number-of-jobs-carrier-is-moving-to-mexico-after-trump-said-hed-save-them/

– Ben Carson calls poverty ‘a state of mind’ during interview.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/05/24/ben-carson-calls-poverty-a-state-of-mind-during-interview/

– Theresa May to tackle Donald Trump over Manchester bombing evidence. Prime minister will raise concerns at Nato summit that intelligence leaks from the US have damaged investigation. It was the latest of a series of leaks to US journalists that appeared to come from inside the US intelligence community.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/may/24/theresa-may-to-tackle-donald-trump-over-manchester-bombing-evidence

– Marchers in Chicago claim McDonald’s, the world’s largest fast food chain, supports low wages for workers and allows sexual harassment, ‘just like Donald Trump’.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/may/24/mcdonalds-chicago-protest-low-wages-harassment-trump

– Montana GOP candidate accused of assaulting reporter on eve of special election.

http://thehill.com/media/335052-reporter-alleges-that-montana-gop-candidate-bodyslammed-him

– Dem rep: Abuse, violence against the press ‘hallmarks in Trump era’.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/335062-dem-rep-abuse-violence-against-the-press-hallmarks-in-trump-era

– Thousands protested Trump visit in Belgium.

http://thehill.com/policy/international/335050-thousands-protested-trump-visit-in-belgium

– AG Sessions did not disclose Russia meetings in security clearance form, which requires him to list “any contact” he or his family had with a “foreign government” or its “representatives” over the past seven years.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/24/politics/jeff-sessions-russian-officials-meetings/index.html

– White House, DOJ miss Senate deadline to provide James Comey memos, records.

http://www.11alive.com/ext/news/nation-now/white-house-doj-miss-senate-deadline-to-provide-james-comey-memos-records/85/nationnow/ZRZV6Tqhumgy8gWOsao2C

– How a dubious Russian document influenced the FBI’s handling of the Clinton probe.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/how-a-dubious-russian-document-influenced-the-fbis-handling-of-the-clinton-probe/2017/05/24/f375c07c-3a95-11e7-9e48-c4f199710b69_story.html

May 25, 2017 Thursday

– Trump chastises fellow NATO members, demands they meet payment obligations.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-told-in-brussels-that-west-should-focus-on-values-not-only-interests/2017/05/25/7aa1865c-40cd-11e7-9869-bac8b446820a_story.html

– Montana GOP candidate charged after allegedly body-slamming reporter.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/gop-candidate-cited-for-assault-as-newspapers-pull-endorsements/2017/05/25/eb416990-413b-11e7-8c25-44d09ff5a4a8_story.html

– U.S. warship challenges South China Sea claims, the first such challenge to Beijing in the strategic waterway since Trump took office.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-southchinasea-navy-idUSKBN18K353

– Senators make new push to rein in Trump’s military powers.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/25/trump-military-powers-senate-response-238817

– (Other) Fears for economy as number of EU migrants leaving Brexit Britain surges.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/immigration-figures-down-policies-general-election-2017-a7754796.html

– Trump asks Justice Department to look into recent foreign intelligence leaks by US officials.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/25/politics/nato-trump-intel-sharing/index.html

– How Alleged Russian Hacker Teamed Up With Florida GOP Operative. Political consultant Aaron Nevins received documents from hacker ‘Guccifer 2.0’ and posted some on his blog.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/how-alleged-russian-hacker-teamed-up-with-florida-gop-operative-1495724787

– Georgia Law Will Allow Carry of Handguns at Public University Tailgate Events.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2711782-georgia-law-will-allow-carry-of-handguns-at-public-university-tailgate-events

– (Opinion) The Trump Administration’s Troubling State of Mind.

http://carsonwatch.org/2017/05/25/trump-administrations-troubling-state-mind/

– FEDERAL APPEALS COURT UPHOLDS BLOCK ON TRUMP’S TRAVEL BAN, administration will appeal to Supreme Court.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/25/politics/4th-circuit-travel-ban/index.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/federal-appeals-court-largely-maintains-freeze-of-trumps-travel-ban/2017/05/25/395aa394-365b-11e7-b4ee-434b6d506b37_story.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-court-idUSKBN18L2IO

– U.S. lawmakers to fight massive Trump Saudi arms deal.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-saudi-arms-congress-idUSKBN18L2XN

– Wall Street hits record highs, helped by consumer stocks.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-stocks-idUSKBN18L1HC

– Gazette opinion: We’re pulling our endorsement of Greg Gianforte.

http://billingsgazette.com/opinion/editorial/gazette-opinion-we-re-pulling-our-endorsement-of-gianforte/article_34d90b42-545b-5e10-9355-605b7c5cb11f.html?=dtgrsdz&utm_content=bufferb95a6&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=LEEDCC

– Trump calls Germans ‘very bad’ and promises to stop car imports.

http://www.wtsp.com/news/president-trump-calls-germans-very-bad-and-promises-to-stop-car-imports-report/443088853

– Jared Kushner now a focus in Russia investigation.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/jared-kushner-now-a-focus-in-russia-investigation/2017/05/25/f078db74-40c7-11e7-8c25-44d09ff5a4a8_story.html

– Republican Charged With Assault Claims Win in Montana Special Election.

http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/polls-close-montana-s-suddenly-famous-special-congressional-election-n764866

May 26, 2017 Friday

– Trump travel ban fight heads toward Supreme Court showdown.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-court-idUSKBN18M2C7

– In shakeup, Trump to set up ‘war room’ to repel attacks over Russia probe.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-warroom-idUSKBN18M2FU

– Trump son-in-law had undisclosed contacts with Russian envoy.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-fbi-kushner-exclusive-idUSKBN18N018

– Russian ambassador told Moscow that Kushner wanted secret channel with Kremlin.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/russian-ambassador-told-moscow-that-kushner-wanted-secret-communications-channel-with-kremlin/2017/05/26/520a14b4-422d-11e7-9869-bac8b446820a_story.html

– Senate Intelligence Committee requests Trump campaign documents.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/05/26/senate-intelligence-committee-requests-trump-campaign-documents/

– Tillerson declines to host Ramadan event at State Department.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-religion-ramadan-usa-tillerson-exclsu-idUSKBN18M2IE

– Texas governor draws criticism for joke about shooting journalists.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-texas-governor-guns-idUSKBN18N009

– Chinese jets intercept U.S surveillance plane.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-military-idUSKBN18M25L

– ‘The Germans are bad, very bad’: Trump’s alleged slight generates confusion, backlash.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/trumps-alleged-slight-against-germans-generates-confusion-backlash/2017/05/26/0325255a-4219-11e7-b29f-f40ffced2ddb_story.html

– Zbigniew Brzezinski is dead at 89.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/26/us/zbigniew-brzezinski-dead-national-security-adviser-to-carter.html

– Secret court rebukes NSA for 5-year illegal surveillance of U.S. citizens.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/national-security/article152947909.html

– G7 summit: Leaders pressure Trump on climate change pact – but President makes no promises.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-g7-climate-change-failure-paris-agreement-angela-merkel-a7758561.html

– Trump Administration Conflicts Of Interest: How Gary Cohn Could Sell U.S. Infrastructure To Goldman Sachs.

http://www.ibtimes.com/political-capital/trump-administration-conflicts-interest-how-gary-cohn-could-sell-us-infrastructure

– Six of the worst cuts in Trump’s budget.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/six-of-the-worst-cuts-in-trumps-budget/2017/05/26/632e6796-40ba-11e7-9869-bac8b446820a_story.html

– Hillary Clinton hints Donald Trump will be ‘impeached for obstruction of justice’ in unprecedented attack on president.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-impeachment-latest-hillary-clinton-attack-nixon-wellesley-commencement-speech-address-a7758311.html

– (Opinion) The U.S. has a homegrown terrorist problem — and it’s coming from the right.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-us-has-a-homegrown-terrorist-problem–and-its-coming-from-the-right/2017/05/26/10d88bba-4197-11e7-9869-bac8b446820a_story.html

May 27, 2017 Saturday

– G7 talks: Trump isolated over Paris climate change deal.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-40069636

– Leaders issue G7 declaration with U.S. a holdout on climate change.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/27/trump-paris-climate-deal-238883

– Man, known as a white supremicist, shouting ‘anti-Muslim slurs’ fatally stabs two men in Portland.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/27/man-shouting-anti-muslim-slurs-fatally-stabs-two-men-in-us

– AP FACT CHECK: Trump tells tall tales even without Twitter.

http://m.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/AP-FACT-CHECK-Trump-tells-tall-tales-even-11177929.php

– Trump complained of trouble setting up golf courses in EU during Brussels visit.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/335412-trump-complained-of-trouble-setting-up-golf-courses-in-eu-during

– Thousands of Americans will die unnecessary deaths if AHCA becomes a reality.

http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/healthcare/335250-thousands-of-americans-will-die-unnecessary-deaths-is-ahca

– Ex-CIA Director: CIA would consider Kushner actions ‘espionage’.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/335398-ex-cia-director-if-kushner-set-up-secure-line-with-russia-cia

– Noose left outside of Hirshhorn museum in Washington.

http://thehill.com/homenews/news/335422-noose-left-outside-of-hirshorn-museum-in-washington

– Trump Returns to Crisis Over Kushner as White House Tries to Contain It.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/27/us/politics/trump-returns-to-crisis-over-kushner-as-white-house-tries-to-contain-it.html

– Trump tells ‘confidants’ U.S. will leave Paris climate deal.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-climate-idUSKBN18O00J

May 28, 2017 Sunday

– After summits with Trump, Merkel says Europe must take fate into own hands.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-politics-merkel-idUSKBN18O0JK

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/28/world/europe/angela-merkel-trump-alliances-g7-leaders.html

http://www.dw.com/en/merkel-europe-can-no-longer-rely-on-us-and-britain/a-39018097?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf

– (Analysis) Why Merkel’s comments matter.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2017/05/28/thanks-to-trump-germany-says-it-cant-rely-on-america-what-does-that-mean/

– European allies see the two sides of Trump.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-g7-summit-trump-allies-analysis-idUSKBN18O0BP

– The Trump handshake: how world leaders are fighting back. Emmanuel Macron and others have noted that US president’s handshake is a claim to superiority, and are fighting him in kind.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/28/the-trump-handshake-how-world-leaders-are-fighting-back

– (Opinion: DW Germany) A dangerous travelling salesman.

http://www.dw.com/en/opinion-a-dangerous-travelling-salesman/a-39017379

– Trump attacks ‘fake news’ following Kushner reports.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-kushner-idUSKBN18O0G0

– Back at the White House, Trump unleashes a Twitter rant about fake news, leaks and ‘the enemy’.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/05/28/trump-returns-home-from-abroad-with-a-twitter-rant-about-fake-news-leaks-and-the-enemy/

– U.S. might ban laptops on all flights into and out of the country.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-airlines-electronics-idUSKBN18O0KL

– By backing Saudi Arabia’s vision of the Middle East, Trump may be sowing the seeds of conflict.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/by-backing-saudi-arabias-vision-of-the-middle-east-trump-may-be-sowing-the-seeds-of-conflict/2017/05/27/3afcda92-4181-11e7-b29f-f40ffced2ddb_story.html

– ‘Brave and selfless’ Oregon stabbing victims hailed as heroes for standing up to racist rants.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/05/28/brave-and-selfless-oregon-stabbing-victims-hailed-as-heroes/

– These 8th-graders from New Jersey refused to be photographed with Paul Ryan.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/these-8th-graders-from-new-jersey-refused-to-be-photographed-with-paul-ryan/2017/05/28/ca46b116-43b9-11e7-bcde-624ad94170ab_story.html

– Florida could pave new changes in ‘stand your ground’ laws.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/florida-could-pave-changes-stand-ground-laws-130111550.html

– (Opinion) Trump seems happy to destroy the planet. Only China and India can save us now.

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/donald-trump-climate-change-paris-accord-destroy-planet-india-china-a7760731.html

– Homeland Security chief says back-channel talks with Russia would be ‘normal…and acceptable’.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/homeland-security-chief-back-channel-talks-russia-normaland/story?id=47680534

– Mattis: Fight against ISIS has shifted to “annihilation tactics”.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/fight-against-isis-has-shifted-to-annihilation-tactics-mattis-says/

May 29, 2017 Monday

– ‘Atlanticist’ Merkel rams home frustration with Trump after summits.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-merkel-trump-idUSKBN18P0VV

– Angela Merkel Stopped Relying on President Trump Only After Failing to Reason With Him.

http://time.com/4797241/angela-merkel-us-german-tensions-g7-summit/

– Even Angela Merkel’s political rivals are on her side against Trump.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/05/29/even-angela-merkels-political-rivals-are-on-her-side-against-trump/

– U.S. may put emergency tariffs on solar imports.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-solar-wto-idUSKBN18P1JL

– North Korea fires Scud-class ballistic missile.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-idUSKBN18O0R3

– Trump condemns fatal Oregon stabbings; says victims stood against hate

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-muslims-portland-idUSKBN18P1XR

– Portland Republican says party should use militia groups after racial attack. Asked if this meant Republicans making their own security arrangements rather than relying on city or state police, Buchal said: “Yeah. And there are these people arising, like the Oath Keepers and the Three Percenters.”

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/29/portland-attack-republican-james-buchal-militia-groups

– Portland knife attack: tension high as ‘free speech rally’ set for weekend.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/28/portland-knife-attack-free-speech-rally–sunday

– Texas Republican ‘threatens to shoot Democrat’ over immigration protest.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/29/hundreds-pro-sanctuary-cities-protesters-texas-house

http://time.com/4797381/texas-anti-sanctuary-city-bill-protests/

– Bullet damage suspected in Ky. newspaper vandalism.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/335557-bullet-damage-suspected-in-ky-newspaper-vandalism

– White House plan would minimize civil rights efforts.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-administration-plans-to-minimize-civil-rights-efforts-in-agencies/2017/05/29/922fc1b2-39a7-11e7-a058-ddbb23c75d82_story.html

– This is what Betsy DeVos thinks about people who oppose her school-choice vision.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/answer-sheet/wp/2017/05/29/this-is-what-betsy-devos-thinks-about-people-who-oppose-her-school-choice-vision/

– Portland mayor wants ‘Trump free speech’ rally cancelled after attack.

http://thehill.com/homenews/news/335564-portland-mayor-calls-for-free-speech-rally-cancelation-after-attack

– Trump to reverse Obama’s Cuba policy.

http://thehill.com/policy/international/335547-report-trump-to-reverse-obamas-cuba-policy

– Ted Cruz: Trump should withdraw from Paris climate pact.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/29/opinions/withdraw-paris-accord-opinion-cruz/index.html

– The Denver Post has cut ties with Terry Frei after the journalist tweeted that he was “very uncomfortable with a Japanese driver winning the Indianapolis 500 during Memorial Day weekend.”.

http://money.cnn.com/2017/05/29/media/terry-frei-denver-post-indy-500-tweet/

May 30, 2017 Tuesday

– Trump escalates clash after tense summits. Trump criticized Germany’s trade and spending policies, intensifying a clash between the allies and immediately earning himself the moniker “destroyer of Western values” from a leading German politician.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-germany-trump-idUSKBN18Q138

– Trump’s communications director Mike Dubke is leaving the job, the White House said on Tuesday, as the president considers wider staff changes to try to prevent more political damage from probes into Russia and his presidential campaign.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-idUSKBN18Q179

– Merkel wants to foster India ties, softens message on U.S. as Trump scolds.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-india-idUSKBN18Q0ZJ

– South Korean President Moon Jae-in has ordered a probe after the Defence Ministry failed to inform him that four more launchers for the controversial U.S. THAAD anti-missile system had been brought into the country.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-south-thaad-idUSKBN18Q0I3

– Group linked to NSA leaks says will release more data in July.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-cyber-shadow-brokers-idUSKBN18Q22V

– Kentucky newspapers suffer twin threats amid rising anti-media climate.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/30/kentucky-newspapers-attack-anti-media

– (Opinion) Donald Trump is not blameless when white supremacists slaughter people.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/may/30/donald-trump-portland-attack-not-blameless-white-supremacists

– How Trump and the GOP-led Congress swiftly dismantled Internet privacy rules.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/how-congress-dismantled-federal-internet-privacy-rules/2017/05/29/7ad06e14-2f5b-11e7-8674-437ddb6e813e_story.html

– (Other) A guide to the 5 major probes of Trump campaign’s possible ties to Russia.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/national/trump-russia-investigations/

– All but two countries are in the Paris climate agreement. The U.S. could be the third.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/world/paris-climate-agreement-withdrawal/

– U.N. chief warns if U.S. pulls back, others will fill leadership role.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-un-idUSKBN18Q2MD

– Pentagon successfully tests ICBM defense system for first time.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-northkorea-missiletest-idUSKBN18Q2CU

– North Korea warns of ‘bigger gift package’ for U.S. after latest test.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-kim-idUSKBN18P23J

– Former Trump adviser Flynn to turn over some documents subpoenaed by Senate panel.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-flynn-idUSKBN18Q2ML

– Portland man accused of fatal train stabbing has outburst in court. ‘You call it terrorism, I call it patriotism!’

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/30/portland-stabbing-anti-muslim-jeremy-joseph-christian-court

– White House drafts rule to roll back ‘contraception mandate’ for health coverage.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/30/trump-contraception-mandate-religious-groups-healthcare

– Cleveland police officer who fatally shot 12-year-old Tamir Rice is fired — but not for the killing.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/05/30/cleveland-police-officer-who-fatally-shot-12-year-old-tamir-rice-is-fired/

– Trump’s Personal Lawyer Refuses to Cooperate With Congressional Inquiries.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/30/us/politics/michael-cohen-russia-investigation.html

– Trump’s personal lawyer becomes focus of Russia investigation.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-lawyer-russia-investigation-michael-cohen-focus-probe-information-a7763911.html

– White House mounts staunch defense of Kushner.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/335680-white-house-mounts-staunch-defense-of-kushner

– Trump ‘likes his intelligence briefings filled with pictures’.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-latest-pictures-intelligence-briefings-new-report-a7763831.html

– Trump: Change Senate rules ‘immediately’ to pass GOP plans.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-change-senate-rules-changed-immediately-pass-gop-plans-155809610.html

– Transgender Wisconsin Student Can Use Boys’ Bathroom, Federal Court Says.

http://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/transgender-wisconsin-student-can-use-boys-bathroom-federal-court-says-n766436

– After Stabbing, Portland’s Mayor Wants 2 Right-Wing Demonstrations Canceled.

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/05/30/530716682/after-stabbing-portlands-mayor-wants-2-right-wing-demonstrations-canceled

– 49 shot in Chicago over Memorial Day weekend — and that’s a sign of progress.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-chicago-shootings-memorial-day-20160529-story.html

http://mocux.desmoinesregister.com/story/news/2017/05/30/49-shot-chicago-memorial-day-weekend/102314944/

– Right-Wing Polls Show Trump’s Plunging Approval Ratings.

http://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-approval-ratings-impeachment-odds-white-house-russia-scandal-617650

– (Editorial) Show HUD’s Budget Cuts the Door.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/30/opinion/hud-budget-cuts-ben-carson.html

– Real-Life ‘House of Cards’: Debt Ceiling Crisis Looms for Trump.

http://www.newsweek.com/real-life-house-cards-debt-limit-crisis-617705

– GOP taps anti-Clinton strategy to damage Elizabeth Warren early.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/congress/article153446694.html

– Nearly Half of Donald Trump’s Twitter Followers Are Fake Accounts and Bots.

http://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-twitter-followers-fake-617873

– Viral flap over whether Trump has gotten sudden boost in Twitter followers.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/white-house/article153467119.html

May 31, 2017 Wednesday

– TRUMP TO PULL OUT OF PARIS CLIMATE AGREEMENT.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-climatechange-trump-idUSKBN18R1J4

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/may/31/donald-trump-withdraw-paris-climate-change-agreement

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/31/climate/trump-quits-paris-climate-accord.html

– Pullout ‘monumentally irresponsible:’ experts.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-climatechange-trump-reaction-idUSKBN18R2FT

– China and EU strengthen commitment to Paris deal with US poised to step away. Beijing and Brussels to set up new alliance to reduce global carbon emissions.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/may/31/china-eu-climate-lead-paris-agreement

– (Analysis) Paris climate deal: exasperated world leaders prepare to move on without US.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/may/31/donald-trump-paris-climate-change-deal-agreement-us

– Musk Threatens to Leave Trump’s Business Councils, Joins CEOs Pushing to Stay in Paris Deal.

https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-05-31/musk-leads-ceos-full-court-press-on-paris-as-trump-weighs-exit

– Majority of Americans in every US state supports Paris climate deal Trump is poised to withdraw from.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-paris-climate-deal-agreement-poll-support-popularity-americans-states-a7765626.html

– Germany says Theresa May is ‘complicit’ in Donald Trump’s policies that put Europe’s security at risk.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/germany-theresa-may-donald-trump-complicit-us-policies-europe-security-risk-eu-paris-agreement-a7764661.html

– China Sees an Opening in Rift Between Trump and Germany.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/31/world/europe/china-sees-an-opening-in-rift-between-trump-and-germany.html

– Trump’s climate decision could be felt for generations.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/31/politics/trumpo-paris-climate/index.html

– Cracks widen in US-Europe alliance.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/31/politics/donald-trump-angela-merkel-europe-climate/index.html

– Financial firms lead shareholder rebellion against ExxonMobil climate change policies.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/05/31/exxonmobil-is-trying-to-fend-off-a-shareholder-rebellion-over-climate-change/

– Man arrested at Trump’s Washington hotel after guns found in car. He reportedly told police he is a military veteran suffering from PTSD and chose to stay at the hotel because he likes President Trump.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-washingtondc-arrest-idUSKBN18R2AR

http://thehill.com/homenews/news/335746-man-with-guns-arrested-at-trump-international-hotel

– Poll: Support for Trump impeachment rises. Forty-three percent of voters want Congress to begin impeachment proceedings, according to a new POLITICO/Morning Consult poll, up from 38 percent last week.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/31/trump-impeach-polling-238947

– CNN fires Kathy Griffin after Trump beheading photo.

http://thehill.com/homenews/335791-cnn-fires-kathy-griffin-over-trump-beheading-photo

– Fired FBI director James Comey plans to testify publicly in the Senate to confirm bombshell accusations that Trump pressured him to end his investigation into a top Trump aide’s ties to Russia.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/31/politics/fbi-comey-testimony/index.html

– NRA lobbyist: Guns equalizer for ‘the blacks’.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/nra-lobbyist-guns-equalizer-blacks-47748624

– Gov. Brown: ‘The rest of the world is against’ Trump.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/31/jerry-brown-donald-trump-paris-climate-change-deal-238993

– Trump urges GOP senators to pass new Obamacare repeal bill that adds saved money.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/31/trump-tweet-obamacare-repeal-bill-senate-238977

– Fox News holds off MSNBC for May ratings win.

http://thehill.com/homenews/media/335811-fox-news-continues-to-dominate-cable-ratings-despite-surging-msnbc

– Recipients Fear Cuts to Food Stamps and Disability Aid in Trump Budget.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/31/us/politics/food-stamps-disability-benefits-trump-budget.html

– House Russia investigators subpoena Flynn, Cohen.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/31/politics/house-russia-investigators-subpoena-flynn-cohen/index.html

– The home of Cleveland Cavaliers superstar forward LeBron James was found with racist graffiti on the front gate.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2712774-lebron-james-home-reportedly-vandalized-with-racist-graffiti

– Portland train suspect: ‘I hope everyone I stabbed died’.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/05/31/us/portland-train-stabbing-what-happened/index.html

– Americans Like Obamacare Better Than GOP Plan, Kaiser Family Foundation Poll Finds.

http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-care/americans-obamacare-better-gop-plan-poll-finds-n766656

– White House is no longer taking questions on Trump and Russia. Press secretary says all questions about investigation will be referred to Trump’s lawyer.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/may/31/donald-trump-russia-investigation-sean-spicer-no-questions

– Trump administration approves tougher visa vetting, including social media checks.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-visa-idUSKBN18R3F8

June 1, 2017 Friday

– UKIP leader Nigel Farage is ‘person of interest’ in FBI investigation into Trump and Russia.

https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/jun/01/nigel-farage-is-person-of-interest-in-fbi-investigation-into-trump-and-russia

– The Republicans who urged Trump to pull out of Paris deal are big oil darlings.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/01/republican-senators-paris-climate-deal-energy-donations

– Trump delays moving U.S. embassy to Jerusalem despite campaign pledge.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-israel-idUSKBN18S5H8

– Fearing Trump’s next move, liberals urge Supreme Court conservative Kennedy to stay.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-kennedy-idUSKBN18S4LT

– Our ugly racism’s newest artifact: The noose left at the African American Museum.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/our-ugly-racisms-newest-artifact-the-noose-left-at-the-african-american-museum/2017/06/01/fc0cdc98-46b6-11e7-a196-a1bb629f64cb_story.html

– (Opinion) The Scope of Hate in 2017.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/01/opinion/hate-crime-lebron-james-college-park-murder.html

– Putin Hints at U.S. Election Meddling by ‘Patriotically Minded’ Russians.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/01/world/europe/vladimir-putin-donald-trump-hacking.html

– Maybe Private Russian Hackers Meddled in Election, Putin Says.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/01/world/europe/vladimir-putin-donald-trump-hacking.html

– Vatican official: US exiting Paris deal would be ‘slap in the face’.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/335946-vatican-official-paris-deal-exit-would-be-a-slap-in-the-face

– Top Dem: Nunes violating Russia recusal with subpoenas.

http://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/335942-schiff-nunes-issuing-subpoenas-a-violation-of-recusal

– Did Trump, Kushner, Sessions Have An Undisclosed Meeting With Russian?

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/did-trump-kushner-sessions-have-undisclosed-meeting-russian-n767096

– Bloomberg: ’55 percent chance’ Trump will win reelection.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/335844-bloomberg-55-percent-chance-trump-will-win-reelection

– (Opinion) How Trump’s Chaotic Presidency Threatens the Economy.

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-06-01/how-trump-s-chaotic-presidency-threatens-the-economy

– Senators asked Comey to investigate AG Jeff Sessions for possible perjury.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/01/politics/sessions-russian-ambassador-letter/index.html

– Portland, LeBron, the Smithsonian nooses: America’s ugly week of hate.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/01/us/lebron-james-smithsonian-portland-stabbings-hate/index.html

– Top 5 States With Homeless People In US: 23% Rise In Vagrant Population In A Year In Los Angeles.

http://www.ibtimes.com/top-5-states-homeless-people-us-23-rise-vagrant-population-year-los-angeles-study-2546333

– TRUMP PULLS U.S. OUT OF PARIS CLIMATE ACCORD. World’s second largest greenhouse gas emitter will remove itself from global treaty as Trump claims accord ‘will harm’ American jobs. ‘A reassetion of America’s Sovereignty’.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-climatechange-trump-idUSKBN18R1J4

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40127326

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/01/donald-trump-confirms-us-will-quit-paris-climate-deal

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-to-announce-us-will-exit-paris-climate-deal/2017/06/01/fbcb0196-46da-11e7-bcde-624ad94170ab_story.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/01/climate/trump-paris-climate-agreement.html

– (Editorial) Our Disgraceful Exit From the Paris Accord. Here’s what Trump’s decision on the climate change pact says to the world: America cares little about science, its allies and competitiveness.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/01/opinion/trump-paris-climate-change-agreement.html

– Critics lament Trump climate move.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-climatechange-quotes-factbox-idUSKBN18S6KQ

– Deal cannot be renegotiated: EU leaders.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-climatechange-eu-idUSKBN18S6GN

http://www.politico.eu/article/france-germany-and-italy-paris-deal-cannot-be-renegotiated/

– U.S. and global leaders react to Trump’s exit from Paris climate change pact.

http://www.politico.com/interactives/2017/trump-paris-climate-change-agreement-reaction/

– World leaders accuse Trump of turning his back on the planet.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/01/world/trump-paris-agreement-world-reaction/index.html

– World leaders condemned Trump’s decision to pull out of the Paris agreement on climate change.

http://www.dw.com/en/world-reacts-to-us-withdrawal-from-paris-agreement/a-39088295

– Trudeau tells Trump Canada is disappointed by withdrawal from Paris climate deal.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/trudeau-mckenna-trump-paris-deal-1.4142211

– Is Trump abandoning US global leadership?

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40127896

– Can China be a world leader on climate change?

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/can-china-be-a-world-leader-on-climate-change/article35184534/

– Musk to quit Trump advisory councils.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-climatechange-musk-idUSKBN18S6EO

– Goldman’s Blankfein criticizes U.S decision to leave Paris climate deal.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-climatechange-goldman-sachs-idUSKBN18S6MC

– Apple CEO says he pleaded with Trump to stay in the Paris climate accord, “but it wasn’t enough.”

https://www.cnet.com/news/apple-cook-memo-condemns-trump-paris-climate-accord/

– Obama slams Trump for leaving Paris climate agreement. ‘Trump rejects future’.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/01/barack-obama-slams-donald-trump-paris-climate-239032

http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/335975-obama-trump-will-reject-the-future-by-pulling-out-of-paris-accord

– Trump makes Europe (feel) great again.

http://www.politico.eu/article/trump-makes-europe-feel-great-again/

– UN climate negotiator slams White House for having “no idea” how Paris Agreement works.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/paris-agreement-climate-trump-united-nations/

– Washington, California, New York band together to form climate alliance.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/01/climate-alliance-washington-california-new-york-239038

– US mayors, governors vow to stick with Paris accord.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/01/us/trump-climate-deal-cities-states-defying/

– EPA begins offering buyouts to cut staff.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/336023-epa-begins-offering-buyouts-to-cut-staff-report

– Right-wing media cheer Trump withdrawing United States from the Paris climate agreement.

https://www.mediamatters.org/research/2017/06/01/right-wing-media-cheer-trump-withdrawing-united-states-paris-climate-agreement/216746

– How Sinclair Broadcasting purchasing Tribune Media could help Trump get re-elected.

https://www.mediamatters.org/networks-and-outlets/sinclair-broadcast-group-inc

– Trump administration asks Supreme Court to revive travel ban.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-idUSKBN18T09Z

– Disaster Agency To Weather Hurricane Season With No Leader, Proposed Cuts.

http://www.npr.org/2017/06/01/531012881/disaster-agency-to-weather-hurricane-season-with-no-leader-proposed-cuts

June 2, 2017 Friday

– Exit from Paris pact threatens U.S. global stature, European officials say.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/trumps-tangle-with-europe-leads-the-continent-to-find-partners-elsewhere/2017/06/02/429b1c0c-4599-11e7-8de1-cec59a9bf4b1_story.html

– (Analysis) Paris withdrawal is the visceral expression of Trump’s worldview.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/paris-decision-underscores-the-visceral-expression-of-trumps-worldview/2017/06/02/69adf632-47b7-11e7-a196-a1bb629f64cb_story.html

– France’s President Emmanuel Macron has become the principal spokesman of political moderates around the world, squaring off against Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/frances-macron-flexes-newfound-international-star-power/2017/06/02/f7c61778-47a9-11e7-8de1-cec59a9bf4b1_story.html

– Angela Merkel Slams Donald Trump’s Decision to Quit Paris Accord.

https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/angela-merkel-slams-donald-trumps-decision-to-quit-paris-accord-1496396241

– EU to bypass Trump administration after Paris climate agreement pullout.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/02/european-leaders-vow-to-keep-fighting-global-warming-despite-us-withdrawal

– Trump’s tangle with Europe leads the continent to find partners elsewhere.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/trumps-tangle-with-europe-leads-the-continent-to-find-partners-elsewhere/2017/06/02/429b1c0c-4599-11e7-8de1-cec59a9bf4b1_story.html

– World pledges to save ‘Mother Earth’ despite Trump’s snub to climate pact.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-climatechange-idUSKBN18T1M0

– City halls and landmarks turn green in support of Paris climate deal. Local government buildings in New York, Boston, Washington DC, Montreal and Paris lit up after US withdrawal from accord.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/02/city-halls-and-landmarks-turn-green-new-york-washington-montreal

– How Cities and States Reacted to Trump’s Decision to Exit the Paris Climate Deal.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/06/02/climate/trump-paris-mayors.html

– Bucking Trump, These Cities, States and Companies Commit to Paris Accord.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/01/climate/american-cities-climate-standards.html

– (Opinion) Donald Trump Poisons the World.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/02/opinion/donald-trump-poisons-the-world.html

– (Opinion) Abandoning Paris climate deal marks Trump’s return to angry populism.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/02/donald-trump-paris-deal-analysis-populism

– White House confirms it is considering stopping James Comey from testifying in Senate hearing.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-comey-russia-testimony-block-senate-hearing-kellyanne-conway-latest-news-a7769821.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-idUSKBN18T1WZ

– Bloomberg pledges $15M to UN to cover US climate share.

http://thehill.com/homenews/news/336143-bloomberg-pledges-15-million-to-un-to-repay-us-climate-debt

– ‘Washington can’t stop Americans’: Michael Bloomberg pledges to pay US share of Paris climate funding.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/02/washington-cant-stop-americans-michael-bloomberg-pledges-pay/

– US has nothing to apologize for on climate change, says defiant EPA chief Scott Pruitt.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/02/us-paris-climate-deal-epa-chief-scott-pruitt

– Pence says climate change is just an issue for the left.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/mike-pence-climate-change-us-vice-president-paris-agreement-issue-left-for-some-reason-donald-trump-a7769081.html

– Antarctic sends message to Trump about global warming in shape of iceberg the size of Delaware.

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/antarctic-donald-trump-global-warming-paris-agreement-delaware-size-iceberg-climate-change-decision-a7766456.html

– White House orders agencies to ignore Democrats’ oversight requests. Trump’s aides are trying to shut down the release of information that could be used to attack the president.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/02/federal-agencies-oversight-requests-democrats-white-house-239034

– Nunes intervenes in Russia probe, despite having stepped aside. Nunes issued three subpoenas — which Democrats called a violation of his recusal.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/01/devin-nunes-intervenes-russia-investigation-239026

– Nunes-led House Intelligence Committee asked for ‘unmaskings’ of Americans.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/nunes-led-house-intelligence-committee-requested-unmaskings-of-americans/2017/06/02/5c098dc0-47bc-11e7-98cd-af64b4fe2dfc_story.html

– Special counsel investigation includes Manafort, may expand to Sessions.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/336168-russia-special-counsel-investigation-includes-manafort-may

– Putin Tells Megyn Kelly: U.S. Hackers Could Have Framed Russia.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/vladimir-putin-tells-megyn-kelly-u-s-hackers-could-have-n767641

– GOP strategists plot anti-media strategy for 2018 elections.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article154106459.html

– First Rule of Far-Right Fight Club: Be White and Proud. Fringe Groups Revel as Protests Turn Violent.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/02/us/politics/white-nationalists-alt-knights-protests-colleges.html

June 3, 2017 Saturday

– Demonstrations held for and against Trump across the U.S.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/demonstrations-held-for-and-against-trump-across-united-states/

– Trump files for extension on his 2016 taxes.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-files-for-extension-on-his-2016-taxes/

– Trump Plans to Shift Infrastructure Funding to Cities, States and Business.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/03/us/politics/trump-plans-to-shift-infrastructure-funding-to-cities-states-and-business.html

– Third noose this week found at DC construction site.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/336241-third-noose-this-week-found-at-dc-construction-site

– UN refugee agency head pleads for funding from Trump administration.

http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/336221-un-refugee-agency-head-pleads-for-funding-from-trump-administration

– Globe heaps scorn on Trump for Paris exit.

http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/336176-globe-heaps-scorn-on-trump-for-paris-exit

– TERRORIST ATTACKS IN CENTRAL LONDON.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-40146916

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jun/03/london-bridge-closed-after-serious-police-incident-reports

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/06/03/london-bridge-incident-armed-police-respond-several-people-mown/

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/london-bridge-borough-market-attack-incident-terror-terrorist-police-what-happened-latest-live-a7771636.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/police-declare-major-incident-on-london-bridge-after-van-reported-to-hit-pedestrians/2017/06/03/6d1854c0-48a7-11e7-8de1-cec59a9bf4b1_story.html

– In pictures: London attacks.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/gallery/2017/jun/04/london-bridge-attack-in-pictures

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-40147256

– Trump tweets for his travel ban as drama unfolds in London.

http://www.reuters.com/article/uk-britain-security-trump-idUSKBN18U0YC

– Trump criticised for using London attacks to promote his own Muslim travel ban.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jun/04/trump-criticised-for-using-london-attacks-to-promote-his-own-muslim-travel-ban

– Oath Keepers militia will attend Portland ‘free speech’ rally, says leader.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/03/oath-keepers-militia-portland-free-speech-rally

(Investigation) How a ‘shadow’ universe of charities joined with political warriors to fuel Trump’s rise.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/how-a-shadow-universe-of-charities-joined-with-political-warriors-to-fuel-trumps-rise/2017/06/03/ff5626ac-3a77-11e7-a058-ddbb23c75d82_story.html

June 4, 2017

– Trump berates London mayor over response to terror attacks. Trump criticises London Mayor Sadiq Khan and uses attack to justify travel ban before mayor’s spokesman calls tweet ‘ill-informed’ and deliberately out of context.

https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/jun/04/trump-berates-london-mayor-sadiq-khan-terror-attacks

– Trump reacts to London terror by stoking fear and renewing feud with mayor.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-reacts-to-london-terror-by-stoking-fear-and-renewing-feud-with-mayor/2017/06/04/2811bcce-4931-11e7-a186-60c031eab644_story.html

– World leaders call for unity after London attack. Trump tweets the complete opposite.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/06/04/world-leaders-call-for-unity-after-london-attack-trump-tweets-the-complete-opposite/

– Trump criticized for tweet on London mayor after bridge attacks.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-security-trump-idUSKBN18U0YC

– Is Donald Trump ‘Trying to Provoke a Domestic Terror Attack’ With London Tweets?

http://www.newsweek.com/trump-trying-provoke-domestic-terror-attack-london-tweets-620547

– Amid turmoil, Trump spends weekend at golf club.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/336263-amid-turmoil-trump-spends-weekend-golfing

– Is there a neo-Nazi storm brewing in Trump country? Can national socialism (Nazism), repackaged as ‘white identity’ politics, earn votes in rural counties that voted for Trump?

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/04/national-socialism-neo-nazis-america-donald-trump

– Trump supporters confront counter-protests in Portland, Oregon.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-oregon-protests-idUSKBN18V0J0

– ‘Alt-right’ Portland rally sees skirmishes with counter-protesters.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/04/portland-oregon-alt-right-rally-antifa

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/alt-right-rally-counter-protestors-joey-gibson-donald-trump-portland-oregon-a7772801.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/right-wing-free-speech-rally-draws-massive-counter-protests-in-portland/2017/06/04/12971892-496f-11e7-9669-250d0b15f83b_story.html

– (Opinion) Homegrown Terrorism and Why the Threat of Right-Wing Extremism Is Rising in America.

http://www.newsweek.com/homegrown-terrorism-rising-threat-right-wing-extremism-619724

– James Comey Senate testimony: America braces for a historic political moment.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/04/james-comey-senate-testimony-donald-trump-russia-flynn

– Deutsche Bank ignores U.S. Trump/Russia query.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-deutsche-bank-trump-idUSKBN18V11Q

– Putin denies having compromising information on Trump.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-putin-idUSKBN18V16E

– Trump praises Saudi Arabia and claims he put Nato nations in place about defence spending.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-nato-saudi-arabia-terrorism-extremism-defence-spending-a7772391.html

– U.S. Takes Step Towards Embrace Of Gulf Plan To Destabilize Iran.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/us-takes-step-towards-embrace-of-gulf-plan-to-destabilize_us_59338775e4b0649fff2119ff

– Canada calling: tech industry lures workers north in wake of Trump.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/04/canada-tech-industry-recruit-americans-silicon-valley-trump

June 5, 2017 Monday

– Trump renews feud with London mayor over terror attack, rails at courts for blocking travel ban.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40163567

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/05/donald-trump-attack-courts-travel-ban-london

– London attack: Every mayor in America thanks Sadiq Khan for his leadership, in sharp contrast with Trump.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/london-attack-trump-sadiq-khan-us-mayors-thank-leadership-contrast-a7773981.html

– London mayor: We won’t let Trump ‘divide our community’.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/336409-london-mayor-we-wont-let-trump-divide-our-community

– Will Trump Visit U.K? After Attack on Sadiq Khan, Theresa May Faces Calls to Cancel State Trip.

http://www.newsweek.com/trump-uk-visit-sadiq-khan-621215

– Acting US ambassador to China resigns over Trump’s Paris decision.

http://thehill.com/policy/international/336428-acting-us-ambassador-to-china-resigns-over-trumps-paris-decision-report

– (Opinion) Tweets unworthy of office.

http://thehill.com/opinion/bill-press/336451-tweets-unworthy-of-office

– Cancel Trump state visit, says London Mayor Sadiq Khan, after London attack tweets.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/05/donald-trump-attack-courts-travel-ban-london

– Media war amps up: AP fact-check says Trump can’t be trusted.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/336341-media-war-amps-up-ap-fact-check-says-trump-cant-be-trusted

http://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/AP-FACT-CHECK-Attack-draws-visceral-Trump-11195713.php

– Trump vows to impose travel ban ‘in any event’ despite pending Supreme Court judgement.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-muslim-ban-travel-extreme-vetting-supreme-court-judges-us-president-customs-border-a7773271.html

– Trump Grows Discontented With Attorney General Jeff Sessions.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/05/us/politics/trump-discontent-attorney-general-jeff-sessions.html

– White House formally backs plan to send 30,000 federal workers to private corporation, separating the nation’s air traffic controllers and those who work on a $36 billion modernization program from the Federal Aviation Administration.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/white-house-formally-backs-plan-to-send-30000-federal-workers-to-private-corporation/2017/06/05/b8ce5546-4987-11e7-9669-250d0b15f83b_story.html

– (Analysis) It’s time to bust the myth: Most Trump voters were not working class.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2017/06/05/its-time-to-bust-the-myth-most-trump-voters-were-not-working-class/

– 5 Arab States Break Ties With Qatar after a visit to the region by Trump.

– Most Americans in poll oppose Trump’s decision to scrap Paris climate plan, think it will hurt U.S. globally.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/06/05/post-abc-poll-nearly-6-in-10-oppose-trump-scrapping-paris-agreement/

– White House won’t block Comey testimony.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/336397-white-house-wont-use-executive-privilege-to-block-comeys-testimony

– NSA Report Suggests Russia Might Have Hacked Voting System.

http://www.newsweek.com/who-won-election-nsa-report-suggests-russia-might-have-hacked-voting-system-621213

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jun/05/russia-us-election-hack-voting-system-nsa-report

– Kushners Hunting Hard for a $250 Million Loan to Pay Back Chinese Investors.

https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-06-05/kushners-hunting-hard-for-a-loan-to-pay-back-chinese-investors

– Republicans use ‘alt-right’ Portland rally to recruit new members.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/05/portland-alt-right-rally-republican-recruit-james-buchal

June 6, 2017 Tuesday

– Theresa May: Donald Trump wrong to criticise Sadiq Khan.

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-40172537

– Sean Spicer says Trump’s tweets should be seen as official White House statements.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-tweets-official-statements-president-sean-spicer-white-house-says-a7776326.html

– Donald Trump ‘plans to live-tweet former FBI Director James Comey’s testimony’.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-comey-testimony-live-tweet-plans-senate-hearing-president-twitter-a7776046.html

– Nikki Haley warns US may pull out of UN Human Rights Council over ‘anti-Israel bias’.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/nikki-haley-un-human-rights-council-anti-israel-bias-ambassador-arab-countries-saudi-arabia-a7775381.html

– Trump’s blocking of Twitter users violates U.S. Constitution: rights institute.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-twitter-idUSKBN18X2LR

– Accused leaker Reality Winner called Trump an ‘orange fascist’ on Twitter.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/06/politics/reality-winner-twitter-account/index.html

– Climate change progress at Trump’s EPA is grinding to a halt, workers reveal.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/06/climate-change-work-trump-epa

– Trump Takes Credit for Saudi Move Against Qatar, a U.S. Military Partner.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/06/world/middleeast/trump-qatar-saudi-arabia.html

– Siding against ally Qatar, Trump injects US into Arab crisis.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/trump-says-arab-leaders-complained-qatar-123707789–politics.html

– Trump takes aim at key anti-ISIS ally Qatar in tweets.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/trump-takes-aim-key-anti-isis-ally-qatar/story

– McConnell whips Senate GOP back in line on Obamacare repeal.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/06/senate-republicans-obamacare-repeal-timing-239186

– Trump sons call Russia probe a ‘hoax’ and ‘witch hunt’.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/06/donald-jr-eric-trump-russia-investigation-239182

– Donald Trump Jr. joins father in bashing London mayor.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/06/donald-trump-jr-sadiq-khan-london-mayor-239176

– Abstinence education advocate named to HHS post.

http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/336620-abstinence-education-advocate-named-to-hhs-post

– Court asks EPA to justify pausing Obama pollution rule.

http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/336613-court-asks-epa-to-justify-pausing-obama-pollution-rule

– Consumer bureau defenders brace for House vote on Dodd-Frank rollback.

http://thehill.com/policy/finance/336599-consumer-bureau-defenders-brace-for-house-vote-on-dodd-frank-rollback

– Top Intel Dem: Russian attacks on election systems ‘broader’ than reported.

http://thehill.com/homenews/news/336545-top-intel-dem-russian-election-interference-broader-than-whats-been-reported

– (Opinion) Making Ignorance Great Again.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/05/opinion/trump-gop-paris-climate-accord.html

– Comey Said to Stop Short of Saying Whether Trump Obstructed Justice.

https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-06-06/comey-said-to-share-details-of-trump-conversations-in-testimony

– Oil lobby met with Interior secretary at Trump hotel on day rule was changed.

http://money.cnn.com/2017/06/06/investing/oil-lobby-trump-hotel-api/index.html

– White House won’t say if Trump has confidence in AG Sessions.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/06/politics/trump-sessions-spicer-confidence/index.html

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/07/donald-trump-jeff-sessions-confidence-239260

– Sessions offered to resign after tensions grew with Trump.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/sessions-offered-in-recent-months-to-resign-as-attorney-general/2017/06/06/030366fc-4b17-11e7-bc1b-fddbd8359dee_story.html

– Trump Funneled Cancer Charity Money to His Businesses, Associates: Report.

http://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-funneled-kids-cancer-charity-money-businesses-621927

– White House, allies scramble for ways to offset potential damage from fired FBI Director James Comey’s highly anticipated congressional testimony. Trump’s White House and its allies are crafting a strategy aimed at undermining Comey’s credibility.

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/white-house-allies-scramble-for-ways-to-counter-comey/ar-BBCaMwZ

– Trump, furious and frustrated, gears up to punch back at Comey’s testimony.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-furious-and-frustrated-will-join-allies-in-attacking-comey-testimony/2017/06/06/171e6d00-4acf-11e7-9669-250d0b15f83b_story.html

– Surprised that nooses are being left around D.C.? Be prepared for more.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/surprised-that-nooses-are-being-left-around-dc-be-prepared-to-see-more/2017/06/06/824c817a-4ad4-11e7-9669-250d0b15f83b_story.html

– Trump administration wants to sell the Washington Aqueduct. The White House’s passion for privatization includes a little-noticed plan regarding the historic conduit, which could mean higher water bills.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/trafficandcommuting/trump-administration-wants-to-sell-the-washington-aqueduct/2017/06/06/9c9035dc-47a9-11e7-a196-a1bb629f64cb_story.html

– The Ku Klux Klan wants to rally in Charlottesville. Now this college town is on edge again.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/the-ku-klux-klan-wants-to-rally-in-charlottesville-now-this-college-town-is-on-edge-once-again/2017/06/06/ee5cba5c-4a4c-11e7-9669-250d0b15f83b_story.html

– Ethics office won’t probe Trump domestic emoluments issue.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2017/06/06/ethics-office-trump-shaub-murray-239219

– House Dem drafting articles of impeachment for Trump.

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/336677-house-dem-drafting-articles-of-impeachment-for-trump

– Nunes won’t say if he stepped aside in Russia probe. Nunes announced in April he was temporarily stepping aside from leading the investigation into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 elections, citing a series of ethics complaints filed against him.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/06/politics/devin-nunes-russia-probe/index.html

– (Opinion) The Lawless Presidency.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/06/opinion/the-lawless-presidency.html

June 7, 2017 Wednesday

– Intelligence officials Rogers, Coats say they won’t discuss private talks with Trump.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/nsa-director-rogers-and-intelligence-director-coats-said-they-wont-discuss-specifics-of-private-conversations-with-trump/2017/06/07/e74f7fbe-4b88-11e7-a186-60c031eab644_story.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/07/us/politics/senate-intelligence-hearing.html

– INTELLIGENCE OFFICIALS’ OUTRAGEOUS CONTEMPT OF CONGRESS.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/right-turn/wp/2017/06/07/outrageous-contempt-of-congress/

– ‘I need loyalty’: James Comey’s riveting prepared testimony about what Trump asked him, annotated.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/06/07/i-need-loyalty-james-comeys-riveting-prepared-testimony-about-what-trump-asked-him-annotated/

– Comey Set to Detail Pressure From Trump on Russia Inquiry.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/07/us/politics/james-comey-statement-testimony.html

– Trump’s aides are quickly learning they speak for the president at their own peril.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-undercuts-his-aides-by-contradicting-their-statements/2017/06/06/1ae3155a-4ad2-11e7-9669-250d0b15f83b_story.html

– Iran Lashes Out at Saudis and U.S. as Gulf Tensions Rise.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/07/world/middleeast/iran-parliament-attack-khomeini-mausoleum.html

– Trump picks white-collar crime lawyer to replace Comey at FBI. Christopher Wray represented Governor Chris Christie in the so-called Bridgegate scandal over massive traffic jams created as political punishment for a local mayor.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-fbi-idUSKBN18Y1K2

– Democrats to sue Trump over conflicts of interest.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/07/democrats-donald-trump-sue-conflict-of-interest-239262

– Ex-intel chief Clapper: Watergate ‘pales’ compared to Russia probes.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/07/russia-investigations-trump-watergate-239233

– Obama ethics czar: Comey details read ‘like trial testimony’.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/336784-obama-ethics-czar-comey-details-like-trial-testimony

– Comey’s dramatic account on Trump rocks Washington.

http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/336848-comeys-dramatic-account-rocks-washington

– Trump feels ‘totally vindicated’ by Comey testimony, lawyer says.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/336834-trump-totally-vindicated-by-comey-testimony-lawyer-says

– Comey account could fuel obstruction accusations against Trump: legal experts.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-obstruction-idUSKBN18Z068

– I helped prosecute Watergate. Comey’s statement is sufficient evidence for an obstruction of justice case.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/former-watergate-prosecutor-comey-lays-out-sufficient-evidence-for-an-obstruction-of-justice-case/2017/06/07/a12964a4-4be3-11e7-9669-250d0b15f83b_story.html

– Michigan state House approves carrying concealed guns without permit.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-guns-michigan-idUSKBN18Z03Y

– Debt limit showdown looms sooner as wealthy bet on Trump tax cut.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-congress-debt-idUSKBN18Y39H

June 8, 2017 Thursday

– JAMES COMEY TESTIFIES BEFORE CONGRESS, says he and agency were defamed, accuses White House of ‘Lies’

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/08/us/politics/james-comey-testimony-hearing.html

– Comey blasts White House for ‘lies, plain and simple’.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/08/james-comey-trump-russia-testimony-239294

– Comey says he shared notes in hopes of a special counsel.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/comey-testimony-trump-senate-hearing/2017/06/07/afadf87c-4bd0-11e7-bc1b-fddbd8359dee_story.html

– Comey accuses White House of lies, does not say Trump obstructed justice.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-idUSKBN18Z0HC

– Comey says Trump fired him to undermine FBI Russia investigation.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-idUSKBN18Z0HC

– Comey Says Concern Trump Would Lie Led Him to Write Memos.

https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-06-08/comey-urged-to-set-the-record-straight-on-dealings-with-trump

– Comey calls for release of memos, any recordings of White House conversations.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/james-comey-calls-for-release-of-memos-possible-recordings-of-white-house-conversations/

– (Analysis) Seven takeaways from Comey’s extraordinary testimony so far.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/06/08/6-takeaways-from-james-comeys-extraordinary-testimony-about-trump/

– James Comey testimony takeaways: He plays political hardball.

http://www.9news.com/news/politics/national-politics/key-takeaways-from-the-james-comey-testimony/446991765

– Trump: ‘We are going to fight and win’.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/336968-trump-we-are-going-to-fight-and-win

– ‘We are under siege,’ Trump tells religious right group as Comey testifies.

http://www.13wmaz.com/news/nation-now/we-are-under-siege-trump-tells-religious-right-group-as-comey-testifies/447061144

– (Opinion) Sorry Dems, Comey’s words too weak to impeach Trump.

– Dow hits record high in the midst of Comey hearing.

http://money.cnn.com/2017/06/08/investing/wall-street-stock-market-comey-hearing-trump/index.html

– House passes sweeping bank deregulation bill to replace Dodd-Frank Wall Street reform law and reduce oversight put in place after 2008 financial crisis.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/08/bank-deregulation-house-239313

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-congress-banks-idUSKBN18Z2T2

http://thehill.com/policy/finance/337004-house-passes-sweeping-bill-to-strip-post-recession-banking-rules

– Trump attorney disputes Comey testimony, slams leak.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-attorney-idUSKBN18Z2L0

– Senate G.O.P. Nears a Health Bill, but the Right May Balk.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/07/us/politics/senate-health-bill-may-alienate-gop-conservatives.html

– Debt Ceiling Is Again a Battleground, This Time with Republicans in Charge.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/07/us/politics/debt-ceiling-borrowing-limit.html

– Jerry Falwell Jr. says he will be part of a Trump education initiative.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/08/jerry-falwell-jr-trump-education-task-force-239309

– The tweet that got James Comey to go to the press.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/08/politics/james-comey-leaking-memo/index.html

– Pro-Trump media claims vindication in Comey hearing.

http://money.cnn.com/2017/06/08/media/conservative-media-james-comey-hearing/index.html

– (Opinion) Is James Comey a showboat? Maybe. Does it matter? No.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/08/politics/donald-trump-james-comey-showboat/index.html

– Dem senator: Trump should testify under oath.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/336983-dem-senator-trump-should-testify-under-oath

June 9, 2017 Friday

– Trump calls Comey a ‘leaker’ and claims ‘vindication’ after Senate hearing.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-claims-vindication-from-comey-testimony-calls-him-a-leaker/2017/06/09/4dc20c48-4d06-11e7-a186-60c031eab644_story.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/09/us/politics/trump-comey.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-idUSKBN1901FJ

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/09/trump-comey-239344

– (Opinion) The most chilling line of Comey’s testimony.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-most-chilling-line-of-comeys-testimony/2017/06/09/fc4b9322-4d12-11e7-9669-250d0b15f83b_story.html

– Trump Accuses Comey of Lying Under Oath at Senate Hearing.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/09/us/politics/trump-comey.html

– House Intelligence Committee leaders ask White House for any Comey tapes.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/09/house-intelligence-committee-leaders-ask-white-house-for-any-comey-tapes-239366

– U.S. aims to trim its U.N. peacekeeping bill after Trump’s calls to slash.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-un-budget-usa-idUSKBN1902IU

– Trump targets illegal immigrants who were given reprieves from deportation by Obama.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-deportations-exclusiv-idUSKBN1902I4

– Coalition of 13 states to challenge Trump on vehicle emission standards.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-autos-idUSKBN19027I

– China says it is vigilant as two U.S. bombers fly over South China Sea.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china-usa-southchinasea-idUSKBN1900YY

– Trump willing to counter Comey claims under oath.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-idUSKBN1901FJ

– U.S. seeks to dismiss lawsuit against Trump over foreign payments.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-lawsuit-idUSKBN19103Q

– Florida governor signs bolstered ‘stand your ground’ law making it easier for defendants in the state to successfully claim they were protecting themselves when they commit violence.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-florida-guns-idUSKBN19033X

– ‘Nonsense’: Powerful Republican denounces White House information shut-out.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-congress-trump-idUSKBN1902TW

– After Comey bombshells, evangelicals rally firmly behind Trump.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article155387034.html

June 10, 2017 Saturday

– Walls don’t fix migration problems, Merkel says on Mexico visit.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexico-germany-idUSKBN1910RW

– Germany’s Merkel lends support to Mexico over NAFTA. Tension over trade has surfaced under Trump and his “America First” policy.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-mexico-idUSKBN19106G

– Protesters rally against Islamic law in dozens of U.S. cities, but critics believe anti-Muslim hatred is behind the condemnation.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-islam-protests-idUSKBN1910RC

– Anti-Muslim rallies across US denounced by civil rights groups.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/10/anti-muslim-rallies-across-us-denounced-by-civil-rights-groups

– Anti-Sharia marches, counter-protests lead to fighting and arrests.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/anti-sharia-marches-counter-protests-planned-us/story

– Trump wages battle against regulations, not climate change.

http://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/Trump-wages-battle-against-regulations-not-11210445.php

– Trump Can Take Payments From Foreign Governments, Justice Dept. Says.

https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-06-09/trump-can-accept-payments-from-foreign-governments-u-s-argues

http://time.com/4813739/justice-department-donald-trump-payments-foreign-governments/

– Feinstein calls for investigation of ‘all matters related to obstruction of justice’.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/10/politics/dianne-feinstein-chuck-grassley-judiciary-committee-investigation/index.html

– Mueller staffing up Russia probe while Trump lawyer declares victory.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/10/politics/robert-mueller-russia-investigation-team/index.html

– (Editorial) The GOP’s Obamacare sabotage continues.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-gops-obamacare-sabotage-continues/2017/06/09/c0469574-4d40-11e7-a186-60c031eab644_story.html

– Russia tells U.S. not to strike Syrian pro-government forces again.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-russia-usa-idUSKBN1910Y9

– Trump rebuffs bipartisanship, banks on base to tame turmoil.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/trump-rebuffs-bipartisanship-banks-base-tame-turmoil-47958119

– Rallies Against Sharia Law Draw Counter-Protests.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/rallies-against-sharia-law-draw-193523142.html

June 11, 2017 Sunday

– U.S, G7 partners remain at odds on climate at environment meeting.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-g7-environment-idUSKBN1920N8

– Wall Street’s ‘Dr. Doom’ reviews the ‘Trump bump’ (audio).

http://soundcloud.com/reuters/the-exchange-henry-kaufman?in=reuters/sets/the-exchange

– Trump calls Comey ‘cowardly’ and suggests he acted illegally.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/11/trump-comey-leaks-239388

– Senators sound calls to release Comey ‘tapes’ as Trump attacks ‘cowardly’ leak.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/11/james-comey-testimony-donald-trump-tapes-leak

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/06/11/senator-says-trump-should-turn-over-comey-tapes/

– Trump attorney won’t rule out firing Mueller.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/11/trump-mueller-special-counsel-239396

– Los Angeles Pride Parade morphs into ‘Resist March’ against Trump.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-lgbt-pride-losangeles-idUSKBN1920GF

– (Analysis) Some Trump supporters want a holy war.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/06/11/some-trump-supporters-want-a-holy-war/

– RNC Chairwoman McDaniel urges an end to congressional Russia-Trump probes.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/11/trump-russia-mcdaniel-comey-239389

– Senate GOP sees path to ObamaCare repeal.

http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/337199-senate-gop-sees-path-to-obamacare-repeal

– A neo-Nazi with explosives and a framed photo of Timothy McVeigh is not a threat, judge rules.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/06/11/a-neo-nazi-with-explosives-and-a-framed-photo-of-timothy-mcveigh-is-not-a-threat-judge-rules/

– Trump May Scrap Britain Visit Amid Sinking Popularity.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/11/us/politics/trump-uk-visit.html

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/11/donald-trump-state-visit-to-britain-put-on-hold

– Role of Trump’s Lawyer Blurs Public and Private Lines.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/11/us/politics/trump-lawyer-marc-kasowitz.html

– Senior US prosecutor Bharara reveals he was fired by Trump after receiving several unusual calls from him and refusing to take a third call’.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40243184

– There’s ‘absolutely evidence’ to begin obstruction of justice case on Trump: Bharara.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/absolutely-evidence-begin-obstruction-justice-case-bharara/story

– Trump defends foreign income: Obama sold books to universities abroad.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/10/trump-foreign-government-income-obama-books

– D.C., Maryland to sue Trump over foreign payments to his businesses.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/dc-and-maryland-to-sue-president-trump-alleging-breach-of-constitutional-oath/2017/06/11/0059e1f0-4f19-11e7-91eb-9611861a988f_story.html

– Trump gives Priebus until July 4th to clean up White House.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/11/donald-trump-reince-priebus-deadline-239411

June 12, 2017 Monday

– Trump-Era Political Violence Deterring Democratic Candidates. America’s cold civil war is heating up, with countrywide reports of incidents of political violence.

http://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-violence-democrats-death-threats-624361

– New threats to public lands endanger America’s unique wildlife corridors as Trump pushes for development.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jun/12/public-lands-wildlife-corridors-migration-routes

– Another U.S. appeals court rules against Trump’s revised travel ban ahead of Supreme Court showdown.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-ruling-court-idUSKBN19321K

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/federal-appeals-court-upholds-freeze-on-trumps-travel-ban/2017/06/12/035893c4-4f91-11e7-be25-3a519335381c_story.html

– Appeals court cites Trump tweets in ruling against travel ban.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/337442-appeals-court-cites-trumps-tweets-in-ruling-against-travel-ban

– (Opinion) Donald Trump’s Cabinet Meeting Was Soviet and Surreal.

http://www.newsweek.com/trump-cabinet-meeting-weirdest-fdr-accomplished-more-twitter-sessions-russia-624683

– Republican Greg Gianforte sentenced to community service for assaulting Guardian reporter.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/12/republican-greg-gianforte-sentenced-assaulting-guardian-reporter

– (Opinion) My Lawyers Got Trump to Admit 30 Lies Under Oath.

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-06-12/trump-s-history-of-lies-according-to-biographer-timothy-o-brien

– Trump to be sued by Maryland and Washington DC attorneys general over foreign payments to his hotels.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-dc-maryland-lawsuit-alleging-breach-constitutional-oath-conflict-interest-companies-a7785281.html

– Alex Jones doubles down on Sandy Hook conspiracy theory in ‘disgusting’ Megyn Kelly interview. Some people have called for a boycott of the network.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/alex-jones-megyn-kelly-interview-infowars-sandy-hook-parents-response-conspiracy-theories-a7786656.html

– US politician introduces Covfefe Act to preserve Trump tweets.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/covefe-act-trump-twitter-bill-introduced-democrats-stop-president-deleting-tweets-a7786676.html

– House panel considers bill easing gun silencer restrictions.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/12/gun-silencer-restrictions-house-jeff-duncan-239440

– Cabinet members give Trump unusual tribute as heads of his executive branch agencies hailed the opening five months of Trump’s administration while the President himself listened on closely.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/12/politics/trump-cabinet-tribute/index.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-cabinet-idUSKBN19400P

– Secret Service Has No Audio Copies or Transcripts of Any Tapes Recorded within Trump’s White House.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/secret-service-has-no-audio-recordings-or-transcripts-made-in-trump-white-house-1497291979

– Mattis turned down White House calls to go on ‘Fox & Friends’.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/337391-mattis-turning-down-white-house-calls-to-go-on-fox-friends

– Trump surrogates go after Mueller.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/12/trump-special-counsel-robert-mueller-surrogates-239447

– Trump upends the global order.

http://thehill.com/policy/defense/337205-trump-upends-the-global-order

– JP Morgan pulls NBC ads over Alex Jones interview: report.

http://thehill.com/homenews/media/337524-jp-morgan-pulls-nbc-ads-over-alex-jones-interview-report

– Bernie Sanders Says Democrats Need To Do More Than Just Criticize Trump

http://www.ibtimes.com/political-capital/bernie-sanders-says-democrats-need-do-more-just-criticize-trump-2551139

June 13, 2017 Tuesday

– Deputy Attorney General says only he has the power to fire special counsel on Russia.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/jeff-sessions-set-to-testify-this-afternoon-before-senate-intelligence-committee/2017/06/13/ac5321bc-4fc6-11e7-91eb-9611861a988f_story.html

– How Trump could fire the special counsel (if he were foolish enough to try).

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2017/06/13/how-trump-could-fire-the-special-counsel-if-he-were-foolish-enough-to-try/

– The GOP is working stealthily to shred health and financial protections for ordinary Americans.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-gop-is-working-stealthily-to-shred-health-and-financial-protections-for-ordinary-americans/2017/06/13/4ee9f190-4f8a-11e7-be25-3a519335381c_story.html

– Sessions Denies Collusion With Russians as ‘Detestable Lie’.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/13/us/politics/jeff-sessions-testimony.html

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/13/jeff-sessions-russia-collusion-senate-testimony

– Sessions refuses to say whether he spoke to President Trump about Comey’s handling of Russia investigation.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/jeff-sessions-set-to-testify-this-afternoon-before-senate-intelligence-committee/2017/06/13/ac5321bc-4fc6-11e7-91eb-9611861a988f_story.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-idUSKBN19415A

– (Analysis) 4 takeaways from Sessions’s feisty testimony to Congress about Russia.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/06/13/4-takeaways-from-jeff-sessionss-feisty-testimony-to-congress-about-russia/

– (Analysis) Sessions’s testimony highlights Trump’s deep lack of interest in what Russia did in 2016.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2017/06/13/sessionss-testimony-highlights-trumps-deep-lack-of-interest-in-what-russia-did-in-2016/

(Analysis) Sessions defends Jeff Sessions. But what about Donald Trump?

http://www.eveningsun.com/story/news/politics/2017/06/13/attorney-general-jeff-sessions-defends-donald-trump-james-comey-fbi/102808224/

– Democrats Fuming Over Sessions Refusal to Answer Questions.

http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/democrats-fuming-over-sessions-refusal-answer-questions-n771656

– Most Trump real estate now sold to anonymous buyers.

http://www.ksdk.com/news/politics/national-politics/most-trump-real-estate-now-sold-to-anonymous-buyers/448582454

– Bernie Sanders: America is ‘drifting toward authoritarianism’.

http://www.khou.com/news/politics/national-politics/bernie-sanders-america-is-drifting-toward-authoritarianism/448619651

– 11 states sue Trump’s DOE over stalled energy-use limits.

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory/11-states-sue-trump-administration-energy-standards-48014247

– Election databases in several states were at risk during 2016 presidential campaign.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/election-databases-in-several-states-were-at-risk-during-2016-presidential-campaign/

June 14, 2017 Wednesday

– CONGRESSMAN SHOT. Gunman fires on Republican lawmakers at baseball practice.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-virginia-shooting-idUSKBN1951M1

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/337717-report-shooting-near-congressional-baseball-game-practice-field

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/14/us/steve-scalise-congress-shot-alexandria-virginia.html

– Gunman repeatedly criticized Republican lawmakers for favoring ‘super rich’.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/law-enforcement-officials-identify-shooter-at-congressional-ballgame-as-illinois-man/2017/06/14/ba6439f4-510f-11e7-91eb-9611861a988f_story.html

– Virginia Shooting Suspect Was Distraught Over Trump’s Election, Brother Says.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/14/us/politics/virginia-shooting-suspect-james-hodgkinson.html

– The GOP baseball shooting is the 154th mass shooting this year.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/06/14/the-gop-baseball-shooting-is-the-154th-mass-shooting-this-year/

– Some on right blame anti-Trump rhetoric for shooting.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/14/congress-baseball-shooting-blame-anti-trump-239549

– Roger Stone blames shooting on ‘climate of hate’ toward Trump.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/337857-roger-stone-blames-climate-of-hate-against-trump-for-shooting

– Conservative voices blame Alexandria shooting on Democrats and the left.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/06/14/conservative-voices-blame-alexandria-shooting-on-democrats-and-the-left/

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/14/us/politics/targeted-republicans-gun-laws-alexandria-virginia-baseball-shooting.html

– Fox host links shooting to ‘hateful’ Dem rhetoric.

http://thehill.com/homenews/media/337859-fox-news-host-links-lawmaker-shooting-to-politicians-and-celebrities

– Their Own Targeted, Republicans Want Looser Gun Laws, Not Stricter Ones.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/14/us/politics/targeted-republicans-gun-laws-alexandria-virginia-baseball-shooting.html

– (Analysis) After the shootings, calls for unity amid recriminations and finger-pointing.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/after-the-shootings-calls-for-unity-amid-recriminations-and-finger-pointing/2017/06/14/93fb667e-511a-11e7-91eb-9611861a988f_story.html

– Shooting Is Latest Eruption in a Grim Ritual of Rage and Blame.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/14/us/baseball-shooting-is-latest-eruption-in-a-grim-ritual-of-rage-and-blame.html

– Trump admin amends travel ban date to keep legal battle alive.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-immigration-idUSKBN1952Z1

– MUELLER INVESTIGATING TRUMP FOR POTENTIAL OBSTRUCTION OF JUSTICE.

http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/337864-mueller-investigating-trump-for-potential-obstruction-of-justice

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-idUSKBN195385

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/special-counsel-is-investigating-trump-for-possible-obstruction-of-justice/2017/06/14/9ce02506-5131-11e7-b064-828ba60fbb98_story.html

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/14/donald-trump-obstruction-of-justice-investigation-fbi-mueller

– Congress again pushing US toward brink of financial calamity.

http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/economy-budget/337832-congress-again-pushing-us-toward-brink-of-financial

– Senate overwhelmingly passes Russia sanctions deal with new limits on Trump, the most significant GOP-imposed restriction on the White House to date.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/14/senate-passes-russia-sanctions-trump-limits-239553

– (Opinion) The GOP’s fantastically anti-democratic quest to kill health care in the dark.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-gops-fantastically-anti-democratic-attempt-to-kill-health-care-in-the-dark/2017/06/14/0903e284-5134-11e7-91eb-9611861a988f_story.html

– Free health clinics make a comeback amid fear of what Trump will do to Obamacare.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article155845034.html

June 15, 2017 Thursday

– Special Counsel Interview List Is Said to Point at Trump Inquiry.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/14/us/politics/mueller-trump-special-counsel-investigation.html

– Trump blasts report on obstruction of justice probe.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-idUSKBN195385

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-obstruction-of-justice-russia-charge-phony-twitter-putin-impeachment-latest-a7791281.html

– On Twitter, Trump decries obstruction probe tied to ‘phony’ Russia collusion story.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/06/15/on-twitter-trump-decries-obstruction-probe-related-to-phony-story/

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/15/trump-obstruction-of-justice-239583

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-obstruction-of-justice-russia-charge-phony-twitter-putin-impeachment-latest-a7791281.html

– Gun Attack Is Unexpected Test for Movement Sanders Founded.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/14/us/politics/bernie-sanders-supporters.html

– Day after shooting, Pelosi blasts ‘sanctimony’ of Republicans.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/15/nancy-pelosi-scalise-shooting-republicans-239593

http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/15/politics/nancy-pelosi-steve-scalise/index.html

– Lobbyist for Russian interests says he attended dinners hosted by Sessions.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/15/lobbyist-russian-interests-jeff-sessions-testimony

– Senators From Both Parties Criticize Secrecy on Health Bill. Senate leaders are writing legislation to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act without a single hearing on the bill and without an open drafting session.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/15/us/politics/secrecy-surrounding-senate-health-bill-raises-alarms-in-both-parties.html

– Pence hires outside counsel to deal with Russia investigations.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/pence-hires-outside-counsel-to-deal-with-russia-probe-inquiries/2017/06/15/c40ef55c-51f5-11e7-a973-3dae94ed3eb7_story.html

– Putin quips he’s ready to grant asylum to ex-FBI chief Comey.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-putin-usa-comey-idUSKBN1961F6

– Dems bridle as some in GOP blame shooting on the left.

http://www.sfgate.com/news/politics/article/Dems-bridle-as-some-in-GOP-blame-shooting-on-talk-11223292.php

– AP-NORC poll: Just 1 in 5 support Trump’s move to fire Comey.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/ap-norc-poll-most-us-072057227.html

– Trump, facing deepening probes, revives attacks on Clinton, calls reports he’s under investigation for obstruction of justice ‘phony.’

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/15/trump-obstruction-of-justice-239583

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/338012-trump-why-is-clinton-not-investigated-but-i-am

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-hillary-clinton-phones-destroyed-hammer-bleach-emails-tweets-claims-obstruction-justice-a7792646.html

– Rattled by shooting, lawmakers want more personal protection. Some Republican lawmakers are seeking to carry personal firearms into the Capitol, a proposal that is alarming Democrats.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/15/congress-baseball-shooting-carry-guns-239613

– Trump signs executive order on apprenticeships.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/15/trump-apprenticeship-executive-order-239590

– Rand Paul denounces ‘new entitlements’ in emerging health bill.

http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/337970-rand-paul-denounces-new-entitlements-in-emerging-health-bill

– Trump sells Qatar $12bn of weapons after accusing it of funding terror.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/donald-trump-qatar-weapons-deal-12-billion-day-accuse-terrorism-saudi-arabiaqatar-signs-loa-for-the-a7790956.html

– Trump to change Cuba policy by limiting travel and business transactions rolling back Obama-era regulations that allowed travel and trade after decades of frosty communication between the two countries.

http://www.wfaa.com/news/politics/national-politics/trump-to-change-cuba-policy-by-limiting-travel-business-transactions/449406411

– Homeland Security rescinds Obama plan for some undocumented parents.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-idUSKBN197073

– Lobbyist for Russian interests says he attended dinners hosted by Sessions.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/15/lobbyist-russian-interests-jeff-sessions-testimony

– Special counsel is investigating Jared Kushner’s business dealings.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/special-counsel-is-investigating-jared-kushners-business-dealings/2017/06/15/5d9a32c6-51f2-11e7-91eb-9611861a988f_story.html

– US sending almost 4,000 extra forces to Afghanistan, Trump official says.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/15/us-troops-afghanistan-trump-administration

– Trump Tried to Convince NSA Chief to Absolve Him of Any Russian Collusion: Report.

http://www.newsweek.com/trump-tried-convince-nsa-chief-mike-rogers-russia-investigation-fake-report-626073

June 16, 2017 Friday

– Trump Confirms He’s Under Investigation on Twitter, attacks Rosenstein in tweets.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/06/16/trump-appears-to-confirm-obstruction-investigation-attack-rosenstein-in-morning-tweet-rant/

http://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-under-investigation-russia-scandal-probe-attorney-general-626611

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/16/donald-trump-confirms-investigation-obstruction-of-justice

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/trump-lashes-bad-conflicted-russia-investigators-48077689

– Trump says he’s ‘canceling’ Obama Cuba policy and renewal of sanctions.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-cuba-idUSKBN1970EC

– Germany threatens retaliation if U.S. sanctions harm its firms.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-russia-sanctions-germany-idUSKBN197156

– Emmanuel Macron Rivals Trump’s ‘America First’ With Plan To Make Europe Great Again.

http://www.newsweek.com/emmanuel-macron-buy-european-act-make-europe-great-again-donald-trump-america-626537

– Rosenstein Considering Recusal From Russia Probe.

http://www.newsweek.com/rosenstein-brand-doj-recuse-626732

– 10 Crazy Things Trump Has Done Since June 16, 2015.

http://www.newsweek.com/trump-campaign-anniversary-scandals-gaffes-626650

– Poor Americans face tough choice: food or home: Harvard study.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-housing-idUSKBN1971Y7

– Officer acquitted in shooting Philando Castile, whose traffic stop was live-streamed.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/06/16/minn-officer-acquitted-of-manslaughter-for-shooting-philando-castile-during-traffic-stop/

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/16/us/police-shooting-trial-philando-castile.html

– Trump’s personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, hires his own lawyer in Russia probe.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/06/16/trumps-personal-lawyer-michael-cohen-hires-his-own-lawyer-in-russia-probe/

– Trump releases personal financial disclosure report.

https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-06-16/trump-s-latest-financial-disclosure-shows-hotel-s-millions

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/16/us/politics/trumps-financial-disclosures.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-retains-assets-worth-at-least-14-billion-new-disclosure-shows/2017/06/16/c0bc4caa-52b9-11e7-be25-3a519335381c_story.html

– Trump owes lenders at least $315 million, disclosure shows.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-ethics-idUSKBN1972XM

– Trump Attacks Rosenstein in Latest Rebuke of Justice Department.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/16/us/politics/trump-investigation-comey-russia.html

– Newtown-area NBC station won’t air Megyn Kelly’s interview with Alex Jones.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article156706944.html

– (Opinion) The Toxic State of America.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/opinion-toxic-political-climate-fueled-u-s-shootings-a-1152470.html

June 17, 2017 Saturday

– Americans lament Cuba becoming ‘forbidden island’ again. Trump on Friday ordered tighter restrictions on Americans traveling to the Caribbean island.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-cuba-americans-idUSKBN1980TL

– Castro slams Trump’s ‘hostile rhetoric’ toward Cuba.

http://thehill.com/policy/international/338247-castro-slams-trumps-hostile-rhetoric-toward-cuba

– ‘This is violence against Donald Trump’: rightwingers interrupt Julius Caesar play.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/17/trump-supporter-interrupts-controversial-julius-caesar-play-in-new-york

– Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke rescinds acceptance of Homeland Security post.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/06/17/milwaukee-sheriff-david-clarke-rescinds-acceptance-of-homeland-security-post/

– Black gun owners worried by acquittal in Castile shooting.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/another-police-shooting-acquittal-worries-black-gun-owners-154924899.html

– Six resign from presidential HIV/AIDS council because Trump ‘doesn’t care’.

http://thehill.com/news-by-subject/healthcare/338296-six-resign-from-presidential-hiv-aids-council-because-trump-doesnt

– Help wanted: Why Republicans won’t work for the Trump administration.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/help-wanted-why-republicans-wont-work-for-the-trump-administration/2017/06/17/61e3d33e-506a-11e7-b064-828ba60fbb98_story.html

– In rural America, fewer immigrants and less tolerance.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/in-rural-america-fewer-immigrants-and-less-tolerance/2017/06/16/7b448454-4d1d-11e7-bc1b-fddbd8359dee_story.html

June 18, 2017 Sunday

– In first, NATO war game defends Baltic weak spot, rehearsing for a possible scenario in which Russia might try to sever the Baltic states from the rest of the Western alliance.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-nato-russia-suwalki-gap-idUSKBN1990L2

– North Korea accuses U.S. authorities of ‘mugging’ its diplomats at NY airport.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-usa-diplomats-idUSKBN1990NV

– Russia criticizes U.S. for ‘anti-Cuban’ approach, says it sides with Cuba.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-usa-cuba-idUSKBN1990A3

– Lockheed nears $37 billion-plus deal to sell F-35 jet to 11 countries.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-airshow-paris-f-idUSKBN1990S8

– U.S. warplane downs Syrian army jet in southern Raqqa province.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mideast-crisis-syria-usa-idUSKBN1990XI

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/18/syria-aircraft-shoot-down-239697

– As U.S. Adds Troops in Afghanistan, Trump’s Strategy Remains Undefined.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/18/world/asia/us-troops-afghanistan-trump.html

– Trump lawyer says president not under investigation, despite tweets. “The fact of the matter is the president has not been and is not under investigation,” Sekulow said on CBS’ “Face the Nation”.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-idUSKBN1990O7

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-lawyer-insists-there-is-no-obstruction-investigation–but-then-hedges/2017/06/18/9acef104-543b-11e7-b38e-35fd8e0c288f_story.html

– Alex Jones cries foul ahead of interview with ‘Medusa’ NBC host Megyn Kelly.

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/jun/18/alex-jones-megyn-kelly-nbc-interview-sandy-hook-trump

– Third noose found hanging near major Washington museums.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/18/noose-found-hanging-washington-museum

– Some gun owners are disturbed by the Philando Castile verdict. The NRA is silent.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/06/18/some-gun-owners-are-disturbed-by-the-philando-castile-verdict-the-nra-is-silent/

– Trey Gowdy replaced Chaffetz as head of House oversight. Will he investigate Trump?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/trey-gowdy-now-has-the-house-oversight-gavel-but-will-he-investigate-trump/2017/06/18/597885c0-52c0-11e7-b064-828ba60fbb98_story.html

– $1.5 million ad campaign to pressure 5 GOP senators to vote against health-care overhaul.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2017/06/18/new-ad-campaign-to-pressure-five-gop-senators-to-vote-against-health-care-overhaul/

– The radical idea behind Trump’s EPA rollbacks.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/18/pruitts-predecessors-pan-epa-originalism-philosophy-239669

– One dead, 10 injured as van strikes crowd near mosques in London.17-year-old Muslim girl assaulted and killed after leaving Virginia mosque.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/van-strikes-crowd-outside-mosque-in-london-one-person-is-arrested/2017/06/18/5a93993e-5489-11e7-b38e-35fd8e0c288f_story.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/fairfax-loudoun-police-searching-for-missing-17-year-old-reported-to-have-been-assaulted/2017/06/18/02e379ac-5466-11e7-a204-ad706461fa4f_story.html

June 19, 2017 Monday

– New in Trump probe: an expert in flipping witnesses.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-lawyers-idUSKBN19A1CM

– Cuba calls Trump speech on island ‘grotesque spectacle’.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-cuba-foreignminister-idUSKBN19A21R

– Russia Warns It Will Target U.S. Warplanes in Syrian Airspace.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/19/world/middleeast/russia-syria.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/russia-shoot-down-all-flying-objects-in-syria-us-regime-warplane-isis-terror-a7797101.html

– GOP data firm left 198 million Americans’ voter info unprotected.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/19/deep-root-analytics-voter-information-exposed-239718

– NYPD increasing presence around places of worship.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/338446-new-york-increasing-police-presence-around-places-of-worship

– Too hot to handle: Study shows Earth’s killer heat worsens.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/national-politics/article156930004.html

– Three-quarters of the world’s population could face deadly heatwaves within next 80 years, scientists warn.

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/heatwaves-deadly-populations-faces-century-global-warming-climate-change-report-a7797721.html

– Energy chief: Carbon dioxide not prime driver of warming.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/national-politics/article156938834.html

– Rick Perry denies that humans are the main cause of climate change.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/06/19/trumps-energy-secretary-just-denied-that-man-made-carbon-dioxide-is-the-main-driver-for-climate-change/

– Republican health bill: Democrats pledge Senate standstill over secrecy.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/19/republican-healthcare-bill-senate-secrecy

– Off-camera, no audio broadcast: White House keeps undermining press briefing.

http://money.cnn.com/2017/06/19/media/white-house-press-briefing-donald-trump-media/index.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/06/business/sean-spicer-press-briefing-off-camera.html

June 20, 2017 Tuesday

– Obamacare repeal imminent in Congress: Pence.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-healthcare-idUSKBN19B2OP

– U.S. senators want Congress to OK military action in Syria.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-congress-military-idUSKBN19B2MM

– US shoots down second Iran-made armed drone over Syria in 12 days.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/20/us-iran-drone-shot-down-syria

– (Opinion) Trump’s silence after the London mosque attack speaks volumes.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jun/20/donald-trump-silence-london-mosque-attack-speaks-volumes

– A Russian jet came within feet of a U.S. reconnaissance plane, the Pentagon says.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/checkpoint/wp/2017/06/20/a-russian-jet-came-within-feet-of-a-u-s-reconnaissance-plane-the-pentagon-says/

– The New Face of Trump’s Legal Team Is the Christian Right’s Pit Bull.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-06-20/the-new-face-of-trump-s-legal-team-is-the-christian-right-s-pitbull

– US sends supersonic bombers in show of force against N. Korea.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/us-sends-supersonic-bombers-show-force-nkorea-48153532

– Trump seeks sharp cuts to federal housing aid, except for program that brings him millions.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/trump-seeks-sharp-cuts-to-housing-aid-except-for-program-that-brings-him-millions/2017/06/20/bf1fb2b8-5531-11e7-ba90-f5875b7d1876_story.html

– EPA just gave notice to dozens of scientific advisory board members that their time is up.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/06/20/trump-administration-to-decline-to-renew-dozens-of-scientists-for-key-epa-advisory-board/

– Republicans Say Karen Handel’s Georgia Election Victory Is Referendum On Donald Trump.

http://www.ibtimes.com/republicans-say-karen-handels-georgia-election-victory-referendum-donald-trump-2555187

‘I Need More Mexicans’: A Kansas Farmer’s Message to Trump.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-06-20/-i-need-more-mexicans-a-kansas-farmer-s-message-to-trump

– The NRA is pushing to eliminate concealed carry permits in NC and across the country.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/mcclatchys-america/article157143914.html

June 21, 2017 Wednesday

– Most Americans say Republican healthcare plan will be harmful: Reuters/Ipsos poll.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-healthcare-poll-idUSKBN19C2LO

– Draft of Senate health-care bill would roll back Obamacare taxes, rejigger subsidies.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/senate-health-care-draft-repeals-obamacare-taxes-provides-bigger-subsidies-for-low-income-americans-than-house-bill/2017/06/21/3f2226ee-56bd-11e7-ba90-f5875b7d1876_story.html

– Trump: GOP healthcare plan will have ‘heart’.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/338896-trump-gop-healthcare-plan-will-have-heart

– The Republicans who decried Obamacare secrecy are now writing legislation in secret.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/republicans-who-decried-obamacare-secrecy-now-writing-legislation-in-secret/2017/06/21/05ff180c-55f2-11e7-b38e-35fd8e0c288f_story.html

– Trump: GOP is 5-0 on special elections.

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/338897-trump-gop-is-5-0-on-special-elections

– Pelosi takes heat after Dem loss.

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/338826-pelosi-takes-heat-after-dem-loss.

– Bloomberg: Trump will win reelection because ‘the Democratic Party is going to be torn apart’.

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/338747-bloomberg-trump-will-win-reelection-because-democratic-party-will-be-torn

– Russia cancels talks after US imposes new sanctions over Ukraine conflict.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jun/21/russia-cancels-us-talks-ukraine-sanctions

– Congressional Black Caucus refuses to meet with Donald Trump.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/21/donald-trump-congressional-black-caucus-no-meeting

– Former police officer acquitted in fatal shooting of black man in Milwaukee.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/21/sylville-smith-shooting-dominique-heaggan-brown-acquitted

– ACLU suing DC police over arrests during Trump’s inauguration.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/338812-aclu-files-lawsuit-against-dc-police-for-inauguration-protest

– Data of nearly all registered US voters left unsecured for weeks in RNC trove.

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/jun/21/data-voters-republican-national-committee

– Russian government actors tried to hack election systems in 21 states, Homeland Security official says.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/homeland-security-official-russian-government-actors-potentially-tried-to-hack-election-systems-in-21-states/2017/06/21/33bf31d4-5686-11e7-ba90-f5875b7d1876_story.html

– Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke wants to cut 4,000 employees from the department.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/interior-chief-wants-to-shed-4000-employees-in-department-shake-up/2017/06/21/791cadd0-56a7-11e7-a204-ad706461fa4f_story.html

– DeVos picks private student loan chief to head government loan program.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2017/06/21/devos-picks-private-student-loan-chief-to-head-government-loan-program/

– Scientists predict a Gulf of Mexico ‘dead zone’ the size of New Jersey this summer.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/06/21/scientists-predict-a-gulf-of-mexico-dead-zone-the-size-of-new-jersey-this-summer/

– Trinity College closes Conn. campus in response to ‘threats received.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2017/06/21/trinity-college-closes-conn-campus-in-response-to-threats-received/

– Iowa newspaper to Trump: ‘Now is not the time for a rally’.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/338814-iowa-newspaper-asks-trump-not-to-rally-ahead-of-iowa-rally

– Fox News covers Trump speech live, other networks use regular programming.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/338902-fox-news-covers-trump-speech-live-other-networks-use-regular

– (Opinion) Accommodating Trump.

http://www.journalnow.com/opinion/columnists/michael-gerson-accommodating-trump/article_a1d04eb2-568e-11e7-bc15-0334ddf44b7a.html

June 22, 2017 Thursday

– AFTER SECRECY, SENATE GOP RELEASES BILL TO END OBAMACARE WITH DEEP CUTS TO MEDICAID.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/22/us/politics/senate-health-care-bill.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-healthcare-idUSKBN19D13F

http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/338947-senate-gop-releases-obamacare-repeal-bill-with-deep-cuts-to-medicaid

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/22/senate-healthcare-bill-draft-republicans-trump-obamacare

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trumpcare-healthcare-bill-republicans-obamacare-repeal-replace-mitch-mcconnell-vote-date-a7803276.html

– Fate of healthcare bill uncertain.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/healthcare-trumpcare-senators-opposition-republicans-vote-against-rand-paul-latest-news-updates-a7803626.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-healthcare-idUSKBN19D13F

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/senate-gop-leaders-set-to-unveil-health-care-bill/2017/06/22/56dbe35c-5734-11e7-a204-ad706461fa4f_story.html

– What the Senate bill changes about Obamacare.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/politics/obamacare-senate-bill-compare/

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/06/22/us/senate-health-care-bill.html

http://www.politico.com/interactives/2017/gop-senate-health-care-bill-explained/

– Obama says Senate health care bill has ‘fundamental meanness’, calling the Republican bill a massive transfer of wealth to the richest people in America with a “fundamental meanness” at its core.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/22/gop-health-care-bill-barack-obama-reaction-239870

– Healthcare groups issue scathing criticism of Senate bill.

http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/339054-healthcare-groups-issue-scathing-criticism-of-senate-bill

– Senate health bill could leave millions uninsured, increase costs for sick, seniors.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article157582379.html

– Insurers to Senate: Proposal could harm 74M on Medicaid.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2017/live-updates/trump-white-house/gop-health-care-bill-the-latest-news-and-reactions/insurers-to-senate-proposal-could-harm-74m-on-medicaid/

– Senate bill would gut critical public health funding this fall.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2017/live-updates/trump-white-house/gop-health-care-bill-the-latest-news-and-reactions/bill-would-gut-critical-public-health-funding-this-fall/

– (Editorial Board) [TrumpCare] A Travesty on a Fast Track. Republicans prepare to separate millions of Americans from health insurance.

https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-06-22/the-senate-health-bill-is-a-travesty-on-a-fast-track

– (Editorial Board) Senate health bill hazardous to America. Mitch McConnell’s plan makes Congress the true death panel: Our view

http://www.wisconsinrapidstribune.com/story/opinion/editorials/2017/06/23/senate-health-bill-hazardous-america-other-view/424256001/

– (Opinion) Senate Republicans ready themselves for a massive theft from the poor.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/senate-republicans-ready-themselves-for-a-massive-theft-from-the-poor/2017/06/22/902a1a96-5777-11e7-a204-ad706461fa4f_story.html

– (Analysis) Shifting Dollars From Poor to Rich Is a Key Part of the Senate Health Bill.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/22/upshot/shifting-dollars-from-poor-to-rich-is-a-key-part-of-the-senate-health-bill.html

– Trump Says He Did Not Record Meetings With Comey, has no tapes.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/22/us/politics/trump-comey-tapes.html

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/22/trump-says-he-has-no-recordings-of-his-comey-talks-239862

– Trump Turns Iowa Rally Into Extended Venting Session.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/21/us/politics/trump-iowa-rally-venting-session.html

– Trump slams Mexico, reaffirms pledge to ‘build the wall’.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/339091-trump-slams-mexico-reaffirms-pledge-to-build-the-wall

– Trump says he doesn’t want a ‘poor person’ to be in charge of US economy. Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has a net worth of about $2.5bn.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-poor-person-economy-commerce-secretary-rich-cabinet-appointments-a7803096.html

– Capitol Police drag disabled protesters out of wheelchairs during Trumpcare protests. Forty-three people were arrested in connection with the protest.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/healthcare-protests-disabled-woman-dragged-away-police-without-wheelchair-photos-video-a7803456.html

– Lawsuit accuses Trump of violating federal records law.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/22/trump-federal-records-law-lawsuit-239849

– (Opinion) NRA’s ‘Second Amendment Remedies’ are endangering our democracy.

http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/civil-rights/339039-nras-second-amendment-remedies-are-endangering-our-democracy

– Coats Tells House Investigators Trump seemed obsessed with the Russia probe and repeatedly asked him to say publicly there was no evidence of collusion.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/coats-tells-house-investigators-president-trump-seemed-obsessed-russia-probe-n775756

– Most terrorists in U.S. are right-wing, not Muslim.

http://www.newsweek.com/right-wing-extremism-islamist-terrorism-donald-trump-steve-bannon-628381

– Trinity College Professor Flees State Amid Death Threats Over Inflammatory Social Media Posts.

http://time.com/4829459/johnny-williams-trinity-college-professor-social-media-comments/

– With Billions Of Dollars At Stake, A Panel Full Of Defense Contractors Is Shaping Defense Policy.

http://www.ibtimes.com/political-capital/major-defense-contractors-panel-will-direct-billion-dollar-defense-decisions

– Election Hackers Altered Voter Rolls, Stole Private Data, Officials Say.

http://time.com/4828306/russian-hacking-election-widespread-private-data/

– Detroit Judge Stops Deportation of More Than 100 Iraqi Christians.

http://time.com/4829694/detroit-judge-iraq-christians-deport/

– Gunman in ‘Pizzagate’ Shooting Is Sentenced to 4 Years in Prison. Restaurant owner Alefantis said. “This guy’s going to jail and Infowars continues to push this conspiracy, as do many others.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/22/us/pizzagate-attack-sentence.html

June 23, 2017 Friday

– Hacking Democracy: Obama’s secret struggle to punish Russia for Putin’s election assault.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/2017/world/national-security/obama-putin-election-hacking/

– ‘Can He Do That?’: Putin’s instructions: Damage Clinton, help elect Trump.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/politics/can-he-do-that-trump-podcast/

– (Editorial Board) The Senate’s Unaffordable Care Act.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/23/opinion/senate-obamacare-repeal.html

– Trump says ‘we’ll have to see’ if Mueller should step down from Russia probe.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/06/23/trump-says-well-have-to-see-if-mueller-should-step-down-from-russia-probe/

– Press briefing crackdown worries Trump allies.

http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/339080-new-press-briefing-restrictions-worry-trump-allies

– Lawmakers offer bills giving them gun rights in every state.

http://thehill.com/video/lawmaker-interviews/339125-watch-lawmakers-offer-bills-giving-them-gun-rights-in-every-state

– Trump’s Lies – every outright lie the president has told publicly since taking the oath of office.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/06/23/opinion/trumps-lies.html

– Manafort Financial Deals Are Under Scrutiny by F.B.I.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/23/us/politics/paul-manafort-jeffrey-yohai.html

– Mistrial in Shooting of Black Driver by Cincinnati Officer.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/23/us/raymond-tensing-samuel-dubose-cincinnati.html

– What does Italy’s Berlusconi like about Trump? His wife.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-italy-berlusconi-trump-idUSKBN19E1T3

– Trump, Putin and Erdogan behave like autocratic rulers: Germany’s Schulz.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-g20-germany-schulz-idUSKBN19F002

– California just added four more ‘discriminatory’ states to its travel ban.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/06/23/california-just-added-four-more-discriminatory-states-to-its-travel-ban/

– Gowdy: Oversight panel won’t pursue Russia, obstruction probes.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/23/house-oversight-no-russia-investigation-trey-gowdy-239904

– For third time in a week, prosecutors fail to convict a cop.

http://www.newsweek.com/why-police-get-acquitted-628737

– Missouri Women on Birth Control Could Be Denied Jobs. Legislation would allow employers and landlords to discriminate against women who use birth control or have had abortions.

http://www.newsweek.com/womens-rights-birth-control-abortion-missouri-discrimination-628538

– Trump Is Reckless, Erratic And Incompetent, According To Business Leaders Around the World.

http://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-reckless-erratic-dictator-business-leaders-say-cnbc-survey-628569

– Trump is ‘greatest threat to international security’, says former MI6 head.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/donald-trump-greatest-threat-international-security-mi6-sir-john-sawers-herzliya-israel-security-a7805251.html

– Trump signs VA Reform Bill designed to make it easier to fire Department of Veterans Affairs employees.

http://time.com/4830585/donald-trump-va-reform-veterans-accountability-act/

– Biggest Layoffs In US As Boeing Cuts Jobs Months After Trump Vowed More Employment At South Carolina Factory.

http://www.ibtimes.com/biggest-layoffs-us-boeing-cuts-jobs-months-after-trump-vowed-more-employment-south-2556521

– (Opinion) Get Cancer Now, Before Congress Cuts Your Insurance.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/23/opinion/obamacare-cancer-pre-existing-conditions.html

June 24, 2017 Saturday

– Pence meets with Koch brother in Colorado.

http://thehill.com/homenews/news/339283-pence-stops-by-koch-brothers-conference-in-colorado

– Koch Group Says Republican Health Plan Doesn’t Go Far Enough.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-06-24/pence-meets-with-charles-koch-as-big-donors-convene-in-colorado

– Chief lieutenants in the Koch brothers’ political network lashed out at the Senate Republican health care bill on Saturday as not conservative enough.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/national-politics/article158058964.html

– ‘Handmaids’ protest Mike Pence’s ‘Focus on the Family’ remarks in Colorado Springs.

https://www.aol.com/article/news/2017/06/23/handmaids-protest-mike-pence-focus-on-the-family-remarks-in-colorado-springs/22680732/

– http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/pence-tells-focus-on-the-family-it-has-an-unwavering-ally-in-trump/

– Number of refugees entering US drops by half under Trump.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/339298-refugees-entering-us-cut-by-half-under-trump

– ‘White Terrorism’ and Donald Trump: Why Has the President Slashed the Grant for Group Combating KKK?

http://www.newsweek.com/far-right-alt-right-neo-nazis-life-after-hate-628829

– Overruling diplomats, U.S. to drop Iraq, Myanmar from list of the world’s worst offenders in the use of child soldiers, disregarding the recommendations of State Department experts and senior U.S. diplomats.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trafficking-childsoldiers-exclusi-idUSKBN19E2JY

– Medicaid Cuts May Force Retirees Out of Nursing Homes.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/24/science/medicaid-cutbacks-elderly-nursing-homes.html

– Trump launches fresh attack on Obama, asks ‘why no action’ on Russian election meddling.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-russia-hacking-election-investigation-latest-barack-obama-choke-a7806771.html

– America faces a new wave of homegrown political violence and terrorism if its divisions continue.

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/trump-america-political-division-violence-terrorism-threat-a7803826.html

June 25, 2017 Sunday

– Gay Pride Marchers With Jewish Flags Told To Leave Chicago Parade, were told not to display Star of David flags because other people found them ‘offensive.

http://www.newsweek.com/gay-pride-marchers-jewish-flags-told-leave-chicago-parade-628879

– Conservative Koch network criticizes U.S. Senate healthcare bill.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-healthcare-koch-idUSKBN19G0V3

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/06/24/koch-network-withholding-support-of-senate-health-care-bill-pushing-for-changes/

– White House’s new strategy: Blame Obama for failing to stop Russia collusion.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/06/25/white-house-blames-obama-for-failing-to-stop-russia-collusion/

– Trump accuses Clinton of colluding with Democrats to defeat ‘Crazy Bernie Sanders’.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2017/06/25/trump-accuses-clinton-of-colluding-with-democrats-to-defeat-crazy-bernie-sanders/

– ‘They’re sentencing me to death’: Medicaid recipients on the Republican healthcare plan.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/25/medicaid-republican-healthcare-plan-affordable-care-act

– New York Gay Pride marchers target Trump as San Francisco parties.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-lgbt-pride-idUSKBN19G0WL

– White House Pushes Military Might Over Humanitarian Aid in Africa.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/25/world/africa/white-house-pushes-military-might-over-humanitarian-aid-in-africa.html

– Bloomberg’s Next Anti-Washington Move: $200 Million Program for Mayors.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/25/us/politics/michael-bloomberg-mayors-trump.html

– Analysis indicates partisan gerrymandering has benefited GOP.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/ap-analysis-shows-gerrymandering-benefited-gop-2016-48262678

– Pro-Trump supporters rally in DC.

http://thehill.com/homenews/339418-pro-trump-supporters-rally-in-dc

June 26, 2017 Monday

– TRUMP’S TRAVEL BAN RESTRICTION PARTIALLY LIFTED BY SUPREME COURT. Curbs on Entry From Six Countries Can Take Partial Effect.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/26/us/politics/supreme-court-trump-travel-ban-case.html

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40409490

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-immigration-idUSKBN19H1OR

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/26/trump-travel-ban-supreme-court-block-partially-lifted

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/supreme-court-allows-limited-version-of-trumps-travel-ban-to-take-effect-will-consider-case-in-fall/2017/06/26/97afa314-573e-11e7-b38e-35fd8e0c288f_story.html

– SUPREME COURT SIDES WITH RELIGIOUS INSTITUTIONS in major church-state decision.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/supreme-court-sides-with-religious-institutions-in-a-major-church-state-decision/2017/06/26/f6187a2a-5a13-11e7-9fc6-c7ef4bc58d13_story.html

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/26/supreme-court-churches-state-funds-239957

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/26/us/politics/supreme-court-playgrounds-church-and-state-missouri.html

– CBO: SENATE HEALTH BILL WOULD LEAVE 22 MILLION MORE PEOPLE UNINSURED.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/imminent-cbo-report-could-prove-pivotal-for-senate-republicans-health-care-bill/2017/06/26/cb8d61e2-59f7-11e7-a9f6-7c3296387341_story.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/26/us/politics/senate-health-care-bill-republican.html

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/26/cbo-senate-health-care-bill-239967

– Republicans say CBO can’t be trusted to evaluate health bill. Are they right?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/06/26/heres-how-well-the-cbo-did-at-forecasting-the-last-big-health-care-bill/

– Trump Meets India’s Leader, a Fellow Nationalist Battling China for His Favor.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/26/us/politics/donald-trump-narendra-modi-india.html

– FBI questioned Trump campaign adviser Carter Page at length in Russia probe.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/fbi-has-questioned-trump-campaign-adviser-carter-page-at-length-in-russia-probe/2017/06/26/1a271dcc-5aa5-11e7-a9f6-7c3296387341_story.html

– Kushner adds defense attorney Abbe Lowell to Russia-investigation legal team.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/06/26/kushner-adds-defense-attorney-abbe-lowell-to-russia-investigation-legal-team/

– Trump asks for apology over Russia probes because those probes, which are ongoing, have not publicly turned up any proof of coordination between Trump associates and the Russian government.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/26/trump-tweets-apology-russia-investigations-239951

– Sharp Rise in Levels of Earth-Scorching Carbon Dioxide.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/26/climate/carbon-in-atmosphere-is-rising-even-as-emissions-stabilize.html

– Mayors group opposes GOP ‘concealed carry’ gun bills.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/26/mayors-conference-oppose-concealed-carry-gun-bills-239965

– Three-quarters of world has little or no confidence in Trump, Pew study finds.

http://www.pewglobal.org/2017/06/26/u-s-image-suffers-as-publics-around-world-question-trumps-leadership/

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/26/trump-world-global-pew-research-study

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/poll-shows-us-tumbling-in-worlds-regard-under-trump/2017/06/26/87a4f1bc-5857-11e7-840b-512026319da7_story.html

– Poll: Canadians’ favorable opinion of US drops.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/339600-poll-more-canadians-disapprove-of-us-than-in-at-least-35-years

– White House says Syria’s Assad is preparing another chemical attack, warns he would pay a ‘heavy price’.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/06/26/white-house-says-syrias-assad-preparing-another-chemical-attack-warns-of-heavy-penalty/

June 27, 2017 Tuesday

– Facing revolt on healthcare bill, Senate Republicans delay vote until after July 4 recess.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/27/us/politics/republicans-struggle-to-marshal-votes-for-health-care-bill.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-healthcare-republican-idUSKBN19I11V

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-healthcare-delay-idUSKBN19I2IY

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/senate-republicans-scramble-to-keep-alive-plans-to-overhaul-obamacare/2017/06/27/c8ea4c02-5b37-11e7-9fc6-c7ef4bc58d13_story.html

– Supreme Court’s recent unity faces looming test.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-termcloser-idUSKBN19I2LS

– 3 Words From the Supreme Court Put Refugees in Limbo.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/27/us/trump-travel-ban-refugees-supreme-court.html

– U.S. top court tosses lower court’s ruling against religious school subsidies. The justices ordered Colorado’s top court to reconsider the legality of school “voucher” programs in light of Monday’s ruling that churches and other religious entities cannot be categorically denied public money even in states whose constitutions explicitly ban such funding.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-religion-idUSKBN19I1RT

– Once on the outside, conservative Koch network warms to Trump.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-koch-idUSKBN19I137

– Trump renews attack on ‘Fake News CNN’ after retraction of Russia story, resignation of journalists.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/06/27/trump-renews-attack-on-fake-news-cnn-after-retraction/

https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/jun/27/three-cnn-journalists-resign-over-retracted-trump-russia-story

– White House urges viewing of anti-CNN video ‘whether it’s accurate or not’. Video was made by an infamous rightwing activist known for using heavily edited videos to push conservative pet causes.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/27/white-house-cnn-video-james-o-keefe

– Trump lawyer’s firm steered millions in donations to family members, files show.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/27/trump-lawyer-jay-sekulow-donations

– A Time Magazine with Trump on the cover hangs in his golf clubs. It’s fake.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/a-time-magazine-with-trump-on-the-cover-hangs-in-his-golf-clubs-its-fake/2017/06/27/0adf96de-5850-11e7-ba90-f5875b7d1876_story.html

– Time asks Trump Organization to remove fake cover from golf clubs.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/339741-time-mag-asks-trump-org-to-remove-fake-cover-from-golf-clubs

– Grover Norquist complained his daughter had to pay sales tax. Twitter users responded.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/06/27/how-america-punishes-working-women-for-getting-married/

– Ransomware virus strikes across the globe.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-cyber-attack-idUSKBN19I1TD

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/27/technology/ransomware-hackers.html

– Google faces years of EU oversight on top of record antitrust fine.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-eu-google-antitrust-outlook-idUSKBN19I2MO

– Watchdog group sues EPA to access communications with Icahn.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-biofuels-idUSKBN19I2KC

– Trump brand to exit Toronto skyline after buyout deal.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-canada-trump-hotel-idUSKBN19I2CB

– Canada’s Secret to Resisting the West’s Populist Wave.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/27/world/canada/canadas-secret-to-resisting-the-wests-populist-wave.html

– Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta testifies in House Russia probe.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-podesta-idUSKBN19I2Z1

– Trump’s ‘flirtation with torture’ undermines human rights warns UN official.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-torture-extremism-fight-isis-al-qaeda-terror-un-human-rights-zeid-raad-al-hussein-a7810661.html

– The U.N. Is Giving up on Trump.

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/06/27/united-nations-donald-trump-antonio-guterres-china-215315

– Trump’s EPA chief met with chemical CEO before dropping pesticide ban.

http://thehill.com/news-by-subject/energy-environment/339783-trumps-epa-chief-met-with-chemical-ceo-before-dropping

– Trump administration to propose repealing rule giving EPA broad authority over water pollution.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2017/06/27/trump-administration-to-propose-repealing-rule-giving-epa-broad-authority-over-water-pollution/

– GOP Rep. Greg Gianforte raised $116K day after assaulting reporter.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/339781-gianforte-raised-116000-day-after-assaulting-reporter

– North Korea: Trump’s ‘America First’ policy is like Nazism.

http://thehill.com/homenews/news/339782-north-korea-trumps-america-first-policy-is-like-nazism

– Reporter accuses White House of ‘inflaming’ media tensions in heated exchange.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news-other-administration/339708-reporter-accuses-white-house-of-inflaming

– Lawmakers wary of Trump escalation in Syria.

http://thehill.com/policy/defense/339761-lawmakers-wary-of-trump-escalation-in-syria

– House panel votes to privatize air-traffic control.

http://thehill.com/policy/transportation/339763-house-panel-approves-proposal-to-privatize-air-traffic-control

– An ICE agent visited a restaurant. About 30 employees quit the next day. The owner blamed the Trump administration.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/food/wp/2017/06/27/an-ice-agent-visited-a-restaurant-about-30-employees-quit-the-next-day-its-owner-says/

– Ten Commandments Installed At Arkansas State Capitol; ACLU Plans Lawsuit.

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/06/27/534558892/ten-commandments-installed-at-arkansas-state-capitol-aclu-plans-lawsuit

June 28, 2017 Wednesday

– Pro-Trump groups take no prisoners in rush to help an embattled president.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-super-pacs-idUSKBN19J2GI

– With U.S. healthcare bill in disarray, Republicans demand revamp.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-healthcare-idUSKBN19J2E5

– FBI questions U.S. employees of Russian cyber firm Kaspersky Lab.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-kasperskylab-probe-idUSKBN19J2IX

– Senate committee wants U.S. states to publicize hacking details.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-cyber-congress-idUSKBN19J28W

– Newly erected Arkansas Ten Commandments monument destroyed.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40434571

– New computer virus spreads from Ukraine to disrupt world business.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-cyber-attack-idUSKBN19I1TD

– Widespread uncertainty as U.S. travel ban start looms.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-court-immigration-guidelines-idUSKBN19J2W2

– California Supreme Court upholds cap-and-trade law. “This is the final step in this case to affirm California’s innovative climate program, including its carbon auctions, which serves as a vital safeguard to ensure polluters are held accountable for their pollution.”

– Moscow prepares retaliation for U.S. seizure of Russian diplomatic compounds.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-usa-idUSKBN19J2LP

– (Opinion) Canada’s Ruthlessly Smart Immigration Policy.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/28/opinion/canada-immigration-policy-trump.html

– $35,000 a plate: Donald Trump starts fundraising for 2020 re-election. Reporters were barred from hearing his remarks. Trump rips media, mocks Pelosi.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/29/35000-a-plate-donald-trump-starts-fundraising-for-2020-re-election

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/28/trump-fundraiser-pelosi-ossoff-240078

– Trump greeted by protesters at campaign fundraiser.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/339974-trump-greeted-by-protesters-at-campaign-fundraiser

– House panel approves $696.5B defense policy bill.

http://thehill.com/policy/defense/339997-house-panel-approves-6965b-defense-policy-bill

– Armed Services votes down amendments on Trump travel, profits.

http://thehill.com/policy/defense/339996-armed-services-votes-down-amendments-on-trump-travel-profits

– (Opinion) The back door to a new arms race.

http://www.politico.com/agenda/story/2017/06/28/missile-defense-arms-race-russia-000467

– NSA director frustrated Trump won’t accept Russia interfered in election.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/339929-nsa-director-frustrated-trump-wont-accept-russia-interfered-in

– Trump claims GOP has a ‘big surprise’ on healthcare.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/339881-trump-claims-gop-will-have-a-big-surprise-on-healthcare

– Trump attacks Amazon for not paying ‘internet taxes’ in rant at Washington Post.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-amazon-taxes-washington-post-fake-news-internet-a7813341.html

– Haley touts cuts to UN peacekeeping funds.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/339991-haley-brags-about-cuts-to-un-peacekeeping-funding

– Haley says American foreign policy is now totally unpredictable, and that’s a good thing.

http://foreignpolicy.com/2017/06/28/nikki-haley-and-trumps-doctrine-of-diplomatic-chaos/

– German audience cheers as US commerce secretary Wilbur Ross speech is cut off.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/germany-audience-us-commerce-secretary-wilbur-ross-cut-off-berlin-europe-donald-trump-a7812981.html

June 29, 2017 Thursday

– Rules for New Travel Ban Set: Grandma, No; Stepsister, Yes.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/28/us/politics/homeland-security-prepares-to-issue-travel-restrictions.html

– Hacks Raise Fear Over N.S.A.’s Hold on Cyberweapons.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/28/technology/ransomware-nsa-hacking-tools.html

– Angela Merkel predicts showdown with U.S. over climate at G-20.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/angela-merkel-predicts-showdown-over-climate-at-g-20/2017/06/29/76bf6678-5a84-11e7-aa69-3964a7d55207_story.html

– (Opinion) ‘America first’ is becoming America alone.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/democracy-post/wp/2017/06/28/america-first-is-becoming-america-alone/

– Syrian doctor hit by Trump travel ban takes up studies in Canada instead.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/29/syrian-doctor-hit-by-trump-travel-ban-takes-up-studies-in-canada-instead

– Trump denounced after assailing woman TV host in personal terms.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-brzezinski-idUSKBN19K2D1

http://money.cnn.com/2017/06/29/media/mika-brzezinski-donald-trump-tweet/index.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/06/29/trump-angrily-lashes-out-at-morning-joe-hosts-on-twitter/

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/it-is-really-not-normal-both-sides-condemn-trump-for-vulgar-tweet-about-tv-host/2017/06/29/ce1030e4-5ce4-11e7-9b7d-14576dc0f39d_story.html

– GOP lawmakers blast Trump’s ‘Morning Joe’ tweets.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/06/29/politics/lawmakers-react-trump-tweet-joe-scarborough-mika-brzezinski-morning-joe/index.html

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/29/trump-targets-morning-joe-hosts-in-tweet-240085

– Europe to Trump: Bring it on.

http://www.politico.eu/article/europe-to-trump-bring-it-on/

– New CBO estimate predicts steep Medicaid reductions in second decade of health bill.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/gop-health-care-debate-turns-to-stark-question-help-vulnerable-americans-or-help-the-rich/2017/06/29/02d96318-5cd1-11e7-9fc6-c7ef4bc58d13_story.html

– (Analysis) Sarah Huckabee Sanders says Trump has never ‘promoted or encouraged violence.’ She is very wrong.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/06/29/sarah-huckabee-sanders-says-trump-has-never-encouraged-any-form-of-violence-she-is-very-wrong/

– Tillerson blows up at top White House aide.

Tillerson blows up at top White House aide

– How Rex Tillerson Is Wrecking the State Department. I worked in Foggy Bottom for 6 years. I’ve never seen anything like this.

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/06/29/how-rex-tillerson-destroying-state-department-215319

– U.S. Treasury Department announces new sanctions to increase pressure on North Korea.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/06/29/treasury-announces-new-sanctions-to-increase-pressure-on-north-korea/

– Lawmakers applaud after panel approves language revoking war authority, a 2001 law giving the president authority to undertake war against al Qaeda and its affiliates unless a replacement provision is created.

http://thehill.com/policy/defense/340066-lawmakers-applaud-after-panel-approves-language-revoking-war-authority

– The travel ban going into effect would have saved zero lives from terrorist attacks in the last 20 years.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2017/06/29/the-travel-ban-going-into-effect-would-have-saved-zero-lives-from-terrorist-attacks-in-the-last-20-years/

– House Democrats launch election security task force to study how the government can lock Russian hackers out of the 2018 elections,

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/29/democrats-election-security-task-force-russian-hackers-240113

– Hawaii challenges Trump stance on Supreme Court travel ban ruling.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/29/hawaii-challenges-trump-ban-240122

– GOP Operative Sought Clinton Emails From Hackers, Implied a Connection to Flynn.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/gop-operative-sought-clinton-emails-from-hackers-implied-a-connection-to-flynn-1498770851

http://www.businessinsider.com/russian-hackers-michael-flynn-hillary-clinton-emails-2017-6

– A chilling National Rifle Association ad gaining traction online appears to be ‘an open call to violence’.

http://www.businessinsider.com/national-rifle-association-ad-call-to-violence-2017-6

– Trump’s voter fraud commission asked all 50 secretaries of state to provide him with “publicly-available voter roll data” including voters’ full names, addresses, dates of birth, political party, last four digits of social security numbers, voter history, felony convictions, and other identifying information.

https://thinkprogress.org/voter-fraud-letter-97dcfc51eb48

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/06/29/trumps-voter-fraud-commission-wants-to-know-the-voting-history-party-id-and-address-of-every-voter-in-america/

June 30, 2017 Friday

– (Reply to Trump; Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough) Donald Trump is not well.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/donald-trump-is-not-well/2017/06/30/97759ee0-5d0f-11e7-9b7d-14576dc0f39d_story.html

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40458145

– TV hosts charge Trump is unstable.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-brzezinski-idUSKBN19L23I

– Morning Joe co-hosts accuse White House of blackmail over tabloid story.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jun/30/mika-brzezinski-joe-scarborough-donald-trump

– Did Trump Break the Law Over Alleged ‘Morning Joe,’ ‘National Enquirer’ Blackmail Threats?

http://www.newsweek.com/trump-morning-joe-blackmail-enquirer-630536

– (Opinion) Trump loves attacking women’s looks. And America rewards him for it.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jun/29/trump-insults-to-women-mika-brzezinski-misogny

– Trump Suggests Repealing Health Law Now and Replacing It Later.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/30/us/politics/trump-health-law-affordable-care-act.html

– Trump repeal idea would lead to 26 million uninsured.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/30/trump-repeal-obamacare-effects-cbo-240140

http://money.cnn.com/2017/06/30/news/economy/obamacare-repeal-trump/index.html

– 20 states refusing to provide voter data to Trump election panel.

http://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/340289-19-states-refusing-to-provide-voter-data-to-trump-panel

– States and Trump voter fraud commission set for showdown.

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/340311-states-push-back-on-requests-from-voter-fraud-commission

– Conservative outlets get more official seats in White House briefing room.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/on-media/2017/06/30/conservative-outlets-gain-white-house-seats-240152

– Trump’s trade plan sets up global clash over ‘America First’ strategy.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/30/trump-america-first-trade-plan-clash-240123

– (Opinion) Understanding Republican Cruelty.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/30/opinion/understanding-republican-cruelty.html

– GOP unveils bill to allow political activity by churches.

http://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/house/317656-gop-lawmakers-unveil-bill-to-water-down-law-limiting-churches

– Conservative outlets get more official seats in White House briefing room.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/on-media/2017/06/30/conservative-outlets-gain-white-house-seats-240152

– GOP operative looking to obtain Clinton emails cited Trump campaign aides.

http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/340340-gop-operative-looking-to-obtain-clinton-emails-cited-trump-campaign

– White House releases salary info for Trump’s aides.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/06/30/trump-white-house-salaries-240149

– New NRA Video Fuels American Extremists, Says Former CIA Analyst.

http://www.newsweek.com/cia-analyst-says-new-nra-video-fuel-american-extremists-630280

– Science division of White House office left empty as last staffers depart.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/science-division-of-white-house-office-now-empty-as-last-staffers-depart/

July 1, 2017 Saturday

– Trump launches new attack on MSNBC hosts.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/01/politics/donald-trump-morning-joe-tweet/index.html

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/01/donald-trump-mika-brzezinski-joe-scarborough-twitter-fight

– (Opinion) Carl Bernstein: This is a ‘malignant presidency’.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/01/politics/bernstein-calls-trump-presidency-malignant-cnntv/index.html

– Trump calls out 27 states: ‘What are they trying to hide?‘

http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/01/politics/trump-voter-fraud-kobach/index.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-vote-tweet-idUSKBN19M3JN

– 28 people injured in Arkansas club shooting, police say.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/01/us/arkansas-club-shooting/index.html

– Obama urges world to stand against ‘aggressive nationalism’.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/01/barack-obama-calls-for-liberal-solutions-to-globalisation-problems

– ‘I’m president, they’re not’: Donald Trump savages media at veterans rally.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/02/im-president-theyre-not-donald-trump-savages-media-at-veterans-rally

– Portland Republicans to use militia for security as far-right rallies continue.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/01/portland-far-right-rally-republicans-militia-security

– Texas is at the epicenter of an expanding red-state, blue-city divide.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/in-austin-the-air-smells-of-tacos-and-trees–and-city-state-conflict/2017/07/01/682eb420-54f7-11e7-ba90-f5875b7d1876_story.html

– Senator on Russia Intervention Probe: ‘Never Seen So Much Smoke’.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-01/senator-on-russia-intervention-probe-never-seen-so-much-smoke

July 2, 2017 Sunday

– Trump tweets mock video of himself tackling, punching CNN logo.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-video-idUSKBN19N0OZ

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40474118

– Trump accused of encouraging attacks on journalists with CNN body-slam tweet.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/02/trump-body-slam-cnn-tweet-violence-reporters-wrestlemania

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/07/02/trump-appears-to-promote-violence-against-cnn-with-tweet/

– Dem rep: Trump CNN tweet shows ‘he is thinking about violence’.

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/340460-dem-rep-trump-cnn-tweet-beyond-disturbing

– (Opinion) Ana Navarro: Trump “is going to get somebody killed in the media”.

https://www.mediamatters.org/video/2017/07/02/ana-navarro-trump-going-get-somebody-killed-media/217134

– Twitter says President Trump’s latest anti-media tweet doesn’t violate its rules.

http://money.cnn.com/2017/07/02/technology/trump-twitter-cnn-wwe/index.html

– Pro-Trump Twitter operatives market paid tweets.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/02/trump-supporters-paid-tweets-240148

– US warship sails near disputed island in South China Sea.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jul/02/us-warship-disputed-island-south-china-sea

– Trump brings up the war on Christmas — in July — railing against those who might try to shy away from overt references to Christianity in American discourse.

– E.P.A. Chief Wastes Little Time Voiding Obama’s Rules.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/01/us/politics/trump-epa-chief-pruitt-regulations-climate-change.html

– Thousands march in L.A. for impeachment of President Trump; his supporters hold their own rally.

http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-impeachment-march-20170702-story.html

http://theweek.com/speedreads/709912/anti-protrump-demonstrators-square-impeachment-protests

– House Democrat speaks at Trump impeachment march in Los Angeles.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/340467-house-democrat-speaks-at-los-angeles-trump-impeachment-march

– DOJ’s Corporate Crime Watchdog Resigns, Slamming Trump’s Conduct.

http://www.ibtimes.com/political-capital/justice-departments-corporate-crime-watchdog-resigns-saying-trump-makes-it

July 3, 2017

– Trump impeachment: Thousands protest in dozens of cities across the US.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world-0/us-politics/donald-trump-us-impeachment-us-president-protest-us-constitution-congress-house-a7820701.html

– Trump Warns China That U.S. May Act Alone on North Korea.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/03/world/asia/trump-xi-jinping-china-north-korea.html

– North Korea fires ballistic missile ahead of G20 summit.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-idUSKBN19P02W

– E.P.A. Bid to Roll Back Restrictions on Methane Is Blocked.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/03/climate/court-blocks-epa-effort-to-suspend-obama-era-methane-rule.html

– Kremlin documents suggest link between cyber giant and Russia spy agency.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article159342694.html

– Appeals court says Trump EPA can’t suspend Obama-era emissions standards.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/federal-court-blocks-trump-epa-on-air-pollution/2017/07/03/464a7344-601e-11e7-84a1-a26b75ad39fe_story.html

– Stephen Hawking: Trump Pushing Earth’s Climate ‘Over The Brink’.

http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/07/03/535377270/stephen-hawking-trump-pushing-earths-climate-over-the-brink

– Trump to promote U.S. natgas exports in Russia’s backyard.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-lng-idUSKBN19O2AH

– Congress Wants to End Enforcement of Uninsured Penalty.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/03/us/politics/congress-moves-to-stop-irs-from-enforcing-health-law-mandate.html

– Congress Moves to Stop I.R.S. From Enforcing Health Law Mandate.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/03/us/politics/congress-moves-to-stop-irs-from-enforcing-health-law-mandate.html

– White House stays silent on anti-Semitic connection of Trump’s anti-CNN video.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/03/politics/white-house-video-anti-semitic-connection/index.html

– (Opinion) Trump’s Voter Suppression Efforts Have Begun.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/03/opinion/trumps-voter-suppression-efforts.html

– Privacy Rights Group Sues Trump’s Election Integrity Panel.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-03/privacy-rights-group-sues-trump-s-election-integrity-commission

– U.S. no longer a ‘friend’ in Merkel election program. Merkel’s conservatives have dropped the term “friend” in describing the relationship with the United States.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-election-merkel-usa-idUSKBN19O1NS

– As U.S. Retires From World Leadership, China and Germany Step Up.

https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/articles/2017-07-03/as-u-s-retires-from-world-leadership-china-and-germany-step-up

– U.S. nuclear inspection results now concealed.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ap-u-s-nuclear-inspection-results-now-concealed/

– US nuclear base inspection results made secret to conceal failures, critics claim.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/03/us-nuclear-weapons-base-inspections-off-limits

– Compliance expert who left Justice Dept. says Trump conflicts made work feel hypocritical.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/justice-dept-compliance-expert-whose-contract-ended-early-says-trump-conflicts-made-work-feel-hypocritical/2017/07/03/c3d6b8e8-5ff8-11e7-a4f7-af34fc1d9d39_story.html

– A gun-control group’s cheery response to the NRA’s ‘dystopian’ recruitment ad.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/07/03/a-gun-control-groups-tepid-response-to-the-nras-dystopian-recruitment-ad/

– Anti-Semitic Banner Found on New Jersey Holocaust Memorial.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/anti-semitic-banner-found-jersey-180524404.html

– Miami judge rules Florida’s new Stand-Your-Ground law is unconstitutional.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/mcclatchys-america/article159394094.html

– Media reaps dividends from Trump attacks.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/340318-media-reaps-dividends-from-trump-attacks

– Emmanuel Macron assassination plot foiled by French police.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/03/europe/macron-assassination-plot-foiled/

– Russia Probe Accelerates as House Committee Plans Interviews.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-03/russia-probe-accelerates-as-divided-house-panel-plans-interviews

– Trump expected to bring up Syria and Ukraine in Putin meeting, but not Russian election hacking.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world-0/us-politics/trump-putin-meeting-g20-syria-ukraine-russian-hacking-election-meddling-a7821966.html

– Terror attacks receive five times more media coverage if perpetrator is Muslim, study finds. Muslims carried out just 12.4 per cent of attacks in the US but received 41.4 per cent of news.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world-0/terror-attacks-media-coverage-muslim-islamist-white-racism-islamophobia-study-georgia-state-a7820726.html

– Iranian Art exhibition holds competition for best anti-Trump works.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world-0/us-politics/iran-trump-art-exhibition-nazi-money-references-hadi-asadi-a7821611.html

– Constitutional scholars: 25th Amendment talk ‘premature,’ unrealistic.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/03/politics/what-is-the-25th-amendment-donald-trump/index.html

– A look back at Trump comments perceived as encouraging violence.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/back-trump-comments-perceived-encouraging-violence/story

– How the Psychology of Cyberbullying Explains Trump’s Tweets.

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/07/03/how-the-psychology-of-cyberbullying-explains-trumps-tweets-215333

– In Liberal California, Discrimination Against Black And Gay Americans Still A Big Problem, Report Finds.

http://www.newsweek.com/liberal-california-discrimination-against-black-and-gay-americans-still-big-631472

– John Oliver highlights Sinclair Broadcast Group’s consolidation of local news to push their conservative agenda.

https://www.mediamatters.org/video/2017/07/03/john-oliver-highlights-sinclair-broadcast-groups-consolidation-local-news-push-their-conservative/217139

July 4, 2017 Tuesday

– North Korea claims successful test of intercontinental ballistic missile.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/north-korea-claims-successful-intercontinental-ballistic-missile-test-defying-international-condemnation/2017/07/04/4f804488-609c-11e7-8adc-fea80e32bf47_story.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/04/world/asia/north-korea-missile-test-icbm.html

– Experts say North Korea’s missile was a ‘real ICBM’ — and a grave milestone – Alaska in range.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/experts-north-koreas-missile-was-a-real-icbm–and-a-grave-milestone/2017/07/04/554bb81e-60da-11e7-8adc-fea80e32bf47_story.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-idUSKBN19P02W

– Russia and China tell North Korea, U.S. and South Korea to embrace de-escalation plan.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-china-xi-northkorea-idUSKBN19P1Q7

– Lawmakers demand stronger Trump response after North Korean missile test.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/04/congress-reaction-trump-north-korea-missile-test-240212

– U.S., South Korea respond to North Korea ICBM launch with ‘show of force’.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/340631-us-south-korea-respond-to-north-korea-icbm-launch-with-missile-test

– (Opinion) The greatest threat facing the United States is its own president.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/global-opinions/wp/2017/07/04/the-greatest-threat-facing-america-is-our-own-president/

– Free-press groups warn of violence against media. Citing Trump’s tweets and extreme political rhetoric, watchdogs groups begin documenting threats against U.S. media.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/04/trump-violence-against-media-free-press-240211

– Trump faces high stakes meeting with Putin.

http://thehill.com/homenews/the-memo/340584-the-memo-trump-faces-high-stakes-meeting-with-putin

– After Years of Growth, Automakers Are Cutting U.S. Jobs.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/04/business/automaker-jobs-trump.html

– State dept workers vent over Trump, Tillerson in survey.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/340623-state-dept-workers-vent-over-trump-tillerson-in-survey

– Trump has dragged America into a permanent state of crisis.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/04/opinions/crisis-new-abnormal-opinion-dantonio/index.html

July 5, 2017 Wednesday

– North Korea claims missile can carry nuclear warheads.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-idUSKBN19P02W

– ‘A gift for the American bastards’: North Korea’s Kim fires back at Donald Trump.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/jul/05/a-gift-for-the-american-bastards-north-koreas-kim-fires-back-at-trump

– Trump denounces China trade with North Korea, casts doubt on cooperation.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-usa-idUSKBN19Q1F7

– In North Korea, ‘Surgical Strike’ Could Spin Into ‘Worst Kind of Fighting.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/05/world/asia/north-korea-south-us-nuclear-war.html

– ‘Self-Restraint’ Is Only Thing Stopping War in Korea, U.S. General Says.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/05/world/asia/north-korea-war-us-icbm.html

– At G-20 summit, it looks more and more like Trump against the world.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/07/05/at-g-20-meeting-it-looks-more-and-more-like-trump-against-the-world/

– Investigators explore if Russia colluded with pro-Trump sites during US election.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/05/donald-trump-russia-investigation-fake-news-hillary-clinton

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/05/who-helped-russia-hack-us-election-240210

– Regulators make new push to roll back Obama rules.

http://thehill.com/regulation/340575-regulators-make-new-push-to-roll-back-obama-rules

– Poll: Majority of voters back Trump travel ban.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/05/trump-travel-ban-poll-voters-240215

– Merkel attacks Donald Trump’s foreign policy stance ahead of G20 showdown.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world-0/us-politics/merkel-trump-attack-foreign-policy-winners-losers-a7825161.html

– North Korea missile: US says it will use military force ‘if we must’.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-40513334

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-idUSKBN19P02W

– U.S. diplomat blasts China and Russia for ‘holding the hand’ of North Korean leader.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/us-diplomat-blasts-china-and-russia-for-holding-the-hand-of-north-korean-leader/2017/07/05/605de900-61b3-11e7-a4f7-af34fc1d9d39_story.html

– Activists cry cowardice as Republican senators shut doors to healthcare town halls.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/05/pat-toomey-ted-cruz-healthcare-bill-protest

– At least 101 people were shot in Chicago over the Fourth of July weekend.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40514995

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/breaking/ct-chicago-july-4-weekend-shootings-violence-20170705-story.html

– How insurgent TV network One America News is taking ‘pro-Trump’ to new heights.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/an-inside-look-at-one-america-news-the-insurgent-tv-network-taking-pro-trump-to-new-heights/2017/07/05/7475f0a4-4fa2-11e7-91eb-9611861a988f_story.html

– Some Trump supporters thought NPR tweeted ‘propaganda.’ It was the Declaration of Independence.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/07/05/some-trump-supporters-thought-npr-tweeted-propaganda-it-was-the-declaration-of-independence/

– Poland Set to Buy Patriot Missile System as Trump Visits Warsaw.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-05/poland-agrees-to-buy-u-s-patriot-rockets-as-trump-visits-warsaw

– Trump Organization renews rights to TrumpTowerMoscow.com.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/05/trump-tower-moscow-240238

– Trump in Poland: Five reasons why he is going there.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-40497732

July 6, 2017 Thursday

– Trump says west is at risk, during nationalistic speech in Poland, calls for all to ‘defend civilization’.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/06/donald-trump-warn-future-west-in-doubt-warsaw-speech

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/donald-trump-warsaw-west-doubt-speech-g20-summit-poland-hamburg-europe-germany-us-president-a7826366.html

– Trump reaffirms commitment to NATO, chides Russia.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/07/06/in-poland-trump-reaffirms-commitment-to-nato-chides-russia/

– Crowds brought from across Poland chant president’s name during Warsaw speech.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/donald-trump-polish-poland-crowds-chant-name-g20-trip-latest-brought-in-warsaw-a7826896.html

– Trump’s Warsaw speech pits western world against barbarians at the gates.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/06/trump-warsaw-speech-us-west-nato-russia

– Trump hands a victory to Polish nationalists.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/06/trump-poland-visit-nationalists-240266

– Trump pledges to act on North Korean threat.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-idUSKBN19R1NM

– Trump, risking isolation over climate, arrives for G20.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-g20-germany-trump-idUSKBN19R2C0

– Hamburg reflects global discord as police and activists face off at G-20 summit.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/hamburg-braces-for-mass-protests-asg-20-makes-the-city-a-siteof-global-discord/2017/07/05/afafae46-6044-11e7-80a2-8c226031ac3f_story.html

– As Trump sounds dire warnings for G-20, his peers sound optimistic.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trumps-nationalist-warning-contrasts-with-european-leaders-optimism-at-g-20/2017/07/06/ecc2e4e6-6266-11e7-84a1-a26b75ad39fe_story.html

– Trump heads to foreign soil, promptly bashes two ex-presidents and his own intelligence community.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/07/06/trump-heads-to-foreign-soil-promptly-bashes-two-ex-presidents-and-his-own-intelligence-community/

– Before Putin talks, Trump plays down interference in U.S. election.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-idUSKBN19R2G7

– Trump tells Russia to stop ‘destabilising’ Ukraine.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-40522296

– U.S. Retreats on Trade. The World Isn’t Following.

– 18 states sue U.S. Education Department and Betsy DeVos over student loan relief from predatory colleges.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-education-loans-idUSKBN19R28Y

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/grade-point/wp/2017/07/06/attorneys-general-sue-devos-over-delay-of-rule-to-protect-students-from-predatory-colleges/

– Microsoft to lay off thousands in sales, marketing reshuffle.

http://www.wfaa.com/news/nation-world/microsoft-to-lay-off-thousands-in-sales-marketing-reshuffle/454648241

– Hobby Lobby to pay $3 million fine, forfeit ancient artifacts.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/05/us/hobby-lobby-ancient-artifacts-trnd/index.html

– Americans Who Can’t Afford Their Homes Up 146 Percent.

http://www.nbcnews.com/business/real-estate/americans-who-can-t-afford-their-homes-146-percent-n774106

– Japan and Europe counter Trump with colossal trade deal that will cover nearly 30% of global economy..

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/07/06/europe-and-japan-announce-trade-deal-to-rival-nafta/

– US government ethics chief resigns, with parting shot at Trump.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/06/walter-shaub-resigns-office-government-ethics

– Republican Maine governor suggests he makes up stories to mislead media.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-maine-governor-lepage-media-20170706-story.html

– GOP lawmaker raises ‘serious questions’ about Kushner family conflicts.

http://money.cnn.com/2017/06/22/news/jared-kushner-ethics-republican-congressman/index.html

– G-20 PROTESTS TURN VIOLENT AS TRUMP ARRIVES IN HAMBURG.

http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/g20-protesters-clash-police-trump-arrives-hamburg-n780211

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-40526169

http://www.dw.com/en/top-stories/s-9097

http://www.france24.com/en/20170706-german-police-g20-tear-gas-rocks-fly

– (Opinion) Trump’s dangerous thirst for a clash of civilizations.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trumps-dangerous-thirst-for-a-clash-of-civilizations/2017/07/06/fb5398ea-6282-11e7-a4f7-af34fc1d9d39_story.html

July 7, 2017

– G20: Protests flare as leaders gather.

http://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-europe-40532080/g20-protests-flare-as-leaders-gather

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/07/world/europe/group-of-20-hamburg-protests.html

– Melania Trump ‘trapped in hotel’ as protesters surround building at G20.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/melania-trump-g20-trapped-hotel-protesters-hamburg-security-latest-a7828656.html

– Trump shrugs off ‘haters’ and media in early morning tweets.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/340944-trump-shrugs-off-haters-and-new-media-in-early-morning-tweets

– Trump calls Putin meeting an ‘honor’, cites ‘very good talks’.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-g20-germany-trump-putin-talks-idUSKBN19S24E

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/heres-whats-at-stake-whentrump-finally-meets-putin/2017/07/07/a5c577d2-627c-11e7-80a2-8c226031ac3f_story.html

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/07/world/europe/g20-hamburg-trump-putin-protests.html

– At G20 summit, Trump hails NAFTA progress, says Mexico will pay for wall.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-g20-germany-trump-mexico-idUSKBN19S1WI

– E.U. warns of trade war if Trump imposes steel restrictions.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/at-g-20-eu-warns-of-trade-war-if-trump-imposes-restrictions-on-steel/2017/07/07/0ffae390-62f4-11e7-a6c7-f769fa1d5691_story.html

– E.C. President Juncker gives Trump crash course in free trade at G20 summit.

http://www.politico.eu/article/juncker-gives-trump-crash-course-in-free-trade-at-g20-summit/

– Trump touts ‘America first’ agenda in weekly address as he meets world leaders.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/340986-in-weekly-address-trump-touts-america-first-as-he-meets-world-leaders

– (Opinion) The World Turned Upside-Down. Trump praises Russia and insults Germany.

https://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2017/07/07/the-world-turned-upside-down/

– Trump tweeted ‘everyone’ at G-20 is talking about Podesta, who tweeted back to ‘our whack job POTUS’.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/07/07/trump-claims-everyone-at-g-20-is-talking-about-podestas-role-in-russian-hacking-episode/

– Trump, Putin reach Syria deal, discuss election interference.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/07/politics/trump-putin-meeting/index.html

– Putin denies election hacking after Trump pressed him, Tillerson says.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/heres-whats-at-stake-whentrump-finally-meets-putin/2017/07/07/a5c577d2-627c-11e7-80a2-8c226031ac3f_story.html

– Kremlin and White House disagree over remarks from Trump-Putin meeting.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/kremlin-white-house-disagree-remarks-trump-putin-meeting/story

– The White House and Russia had 2 very different accounts of Trump and Putin’s conversation on election meddling.

http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-putin-russian-hacking-election-tillerson-2017-7

– Trump Handed Putin a Stunning Victory.

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/07/07/trump-handed-putin-a-stunning-victory-215353

– At G-20, world aligns against a range of Trump policies.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/at-g-20-eu-warns-of-trade-war-if-trump-imposes-restrictions-on-steel/2017/07/07/0ffae390-62f4-11e7-a6c7-f769fa1d5691_story.html

– G19 pledge to stick to Paris climate agreement.

http://www.politico.eu/article/g19-pledge-to-stick-to-paris-climate-agreement/

– Once Dominant, the United States Finds Itself Isolated at G-20.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/07/world/europe/trump-g-20-trade-climate.html

– U.S. bombers challenge China in South China Sea flyover.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-southchinasea-idUSKBN19S0IU

– ‘Democracy vouchers’ aim to amplify low-income voices, to conservative ire.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/07/democracy-vouchers-seattle-politics-low-income-homeless

– (Opinion) How to handle an unhinged president.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/how-to-handle-an-unhinged-president/2017/07/06/88b2ec38-628b-11e7-8adc-fea80e32bf47_story.html

– Trump’s leaks crackdown sends chills through national security world.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/07/trumps-leak-vendetta-sends-chills-240274

– St. Louis minimum wage will drop from $10 to $7.70.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/07/us/st-louis-minimum-wage/index.html

– Disability rights protesters arrested outside GOP senator’s office.

http://thehill.com/homenews/news/341083-disability-rights-protesters-arrested-outside-gop-senators-office

– Greenpeace hangs ‘resist, defend’ banner on Trump Tower in Chicago.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/341081-greenpeace-hangs-resist-defend-banner-on-trump-tower-in-chicago

– Sanctuary cities’ lawyers use Trump administration’s words against it.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/07/politics/sanctuary-cities-trump-administration-words/index.html

– Travel ban opponents suffer another legal setback.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/07/fresh-setback-travel-ban-opponents-240313

– Donald Trump Is Trolling the Media Into Oblivion.

http://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-cnn-hanassholesolo-how-president-trolling-media-oblivion-633662

– Russia steps up spying efforts after election.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/06/politics/russia-steps-up-spying-efforts-after-election/index.html

– Top Democrat: Working with Russia on cybersecurity is akin to ‘inviting the North Koreans’ to discuss nuclear proliferation.

http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-putin-cybersecurity-hacking-syria-lavrov-adam-schiff-2017-7

– Trump Handed Putin a Stunning Victory.

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/07/07/trump-handed-putin-a-stunning-victory-215353

– Russia: The ‘cloud’ over the White House.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-38966846

– Schumer rips Tillerson remarks as ‘disgraceful’.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/341038-democrats-respond-to-trump-putin-meeting-tillerson-remarks

– Trump tweets, tactics put China off-balance.

http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/340913-trump-tweets-tactics-put-china-off-balance

– UN nuclear weapons treaty takes most significant step since Cold War. A new treaty banning nuclear weapons, which was adopted today by a vote of 122 in favor and only one vote against and one abstention, the United States.

http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/international-affairs/341026-un-treaty-is-biggest-development-in-nuclear-politics

– Feds Suspect Russians Behind Cyber-Attacks on Power Plants.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/feds-suspect-russians-behind-cyber-attacks-power-plants-n780701

– Ex-intel chief Clapper: Trump’s suggestion that more countries meddled in election is ‘news to me’.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/ex-intel-chief-clapper-trumps-suggestion-countries-meddled-election-news-135657506.html

July 8, 2017 Saturday

– At G20, World Leaders Move Forward Without U.S.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/08/world/europe/group-of-20-climate-change-agreement.html

– Trump’s refusal to budge on Paris Agreement leaves US isolated. Leaders of the 19 other countries spoke with one voice on climate change.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/politics/g20-hamburg-latest-donald-trump-paris-agreement-g19-leaders-unite-against-us-a7831126.html

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-40540359

– Violence Erupts at G20 Protests: ‘Everybody Went Totally Mad. Many of the protesters in Hamburg were demonstrating against Donald Trump’s position on climate change.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/08/world/europe/protests-hamburg-germany-group-of-20.html

– Russia Crows Over Putin’s Meeting With Trump.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/08/world/europe/vladimir-putin-russia-g20.html

– Putin says Trump was ‘satisfied’ with his election meddling denials.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-g20-germany-putin-trump-idUSKBN19T0R9

– Trump’s daughter Ivanka ‘fills in for him at G20 world leaders meeting’.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/donald-trump-ivanka-trump-g20-fill-in-a7830431.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/ivanka-trump-takes-fathers-seat-at-g-20-leaders-table-in-break-from-diplomatic-protocol/2017/07/08/f8eabe8a-63ea-11e7-a6c7-f769fa1d5691_story.html

– Ivanka Trump under fire after taking seat among world leaders at G20.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/08/ivanka-trump-g20-world-leaders-meeting

– White House calls Xi Jinping president of Taiwan.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/09/wrong-china-policy-white-house-calls-xi-jinping-president-of-taiwan

– (Opinion) The G20 proves it. Because of Donald Trump, the world no longer looks to America for leadership.

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/g20-hamburg-donald-trump-world-leadership-climate-change-trade-no-longer-communiqu-a7831186.html

– (Opinion) A world without US leadership.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/analysis-world-us-leadership/story

– G-20 ends on anxious note as world leaders remark on Trump’s climate defiance.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-leaves-leaders-fearing-the-future-as-g-20-summit-breaks/2017/07/08/daed41be-634f-11e7-84a1-a26b75ad39fe_story.html

– Europe triumphs at G-20, Merkel survives it.

http://www.politico.eu/article/europe-triumphs-at-g20-merkel-survives-it/

– Trump leaves leaders fearing the future as G-20 summit closes.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-leaves-leaders-fearing-the-future-as-g-20-summit-breaks/2017/07/08/daed41be-634f-11e7-84a1-a26b75ad39fe_story.html

– (Opinion) The persistent puzzle of Trump: Who is this president?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/who-is-the-real-donald-trump/2017/07/08/b03b9848-63e6-11e7-a4f7-af34fc1d9d39_story.html

– ‘America first’ foreign policy leaves US in lonely role at summit.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/08/politics/donald-trump-g20-club-of-one/index.html

– Donald Trump returns home as the odd man out after ‘G19’ summit.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/08/donald-trump-g20-russia-putin-china

– Trump’s nationalists triumphant after Europe trip.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/08/trump-nationalists-bannon-europe-g20-240325

– Bob Dole lauds Trump’s ‘successful’ European trip.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/341140-bob-dole-praises-trumps-successful-european-trip

– Fox host says ‘don’t come back’ to New York City mayor de Blasio for traveling to Germany to join a protest against Trump.

http://thehill.com/homenews/media/341132-fox-host-says-dont-come-back-to-new-york-city-mayor-in-germany

– Counterprotesters outnumber, confront Klan supporters at Virginia KKK rally.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/08/us/kkk-rally-charlottesville-statues/index.html

– Donald Trump Jr. and Jared Kushner met with Russian lawyer during 2016 campaign.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/donald-trump-jr-jared-kushner-met-russian-lawyer/story

– Trump presses presidential immunity claim in ‘Apprentice’ contestant’s suit.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the-radar/2017/07/08/trump-apprentice-lawsuit-immunity-240326

– Trump officials signal intent to begin refilling Guantanamo.

http://thehill.com/policy/defense/341051-trump-officials-signal-intent-to-begin-refilling-guantanamo

– Trump tweets support for fighting ‘fake news’ with Polish leader.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/341118-trump-tweets-support-of-fighting-fake-news-with-polish-president

– Arkansas is only state to share voter data as federal judge mulls privacy issues in Trump panel.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/public-safety/federal-judge-hears-suit-against-trump-panels-request-for-state-voter-data/2017/07/07/1010eedc-633b-11e7-84a1-a26b75ad39fe_story.html

– What the G-20 Declaration Means for the Climate.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/g-20-declaration-isolates-trump-on-the-climate-a-1156827.html

July 9, 2017 Sunday

– Writers on the Right and Left React to Trump in Europe

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/09/us/politics/trump-g20-poland-reactions.html

– Trump vows to work ‘constructively with Russia’ after Putin denied election hacking.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/07/09/trump-vows-to-move-forward-in-working-constructively-with-russia-after-putin-denied-election-hacking/

– Donald Trump Jr. loyally prosecutes his father’s meme war on CNN.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-intersect/wp/2017/07/09/donald-trump-jr-loyally-prosecutes-his-fathers-meme-war-on-cnn/

– Trump says discussed forming cyber security unit with Putin.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-g20-germany-putin-trump-idUSKBN19U0HX

– Trump suggested a cybersecurity pact with Russia. Lawmakers say they were ‘dumbfounded.’

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/07/09/trump-suggested-a-cybersecurity-pact-with-russia-lawmakers-say-they-were-dumbfounded/

– Time to Move Forward’ on Russia, Trump Says, as Criticism Intensifies.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/09/us/politics/time-to-move-forward-trump-says-after-putin-denies-election-hacking.html

– Trump backtracks on cyber unit with Russia after harsh criticism.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-cyber-idUSKBN19U0P4

– Two senior Republican senators criticize Tillerson comments on Russia.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-tillerson-idUSKBN19V00Y

– Trump’s Son and Kushner Met With Russian Lawyer After Being Promised Damaging Information on Clinton.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/09/us/politics/trump-russia-kushner-manafort.html

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/09/donald-trump-jr-russia-hillary-clinton

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-russia-trump-clinton-idUSKBN19U0YN

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/09/donald-trump-junior-russia-240339

http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/09/politics/trump-russia-meeting-campaign/index.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world-0/us-politics/donald-trump-son-in-law-jared-kushner-met-russian-lawyer-2016-secrets-hillary-clinton-meddling-a7832581.html

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40552130

– Ex-Bush ethics lawyer on Trump Jr. meeting with Russian: ‘This borders on treason’.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/341223-ex-bush-ethics-lawyer-on-trump-jr-meeting-with-russian-lawyer-this

– Former US spy says Vladimir Putin is trolling Donald Trump over 2016 election meddling. Putin has an ‘information dominance’ over the US President, he says.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world-0/us-politics/us-spy-says-vladimir-putin-trolling-donald-trump-2016-election-meddling-a7832126.html

– Europe’s Tone Toward U.S. Turns Confrontational.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/09/world/europe/donald-trump-europe.html

– (Opinion) After the G20, the US may become a global pariah.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/09/opinions/trump-g20-landmines-opinion-andelman/index.html

– (Opinion) Trump’s behavior is the biggest threat to U.S. national security.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trumps-behavior-is-the-biggest-threat-to-us-national-security/2017/07/09/a5d3a842-64a8-11e7-8eb5-cbccc2e7bfbf_story.html

– G-20 minus 1: How Trump changed the nature of American leadership at global summit.

http://thecapitalpost.com/minus-trump-changed-nature-american-leadership-global-summit-p-54536.html

– (Analysis) Trump hails G-20 ‘success.’ Others see political chaos and American decline.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/07/10/trump-hails-g-20-success-others-see-political-chaos-and-american-decline/

– Pope Francis: US-Russia alliance ‘dangerous’.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/341199-pope-francis-us-russia-alliance-dangerous

– At Private Dinners, Pence Quietly Courts Big Donors and Corporate Executives.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/09/us/politics/at-private-dinners-pence-quietly-courts-big-donors-and-corporate-executives.html

– Comey’s private memos on Trump conversations contained classified material.

http://thehill.com/policy/national-security/341225-comeys-private-memos-on-trump-conversations-contained-classified

– Trump changes higher ed with rollback of Obama-era consumer protections.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/education/trump-changes-higher-ed-with-rollback-of-obama-era-consumer-protections/2017/07/09/89acd78a-59e3-11e7-9b7d-14576dc0f39d_story.html

– Plan for U.S. tax increase on rich not being considered: Mnuchin.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-tax-mnuchin-idUSKBN19U0N8

– After Scalise Shooting, a Twist: Lawmakers Want to Loosen Gun Laws.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/09/us/politics/gun-control-shooting-steve-scalise.html

– KKK rally over Confederate statue stirs deep-rooted tensions in Charlottesville.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/09/charlottesville-kkk-rally-confederate-statue-racism

July 10, 2017 Monday

– Trump Jr. just contradicted a whole bunch of White House denials of Russian contacts.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/07/10/donald-trump-jr-just-contradicted-a-whole-bunch-of-white-house-denials-of-russian-contacts/

– Kremlin denies knowledge of meeting between Trump Jr. and Russian lawyer.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/kremlin-denies-knowing-of-donald-trump-jr-meeting-with-russian-lawyer-during-2016-campaign/2017/07/10/c2bfee34-6566-11e7-a1d7-9a32c91c6f40_story.html

– Trump accuses Comey of ‘illegal’ leak after misleading Fox News clip.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2017/07/10/trump-accuses-james-comey-of-breaking-the-law-based-on-a-misleading-fox-news-report/

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/10/donald-trump-james-comey-classified-memo-fox-news

– Comey friend: Flynn memo was not classified.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/10/james-comey-memos-retroactively-classified-240362

– Trump justifies putting Ivanka at G20 table, insists Angela Merkel ‘agrees’, claims dughter’s role ‘very normal’.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/ivanka-trump-g20-criticism-donald-trump-response-angela-merkel-a7833366.html

– Does Trump Jr.’s Admission He Met Russian Lawyer Suggest the President and VP Lied?

http://www.newsweek.com/trump-son-donald-trump-jr-russian-lawyer-634036

– Congressional Russia investigators demand interviews with Trump Jr.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/10/susan-collins-donald-trump-jr-senate-probe-240366

– Donald Trump Jr.’s lawyer has experience with the mob and music.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-factbox-idUSKBN19V2T3

– (Opinion) Donald Trump Jr’s message to Russian operatives? I’m open for business.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jul/10/donald-trump-jr-ethically-challenged-russia-meeting

– (Opnion) Mr. Trump: By demonizing the press, you threaten democracy. Maybe you want that.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/opinion/article160187319.html

– (Opinion) Americans are burning down the house – we have been drifting toward authoritarianism and mob rule.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/americans-are-burning-down-the-house/2017/07/10/7b522ea6-65af-11e7-a1d7-9a32c91c6f40_story.html

– (Opinion) Trumpism Is An Affront to Western Society, Not Its Savior.

http://www.newsweek.com/trumpism-affront-western-society-no-savior-634640

– Podesta: Details of Russian meetings ‘starting to smell more and more like collusion’.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/341382-podesta-russia-investigation-starting-to-smell-more-and-more-like

– Trump’s election panel puts hold on voter data request.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-vote-idUSKBN19V29W

– Republican base howls at prospect of congressional failure on Obamacare.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article160163169.html

– WH Correspondents Association president says White House asked him to criticize a reporter’s article.

http://thehill.com/homenews/media/341387-whca-president-says-white-house-asked-him-to-criticize-a-reporters-article

– Meadows: Shutdown possible without border wall funding.

http://thehill.com/latino/341328-meadows-shutdown-possible-without-border-wall-funding

– TRUMP JR. WAS TOLD OF MOSCOW’S LINK. Email Was Said to Indicate Clinton Dirt Was Part of Russian Plan to Aid Trump.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/10/us/politics/donald-trump-jr-russia-email-candidacy.html

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/10/donald-trump-jr-russia-meeting-clinton-statements

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/kremlin-denies-knowing-of-donald-trump-jr-meeting-with-russian-lawyer-during-2016-campaign/2017/07/10/c2bfee34-6566-11e7-a1d7-9a32c91c6f40_story.html

http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/10/politics/donald-trump-jr-natalia-veselnitskaya/index.html

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/341386-trump-jr-was-told-potential-info-on-clinton-was-coming-from-russian

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40565091

– Russian lawyer who met with Donald Trump Jr linked to investigation group behind salacious Steele Dossier.

http://www.independent.co.uk/News/world/americas/us-politics/trump-jr-russian-lawyer-steele-dossier-natalia-veselnitskaya-gps-fusion-a7834541.html

– Schiff: Trump Jr. may have been first to know about Russian election interference.

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/341388-schiff-trump-jr-may-have-been-first-to-know-about-russian-efforts-to-meddle-in

July 11, 2017 Tuesday

– Trump Jr. on Russians’ Offer: ‘I Love It’. EMAILS SHOW TRUMP JR. WAS TOLD RUSSIAN GOVERNMENT LAWYER’ COULD PROVIDE DAMAGING INFORMATION ON CLINTON.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/11/us/politics/trump-russia-email-clinton.html

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/donald-trump-jr-was-told-campaign-meeting-would-be-with-russian-government-lawyer-according-to-emails/2017/07/11/70b957e2-664c-11e7-9928-22d00a47778f_story.html

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40574564

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-emails-idUSKBN19W1VW

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/11/donald-trump-jr-email-chain-russia-hillary-clinton

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-jr-russia-email-hillary-clinton-love-it-incriminating-documents-a7835761.html

– Donald Trump Jr. Responds on Twitter.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2017/07/11/us/politics/document-Donaldtrumpjr.html

– Trump Jr.’s emails about meeting a ‘Russian government attorney,’ annotated.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/07/11/donald-trump-jr-s-emails-about-meeting-a-russian-government-attorney-annotated/

– Russian lawyer: Trump aides wanted info ‘so badly’.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/11/politics/russian-lawyer-natalia-veselnitskaya-donald-trump-jr-today-interview/index.html

– (Timeline) What happened and when: The timeline leading up to Donald Trump Jr.’s fateful meeting.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2017/07/11/what-happened-and-when-the-timeline-leading-up-to-donald-trump-jr-s-fateful-meeting/

– Trump Jr. may have crossed the legal line on collusion, “It’s as close as you can get to a smoking gun” of whether the Trump campaign colluded with Russia.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/07/11/donald-trump-jr-may-have-just-crossed-the-legal-line-on-collusion/

– Donald Trump Jr.’s emails might be ‘the smoking gun showing’ he violated a critical campaign law.

http://www.businessinsider.com/donald-trump-jr-emails-illegal-campaign-2017-7

– Source: Justice Dept. Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s probe will look at Trump Jr.’s disclosed emails, meeting.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/11/politics/donald-trump-jr-emails-special-counsel/index.html

– Trump Jr. delivers ‘smoking gun’ to Mueller. The email chain released by the president’s son shows an intent to collude with Russia, veteran prosecutors and white-collar defense attorneys say.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/11/donald-trump-jr-emails-smoking-gun-robert-mueller-240414

– An absolutely damning paragraph about Donald Trump Jr.’s Russia meeting.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/11/politics/donald-trump-jr-russia-new-york-times/

– (Opinion) The Trumps Embraced a Russian Plot. The Trump family knew of a secret Russian campaign to interfere in the American election—and embraced it. It’s a sad day for the country.

https://kristof.blogs.nytimes.com/2017/07/11/the-trumps-embraced-a-russian-plot/

– (Opinion) Thanks to Trump and Russia, the United States is distracted and hobbled.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/global-opinions/wp/2017/07/11/thanks-to-trump-and-russia-the-united-states-is-distracted-and-hobbled/

– (Editorial) Donald Trump Jr. and the Culture of Dishonesty. Only six months in, President Trump has compiled a record of dishonesty — ranging from casual misstatements to flat-out lies — without precedent in the modern presidency.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/11/opinion/donald-trump-jr-russian-lawyer.html

– (Editorial) Donald Trump Jr. Makes the Russian Connection.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/11/opinion/donald-trump-jr-emails-russia.html

– (Analysis) Trump’s son connects the dots on Russia probe.

http://www.startribune.com/analysis-trump-s-son-connects-the-dots-on-russia-probe/433924333/

– (Analysis) Why Donald Trump Jr.’s emails change the game on Russia.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/analysis-donald-trump-jrs-emails-change-game-russia/story

– (Analysis) 6 things to watch for next in the Donald Trump Jr. saga.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/07/11/6-things-to-watch-for-next-in-the-donald-trump-jr-saga/

– (Opinion) If Donald Trump Jr. Sinks, Who Goes Down With Him?

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/07/11/if-donald-trump-jr-sinks-who-goes-down-with-him-215365

– (Opinion) The Trump Jr controversy with Russia barely scratches the surface of what will be revealed in the near future.

http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/trump-jr-meeting-russian-lawyer-not-a-smoking-gun-a7836181.html

– (Opinion) We Now Have Proof of Trump’s Collusion With Russians. As Winston Churchill famously said, this is the end of the beginning.

http://observer.com/2017/07/donald-trump-son-kremlin-putin-meetings/

– Trump calls son ‘high-quality person,’ applauds his transparency.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-statement-idUSKBN19W2BU

– Donald Trump Jr. Speaks About Meeting With Russian Lawyer: ‘I Would Have Done Things a Little Differently’.

http://time.com/4854188/donald-trump-jr-sean-hannity-natalia-veselnitskaya-meeting/

– John McCain on Donald Trump Jr.: My Sons Would Be Court-Martialed If They Did That.

http://time.com/4854210/john-mccain-donald-trump-jr-russia-meeting/

– Sen. Warner: Trump Jr. emails bring probe to “whole ‘nother level”.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/senator-mark-warner-trump-jr-emails-investigation/

– Buzzword emerges as Trump Jr. Russia scandal deepens: Treason.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/11/donald-trump-jr-treason-buzzword-240406

– (video) Russian Lawyer Responds to Trump Jr. Emails.

http://www.nbcnews.com/nightly-news/video/exclusive-russian-lawyer-responds-to-trump-jr-emails-993068611953

– Russia Meeting Puts President’s Son in Legal Jeopardy.

http://www.newsweek.com/trump-jr-legal-jeopardy-635182

– WikiLeaks Contacted Donald Trump Jr. About Releasing Russia Emails, Julian Assange Says.

http://www.newsweek.com/wikileaks-trump-jr-emails-635150

– Republicans explain Trump email: Democrats did it too!

http://www.newsweek.com/donald-jr-emails-obama-russia-republicans-democrats-635112

– This Obscure 1990 FEC Opinion May Prove That Trump Jr. Committed a Crime.

http://lawnewz.com/high-profile/could-this-obscure-1990-fec-opinion-prove-that-trump-jr-committed-a-crime-it-just-might/

– Trump administration: There’s no evidence of collusion. 12 legal experts: Yes, there is.

https://www.vox.com/2017/7/11/15952232/donald-trump-jr-lawyer-russia-manafort-kushner-clinton-2016-election

– Moscow steps up war of words in diplomatic row with U.S.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-russia-usa-lavrov-idUSKBN19W15X

– For Trump’s Deregulation Teams, Deep Industry Ties.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/11/business/the-deep-industry-ties-of-trumps-deregulation-teams.html

– GOP ready to fund border wall, setting up shutdown fight.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/11/gop-fund-trump-border-wall-240418

– U.S. free-speech group sues Trump for blocking Twitter users.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-twitter-idUSKBN19W1UZ

– China says ‘China responsibility theory’ on North Korea has to stop.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-northkorea-missiles-china-idUSKBN19W0V6

– America’s Rich Will Get Richer, Its Poor Poorer With Obamacare Repeal.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-11/ditching-obamacare-may-worsen-income-inequality

July 12, 2017 Wednesday

– Trump says Don Jr. is ‘innocent’ after meeting with Russian to get dirt on Hillary Clinton. The American government’s Russia investigations are ‘the greatest Witch Hunt in political history. Sad!’.

http://www.newsweek.com/trump-donald-trump-jr-innocent-witch-hunt-russia-635352

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-statement-idUSKBN19X19C

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/12/us/politics/trump-says-son-is-innocent-amid-reports-of-russia-meeting.html

– Trump’s FBI pick says Russia probe no ‘witch hunt’.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-fbi-idUSKBN19X1WQ

– President says Donald Trump Jr. is ‘open, transparent and innocent’.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/07/12/president-says-donald-trump-jr-is-open-transparent-and-innocent/

– Assessing how ‘open’ and ‘transparent’ Donald Trump Jr. was in his Hannity appearance.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/politics/wp/2017/07/12/assessing-how-open-and-transparent-donald-trump-jr-was-in-his-hannity-appearance/

– Russia emails could trigger probe under election law.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-collusion-idUSKBN19X009

– Is Trump Jr.’s ‘I love it’ email a smoking gun or a distraction? In one America, Trump Jr.’s emails were the smoking gun; but in Trump Country, it was just one more toy gun masquerading as the real thing.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/is-donald-trump-jrs-i-love-it-email-a-smoking-gun-or-a-distraction/2017/07/11/be6af2d8-666b-11e7-a1d7-9a32c91c6f40_story.html

– Democrats clamor for Jared Kushner’s security clearance to be revoked.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/12/jared-kushner-security-clearance-russia-meeting-donald-trump-jr

– SEC chairman signals plans to scale back corporate disclosure rules.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-sec-regulation-idUSKBN19X2AB

– Dow sets record-high close; Fed signals gradual rate hikes.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-stocks-idUSKBN19X1F7

– Trump tells televangelist Pat Robertson ‘I will be very angry’ if GOP senators don’t pass a health-care bill.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-i-will-be-very-angry-if-gop-senators-dont-pass-a-health-care-bill/2017/07/12/cad615ae-673b-11e7-a1d7-9a32c91c6f40_story.html

– Trump contradicts his son’s emails, suggests Russia preferred Hillary Clinton.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/07/12/trump-contradicts-his-sons-emails-suggests-russia-preferred-hillary-clinton/

– Russia says Donald Trump Jr’s meeting reports ‘making a mountain out of a molehill’.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/russia-donald-trump-jr-meeting-mountain-molehill-hillary-clinton-emails-jared-kushner-sergei-lavrov-a7837546.html

– Russian Officials Overheard Discussing Trump Associates Before Campaign Began.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/russian-officials-overheard-discussing-trump-associates-before-campaign-began-1499890354

– Trump-Russia investigators probe Jared Kushner-run digital operation.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation-world/national/article160803619.html

– As Scandal Unfolds, Trump Invites Friendly Religious Right Audience To Oval Office.

http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/as-scandal-unfolds-trump-invites-friendly-religious-right-audience-to-oval-office/

– Trump seen bowing in prayer during Oval Office session.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/12/politics/trump-prayer-photo/index.html

– Trump Tells Pat Robertson He Gets Along ‘Very, Very Well’ With Putin.

http://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/trump-tells-pat-robertson-he-gets-along-very-very-well-with-putin/

– Russian ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak is leaving his post.

http://www.cnn.com/videos/politics/2017/07/12/russian-ambassador-sergey-kislyak-leaves-washington-todd-dnt-tsr.cnn

– Trump crafting plan to slash legal immigration.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/12/trump-legal-immigration-cuts-240478

– GOP base asks, ‘What Russia scandal?’

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/12/trump-russia-scandal-240477

– (Opinion) The lights go out on the Republican Party. Let the record reflect that on July 12, 2017, at a few minutes after 10 a.m. Eastern daylight time, the lights went out on the Republican Party.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/once-again-the-silence-of-the-republicans-has-been-profound/2017/07/12/1b158ca6-6742-11e7-a1d7-9a32c91c6f40_story.html

– Hospital, doctors and patients fuel last gasp of opposition to Senate health bill.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/from-hospitals-doctors-and-patients-a-last-gasp-of-opposition-to-the-senate-health-care-bill/2017/07/12/7497c25e-672d-11e7-a1d7-9a32c91c6f40_story.html

– Boston Children’s Hospital protests deportation of leading Iranian cancer researcher with valid visa.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-immigration-boston-hospital-cancer-researcher-deported-iran-mohsen-dehnavi-a7836491.html

– U.S. judge unlikely to remove block on Trump sanctuary city order.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-sanctuary-idUSKBN19X32X

– House Democrat files article of impeachment against Trump.

http://thehill.com/homenews/house/341677-house-dem-files-article-of-impeachment-against-trump

July 13, 2017 Thursday

– Trump’s legal team faces tensions — and a client who often takes his own counsel.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trumps-legal-team-faces-tensions–and-a-client-who-often-takes-his-own-counsel/2017/07/13/07361fc6-67eb-11e7-8eb5-cbccc2e7bfbf_story.html

– New Senate Republicans healthcare bill already in trouble.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-healthcare-idUSKBN19Y10B

– (Editorial) A Scary New Senate Health Care Bill.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/13/opinion/senate-health-care-bill-trumpcare.html

– Nancy Pelosi calls on White House to revoke Jared Kushner’s security clearance amid Russian email scandal.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/jared-kushner-trump-jr-russia-emails-security-clearance-revoked-nancy-pelosi-a7839956.html

– ‘Catastrophic collapse’ of West Antarctic ice sheet could raise global sea levels by three metres, warns scientist.

http://www.independent.co.uk/environment/antarctic-larsen-ice-shelf-collapse-sea-levels-increase-three-metres-catastrophic-collapse-climate-a7839371.html

– U.S. House will delay break if Senate passes health bill: House speaker.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-healthcare-house-idUSKBN19Y231

– Trump: The mood in the White House is ‘fantastic’.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/13/trump-white-house-mood-fantastic-240495

– Conspiracy or Coincidence? A Timeline Open to Interpretation.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/12/us/politics/trump-russia-election-meeting.html

– US tells nations to give more traveler data or face sanctions: report.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/341925-us-requires-nations-give-more-info-on-travelers-on-threat-of

– Trump dodges on whether he accepted Putin’s hacking denial.

http://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/341927-trump-dodges-repeatedly-on-whether-he-accepted-putins-hacking-denial

– Kushner updated disclosure to add more than 100 foreign contacts: report.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/341844-kushner-updated-disclosure-to-add-more-than-100-foreign-contacts

– #kellycards: Kellyanne Conway sparks a new meme.

http://www.9news.com/news/nation-world/kellycards-kellyanne-conway-sparks-a-new-meme/456377541

– Senate Republicans Unveil New Health Bill, but Divisions Remain.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/13/us/politics/senate-republican-health-care-bill.html

– Republicans roll out new healthcare bill that keeps Obamacare taxes on the wealthy.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/healthcare-bill-trump-republicans-obamacare-taxes-medicare-a7839741.html

July 14, 2017 Friday

– Trump visit to Paris ends without large demonstrations.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/14/trump-visit-to-paris-trouble-free-as-macron-rolls-out-the-red-carpet

– Protesters set up ‘No Trump Zone’ in Paris as US President meets Macron.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/donald-trump-protesters-france-emmanuel-macron-paris-agreement-us-a7840301.html

– ‘Donald Trump is a real fool’: Parisians shrug at US leader’s visit.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/trump-paris-france-macron-visit-how-local-french-people-respond-a7840146.html

– Trump and Macron Cement Unlikely Friendship in Bastille Day Visit.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/14/world/europe/trump-macron-frendship-france-bastille-day-parade.html

– ‘It’s almost an embarrassment being American’ JP Morgan chief blasts political dysfunction.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/2017/jul/14/jp-morgan-chief-jamie-dimon-american

– Former Soviet Counterintelligence Officer at Meeting With Donald Trump Jr. and Russian Lawyer.

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/russian-lawyer-brought-ex-soviet-counter-intelligence-officer-trump-team-n782851

– Former Soviet counter intelligence officer confirms he attended Russian lawyer meeting.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/russian-american-lobbyist-was-present-at-trump-jrs-meeting-with-kremlin-connected-lawyer/2017/07/14/1b96f25a-68aa-11e7-9928-22d00a47778f_story.html

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-jr-russia-meeting-societ-counter-intelligence-officer-jared-kushner-hillary-clinton-a7841386.html

– Russian Lawyer Whom Trump Jr. Met Says She Was in Contact With Top Russian Prosecutor.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/russian-lawyer-who-trump-jr-met-says-she-was-in-contact-with-top-russian-prosecutor-1500063809

– Governors on Both Sides Strongly Oppose Health Bill.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/14/us/politics/governors-oppose-senate-affordable-care-act-repeal.html

– Trump’s children become bigger liabilities for the White House, complicate damage-control efforts.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/paloma/daily-202/2017/07/14/daily-202-trump-s-children-become-bigger-liabilities-for-the-white-house-complicate-damage-control-efforts/5967dc63e9b69b7071abcb2e/

– Trump travel ban suffers setback as judge rules against ‘narrowly defined list’ of relatives who may enter U.S.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/grandparents-other-extended-relatives-exempt-from-trump-travel-ban-federal-judge-rules/2017/07/14/ce67aa72-6888-11e7-8eb5-cbccc2e7bfbf_story.html

– Trump administration to appeal travel ban ruling to Supreme Court.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-ruling-sessions-idUSKBN19Z248

– House backs massive increase in defense spending.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-defense-congress-idUSKBN19Z1XG

– (Opinion) Reverence for Putin on the Right Buys Trump Cover.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/14/us/politics/putin-trump-conservatives.html

– Trump set to bring in new attorney to manage response to Russia investigation.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trump-set-to-bring-in-new-attorney-to-manage-response-to-russia-investigation/2017/07/14/f1bb599c-68d3-11e7-9928-22d00a47778f_story.html

– Much of the world thinks China is catching up to the US — and they have little faith in Trump.

http://www.businessinsider.com/other-countries-believe-china-is-very-close-to-surpassing-the-us-2017-7

– White House releases sensitive personal information of voters worried about their sensitive personal information.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/07/14/white-house-releases-sensitive-personal-information-of-voters-worried-about-their-sensitive-personal-information/

– White House weighs dramatically expanding DHS powers to expedite deportations.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/in-memo-trump-administration-weighs-expanding-the-expedited-deportation-powers-of-dhs/2017/07/14/ce5f16b4-68ba-11e7-9928-22d00a47778f_story.html

– (Opinion) Americans put Trump in the Oval Office. What does that say about the country?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/americans-put-trump-in-the-oval-office-what-does-that-say-about-americans/2017/07/14/e6dd8996-67e8-11e7-a1d7-9a32c91c6f40_story.html?

– Catholic journal criticizes Trump ‘value voters’.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/14/politics/pope-advisers-trump-supporters/index.html

https://www.americamagazine.org/faith/2017/07/13/italian-jesuit-journal-calls-out-ecumenism-hate-between-some-evangelicals-and

– Why Trump puts his faith in evangelicals.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/13/politics/trump-evangelicals/index.html

– Commonwealth Fund’s “Mirror, Mirror 2017: International Comparisons Reflect Flaws and Opportunities for Better US Health Care” finds that the US ranks last overall on providing equally accessible and high-quality health care, regardless of income.

http://www.commonwealthfund.org/publications/fund-reports/2017/jul/mirror-mirror-international-comparisons-2017

http://www.newsweek.com/united-states-health-care-rated-worst-637114

July 15, 2017 Saturday

– Governors Go Around Trump on Global Diplomacy.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/15/us/trump-governors-diplomatic-missions.html

– Virgin chief Richard Branson tells audience in Brooklyn Trump’s decision on the Paris accord is ‘very, very strange’. “Trump had hundreds of the most influential business leaders in the world speaking to him and he ignored them, so there’s no guarantee that he’ll change his mind,” Branson said.

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/jul/15/trump-paris-climate-deal-richard-branson

– (Opinion) Trump is ushering in a dark new conservatism.

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jul/15/trumps-nostalgia-1930s-republicans

– Justin Trudeau takes jab at Donald Trump’s ‘America First’ doctrine.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/justin-trudeau-canada-prime-minister-donald-trump-nafta-us-governors-climate-change-paris-agreement-a7842331.html

– Europe struggles to attract tech talent even as US closes doors.

http://www.politico.eu/article/why-europe-still-lacks-silicon-valleys-sex-appeal/

– Phil Donahue: Trump era ‘darkest political moment’ in history.

http://thehill.com/homenews/media/342195-phil-donahue-trump-era-darkest-political-moment-in-history

– Trump campaign paid Trump Jr.’s lawyer weeks before Russia meeting revelation.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/342184-trump-campaign-paid-trump-jrs-lawyer-almost-two-weeks-prior-to

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-campaign-paid-trump-jr-lawyers-firm-11-days-before-russia-story-broke/

– White House pre-buts CBO healthcare score: ‘Little more than fake news’.

http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/342183-white-house-aides-prebut-cbo-healthcare-score-little-more-than-fake-news

– Dem senator blasts ‘evil in the epidemic rate of lying’ on GOP health bill.

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/342176-dem-senator-blasts-evil-epidemic-rate-of-lying-on-gop-healthcare-bill

– States may see up to 39 percent decline in Medicaid funding under repeal.

http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/342175-states-may-see-up-to-39-percent-decline-in-medicaid-funding-under-repeal

– Top allies of Pope Francis criticize religious Trump supporters.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/342168-top-allies-of-pope-francis-criticize-religious-trump-supporters

– States Push New Voter Requirements, Fueled by Trump.

http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/elections/states-push-new-voter-requirements-fueled-trump-n780611

– US Experiences Second Most Spam Calls In The World.

http://www.ibtimes.com/spam-calls-us-experiences-second-most-spam-calls-world-2566049

– White House sends new US citizen welcome letter from President – signed by Barack Obama.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-citizenship-letter-welcome-wrong-potus-immigration-a7842936.html

– Immigrants in Trump’s America Now Deported for Running a Red Light.

http://www.newsweek.com/trump-bad-hombres-ice-immigration-636830

– The Alt-Right Movement Behind Trump’s Presidency.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/the-alt-right-movement-behind-trump-s-presidency-a-1155901.html

– GOP LEADERSHIP POSTPONES HEALTH CARE VOTE as John McCain Recovers From Surgery.

http://www.newsweek.com/gop-leadership-health-care-mccain-vote-637394

July 16, 2017 Sunday

– McConnell delays health care vote while McCain recovers from surgery.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/15/politics/john-mccain-blood-clot/index.html

– ‘Nothing nefarious’, Trump lawyer defends Don Jr. meeting, says Secret Service allowed it.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-idUSKBN1A10Q9

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/07/16/presidents-lawyer-insists-nothing-nefarious-in-donald-trump-jr-s-meeting-with-russians/

– Trump defends his son — drawing a contrast with Clinton — and says media are ‘distorting democracy’.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/07/16/trump-defends-his-son-drawing-a-contrast-with-clinton-and-says-media-are-distorting-democracy/

– White House unveils ‘Made in America’ week, though many Trump products are made overseas.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-politics/wp/2017/07/16/white-house-unveils-made-in-america-week-though-many-trump-products-are-made-overseas/

– Former US prosecutor on Trump-Russia investigation: ‘People will be going to jail’.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-russia-investigation-collusion-crimes-jail-harry-litman-claims-a7840276.html

– Trump refuses to make state visit to UK until Theresa May ‘fixes warm UK welcome’. ‘When I know I’m going to get a better reception, I’ll come and not before’.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/donald-trump-us-president-state-visit-uk-theresa-may-prime-minister-fixes-warm-welcome-a7843391.html

– Trump on Attack as Russia Revelations Appear to Take Toll.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/16/us/politics/trump-twitter-russia.html

– Secret Service denies vetting Trump Jr. meeting.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-idUSKBN1A10Q9

– Anti-Trump protests staged at U.S. Women’s Open.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-golf-women-uschamp-idUSKBN1A10Y1

– Nearly 150,000 attempts to hack SC voter registration system on Election Day: report.

http://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity/342274-nearly-150000-attempts-to-hack-south-carolina-voter-registration-system

– Trump says his 36 percent approval — a historic low for the 6-month mark — ‘is not bad’.

http://theweek.com/speedreads/712343/trump-says-36-percent-approval–historic-low-6month-mark–not-bad

– After a Harrowing Flight From U.S., Refugees Find Asylum in Canada.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/16/world/canada/refugees-in-canada.html

– White House Correspondents’ Association: We don’t defend the White House.

http://thehill.com/homenews/media/342263-white-house-correspondents-association-we-dont-defend-the-white-house

– ‘We can’t accept anything Don Jr. says’ about Russia meeting: Schiff.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/accept-don-jr-russia-meeting-schiff/story

July 17, 2017 Monday

– As Paperwork Goes Missing, Private Student Loan Debts May Be Wiped Away.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/17/business/dealbook/student-loan-debt-collection.html

http://time.com/money/4862109/student-loan-debt-missing-paperwork/

– Poll: 70 percent say Trump acts unpresidential.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/17/poll-trump-unpresidential-240622

– Australian woman in Minneapolis fatally shot by police officer.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/16/us/australian-woman-shot-minneapolis/index.html

– New York attorney general says will sue over Obamacare repeal.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-healthcare-lawsuit-idUSKBN1A21TV

– During Trump’s ‘Made in America Week’, White House defends imported Trump products.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/made-america-week-white-house-defends-imported-trump/story

– U.S. appeals court upholds gag orders on FBI data surveillance.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-surveillance-idUSKBN1A21XJ

– Trump’s treasury secretary is hurtling toward potential debt-limit fiasco.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/steven-mnuchin-trumps-treasury-secretary-is-hurtling-toward-his-first-fiasco/2017/07/17/28c0ecf8-5da9-11e7-9b7d-14576dc0f39d_story.html

– Sessions to push for police to take more cash from U.S. citizens.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/07/17/jeff-sessions-wants-police-to-take-more-cash-from-american-citizens/

– Vice chair of Trump’s voting commission wants to add new requirements for voting, email shows.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/07/17/vice-chair-of-trumps-voter-fraud-commission-wants-to-change-federal-law-to-make-it-harder-to-vote-email-shows/

– Coast Guard wants to kick boats off Potomac River when president is golfing.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc-politics/coast-guard-wants-to-kick-boats-off-potomac-river-when-trump-is-golfing/2017/07/17/8ac56828-6afd-11e7-9c15-177740635e83_story.html

– London Mayor says a Trump state visit to UK may not be ‘appropriate’ given how much British people disagree with him.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/sadiq-khan-trump-state-visit-uk-comments-not-appropriate-us-president-theresa-may-london-a7846181.html

– Trump’s campaign against Isis results in nearly as many civilian deaths as during Obama’s entire administration.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/middle-east/donald-trump-syria-death-toll-campaign-military-operations-barack-obama-administration-a7844526.html

– Trump has plunged America into an ethics crisis and made country a ‘laughingstock’, says ethics chief who resigned.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-ethics-crisis-white-house-chief-interview-walter-schaub-laughingstock-a7845821.html

– Trump Says He Has Signed More Bills Than Any President, Ever. He Hasn’t.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/17/us/politics/trump-laws-bills.html

– HEALTH BILL COLLAPSES WITH DISSENT FROM 2 MORE SENATORS, an apparent body blow to GOP effort to replace Obamacare.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/17/us/politics/health-care-overhaul-collapses-as-two-republican-senators-defect.html

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/johnson-health-care-vote-now-jeopardy/story

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-healthcare-lee-moran-idUSKBN1A3034

– (Opinion) The John Birch Society Is Back.

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/07/16/the-john-birch-society-is-alive-and-well-in-the-lone-star-state-215377

– Tillerson to shutter war crimes focused State Dept. office.

http://thehill.com/policy/international/342445-tillerson-to-shut-down-state-dept-office-that-focuses-on-war-crimes

– Texas Republicans take aim at liberal cities.

http://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/342291-texas-republicans-take-aim-at-liberal-cities

– Flynn Plans Defense Fund to Pay Trump Russia Probe Legal Bills.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-17/flynn-plans-defense-fund-to-pay-trump-russia-probe-legal-bills

– Trump Must Release Mar-a-Lago Visitor Logs, Judge Rules.

http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/donald-trump/trump-must-release-mar-lago-visitor-logs-judge-rules-n783686

– Trump’s Presidential Commission on Election Integrity Prompts Thousands of Voters to Unregister.

http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-house/trump-panel-prompts-thousands-voters-unregister-n783891

– Because of Trump, U.S. No Longer World’s Most Powerful Country, Report Says.

http://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-macron-soft-power-most-powerful-america-first-637864

July 18, 2017 Tuesday

– After GOP health-bill collapse, Trump tweets ‘We will return’.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/trump-suggests-republicans-will-let-aca-market-collapse-then-rewrite-health-law/2017/07/18/5e79a3ec-6bac-11e7-b9e2-2056e768a7e5_story.html

– Senate will vote to repeal Obamacare without replacement, after new healthcare bill stumbles.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/17/republican-health-bill-senators-oppose-vote

– Let Obamacare fail – Trump’s new plan.

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-40646625

– Republican plan to ‘repeal and delay’ will leave millions more Americans uninsured.

http://www.politico.com/interactives/2017/republican-obamacare-repeal-uninsured-double/

– House GOP budget plan ties big spending cuts to tax rewrite.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/house-gop-unveils-budget-plan-that-attaches-major-spending-cuts-to-coming-tax-reform-bill/2017/07/18/6e68b679-c63a-4dd1-a3da-e191636946ad_story.html

– Australians react to deadly police shooting in ‘risky’ United States.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/worldviews/wp/2017/07/17/an-australian-family-tries-to-understand-why-an-american-police-officer-killed-their-daughter/

– Americans want U.S. goods, but not willing to pay more: Reuters/Ipsos poll.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-buyamerican-poll-idUSKBN1A3210

– 3 GOP senators come out against McConnell’s repeal-only plan – Senate now lacks votes to abolish parts of ACA outright.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/trump-suggests-republicans-will-let-aca-market-collapse-then-rewrite-health-law/2017/07/18/5e79a3ec-6bac-11e7-b9e2-2056e768a7e5_story.html

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/18/republican-obamacare-repeal-effort-240667

– Eighth person at meeting of Trump Jr. and Russians identified, name sent to Mueller.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/eighth-person-in-trump-tower-meeting-is-identified/2017/07/18/e971234a-6bce-11e7-9c15-177740635e83_story.html

– Eighth person in Trump Tower meeting was linked to money laundering.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/18/irakly-kaveladze-trump-tower-russia-eighth-man-240679

– Carbon dioxide must be removed from the atmosphere to avoid extreme climate change, say scientists. Prof. Jim Hansen, warns the ‘s*** is hitting the fan’.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/carbon-dioxide-remove-atmosphere-climate-change-greenhouse-gas-scientists-jim-hansen-a7847426.html

– White House says it supports FCC plan to scrap net neutrality rules.

http://thehill.com/policy/technology/342575-white-house-says-it-supports-fcc-plan-to-scrap-net-neutrality-rules

– White House ‘rumoured to close State Department’s only cyber security office’ as top diplomat quits.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/trump-cyber-security-office-white-house-closure-rumours-christopher-painter-a7848076.html

– House votes to roll back Obama-era ozone standards.

http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/342582-house-votes-to-roll-back-obama-era-ozone-standards

– Trump, Putin held an undisclosed second informal meeting at G-20.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/trump-had-undisclosed-hour-long-meeting-with-putin-at-g20-summit/2017/07/18/39c18dd4-6bd0-11e7-96ab-5f38140b38cc_story.html

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/342589-ian-bremmer-trump-and-putin-held-second-informal-meeting-during-g-20

– Trump dodges blame over healthcare as he meets with Afghanistan veterans.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/18/trump-healthcare-bill-obamacare

– Trump slams ‘dishonest’ media over ‘sick’ reports of Putin exchange.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/18/trump-second-undisclosed-meeting-with-putin-240694

– House Republicans release 2018 budget blueprint, which would slash social programs.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/house-republicans-release-2018-budget-blueprint-targets-social/story

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/house-gop-unveils-budget-plan-that-attaches-major-spending-cuts-to-coming-tax-reform-bill/2017/07/18/6e68b679-c63a-4dd1-a3da-e191636946ad_story.html

– Senator Joins Ethics Probe That Could Get EPA Chief Scott Pruitt Disbarred.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/senator-joins-ethics-probe-could-145646593.html

– How the GOP Became the Party of Putin. Republicans have sold their souls to Russia. And Trump isn’t the only reason why.

http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2017/07/18/how-the-gop-became-the-party-of-putin-215387

At the Sixth Month Mark:

July 19, 2017 Wednesday

– Trump urges Senate Republicans to keep trying on healthcare bill.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-healthcare-idUSKBN1A40UX

– Trump challenges senators to resurrect Obamacare repeal effort: ‘We’re close’.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/trump-challenges-senators-to-resurrect-obamcare-repeal-effort-were-close/2017/07/19/468c2dc0-6c8f-11e7-9c15-177740635e83_story.html

– Trump to GOP senators: Cancel your recess and not leave town until acting to repeal ObamaCare.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/342732-trump-to-gop-senators-cancel-your-recess

– After Trump scolding, McConnell insists ObamaCare repeal will move forward.

http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/342756-mcconnell-insists-senate-will-take-obamacare-repeal-procedural-vote-next

– Trump insists dead people ‘voting’ helped him lose popular vote against Hillary Clinton.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world-0/us-politics/trump-voter-fraud-commission-speech-dead-people-voting-popular-vote-loss-hillary-clinton-latest-a7849536.html

– Trump won’t support new plan to save ‘Dreamers’ from deportation.

http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politics-government/white-house/article162494923.html

– GOP takes aim at reforming Endangered Species Act.

http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/342757-gop-takes-aim-at-endangered-species-act-reforms

– GOP repeal foes face blowback. Angry conservatives promise primary challenges.

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/19/gop-repeal-foes-face-blowback-after-healthcare-losses-240700

– Hundreds protest DeVos in Colorado. Critics of school choice argue the policy hurts public education.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/342758-hundreds-protest-devos-in-colorado

– At talks, U.S. officials demand ‘more fair’ China trade links.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-china-trade-idUSKBN1A40BN

– A bipartisan group of senators is aiming to make it a felony for Americans to cooperate “with efforts by international organizers — including the U.N. — to boycott Israel.”

http://theweek.com/speedreads/713031/bipartisan-bill-make-felony-support-international-boycott-israel

– U.S. Supreme Court partly rejects Trump on travel ban.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-immigration-court-idUSKBN1A420D

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/courts_law/supreme-court-allows-trump-travel-ban-enforcement-but-says-it-must-allow-broader-exemptions-for-relatives/2017/07/19/6945e01e-6bf8-11e7-96ab-5f38140b38cc_story.html

– Corporate lobbying helped derail border tax: senior Republican.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-congress-brady-lobbying-idUSKBN1A422H

– Republicans could target Obamacare tax in wider tax overhaul – Brady.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-congress-brady-tax-exclusive-idUSKBN1A41X1

– FBI urged to investigate Ivanka Trump’s security clearance due to brother and husband’s Russia links.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/ivanka-trump-security-clearance-fbi-review-democrats-urge-russia-links-a7849576.html

– Trump Loans From Deutsche Bank Face Regulatory Scrutiny.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/19/business/big-german-bank-key-to-trumps-finances-faces-new-scrutiny.html

– Trump’s embrace of Russia making top advisers wary.

http://www.nbc12.com/story/35917776/trumps-embrace-of-russia-making-top-advisers-wary

– Here’s what we know so far about Team Trump’s ties to Russian interests (Updated).

https://www.washingtonpost.com/graphics/national/trump-russia/

– Trump’s Honeymoon With China Ends as Dialogue Turns Frosty.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-19/trump-s-honeymoon-with-china-ends-as-economic-talks-turn-frosty

– Senate panel to interview Kushner; subpoenas possible for Manafort and Trump Jr.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/kushner-to-testify-before-senate-intel-panel-monday/2017/07/19/0db11da6-6cd2-11e7-b9e2-2056e768a7e5_story.html

– Trump warns Mueller against investigating his family’s finances beyond Russia probe.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/342845-trump-warns-mueller-against-investigating-his-familys-finances-beyond

– Pro-Trump Fox Business Network TV pundit’s firm took undisclosed payments from Trump campaign.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/pro-trump-tv-pundits-firm-took-undisclosed-payments-from-trump-campaign/2017/07/19/a7ae21f8-6bef-11e7-b9e2-2056e768a7e5_story.html

– Carrier factory where Trump promised to save jobs lays off hundreds of staff on President’s 6-month anniversary.

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world-0/us-politics/trump-carrier-jobs-cuts-lay-offs-anniversary-presidency-a7850011.html

– Trump’s election commission meets as critics condemn president’s ‘biggest lie’.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/19/trump-election-integrity-commission-voter-fraud-mike-pence

– Jeff Sessions’s Justice Department turns a $65 million asset forfeiture spigot back on.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/07/19/jeff-sessions-justice-department-turns-a-65-million-asset-forfeiture-spigot-back-on/

– Trump says he should not have picked Sessions as attorney general.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-russia-sessions-idUSKBN1A5007

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/19/us/politics/trump-interview-sessions-russia.html

– John McCain has been diagnosed with brain cancer, spokesman says.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/john-mccain-republican-senator-from-arizona-has-a-brain-tumor/2017/07/19/3331c5fa-6cdf-11e7-b9e2-2056e768a7e5_story.html

http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/19/mccain-diagnosed-with-brain-tumor-240739

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/19/john-mccain-brain-cancer

– 32 MILLION MORE PEOPLE WOULD BE UNINSURED UNDER NEW SENATE OBAMACARE REPEAL BILL – CBO.

http://money.cnn.com/2017/07/19/news/economy/senate-repeal-bill-cbo/index.html

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-healthcare-idUSKBN1A40UX

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/trump-challenges-senators-to-resurrect-obamcare-repeal-effort-were-close/2017/07/19/468c2dc0-6c8f-11e7-9c15-177740635e83_story.html

– WALL STREET AT NEW HIGHS as tech breaches dot-com era record

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-stocks-idUSKBN1A413N

– President Trump’s first six months: by the numbers.

http://www.cnn.com/2017/07/19/politics/donald-trump-six-months/index.html

– POLL: 6 months in, a record low for Trump, with troubles from Russia to health care (ABC News/Washington Post Poll).

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/months-record-low-trump-troubles-russia-health-care/story?id=48639490

– Six ways Trump is ‘dismantling’ the US after six months in office.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/jul/19/six-ways-trump-is-dismantling-america-after-six-months-in-white-house

– (video) What we can learn from Trump’s first six months of presidential tweets.

http://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-40635755/what-we-can-learn-from-trump-s-first-six-months-of-presidential-tweets

– (video) A look at Donald Trump’s first 6 months as president.

http://www.msn.com/en-gb/video/news/us-a-look-at-donald-trumps-first-6-months-as-president/vp-AAoqAfn

– Writers on the Trump Era: The Story Is Implausible.

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/19/us/politics/trump-presidency-drama-capital.html