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The Serious Side - part 4

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Post by annemarie Mon 11 Dec 2017, 20:32

http://people.com/bodies/trump-administration-cannot-restrict-transgender-people-military/

[size=40]Judge Rules Trump Administration Cannot Restrict Transgender People from Enlisting in the Military[/size]
[url=https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fpeople.com%2Fbodies%2Ftrump-administration-cannot-restrict-transgender-people-military%2F&media=https%3A%2F%2Fpeopledotcom.files.wordpress.com%2F2017%2F11%2Fdonald-trump-4.jpg&description=US President Donald Trump visit to Japan - 05 Nov 2017][/url][url=https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?status=Judge Rules Trump Administration Cannot Restrict Transgender People from Enlisting in the Military http://people.com/bodies/trump-administration-cannot-restrict-transgender-people-military/ via @people][/url]
[url=https://www.pinterest.com/pin/create/link/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fpeople.com%2Fbodies%2Ftrump-administration-cannot-restrict-transgender-people-military%2F&media=https%3A%2F%2Fpeopledotcom.files.wordpress.com%2F2017%2F11%2Fdonald-trump-4.jpg&description=US President Donald Trump visit to Japan - 05 Nov 2017][/url]
The Serious Side - part 4 - Page 8 Image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fpeopledotcom.files.wordpress.com%2F2017%2F11%2Fdonald-trump-4
Donald Trump
Aflo/REX/Shutterstock
JULIE MAZZIOTTA 
December 11, 2017 02:59 PM

A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration cannot restrict transgender people from enlisting in the military, and the armed forces must accept recruits by Jan. 1.
President Trump had previously signed a memo that stopped transgender people from entering the military, and gave Defense Secretary James Mattis six months to decide what to do about those who are currently serving.
But in October, a federal court blocked the attempted ban as it worked its way through the court system. With Monday’s ruling, the earlier block will remain in place.
“In sum, having carefully considered all of the evidence before it, the court is not persuaded that defendants will be irreparably injured by allowing the accession of transgender individuals into the military beginning on January 1, 2018,” Judge Colleen Kollar-Kotelly of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia wrote Monday, The Hill reported.
RELATED VIDEO: Everything Donald Trump Has Said About the LGBTQ Community as President Announces Trans Military Ban


The Serious Side - part 4 - Page 8 Image?url=http%3A%2F%2FtimeInc.brightcove.com.edgesuite.net%2Frtmp_uds%2F416418724%2F201707%2F2748%2F416418724_5522781433001_5522754725001-th


 
Trump first announced the proposed ban in July in a series of tweets where he said that transgender military members “burdened” the armed forces with “tremendous medical costs and disruption” with hormone treatments and gender reassignment surgery.






The Serious Side - part 4 - Page 8 KUuht00m_normalDonald J. Trump

✔️@realDonaldTrump

[ltr]After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow......[/ltr]


7:55 AM - Jul 26, 2017




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The Serious Side - part 4 - Page 8 KUuht00m_normalDonald J. Trump

✔️@realDonaldTrump

[ltr]....Transgender individuals to serve in any capacity in the U.S. Military. Our military must be focused on decisive and overwhelming.....[/ltr]


8:04 AM - Jul 26, 2017




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The Serious Side - part 4 - Page 8 KUuht00m_normalDonald J. Trump

✔️@realDonaldTrump

[ltr]....victory and cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption that transgender in the military would entail. Thank you[/ltr]


8:08 AM - Jul 26, 2017




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According to a 2016 Defense Department-commissioned study, gender reassignment treatments cost $8.4 million at most, representing just 0.13 percent of the military’s $6.2 billion health care budget
Logan Ireland, a transgender Air Force Staff Sgt., told PEOPLE in July that the move takes highly trained people out of the military.
“For the President to deny an able-bodied, fully qualified person the inherent right to raise their right hand and serve their country, potentially giving their own life for our freedoms, is doing this country an injustice,” Ireland, 29, said.
 

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Post by carolhathaway Mon 11 Dec 2017, 22:27

By watching Trump's tweets, I'm still confused: He tweets official statements via his private twitter account, not his official one. So are we supposed to take every private tweet seriously and as an official, a presidential declaration or is this his personal opinion as a private person?
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Post by LizzyNY Mon 11 Dec 2017, 23:37

Carolhathaway - Does it really matter? He's nuts! Whatever he says, no matter where, will be reversed or denied or totally disavowed before you can finish reading it.
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Post by party animal - not! Tue 12 Dec 2017, 01:25



Oh, it's all quite deliberate to distract, confuse and divert from what's really going on. Latest distraction:sending men to the moon again. Symbolic stuff for his base...

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Post by carolhathaway Tue 12 Dec 2017, 06:39

Lizzy,
I know that the result is the same. But when he attacks leaders of other countries via his private twitter account and this leads to a serious conflict, could he get away with saying 'This was just my orivate opinion, not what I think as a president, so it diesn't mattwd'?
I said it a while ago: 'Could please somebody block his private twitter account!'

Aren't the elections Moore's in today? I'm really interested in watching the result...
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Post by party animal - not! Tue 12 Dec 2017, 11:35


Some really important stuff here for all of you across the pond.......

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yqulWPljawo

http://theweek.com/speedreads/742808/stephen-colbert-tests-some-ideas-trumps-imagined-presidential-reality-tv-show

and this retweeted by Lysa Heslov: https://twitter.com/PalmerReport/status/940409218699595776

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Post by LizzyNY Tue 12 Dec 2017, 14:13

Carolhathaway - You're right. The Alabama election is today. The race is still too close to call, but the Republicans are still backing Roy Moore. They don't care what he's done or what his past political record is as long as they get another conservative/reactionary vote in Congress.

Doug Jones has spent his career protecting the values that allow pond scum like Moore to exist. He is an ethical politician who hasn't done anything hateful or despicable, so of course the Republicans can't possibly vote for him.

So sorry. I wake up every morning feeling like we owe the whole world a giant apology! Crying or Very sad
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Post by party animal - not! Tue 12 Dec 2017, 15:00

Charles Barkley was doing well with his comments.

By the way folks, in the Kimmel clip above, he was reminding everybody about the three days left to sign up for the ACA. A really good thing becos the present lot are of course not broadcasting it.........

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Post by Donnamarie Tue 12 Dec 2017, 21:09

How great having Kimmel speak out for CHIP and the ACA.  With the audience he captures every night he has been a terrific spokesman.  And it’s wonderful that his son is recovering so well from his heart surgeries.  

I think the whole country is watching Alabama tonight to see if Alabamians are really going to send this despicable and sleazy excuse of a man to the U.S. Congress. I have one word to describe evangelical Christians in Alabama.  HYPOCRITES.  Whether Moore wins tonight or not people will remember this next year and every other cowardly act committed by the Republican Party since they attached themselves to Trump.  I think the midterm elections will be telling.  

Won’t know until the polls close in a few hours who is going to win ... Moore or Jones.  The  political pundits are saying the polling numbers prior to today have been all over the place.  Personally I think Moore is going to win.  But I would love to be wrong!  Jones is an honorable man with moderate Democratic views and a great resume.  He SHOULD win.


Last edited by Donnamarie on Tue 12 Dec 2017, 21:17; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : edited text)
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Post by party animal - not! Tue 12 Dec 2017, 23:25

Quite a lot of the rest of the world is watching too, Donnamarie - some of us wondering, given the ballot box racket of previous times and now the legal battle lost to retain the digital ballot box results which one judge announced and then 'a private hearing' decided against. All this after the closure of many polling stations in black areas in 2016:

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/2016/11/4/13501120/vote-polling-places-election-2016

https://whowhatwhy.org/2017/12/11/voters-left-dark-alabamas-election-system/

And apparently during the presidential election only 19% voted and they're hoping for 25% this time...

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Post by carolhathaway Wed 13 Dec 2017, 06:48

It looks as if Jones has wo though it was very close. So there's still hope...
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Post by carolhathaway Wed 13 Dec 2017, 06:51

By the way:
Has anybody read the novel 'To Kill the President' by Sam Bourne?
It's really interesting, and I can ony recommend everybody to read it...
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Post by annemarie Wed 13 Dec 2017, 10:14

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5173829/Shell-shocked-White-House-blames-Bannon-Senate-loss.html

[size=34]Furious Trump says Republicans will eventually 'have another shot' at Alabama's Senate seat as shell-shocked White House blames Steve Bannon for stunning loss[/size]

  • White House sources say Donald Trump is 'really upset' over Senate election loss for Roy Moore

  • President dashed off a conciliatory tweet that didn't hint at the level of his anger

  • He blames Steve Bannon, his former chief strategist who convinced him that Moore would win

  • But Democratic rival Doug Jones prevailed, aided by Moore's scandals 

  • Nine different women had accused the Republican hardliner of sexual misconduct, including two who said he molested them when they were teens 


By DAVID MARTOSKO, US POLITICAL EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM 
PUBLISHED: 23:53 EST, 12 December 2017 | UPDATED: 01:08 EST, 13 December 2017

    


Donald Trump fired off a conciliatory tweet Tuesday night shortly after Roy Moore, the candidate he endorsed in the Alabama Senate race, was knocked off his high horse by Democrat Doug Jones.
But the tone of his words didn't capture the rage that filled the White House residence, according to two sources with knowledge of the president's mood.
'Congratulations to Doug Jones on a hard fought victory. The write-in votes played a very big factor, but a win is a win,' the president wrote.
'The people of Alabama are great, and the Republicans will have another shot at this seat in a very short period of time. It never ends!'

Trump staked his political reputation on the advice of Steve Bannon, his hard-right former chief strategist who campaigned hard for Moore despite sexual misconduct allegations from nine different women – including two who said he molested them when they were teen girls.
A senior administration official told DailyMail.com on Tuesday night that Bannon had guaranteed to the president that Moore would win in the deep-red state where Trump himself triumphed by 28 points last year.
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The Serious Side - part 4 - Page 8 47230E6100000578-5173829-image-a-26_1513140782770

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FURIOUS: President Donald Trump was beside himself Tuesday night after Roy Moore's crash-and-burn loss in an Alabama U.S. Senate election, according to a senior administration official
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Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon had guaranteed the president that Moore would win in the deep-red state, but allegations of sexual misconduct doomed his chances
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Trump fired off a conciliatory tweet Tuesday night that hid the depth of his anger
'He's really upset right now,' the official said of the president shortly after Trump's tweet hit the Internet.
A Republican strategist told DailyMail.com that Tuesday night 'will be Steve Bannon's political epitaph.'
'There's no way to see this other than a huge defeat for the GOP, and it's mostly because Bannon bamboozled the president with his Svengali pocket-watch,' the veteran of more than 20 congressional elections said.
'Mitch McConnell will take some lumps,' he added, 'but this was all Bannon's doing. And political capital at Breitbart has just fallen through the floor too.'
Breitbart News, a conservative website where Bannon is executive chairman, had pushed hard for Moore.

[size=10][size=18]Democrat Doug Jones wins Alabama Senate seat




[/size][/size]



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Moore lost in large part because of write-in votes spurred by Republicans who couldn't justify supporting an accused pedophile
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Democrat Doug Jones notched a stunning victory aided by scandal on Tuesday despite Trump's endorsement of his GOP opponent



Republicans in Washington's establishment ranks were also quick to pin blame on Bannon.
'This is a brutal reminder that candidate quality matters regardless of where you are running,' Senate Leadership Fund president Steve Law said in a statement.
The group is a super PAC aligned with McConnell.
'Not only did Steve Bannon cost us a critical Senate seat in one of the most Republican states in the country, but he also dragged the President of the United States into his fiasco,' Law said.
Trump used his Twitter soapbox six separate times to endourage Moore, and eventually offer his explicit endorsement.
'The people of Alabama will do the right thing,' he wrote Tuesday morning. 'Doug Jones is Pro-Abortion, weak on Crime, Military and Illegal Immigration, Bad for Gun Owners and Veterans and against the WALL. Jones is a Pelosi/Schumer Puppet.'
'Roy Moore will always vote with us. VOTE ROY MOORE!' he added.

[size=18]Roy Moore and Steve Bannon address election eve rally




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Bannon openly campaigned for Roy Moore, appearing at Alabama events both this week and last
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The statewide election in Alabama became a referendum on Trump, although the White House has been unwilling to say so
A second source who said he spoke with Trump on Tuesday told DailyMail.com that 'the Oval [office] and POTUS's phone lines will be a Bannon-free zone for awhile.'
Jones won't be seated in the U.S. Senate until January, giving Majority Leader Mitch McConnell until the end of next week to put the finishing touches on a tax-code revamp that Trump is anxiously awaiting.
The House and Senate are hammering out details and reconciling the differences between their respective bills.
With 99.3 per cent of Alabama's precincts reporting results, Jones led Moore by more than 14,500 votes, more than double the 0.5 per cent threshold for an automatic recount.
Trump's observation about write-in votes rings true: They accounted for more than 22,400 votes, a sufficient number to have turned the tide for Moore.
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Trump re-re-re-endorsed Moore on Tuesday morning with a tweet predicting that Alabama voters would 'do the right thing'

[size=18]Bannon declares war on GOP at Roy Moore's AG rally in Alabama



[/size]

Bannon's spokeswoman did not respond Tuesday night to a request for comment. 
But Andy Surabian, a Bannon political adviser, texted multiple reporters a defiant statement.
'Mitch McConnell and his establishment allies got the Democrat that they wanted in Alabama, and are now threatening and openly defying President Trump's agenda,' he wrote.
'Make no mistake about it, Mitch McConnell is now the highest ranking Democrat in America. Congratulations, Swamp.'

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Post by Donnamarie Wed 13 Dec 2017, 15:24

I’m so glad I was wrong about the Alabama race.  It was close but I’m still shocked Jones won.  It’s good to know there are some people in Alabama who didn’t want this immoral man representing them in Congress and on the world stage.  For some morals and values in the end were more important than just being a Republican who is anti abortion. 

Obviously a defeat for Moore but just as much a defeat for Trump ... just like the Virginia Governor race.  I hope the Democrats can keep the momentum going for the 2018 mid term elections.
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Post by LizzyNY Wed 13 Dec 2017, 18:22

I'm thrilled Doug Jones won. I had to laugh at Trump calling him a puppet of Schumer and Pelosi and then going on to say elect Moore because "he will always vote with us." In other words, a Trump puppet? Our President is a moron!

Saw Joe Biden on The View this morning. Such an intelligent, compassionate man. He said he hasn't ruled out running for President in 2020. Fingers crossed!

Quick thought: Could this fiasco mean the end of Bannon's and Breitbart's influence? Hoping!
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Post by carolhathaway Wed 13 Dec 2017, 18:48

Lizzy,
I'm not sure it will actually mean a change. I guess this election was a summary of different happenings:
- Republicans who have realized what Trump really wants and either decided not to vote at all or vote for somebody else
- Republicans who don't want Moore as their senator and either decided not to vote at all or vote for somebody else
- Democrats who realized there's hope and voted for Jones
- People who haven't voted before but felt the need to vote against Moore to avoid Moore's election because they don't want a senator who wants to imprison gays, likes slavery, is anti-abortion and likes little girls.

I'm not sure which of these groups were the determining factor, only the next elections will show. But I also was also amuzed by Trump mourning about Jones being a puppet in comparison to Moore as Trump's and Bannon's puppet...
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Post by party animal - not! Wed 13 Dec 2017, 19:35

There seem to have been more write-in votes too, and the presence of people like Charles Barkley and what he said. amongst others

'Dignity and respect'. Doug Jones speech after victory

Says it all  from the guy who prosecuted and jailed two KluKluxKlan members and the bomber of the Atlanta Olympic Park.

Sanity.......

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Post by LizzyNY Wed 13 Dec 2017, 20:20

It really helped that Republican politicians encouraged their constituents to write in a name rather than vote for Moore. It gave Republican voters an option to vote their conscience without abandoning their party. If their sitting senator can write in a name, so can they. I don't think this was a policy based vote for many Alabamans. I think they found Roy Moore distasteful and they were embarrassed at how they were being portrayed in the media for supporting him. Keep in mind, though, this was a very close election.

I don't know what this means for the future. There are other tightly contested races coming up where a Democratic win could make a difference in the balance of power in Congress. But, should that happen, there's no guarantee the Republicans wouldn't go right back to being the obstructionists they were during the Obama presidency.
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Post by Donnamarie Thu 14 Dec 2017, 04:52

Doug Jones ran a great campaign and if any Democrat was going to win in Alabama Jones was the best candidate to make it happen.  I think the biggest impact on his win was black voters.  Jones’ campaign focused on a huge ‘get out the vote’ strategy in black communities in the state and brought in and had support of many notable black leaders including Charles Barkley, Cory Booker, Kamala Harris and a recorded message from Obama. iI read today that black voters turned out for this election at a higher level than they did for Obama in 2008 and 2012.  And whereas many white women in Alabama voted for Moore 98% of black women voted for Jones.


Lizzy, I checked out Joe Biden on ‘The View’ after reading your post above.  Couldn’t agree more about this man’s compassion and intelligence.  As much as I think the Democratic Party needs fresh faces for future leadership I just feel like Biden would be what our country needs after we purge ourselves of Trump.  We will need a really smart leader who understands our government and how it works. He is a pro at working across party lines. As important we will desperately need the empathy and compassion that this man embodies to help heal our country.  He could do an extraordinary job of mending the fractured relationships that Trump has wrought with other countries.  I just see him as such a positive force.


Last edited by Donnamarie on Thu 14 Dec 2017, 05:35; edited 2 times in total (Reason for editing : added text)
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Post by annemarie Fri 15 Dec 2017, 15:43

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5183371/Trump-calls-Putin-invented-election-meddling.html

[size=34]Thanks Vlad! Trump calls Putin to say he's grateful after he labeled election-meddling complaints 'invented' and 'spy mania'[/size]

  • White House says Trump and Putin talked on Thursday

  • Putin's annual press conference included comment about America

  • He said the U.S. is hurting itself with investigations of election meddling

  • 'All of it was invented by people who oppose President Trump to undermine his legitimacy,' the Russian leader said

  • Trump called the Kremlin to thank Vlad for his kind words 


By ASSOCIATED PRESS and DAVID MARTOSKO, US POLITICAL EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM 
PUBLISHED: 09:11 EST, 15 December 2017 | UPDATED: 10:19 EST, 15 December 2017

    


President Donald Trump thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for remarks he made Thursday 'acknowledging America's strong economic performance,' the White House said.

'The two presidents also discussed working together to resolve the very dangerous situation in North Korea' according to Trump's office. 
The two presidents spoke by phone following Putin's annual press conference in Moscow.

Putin said Thursday the U.S. is only hurting itself with investigations of alleged collusion between Trump's campaign and Russia, and the Kremlin leader vowed he won't allow the radical opposition at home to challenge the status quo as he seeks re-election.
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President Donald Trump thanked Russian President Vladimir Putin for remarks he made Thursday about election-meddling
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Putin gave his annual press conference in Moscow and said the U.S. is hurting itself with investigations of election meddling
At his annual news conference, Putin also mocked his most visible critic, Alexei Navalny, saying that those like the opposition leader want to drive Russia into chaos ahead of the March 18 presidential election.
Brimming with self-confidence during the nearly four-hour session, Putin reaffirmed his denial of interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
'All of it was invented by people who oppose President Trump to undermine his legitimacy,' Putin said in remarks that mirrored Trump's arguments. 
'I'm puzzled by that. People who do it are inflicting damage to the country's domestic political situation, incapacitating the president and showing a lack of respect to voters who cast their ballots for him.'
U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that Russia interfered in the election to help Trump, a Republican, defeat Democrat Hillary Clinton. 
Trump last month lashed out at those agencies' former heads, calling them 'political hacks' and arguing there were plenty of reasons to be suspicious of their findings.
Putin said Russian Ambassador Sergei Kislyak, whose contacts with Trump's campaign are part of the probes by Congress and special counsel Robert Mueller, was only performing his routine duties.
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Russian President Vladimir Putin listens to a journalist's question during his annual news conference in Moscow, Russia on Thursday
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'All of it was invented by people who oppose President Trump to undermine his legitimacy,' the Russian leader said of concerns in the U.S. 

[size=10][size=18]Trump: I spoke with Putin about Syria and North Korea in November




[/size][/size]

'It's a universally accepted practice when diplomatic envoys and even government officials meet candidates and their teams to discuss some issues, prospects for development, trying to get an idea what they will do if they come to power and how to respond to that,' Putin said. 
'What is extraordinary about it and why should it trigger some sort of spy mania?'
Putin also praised Trump's successes, saying that global markets have demonstrated investors' confidence in his economic course.
'We can objectively see quite serious achievements even during his short time in office,' Putin said.
The Russian leader said he and Trump had spoken on a first-name basis on the sidelines of two international summits this year, and he voiced hope that Trump eventually would be able to fulfill his campaign promises to improve ties with Russia.
'I hope that he would gradually have opportunities to establish contacts with Russia,' he added.
Putin emphasized the countries need to cooperate on tackling global challenges and that Russia is ready for 'constructive' cooperation on tackling the North Korean standoff.
Putin has warned the U.S. not to use force against North Korea, adding that the consequences will be 'catastrophic.' 
He emphasized that Russia opposes Pyongyang's nuclear ambitions, but added the U.S. had 'provoked' the North into developing its nuclear and missile programs.
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Russian opposition politician Alexei Navalny is barred from challenging Putin in the March 18 presidential vote due to an embezzlement conviction
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Putin said questions about pre-election meetings between Trump personnel and Russians shouldn't 'trigger some sort of spy mania'
Putin said Moscow was encouraged by U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's statement about readiness for talks with Pyongyang, hailing it as a 'realistic' approach.
He pointed out, however, that the U.S. sanctions against Russia have put Moscow on a par with Iran and North Korea. He said it looks 'weird' in view of the fact that Washington expects Moscow's cooperation in tackling the North Korean crisis.
'It's beyond reason,' he said.
The Russian leader also voiced concern about the U.S. considering a pullout from key nuclear arms control pacts.
He insisted that Russia has observed the 1987 INF Treaty banning intermediate range missiles and charged that the U.S. claims of alleged Russian violations are part of a 'propaganda' campaign to pave the way for the U.S. withdrawal. 
He also blamed the U.S. for violating the pact, a claim that Washington has denied.
Putin also said that Russia wants to keep the 2010 New Start Treaty, which limited the U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals to no more than 1,550 deployed nuclear warheads for each country. 
The treaty is set to expire in 2021, but the parties could agree to extend it.
Putin noted that some in the U.S. want to do away with the treaty and warned that 'it would be very bad for international stability and security.'
He emphasized that Russia will 'ensure its security without entering an arms race,' noting that Moscow's military spending next year will amount to some $47 billion, compared with the Pentagon's budget of about $700 billion.
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Putin speaks during his annual news conference in Moscow
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Russian TV celebrity Ksenia Sobchak, who announced her own presidential bid last week, gestures while speaking to the media in Moscow on Dec. 14
Putin, who announced his bid for re-election last week, said he would run as a self-nominated candidate, keeping his distance from the main Kremlin party, United Russia, which has many members dogged by accusations of corruption. 
A victory to another six-year term would put him on track to become the nation's longest-serving ruler since Soviet dictator Josef Stalin.
Answering a question from 36-year-old celebrity TV host Ksenia Sobchak, who wants to challenge him in the election, Putin said he doesn't fear competition but emphasized that the government would thwart any attempts by radicals to destabilize Russia.
Sticking to his habit of not mentioning Navalny by name, Putin likened him to Mikheil Saakashvili, a former president of Georgia who has turned into a Ukrainian opposition leader. Saakashvili has defied the Ukrainian government with a series of recent anti-corruption protests.
Putin said his government wouldn't let 'people like Saakashvili' plunge Russia into the kind of instability that is now wracking Ukraine.
An embezzlement conviction that Navalny says is politically motivated bars him from running for president against Putin.
Navalny tweeted that Putin's statement 'confirmed that not letting me run is a deliberate political move.'
Most of the questions came from journalists from far-flung Russian provinces pushing various local projects, effectively serving as envoys for their regions.
Putin sought to burnish his image as a father of the nation who cares for the people's needs, alternating benign statements with his dry and sometimes harsh humor.
He backed his talk about the need for a strong military with a joke about a boy who swaps his father's navy dagger for a watch.
The youth is told by his father: 'It's a good watch. When bandits will come to us and kill your mother and rape your older sister, you will come out and say: 'Good evening, it's 12:30 in Moscow.''

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Post by annemarie Fri 15 Dec 2017, 22:29

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5183133/Trump-visits-FBI-Academy-saying-Bureau-tatters.html




[size=34]Trump slams 'disgraceful' FBI conduct after saying it is 'in tatters' and questions integrity of its Clinton probe - then flies to its academy to condemn 'malicious attacks' on integrity of law enforcement
[/size]

  • President Donald Trump flew to Quantico, Virginia Friday to speak at the graduation of the FBI Academy 

  • Before departing, he said it was 'a shame what's happened with the FBI' 

  • He said it was 'disgraceful' what agents have done 

  • He said the investigation of Hillary Clinton's emails was 'rigged'

  • Two weeks ago he said the Bureau was in 'tatters'

  • In his speech, he chastised 'malicious' attacks on law enforcement

  • He told the audience: 'By the way, you are great people'

  • ''It’s not a news story when our officers save a life, rescue a family, or stop a crime' 

  • Private text messages showed agents blasting Trump during the election

  • Republicans are calling for a special counsel to investigate special counsel Robert Mueller

  • Mueller is probing Russian interference in the presidential election 

  • Trump fired FBI Director James Comey 



By GEOFF EARLE, DEPUTY U.S. POLITICAL EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 09:03 EST, 15 December 2017 | UPDATED: 14:45 EST, 15 December 2017


    

President Donald Trump slammed 'disgraceful' conduct by the FBI before paying a visit to the FBI Academy in Virginia, where he blasted those who make 'malicious attacks' on the character and integrity of law enforcement.
Trump flew to Quantico, Virginia Friday to speak at the graduation of the FBI Academy, just weeks after saying the Bureau was in 'tatters.' 
As he boarded Marine One on the South Lawn of the White House, he went after FBI investigators who have been revealed to have criticized him in private texts, causing some Republicans to charge bias in the Robert Mueller probe.
'Well, it's a shame what's happened with the FBI. But we're going to rebuild the FBI,' Trump said.

'It will be bigger and better than ever. But it is very sad when you look at those documents. And how they've done that is really, really disgraceful, and you have a lot of very angry people that are seeing it. It's a very sad thing to watch, I will tell you that.'
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President Donald Trump flew to Quantico, Virginia Friday to speak at the graduation of the FBI Academy, just weeks after saying the Bureau was in 'tatters'
He also went backed to slamming the FBI's Hillary Clinton probe – calling it a 'rigged system' – a phrase he used to apply to the presidential election system in advance of his win.  
'When you look at the Hillary Clinton investigation, it was -- I've been saying for a long time -- that was a rigged system, folks. That was a rigged system,' Trump said.
'When you look at what they did with respect to the Hillary Clinton investigation, it was rigged. And there's never been anything like it in this country that we've ever found before. It's very, very sad. Very, very sad.'   

[size=10][size=18]Trump proclaims loyalty to law enforcement at FBI graduation




[/size][/size]


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President Donald Trump gestures to the crowd at the FBI National Academy graduation ceremony, Friday, Dec. 15, 2017, in Quantico, Va. Trump said Friday "it's a shame what's happened" with the FBI
None of Trump's complaints about the FBI, which has agents probing his campaign, transition, and early presidency as part of its investigation of Russian election interference, were in evidence at the FBI Academy.
He was seated alongside Attorney General Jeff Sessions and FBI Director Chris Wray at the graduation ceremony for local law enforcement members, who get nominated to attend the 11-week course.
Trump hailed law enforcement across the board and went after those who criticize it.
He said police 'have been subjected to malicious attacks on their character and integrity. This anti-police sentiment is wrong, and it's dangerous, and we will not stand for it.'
'We believe criminals who kill police officers should get the death penalty,' Trump said.

[size=18]Trump talks about FBI, Russia collusion, taxes, and North Korea


[/size]


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Before departing, Trump told reporters on the South Lawn of the White House it was 'a shame what's happened with the FBI'
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President Donald Trump, Attorney Jeff Sessions, center and FBI Director Christopher Wray sit together at the FBI National Academy graduation ceremony, Friday, Dec. 15, 2017, in Quantico, Va.
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President Trump delivers remarks at the FBI National Academy graduation ceremony in Quantico, Virginia
‘With me as your president, America’s police will have a true friend and loyal champion in the White House – more loyal than anyone else can be,’ Trump pledged.
He got a warm reception inside the auditorium at the FBI academy, including a standing ovation.
Inside the auditorium, he even got a laugh when he went after 'fake news' media at the back, a staple of his campaign rallies. 
‘There’s the fake news back there. Look,’ he said, pointing to the back of the room.
‘No, actually some of them are fine people. Let’s see, who’s back there,’ he quipped. ‘Yeah about 30 per cent.’
He told the crowd, which included graduates of the 11-week program who got nominated by their own police departments and other groups: 'By the way, you are great people. You are incredible people.'
He continued: 'Just so you understand, you are great people doing an incredible job. But I hope your families know that. I'd say 90 percent of -- probably 90 percent agree, right? The other 10 percent, that's not working out so well.'
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Trump traveled by helicopter across the Potomac River to Virginia
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After his FBI visit, he toured Marine Helcopter Squadron One, which maintains and operates Marine One
Trump hailed both law enforcement and families who support them.
 'You very rarely get the recognition you deserve, I can tell you that. But your families know what you deserve, and ultimately, that's the most important thing, isn't it?' he said.
'It’s not a news story when our officers save a life, rescue a family, or stop a crime. It’s just another day on the job. Yet, no matter the circumstances, you serve tirelessly, selflessly, and heroically. You do it because you really believe in doing your duty and doing it properly.'
The president's first year in office has occurred under the shadow of a probe by special counsel Robert Mueller, who is investigating Russian interference in the presidential election.
Trump blasted the FBI two weeks ago and former FBI director James Comey, whom he fired, amid new revelations about members of Mueller's team.
'After years of Comey, with the phony and dishonest Clinton investigation (and more), running the FBI, its reputation is in Tatters - worst in History! But fear not, we will bring it back to greatness,' Trump tweeted.
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President Donald Trump flies to Quantaco, Virginia Friday to speak at the graduation of the FBI Academy, just weeks after saying the Bureau was in 'tatters.'
The FBI Academy accepts nominated law enforcement personnel from across the country. They receive multi-week training in the Bureau's investigative practices, while also getting physical and other crime-fighting training.
One of Mueller's top investigators, Peter Strzok,  was dismissed from Robert Mueller's Russia probe over the conversation and was relocated within the FBI over the summer.



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Mueller's 'pit bull' investigator Andrew Weissman went to Hillary Clinton's Election Day 'victory' party as a guest, it was reported Friday
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Bruce Ohr (left) and Peter Strzok (right) are accused of hiding contacts and relationships that might have prejudiced them against President Trump
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President Trump planned a visit to the FBI Academy after saying the Bureau was in 'tatters'
He and another agent, Lisa Page, exchanged private texts calling the president an 'idiot' during the campaign. 
 Another text referred to Trump as a 'loathsome human.'
But still other texts showed Stzrok dumping on Chelsea Clinton and former Obama attorney general Eric Holder.
He also wrote: 'I’m worried about what happens if HRC is elected,' the Wall Street Journal reported.

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Post by LizzyNY Sat 16 Dec 2017, 01:38

Just because these agents expressed their disgust for Trump and other politicians in their PRIVATE emails, doesn't mean they couldn't do their jobs impartially. If that were the case there'd be no one in government.
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Post by annemarie Sat 16 Dec 2017, 03:42

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5184397/Trump-judge-pick-answer-basic-court-questions.html

[size=34]Cringeworthy moment Trump's pick for lifetime federal judge appointment fails to answer BASIC questions about the law and admits never having tried a case in brutal confirmation hearing[/size]

  • President Donald Trump nominated Matthew Spencer Petersen for a U.S. District Court judgeship

  • Republican Sen. John Kennedy of Louisiana asked whether he had ever tried a case or taken a deposition

  • Learning of Petersen's courtroom inexperience, he grilled him on legal terms 

  • 'Can you tell me what the Daubert standard is?

  • Petersen, the chair of the Federal Election Commission, stumbled and struggled

  • Kennedy finally asked a panel of judges whether any had blogged about the KKK

  • The White House withdrew support for a prior court nominee rated not qualified who was revealed to have written in support of the early Ku Klux Klan 


By GEOFF EARLE, DEPUTY U.S. POLITICAL EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 15:37 EST, 15 December 2017 | UPDATED: 20:40 EST, 15 December 2017

    


Louisiana Republican Sen. John Kennedy sent a message to the White House about the qualifications of some of President Trump's judicial nominees by grilling a court pick about basic courtroom skills as well as more obscure areas of law. 
'Have any of you not tried a case to verdict in a courtroom?' Kennedy asked a panel of nominees to serve in lifetime appointments at federal courts.
When Matthew Spencer Petersen answered in the negative, Kennedy drilled down on his background.   
'Have you ever tried a jury trial?'

'I have not,' Petersen, nominated to serve on the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia responded.
Scroll down for video 
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Sen. John Kenned calmly and deliberately grilled a Trump judicial nominee on his familiarity and experience with courtroom procedure
'Civil?' Kennedy asked, in his low-key drawl.
Petersen hadn't done that either. 
'Criminal?' Kennedy asked. 'No, Petersen said.'
The Republican's grilling of Petersen was so brutal that Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse, a Democrat, tweeted it out.
'Hoo-boy,' Whitehouse wrote. 
 The humiliation came just two days after the White House said it was pulling back from two other nominations, after Republican Judiciary Chairman Charles Grassley spoke to the administration about them.

[size=10][size=18]Trump judge nominee can't answer a single question on basic law




[/size][/size]

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Petersen was at a loss to answer some of Sen. Kennedy's questions
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Kennedy first asked whether Petersen had ever tried a case (he hadn't)
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THIS WASN'T ON THE LSAT: Then he moved onto legal terms such as the 'Daubert standard' and 'motion in limine' 
The nominations 'will not be moving forward' in the U.S. Senate, the White House said.
One of those nominees, Brett Talley, was reported by online magazine Slate as having posted online sympathetic comments about the early history of the Ku Klux Klan 
He also failed to disclose that his wife works in the White House Counsel's office, which overseas judicial nominations, where she reports to White House Counsel Don McGahn. 
The other, Jeff Mateer, to a federal judgeship in Texas, ran into trouble over speeches he made in 2015. In one, he referred to transgender children as being part of 'Satan's plans.'
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The brutal testimony went viral after Democratic Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island tweeted it
As he learned of Petersen's lack of court experience, Sen. Kennedy, who practiced law in Baton rouge before entering politics, did not let up.  
'As a trial judge, you're obviously going to have witnesses. Can you tell me what the Daubert standard is?' he asked, in reference to expert witness testimony, the Huffington Post reported.
'Sen. Kennedy, I don't have that readily at my disposal but I would be happy to take a closer look at that. That is not something I've had to contend with,' he responded.
Kennedy then asked him: 'Do you know what a motion in limine is?'
Petersen, who served as an associate at a prominent law firm out of law school before joining the Federal Elections Commission, responded: Yes.. I haven't, I'm, again, my background is not in litigation as when I was replying to Chairman Grassley,I haven't had to um, again, do a deep dive,' he said.
'A "motion in limine" — that's just a basic, that's the meat and potatoes of what a trial judge does,' Dane Ciolino, a Loyola University in New Orleans law professor told the Baton Rouge Advocate, regarding a way to exclude evidence from proceedings. 'That's like a surgeon not knowing what a scalpel is, it's that basic.'
Though at a loss to answer the questions, Petersen doesn't have fluff on his resume. Like the senator who skewered him, he attended the University of Virginia school of law.
He served as counsel to the Senate Rules committee and chaired the Federal Elections Commission.

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Post by LizzyNY Sat 16 Dec 2017, 14:05

I'm sure Trump chose him because he was told that this guy will follow the party line. They probably never thought he'd get this much attention with all the other things going on - or maybe they did, and thought this would take attention away from their other garbage they're dumping on us. I can't believe Trump and his cronies think we're all as stupid as his base!
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Post by annemarie Sat 16 Dec 2017, 21:42

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5186005/Trump-removes-climate-change-national-security-policy.html

[size=34]Trump 'will REMOVE climate change from the list of national security threats': President 'set to reverse Obama's policy so he can prioritize other threats'[/size]

  • President Trump is said to have removed climate change as a priority from his National Security Strategy 

  • In previous years, the issue was placed prominently among other threats to the country 

  • In Trump's version due to be released on Monday,  it is less emphasized 

  • He focuses his climate policies instead towards global economic growth and energy security 

  • It falls in line with the president's stance on global climate policy and follows his decision earlier this year to withdraw the US from The Paris Agreement 

  • The US is now the only country in the world which is not participating in the agreement  

  • As Trump finalized his Strategy this week, 50 world leaders met in Brussels to discuss climate change 


By JENNIFER SMITH FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 08:05 EST, 16 December 2017 | UPDATED: 11:45 EST, 16 December 2017

    




President Trump has removed climate change from his National Security Strategy which is due to be released on Monday, it has been claimed. 
The Federalist, which claims to have had access to a draft version of the document, says it will prioritize other threats instead. 
Any mention of climate policies is angled not towards global warming but instead is tied to economic growth and energy security.   
It is in line with Trump's decision earlier this year to remove the United States from The Paris Agreement and follows his dubious stance on global warming. 

The draft Strategy reads: 'Climate policies will continue to shape the global energy system. 
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President Trump has removed climate change from a list of national security threats, it has been reported 
'U.S. leadership is indispensable to countering an anti-growth, energy agenda that is detrimental to U.S. economic and energy security interests.
'Given future global energy demand, much of the developing world will require fossil fuels, as well as other forms of energy, to power their economies and lift their people out of poverty.' 
The Federalist reports that it is given considerably less prominence than in previous versions. 

RELATED ARTICLES




President Obama repeatedly referred to global warming and climate change as one of the most looming threats that the country faces. 
Earlier this week, 50 world leaders gathered in Brussels for a climate change summit. 
Trump was not among them and was not invited to the event but his name was brought up. 
French President Emmanuel Macron described his decision not to participate in the agreement as 'very bad news'. 
He was morose as he spoke, telling the gathered audience: 'We’re losing the battle.
'We’re not moving quickly enough. We all need to act.'  
On Friday in Chicago, President Barack Obama spoke at a separate summit where he recalled making the climate a priority during his presidency.
'2015 was the warmest year on record until 2016 became the warmest on record. 
'That what that tells us the climate is changing faster than our efforts to address it. 
'And that's why I made climate change a priority while I was president,' he said.  

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As Trump's team finalized its stance on the issue in the National Security Strategy, other world leaders met in Belgium to discuss it. French President Emmanuel Macron and German Chancellor Angela Merkel are pictured 
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Trump has long been dubious about his predecessors' commitment to the issue. In this famous and widely mocked 2012 tweet, he suggested global warming was a construct of 'the Chinese' 

[size=18]Trump pulled US out of Paris climate change deal in June

Trump's anti-climate change action stance was a common thread throughout his campaign. His dubious stance on the issue predates his political career. 
[/size]
In one famous and now widely mocked tweet in 2012, he said global warming was a construct of 'the Chinese'. 
In June, he followed through on promises to remove the US from The Paris Agreement, a multi-nation agreement which every country in the world has now signed apart from America.  
Trump's reason for backing out was that the agreement was not favorable enough to the US. 
He has expressed a willingness to 'renegotiate' and 're-enter' under more pleasing terms when he announced the decision. 
'As President, I can put no other consideration before the wellbeing of American citizens. 
'The Paris Climate Accord is simply the latest example of Washington entering into an agreement that disadvantages the United States to the exclusive benefit of other countries, leaving American workers — who I love — and taxpayers to absorb the cost in terms of lost jobs, lower wages, shuttered factories, and vastly diminished economic production,' he said. 
His biggest concern was the loss of jobs which energy restrictions may impose.
'Compliance with the terms of the Paris Accord and the onerous energy restrictions it has placed on the United States could cost America as much as 2.7 million lost jobs by 2025 according to the National Economic Research Associates. 
'This includes '440,000 fewer manufacturing jobs — not what we need — believe me, this is not what we need — including automobile jobs, and the further decimation of vital American industries on which countless communities rely. 
'They rely for so much, and we would be giving them so little,' he said.  
The agreement seeks to prevent global temperatures from rising by 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels. 
The US, Syria and Nicaragua were the only three countries in the world not to have joined it by November. Nicaragua and Syria have since signed.

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Post by Donnamarie Sat 16 Dec 2017, 21:45

LizzyNY wrote:I'm sure Trump chose him because he was told that this guy will follow the party line. They probably never thought he'd get this much attention with all the other things going on - or maybe they did, and thought this would take attention away from their other garbage they're dumping on us. I can't believe Trump and his cronies think we're all as stupid as his base!


Lizzy, let’s just see if this numbskull’s nomination is rejected.  I have no faith in the Republican Congress to do the right thing.
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Post by annemarie Mon 18 Dec 2017, 10:53

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5189623/Trump-hosted-NRA-exec-Sandy-Hooks-5th-anniversary.html

[size=34]Furious Sandy Hook families slam Trump for 'appalling lack of humanity' after he hosted NRA's Wayne LaPierre at the White House on massacre's fifth anniversary[/size]

  • Nicole Hockley's son Dylan, 6, was killed in the mass shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut, on December 14, 2012

  • Now a strong advocate for gun control, Hockley, was outraged to see NRA VP Wayne LaPierre at a White House party on the tragedy's fifth anniversary

  • 'The appalling lack of humanity and decency has not gone unnoticed,' she wrote

  • Hockley said that Trump failed to even mention the fifth anniversary of the shooting which claimed the lives of 20 children and six staff members

  • Instead 'he slapped us all in the face by having none other than NRA President Wayne LaPierre at his White House Christmas party that night'

  • LaPierre was one of the most vocal opponents of gun control after Sandy Hook

  • 'The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun', he famously said at the time 


By HANNAH PARRY FOR DAILYMAIL.COM 
PUBLISHED: 23:16 EST, 17 December 2017 | UPDATED: 03:28 EST, 18 December 2017

    



The families who lost their children in the Sandy Hook mass shooting are furious after Donald Trump hosted an NRA top exec at the White House on the massacre's fifth anniversary.
Nicole Hockley's son Dylan, 6, was among the 20 children and six members of staff killed in December 2012, when Adam Lanza opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut.
Hockley later became one of the founding members of the Sandy Hook Promise, a group advocating for gun control and mental health programs 'so that no other parent experiences the senseless, horrific loss of their child.'
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Nicole Hockley's son Dylan, 6, was among the 20 children and six members of staff killed in December 2012, when Adam Lanza opened fire at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newton, Connecticut
So she and the other victims' families were outraged when Trump chose to mark the fifth anniversary of the senseless tragedy, by inviting the National Rifle Association executive vice president Wayne LaPierre to the White House Christmas party on December 14.

'December 14th marked five years since my six-year-old son, Dylan, was murdered in his first grade classroom alongside 19 of his classmates and 6 educators,' Nicole Hockley wrote in a lengthy Facebook post on Sunday.

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'Not only did [Trump] ignore the 5-year remembrance completely — not even a single tweet — he slapped us all in the face by having none other than NRA President Wayne LaPierre at his White House Christmas party that night. 
'The appalling lack of humanity and decency has not gone unnoticed.'
She continued: 'While they ignorantly partied and remained uninformed on an issue that kills thousands of Americans every year, I was crying myself to sleep. While they got the chance to kiss their children goodnight, I kissed the urn holding my beautiful boy's ashes.'
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On Thursday, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick (left) posted a photo of himself, posing with Wayne LaPierre (rigth) at the holiday party, on Facebook
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Trump (pictured at an event on Saturday) and the NRA have a good relationship and he spoke at their annual meeting earlier this year

'I would request an apology. But I'm not sure there are any hearts in the White House that would understand why an apology is the least they could do.'
In the wake of the Sandy Hook massacre, there calls from politicians all over the country, and President Barack Obama himself, for increased gun control in the US.
But LaPierre was one of the most vocal opponents, suggesting that school staff should arm themselves instead, famously saying: 'The only thing that stops a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun.'
His comments were met with dismay from the victims' families who have become strong advocates for gun control.
Hockley told Yahoo News earlier this month that she was deeply frustrated with the gun lobby's outright refusal to discuss gun control despite the countless mass shootings that occur in the US every year.
'It is frustrating that it constantly becomes a fight, with people retreating to their corners and not willing to listen to each other,' Hockley said. 








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Hockley later became one of the founding members of the Sandy Hook Promise, a group advocating for gun controls and mental health programs to 'so that no other parent experiences the senseless, horrific loss of their child'
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Her son Dylan was killed in one of the worst school shootings in US history
'I think we can all agree we just want to be safe, and we want to keep our kids safe, and be able to have them go to school during the day and then come home at night. Isn't that something that every parent wants? That's not about politics. That's about protection. That's about prevention. That's where we need to be having this conversation.'
'Whenever anyone says it's too soon to talk about gun violence, they're wrong. It's too late. It's too late for us.' 
On Thursday, Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick posted a photo of himself, posing with LaPierre at the holiday party, on Facebook.
White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told the New York Daily News she wasn't sure if LaPierre and Trump spoke at the event. 
However, Trump and the NRA have a good relationship and he spoke at their annual meeting earlier this year. 
'Only one candidate in the general election came to speak to you, and that candidate is now the president of the United States, standing before you,' he said at the conference in April. 'You came through for me, and I am going to come through for you.' 
The gun lobby group had officially endorsed Trump for president in 2016.
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Street artist Mark Panzarino, prepares a memorial as he writes the names of the Sandy Hook Elementary School victims during the six-month anniversary of the massacre, at Union Square in New York on June 14, 2013
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Twenty-seven wooden angel figures are seen placed in a wooded area beside a road near the Sandy Hook Elementary School for the victims of the shooting, including Lanza
Hockley is one of my grieving parents who have sought ways to find meaning in advocacy.
Many relatives of the 26 children and educators killed five years ago at Sandy Hook Elementary School dedicated themselves to charity, activism and other efforts to channel their grief and, in many cases, to help prevent violence.
'You have two choices,' said Rebecca Kowalski, whose 7-year-old son, Chase, died in Newtown. 'I could be in the bottom of a bottle; I could not get out of my bed. Or, I could do what's making us heal a little bit every day.
Some organizations, like the Kowalski's youth triathlon program, honor the passions of the children who were lost on December 14, 2012.
Others have jumped into the policy fray to lobby for gun control or improved mental health care. In some cases, they have traveled the country, and even the world, as recognized experts in their fields, such as Jeremy Richman, a scientist whose Avielle Foundation for the study of brain health is named for his slain daughter.
Sandy Hook Promise, one of the best-known organizations to form in the shooting's aftermath, was co-founded by several Newtown families, including the parents of first-grade victims Hockley and Daniel Barden.
The group lobbied for mental health care changes and gun control legislation in the months after the shooting, successfully advocating for state laws limiting sales of some guns in states such as Connecticut, Delaware, Illinois and New Jersey.
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This handout crime scene evidence photo provided by the Connecticut State Police shows damage done to the front entrance at Sandy Hook Elementary School following the shooting
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Pictured is Adam Lanza, who entered Sandy Hook Elementary School on December 14, 2012, and shot dead 20 children and six adults before turning the gun on himself
The group also was heavily involved in a failed effort in 2013 to get a federal law banning some semi-automatic weapons and expanding criminal and mental background checks for gun purchases.
The group says it had 17 families from Sandy Hook who lobbied 49 senators over seven days.
Sandy Hook Promise then switched its focus from legislation to community-based prevention programs, education and public service campaigns designed to change 'gun violence acceptance attitudes and behaviors,' said Hockley.
Among other things, the organization teaches people to recognize those who exhibit warning signs such as a bullying victim who has a fascination with firearms, has threatened to hurt themselves or others, has access to guns and has become disinterested in school.
They point to events such as one in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 2015 where a counselor trained by the organization was able to identify a threat to a middle school that resulted in the arrest of a student who had told others he was planning to bomb the school and had recruited others to help shoot children.
'We absolutely know it's making a difference because we've trained over 2million children and adults in the last 2 1/2 years,' Hockley said.
The group last week launched its latest public service announcement, depicting a newscast covering a school shooting the day before it actually takes place to illustrate how knowing warning signs can prevent such tragedies.

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Post by party animal - not! Mon 18 Dec 2017, 13:14

Truly dreadful.

And now this.....

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/dec/18/syria-white-helmets-conspiracy-theories

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Post by carolhathaway Mon 18 Dec 2017, 14:33

About the victims (and I also call their relatives 'victims') of the Sandy Hook massacre:
That's exactly what I expect from Trump as president: tweet about every sh.. which comes to his mind but not just ignore this anniversary, instead he hosts the president if the NRA. Luckily he didn't tweet 'If only the kids and teachers all had guns...'
I feel so sorry for these victims, they deserve a president who at least honors them by mentioning this massacre.

The article about the White Helmets is really interesting. I remember that we discussed this a while ago. I mentioned that I don't believe it since they have been nominated for the Peace Nobel Prize, and the committee checks the candidates very carefully. Of course it's possible to have a 'fake' candidate, but it's more likeky to be a ratfucking...
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Post by LizzyNY Mon 18 Dec 2017, 17:19

Neither story is a surprise to me. Trump has as much compassion and empathy as a rock. The children of Sandy Hook are dead. They can't do anything for him. La Pierre can. Case closed.

That Russia is going after the White Helmets via the internet seems to me part and parcel of their attempt to destabilize the democratic nations of the West - not just the White Helmets.
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Post by carolhathaway Mon 18 Dec 2017, 17:51

LizzyNY wrote:Neither story is a surprise to me. Trump has as much compassion and empathy as a rock. The children of Sandy Hook are dead. They can't do anything for him. La Pierre can. Case closed.

That Russia is going after the White Helmets via the internet seems to me part and parcel of their attempt to destabilize the democratic nations of the West - not just the White Helmets.
I guess you're right, Lizzy. The kids are dead, their teachers are as well. They can't vote for him, so tgey are useless. God, people's values are reduced to their use for him. I never thought people could see it like that.

About Russia / democracy:
I never understood why in most of the democratic countries in the west, people don't value democracy anymore. And I see how Russians and Germans with Russian roots are widely influenced by Putin and his medias. Just today, in two different articles, I read comments of people who referred to RT as their source to prove something. Which is like referring to Fox News and Breitbart (and, of course, there are people who refer to these 'sources' as well.
So I guess that's what's happening. Putin is trying to destabilize democratic countries, and is actually quite successful. The new right-wing party in Germany is widely financed by Rusdia, but nobody seems to care about that - or people see this as fake news... We Germans aren't more intelligent than you are in the States. There are enough articles about this, but people prefer to read these 'magazines' whose articles just consist in headlines and hot air, garnished by naked girls. In Britain, The Sun is equivalent, I don't know which it is in the States, but I'm sure you've got them as well...
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Post by party animal - not! Mon 18 Dec 2017, 18:30

You hit the nail on the head, Lizzy. That's exactly what Putin's been doing for years. And unfortunately it's much more complicated than that. In the UK our opposition leader (Labour, i e Democrat in USA but very left wing, and formerly linked to Trotskyites - his PR man is a privately educated Oxbridge guy with plenty of money who reportedly has always been a Marxist or for Trotsky's theories) has for months said that NATO forces stationed in Sweden Finland, Latvia etc should withdraw.

None of this is helped of course by the social media giants of Facebook Twitter and Google who allow bots to infiltrate the system and seemingly do nothing about - well eventually they concede and have to employ the odd person to check - but they could be thought of as complicit in this....simply by allowing it to happen. What do they do?They send their lawyers to Congressional and Senate hearings on the matter. Brilliant.

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Post by party animal - not! Mon 18 Dec 2017, 18:33

I might also add that one of Russia's techniques over the centuries is that whenever they have had to retreat from territory e g Ukraine or any other satellite country they leave several million Russians in situ there as they do.

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Post by annemarie Tue 19 Dec 2017, 00:24

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5191595/Trump-outlines-America-national-security-strategy.html

[size=34]Russia and China are our RIVALS says Trump as he labels them threats to national security, pledges to take 'all necessary' steps to stop North Korea and trashes Obama's legacy[/size]

  •  Trump delivered a speech this afternoon outlining his administration's National Security Strategy

  • Said top priorities are protecting America's way of life, promoting the nation's prosperity, pushing peace through American strength, advancing U.S. influence

  • Strategy is a rejection of the previous administration's move toward isolationism

  • Also rejects Obama's premise that climate change is a national security threat   

  • Challengers to American prosperity fall into three categories: revisionist powers rogue regimes such as Iran and transnational organizations like ISIS

  • China and Russia are both identified as rivals who want 'to shape a world antithetical to our interests and values'

  • Said he wants to work with them to curb North Korea's nuclear ambition

  • Trump also put pressure on Congress to fund his border wall, end chain migration, and get rid of the visa lottery system


By FRANCESCA CHAMBERS, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 12:47 EST, 18 December 2017 | UPDATED: 19:03 EST, 18 December 2017


President Donald Trump labeled China and Russia 'rival powers' to the United States in a speech this afternoon outlining his administration's National Security Strategy. 

The populous nations 'seek to challenge American influence and values and wealth' Trump said, building on his administration's designation of the powers of as 'revisionist' in a Monday document.


Trump said that under his watch, Americans 'will stand up for ourselves, and we will stand up for our country like we have never stood up before' as he declared, 'We are now putting America first.' 
He also pledged in his remarks to take 'all necessary' steps to halt North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un's nuclear advance.
His speech compliments the release of the administration's national security blueprint - the formal realization of the U.S. government's shift away from Barack Obama's foreign policy doctrine.
SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEO
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President Donald Trump labeled China and Russia 'rival powers' to the United States in a speech this afternoon outlining his administration's National Security Strategy 
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Trump said that under his watch, Americans 'will stand up for ourselves, and we will stand up for our country like we have never stood up before' as he declared, 'We are now putting America first' 
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His speech compliments the release of the administration's national security blueprint - the formal realization of the U.S. government's shift away from Barack Obama's foreign policy doctrine
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The crux of Trump's speech, which members of the military are pictured listening to on Monday, was that American confidence is essential to economic competitiveness which goes hand-in-glove with national security

[size=10][size=18]President Trump says 'America is coming back strong'




[/size][/size]

Heralding his first year in office, Trump said that America is 'coming back strong' with him in the seat of power.
'Our leaders drifted from American principles. They lost sight of America's destiny, and they lost their belief in American greatness. As a result, our citizens lost something as well, the people lost confidence in their government, and eventually even lost confidence in their future, ' he said.
Last year, when he was elected, Trump said, a national awakening took place.
'The American people rejected the failures of the past. You rediscovered your voice and you reclaimed ownership of this nation and it's destiny,' he stated.
Trump said his administration is not only putting 'America first,' it is confronting the nation's challenges 'head on,' including the threat posed by a nuclear North Korea, which he said the U.S. has attempted to stop with an 'unprecedented effort' to isolate Kim Jong-un's regime. 
'However, there is much more work to do,' Trump said. 'America and its allies will take all necessary steps to ensure denuclearization and ensure that this regime cannot threaten the world.'
Following on the document detailing his top priorities, Trump committed his administration to protecting Americans' way of life, promoting the nation's prosperity, pushing peace through strength and advancing U.S. influence.
'America will lead again. We do not seek to impose our way of life on anyone, but we will champion the values without apology,' Trump said. 'We will not allow inflexible ideology to become an obsolete and obstacle to peace.'

The crux of Trump's position is that American confidence is essential to economic competitiveness which goes hand-in-glove with national security.
He on Monday called for a 'rebirth of patriotism, prosperity, and pride' and a renewal of the founders' spirit.
'As long as we are proud -- and very proud -- of who we are, how we got here, and what we are fighting for to preserve, we will not fail,' he asserted.
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Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, left, and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer, chat as they wait for Trump to arrive at the Ronald Reagan building in Washington. Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Joseph Dunford is standing to the right
Seated in the first two rows of Trump's Ronald Reagan building audience were members of his cabinet and top military brass, including Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Joseph Dunford and Defense Secretary James Mattis.



The administration intends to build its defense and counter terror strategies, including its ballistic missile review, off the principles outlined in the 70-page security document that accompanied the commander-in-chief's remarks.
'We are demanding extraordinary strength, which will hopefully lead to long and extraordinary peace. We are giving our courageous military men and women the support they need and so dearly deserve,' Trump said in his remarks on Monday. 'We have a great military,' he appeared to ad-lib later.
Trump said his new national outlook is based on 'principled realism, guided by our vital national interests, and rooted in our timeless values' and that it recognizes  'that whether we like it or not, we are engaged in a new era of competition.'
'We accept that vigorous military, economic, and political contests are now playing out all around the world,' he said. 'We will attempt to build a great partnership with those and other countries, but in a manner that always protects our national interest.' 


The administration's National Security Strategy is intended to serve as a blueprint for America to 'regain momentum to reverse many of these trends,' a senior White House official said prior to Trump's speech 'while recognizing there are some very, very new threats that we have to have new strategies to address.'
Challengers to American prosperity fall into three categories under the administration's new policy: so-called revisionist powers that the administration believes are seeking 'to shape a world antithetical to our interests and values,' including China and Russia, and rogue regimes such as Iran and North Korea that sponsor terror and threaten America's allies and transnational organizations like ISIS that 'foment hatred to incite violence against innocents in the name of their wicked ideology.'



SO MUCH FOR THAT RED CARPET, XI JINPING
 China is referred to as a 'strategic competitor' as well as a 'revisionist power' in the document in an acknowledgement that it is a political, economic, military and informational powerhouse.  
The document also makes the case, as an official said Sunday, that the U.S. 'is under threat by the serious intellectual property theft that's going on by the Chinese and other actors.' 

Beijing's creation of man-made islands in the South China Sea also earned it a slap from the administration. 
A set of talking points offered Monday by the White House pointedly calls both China and Russia revisionist powers for their use of 'technology, propaganda, and coercion' to push their agendas.
'They are determined to make economies less free and less fair, to grow their militaries, and to control information and data to repress their societies and expand their influence,' the Trump administration's National Security Strategy says.
The document asserts that 'China seeks to displace the United States in the Indo-Pacific region' and wants to 'reorder the region in its favor.'
'China expanded its power at the expense of the sovereignty of others. China gathers and exploits data on an unrivaled scale and spreads features of its authoritarian system, including corruption and the use of surveillance,' the administration says in a scathing review of Beijing's offenses. 
'It is building the most capable and well-funded military in the world, after our own. Its nuclear arsenal is growing and diversifying.'
An official stressed Sunday on a call that the recognition does not mean the U.S. sees China as a foe. In fact, the official said, the United States realizes that it needs China's assistance in resolving the dispute with North Korea over its nuclear program. 
'We're working with China. We do not rule out cooperation in any way, and talks throughout the document about areas of mutual cooperation,' the official said on a call previewing the president's speech. 'We're working together to cooperate, at the same time acknowledging that competition exists as well.' 
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THE CHALLENGERS: China, led by Xi Jinping, is referred to as a 'strategic competitor' in acknowledgement of it is a political, economic, military, and informational powerhouse. North Korea is labeled a 'rogue regime' over its pursuit of nuclear weapons
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The administration takes a similar approach to Russia in its security strategy as China, labeling Vladimir Putin's government a 'revisionist power' for its incursion into Ukraine and election meddling
SO GLAD WE HAVE NATO TO COUNTER VLADIMIR PUTIN 
The administration takes a similar approach to Russia in its National Security Strategy, labeling it a revisionist power, as well, for its incursion into Ukraine.
'Russia seeks to restore its great power status and establish spheres of influence near its borders,' the manifesto states.
It reflexively 'aims to weaken U.S. influence in the world and divide us from our allies and partners,' it says, arguing that Russia perceives the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and European Union (EU) 'as threats.'
The Kremlin's military and nuclear systems 'remain the most significant existential threat to the United States, as does its 'destabilizing cyber capabilities,' the administration acknowledges.
'Russia interferes in the domestic political affairs of countries around the world. The combination of Russian ambition and growing military capabilities creates an unstable frontier in Eurasia, where the risk of conflict due to Russian miscalculation is growing,' the strategy states.
Stressing the importance of the NATO alliance in Europe, which an official referred to on Sunday as an 'arena of competition' between the Kremlin, Beijing and Washington, the document promotes the 'alliance of free and sovereign states' as 'one of our great advantages over our competitors.'
That does not mean that NATO member nations get a pass, Trump said in his speech on Monday.
'We have made clear that countries that are immensely wealthy should reimburse the United States for the cost of defending them. This is a major departure from the past, but a fair and necessary one -- necessary for our country, necessary for our taxpayer, necessary for our own thought process.' 
Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke on the phone twice in the last week, the first time, the U.S. president says, about North Korea. The second time, Putin called to thank Trump for a CIA tip that prevented a terror attack in St. Petersburg.
'That is the way it's supposed to work,' he said. 'But while we seek such opportunities of cooperation, we will stand up for ourselves, and we will stand up for our country like we have never stood up before.' 
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House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy speaks to Jared Kushner, the president's son-in-law and top adviser of his, on before the president's speech on Monday
IRAN IS AS BAD AS LITTLE ROCKET MAN KIM JONG-UN 
North Korea is defined a 'rogue regime' by the Trump administration alongside Iran.
Trashing his predecessors, on Monday Trump said 'they neglected a nuclear menace' in Pyongyang and 'made a disastrous, weak, and incomprehensibly bad deal with Iran.
'This situation should have been taken care of long before I got into office, when it was much easier to handle,' he said, returning to the topic of North Korea later. 'But it will be taken care of. We have no choice.'
He spent comparatively little time discussing Iran, which he had dressed down this summer in a speech dedicated to his decision to decertify its compliance with an international accord that lifted some sanctions once it demonstrated that it had halted its development of nuclear weapons.
Trump reminded on Monday that he moved 'to counter Iran and block its path to a nuclear weapon' and sanctioned its Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) for state-sponsored support of terrorism.
The administration's national security strategy lumps the two countries together as powers that are 'determined to destabilize regions, threaten Americans and our allies, and brutalize their own people.'
'North Korea—a country that starves its own people—has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons that could threaten our homeland,' the document says. 'In addition, many actors have become skilled at operating below the threshold of military conflict—challenging the United States, our allies, and our partners with hostile actions cloaked in deniability.'
Iran is also developing ballistic missiles and could resume its pursuit of nuclear weapons, the strategy assesses.
Tehran has taken advantage of the instability of its neighbors in the wake of ISIS' thrashing of Iraq and Syria, the document states. 
'Iran continues to perpetuate the cycle of violence in the region, causing grievous harm to civilian populations. Rival states are filling vacuums created by state collapse and prolonged regional conflict.'
The Trump administration ultimately concludes, 'We will work with partners to neutralize Iran’s malign activities in the region.'
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THIRSTY: Trump nearly had another mishap during his speech when he had to pause on Monday to take a sip from a glass of water
WE'RE BEATING ISIS, BUT NOW WE NEED TO BUILD THE WALL 

Vice President Mike Pence posited in introductory remarks on Monday that 'ISIS is on the run, their capital has fallen, and their so-called caliphate has crumbled.'
Still, the administration warns its National Security Strategy that the U.S. is facing terror threats from across the Middle East. It identifies Pakistan and Afghanistan as countries that are at risk of being overrun by terrorists.
'We will bolster the fighting strength of the Afghan security forces to convince the Taliban that they cannot win on the battlefield and to set the conditions for diplomatic efforts to achieve enduring peace,' a section on South and Central Asia says. 'We will insist that Pakistan take decisive action against militant and terrorist groups operating from its soil.
African nations are also becoming 'battlegrounds for violent extremism and jihadist terrorists' the document says such as ISIS, al-Qa’ida, and their affiliates.
'We have dealt ISIS one devastating defeat after another. The coalition to defeat ISIS has now recaptured almost 100 percent of the land once held by these terrorists in Iraq and Syria. Great job, Trump said on Monday. 'We're now chasing them wherever they flee, and we will not let them into the United States.'
Trump said his administration is also coming up with new ways to counter extremists online, in addition to the extreme vetting procedures it has deployed to keep potential terrorists from entering the U.S. in the first place.
'We cannot secure our nation if we do not secure our borders,' he said.
Trump highlighted his plans to protect American soil from outside threats through comprehensive immigration reform, a border wall and a war on transnational criminal organizations that brings drugs across America's borders.
He used the speech to push once more for a an end to chain migration 'and the horrible visa and lottery programs.' 
DON'T MENTION THE C-WORDS: TRUMP DITCHED OBAMA'S CLIMATE CHANGE OBSESSIONS 


Trump did not mention climate change on Monday, which has been downgraded in his administration as a security threat, although he did make reference to his announcement earlier this year that the United States intends to withdraw 'from the 'very expensive and unfair Paris Climate Accord.'
A single mention of climate change comes up in the administration's national security blueprint in relation to the U.S. economy and energy market. 
'We are committed to supporting energy initiatives that will attract investments, safeguard the environment, strengthen our energy security, and unlock the enormous potential of our shared region,' it says. 'Climate policies will continue to shape the global energy system. U.S. leadership is indispensable to countering an anti-growth energy agenda that is detrimental to U.S. economic and energy security interests.'

A U.S. official previewing the speech on Sunday evening had said, 'Climate change is not identified as a national security threat, but climate and the importance of the environment, and environmental stewardship are discussed.'
A White House official on the call also asserted, 'America doesn’t have anything to apologize for in terms of its record on clean energy, clean technology, and its overall environmental record.'

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Post by annemarie Tue 19 Dec 2017, 22:50

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5195445/Kelly-asks-black-Republicans-resumes.html

[size=34]White House chief John Kelly asks for black Republicans' resumes amid mounting criticism of Trump administration's lack of diversity[/size]

  • White House Chief of Staff John Kelly asked for resumes at a White House gathering on Monday that was billed as a briefing on tax reform

  • Kelly says he didn't 'say African Americans' when he asked for the resumes - although he admits to making the ask at a gathering for black Republicans

  • 'I said talented young men and women of any age that would be willing to come and serve the country for some period of time,' he stated 

  • Missing from the meeting: Omarosa Manigault, who is supposedly still on staff, but wasn't at the gathering that was hosted by her department 


By FRANCESCA CHAMBERS, WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 12:12 EST, 19 December 2017 | UPDATED: 15:43 EST, 19 December 2017

    


The White House convened a group of black Republicans on Monday and asked them to spread the word that the Trump administration is hiring.
A source inside the meeting told DailyMail.com that White House Chief of Staff John Kelly asked for resumes at the gathering that was billed as a briefing on tax reform. Another person present said that he admitted to 'a lack of diversity' in senior staff as he did it.
Kelly said Tuesday that he didn't 'say 'African Americans' when he asked for the resumes - although he did make the ask during a convening of all-black Republicans.
'I said talented young men and women of any age that would be willing to come and serve the country for some period of time,' he stated. 
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The White House convened a group of black Republicans on Monday and asked them to spread the word that the Trump administration is hiring
Sen. Tim Scott and Herman Cain, a former Republican presidential candidate and businessman were also at the meeting of about 30 African-American policy makers, activists and business people.

Gary Cohn, the president's chief economic adviser, also addressed the room. 
The point of the meeting was to update attendees on tax reform. But Kelly also acknowledged the administration's diversity problem in his comments.
'I went over and met with them, just for a few minutes, and I said we are looking for talented young men and women. I didn't say African Americans, I didn't say Hispanics,' he said Tuesday.
Kelly said he told the group 'how rewarding it is' to serve the country.
'I've done this my whole life nothing else,' he said. 'How rewarding it is, whether you're in the military working at the White House or at the Department of Labor and said if you know people, who are looking towards something that is very fulfilling we're looking for really good people.'  
One source said that Kelly asked attendees for their help in recruiting minorities to work in the highest level of the administration. 
A second person in the meeting said that Kelly admitted that the Trump administration 'could do better' at hiring a diverse set of workers to fill senior positions.
He did not say, we want more African-American's resumes, the person said.
'He did acknowledge the lack of diversity in terms of the lack of diversity at the White House,' the source told DailyMail.com. 'He said that they could do better in terms of their positions at the White House he said that they want to do better and they want to get more people to serve in the White House house who are willing to serve.'
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Missing from the meeting was Omarosa Manigault, the director of communications for the Office of Public Liaison, whose last day was supposed to be Jan. 20. She had been pictured shopping in California over the weekend

[size=10][size=18]'I think she's a good person' Trump on Omarosa Manigault




[/size][/size]
Missing from the meeting was Omarosa Manigault, the director of communications for the Office of Public Liaison, whose last day was supposed to be Jan. 20. 
'Nobody from the White House, from the Office of Public of Liaison, acknowledged her, her absence or her former position,' the source said, which was telling.
Manigault said in a TV appearance last week that it was 'lonely' working in Trump's White House, where she was the only senior African-American. 
Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders subsequently claimed that Trump has a 'really diverse team across the board at the White House' and senior staff 'always want to continue to grow the diversity here.'
Kelly said Tuesday, according to one of DailyMail.com's sources, that OPL 'has been restructuring' for awhile now and noted that there was not a person dedicated to black outreach currently.
The subtle message was 'clearly Omarosa has been blocking this, clearly Omarosa didn't have any juice, and we want to make sure that the community of black Republicans from access the country knew that there was an open door to them.'
This was the first convening of black Republicans the White House has had, the person, who is familiar with the Trump administration's outreach, said. 
'What it showed everyone was the White House does care and does want to have these people at the table and that was a good thing.' 
Black Republicans had complained that Manigault froze them out. Several celebrated when she was pushed out of the administration and shared their desire for a better relationship with Kelly and the White House in her absence.



Manigault agreed to leave her White House position on the anniversary of President Trump's inauguration on Jan. 20 after a conversation with Kelly on the evening of Dec. 12.
She says that she resigned, and the White House has backed her up on that, even though other sources inside and outside of the building say that she was fired and caused a commotion on her way out. She ultimately had to be escorted off the property, some have said, although the Secret Service denies it removed her from the premise.
'I think kind of publicly everybody knows that she's resigned,' said Dean Nelson, chairman of the Frederick Douglass Foundation, an attendee of Monday's White House meeting. 'I think everybody wants to move on.' 
Manigault was observed shopping over the weekend at Topanga Mall in Canoga Park, California, not too far from Los Angeles. She was in New York doing a round of interviews before that. 
Sanders insisted Thursday that Manigault would be on the property later that day, but she has not been spotted on the premises since the conversation with Kelly on Tuesday evening.
An email invitation to the meeting with Kelly from her office at the White House arrived to one of DailyMail.com's sources on Dec. 14 - two days after the alleged confrontation with the senior official.
The email said 'please join us for a tax briefing' and did explicitly spell out that the meeting was for African-Americans, although it was comprised entirely of black Republicans outside of senior White House staff.

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Post by carolhathaway Thu 21 Dec 2017, 06:36

No post about the tax plan?

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/20/business/economy/tax-bill-economy.html

Nothing about Trump threatening the UN members ?

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/20/world/middleeast/trump-threatens-to-end-american-aid-were-watching-those-votes-at-the-un.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&clickSource=story-heading&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news

But I have the same feeling:
One year ago, all this seemed unthinkable, and just one of all these issues would have caused so many headlines.
 Now it's just shrugging your shoulders and thinking: "Well, so many voted for him, maybe at some point some of them will realize what his plans and actions really mean for the States."

Maybe that's a sort of mental resignment...


Last edited by carolhathaway on Thu 21 Dec 2017, 06:37; edited 1 time in total (Reason for editing : added text)
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Post by annemarie Thu 21 Dec 2017, 09:07

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/12/20/business/economy/tax-bill-economy.html


[size=30][size=30]In Tax Overhaul, Trump Tries to Defy the Economic Odds[/size][/size]

ImageThe Serious Side - part 4 - Page 8 26STATEjp-articleLarge
A North Carolina plant that recycles plastic bottle chips. President Trump and congressional Republicans have argued that their rewrite of the tax code will create more jobs and raise wages.CreditChuck Burton/Associated Press
[size=11]By Patricia Cohen
Dec. 20, 2017[/size]

When President Trump adds his distinctive signature to the tax bill, he will also be making a huge bet that the Republican strategy of deep cuts for businesses and wealthy individuals will fuel extraordinary growth across the board.
Perhaps more than any other American political leader, Mr. Trump knows that long shots, like his own presidential bid, sometimes pay off. In that vein, he and congressional Republicans are arguing that their bitterly contested and expensive rewrite of the tax code will ultimately create more jobs and raise wages.
If they are proved correct, they will be repudiating not only historical experience, but most experts. From Congress’s own prognosticators to Wall Street’s virtuosos, scarcely any independent analyses project anything like the rosy forecasts offered by the president’s top economic advisers.
To Mr. Trump and his allies, the normal models just do not fully capture the high-octane “rocket fuel” embedded in the tax plan. Mr. Trump intuitively understands just how much attitudes and expectations can shape economic decisions.
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With a businessman in the White House, Mr. Trump argues that companies, large and small, have a renewed faith in the economy. And the corporate tax cut, combined with the rollback in regulation, will prompt waves of new investment and hiring, as middle-class Americans liberally spend the extra money in their pockets.
“We’re going to easily see 4 percent growth next year,” the National Economic Council director, Gary D. Cohn, said. Steven Mnuchin, the Treasury secretary, declared the tax plan would generate enough growth to more than pay for its $1.5 trillion cost.

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But those pronouncements are at odds with estimates from the former employer of both men, Goldman Sachs. The bank projected that the tax bill will add just three-tenths of 1 percent of growth in the next two years, before its impact peters out.
The firm’s annual growth estimate of 2.5 percent for 2018 matched the one issued this week by the nation’s central bank, the Federal Reserve, while the latest median Wall Street forecast hovered close by. And in 2019, growth is expected to drop to 1.8 percent, Alec Phillips, chief United States political economist for Goldman, said Wednesday after the Senate vote.
“We note that the effect in 2020 and beyond looks minimal and could actually be slightly negative,” the company said in a recent published summary.
Such projections are unlikely to deter Mr. Trump and Republican leaders from declaring success next year. Lower taxes and extra incentives to invest in 2018 are almost certain to encourage consumers to spend and businesses to expand.
Reduced rates mean most Americans will start taking home more money right away. Roughly three-quarters of taxpayers are expected to get a cut next year, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center.
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Employers may offer other sweeteners, even if they were not specifically spurred by the tax plan. AT&T announced Wednesday that it was giving more than 200,000 domestic employees a $1,000 bonus when the tax bill is signed. Fifth Third Bancorp, based in Cincinnati, also promised a $1,000 bonus and said it would raise the company’s minimum wage to $15 an hour.

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[size=16]What’s in the Final Republican Tax Bill

The legislation would cut taxes for corporations. American taxpayers, in large part, would also get cuts, though most of the changes affecting them would expire after 2025.
Dec. 15, 2017

[/size]
At the same time, the anticipated cut in the corporate rate to 21 percent from 35 percent and other business perks are lifting the stock market to new heights. In an earnings call this week, Alan B. Graf Jr., FedEx’s chief financial officer, said the company planned to use part of its tax windfall to fatten dividends.
But like a shot of adrenaline, that initial burst of economic activity is likely to fade.
Some provisions of the bill were intended to be sharp and short. Next year, for example, businesses will be able to borrow money and deduct the cost of those loans at the current rate of 35 percent. But later on, when they reap the profits, they will pay a tax rate of only 21 percent. That could end up causing firms to simply shift the timing of investments they would have made regardless of a change in the tax code.
“The really hard question a year from now is going to be is how much of the miniboom we see is just an acceleration of stuff that was going to happen anyway or additional investment that is really going to spur the economy,” said Mihir A. Desai, a professor of finance at Harvard Business School.
Tax cuts can provide an added incentive to invest. But as most chief executives acknowledge, they are generally not the crucial factor.
Investment decisions are much more closely linked to demand for goods and services or technological advancement. As it is, manufacturers are not making full use of the capacity in their existing facilities.
Mr. Graf of FedEx held out the possibility of more spending on capital investment and hiring next year. But he noted that the economy as a whole would first have to “increase materially.”
Over time, most of the broad-based tax cuts will disappear. Although the richest sliver of Americans will continue to get a break, most people who earn less than $100,000 will see their taxes rise, which could slow the economy’s primary engine, consumer spending.
Further tightening is likely if the Republicans follow through on sharply cutting Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security and other programs that tend to put extra cash into the pockets of lower and moderate-income households.
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Either way, the deficit will continue to balloon. Over the last decade alone, the deficit has more than tripled. So far, the interest needed to cover that enormous loan has remained relatively small because interest rates have been at historically low levels.
But those costs are expected to soar. The Federal Reserve has indicated that it intends to slowly but surely raise the benchmark interest rate.
Some economists support such deficit spending during recessions, but they worry that offering stimulants when the economy is on fairly steady ground can backfire. Although employers have resisted raising salaries by much, they continue to complain about the tightness of the labor market. The jobless rate has dipped to 4.1 percent while job openings have remained at record high levels.
Virtually no economists believe that the tax cuts will pay for themselves. Several studies have shown that they rarely cover more than a third of the cost. Others have questioned whether cuts produce any significant growth at all — even if they do encourage some individuals to work, save and invest. In a study that William G. Gale and Andrew Samwick did for the Tax Policy Center, they concluded that cuts that increase budget deficits “in the long term will reduce national saving and raise interest rates.”
The pattern of short-term promise followed by disappointment is one that other presidents have experienced. President Ronald Reagan in 1981 and President George W. Bush in 2001 and 2003 both passed tax cuts that delivered temporary bumps to the economy followed by slowdowns and rising deficits.
“The clear consensus among independent economists is that the impact of the tax cuts on growth is nowhere close to what the administration is talking about,” said Mr. Desai of Harvard. Whatever growth does occur, he added, will be “counteracted by the fiscal irresponsibility of the bill.”

A version of this article appears in print on [size=8]December 21, 2017, on Page A1 of the New York edition with the headline: Gamble by Trump on Expansion Defies Odds. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe
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Post by party animal - not! Thu 21 Dec 2017, 13:26

You will love this, Annemarie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JzRRTiqL2Ug

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Post by annemarie Thu 21 Dec 2017, 15:00

Just unbelievable, we all know he didn't come up with this plan. They've all sold their souls if they had any to the devil.

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Post by Donnamarie Fri 22 Dec 2017, 04:28

I gag every time I see this clip on the news.  I’ve never heard such contrived adulation.  All that’s missing is the image of each of these fools lining up to kiss the ‘leader’s’ hand.
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Post by annemarie Fri 22 Dec 2017, 11:07

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5203067/Haley-warns-anti-Israel-nations-Dont-disrespect-America.html

[size=34]United Nations votes overwhelmingly against Trump's recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital – ignoring his threat to take cash away from countries defying the U.S.[/size]

  • United Nations held emergency General Assembly session Thursday over Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital

  • Member nations voted 128-9 with 35 abstentions on a resolution regretting 'recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem'

  • 'Decisions and actions which purport to have altered the character, status or demographic composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem ... are null and void'

  • Nikki Haley, the U.S. ambassador, had already vetoed a similar resolution Monday in the Security Council 

  • Donald Trump says he could cut cash to countries that voted against the U.S.

  • Haley warned Thursday that America will remember the tally when other nations ask it to continue funding the UN at a disproportionate level

  • Diplomats expected strong support for the resolution – which is symbolic and nonbinding

  • 'Israel completely rejects this preposterous resolution. Jerusalem is our capital, always was, always will be,' Benjamin Netanyahu said in response


By DAVID MARTOSKO, US POLITICAL EDITOR FOR DAILYMAIL.COM  and AFP
PUBLISHED: 11:58 EST, 21 December 2017 | UPDATED: 23:08 EST, 21 December 2017


In an emergency session, the United Nations voted overwhelmingly Thursday to condemn the U.S. for recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and pledging to relocate its embassy there.
The vote was 128–9, with 35 abstentions. Only Guatemala, Honduras, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, Nauru, Palau and Togo joined the United States and Israel in opposing the measure. Another 21 countries didn't show up to vote.

The resolution is symbolic and nonbinding, and won't likely change President Donald Trump's course of action. But it declared that 'any decisions and actions which purport to have altered the character, status or demographic composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem have no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded.'

American ambassador Nikki Haley blasted anti-Israel member nations during a pre-vote debate, warning that there would be a price to pay for standing in President Donald Trump's way. 
'This vote will be remembered,' she said as the entire UN General Assembly looked on.
'America will put our embassy in Jerusalem. That is what the American people want us to do. And it is the right thing to do. No vote in the United Nations will make any difference on that,' Haley lectured from the central podium.
'But this vote will make a difference on how Americans look at the UN and on how we look at countries who disrespect us in the UN.'
SCROLL DOWN FOR VIDEOS 
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America's United Nations Ambassador Nikki Haley warned Thursday that America will remember who voted against Donald Trump's decision to move a U.S. embassy to Jerusalem when it comes time for other nations ask for ever-increasing funding of the UN itself
The Serious Side - part 4 - Page 8 47819B0100000578-5203067-image-a-9_1513879684771


But in a 128-9 shellacking, with 35 nations abstaining, the UN voted to condemn Trump's historic pro-Israel move
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Riyad Mansour (R), Palestine's Permanent Observer to the United Nations, walked past a glaring Haley on Thursday at the UN in New York City
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The UN General Assembly debated in advance of a nonbinding, symbolic vote condemning America's decision to recognize Jerusalem (shown) as Israel's capital and move its embassy there from Tel Aviv

[size=10][size=18]UN votes on a resolution condemning Trump's Jerusalem move




[/size][/size]

President Donald Trump had already threatened a day earlier to cut aid funding to countries that vote for the measure, which Ambassador Nikki Haley vetoed Monday in a 14-1 tally.  
He ignored a torrent of shouted questions after Thursday's vote as he left the White House for a visit to wounded soldiers at a nearby military hospital. 
U.S. State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert told reporters that 'the UN vote is not the only factor that the administration would take into consideration in dealing with our foreign relations, and countries who have chosen to vote one way or the other.'
Nauert also said she had received a note from the National Security Council at the White House, and insisted that 'the president's foreign policy team has been empowered to explore various options going forward with other nations. However, no decisions have been made.'
Trump declared this month that the U.S. officially recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish people, and that an embassy relocation was in the cards. That sparked a revolt among nations sympathetic to the cause of Palestinians, who regard Jerusalem as the home of some of Islam's most holy sites.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the UN vote in harsh terms.
'Israel completely rejects this preposterous resolution. Jerusalem is our capital, always was, always will be,' he said in a video posted online after the resolution passed in lopsided fashion.
'But I do appreciate the fact that a growing number of countries refuse to participate in this theatre of the absurd,' he added.
'Especially I want to again express our thanks to President Trump and Ambassador Haley for their stalwart defense of Israel and their stalwart defense of the truth.'    
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Just nine nations (in red), including the U.S. and Israel, voted 'no' on Thursday; another 35 countries abstained rather than taking a stand
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The stunning vote tally shows an increasingly anti-Israelitrend among nations in Europe, Asia and the Middle East
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Haley lectured her peers and said that 'unlike' in some other countries, the U.S. government is 'answerable to its people' and can't spend money on failing institutions
As expected, the Palestinian president welcomed the resolution.
'This decision reaffirms once again that the just Palestinian cause enjoys the support of international law, and no decision by any party can change the reality,' a statement from Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas's spokesman said, stressing it showed 'that Jerusalem is occupied territory under international law.'
'We will continue our efforts in the United Nations and all international forums to end the occupation and create a Palestinian state with its capital in east Jerusalem,' the statement added.
The Islamist terror group Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip and has fought three wars with Israel since 2008, said it was a blow to Israel's attempts to 'judaise' Jerusalem.

Trump has long complained that the U.S. shoulder's a disproportionate share of the UN's financial burden, compared to some freeloading nations, and said Wednesday at the White House that America will vote with its wallet. 

'They take hundreds of millions of dollars and even billions of dollars and then they vote against us,' he fumed. 'Well, we're watching those votes. Let them vote against us. We'll save a lot. We don't care.'

Haley echoed those concerns, suggesting that even allies who vote against Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem are risking a financial cost.   
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'They take hundreds of millions of dollars and even billions of dollars and then they vote against us,' Trump said Wednesday at the White House

[size=18]'We will remember it': Nikki Haley on UN Jerusalem vote




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'The United States will remember this day in which it was singled out for attack in the General Assembly for the very act of exercising our right as a sovereign nation. We will remember it when we are called upon to once again make the world's largest contribution to the United Nations,' she said.
'And we will remember it when so many countries come calling on us, as they so often do, to pay even more and to use our influence for their benefit.'
The Serious Side - part 4 - Page 8 478158C500000578-5203067-Haley_insisted_Thursday_that_Trump_s_decision_does_not_prejudge_-a-11_1513879957296
Haley insisted Thursday that Trump's decision 'does not prejudge any final status issues including Jerusalem's boundaries'
Haley threw jab after jab, saying that 'the United States is by far the single largest contributor to the United Nations,' and that 'unlike in some UN member countries, the United States government is answerable to its people.'
'We have an obligation to acknowledge when our political and financial capital is being poorly spent,' she warned. 'We have an obligation to demand more for our investment, and if our investment fails we have an obligation to spend our resources in more productive ways.'
She insisted that Trump's decision pertaining to Jerusalem 'does not prejudge any final status issues including Jerusalem's boundaries.'
'The decision does not preclude a two-state solution if the parties agree to that. The decision does nothing to harm peace efforts,' she said.
The draft resolution the General Assembly considered on Thursday mirrored the vetoed Security Council measure, reaffirming that any decision on the status of Jerusalem has no legal effect and must be rescinded.
It does not mention Trump's decision but expresses 'deep regret at recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem.'

A council diplomat said Canada, Hungary and the Czech Republic might bow to U.S. pressure and not support the draft resolution.

[size=34]ROLL CALL: HOW THEY VOTED [/size]


128 United Nations member countries voted to condemn Donald Trump for recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. These countries either voted 'no' or abstained:
ABSTAINED:
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Australia
Bahamas
Benin
Bhutan
Bosnia-Herzegovina
Cameroon
Canada
Colombia 
Croatia
Czech Republic
Dominican Republic
Equatorial Guinea
Fiji 
Haiti
Hungary
Jamaica
Kiribati
Latvia
Lesotho
Malawi
Mexico
Panama
Paraguay
Philippines
Poland
Romania
Rwanda
Solomon Islands 
South Sudan
Trinidad and Tobago
Tuvalu
Uganda
Vanuatu
VOTED 'NO':
Guatemala
Honduras
Israel
Marshall Islands
Micronesia
Nauru
Palau
Togo
United States

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Haley on Monday vetoed a UN Security Council resolution condemning the embassy-move plan; all 14 other council nations voted 'yes'
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Ahead of Thursday's hearing Haley wrote to other ambassadors that Trump, shown here with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, would take disrespectful votes 'personally'

[size=18]Trump threatens to cut off aid to countries that vote against US





[/size]
He spoke after Haley warned countries on Tuesday that the President will take anti-America votes 'personally.'
'The president will be watching this vote carefully and has requested I report back on those countries who voted against us,' Haley wrote to a number of countries in a letter.
'We will take note of each and every vote on this issue,' she wrote to several UN ambassadors. 'As you consider your vote, I want you to know that the President and U.S. take this vote personally.'
On Twitter, Haley posted that 'the U.S. will be taking names' during the vote on Thursday at the 193-nation assembly.
Turkey and Yemen requested the emergency session on behalf of the Arab group of countries and the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC).



Egypt had put forward the draft at the Security Council, which was backed by all 14 other members in the vote on Monday.
Palestinian ambassador Riyad Mansour said he expected 'overwhelming support' for the measure stating that Jerusalem is an issue 'to be resolved through negotiations' between Israel and the Palestinians.
'The General Assembly will say, without the fear of the veto, that the international community is refusing to accept the unilateral position of the United States,' Mansour told reporters.

[size=34]THE RESOLUTION TEXT [/size]


Status of Jerusalem
The General Assembly,
Reaffirming its relevant resolutions, including resolution 72/15 of 30 November 2017 on Jerusalem,
Reaffirming also the relevant resolutions of the Security Council, including resolutions 242 (1967) of 22 November 1967, 252 (1968) of 21 May 1968, 267 (1969) of 3 July 1969, 298 (1971) of 25 September 1971, 338 (1973) of 22 October 1973, 446 (1979) of 22 March 1979, 465 (1980) of 1 March 1980, 476 (1980) of 30 June 1980, 478 (1980) of 20 August 1980 and 2334 (2016) of 23 December 2016,
Guided by the purposes and principles of the Charter of the United Nations, and reaffirming, inter alia, the inadmissibility of the acquisition of territory by force,
Bearing in mind the specific status of the Holy City of Jerusalem and, in particular, the need for the protection and preservation of the unique spiritual, religious and cultural dimensions of the city, as foreseen in relevant United Nations resolutions,
Stressing that Jerusalem is a final status issue to be resolved through negotiations in line with relevant United Nations resolutions,
Expressing, in this regard, its deep regret at recent decisions concerning the status of Jerusalem,

[list=mol-bullets-with-font]
[*]Affirms that any decisions and actions which purport to have altered the character, status or demographic composition of the Holy City of Jerusalem have no legal effect, are null and void and must be rescinded in compliance with relevant resolutions of the Security Council, and in this regard calls upon all States to refrain from the establishment of diplomatic missions in the Holy City of Jerusalem, pursuant to Security Council resolution 478 (1980);
[*]Demands that all States comply with Security Council resolutions regarding the Holy City of Jerusalem, and not recognize any actions or measures contrary to those resolutions;
[*]Reiterates its call for the reversal of the negative trends on the ground that are imperilling the two-State solution and for the intensification and acceleration of international and regional efforts and support aimed at achieving, without delay, a comprehensive, just and lasting peace in the Middle East on the basis of the relevant United Nations resolutions, the Madrid terms of reference, including the principle of land for peace, the Arab Peace Initiative[1] and the Quartet road map,[2] and an end to the Israeli occupation that began in 1967;
[*]Decides to adjourn the tenth emergency special session temporarily and to authorize the President of the General Assembly at its most recent session to resume its meeting upon request from Member States.
[/list]


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 Haley posted on Twitter this week that 'the US will be taking names' during the vote on Thursday at the larger 193-nation assembly
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Key allies including Britain and France are against Trump's Israel move; pictured are French President Emmanuel Macron (left) and British Prime Minister Theresa May (right)

[size=18]Protests kick off around the world after Trump's announcement



[/size]

No country has veto powers in the General Assembly, contrary to the council where the United States, along with Britain, China, France and Russia, can block any resolution.
Trump's December 6 decision to recognize Jerusalem broke with international consensus, triggering protests across the Muslim world and drawing strong condemnation.
Key U.S. allies Britain, France, Italy, Japan and Ukraine were among the 14 countries in the 15-member council that voted in favor of the measure.
After that vote, Haley described the 14-1 vote 'an insult' and warned 'it won't be forgotten.'
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The Muslim world has seen widespread protests, and in Gaza City they continued Wednesday ahead of the United Nations special session
Haley's letter explains that 'the U.S. Congress declared that Jerusalem should be recognized as the capital of Israel, and that the U.S. Embassy should be located in Jerusalem. President Trump affirmed that declaration by officially recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.' 
'The President's announcement did not prejudge final status negotiations in any way, including the specific boundaries of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem. The President also made sure to support the status quo at Jerusalem's holy sites, and did not advocate changes to the arrangements at the Temple Mount./Haram al-Sharif,' she added.  
She went further on Tuesday, warning in her Twitter post: 'At the UN we're always asked to do more & give more. So, when we make a decision, at the will of the American ppl, abt where to locate OUR embassy, we don't expect those we've helped to target us.
'On Thurs there'll be a vote criticizing our choice. The U.S. will be taking names.'
After the clash at the top UN body, the White House announced that US Vice President Mike Pence was delaying a trip to the Middle East planned for this week.
Israel seized control of the eastern part of the city in the 1967 Middle East war and sees all of Jerusalem as its undivided capital. The Palestinians view the east as the capital of their future state.
Several UN resolutions call on Israel to withdraw from territory seized during the 1967 war.

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Post by annemarie Fri 22 Dec 2017, 16:47

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5206309/Putin-Erdogan-agree-creation-Palestinian-state.html

[size=34]Putin and Erdogan agree on the creation of a Palestinian state, a day after the UN rejects Trump's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital[/size]

  • Donald Trump decided on December 6 to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital

  • UN decided yesterday to reject Trump's decision by 128 to 9 with 35 abstentions

  • The Russian and Turkish presidents spoke to each other in a phone call today  

  • Agreed on 'the right of the Palestinian people to create an independent state' 


By CHARLIE MOORE FOR MAILONLINE
PUBLISHED: 10:51 EST, 22 December 2017 | UPDATED: 11:41 EST, 22 December 2017

    

Vladimir Putin and Recep Erdogan today agreed to support the creation of a Palestinian state as Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas said that he would 'no longer accept' any peace plan proposed by the US.
The Russian and Turkish presidents spoke in a phone call a day after the UN rejected Donald Trump's controversial decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital. 
A Kremlin statement said the two leaders 'discussed the situation of Middle East peace talks in the context of the resolution adopted by the UN General Assembly on the status of Jerusalem.'
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Vladimir Putin (pictured at a Kremlin meeting yesterday) and Recep Erdogan today agreed to support the creation of a Palestinian state
They 'confirmed the mutual disposition to continue to assist in resolving the Palestine-Israeli conflict on the basis of international norms and realisation of the right of the Palestinian people to create an independent state.'

Palestinians have long demanded their own state out of lands claimed by Israel since the Six-Day War in 1967.
Russia and Turkey already recognise the State of Palestine as do 70 per cent of countries in the UN. The US, Britain and western European countries do not. 
Trump decided on December 6 to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital.
The status of the Holy City is one of the thorniest issues in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, with both sides claiming it as their capital. 




On Thursday, the 193-member General Assembly adopted the motion to reject Trump's decision by 128 to nine with 35 abstentions, though the US Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley said the vote would make no difference to Washington's decision.  
Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas today said that he would 'no longer accept' any peace plan proposed by the United States, dealing a pre-emptive blow to a fresh initiative expected by Washington next year. 

US Vice President Mike Pence postponed a trip he was due to make to the region this week, after Palestinian and Arab Christian leaders expressed reluctance to meet him.
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Erdogan (pictured in Ankara yesterday) said the UN vote showed the 'illegality' of Trump's decision, urging the United States to withdraw it
'The United States has proven to be a dishonest mediator in the peace process and we will no longer accept any plan from it,' Abbas told a joint press conference with French President Emmanuel Macron.
Macron repeated his earlier condemnations of the US decision on Jerusalem, but he also ruled out recognising Palestine as a state unilaterally, which France has mooted previously.
'The Americans have marginalised themselves and I am trying to not do the same thing,' Macron said, conscious that any move to recognise Palestine would antagonise the Israelis.   
Abbas hit out at efforts by the US to 'intimidate' countries ahead of the UN vote.
'I hope that the others will learn the lesson and understand that you cannot impose solutions by using money and trying to buy off countries,' he said in Paris.
Erdogan said the UN vote showed the 'illegality' of Trump's decision, urging the United States to withdraw it. 
But US Ambassador Nikki Haley said the vote will 'make no difference' to US policy.

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Post by annemarie Sun 24 Dec 2017, 00:34

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5209163/Trump-slams-FBI-deputy-reportedly-plans-retire.html




[size=34]'Racing the clock to retire with full benefits': Trump slams deputy FBI director Andrew McCabe over his 'plans to step down' after the president said the agency was 'in tatters'[/size]

  • Trump took aim at McCabe on Twitter as reports of his retirement surfaced

  • 'FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is racing the clock to retire with full benefits,' Trump tweeted. '90 days to go?!!!' 

  • It was reported that the 49-year-old McCabe plans to retire, possibly in March, when he will be eligible for full pension benefits 

  • McCabe has faced intense pressure from Trump, who for more than a year has challenged the FBI official's connections to the Democratic Party 

  • The president has suggested more recently that the long-respected agency was 'in tatters'


By AFP
PUBLISHED: 17:25 EST, 23 December 2017 | UPDATED: 19:15 EST, 23 December 2017

    


President Donald Trump  has slammed deputy FBI director Andrew McCabe, saying he was 'racing the clock to retire,' as reports surfaced that he plans to retire.
'FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is racing the clock to retire with full benefits,' Trump tweeted. '90 days to go?!!!'
CNN, CBS and The Washington Post all reported that the 49-year-old McCabe plans to retire, possibly in March, when he will be eligible for full pension benefits. 
An FBI spokeswoman did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe has faced intense pressure from US President Donald Trump, who once again took aim at him amid reports he plans to retire
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'FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe is racing the clock to retire with full benefits,' Trump tweeted. '90 days to go?!!!'
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In a second tweet Saturday, Trump suggested that McCabe's wife, a Virginia politician, had been given $700,000 by allies of Hillary Clinton at a time he was involved in the investigation into Clinton's use of a private email server
McCabe has faced intense pressure from Trump, who for more than a year has challenged the FBI official's connections to the Democratic Party even while suggesting more recently that the long-respected agency was 'in tatters.'

But with administration officials themselves under mounting pressure from the investigation by former FBI chief Robert Mueller into links between Trump's election campaign and Russia, the president's pointed criticism of McCabe has raised concerns among Democrats who fear he might be laying the groundwork to oust, or at least undermine, Mueller.




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McCabe has faced intense pressure from Trump, who for more than a year has challenged the FBI official's connections to the Democratic Party 
In a second tweet Saturday, Trump suggested that McCabe's wife, a Virginia politician, had been given $700,000 by allies of Hillary Clinton at a time he was involved in the investigation into Clinton's use of a private email server.
The FBI has said McCabe did not start overseeing the Clinton investigation until his wife's campaign for the Virginia Senate was over.
A Justice Department inspector general has been examining McCabe's role in the Clinton investigation.
Democrats have urged McCabe to resist pressure to step down, which they say is politically motivated.
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Trump recently suggested that the long-respected agency was 'in tatters'

[size=18]Senator Rubio asks McCabe on possible effects Comey firing has on FBI



[/size]

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Post by annemarie Sun 24 Dec 2017, 07:52

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5209429/Top-officer-urges-troops-ready-big-ass-fight.html

[size=34]'There's a war coming': Marine Corps commandant tells troops to be ready for a 'big-ass fight' as US military planners say next conflict could be against Russia or North Korea[/size]

  • The nation's top Marine Corps commander told American soldiers stationed in Europe that 'there's a war coming' and that a 'big-ass fight' was on the horizon 

  • General Robert Neller, the Marine Corps commandant, made the remarks during a holiday visit with US troops stationed in Norway this week 

  • Neller was speaking to a 300-member contingent of US troops stationed at the Norwegian Home Guard base near Trondheim 

  • On Friday, Defense Secretary James Mattis told US soldiers in Fort Bragg, North Carolina that 'storm clouds are gathering' over the Korean Peninsula 


By ARIEL ZILBER FOR DAILYMAIL.COM and ASSOCIATED PRESS and REUTERS
PUBLISHED: 19:56 EST, 23 December 2017 | UPDATED: 20:58 EST, 23 December 2017

    

The nation's top Marine Corps commander told American soldiers stationed in Europe that 'there's a war coming' and that a 'big-ass fight' was on the horizon, it was reported on Saturday.
General Robert Neller, the Marine Corps commandant, made the remarks during a holiday visit with US troops stationed in Norway this week.
The remarks were first reported by Military.com.
'I hope I'm wrong, but there's a war coming,' Neller said.

'You're in a fight here, an informational fight, a political fight, by your presence.'
The Marine Corps commandant was speaking to the troops about the importance of readiness even during peacetime missions that can change depending on the circumstances.
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General Robert Neller, the Marine Corps commandant, told American soldiers stationed in Europe that 'there's a war coming' and that a 'big-ass fight' was on the horizon, it was reported on Saturday

[size=10][size=18]Commandant General Robert Neller issues plea Marine scandal




[/size][/size]

Neller was speaking to a 300-member contingent of US troops stationed at the Norwegian Home Guard base near Trondheim.
He told the soldiers that American military planners were focused on Russia and the Pacific as possible future flashpoints of conflict.



Neller made the remarks while fielding questions from troops in a town-hall style forum.
'I think probably the focus, the intended focus is not on the Middle East,' Neller said.
'The focus is more on the Pacific and Russia.'
Neller said that while America wants to look beyond Iraq and Afghanistan, it cannot always dictate events.
'The problem is, we may not be interested in the Middle East, but they seem to be fascinated with us,' he said.
'And as long as there are groups there that threaten the United States, there will have to be some presence.'

[size=18]Rex Tillerson says US is open to negotiating with North Korea



[/size]



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He told the soldiers that American military planners were focused on Russia and the Pacific as possible future flashpoints of conflict. Russian President Vladimir Putin is seen right. North Korean ruler Kim Jong-Un is seen left
President Donald Trump’s administration said on Monday that Russia interferes in the domestic political affairs of countries globally, but stopped short of accusing Moscow of meddling in the 2016 US election. 
The criticism of Russia, laid out in a new national security strategy based on Trump’s 'America First' vision, reflects a view long held by US diplomats that Russia actively undermines American interests at home and abroad, despite Trump’s own bid for warmer ties with President Vladimir Putin.
'Through modernized forms of subversive tactics, Russia interferes in the domestic political affairs of countries around the world,' said the document.
It avoided directly citing what US intelligence agencies say was Russian meddling in last year’s US presidential election.
'Russia uses information operations as part of its offensive cyber efforts to influence public opinion across the globe. Its influence campaigns blend covert intelligence operations and false online personas with state-funded media, third-party intermediaries, and paid social media users or "trolls",' the document said.
Trump has frequently spoken of wanting to improve relations with Putin, even though Russia has frustrated US policy in Syria and Ukraine and done little to help Washington in its standoff with North Korea.  
Neller's remarks were reported at around the same time that Defense Secretary James Mattis made a similar assessment about the potential for future conflict.
Mattis on Friday told US soldiers in Fort Bragg, North Carolina that 'storm clouds are gathering' over the Korean Peninsula.
Without forecasting a conflict, Mattis emphasized that diplomacy stands the best chance of preventing a war if America's words are backed up by strong and prepared armed forces.
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Neller's remarks were reported at around the same time that Defense Secretary James Mattis made a similar assessment about the potential for future conflict. Mattis on Friday told US soldiers in Fort Bragg, North Carolina that 'storm clouds are gathering' over the Korean Peninsula
'My fine young soldiers, the only way our diplomats can speak with authority and be believed is if you're ready to go,' Mattis told several dozen soldiers and airmen at the 82nd Airborne Division's Hall of Heroes, his last stop on a two-day pre-holiday tour of bases to greet troops.   
Mattis' comments came as the UN Security Council unanimously approved tough new sanctions against North Korea, compelling nations to sharply reduce their sales of oil to the reclusive country and send home all North Korean expatriate workers within two years. 
Such workers are seen as a key source of revenue for North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un's cash-strapped government.
Trump and other top US officials have made repeated threats about US military action. 
Some officials have described the messaging as twofold in purpose: to pressure North Korea to enter into negotiations on getting rid of its nuclear arsenal, and to motivate key regional powers China and Russia to put more pressure on Pyongyang so a war is averted.
For the military, the focus has been on ensuring soldiers are ready should the call come.      

[size=18]Mattis: US can't accept North Korea as a nuclear power



[/size]

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Post by annemarie Mon 25 Dec 2017, 23:53

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5211843/US-envoy-Nikki-Haley-announced-285m-cut-UN.html



[size=34]'The generosity of American people will not be taken advantage of': US envoy Nikki Haley announces $285m cut to UN following its vote against Trump recognizing Jerusalem as Israel capital[/size]

  • The U.S. Mission to the United Nations said on Sunday that the U.N.'s 2018-2019 budget would be slashed by over $285 million

  • U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley cited the 'inefficiency and overspending' of the UN as part of the Trump administration's decision for the move

  • The requested budget cuts come off the heels of a recent decision in the UN General Assembly to reject Trump's Jerusalem decision 

  • The UN General Assembly voted 128 to 9 in favor of a non-binding resolution to declare Trump's decision concerning Jerusalem 'null and void' 


By ASSOCIATED PRESS and DANIEL ROTH FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 15:55 EST, 25 December 2017 | UPDATED: 18:36 EST, 25 December 2017

    



The U.S. government says it has negotiated a significant cut in the United Nationsbudget.
The U.S. Mission to the United Nations said on Sunday that the U.N.'s 2018-2019 budget would be slashed by over $285 million. 
The mission said reductions would also be made to the U.N.'s management and support functions.
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The U.S. Mission to the United Nations said on Sunday that the U.N.'s 2018-2019 budget would be slashed by over $285 million (Pictured: US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley)
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U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley cited the 'inefficiency and overspending' of the UN as part of the Trump administration's decision for the move

[size=10][size=18]'We will remember it': Nikki Haley on UN Jerusalem vote



[/size][/size]

The announcement didn't make clear the entire amount of the budget or specify what effect the cut would have on the U.S. contribution.
U.S. ambassador to the U.N. Nikki Haley said that the 'inefficiency and overspending' of the organization is well-known, and she would not let 'the generosity of the American people be taken advantage of.'



She also said that while the mission was pleased with the results of budget negotiations, it would continue to 'look at ways to increase the U.N.'s efficiency... while protecting our interests.'
The requested budget cuts come off the heels of the UN General Assembly voting to reject the Trump administration recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital earlier this month.
After announcing his decision on December 6, Trump signed a six-month waiver that delays the relocation of the American embassy currently in Tel Aviv to Jerusalem.   

[size=18]UN votes on a resolution condemning Trump's Jerusalem move



[/size]


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The requested budget cuts come off the heels of a recent decision in the UN General Assembly to reject Donald Trump's Jerusalem decision
On December 21, just hours before the vote, Haley warned that America's financial commitment to UN would be significantly reduced if the international body contested the Trump administration's decision.
'The United States will remember this day in which it was singled out in this assembly for the very act of exercising our right as a sovereign nation,' Haley told member nations ahead of their vote. 
The Serious Side - part 4 - Page 8 4791FCE200000578-0-image-m-165_1514235036787
The President of Guatemala, Jimmy Morales, said his country would move their embassy to Jerusalem following talks with Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu (Pictured)
'We will remember it when we are called upon to once again make the world's largest contribution to the UN and we will remember it when so many countries come calling on us, as they often do, to pay even more and to use our influence for their benefit,' Haley said.  
The General Assembly nevertheless voted 128 to 9 in favor of a non-binding resolution to declare Trump's move  'null and void.'   
The resolution, sponsored by Yemen and Turkey, reaffirmed what has been the United Nations' stand on the divided holy city since 1967 - that Jerusalem's final status must be decided in direct negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians.   
Meanwhile, Guatemala said that it would follow America's lead and announced plans to move its embassy in Israel, currently situated in Tel Aviv, to Jerusalem on Sunday.  
The President of Guatemala, Jimmy Morales, said he made the decision after talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 
Guatemala was one of nine nations that voted against the UN’s resolution on Jerusalem.  

[size=18]Trump threatens to cut off aid to countries that vote against US



[/size]

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The UN General Assembly voted 128 to 9 in favor of a non-binding resolution to declare Trump's decision concerning Jerusalem 'null and void'

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Post by carolhathaway Tue 26 Dec 2017, 10:47

Is every country able to decide how much money they give to the U.N.?
I always thought that that's determined by contract so countries can't cut it on their own.

But this decision sure has nothing to do with the vote against the Jerusalem decision sarcasm
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Post by party animal - not! Tue 26 Dec 2017, 11:44

Carol, I've no idea how it works, But I do know that many, many countries defer their contributions endlessly leaving the UN budget to be topped up by those who can and believe that it's worth it and that the institution attempts to bring peace and leverage to warring agencies. Trump obviously doesn't believe that.

The EU is much the same and the only two countries who always have always paid on time are the UK and Germany who also happen to be the biggest payers.......many have deferred for years and as we know many have been bailed out by the rest

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Post by annemarie Wed 27 Dec 2017, 10:18

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5214459/Mike-Flynns-brother-tells-Trump-time-pardoned-him.html

[size=34]'He has taken the biggest fall of all for you': Mike Flynn's brother tells Trump it is 'about time' he pardoned the 'General' after he pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI in the Russia probe[/size]

  • Brother of former national security advisor, Mike Flynn, tweeted at the president saying it is time for his brother to be pardoned

  • Joseph Flynn, Mike's younger brother, fired off the missive in response to the president tweeting that any Russia collusion claims are false

  • Mike Flynn plead guilty to lying to the FBI earlier this month and is reportedly assisting Mueller's investigation into Russia's impact on the presidential race


By JESSICA FINN FOR DAILYMAIL.COM 
PUBLISHED: 01:49 EST, 27 December 2017 | UPDATED: 03:56 EST, 27 December 2017

    


Mike Flynn's brother called on President Trump to pardon the ex-national security advisor after he pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI in the Russia probe.
Joseph Flynn, who has set up a legal defense fund for his brother, tweeted: 'About time you pardon General Flynn who has taken the biggest fall for all of you given the illegitimacy of his confessed crime in the wake of all this corruption.' 
But he quickly deleted the post after it started to garner responses online.  
The younger Flynn fired off his tweet defending the 'General', in response to Trump's own missive complaining about special counsel Robert Mueller's probe into Russian meddling.
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Joseph Flynn (left) called on President Trump to pardon his brother Michael (right) after he pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI in the Russia probe 
Trump wrote: 'Dossier is bogus. Clinton Campaign, DNC funded Dossier. FBI CANNOT (after all of this time) VERIFY CLAIMS IN DOSSIER OF RUSSIA/TRUMP COLLUSION. FBI TAINTED.' And they used this Crooked Hillary pile of garbage as the basis for going after the Trump Campaign!'

While Joseph had deleted his first post aimed at the president, he went back and tweeted again a short time later, with the same content, but seemed to have taken time to formulate his thoughts and bring them forth with a bit more tact.
'Mr. President, I personally believe that a pardon is due to General Flynn, given the apparent and obvious illegitimacy of the manner in which the so called 'crimes' he plead guilty to were extracted from him. I ask for quick action on this. Thank you and keep up the good work!' he tweeted.

RELATED ARTICLES





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Joseph Flynn responded to an early Tuesday morning tweet from the president about the investigation. He deleted his first tweet and sent this second one a short while later
Joseph Flynn confirmed to Newsweek that he did in fact send the tweets, adding 'I said it, and maybe he's listening.'
Mike Flynn pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI earlier this month and is reportedly cooperating with authorities in the ongoing investigation into whether Trump officials colluded with Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign. 
Trump recently told reporters it was too early to discuss a possible pardon for Flynn. 

So far, the FBI's sprawling probe into Russia's meddling in the 2016 election has ensnared at least four members of his campaign inner circle.
'I don't want to talk about pardons for Michael Flynn yet,' Trump said before leaving the White House to give remarks at a graduation ceremony at the Federal Bureau of Investigation's academy in Quantico, Virginia, earlier this month.
'I can say this -- when you look at what's gone on with the FBI and with the Justice Department, people are very, very angry,' he said.
'When everybody -- not me, when everybody -- the level of anger at what they've been witnessing with respect to the FBI is certainly very sad.'
US intelligence agencies have concluded that Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his intelligence and cyber services to help turn the election in Trump's favor.
Trump has repeatedly denied any collusion with Russia.  
'There is absolutely no collusion. I didn't make a phone call to Russia. I have nothing to do with Russia. Everybody knows it. That was a Democrat hoax. It was an excuse for losing the election,' Trump added.

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Post by annemarie Wed 27 Dec 2017, 17:20

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5214703/Russia-accuses-U-S-training-former-Islamic-State-fighters-Syria.html

[size=34]Russia accuses U.S. of training former ISIS fighters in Syria to try to destabilize the country[/size]

  • Russian General Staff accuse U.S of training former Islamic State fighters in Syria

  • Russia claim the U.S. base is illegal where militants operate unhindered

  • U.S says Tanf facility is temporary to train partner forces to fight Islamic State

  • They claim they're committed to killing Islamic State and denying it safe havens


By REUTERS and MICHELLE GANNEY FOR DAILYMAIL.COM
PUBLISHED: 04:23 EST, 27 December 2017 | UPDATED: 10:12 EST, 27 December 2017

    


The chief of the Russian General Staff has accused the United States of training former Islamic State fighters in Syria to try to destabilize the country.
General Valery Gerasimov's allegations, made in a newspaper interview, center on a U.S. military base at Tanf, a strategic Syrian highway border crossing with Iraq in the south of the country.
Russia says the U.S. base is illegal and that it and the area around it have become 'a black hole' where militants operate unhindered.
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Russia's Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Russia's First Deputy Defense Minister, Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Valery Gerasimov (left to right) attended the main stage of Zapad in 2017
Islamic State has this year lost almost all the territory it held in Syria and Iraq. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday the main part of the battle with Islamic State in Syria was over, according to the state-run RIA news agency.

The United States says the Tanf facility is a temporary base used to train partner forces to fight Islamic State. It has rejected similar Russian allegations in the past, saying Washington remains committed to killing off Islamic State and denying it safe havens.

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But Gerasimov told the daily Komsomolskaya Pravda newspaper on Wednesday that the United States was training up fighters who were former Islamic State militants but who now call themselves the New Syrian Army or use other names.
He said Russia satellites and drones had spotted militant brigades at the U.S. base.

[size=18]ISIS fighters scream in panic before being blown up in Syria



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The Serious Side - part 4 - Page 8 4798338500000578-5214703-image-a-3_1514383377138

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Chief of the General Staff of Armed Force Valery Gerasimov (pictured) attended a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin and senior defense officials on drawing up a new state armament program for 2018-2025 in May in Russia
'They are in reality being trained there,' Gerasimov said, saying there were also a large number of militants and former Islamic State fighters at Shadadi, where he said there was also a U.S. base.
'They are practically Islamic State,' he said. 'But after they are worked with, they change their spots and take on another name. Their task is to destabilise the situation.'
Russia has partially withdrawn from Syria, but Gerasimov said the fact that Moscow was keeping an air base and naval facility there meant it was well placed to deal with pockets of instability if and when they arose. 
The Serious Side - part 4 - Page 8 4798337200000578-5214703-image-a-14_1514383858921

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A convoy of U.S. forces armored vehicles drive near the village of Yalanli, on the western outskirts of the northern Syrian city of Manbij, in March 5 2017

[size=18]ISIS fanatics in Somalia call on supporters during holidays




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annemarie
Over the Clooney moon

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The Serious Side - part 4 - Page 8 Empty Re: The Serious Side - part 4

Post by party animal - not! Wed 27 Dec 2017, 17:36

Today's headline..........

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/us-politics/donald-trump-white-house-howard-dean-vermont-governor-criminal-democratic-dnc-chair-a8130396.html


Shocking

party animal - not!
George Clooney fan forever!

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The Serious Side - part 4 - Page 8 Empty Re: The Serious Side - part 4

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