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welcome to reality trivia
reality is the state of things as they actually exist
february 19, 2019
real news today
february 19, 2019
*Moments from Trump's Adderall-Induced National Emergency Rage Speech That Haven't Gotten Much Notice
by the rude pundit(COMMENTARY)
*‘Dead to me’: Conservative writer says Republicans who back Trump’s emergency order are irredeemable
(GOP Politics)
*Alabama lawmakers condemn publisher who wrote KKK 'needs to ride again'
(Amerikkkans)
*Four-day week trial: study finds lower stress but no cut in output
(Slavery 21st Century)
*Vatican reveals it has secret rules for priests who father children
(Christianity)
*BIG CORN AND BIG OIL ARE WARRING OVER TRUMP’S NOMINATION OF ANDREW WHEELER
(Corruption)
(for previous day's articles see "what's inside" below)
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GOP spokesman Nelson Muntz to taxpayers: “Ha Ha!”
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comment/tweet of the day
H. L. Mencken: Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public.
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Morning Joe appalled that Trump still has any supporters: ‘4 in 10 Americans are still OK with racism every day!’
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gop didn't care!!!
BOMBSHELL: McCabe says FBI told GOP lawmakers in 2017 they were investigating Trump — and none objected
Brad Reed - raw story
19 FEB 2019 AT 08:20 ET
Former deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe on Tuesday dropped a major bombshell when he claimed that the FBI told a bipartisan group of lawmakers in 2017 that it had opened an investigation into President Donald Trump — and none of the Republicans in the group objected.
In an interview with NBC’s Savannah Guthrie, McCabe said that the FBI told the bipartisan “Gang of 8” members of Congress who receive regular briefings on classified information that the bureau was launching an investigation into Trump’s behavior after the firing of former FBI Director James Comey.
“No one objected,” McCabe said of the senators’ reactions. “Not on legal grounds, not on constitutional grounds, and not based on the facts.”
McCabe also told Guthrie that, in May 2017 when it began its investigation, the FBI believed that it “might be possible” that Trump was working directly for Russia.
“You have to ask yourself why any president of the United States might not want to get to the bottom of Russian interference in our election,” he said.
McCabe also told Guthrie that “we had information that led us to believe that there might be a threat to national security, in this case, that the president himself might, in fact, be a threat to United States’ national security.”
In an interview with NBC’s Savannah Guthrie, McCabe said that the FBI told the bipartisan “Gang of 8” members of Congress who receive regular briefings on classified information that the bureau was launching an investigation into Trump’s behavior after the firing of former FBI Director James Comey.
“No one objected,” McCabe said of the senators’ reactions. “Not on legal grounds, not on constitutional grounds, and not based on the facts.”
McCabe also told Guthrie that, in May 2017 when it began its investigation, the FBI believed that it “might be possible” that Trump was working directly for Russia.
“You have to ask yourself why any president of the United States might not want to get to the bottom of Russian interference in our election,” he said.
McCabe also told Guthrie that “we had information that led us to believe that there might be a threat to national security, in this case, that the president himself might, in fact, be a threat to United States’ national security.”
Nancy Pelosi to Europe: Trump is not the boss
octoberlib - demo underground
2/19/19
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi wants Europe to know who's really boss in Washington — and it isn't President Donald Trump.
Pelosi and a delegation of U.S. lawmakers were in Brussels on Monday and Tuesday to reassure European partners at a time when transatlantic relations have been deeply fractured by Trump's criticism of allies and his unpredictability in policymaking.
Among the messages that Pelosi said she brought to the EU capital was that the U.S. president is not all-powerful. Of course, it was a lesson Europeans watched her teach Trump in the standoff over a recent government shutdown — where she forced the president to back down.
Pelosi said that one European colleague had asked why the House of Representatives had only recently adopted a resolution in support of NATO. She said that she explained it was because she and the Democrats had only retaken control of the majority at the start of the year. "I said because we just got the majority and then we can control, we can manage what goes on to the floor," Pelosi said. "But once the Republican colleagues had the opportunity to vote on this, H.R. 676 NATO Support Act — what was it? 357 to 22 no's. I think that that sends a very clear message."
https://www.politico.eu/article/nancy-pelosi-to-europe-donald-trump-is-not-the-boss/
Pelosi and a delegation of U.S. lawmakers were in Brussels on Monday and Tuesday to reassure European partners at a time when transatlantic relations have been deeply fractured by Trump's criticism of allies and his unpredictability in policymaking.
Among the messages that Pelosi said she brought to the EU capital was that the U.S. president is not all-powerful. Of course, it was a lesson Europeans watched her teach Trump in the standoff over a recent government shutdown — where she forced the president to back down.
Pelosi said that one European colleague had asked why the House of Representatives had only recently adopted a resolution in support of NATO. She said that she explained it was because she and the Democrats had only retaken control of the majority at the start of the year. "I said because we just got the majority and then we can control, we can manage what goes on to the floor," Pelosi said. "But once the Republican colleagues had the opportunity to vote on this, H.R. 676 NATO Support Act — what was it? 357 to 22 no's. I think that that sends a very clear message."
https://www.politico.eu/article/nancy-pelosi-to-europe-donald-trump-is-not-the-boss/
guess they haven't been paying attention, lately!!!
Maryland town hopes new Civil War memorial featuring John Wilkes Booth will bring tourism riches
Brad Reed - raw story
19 FEB 2019 AT 09:01 ET
The small town of Taneytown, Maryland is hoping a massive Civil War memorial that features a large portrait of presidential assassin John Wilkes Booth will make it a major tourist destination.
The Washington Post’s Petula Dvorak reports that Taneytown’s City Council has thrown its support behind the proposed monument, which was designed by sculptor Gary Casteel, who in 2016 organized a rally to protect the Confederate flag in Pennsylvania.
But Taneytown City Council member Bradley Wantz, the lone member of the council who is opposed to building the monument, tells Dvorak that he fears it will make Taneytown a lightning rod for criticism.
“To think you’d put a portrait of John Wilkes Booth that’s the same size as Lincoln, as Grant here, I just can’t support that,” he said. “Booth’s family didn’t even want to mark his grave.”
However, supporters of the memorial believe it will not be pro-Confederate and will instead aim to tell “both sides” of the American Civil War. Additionally, writes Dvorak, town officials hope that the memorial “will attract buses and tourists and bring prosperity to their small town.”
Read the whole column here.
The Washington Post’s Petula Dvorak reports that Taneytown’s City Council has thrown its support behind the proposed monument, which was designed by sculptor Gary Casteel, who in 2016 organized a rally to protect the Confederate flag in Pennsylvania.
But Taneytown City Council member Bradley Wantz, the lone member of the council who is opposed to building the monument, tells Dvorak that he fears it will make Taneytown a lightning rod for criticism.
“To think you’d put a portrait of John Wilkes Booth that’s the same size as Lincoln, as Grant here, I just can’t support that,” he said. “Booth’s family didn’t even want to mark his grave.”
However, supporters of the memorial believe it will not be pro-Confederate and will instead aim to tell “both sides” of the American Civil War. Additionally, writes Dvorak, town officials hope that the memorial “will attract buses and tourists and bring prosperity to their small town.”
Read the whole column here.
House Opens Inquiry Into Proposed U.S. Nuclear Venture in Saudi Arabia
President Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, is scheduled to travel to the Middle East next week to brief diplomats on the economic portions of the Trump administration’s peace plan.
By Nicholas Fandos - ny times
Feb. 19, 2019
WASHINGTON — House Democrats said on Tuesday they would begin a full-scale inquiry into White House involvement in a proposed venture to bring nuclear power facilities to Saudi Arabia, citing whistle-blower claims that the venture raised potential conflicts of interest that could put American security at risk.
In a 24-page report from the House Oversight and Reform Committee, the Democrats said their concerns centered around actions taken in the early weeks of the Trump administration to secure government backing for a plan to build a series of nuclear power plants across Saudi Arabia.
Claims presented by whistle-blowers and White House documents obtained by the committee show that the company backing the nuclear plan, IP3 International, sent a draft memo backing it to Michael T. Flynn, Mr. Trump’s former national security adviser, just days after the inauguration. Mr. Flynn had worked on the plan for IP3 during the Trump campaign and transition, the Democrats said, and continued to advocate for it in the White House.
The draft memo also referenced another close Trump associate, Thomas J. Barrack, who served as chairman of the president’s inaugural committee. It said that Mr. Trump had appointed Mr. Barrack as a special representative to implement the plan, which it called “the Middle East Marshall Plan.” The memo also directed agencies to support Mr. Barrack’s efforts.
The Democrats’ investigation comes at a sensitive time, when lawmakers of both parties are incensed over the Trump administration’s reluctance to punish Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the Saudi government over the slaying of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. As supporters of the nuclear deal maneuvered in opening days of the Trump White House, the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, was orchestrating what would be Mr. Trump’s first overseas trip as president, to Saudi Arabia, and met on his own with the then-deputy crown prince, Mr. bin Salman, before the prince became the power behind the Saudi throne.
And Mr. Kushner is scheduled to travel to the region next week to brief diplomats on the economic portions of the Trump administration’s Middle East peace plan.
Mr. Cummings first disclosed claims brought to him by one of the whistle-blowers in November 2017, and called on the committee’s Republican chairman at the time to further scrutinize them. The Republicans did not touch it, so on Tuesday, after laying out a more detailed timeline of events, Mr. Cummings said he was now able to do that work himself.
“Further investigation is needed to determine whether the actions being pursued by the Trump Administration are in the national security interest of the United States or, rather, serve those who stand to gain financially as a result of this potential change in U.S. foreign policy,” Mr. Cummings’ staff wrote in the report.
The export of American nuclear technology that could be used to create nuclear weapons is strictly controlled under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954. The act says that Congress must approve such exports, and at least one of the whistle-blowers claimed that officials involved ignored warnings about such legal requirements.
A plan liked the one advocated by IP3 International has not gone forward to date. But Mr. Cummings staff said there was evidence that the White House was still kicking around the proposal.
Mr. Trump met with nuclear industry executives at the White House last week to discuss expanding their presence internationally, including in the Middle East. Bloomberg reported that the session was organized by Jack Keane, a retired a retired four-star Army general and one of the co-founder of IP3 International.
In a 24-page report from the House Oversight and Reform Committee, the Democrats said their concerns centered around actions taken in the early weeks of the Trump administration to secure government backing for a plan to build a series of nuclear power plants across Saudi Arabia.
Claims presented by whistle-blowers and White House documents obtained by the committee show that the company backing the nuclear plan, IP3 International, sent a draft memo backing it to Michael T. Flynn, Mr. Trump’s former national security adviser, just days after the inauguration. Mr. Flynn had worked on the plan for IP3 during the Trump campaign and transition, the Democrats said, and continued to advocate for it in the White House.
The draft memo also referenced another close Trump associate, Thomas J. Barrack, who served as chairman of the president’s inaugural committee. It said that Mr. Trump had appointed Mr. Barrack as a special representative to implement the plan, which it called “the Middle East Marshall Plan.” The memo also directed agencies to support Mr. Barrack’s efforts.
The Democrats’ investigation comes at a sensitive time, when lawmakers of both parties are incensed over the Trump administration’s reluctance to punish Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the Saudi government over the slaying of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. As supporters of the nuclear deal maneuvered in opening days of the Trump White House, the president’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, was orchestrating what would be Mr. Trump’s first overseas trip as president, to Saudi Arabia, and met on his own with the then-deputy crown prince, Mr. bin Salman, before the prince became the power behind the Saudi throne.
And Mr. Kushner is scheduled to travel to the region next week to brief diplomats on the economic portions of the Trump administration’s Middle East peace plan.
Mr. Cummings first disclosed claims brought to him by one of the whistle-blowers in November 2017, and called on the committee’s Republican chairman at the time to further scrutinize them. The Republicans did not touch it, so on Tuesday, after laying out a more detailed timeline of events, Mr. Cummings said he was now able to do that work himself.
“Further investigation is needed to determine whether the actions being pursued by the Trump Administration are in the national security interest of the United States or, rather, serve those who stand to gain financially as a result of this potential change in U.S. foreign policy,” Mr. Cummings’ staff wrote in the report.
The export of American nuclear technology that could be used to create nuclear weapons is strictly controlled under the Atomic Energy Act of 1954. The act says that Congress must approve such exports, and at least one of the whistle-blowers claimed that officials involved ignored warnings about such legal requirements.
A plan liked the one advocated by IP3 International has not gone forward to date. But Mr. Cummings staff said there was evidence that the White House was still kicking around the proposal.
Mr. Trump met with nuclear industry executives at the White House last week to discuss expanding their presence internationally, including in the Middle East. Bloomberg reported that the session was organized by Jack Keane, a retired a retired four-star Army general and one of the co-founder of IP3 International.
*bites from real news - 2/18/2019*
*Pissident Trump to sign directive approving scaled-back Space Force
Congress will have the final say on whether a "Space Force" is established. By Alexander Mallin and Elizabeth McLaughlin19m ago President Donald Trump is set to sign a new directive Tuesday aimed at formally establishing a new space-focu ... (ABC News)
*Bernie Sanders announces 2020 run for president
Sanders, 77, announced his candidacy in a lengthy early morning email to supporters, pledging to build a vast grassroots movement to confront the special interests that he said dominate government and politics.
*No One Knows How Many Indigenous Women Are Missing or Murdered
The findings of a new study on missing and murdered urban Indigenous women, girls and Two Spirit people are terrifying.(truthout)
*Conservative writer blasts ‘boot-licking’ Republicans for letting Trump abuse his executive powers
Many Democrats have been quick to attack Pissident Donald Trump for declaring a national emergency on the U.S.-Mexico border, asserting that he is abusing his executive powers.
*Roger Stone desperately claims ‘crosshairs’ photo of judge is not threatening: ‘It is open to interpretation’ Trump confidante Roger Stone on Monday defended his decision to post an ominous photo of U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, who is overseeing his prosecution in special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.
*13 States File Lawsuit Over Trump's 'National Emergency'
California Attorney General Xavier Becerra told NBC News that California and a dozen other states are filing a lawsuit challenging President Trump’s national emergency declaration. Said Becerra: “The president admitted that there’s not a basis for t ... (Political Wire)
*BUSTED: Man at center of North Carolina GOP election fraud scandal caught telling witnesses how to testify McCrae Dowless, the shady GOP operative at the center of the election fraud scandal in North Carolina’s Ninth Congressional District, has been caught instructing witnesses how to testify.
*WATCH: White woman flips out inside Mexican restaurant after hearing manager speak Spanish
*Ex-Trump official calls BS on president’s love for the military — and shames him for the government shutdown David Lapan, who served as the spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security under Pissident Donald Trump, called out the president on Monday after he boasted about doing a “great job” for the American military.
*Lawmakers launch new probe into 'complex web' of alleged ties between NRA, Russians
A pair of House Democrats are launching a new probe of what they called the “complex web of relationships” between members of the National Rifle Association and Russian individuals with close ties to the Krem ... (ABC News)
*MAGA hat: Klan robe of the future
CHAUNCEY DEVEGA
Scholar Matt Sears: Someday MAGA hats will be shameful secrets, like Klan robes
Scholar and Washington Post columnist says those who wear MAGA hats are "morally accountable" for Trump's actions
Presidents’ Day Can Kiss My Ass
BY
William Rivers Pitt, Truthout
PUBLISHED
February 18, 2019
...According to the most recently available data, there are 100 U.S. senators, 435 U.S. representatives, more than 500,000 state and local offices within over 87,000 state and local governments, and only one fa-chrissakes president … yet that one office gets an overwhelming amount of the ink, while the rest do 90 percent of the actual governing in the country.
Yes, the office of the president of the United States is oozing with power, and that is most of the damn problem. Look no further than the historically disgraceful display of gross presidential overreach put forth on Friday by Donald Trump. The nation is now neck-deep in a constitutional crisis because a president, on the eve of Presidents’ Day, decided he didn’t feel like bothering with Article I.
The office of the presidency is itself a recipe for disaster. The things one is required to do in order to attain that exalted position, the gruesome dotted lines one is obliged to sign on, would put a rabid wharf rat off its breakfast. Power does not merely corrupt; it attracts the manifestly corruptible. Volunteering for a job like that, spending an adult lifetime preparing for it, often begging for money from the worst people in the world to fund a campaign that now lasts three years, and all just to get there, evinces a whole file cabinet of character flaws that “hubris” only begins to explain.
Most if not all of the people running for president or considering a run are not the kind of folks you’d want to be stuck in an elevator with. Most if not all of them have already done things you wouldn’t believe, and are preparing to do things they won’t believe until they do them, just to be in a position to possibly grab that brass ring. “No man knows,” said Abraham Lincoln, “when that presidential grub gets to gnawing at him, just how deep it will get until he has tried it.”
Speaking of Lincoln, someone will certainly be at pains to remind me that Presidents’ Day is about honoring the presidents that were, not the ones that are or will be. Let’s chew that cud for a few minutes.
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Tyler, James Polk and Zach Taylor were slaveowners. Andrew Jackson was an unrepentant mass murderer. William Henry Harrison didn’t make it to the men’s room. James Buchanan was a compromised fool. Abraham Lincoln had newspaper editors arrested. Andrew Johnson was a racist at the top of his voice. Ulysses Grant stole everything not nailed down. Warren Harding was a scandal factory. Herbert Hoover was trickle-down before it was cool. Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon gave us the gift of Vietnam. Ford pardoned Nixon. Jimmy Carter sowed the seeds of 9/11. Ronald Reagan is the reason everything is awful. George H.W. Bush made it worse. Bill Clinton brought full-spectrum corporate sponsorship to the Democratic Party. George W. Bush oversaw the violent deaths and displacement of millions. Barack Obama maintained the status quo of badness. Donald Trump is an unlettered white nationalist clod who may yet oversee the dissolution of the republic.
That’s 27 of the 45 presidents we have endured. Those gruesome dotted lines have been around since the days when powdered wigs were hip. Precisely what are we celebrating?
Oh, right. Mythology. The scripted, rose-colored lullabies by which we sleep. Folks in this country are a funny lot, by and large. Point out a lie to them and they will usually thank you from their hearts. Crack the veneer of the folklore they hold dear, however, and you’ve made an enemy for life. The population in general is controlled by the fables we are fed with mother’s milk, and things like Presidents’ Day are another brick in that big, beautiful wall. The Mexican government isn’t paying for this one. We buy it dear every day.
Now, some will call me bitter, and that’s fine. I wouldn’t follow most of the presidents I’ve lived through into the water, for a galaxy of well-documented reasons. Their power makes them destructive as a matter of course, an integral and often lucrative part of what is called “doing business.” The power they possess, however, is power we as a people have ceded to them over many grinding years. Governing happens from the bottom up, but all that many choose to see is the apex of the pyramid. It’s time to turn our eyes to the fertile fields of civic participation — where genuine good work can and does happen.
Put it this way: I will never be president, and neither will you. If I ran for city council here in my little town and won, however, I would be able to have an immediate positive impact on the lives of some 26,000 people by making sure the snow is cleared, the roads are fixed, the garbage is collected, the library is well stocked and the hospitals and schools are running as well as they can. None of these actions would ever merit a breaking banner on CNN — “Student Finds Book She Needs at Library, Man Receives Competent Health Care” — but they have a direct effect on lives and commerce. They matter on the ground, right where most everybody lives.
We desperately need more of that, and less past-and-present presidential idolatry. When the time comes, vote your conscience if you so choose. Until then, take your eyes off the apex and focus on the six inches in front of your face. Imagine what good you could do in your own sphere, within reach of your arm. If that kind of thing happens often enough in enough places for a long enough time, it will be revolutionary in the purest sense of the word.
Happy Native Sovereignty Day.
Yes, the office of the president of the United States is oozing with power, and that is most of the damn problem. Look no further than the historically disgraceful display of gross presidential overreach put forth on Friday by Donald Trump. The nation is now neck-deep in a constitutional crisis because a president, on the eve of Presidents’ Day, decided he didn’t feel like bothering with Article I.
The office of the presidency is itself a recipe for disaster. The things one is required to do in order to attain that exalted position, the gruesome dotted lines one is obliged to sign on, would put a rabid wharf rat off its breakfast. Power does not merely corrupt; it attracts the manifestly corruptible. Volunteering for a job like that, spending an adult lifetime preparing for it, often begging for money from the worst people in the world to fund a campaign that now lasts three years, and all just to get there, evinces a whole file cabinet of character flaws that “hubris” only begins to explain.
Most if not all of the people running for president or considering a run are not the kind of folks you’d want to be stuck in an elevator with. Most if not all of them have already done things you wouldn’t believe, and are preparing to do things they won’t believe until they do them, just to be in a position to possibly grab that brass ring. “No man knows,” said Abraham Lincoln, “when that presidential grub gets to gnawing at him, just how deep it will get until he has tried it.”
Speaking of Lincoln, someone will certainly be at pains to remind me that Presidents’ Day is about honoring the presidents that were, not the ones that are or will be. Let’s chew that cud for a few minutes.
George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, James Madison, James Monroe, John Tyler, James Polk and Zach Taylor were slaveowners. Andrew Jackson was an unrepentant mass murderer. William Henry Harrison didn’t make it to the men’s room. James Buchanan was a compromised fool. Abraham Lincoln had newspaper editors arrested. Andrew Johnson was a racist at the top of his voice. Ulysses Grant stole everything not nailed down. Warren Harding was a scandal factory. Herbert Hoover was trickle-down before it was cool. Dwight Eisenhower, John Kennedy, Lyndon Johnson and Richard Nixon gave us the gift of Vietnam. Ford pardoned Nixon. Jimmy Carter sowed the seeds of 9/11. Ronald Reagan is the reason everything is awful. George H.W. Bush made it worse. Bill Clinton brought full-spectrum corporate sponsorship to the Democratic Party. George W. Bush oversaw the violent deaths and displacement of millions. Barack Obama maintained the status quo of badness. Donald Trump is an unlettered white nationalist clod who may yet oversee the dissolution of the republic.
That’s 27 of the 45 presidents we have endured. Those gruesome dotted lines have been around since the days when powdered wigs were hip. Precisely what are we celebrating?
Oh, right. Mythology. The scripted, rose-colored lullabies by which we sleep. Folks in this country are a funny lot, by and large. Point out a lie to them and they will usually thank you from their hearts. Crack the veneer of the folklore they hold dear, however, and you’ve made an enemy for life. The population in general is controlled by the fables we are fed with mother’s milk, and things like Presidents’ Day are another brick in that big, beautiful wall. The Mexican government isn’t paying for this one. We buy it dear every day.
Now, some will call me bitter, and that’s fine. I wouldn’t follow most of the presidents I’ve lived through into the water, for a galaxy of well-documented reasons. Their power makes them destructive as a matter of course, an integral and often lucrative part of what is called “doing business.” The power they possess, however, is power we as a people have ceded to them over many grinding years. Governing happens from the bottom up, but all that many choose to see is the apex of the pyramid. It’s time to turn our eyes to the fertile fields of civic participation — where genuine good work can and does happen.
Put it this way: I will never be president, and neither will you. If I ran for city council here in my little town and won, however, I would be able to have an immediate positive impact on the lives of some 26,000 people by making sure the snow is cleared, the roads are fixed, the garbage is collected, the library is well stocked and the hospitals and schools are running as well as they can. None of these actions would ever merit a breaking banner on CNN — “Student Finds Book She Needs at Library, Man Receives Competent Health Care” — but they have a direct effect on lives and commerce. They matter on the ground, right where most everybody lives.
We desperately need more of that, and less past-and-present presidential idolatry. When the time comes, vote your conscience if you so choose. Until then, take your eyes off the apex and focus on the six inches in front of your face. Imagine what good you could do in your own sphere, within reach of your arm. If that kind of thing happens often enough in enough places for a long enough time, it will be revolutionary in the purest sense of the word.
Happy Native Sovereignty Day.
U.S. Intelligence: Russia Tried to Con the World With Bogus Missile
The Russians hyped a cruise missile launch earlier this year. But a briefing by the CIA and a second agency
determined that it was essentially a hoax.
Ankit Panda
daily beast
02.18.19 1:17 AM ET
On Jan. 23, Russian military officials held a press conference showing off what they said was a cruise missile at the center of a years-long arms control controversy between Washington and Moscow.
Except the presentation was essentially a hoax, according to a classified briefing prepared by U.S. intelligence. Neither the missile, nor its launch vehicle, nor the accompanying schematics were what Russia claimed them to be.
The alleged Russian misdirection came just days before the United States announced that it would withdraw from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty—the treaty that Russia violated, in the U.S. view.
Almost nothing Russia showed off to support its claims at that press conference had anything to do with the missile the U.S. is most interested in, according to an assessment briefing put together by the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency.
Earlier this month, those two U.S. intelligence agencies determined that the cruise missile canisters and launch vehicle the Russian Ministry of Defense publicly showed at the briefing were not related to the missile that the United States has argued since 2014 violates the 1987 treaty, The Daily Beast has learned.
According to two U.S. government sources with knowledge of the American assessment of that Russian press conference, the treaty-violating missile is larger than the canister shown publicly by the Russian Ministry of Defense and uses a separate launch vehicle.
At the press conference, the Russian Ministry of Defense argued that the missile that the United States had said violated the treaty was simply a variant of an existing cruise missile known as the 9M728 with improved guidance. The official Russian claim was that the missile had a range that was actually 10 kilometers shorter than the older missile, due to an expanded electronics section that added mass over the older version.
Except the presentation was essentially a hoax, according to a classified briefing prepared by U.S. intelligence. Neither the missile, nor its launch vehicle, nor the accompanying schematics were what Russia claimed them to be.
The alleged Russian misdirection came just days before the United States announced that it would withdraw from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty—the treaty that Russia violated, in the U.S. view.
Almost nothing Russia showed off to support its claims at that press conference had anything to do with the missile the U.S. is most interested in, according to an assessment briefing put together by the Central Intelligence Agency and the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency.
Earlier this month, those two U.S. intelligence agencies determined that the cruise missile canisters and launch vehicle the Russian Ministry of Defense publicly showed at the briefing were not related to the missile that the United States has argued since 2014 violates the 1987 treaty, The Daily Beast has learned.
According to two U.S. government sources with knowledge of the American assessment of that Russian press conference, the treaty-violating missile is larger than the canister shown publicly by the Russian Ministry of Defense and uses a separate launch vehicle.
At the press conference, the Russian Ministry of Defense argued that the missile that the United States had said violated the treaty was simply a variant of an existing cruise missile known as the 9M728 with improved guidance. The official Russian claim was that the missile had a range that was actually 10 kilometers shorter than the older missile, due to an expanded electronics section that added mass over the older version.
TOXINS FROM VINYL FLOORING AND FLAME-RETARDANT SOFAS FOUND IN CHILDREN
BY ARISTOS GEORGIOU - newsweek
ON 2/18/19 AT 12:27 PM
Children who live in homes with certain types of flooring and furniture may be exposed to higher concentrations of potentially harmful chemicals, known as semi-volatile organic compounds, or SVOCs, according to research.
SVOCs are ubiquitous in indoor environments and can be found in everything from electronics to furniture and building materials, according to a team of scientists at Duke University, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Boston University School of Public Health. They presented their latest findings at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, D.C., on February 17.
Not surprisingly, human exposure to these compounds is widespread, particularly among young children who spend much of their time indoors where they frequently come into contact with contaminated particles, such as dust. Yet relatively few studies on the links between specific materials and SVOC exposure in children have been conducted.
In an attempt to shed light on this connection, the team monitored 203 children from 190 families in North Carolina between 2014 and 2016, during which time they collected samples from indoor air, dust and surfaces, as well as the furniture. The scientists also took handwipe, urine and blood samples from the children.
Their goal was to try to determine the level of SVOC exposure, as well as the routes through which it may be occurring—for example, breathing, skin contact or inadvertent dust inhalation.
“There is a growing awareness that the environment plays a large role in our overall health,” Heather Stapleton, a ead author of the study, told Newsweek. “For example, studies suggest that only 10-30 percent of our chronic disease risk can be explained by genetics alone.”
“Given that people spend more than 90 percent of our time indoors, and that childhood is a vulnerable period of development, we wanted to explore children’s exposure to a mixture of chemicals in the home environment, and we focused on chemicals that have been associated with health problems in previous studies—such as flame retardants, phthalates, BPA, pesticides, etc.,” she said.
The team found that children living in homes with a sofa that contained flame-retardant SVOCs known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) had blood levels of these compounds that were 6.8 times higher than kids who lived in homes without PBDEs in their sofas.
They also found that children living in homes where all the flooring was vinyl had levels of a chemical called benzyl butyl phthalate, which was 15 times higher than for those who lived in residences without vinyl flooring.
Studies have linked exposure to PBDEs with neurodevelopmental delays, thyroid disruption, cancer and other diseases.
“PBDEs have been historically used as flame retardants in a number of materials and products, including home insulation, residential furniture and electronics,” Stapleton said. “Due to their persistence, bioaccumulation and potential toxicity, PBDEs were phased out of use in the U.S. between 2005-2013. However, many people still have products in their home that contain PBDEs, for example, sofas and TVs.”
Meanwhile, exposure to benzyl butyl phthalate has been associated with respiratory disorders, skin irritation and reproductive disorders.
The researchers say their results suggest that the home is a “significant driver” of SVOC exposure in children, although they point out that the study focused on children in North Carolina, so it was difficult to determine if the observations would be similar in other areas of the U.S.
“[SVOCs] are a large class of chemicals that have specific physical properties, but in short, they are chemicals that can move from solid phases to the air over time,” Stapleton said. “Thus, products in our homes, or even building materials that have chemical treatments with SVOCs can lead to the release of these chemicals to the indoor environment over time.”
“Removing sources of these chemicals in the home is the best way to reduce exposure; however, that is sometimes difficult, as most materials do not list the chemical applications, and this can often be expensive,” she said. “We recommend ventilating homes as much as possible, using good air filters in the home and keeping dust accumulation to a minimum.”
SVOCs are ubiquitous in indoor environments and can be found in everything from electronics to furniture and building materials, according to a team of scientists at Duke University, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and Boston University School of Public Health. They presented their latest findings at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, D.C., on February 17.
Not surprisingly, human exposure to these compounds is widespread, particularly among young children who spend much of their time indoors where they frequently come into contact with contaminated particles, such as dust. Yet relatively few studies on the links between specific materials and SVOC exposure in children have been conducted.
In an attempt to shed light on this connection, the team monitored 203 children from 190 families in North Carolina between 2014 and 2016, during which time they collected samples from indoor air, dust and surfaces, as well as the furniture. The scientists also took handwipe, urine and blood samples from the children.
Their goal was to try to determine the level of SVOC exposure, as well as the routes through which it may be occurring—for example, breathing, skin contact or inadvertent dust inhalation.
“There is a growing awareness that the environment plays a large role in our overall health,” Heather Stapleton, a ead author of the study, told Newsweek. “For example, studies suggest that only 10-30 percent of our chronic disease risk can be explained by genetics alone.”
“Given that people spend more than 90 percent of our time indoors, and that childhood is a vulnerable period of development, we wanted to explore children’s exposure to a mixture of chemicals in the home environment, and we focused on chemicals that have been associated with health problems in previous studies—such as flame retardants, phthalates, BPA, pesticides, etc.,” she said.
The team found that children living in homes with a sofa that contained flame-retardant SVOCs known as polybrominated diphenyl ethers (PBDEs) had blood levels of these compounds that were 6.8 times higher than kids who lived in homes without PBDEs in their sofas.
They also found that children living in homes where all the flooring was vinyl had levels of a chemical called benzyl butyl phthalate, which was 15 times higher than for those who lived in residences without vinyl flooring.
Studies have linked exposure to PBDEs with neurodevelopmental delays, thyroid disruption, cancer and other diseases.
“PBDEs have been historically used as flame retardants in a number of materials and products, including home insulation, residential furniture and electronics,” Stapleton said. “Due to their persistence, bioaccumulation and potential toxicity, PBDEs were phased out of use in the U.S. between 2005-2013. However, many people still have products in their home that contain PBDEs, for example, sofas and TVs.”
Meanwhile, exposure to benzyl butyl phthalate has been associated with respiratory disorders, skin irritation and reproductive disorders.
The researchers say their results suggest that the home is a “significant driver” of SVOC exposure in children, although they point out that the study focused on children in North Carolina, so it was difficult to determine if the observations would be similar in other areas of the U.S.
“[SVOCs] are a large class of chemicals that have specific physical properties, but in short, they are chemicals that can move from solid phases to the air over time,” Stapleton said. “Thus, products in our homes, or even building materials that have chemical treatments with SVOCs can lead to the release of these chemicals to the indoor environment over time.”
“Removing sources of these chemicals in the home is the best way to reduce exposure; however, that is sometimes difficult, as most materials do not list the chemical applications, and this can often be expensive,” she said. “We recommend ventilating homes as much as possible, using good air filters in the home and keeping dust accumulation to a minimum.”
Trump Accuses McCabe and Rosenstein of Plotting Treason Against Him
daily beast
Donald Trump has accused Andrew McCabe and Rod Rosenstein of plotting treason against him. Former acting FBI Director McCabe has been drip-feeding revelations from his new book to the media over the past few weeks, including an assertion that Trump's decision to fire Comey in May 2017 sparked so much alarm within the agency that it led to discussions about invoking the 25th Amendment to remove him as president. He also claimed that Trump said he trusted Vladimir Putin more than U.S. intelligence when it came to the question of whether North Korean had the capability to hit the U.S. with ballistic missiles. Tweeting Monday morning, Trump said: “Wow, so many lies by now disgraced acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe. He was fired for lying, and now his story gets even more deranged. He and Rod Rosenstein, who was hired by Jeff Sessions (another beauty), look like they were planning a very illegal act, and got caught ... There is a lot of explaining to do to the millions of people who had just elected a president who they really like and who has done a great job for them with the Military, Vets, Economy and so much more. This was the illegal and treasonous ‘insurance policy’ in full action!”
France Rejects Trump's Demand to Repatriate ISIS Fighters En Masse
daily beast
France has rejected President Trump’s demand that it repatriates hundreds of Islamic State fighters from Syria en masse, saying it will only take back militants on a “case-by-case” basis. Trump tweeted Saturday night saying: “The United States is asking Britain, France, Germany and other European allies to take back over 800 ISIS fighters that we captured in Syria and put them on trial. The Caliphate is ready to fall. The alternative is not a good one in that we will be forced to release them.” But the French justice minister said Monday that the country won't be following Trump's commands. “There is a new geo-political context, with the U.S. withdrawal. For the time being we are not changing our policy,” said Nicole Belloubet, adding: “At this stage France is not responding to (Trump’s) demands.” French government policy has been to refuse to take back fighters and their wives. The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces are believed to be holding around 150 French citizens in northern Syria.
China and Iran Turbocharge Cyberattacks on U.S. Companies
daily beast
Iranian and Chinese hackers have been aggressively targeting businesses and government agencies in the U.S. in what experts believe is a direct result of Donald Trump's foreign policy, The New York Times reports. Iran has been attacking American banks, businesses and government agencies much more extensively than previously reported, while Chinese hackers have been attempting to steal trade and military secrets from American military contractors and technology companies. Boeing, General Electric Aviation and T-Mobile were all reportedly targeted by Chinese hackers. While Chinese hacks tailed off four years ago after President Obama and Xi Jinping agreed a deal to stop attempting to steal trade secrets, the recent trade wars between the two countries are believed to have unofficially canceled the pact. Chinese hacks are at a similar frequency as they were previously, but are now much more sophisticated. Iranian hacks have stepped up since Trump's withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear deal.
Facebook ‘Intentionally and Knowingly’ Violated Privacy Law, Say U.K. Lawmakers
daily beast
Facebook “intentionally and knowingly” violated data privacy and anti-competition laws, according to British lawmakers who have called for new regulations to keep social media companies in check and a formal investigation into Facebook's business practices. The British parliamentarians have been studying Facebook and the spread of malicious content online since 2017. In the report released Monday, they said: “Companies like Facebook should not be allowed to behave like ‘digital gangsters’ in the online world ... considering themselves to be ahead of and beyond the law.” They allege that Facebook was willing to “override its users’ privacy settings” for years as part of a strategy to maximize revenue from sensitive information, and deliberately put competitors at a disadvantage by limiting access to its site and data. They now want to investigate whether the company “is unfairly using its dominant market position in social media to decide which businesses should succeed or fail.” Facebook denied it had broken any British laws.
Trump's lies about diversity visas get easily debunked, again
Gabe Ortiz
Daily Kos Staff
Monday February 18, 2019 · 2:00 PM PST
Donald Trump has made over a dozen false claims about the diversity visa lottery system, and during his “speech” last week announcing a fake national emergency over his stupid border wall that American voters don’t want, he added another notch to his belt, claiming that the program is “a horror show” and falsely stating that “when countries put people into the lottery, they're not putting you in; they're putting some very bad people in the lottery.” Politifact:
Countries don't send immigrants to the U.S. lottery. The lottery is administered by the United States, not foreign governments. Applicants are randomly selected, but they must meet education and work requirements to be eligible. Those who make it to the visa application process are vetted with background checks and security screenings.
Around a year ago, Washington Post fact-checkers noted at least 16 inaccurate claims about the diversity visa, so he’s had plenty of time to inflate that number to something much bigger. A year later, he’s still complaining. Why is Trump so bent out of shape about this program? Because it’s been on his white supremacist immigration wish list: “Doing away with the diversity visa program means cutting a program that largely benefits African (40 percent) and Asian (16 percent) immigrants,” the UndocuBlack Network reports.
It is no secret that the Trump administration is on a robust mission to 1. strip immigrants of legal status and 2. ban all new immigrants—especially immigrants of color. Since 40% of immigrants accepted for the Diversity Visa Program are from Africa, this is a Black Issue. With an average of 20,000 new immigrants each year from the continent, this is the largest way for Black immigrants to legally migrate here. We must protect this program no matter what.
Trump lies about everything, and for reasons that would probably keep a pack of experts busy for years. But in this case it’s simple and clear-cut: This program ultimately benefits people of color, particularly black and Asian immigrants, and someone who’s bemoaned “shithole countries” and wondered aloud why we can’t let in more people from Norway just can’t let something like that stand.
Countries don't send immigrants to the U.S. lottery. The lottery is administered by the United States, not foreign governments. Applicants are randomly selected, but they must meet education and work requirements to be eligible. Those who make it to the visa application process are vetted with background checks and security screenings.
Around a year ago, Washington Post fact-checkers noted at least 16 inaccurate claims about the diversity visa, so he’s had plenty of time to inflate that number to something much bigger. A year later, he’s still complaining. Why is Trump so bent out of shape about this program? Because it’s been on his white supremacist immigration wish list: “Doing away with the diversity visa program means cutting a program that largely benefits African (40 percent) and Asian (16 percent) immigrants,” the UndocuBlack Network reports.
It is no secret that the Trump administration is on a robust mission to 1. strip immigrants of legal status and 2. ban all new immigrants—especially immigrants of color. Since 40% of immigrants accepted for the Diversity Visa Program are from Africa, this is a Black Issue. With an average of 20,000 new immigrants each year from the continent, this is the largest way for Black immigrants to legally migrate here. We must protect this program no matter what.
Trump lies about everything, and for reasons that would probably keep a pack of experts busy for years. But in this case it’s simple and clear-cut: This program ultimately benefits people of color, particularly black and Asian immigrants, and someone who’s bemoaned “shithole countries” and wondered aloud why we can’t let in more people from Norway just can’t let something like that stand.
*What's Inside*
february 16 - february 18
✔ANCIENT EGYPT: MYSTERY SQUATTING SKELETON OF TEENAGE GIRL DISCOVERED NEAR 4,600-YEAR-OLD PYRAMID
(ANCIENT TIMES)
*‘THAT’S IT, I’M DONE’: TRUMP VOTER QUITS SUPPORTING PRESIDENT AFTER HER TAX BILL INCREASES FIVE FOLD
(PAYBACK)
*WEST VIRGINIA OFFICIAL WHO WAS FIRED FOR CALLING MICHELLE OBAMA AN ‘APE IN HEELS’ JUST PLEADED GUILTY TO SWINDLING FEMA OUT OF $18K
(AMERIKKKANS)
*IT. IS. YOU.
(AMERIKKKANS)
*TRUMP CAN’T RUN THE MUELLER PLAYBOOK ON NEW YORK FEDS
(TRUMP)
*HOW THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT UNDERMINES PRISON EDUCATION
(EDUCATION)
*WHAT MINNESOTA LAWMAKERS ARE DOING TO PROTECT BLACK KIDS BEING PULLED OUT OF HOMES, PLACED IN FOSTER CARE
(AMERICA)
✔ENORMOUS EARTHQUAKE REVEALS HIDDEN 'MOUNTAINS' 410 MILES UNDERGROUND THAT COULD BE BIGGER THAN ANY ON EARTH'S SURFACE(CURRENTS)
*IMAGINE PLEADING GUILTY BECAUSE YOU CAN’T AFFORD TO CALL YOUR LAWYER
(AMERICA)
*STUDENTS OUTRAGED AFTER BLACK HISTORY MONTH FLYER DEFACED WITH RACIST MESSAGES AT PENNSYLVANIA UNIVERSITY
(RACE MATTERS)
✔THE NFL'S SETTLEMENT WITH KAEPERNICK SHOULD JUST BE THE START OF MAKING AMENDS
BY KAREEM ABDUL-JABBAR(COMMENTARY)
*PRO-ISRAEL DONORS SPENT OVER $22M ON LOBBYING AND CONTRIBUTIONS IN 2018
(REALITY)
*AMAZON TO PAY $0 IN FEDERAL TAXES IN 2019: REPORT
(CAPITALISM)
*ANTARCTIC ICE SHELVES: SEARCHING FOR CLUES ON CLIMATE CHANGE
(CURRENTS)
*TRUMP’S IMMIGRATION ‘EMERGENCY’ RAISES A FALSE FLAG, AND DEMEANS THE CONSTITUTION
(TALKERS)
*late news of interest*
U.S.-born Latina harassed by border agent for speaking Spanish says she's received hate mail
Gabe Ortiz
Daily Kos Staff
Monday February 18, 2019 · 12:30 PM PST
One of the two Montana women who are suing Customs and Border Protection (CBP) after they were illegally targeted by an out-of-control immigration agent for speaking Spanish in their small town of 10,000 said that while the entire incident lasted just under 45 minutes, “the consequences from it continue to this day.”
“After the video of the stop was picked up by the news,” Ana Suda writes, “Mimi and my families have been harassed repeatedly for speaking out. We received hateful messages from people across the country, but the worst was what happened in our own town, a place I considered home. At his high school, a teacher asked Mimi’s son whether he had brought his ID to class. My 8-year-old daughter is scared to speak Spanish and has started responding to me in English when I ask her questions.”
“Now when I go out to run errands,” she continues, “I consciously try to leave my kids at home, in case someone will start yelling at me or even physically attack me.” The harassment has also frightened other Spanish-speaking Latinx neighbors in their town of Havre, who have approached both women to say that they’re now fearful that speaking Spanish in public—or even just the way they look—could also get them harassed.
It’s also a reason why the two women have decided to sue following their harassment at the hands of agent Paul O'Neal. ”I know this is an important fight—not just for Latinx people, but for any community that CBP views with suspicion,” she said, noting that Native American communities there have been incredibly supportive. Hernandez added that a friend told her, “Oh, they picked the wrong person.” She said she replied, “No, they picked the right person, the person who’s going to stand up for the next one.”
--
Financial settlements for abuses are nothing new for this agency. One report last year showed the U.S. has paid out more than $60 million in settlements for incidents ranging from assault to the wrongful arrests of, you guessed it, U.S. citizens. “Four people, including two US citizens and a legal permanent resident received settlements for being wrongly deported,” the Guardian reported.
Not that settlements equal justice: One U.S. citizen who suffered a miscarriage after being thrown to the ground received only $85,000. “She did not resist in any way when he stopped her nor interfere as he searched her car,” court documents state. “She answered his questions politely and truthfully. At no time did Ms. Mireles behave in a manner that could give rise to suspicion of criminal activity, and no contraband was found in her car. Yet … in an apparent fit of pique ... Agent Riano used unnecessary and disproportionate force against Ms. Mireles and arrested her.”
The entire travesty in Havre, Montana, was humiliating for both women. O'Neal questioned the women in the convenience store parking lot, turning their interrogation into a public spectacle. “Other Border Patrol cars pulled up, with the agents in uniform and guns,” Suda said. “When I asked him whether we would have been detained for speaking French, he said, ‘No, we don’t do that.’” That statement should hopefully help both women in court.
“After the video of the stop was picked up by the news,” Ana Suda writes, “Mimi and my families have been harassed repeatedly for speaking out. We received hateful messages from people across the country, but the worst was what happened in our own town, a place I considered home. At his high school, a teacher asked Mimi’s son whether he had brought his ID to class. My 8-year-old daughter is scared to speak Spanish and has started responding to me in English when I ask her questions.”
“Now when I go out to run errands,” she continues, “I consciously try to leave my kids at home, in case someone will start yelling at me or even physically attack me.” The harassment has also frightened other Spanish-speaking Latinx neighbors in their town of Havre, who have approached both women to say that they’re now fearful that speaking Spanish in public—or even just the way they look—could also get them harassed.
It’s also a reason why the two women have decided to sue following their harassment at the hands of agent Paul O'Neal. ”I know this is an important fight—not just for Latinx people, but for any community that CBP views with suspicion,” she said, noting that Native American communities there have been incredibly supportive. Hernandez added that a friend told her, “Oh, they picked the wrong person.” She said she replied, “No, they picked the right person, the person who’s going to stand up for the next one.”
--
Financial settlements for abuses are nothing new for this agency. One report last year showed the U.S. has paid out more than $60 million in settlements for incidents ranging from assault to the wrongful arrests of, you guessed it, U.S. citizens. “Four people, including two US citizens and a legal permanent resident received settlements for being wrongly deported,” the Guardian reported.
Not that settlements equal justice: One U.S. citizen who suffered a miscarriage after being thrown to the ground received only $85,000. “She did not resist in any way when he stopped her nor interfere as he searched her car,” court documents state. “She answered his questions politely and truthfully. At no time did Ms. Mireles behave in a manner that could give rise to suspicion of criminal activity, and no contraband was found in her car. Yet … in an apparent fit of pique ... Agent Riano used unnecessary and disproportionate force against Ms. Mireles and arrested her.”
The entire travesty in Havre, Montana, was humiliating for both women. O'Neal questioned the women in the convenience store parking lot, turning their interrogation into a public spectacle. “Other Border Patrol cars pulled up, with the agents in uniform and guns,” Suda said. “When I asked him whether we would have been detained for speaking French, he said, ‘No, we don’t do that.’” That statement should hopefully help both women in court.
