December 4, 2016


News and Views


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/leon-panetta-concerns-trump-not-getting-daily-intel-briefings/

Leon Panetta on his "concerns" about Trump not getting daily intel briefings
By REENA FLORES CBS NEWS
December 4, 2016, 10:32 AM

Photograph -- Former Defense Secretary Leon Panetta expressed his concern that President-elect Donald Trump might be skipping out on receiving daily intelligence briefings, telling CBS’ “Face the Nation” that it was unprecedented in recent history for a president to do so.
Play VIDEO -- Leon Panetta weighs in on James Mattis

“Frankly, one of the concerns I have right now is that this president is not getting his intelligence briefings,” Panetta, a former CIA director, said in an interview that aired Sunday. “He’s taken a few of them, but he’s not getting them every day.”

“If you’re president of the United States, you better be in touch on a daily basis with your intelligence briefers,” Panetta went on, “so that you have an understanding as to what’s -- what’s happening in the world, what are the crises you have to pay attention to, and what steps do you have to take in order to deal with those crises?”

The Washington Post reported last month that Mr. Trump had turned away intelligence briefers several times, leaving the duty to his second-in-command, Mike Pence. Transition team officials dismissed the significance of Mr. Trump’s schedule to the Post, however, saying that the president-elect was busy drawing up his cabinet and filling administration posts in the weeks following his election.

To be without the day-to-day updates, Panetta said, would break with the protocol set by the last nine presidents.

“Every president I know -- and I worked under nine presidents -- every one has taken their intelligence daily brief because that sets the agenda for what you have to focus on as president of the United States,” he noted.

In the wide-ranging interview, Panetta, who served in President Obama’s cabinet from 2011 to 2013, also weighed in on the president-elect’s choice for defense secretary, retired Gen. James “Mad Dog” Mattis.

“I like Jim Mattis a lot,” Panetta said during the interview, taped before Trump’s decision was announced Friday. “He’s a tough general, spoke the truth, was a good advisor. I trusted his defense judgment. And so I think he’s got, you know, a lot of qualities that are important to a secretary of defense job.”

Discussing the candidates of another cabinet position -- this time, for secretary of state -- Panetta gave another frank assessment.

“You need to have a secretary of state that understands those flash points and understands how to deal with our adversaries, but also how to deal with our allies,” said Panetta, ticking off qualifications for the top diplomatic post.

Asked if he thought anyone on the president-elect’s shortlist would meet those requirements, Panetta pointed to Romney, the former Republican presidential nominee who was an outspoken critic of Mr. Trump during his campaign.

“I think Romney would be able to fit that,” he said. “I think there are others that he’s talking to that obviously would be able to accomplish that as well. But I think the president needs to understand that if he’s going to implement a strong foreign policy, if he’s going to take care of our national security, a strong secretary of state is absolutely essential to your ability to protect this country and to advance our interest in the world.”

For anyone in the Oval Office, Panetta cautioned that it’s “not good enough” to be surrounded by experienced advisers.

“The reality is, it is the president of the United States who has to make the final decision. And you can have a lot of bright people and [advisers] can present you a lot of options,” he said. “But unless you’ve taken the time as president to understand those issues, to read into those issues, to understand the consequences of those issues, you cannot just rely on others to tell you what you should or shouldn’t do. You’ve got to make the decision.”

When asked about his impressions of Mr. Trump generally, the former defense secretary noted how “unconventional” the president-elect was.

“I’m still trying to figure him out, and try to figure out just exactly who we’re going to have as the new president,” Panetta said. “He’s very unconventional, and you know, and you’re just not quite sure which Donald Trump is going to walk into the Oval Office, whether it’s the, you know, the reality TV, tweeting president, or whether it’s the business president who will be serious-minded about approaching it. So it’s really -- it’s really difficult right now to try to get a sense of just exactly what the president-elect is going to be like.”



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/dakota-access-pipeline-protesters-claim-victory-army-corps-easement/

Protesters claim major victory with Army Corps in battle over Dakota Access Pipeline
CBS/AP
December 4, 2016, 4:40 PM

Photograph -- A man from the Stolo tribe in Canada stands in Oceti Sakowin camp as “water protectors” continue to demonstrate against plans to pass the Dakota Access pipeline near the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, near Cannon Ball, North Dakota, on Dec. 4, 2016. REUTERS
Play VIDEO -- Dakota Access Pipeline protesters refuse to leave as snowstorm hits


The Army Corp of Engineers will not immediately grant the Dakota Access Pipeline the right to cross the Missouri River next to the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, officials said Sunday.

The National Congress of American Indians, which has been leading, the protests against the controversial pipeline’s plans in the Dakotas, praised the move in a statement.

“Today the Army Corp of Engineers announced its decision not to grant the easement to the Dakota Access Pipeline crossing the Missouri immediately above the Standing Rock Sioux Reservation, and to study alternate routes,” the statement said.

The U.S. Army confirmed in a statement Sunday afternoon that it will not grant an easement for the pipeline.

“The Department of the Army will not approve an easement that would allow the proposed Dakota Access Pipeline to cross under Lake Oahe in North Dakota,” the Army said.

NCAI President Brian Cladoosby said “our prayers have been answered.”

“This isn’t over, but it is enormously good news,” Cladoosby said in the statement. “All tribal peoples have prayed from the beginning for a peaceful solution, and this puts us back on track. From the start, the Standing Rock Sioux Tribe has asked for a full analysis to consider threats to the water and environment, and also the social and cultural impacts. Peace, prayer, and the water protectors have led to the right outcome.”

News about the development first appeared on social media. A video posted on Facebook showed a man identified as Remi Baldeagle saying the secretary of the Army had denied the Dakota Access pipeline easement.

“I can’t tell you how happy I am,” he said in the video clip.

“Up until this point the American government has failed us, but the American people haven’t, so I feel American today.”

The easement marks a stunning victory for pipeline protesters, who for weeks have gathered at an encampment in southern North Dakota. The Standing Rock Sioux tribe and others who have joined them wanted changes made to the route of the pipeline, which is largely complete except for a short segment underneath a Missouri River reservoir. They said the pipeline could pollute drinking water and threatens sacred sites.

Dallas-based Energy Transfer Partners previously said it was unwilling to reroute the project.

Earlier on Sunday, tribal elders had asked the military veterans joining the large Dakota Access pipeline protest encampment not to have confrontations with law enforcement officials, an organizer with Veterans Stand for Standing Rock said. The organizer added that the group was there to help out those who have dug in against the four-state, $3.8 billion project.

Veterans Stand for Standing Rock’s GoFundMe.com page had raised more than $1 million of its $1.2 million goal by Sunday - money that was due to go toward food, transportation and supplies. Cars waiting to get into the camp Sunday afternoon were backed up for more than a half-mile.


HOORAY, CONGRATULATIONS, AND GOD BLESS!!


WHO STARTED THE FAKE NEWS STORY? ANY RELATIONSHIP TO THIS LOONY TUNES PATRIOT?

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/police-man-with-assault-rifle-dc-comet-pizza-victim-of-fake-sex-trafficking-story/

Man with assault rifle enters Comet Ping Pong, victim of fake Clinton-trafficking story
CBS NEWS
December 4, 2016, 4:51 PM

Photograph -- Comet Ping Pong pizza parlor in Washington, D.C. CBS AFFILIATE WUSA
22 Photos -- Don't get fooled by these fake news sites


WASHINGTON, D.C. -- A man armed with an assault rifle Sunday afternoon allegedly walked into a popular D.C. restaurant that recently fell victim to a fake news story.

Metropolitan Police told CBS affiliate WUSA reported that the man involved in the incident is in custody.

Follow
DC Police Department ✔ @DCPoliceDept
Update: suspect armed w/ assault rifle taken into custody.
3:50 PM - 4 Dec 2016

Late last month, Comet Ping Pong was the subject of a fake news report. It is unclear if the incident is related.

As CBS affiliate WUSA reported previously, using the hashtag #PizzaGate, an imaginary story about the popular pizza shop was spread, accusing it to be the center of a child sex slave ring organized by Hillary Clinton and her former campaign manager.

As a result, the pizza place was hammered by thousands of threats, and bizarre, unsubstantiated tales about child sex trafficking.

WUSA reported that they found two women, who declined to give their names, banging on the patio at the pizza place in late November. The women were looking for the alleged tunnels used to traffic children.

“All of this is an underground tunnel that helps take the kids and transport them back and forth so they can can [sic] do these rituals,” said one of them. “They are putting a lot of curses and spells over the city. They are kidnapping the children who are missing. They were never missing because D.C. know where they are.”

Comet Ping Pong owner James Alefantis said then that the restaurant does not even have a basement.

He said he suspected the story simply emerged because he and a friend supported the Clinton campaign.

“These people are destroying their lives,” said neighbor Maura Dougherty about the conspiracy theorists. “It’s insane.”

Before the latest incident, Comet Ping Pong’s owner told WUSA that the PizzaGate conspirators have also harassed and abused his staff. The manager got so many threats and vulgar messages, his wife asked him to quit his job. And the online bullies have gone after other businesses on the block as well.


This almost sounds like a small group of teenagers who are getting their jollies from the attention they’re receiving, like a delinquent gang or a fire starter. Once in our apartment building in DC, one of the residents started setting fires in the building. He was caught, finally, and kicked out unceremoniously.

This could also be a local person in the neighborhood who had a disagreement with the pizza shop, perhaps over paying a bill or being prevented from getting inside when they were drunk and disorderly. The police do need to get the FBI involved, however, and track down the first lies and how they were transmitted.

They could be ordinary RIGHTWINGNUTS, or course. The business of conspiracy theories sounds like those groups. A white man in my building here in Jacksonville told me that he listens to a late night call in show which caters to such stories. I asked him if he believes those things and he gave me an odd look, and said, “I don’t know.” I stopped talking to him after that.

I doubt that even the Trump crowd would get themselves involved in such a pointlessly abusive thing, however, if they were mature adults. The story about the two women who refused to give their names and first told the tale, showed a fear of rituals, curses and spells may indicate that they are foreigners, because most American really don’t believe such things now. I hope everybody involved with this is caught and punished and/or put into a mental institution as needed. The amount of malice that is involved in this may indicate some future danger from them – murder, perhaps.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/paul-ryan-donald-trump-border-wall-could-include-fencing-no-deportation-force/

Paul Ryan says border wall could include fencing, no deportation force
By REENA FLORES CBS NEWS
December 4, 2016, 3:59 PM

Play VIDEO -- Trump's wall to include fencing?


House Speaker Paul Ryan discussed Donald Trump and his incoming administration’s immigration plans in an interview with “60 Minutes” airing Sunday evening, giving more details about what the Republican party plans to do to secure the border.

“No, we’re not working on a deportation force,” Ryan told CBS News’ Scott Pelley.

The Wisconsin Republican emphasized that those with criminal records would be the focus of enforcement resources.

“Here’s what we’re working on with respect to immigration, securing our border, enforcing our current laws,” Ryan said. “He talked about criminal aliens. That’s just enforcing laws for people who came here illegally, who came and committed violent crimes. We should enforce those laws. But really, what we’re focused on is securing our border.”

When Pelley noted that Mr. Trump has promised to build a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border, Ryan replied that “conditions on the ground determine what you need in a particular area.”

“Some areas, you might need a wall,” Ryan said. “Some area, you might need double fencing. My own view on this is, whatever kind of device or barrier or policy to secure the border, that’s necessary to secure the border, then do it.”

During Mr. Trump’s first televised post-election interview on “60 Minutes,” the president-elect also seemed to scale back his plans for building a border wall, saying a fence would also be acceptable across some parts of the border.

“You know, they are talking about a fence in the Republican Congress,” CBS’ Lesley Stahl told Mr. Trump shortly he claimed victory in the general election. “Would you accept a fence?

“For certain areas I would,” he responded. “But certain areas, a wall is more appropriate. I’m very good at this, it’s called construction.”

“So part wall, part fence?” Stahl pressed.

“There could be some fencing,” Mr. Trump said.

Ryan’s interview will be broadcast on “60 Minutes” Sunday, Dec. 4 at 7 p.m. ET/PT.



EXCERPT -- “No, we’re not working on a deportation force,” Ryan told CBS News’ Scott Pelley. The Wisconsin Republican emphasized that those with criminal records would be the focus of enforcement resources. “Here’s what we’re working on with respect to immigration, securing our border, enforcing our current laws,” Ryan said.” . . . . Ryan replied that “conditions on the ground determine what you need in a particular area.”


One baby step at a time, we are perhaps moving away from a cultural disaster. If Trump would simply speak in as well-considered and moderated a way as Ryan does, I would never have been so disturbed about the matter. The problem is, I don’t think that to be mature and controlled is Trump’s natural way, and I want our President to be a deep thinker and a caring person. He will face issues and people that require some finesse every day as a president, and he needs to do better about that if he is to represent our country as he should.



WTF???

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/fake-us-embassy-open-for-10-years-shut-down-in-ghana/

Fake U.S. embassy shut down in Ghana after issuing visas for 10 years
CBS NEWS
December 4, 2016, 5:05 PM

Photograph -- The exterior of the fake embassy that was shut down in Accra, Ghana. U.S. DEPARTMENT ON STATE
Photograph -- ghanaembassy.png, The fake embassy that was shut down, in Accra, Ghana. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Photograph -- ghanadocuments.png, Left: Some of the 150 passports that were taken during raids. Right: Some of the banking, education, and other ID documents that were discovered. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Photograph -- usembassy.png, The actual U.S. Embassy in Ghana. U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE


A fake U.S. embassy in Accra, Ghana that was issuing both counterfeit and legitimate U.S. visas was shut down over the summer after operating unhindered for about a decade, the U.S. State Department said.

The building of the sham operation flew a U.S. flag -- and even had a picture of President Barack Obama hanging inside.

“Signs indicated that you were in the U.S. Embassy in Ghana. However, you were not,” the State Department said on its website.

“It was not operated by the United States government, but by figures from both Ghanaian and Turkish organized crime rings and a Ghanaian attorney practicing immigration and criminal law.”

Those in charge paid corrupt officials to both look the other way and obtain legitimate documents so they could be doctored.

While operating, those involved issued fraudulently obtained, legitimate U.S. visas, as well as counterfeit visas and false identification documents -- for $6,000. The State Department didn’t say if anyone entered the U.S. using the visas, or how they were obtained by criminals.

The operation advertised using billboards and flyers, was opened three days a week and had customers from Ghana and neighboring countries Togo and Cote d’Ivoire. It would shuttle people to and from the building rather than offer walk-in appointments, the State Department said.

Over the summer, assistant regional security officer investigator at the actual U.S. Embassy in Accra shuttered the fake embassy in cooperation with partners including Ghanaian police and detectives, according to the State Department. It said an informant gave the U.S. investigator a tip about the sham embassy and another fake embassy in Accra claiming to belong to the Netherlands.



What an exciting story this is! The depth of human dishonesty is unfathomable. The depth of our stupidity in boring, repetitive jobs is also. Surely those fakes showed up in USA airports and someone wondered what their origin was. Ten years is a long time for this to go on. I’d love to see 48 hours or 20/20 feature this one.