March 17, 2017


News and Views


TODAY’S CBS ARTICLE IS BOTH EMBARRASSING AND DISTURBING. THE WASHINGTON POST STORY BELOW SHOWS THE FREQUENCY WITH WHICH THEFTS OF SECRET INFORMATION HAVE OCCURRED, AND IS VERY SIMILAR TO ONE BY THE GUARDIAN OF THE SAME PROBLEM IN BRITAIN. ANYTHING SMALL AND PORTABLE IS LIKELY TO BE STOLEN. IT SHOULD BE AT LEAST OUT OF SIGHT. WHENEVER I HAVE ANYTHING THAT LOOKS VALUABLE I LOCK IT INTO THE TRUNK OF MY CAR. A BETTER PLACE WOULD BE A SECURELY LOCKED BRIEFCASE. I WOULD HOPE, ALSO, THAT THE FILES ARE ENCRYPTED AND BACKED UP SOMEWHERE IN CYBERSPACE.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/laptop-trump-clinton-information-stolen-secret-service/
Laptop with Trump, Clinton information stolen from Secret Service
CBS NEWS
March 17, 2017, 1:07 PM

A Secret Service laptop with information on President Trump and Hillary Clinton has been stolen, CBS News homeland security correspondent Jeff Pegues reports.

According to law enforcement sources, detectives with the New York Police Department are searching for the stolen laptop, which contains contains pages of important and sensitive information.

The sources said some of the documents are important files on Pope Francis.

If the information on the laptop was released, it could be considered a compromise of national security, Pegues reports.

Photograph -- Then-Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump is surrounded by members of the Secret Service as he visits the tomb of former President Gerald Ford in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on Sept. 30, 2016. JEWEL SAMAD/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

The laptop was stolen from a Secret Service agent’s vehicle Thursday morning at about 8:40, Pegues reports. Authorities are examining surveillance video to try and identify a potential suspect.

A law enforcement official told CBS News that police have yet to determine whether the agent was targeted or a victim of a crime of opportunity. Some of the agent’s personal belongings were also stolen during the Brooklyn break-in, the official said.

The Secret Service confirmed in a statement on Friday that a laptop issued by the agency was stolen and that an employee was “the victim of a criminal act.”

“Secret Service issued laptops contain multiple layers of security including full disk encryption and are not permitted to contain classified information,” the agency said.

Also Friday, law enforcement sources confirmed that the Secret Service was planning to take action against some of the officers on the White House grounds when an intruder was arrested near the South Portico entrance last Friday, Pegues reports.

Latest White House fence jumper released pending trial
Play VIDEO
Latest White House fence jumper released pending trial

Jonathan Tran of Milpitas, California, was charged in federal court with jumping the White House fence. He could face 10 years if convicted.

Court records say Tran, 26, was apprehended by Secret Service members as he was approaching the South Portico entrance, CBS News correspondent Chip Reid reports. He was carrying two cans of Mace but claimed he was a “friend of the president” and that he had an appointment.

Mr. Trump was in the White House at the time. During lunch with Cabinet secretaries on Saturday, the president said the Secret Service did a “fantastic job.”

The law enforcement sources told CBS News on Friday that Secret Service officials examined video footage of the incident and were alarmed by the response.

Any discipline was expected to include suspension and possible termination, the sources said.

In 2014, Omar Gonzalez, armed with a knife, jumped the fence on the north side, ran into the White House and eluded eight Secret Service members before being tackled in the East Room.

A report later found a series of errors ranging from faulty radios and alarms to Secret Service fatigue and understaffing.

That same year, another fence-jumper was tackled by Secret Service dogs.

The latest incidents come on the heels of Director Joe Clancy leaving the agency. He had been brought out of retirement to stop the breaches.

The fence is about 7 feet tall. The government plans to build a new one nearly 12 feet tall, but construction isn’t expected to begin until 2018.



http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/21/AR2006092101602.html
1,100 Laptops Missing From Commerce Dept.
By Alan Sipress
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, September 22, 2006

More than 1,100 laptop computers have vanished from the Department of Commerce since 2001, including nearly 250 from the Census Bureau containing such personal information as names, incomes and Social Security numbers, federal officials said yesterday.

This disclosure by the department came in response to a request by the House Committee on Government Reform, which this summer asked 17 federal departments to detail any loss of computers holding sensitive personal information.

Of the 10 departments that have responded, the losses at Commerce are "by far the most egregious," said David Marin, staff director for the committee. He added that the silence of the remaining seven departments could reflect their reluctance to reveal problems of similar magnitude.

In a private briefing yesterday for three members of Congress, Commerce Secretary Carlos M. Gutierrez estimated that the disappearance of laptops from the Census Bureau could have compromised the personal information of about 6,200 households, Marin said. He said the department was still trying to determine the extent of the problem.

"We don't know exactly how many computers were lost or whether personal information was compromised," said Rep. Thomas M. Davis III (R-Va.), who chairs the House Government Reform Committee and attended the briefing. "The secretary has assured me that getting that information is priority number one, and I'm confident he'll get his arms around the problem."

Commerce officials told the congressmen that the inventory of missing laptops had escalated rapidly in recent weeks as the department investigated the disappearances. Marin said the committee was concerned that that number could increase significantly as Commerce officials learn more about missing handheld computers, which are increasingly being used in the Census Bureau.

Commerce officials said in a statement that they knew of no instances in which information from the missing laptops had been improperly accessed, adding that all the equipment contained safeguards that would prevent a breach of personal data.

"The amount of missing computers is high, but fortunately, the vulnerability for data misuse is low," Gutierrez said in the statement.

With its disclosure, Commerce is the latest federal agency to admit in recent months that it had lost laptops with sensitive personal data. In May, an employee of the Department of Veterans Affairs lost a laptop containing unencrypted information on about 26.5 million people. Three months later, Veterans Affairs acknowledged that a second computer, with information on about 38,000 hospital patients in Pennsylvania, was also missing.

The Federal Trade Commission has lost two laptops with files containing people's financial account numbers, and the Department of Agriculture announced that one of its laptops had disappeared along with personal information on about 350 employees.

Gutierrez and his staff told the congressmen that 1,137 laptops had been stolen, lost or otherwise vanished since 2001, mostly from the Census Bureau and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Of these, 249 contained personally identifiable information, nearly all from the Census Bureau. All were password-protected, a low-level safeguard. Only 107 of the computers were fully encrypted.
© 2006 The Washington Post Company



TRUMP STATE VISIT WITH ANGELA MERKEL

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/merkel-trump-news-conference-live-updates/
Trump fields question about his claim Obama wiretapped him
By REBECCA SHABAD CBS NEWS
March 17, 2017, 1:18 PM

President Trump and Germany Chancellor Angela Merkel held a joint press conference at the White House Thursday where they discussed and answered questions regarding their shared interests on combatting terrorism, supporting NATO and developing fair trade policies.

Mr. Trump was also asked about his claim that President Obama ordered the wiretapping of Trump Tower during the election. As far as wiretapping goes, he said, “At least we have something in common, perhaps,” as he motioned at Merkel. He was referring to a 2013 report, that was never proven, that claimed the NSA had tapped Merkel’s phone.

Mr. Trump then said that he never “made an opinion” on the allegation about Obama ordered the wiretapping of Trump Tower and that he was only quoting a “very talented legal mind” on Fox News.

“We said nothing. All we did was quote a certain very talented legal mind who was responsible for saying that on television. I didn’t make an opinion on it. That was a statement made by a very talented lawyer -- on Fox -- and so, you shouldn’t be talking to me. You should be talking to Fox,” the president said, referring to Fox News legal analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano.

Fox News anchor Shepard Smith, however, said that Fox couldn’t confirm Napolitano’s commentary, adding, “Fox News knows of no evidence of any kind that the now-President of the United States was surveilled at any time in any way. Full stop.”

During a meeting between the two leaders in the Oval Office beforehand, the press had asked for them to do a handshake, and when Merkel appears to say something to him about a handshake, but Mr. Trump appeared to either not hear her or ignored her. The awkward moment started to circulate on social media. Watch the end of the video here.


CBS News’ Emily Schultheis reports Friday’s meeting between Mr. Trump and Merkel will be watched closely on both sides of the Atlantic, particularly amid concerns that the new president’s “America First” rhetoric will reshape the longstanding close relationship between the United States and Germany.

Here’s the live blog of the news conference.

2:37 p.m. The press conference is over.

2:31 p.m. The president was asked about his claim that President Obama ordered that phones at Trump Tower be tapped during the election.

As far as wiretapping goes, he said, “At least we have something in common, perhaps,” as he motioned at Merkel. He was referring to a 2013 report that was never proven that the NSA tapped Merkel’s phone.

Mr. Trump then said that he never “made an opinion” on the allegation and that he was only quoting a “very talented legal mind” on Fox News.

2:27 p.m. Trump was asked about how unified the GOP is, and he said, “We have a very unified Republican Party.” He said it’s even more unified than during the election and that he’s had “the highest numbers” that he’s ever had in the party.

“With trade on Germany, I think we’re going to do fantastically well,” he said. “All I want is fairness. Germany has done very well in its trade deals with the United States.”

The president slammed NAFTA and said it’s been a “disaster” for the U.S.

2:23 p.m. Merkel was asked about the isolationist policy Mr. Trump is pursuing and Mr. Trump was asked about fake news.

“Nice, friendly reporter,” he said sarcastically. “I don’t believe in isolationist policy.”

He said that “our free trade” has led to bad things happening and that he is not an isolationist by any stretch of the imagination.

Merkel said they haven’t had time to talk at length about economic issues. She said freedom of movement within the European Union is very important. She said migration and immigration have to be worked on and giving refugees opportunities to shape their own lives where they are.

2:19 p.m. Mark Halperin asked Mr. Trump about healthcare and asked Merkel about Mr. Trump’s style. The president repeated that he met with a group of lawmakers who were against the GOP healthcare bill Friday morning, and now, he claims, are in favor of it.

“It’s all coming together. We’re going to have great healthcare. It’s going to be passed, I believe, and substantially, pretty quickly,” he said. “The press has covered it pretty inaccurately.”

Merkel said that people are “different” and have different ways of finding their way into politics.

2:14 p.m. Merkel said that they talked about “the international situation” and apprentice programs. She spoke about their shared interests and said Germany owes a lot to the U.S. because of its economic rise, thanks to the Marshall Plan, and standing by it during the Cold War. She said she was gratified to hear the president underline the importance of NATO and said Germany is trying to work on spending more on defense.

Merkel said that Germany is going to “step up” its work in Afghanistan and in Syria.

2:10 p.m. ET Mr. Trump kicked off the press conference saying that their two nations have a lot in common in terms of their desire for security and peace. He started speaking about rebuilding the American industrial base, and wanting to include and focus on women in that effort.

The president said he mentioned to Merkel the need for NATO members to contribute more money to the alliance because he says they owe more than they’re paying.

“I want to thank the chancellor for supporting NATO and its efforts in Afghanistan,” Mr. Trump said. “I also appreciate Chancellor Merkel’s leadership along with the french president the conflict in Ukraine where we ideally seek a peaceful solution.”

He reiterated the need to defeat “radical Islamic terrorism” and the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS). He said over lunch, they will discuss fair and reciprocal trade policies.

“Together, we can shape a future where all of our citizens have a path to financial security,” he said.



BUDGET CBO REPORT STATES BILL IS UNFAVORABLE TO THE POOR, FAVORABLE TO THE RICH. WHAT ELSE IS NEW? TODAY’S REPORT STRESSED THAT THIS FIRST BUDGET IS TO SERVE AS A BASIS FOR FURTHER DEVELOPMENT ONLY, AND WOULD NOT BE SUBJECT TO A VOTE AS IS.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/cbo-report-says-14-million-more-would-be-uninsured-by-2018/
CBO: 14M more would be uninsured by 2018 under GOP health care plan
CBS/AP March 13, 2017, 4:21 PM

The Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its analysis of the Republican health-care bill Monday.

CBO says that by 2018, 14 million more people would be uninsured under the legislation than under current law.

According to the CBO analysis, the legislation would reduce federal deficits by $337 billion over the next decade, with the largest savings coming from reductions in Medicaid outlays and the reduction of Affordable Care Act (ACA) subsidies.

HHS Secretary Tom Price said the White House disagrees “strenuously” with the report and called the finding that 14 million people would end up without insurance “virtually impossible.”

Congressional Budget Office releases analysis of GOP health bill
Play VIDEO
Congressional Budget Office releases analysis of GOP health bill

Average premiums will go up in 2018 and 2019, CBO says, because “fewer comparatively healthy people” are expected to sign up, since the individual mandate will have been eliminated. However, by 202, [sic] that increase in average premiums is expected to be offset, so that in 2026 the average premiums for single policyholders in the non-group market would be 10 percent lower than they are under Obamacare, the CBO says.

The CBO’s long-awaited cost analysis of the House GOP leadership plan, which included estimates on the number of people expected to be covered, will likely affect Republicans’ chances of passing the proposal. Millions more would be uninsured, CBO estimated.

“CBO and [the Joint Committee on Taxation] estimate that, in 2018, 14 million more people would be uninsured under the legislation than under current law,” the CBO report says. The number of uninsured would increase to 21 million in 2020 and 24 million in 2026.

Republicans pushing a plan to dismantle Barack Obama’s health care law had been bracing for a CBO analysis that was widely expected to conclude that fewer Americans will have health coverage under the proposal, despite President Donald Trump’s promise of “insurance for everybody.”

How will Congress respond to the budget office's analysis of GOP health bill?
Play VIDEO
How will Congress respond to the budget office's analysis of GOP health bill?

House Speaker Paul Ryan said Sunday on “Face the Nation” that he fully expected the CBO analysis to find fewer people were covered, since the GOP plan eliminates the government requirement to be insured.

But Ryan and Trump administration officials vowed to move forward on their proposed “repeal and replace” plan, insisting they can work past GOP disagreements and casting the issue as one of “choice” in which consumers are freed of a government mandate to buy insurance.

GOP opponents from the right and center are already hardening their positions against the Trump-backed legislation. House conservatives vowed to block the bill as “Obamacare Lite” unless there are more restrictions, even as a Republican, Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., warned the plan would never pass as is due to opposition from moderates.

“Do not walk the plank and vote for a bill that cannot pass the Senate and then have to face the consequences of that vote,” Cotton said. “If they vote for this bill, they’re going to put the House majority at risk next year.”

The president is optimistic about GOP chances of passing a health care bill, tweeting Monday, “Republicans will come together and save the day.”

At a listening session Monday, Mr. Trump said the new plan “lowers cost, expands choice, and ensures access for everyone.”

The GOP legislation would eliminate the current mandate that nearly all people in the United States carry insurance or face fines. It would use tax credits to help consumers buy health coverage, expand health savings accounts, phase out an expansion of Medicaid and cap that program for the future, end some requirements for health plans under Obama’s law, and scrap a number of taxes.

House conservatives have been openly critical of the GOP plan. Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, a co-founder of the House Freedom Caucus, has criticized the plan as an unacceptable form of “Obamacare Lite.” He and other caucus members want a quicker phase-out of Medicaid benefits and are opposed to proposed refundable tax credits* as a new entitlement that will add to government costs.

Members of the caucus will meet with White House officials on Tuesday. They expressed hope that Trump is sincere in expressing a willingness to negotiate changes, criticizing Ryan for his “take it or leave it” stance.

“I’m not for this plan and I think there’s lot of opposition to this plan in the House and Senate,” Jordan said. “Either work with us or you don’t end up getting the votes. That’s the real choice here.”

But pressuring the White House on the opposite side were moderate Republican governors and senators, who said Trump needed to allow for continuing Medicaid coverage for the poor.


NOTE: REFUNDABLE VS NONREFUNDABLE TAX CREDITS –

*https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&rlz=1C1CHBF_enUS725US725&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=refundable+tax+credits+definition&*

“Nonrefundable credits are another great way to decrease your tax bill. A nonrefundable credit is subtracted from your income tax liability, up to the total amount you owe. But unlike a refundable tax credit, a nonrefundable credit cannot reduce your tax balance beyond zero. Feb 20, 2015”


*https://www.irs.com/articles/refundable-vs-non-refundable-tax-credits
Refundable vs. Non-Refundable Tax Credits
There Are Two Main Types of Credits That Can Reduce Your Tax Bill

“Tax credits, available through the IRS, can bring you a substantial savings on your Federal income tax bill.

A tax credit reduces your tax liability dollar-for-dollar. This means that a $500 tax credit actually takes $500 off your tax balance due. A tax deduction, on the other hand, reduces your taxable income and is equal to the percentage of your marginal tax bracket …. However, not all tax credits are created equal. Most tax credits are nonrefundable, which means that any excess amount expires the year in which it is used and is not refunded to you. However, some tax credits are refundable and can actually increase your tax refund.

Refundable credits are the most versatile type of tax credit. These credits are treated just like tax payments that you make to the IRS, such as income taxes withheld from your paycheck or estimated tax payments that you make throughout the year. In other words, a refundable credit is subtracted from the amount of taxes you owe (after deductions), similar to the way the tax withheld from your paycheck is subtracted from your total yearly tax liability.

A refundable tax credit is particularly advantageous because it can reduce your tax liability to below zero. If the amount of a refundable tax credit is more than the amount of taxes due, the difference will be given back to you as a tax refund. If you are already owed a tax refund, the refundable credit will be added to increase the amount of your refund.”


TRUMP’S LISTENING SESSION (SEE BELOW.):
SO, WHAT IS A “LISTENING SESSION?” HOW LONG HAS THIS TERM BEEN IN USE? ON GOOGLE IT SOMETIMES SEEMS TO MEAN A RECOGNIZED BUSINESS OR LEGAL TERM, SUCH AS A “TOWN MEETING”, AND OTHER TIMES MORE LIKE A SOCIAL SCIENCES PHRASE SIMILAR TO “GROUP CONSCIENCE MEETING.” I HAVE GOOGLED IT IN A NUMBER OF WAYS AND FOUND NO “DEFINITION” OF THE TYPE THAT I ALWAYS WANT WITH NEW WORDS, ACRONYMS OR TERMS. I’LL LOOK AGAIN LATER, BUT FOR NOW I AM CONCLUDING THAT IT IS JUST A LOOSELY USED POPULAR PHRASE – ELEVATED COCKTAIL PARTY CHATTER, IN OTHER WORDS, CARRIED INTO GENUINE PROFESSIONAL CONTEXTS SUCH AS POLITICS OR EMPLOYEE RELATIONS BY PRIMARILY YOUNG PEOPLE. IT SEEMS TO ME THAT IT PROBABLY, AT BEST, MEANS A PANEL DISCUSSION OR PERHAPS EVEN A LECTURE ON A SPECIFIED TOPIC WHICH IS CLOSED TO AUDIENCE PARTICIPATION. BUT, NO! IT MEANS A PRESENTATION THAT IS, INSTEAD, OPEN TO QUESTIONS FROM THE AUDIENCE. IN THE OLD DAYS, THOSE WERE CALLED “QUESTION AND ANSWER SESSIONS,” WHICH MAKES CLEAR SENSE WITHOUT RESORTING TO GOOGLE.

THE FOLLOWING READER DISCUSSION IS THE BEST INFORMATION SO FAR, BECAUSE I FOUND NO “DEFINITIONS” --


https://forum.wordreference.com/threads/listening-session.2144815/

COMMENTS:

Good afternoon, everybody:
I'm "stuck": You are invited to the 2011 Oral Health Listening Session.
I can't find the correct translation. Help, please!
humita
Senior Member


It sounds strange to my ear. I have never heard of a listening session. What does it mean? I have seen it now on Google and it is everywhere, but I have no idea what the phrase is supposed to mean. It sounds like a new way just to say "Hearing". (audiencia).
Last edited: May 10, 2011
pops91710, May 10, 2011


Thank you, pops91710, for your prompt answer.
I just got more information: its simply an interactive presentation, where it will be required the participation of the audience, answering questions.
Any suggestions? I came up with "Presentación Interactiva sobre Salud Oral". Wha do you think?
humita, May 10, 2011


How about, Conversación Interactiva Sobre La Salud Oral ? It looks more two-way that way than presentación.
pops91710, May 10, 2011


Maybe "Listening Session" = "Seminar". What do you think?
RelaxLaurens, May 10, 2011

No, it's no really a "seminar". This is an interactive session.
humita, May 10, 2011


MOVING RIGHT ALONG TO THE PAINFUL TRUMP STORY BY NPR BELOW ON HIS “LISTENING SESSION.”

THE INTERESTING SECOND ITEM THAT I CAME TO IS THE ORIGINAL NPR STORY ON TRUMP’S EMBARRASSING COMMENT ABOUT FREDERICK DOUGLASS, FOLLOWED BY HIS PROTÉGÉ’S REFERENCE TO THREE RECOGNIZED AND WELL-CONSIDERED BLACK LEADERS AS “SOME OF THE TOP GANG THUGS IN CHICAGO.” AND I HASTEN TO ADD THAT THE PERSON WHO SAID THAT IS HIMSELF BLACK. HOWEVER, THE COMMENT IGNITED A WILDFIRE OF ANGER ON THE INTERNET, AND A QUICK REPHRASING

“Scott has since walked back his comments to Trump, after being criticized on social media. He said the "gang thugs" that had met with him were actually three community activists, including Corey Brooks, who endorsed Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner and was appointed to the state's Tollway board. … Our original post continues: ‘Trump responded that what is happening now in Chicago "shouldn't be happening in this country," adding that if officials there don't act, then "we're going to solve the problem for them."

THAT STATEMENT ALSO CAUSED HIS HANDLERS TO REPHRASE HIS WORDS WITHIN HOURS TO MEAN THAT, NO, HE IS NOT REFERRING TO MARTIAL LAW AND SOLDIERS IN THE STREETS OF CHICAGO. THAT’S GOOD NEWS, ANYWAY.


www.npr.org/2017/02/01/512859689/in-black-history-month-listening-session-trump-lashes-out-at-media
POLITICS
In Black History Month 'Listening Session,' Trump Lashes Out At Media
BRIAN NAYLOR
February 1, 2017 2:05 PM ET

President Trump used the occasion of a meeting with African-American supporters to launch into another attack on the news media Wednesday. At a photo op at the top of his meeting for Black History Month, Trump said that "a lot of the media is actually the opposition party," echoing a statement made by his adviser, former Breitbart News Executive Chairman Stephen Bannon, a few days ago.

"They really have to straighten out their act," the president said, adding, "We won so maybe they don't have the influence they think."

Trump singled out CNN, which he said he doesn't watch. "I don't like watching fake news," he said, adding, "Fox has treated me very nice. [sic]"

Senate Republicans Defy Democrats' Boycott To Advance Trump Nominees
POLITICS
Senate Republicans Defy Democrats' Boycott To Advance Trump Nominees

In his remarks at an event billed as an "African American History Month listening session," Trump cited the erroneous — and quickly corrected — "pool" report on Jan. 20 that the bust of Martin Luther King Jr. that President Obama had placed in the Oval Office had been removed. Trump called it fake news and said "the statue is cherished."

He said he was proud of the National Museum of African American History and Culture on the National Mall, where, he said, people can learn about King and abolitionist leader Frederick Douglass, whom he called "an example of somebody who's done an amazing job that is being recognized more and more, I notice."

Trump also likened his announcement last night of his Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch, to introducing a new product in the marketplace, calling it "such a good launch." Trump said his nominee was "outstanding in every way. I think he'll be very well-received; it was a big evening, a very big evening."

Liberals To Senate Democrats: (Don't) Do Your Jobs
POLITICS
Liberals To Senate Democrats: (Don't) Do Your Jobs

Sitting next to Trump at the morning meeting was his nominee to lead the Department of Housing and Urban Development, Ben Carson. Trump said heading up HUD is a "big job that's not only housing; it's mind and spirit."

Trump said his administration is "going to work very hard on the inner city" and that Carson will be "doing that big league, big time," adding, "that's one of his big things that he's going to be looking at."

President Trump's Tweets, Annotated
POLITICS
President Trump's Tweets, Annotated

Trump also returned to his election results, saying he "ended up getting substantially more than other candidates who had run in the past years."

Among those attending the meeting was Darrell Scott, pastor of the New Spirit Revival Center in Cleveland [http://nsrcministries.org/] and, as Scott put it, a "black Trump supporter." Scott said he had been contacted by "some of the top gang thugs in Chicago for a sit-down." The gang leaders reached out to him, Scott said, because they associated him with Trump. "They respect you," Scott told Trump. "They believe in what you're doing."

Scott said the gangs want to "lower the body count" in Chicago, which has one of the nation's worst murder rates.

Updated Feb. 2 at 5 p.m. ET

Scott has since walked back his comments to Trump, after being criticized on social media. He said the "gang thugs" that had met with him were actually three community activists, including Corey Brooks, who endorsed Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner and was appointed to the state's Tollway board.

Our original post continues:

Trump responded that what is happening now in Chicago "shouldn't be happening in this country," adding that if officials there don't act, then "we're going to solve the problem for them."

Clarification
Feb. 2, 2017

Darrell Scott, whom we quote in this story, walked back his assertion about "gang thugs" a day later. We have added his subsequent comments.


WHO IS COREY BROOKS?

http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/Gov-Rauner-Names-Rev-Corey-Brooks-to-Illinois-Tollway-Board-316524581.html
Gov. Rauner Names Rev. Corey Brooks to Illinois Tollway Board
Brooks was one of several prominent African-Americans who backed the Republican's bid over Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn

Gov. Bruce Rauner has appointed a Chicago pastor and campaign supporter to the board that oversees the Illinois Tollway.

Rauner on Friday named the Rev. Corey Brooks to the Illinois State Toll Highway Authority. The position pays $31,426 per year.

Brooks was one of several prominent African-Americans who backed the Republican's bid over Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn.

Rauner spoke to packed crowds at Brooks' New Beginnings Church in the run-up to Election Day, and Brooks appeared in a pro-Rauner campaign ad.

Brooks also said he believed an October theft of $8,000 from his church was tied to his support of Rauner.

Rauner's office said Friday that Brooks "has a strong track record of working with private and public entities to affect positive change in his community."


Source: Gov. Rauner Names Rev. Corey Brooks to Illinois Tollway Board | NBC Chicago http://www.nbcchicago.com/blogs/ward-room/Gov-Rauner-Names-Rev-Corey-Brooks-to-Illinois-Tollway-Board-316524581.html#ixzz4bbQ3XzgR
Follow us: @nbcchicago on Twitter | nbcchicago on Facebook



WIRE TAPPING IN QUOTES, NOT WIRE TAPPING !! DEADLINE EXTENDED TO MARCH 20.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/house-committee-extends-deadline-for-doj-to-provide-wiretapping-evidence/
CBS/AP March 14, 2017, 7:45 AM
House Committee extends deadline for DOJ to provide wiretapping evidence

WASHINGTON -- Facing a Monday deadline, the Justice Department asked lawmakers for more time to provide evidence backing up President Donald Trump’s unproven assertion that his predecessor wiretapped his New York skyscraper during the election. The request came as the White House appeared to soften Trump’s explosive allegation.

The House intelligence committee said it would give the Justice Department until March 20 to comply with the evidence request. That’s the date of the committee’s first open hearing on the investigation into Russia’s interference in the 2016 election and possible contacts between Trump associates and Russia.

WH press secretary: President didn't mean "wiretapping" literally
Play VIDEO
WH press secretary: President didn't mean "wiretapping" literally

A spokesman for the committee’s Republican chairman said that if the Justice Department doesn’t meet the new deadline, the panel might use its subpoena power to gather information.

“If the committee does not receive a response by then, the committee will ask for this information during the March 20 hearing and may resort to a compulsory process if our questions continue to go unanswered,” said Jack Langer, a spokesman for Rep. Devin Nunes, R-Calif.

Trump’s assertions have put his administration in a bind. Current and former administration officials have been unable to provide any evidence of the Obama administration wiretapping Trump Tower, yet the president’s aides have been reluctant to publicly contradict their boss.

White House spokesman Sean Spicer tried to clarify Trump’s comments Monday, saying the president wasn’t using the word wiretapping literally, noting that Trump had put the term in quotation marks.

“I think if you look at the president’s tweet, he said very clearly ‘wire-tapping’ in quotes,” White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters during the White House briefing.

He also suggested President Trump wasn’t accusing former President Obama specifically, but instead referring to the actions of the Obama administration.

Mr. Trump himself has not commented on the matter since his March 4 tweets, in which he said he had “just found out that Obama had my ‘wires tapped’ in Trump Tower just before the victory.” He also wrote: “Is it legal for a sitting President to be ‘wire tapping’ a race for president?”

In two other tweets, Trump described Obama tapping his phones, but did not put the phrases in quotation marks.

On Monday, President Trump again ignored questions about what evidence he has to back up his claims.

The president’s accusations against Obama came amid numerous political questions surrounding his associates’ possible ties to Russia. The FBI is investigating Trump associates’ contacts with Russia during the election, as are House and Senate intelligence committees.

The White House has asked those committees to also investigate Mr. Trump’s unverified wiretapping allegations against Obama. The House committee has turned the matter back on the Trump administration, setting the Monday deadline for the Justice Department to provide evidence.

In a response Monday evening, the Justice Department said it needed extra time to “review the request in compliance with the governing legal authorities and to determine what if any responsive documents may exist.”

Other congressional committees are also pushing the administration to clarify Trump’s claims.

Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., and Sheldon Whitehouse, D-R.I., wrote a letter to Acting Deputy Attorney General Dana Boente and FBI Director James Comey asking them to produce the paper trail created when the Justice Department’s criminal division secures warrants for wiretaps. The senators, who head the Senate Judiciary Committee’s crime and terrorism subcommittee, are seeking warrant applications and court orders, which they said can be scrubbed to protect secret intelligence sources and methods.

Graham said Monday that he was becoming “very ill-tempered” about the fact that the Senate Judiciary Committee had not received a response from the Justice Department to his letter.

“If the FBi [sic] runs over to the Intel Commitee [sic] and they testify there, and they don’t respond to my letter, I think that’s a mistake,” Graham told reporters, adding, “The FBI is under our jurisdiction.” He said he would give the Justice Department “a little bit more time.”

Mr. Trump’s critics have slammed the president for making the wiretapping claim on his Twitter account without evidence. Wiretapping a U.S. citizen would require special permission from a court, and Mr. Trump, as president, would have the ability to declassify that information.

Sen. John McCain said Sunday that the president should “either retract or to provide the information that the American people deserve.”

“If his predecessor violated the law, President Obama violated the law, we have got a serious issue here, to say the least,” McCain said.

Comey has privately urged the Justice Department to dispute the president’s claim but has not come forward to do so himself. James Clapper, who was Obama’s director of national intelligence, has said that nothing matching Trump’s claims had taken place.

White House counselor Kellyanne Conway sidestepped questions about the lack of proof Monday, saying she was “not in the job of having evidence.”

“That’s what investigations are for,” Conway told CNN’s “New Day.” “The president is pleased that the House and Senate intelligence committees have agreed that this should be part of the investigation that already exists about Russia and the campaign, an investigation that apparently has gone nowhere so far.”

In a weekend interview with the Bergen Record, a newspaper in her home state of New Jersey, Conway appeared to point toward the recent WikiLeaks release of nearly 8,000 documents that purportedly reveal secrets about the CIA’s tools for breaking into targeted computers, cellphones and even smart TVs.

“What I can say is there are many ways to surveil each other now, unfortunately,” including “microwaves that turn into cameras, et cetera,” Conway said. “So we know that that is just a fact of modern life.”

CBS News’ Alan He contributed to this report.



TO ME, BRITAIN IS OUR SISTER NATION. I DO HOPE AGAINST HOPE, THAT THE PROGRESS IN GOVERNMENT THAT WE IN WESTERN CIVILIZATION HAVE MADE WILL NOT BE ALLOWED TO DIE OR BE DESTROYED. THE FORCES WHO ARE TRYING TO DESTROY THE US, THE EU AND BRITAIN AS WELL ARE RIGHTIST AND ANTI-HUMANITARIAN. I’M AFRAID THAT THE NATURAL STATE OF THE HUMAN BEING IS THE LOWER ONE OF GREED AND ENDLESS WARFARE, WITH ACHIEVEMENTS ABOVE THAT LEVEL REMAINING ALWAYS IN A PRECARIOUS STATE.

I AM UNNERVED GREATLY BY THE COMING ISOLATION OF BRITAIN FROM THE EU. HAVING A FAMILY OF NATIONS THAT ARE FRIENDS IN CULTURE AND IN POWER IS THE WAY WE IN THE US CAN BE SAFE, I BELIEVE. TRUMP’S AIM OF ISOLATING THE USA FROM THE WORLD AT LARGE IS IN MY VIEW, AT BEST SHORT SIGHTED, AND AT WORST DISASTROUS. TRUMP ACTUALLY WANTS TO DIVEST OUR INTERESTS FROM THOSE OF NATO, OR HAS SAID SO. IF ANY OF US ARE ATTACKED, AS WELL WE MAY BE, WE WILL ALL NEED EACH OTHER.


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/britain-lurches-closer-to-leaving-the-european-union/
AP March 13, 2017, 6:56 PM
Britain lurches closer to leaving the European Union

Photograph -- A protester draped in a European Union flag takes part in a protest in support of an amendment to guarantee legal status of EU citizens, outside the Houses of Parliament in London on March 13, 2017. DANIEL LEAL-OLIVAS/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

LONDON -- Britain lurched closer to leaving the European Union Monday when Parliament stopped resisting and gave Prime Minister Theresa May the power to file for divorce from the bloc.

But in a blow to May’s government, the prospect of Scotland’s exit from the United Kingdom suddenly appeared nearer, too. Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon called for a referendum on independence within two years to stop Scotland being dragged out of the EU against its will.

British Supreme Court makes landmark "Brexit" ruling
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British Supreme Court makes landmark "Brexit" ruling

In an announcement that took many London politicians by surprise, Sturgeon vowed that Scotland would not be “taken down a path that we do not want to go down without a choice.”

Sturgeon spoke in Edinburgh hours before the European Union (Notification of Withdrawal) Bill passed its final hurdle in Parliament’s upper chamber, the House of Lords.

The House of Commons approved the bill weeks ago, but the 800-strong Lords fought to amend it, inserting a promise that EU citizens living in the U.K. will be allowed to remain after Britain pulls out of the bloc.

They also added a demand that Parliament get a “meaningful” vote on the final deal between Britain and the remaining 27 EU nations.

Both amendments were rejected Monday by the Commons, where May’s Conservatives have a majority. A handful of pro-EU Conservatives expressed their unhappiness, then abstained from the vote.

The bill returned to the Lords, in a process known as parliamentary ping pong. Faced with the decision of the elected Commons, the Lords backed down and approved it without amendments.

London's mayor warns against "hard Brexit"
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London's mayor warns against "hard Brexit"

Labor peer Dianne Hayter, who proposed the amendment on EU citizens, said the Lords had done their best, but “our view has been rejected in the elected House of Commons, and it is clear the government is not for turning.”

Once the bill receives royal assent -- a formality that should be accomplished within hours -- May will be free to invoke Article 50 of the EU’s key treaty, triggering two years of exit negotiations, by her self-imposed deadline of March 31.

May was forced to seek Parliament’s approval for the move after a Supreme Court ruling in January torpedoed her attempt to start the process of leaving the bloc without a parliamentary vote.

The House of Commons and House of Lords battled over the bill’s contents, with the status of EU nationals in Britain -- and Britons in fellow EU member countries -- drawing especially emotional debate.

Both British and EU officials have said such residents should be guaranteed the right to stay where they are, but the two sides have so far failed to provide a concrete guarantee, leaving millions of people in limbo.

Scottish National Party lawmaker Joanna Cherry told the House of Commons that one constituent, a Lithuanian, had told her “the uncertainty caused by this government and this Parliament is making her feel worse about her personal situation in Britain than she did in Lithuania under the Soviets.”

Brexit Secretary David Davis told lawmakers the government had a “moral responsibility” to the 3 million EU citizens living in Britain and the 1 million Britons in other member states, and intends to guarantee their rights as soon as possible after exit talks start.

“That is why we must pass this straightforward bill without further delay, so the prime minister can get to work on the negotiations and we can secure a quick deal that secures the status of both European Union citizens in the U.K. and also U.K. nationals living in the EU,” he said.

British Prime Minister outlines Brexit plan
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British Prime Minister outlines Brexit plan

Pro-EU lawmakers accused the government and Brexit-backing lawmakers of running roughshod over the concerns of the 48 percent of Britons who voted to stay in the EU.

Conservative legislator Dominic Grieve called the government’s opposition of handing Parliament a final vote on Brexit “deranged,” and the Green Party’s Caroline Lucas said lawmakers should not just hand ministers a blank check.

“We were not elected to be lemmings,” Lucas said.

Euroskeptics accused pro-EU legislators of trying to frustrate the will of voters who passed a June referendum to leave the EU.

“The simple truth is this -- deal or no deal, vote or no vote, positive vote or negative vote, this process is irreversible,” Conservative legislator Edward Leigh said. “We’re leaving the EU, and that’s what the people want.”

May is now free to trigger Article 50 as early as Tuesday, but the government signaled the move would come much closer to the March 31 deadline.

May spokesman James Slack repeated the government’s position that it would happen by the end of March.

“I’ve said ‘end’ many times, but it would seem I didn’t put it in capital letters strongly enough,” he said.

How a lack of trust in government explains Brexit vote
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How a lack of trust in government explains Brexit vote

The government’s satisfaction at victory in Parliament was tempered by the prospect of an independence vote that threatens the 300-year old political union between England and Scotland.

Sturgeon said she would seek to hold a referendum between the fall of 2018 and the spring of 2019 so Scottish voters could make an “informed choice” about their future.

While Britons overall voted to leave the EU, Scottish voters backed remaining by 62 to 38 percent, and Sturgeon said they should not be forced to follow the rest of the U.K. into a “hard Brexit” outside the EU single market.

In a 2014 referendum, Scottish voters rejected independence by a margin of 55 percent to 45 percent. But Sturgeon said the U.K.’s decision to leave the EU had brought about a “material change of circumstances.”

May -- whose government would have to approve a legally binding referendum -- accused Sturgeon’s Scottish National Party of political “tunnel vision” and called her announcement “deeply regrettable.”


MORE ABOUT THE SNP, CHARACTERIZED AS NEITHER LEFT NOR RIGHT, AND IN THEIR CHARMING LACK OF ORGANIZATION, SIMILAR TO THE DEMOCRATS HERE IN THE USA.

http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/alan-grant-2/snp-politics_b_7961518.html
THE BLOG
Left or Right? The Curious Case of the SNP
10/08/2015 10:59 | Updated 09 August 2016
Alan Grant
Politics, economics and popular culture writer

The Scottish National Party is a genuinely unique animal in our modern politics. It has grown from being the butt of many a political joke to become the dominant force in the Scottish Parliament in just a few election cycles. It now occupies a large swathe of the green benches in a Parliament that its members and politicians would rather not have any part of and their forward momentum, depending on how the next Holyrood elections go, shows no sign of ending.

The SNP is the main event in Scottish politics. I have already gone to great lengths about how I think the SNP will position themselves in strategic terms as we go into the next Scottish elections but in this piece I want to consider an issue that has arisen in many recent conversations I have had and witnessed; how should we view the Nationalists in the broader political context?

These chats have been an attempt to position the SNP on a political spectrum or compass. We know they are populists - this much is evident from their rhetoric, from Mhairi Black’s impassioned but ultimately content-absent maiden speech (seriously, watch it again and point to me where there was anything of substance said) to political chameleons like Tasmina Ahmed-Sheikh who needs only a couple more party membership cards to complete the set - the signs of populism abound. However, the question still stands; where are they on the left-right spectrum?

Naturally, this very much seems to depend on where the person asking stands themselves. My right-wing friends correctly point to the reckless anti-fiscal responsibility rhetoric and an unfortunate misunderstanding of how budgets, deficits and economics in general work. They also correctly point to the fact that the right-wing UK Government has grown the economy, stopped our economic decay (to an extent - we’re still accumulating far too much debt) and the UK being in an all-round improved state with its corresponding Nationalist objections. Added to this, the SNP commonly use the language of the hard left - check out their statements on land reform if you want something to read between verses of the Internationale.

So far so left wing? Well, no.

While the language, posturing - particularly the tokenistic nonsense like clapping in the Commons - and some of the policymaking are of the left, they lead my left wing friends to correctly ask; where is the redistributive action (action as opposed to empty white noise of which there is an abundance)?

A government and a party committed to a leftist conception of equality would, it would seem, be opposed to freezing council tax for everyone from struggling mums to millionaires, wouldn’t it? This policy has led to a real terms cut in council service budgets - hardly a desired leftist outcome. Furthermore, the SNP have presided over the handing out of middle-class indulgences such as free university education and free prescriptions at the expense of the NHS and especially college places, the latter of which have been shown to be of particular use to those from low or lower-middle incomes.

So are they right wing? Well, no.

I don’t think there is really an answer to the question; are the SNP a left or right wing party? They have a mix of both, depending on what is popular rather than what will work and the rhetoric occasionally does not match the policy.

I have a lot of love for my friends, most of whom disagree with me on pretty much every political issue, but I respectfully submit that in this case we are asking the wrong question. Given that the SNP flip from centre-left to centre-right depending on where public opinion is at that time it is relatively pointless to try and pin them down to one consistent position; however, if we look at the up-down scale of the political compass then I believe that we can make some headway.

If you are unfamiliar with this, admittedly terse, political mechanism then allow me to give you some background. The left-right scale is as you might expect while the up-down scale refers to a preference for liberty versus state intervention. You might call it statism versus libertarianism ranging from absolute authoritarianism to anarchism.

When we consider this scale, the SNP becomes a lot easier to place in theory and a lot more troubling in practice. Only a government and a party with a “state knows best” mentality would implement a state mandated third parent under the ominously titled “Named Persons Scheme”. Only a party with a severe statist mentality would centralise the police force and slash, in a sneaky real-terms manner, the budgets of local government.

Surely it also takes an un-libertarian government to arm the police and make it look like an accident while also attempting to scrap corroboration? As for the SNP policy of hard-headed and utterly ignorant land reform which amounts to nothing short of a land grab, I cannot conceive of a more anti-liberal and interventionist policy. The SNP also seem intent on keeping people living in state housing rather than creating an environment in which people can realistically aspire to own their own homes. Statism, it seems, is always the dish of the day for the SNP regardless of its varying left and right wing flavours.

Finally, if big government is your thing then fine, I think you do yourself a disservice as a free individual, but again, it’s fine if that is your thing. However, as someone who was raised in the tradition of those fine Scots like Adam Smith and David Hume I would consider it a damn shame if we forgot that legacy and continued down the irreversible road of statism. We are a nation with a legacy of innovation, radicalism, and freedom. We can lay a legitimate claim to be the original home of Enlightenment liberty and we can remember that if we think hard enough. Let’s get back to our roots; they’re far too valuable to forget.

Follow Alan Grant on Twitter: www.twitter.com/alangrantuk