May 25, 2016


News and Views


FIRST BLACK PERSON IN SPACE – LISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW AND READ THE ARTICLE. LIKE PRESIDENT OBAMA, HE SPLITS OUR HARD SET ANTI-BLACK BIAS APART WITH GOOD NEW INFORMATION OF THE HUMAN SORT.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/nasa-astronaut-leland-melvin-new-book-chasing-space/
CBS NEWS May 25, 2017, 2:01 PM
NASA astronaut Leland Melvin talks "Chasing Space"

NASA astronaut Leland Melvin is one of just over 550 people ever to travel to space, but his path into orbit sets him apart.

chasing-space.png
He was a standout wide receiver at the University of Richmond and was drafted by the Detroit Lions in the 1986 NFL draft. Melvin tells his remarkable story in a memoir called "Chasing Space: An Astronaut's Story of Grit, Grace, and Second Chances."

Melvin's interest in science began at a young age.

"My mother gave me a chemistry set that was not OSHA-certified, age inappropriate, and I created an explosion in her living room and that activated my brain to be a scientist," Melvin said Thursday on "CBS This Morning."

Asked how he achieved such success in his career, Melvin, who was a crew member of Space Shuttle Atlantis that launched into space in 2008, responded: "There was a lot of people that had my back when I failed. My mother and father said you can do anything you put your mind to."

He also said football prepared him to endure the rigors of becoming an astronaut.

"I think the football training in the NFL, that teamwork, that dedication, that discipline, you know, the hard practices, coming back from those hard practices and continuing to play is something that helped model the astronaut training program because it was long days, many years," Melvin said.

Now he's trying to inspire younger generations to also "chase space."

"My mission is to take the experiences that I had in space, seeing this incredible planet, going around every 90 minutes, seeing the sun rise and the sun set every 45, and bring that down to the classroom so the kids can say, 'Wow, I can do that. And that guy looks kind of like me. Maybe I can be an astronaut,'" Melvin said.



AND THE BEAT GOES ON, AND THE BEAT GOES ON.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/jared-kushner-is-the-white-house-official-under-investigation-for-ties-to-russians/
By KATHRYN WATSON CBS NEWS May 25, 2017, 7:16 PM
Jared Kushner is under scrutiny in the FBI's Russia investigation

Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, is under scrutiny in the FBI's probe of Russian election meddling and any connections between Russia and the Trump campaign, CBS News has confirmed.

Federal investigators are looking into meetings Kushner held in December with Russia's ambassador and a banker from Moscow, CBS News' Scott Pelley reported on "CBS Evening News" on Thursday. The banker, Sergey Gorkov, is the head of VEB Bank, a state-owned Russian entity that is the subject of U.S. government sanctions. Gorkov was trained by Russia's Federal Security Service, or FSB.

This doesn't necessarily mean Kushner is a subject in the Russia investigation, or that he's suspected of wrongdoing. The Washington Post reported last week that a current White House senior adviser close to the president is a significant person of interest in the law enforcement investigation into any ties between Russia and Mr. Trump's associates, although the term "person of interest" doesn't necessarily mean suspect, and has no legal meaning.

Trump said to be questioning top advisers including Jared Kushner
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Trump said to be questioning top advisers including Jared Kushner

For weeks, the Senate intelligence committee has shown interest in interviewing Kushner.

"Mr. Kushner previously volunteered to share with Congress what he knows about these meetings. He will do the same if he is contacted in connection with any other inquiry," Jamie Gorelick, Kushner's lawyer and a veteran of the Clinton-era Department of Justice, said in a statement.

The FBI's Russia investigation gained increased attention after the firing of FBI Director James Comey. Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein recently appointed FBI Director Robert Mueller to head the Russia investigation as a special counsel.

The Russia story continues to plague the Trump campaign. CBS News reported earlier this week that President Trump asked top intelligence officials to defend him against claims that his campaign collaborated with the Russian government.

CBS News' Jeff Pegues, Paula Reid and Jacqueline Alemany contributed to this report.



TRAVEL BAN MOVES ON TO THE SUPREME COURT, PRESUMABLY.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/federal-court-upholds-decision-blocking-trumps-travel-ban/
CBS/AP May 25, 2017, 2:35 PM
Federal circuit court upholds decision blocking Trump's travel ban

A federal appeals court dealt another blow to President Trump's revised travel ban targeting six Muslim-majority countries on Thursday, siding with groups that say the policy illegally targets Muslims.

The 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court ruling that blocks the Republican's administration from temporarily suspending new visas for people from Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria and Yemen. So, this latest ruling preserves the status quo.

The Richmond, Virginia-based 4th Circuit is the first appeals court to rule on the revised travel ban, which Mr. Trump's administration had hoped would avoid the legal problems that the first version encountered.

"Congress granted the president broad power to deny entry to aliens, but that power is not absolute. It cannot go unchecked when, as here, the president wields it through an executive edict that stands to cause irreparable harm to individuals across this nation," the chief judge of the circuit, Roger L. Gregory wrote.

Trump will likely appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court, the venue the president's travel ban has long been expected to reach.

3 judges weigh Trump's revised travel ban, but keep their poker faces
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3 judges weigh Trump's revised travel ban, but keep their poker faces

Attorney General Jeff Sessions was criticized last month when he expressed outrage that an "island judge" -- a federal judge in Hawaii -- had the ability to block the travel ban in March. That case now rests with the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in California.

"We are confident that the president will prevail on appeal and particularly in the Supreme Court, if not the 9th Circuit. So this is a huge matter," Sessions said at the time.

A central question in the case is whether courts should consider Trump's past statements about wanting to bar Muslims from entering the country.

The federal judge in Maryland who blocked the travel ban cited comments made by Mr. Trump and his aides -- such as outspoken spokesperson Katrina Pierson -- during the campaign and after the election as evidence that the policy was primarily motivated by the religion.

Trump's administration argued that the court should not look beyond the text of the executive order, which doesn't mention religion. The countries were not chosen because they are predominantly Muslim but because they present terrorism risks, the administration says.

Some of the 13 judges on the appeals court that heard arguments earlier this month seemed skeptical of the administration's argument. The judges made their decision this week mostly along party lines.

"Don't we get to consider what was actually said here and said very explicitly?" said Judge James Wynn Jr., who was appointed by Democratic President Barack Obama.

Other judges worried about using a candidate's word to evaluate a policy's motive.

"Can we look at his college speeches? How about his speeches to businessmen 20 years ago?" said Judge Paul Niemeyer, who was tapped by President George H.W. Bush, a Republican.

Mr. Trump campaigned on putting some sort of Muslim travel ban in place. In the months since taking office, the president has taken a slightly more conciliatory approach. In a unifying speech, he gave earlier this week in Saudi Arabia, the president said Muslims have to work together to combat extremism.

CBS News' Paula Reid contributed to this report.



THIS IS ONE OF THOSE STRANGE AND DISTURBING STORIES ABOUT PRESIDENT TRUMP’S INNER WORKINGS. DID HE WANT TO BE THE FIRST IN THE GROUP THIS BADLY?

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-shoves-prime-minister-of-montenegro/
By JOSH CARTWRIGHT CBS NEWS May 25, 2017, 4:03 PM
Trump shoves prime minister of Montenegro

During a visit to NATO headquarters, President Trump appeared to shove the Montenegrin Prime Minister Dusko Markovic.

In video of the incident, a group of leaders is seen walking together and talking, and as the group comes to a stop, Mr. Trump grasps Markovic's right arm and pushes past him to get to the front of the group. Markovic appears surprised but smiles and pats the president on the back. The president does not acknowledge him.

Mr. Trump then straightens his jacket and has a brief conversation with Lithuanian President Dalia Grybauskaite.

Markovic is brushing off the incident, according to the Associated Press, and he said that it was only "natural" that Mr. Trump be in the front row.

"I didn't really register it, I just saw reaction to it on social networks," he said. "It is quite simply a harmless situation. I don't take it any other way. So today I really had a unique opportunity to personally thank President Trump for his support, quick ratification of protocol at the US Senate and for the overall support of the United States of America in Montenegro's integration into NATO and of course for a further development of our bilateral relationships. But since today journalists are referring to that scene in different ways I would also wish to tell you that it is natural that the president of the United States is in the front row."

This is not the first awkward exchange President Trump has had on his visit to NATO. Earlier in the day, the handshake with newly-elected French president Emmanuel Macron was described by the pool reporter as having been "so long that knuckles started to turn white." NATO leaders also stood by during the dedication of a 9/11 memorial, when the president told them their contributions are too low. Mr. Trump also had to reckon with the anger of UK Prime Minister Theresa May, who is upset over the leak to the U.S. media of British intelligence on the Manchester attack.

Trump meets with NATO allies in Brussels
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Trump meets with NATO allies in Brussels

Neither Montenegro nor its prime minister are particularly well-known in America, but on June 5, the country is expected to become the 29th member of NATO, completing a process that began in 2003 when Montenegro was still part of a union with Serbia and restarted in 2006 after gaining independence.

The president's shove is a minor indignity, compared with what Markovic has had to withstand from Russia. In an interview with Time Magazine, Markovic talked about his country's own ongoing investigation of Russian interference in its elections—a failed Russian plot to stage a coup d'état to seize power, assassinate the former prime minister, and install a leader that would keep Montenegro out of NATO.

Still, Markovic, in the interview, insisted that the two countries still maintain a friendship, and that the reason for joining NATO is to end the historic cycle of conflict in the Balkans, not to oppose Russia.

"Montenegro has cherished for more than 300 years its good friendship with Russia, and we would never allow our country to be misused in order to disrupt Russian security in any way," Markovic told Time magazine.

"Nevertheless, we are going to defend our own interests and the interests of this Western community that we opted for."

Montenegro will be the last of the countries with an Adriatic coastline to join NATO and is also in talks to become a member state of the European Union.



THIS REALLY MAKES ME WONDER WHAT’S IN THOSE PHOTOS. SEE THESE TWO ARTICLES. THE SECOND SPEAKS OF THE LEVEL OF AWARENESS IN THE KILLER’S FAMILY AND AT HIS MOSQUE, AND THAT THE FATHER HAD CONFISCATED HIS PASSPORT OVER HIS RADICAL VIEWS. IN ADDITION, THE IMAM BANNED HIM FROM THE MOSQUE DUE TO HIS ESPOUSAL OF ISLAMIC STATE VIEWS, EVEN INTERRUPTING THE IMAM IN HIS CRITICISM OF ISIS. THEY DID ALL THEY COULD EXCEPT FOR ONE OTHER THING. THEY COULD HAVE CALLED THE POLICE ON HIM, FBI, ETC. THAT’S WHAT THOSE PEOPLE ARE FOR. NOBODY REALLY WANTS TO DO THAT, BUT SOMETIMES WE SHOULD. PEOPLE ALWAYS FIND IT HARD TO CHOOSE BETWEEN TIES OF LOVE AND LOYALTY AND THE NEEDS OF THE COMMUNITY AND COUNTRY. THIS IS A TIME PERIOD WHEN WE NEED TO DO THAT, THOUGH.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-05-26/manchester-attack-trump-condemns-leaks/8560524
Manchester attack: UK police to resume sharing intel after Trump promises leak investigation
Updated May 25, 2017, 18 minutes ago

PHOTO: Theresa May and Donald Trump exchange words during a NATO summit working dinner. (AP: Matt Dunham)

British police have resumed sharing information on the Manchester attack after US President Donald Trump promised to investigate and prosecute "to the fullest extent of the law" those responsible for leaking key details of the investigation to US media.

Key points:

Theresa May raised intelligence sharing issue with Donald Trump at NATO summit
Donald Trump says leak culprit should face full force of law
Manchester police say arrests so far are "significant"

Over the past three days, several key details of the investigation, including the name of the bomber, first came out in US media, angering British police who feared such leaks risked compromising their investigation.

Officials were particularly angry over photos published by The New York Times showing remnants of a blue backpack which may have held the explosive, a 12-volt battery that apparently powered the device and a possible switch in the left hand of the alleged bomber that could have ignited it.

UK officials had stopped sharing information in the wake of the leaks, but Britain's lead officer for counter-terrorism policing Mark Rowley announced they had received "fresh assurances".

A photo from the New York Times of a possible switch that may have been located in suspect's left hand.
PHOTO: A photo from The New York Times of a possible switch that was located in the suspect's left hand. (Supplied: The New York Times)

But it was not clear US officials were the source of the images, which the Times defended as "neither graphic nor disrespectful of victims" and consistent with basic reporting "on weapons used in horrific crimes".

British Prime Minister Theresa May, arriving at a NATO summit in Brussels, said the countries' partnership on defence and security was built on trust, but "part of that trust is knowing that intelligence can be shared confidently".

"She expressed the view that the intelligence sharing relationship we have with the US is hugely important and valuable, but that the information that we share should be kept secure," a British Government source said.

"The alleged leaks coming out of government agencies are deeply troubling," Mr Trump said in a statement released after he arrived in Brussels.

"I am asking the Department of Justice and other relevant agencies to launch a complete review of this matter, and if appropriate, the culprit should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

A soldier and a police officer walk past Trafalgar Square during a mobile patrol in central London.

PHOTO: Armed soldiers have been deployed across the streets of London with police after the threat level was escalated. (Reuters: Toby Melville)

The row comes as British police stepped up their investigation into a suspected network behind Salman Abedi, a 22-year-old British-born man with Libyan parents who blew himself up on Monday night at Manchester Arena after a concert by US singer Ariana Grande.

How did they miss him?

As authorities hunt a possible terrorist cell, ABC's Philip Williams says questions will no doubt be asked about how authorities missed this deadly attack.

Police are holding eight people in custody in connection with the attack and bomb disposal units were helping in searches as officers raided properties across the city.

"I want to reassure people that the arrests that we have made are significant, and initial searches of premises have revealed items that we believe are very important to the investigation," Manchester's police chief Ian Hopkins said.

With the official threat level raised to "critical", meaning a further attack could be imminent, troops have been deployed to free up police, and armed officers patrolled trains for the first time in Britain.

The state-run National Health Service said all 27 major trauma units in England had told staff to be prepared for a possible attack, ahead of the weekend and a public holiday on Monday.

People pack a square in Manchester for a minute's silence.

PHOTO: One minute silence is held at St Ann's Square in Manchester. (AP: Rui Vieira)

Meanwhile, an emerging portrait of the alleged bomber remained complicated by competing assessments over whether Abedi held views that had sparked concern and attention before the bombing.

Abedi had recently returned from Libya, where his father and younger brother were arrested on Wednesday.

Who was Salman Abedi?

A file photo of Salman Abedi.

Here is what we know so far about the man suspected of killing 22 people with a nail bomb in Manchester at an Ariana Grande concert.

A Libyan official said investigations found Abedi made a final phone call to his mother and brother just before the attack.

On that call, he purportedly told his mother: "Forgive me", said Ahmed bin Salem, a spokesman for Libya's Special Deterrent Force.

"He was giving farewell," Mr bin Salem added.

Akram Ramadan, a member of the Libyan community in Manchester who attends the city's Didsbury Mosque, said Abedi was banned from the mosque after he allegedly interrupted an imam's anti-Islamic State sermon.

Mohammed Fadl, a community leader, rejected that account and said while Abedi's family was well-known in Manchester, Abedi himself did not attend many gatherings. Still, Mr Fadl said he had heard Salman's father took his son's passport away over concerns about his close ties to alleged extremists and criminals.

"Very few people in the community here were close to him and therefore Salman's fanaticism wasn't something the community was aware of," he said.

A 2012 photo showing a young Hashim Abedi holding a gun.
PHOTO: Hashim Abedi, the younger brother of the Manchester bomber, has been arrested. (Facebook: Yousef Hannaa)

In Libya, Mr bin Salem said Abedi's mother told investigators her son had left for the UK four days before the attack after spending a month in Libya. Based on the account from a younger brother, investigators think Abedi used the internet to learn how to make a bomb and "seek victory for the Islamic State," Mr bin Salem said.

The allegations clashed with what Abedi's father said a day earlier in an interview with the AP, in which he said: "We don't believe in killing innocents."

Meanwhile, Queen Elizabeth visited the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital, where some of the casualties have been treated, and was filmed chatting with a girl lying injured on a ward. She described the attack as "very wicked".

The attack killed 22 people and injured 116 others, of whom 75 were admitted to hospital and 23 remain in a very serious condition, health authorities said.

Queen Elizabeth II speaks to a girl lying in a hospital bed.

PHOTO: Queen Elizabeth speaks to Millie Robson, 15, and her mother, Marie, at Royal Manchester Children's Hospital. (AP: Peter Byrne)
Reuters/AP



THE WORDS THAT TRUMP IS QUOTED HERE AS SAYING ARE APOLOGETIC ON THE SURFACE, BUT CHOCK FULL OF THE TERMS THAT ARE OFTEN BEING DESCRIBED IN THE PRESS NOW AS “WEASEL WORDS.” I LIKE THAT TERM, BECAUSE WHEN I SEE THAT KIND OF SPEECH IT REALLY DOES FRUSTRATE AND ANNOY ME. IT IS ANYTHING BUT A SHOW OF GOOD FAITH.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-orders-doj-to-review-leaks-in-response-to-british-complaints-after-manchester-bombing/
By REBECCA SHABAD CBS NEWS May 25, 2017, 11:33 AM
Trump orders DOJ to review leaks in response to British complaints after Manchester bombing

President Trump on Thursday vowed "to get to the bottom" of leaks coming out of his administration and said he has instructed the Department of Justice to investigate and prosecute any culprits if appropriate.

Mr. Trump appeared to be referring to U.S. leaks from Britain's investigation into the Manchester bombing on Monday.

"The alleged leaks coming out of government agencies are deeply troubling. These leaks have been going on for a long time and my Administration will get to the bottom of this. The leaks of sensitive information pose a grave threat to our national security," the president said in a statement released by the White House.

"I am asking the Department of Justice and other relevant agencies to launch a complete review of this matter, and if appropriate, the culprit should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," he added.

Mr. Trump said there is no relationship Americans "cherish more" than the "Special Relationship" between the U.S. and the United Kingdom.

British Prime Minister Theresa May was expected to confront Mr. Trump Thursday about the apparent leak in U.S. media of intelligence information from the Manchester bombing. CBS News' Mark Phillips reports British authorities are furious that photos of the aftermath of the attack, that were shared with U.S. counterterrorism officials, were published by the New York Times Wednesday. British officials say the leaks compromise their investigations by telling the people they're still hunting for what they know, Phillips reports.



THE GOOD NEWS BELOW IS THAT THE ISIS FORCES WERE THE CULPRITS IN PLACING EXPLOSIVES STRATEGICALLY WITHIN THE BUILDING, AS FOR AN IMPLOSION, SO THE DEATHS AREN’T 100% OUR FAULT. ON THE OTHER HAND, CIVILIANS SHELTERING FROM THE WEATHER HAD ENTERED THE BUILDING UNBEKNOWNST TO THE USA FORCES, AND 100 INNOCENTS DIED. THE BEST THAT WAR CAN DELIVER IS STILL UNACCEPTABLE. WE DO NEED TO STOP ISIS, OF COURSE, BUT THE COST IS HORRIBLE.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/pentagon-report-says-more-than-100-civilians-killed-in-march-bombing-in-iraq/
CBS/AP May 25, 2017, 12:16 PM
Pentagon report says more than 100 civilians killed in March bombing in Iraq

Photograph -- Firefighters search for the bodies of civilians who were killed after an air strike against ISIS fighters triggered a massive explosion in Mosul, Iraq, on March 22, 2017. REUTERS

WASHINGTON -- A Pentagon investigation has found that more than 100 civilians were killed after the U.S. dropped a bomb on a building in Mosul, Iraq, in March.

The probe found that the U.S. bomb triggered secondary explosions from devices clandestinely planted there by fighters from the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS). And the military says the secondary blasts caused the concrete building to collapse.

The lead investigator and author of the report is Air Force Brig. Gen. Matthew Isler.

Mosul airstrike under investigation after at least 100 killed in huge explosion
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Mosul airstrike under investigation after at least 100 killed in huge explosion
The air strike had been requested by Iraqi troops who were 100 yards away and could see the location of the two snipers on the second floor of a two story building, investigators found.

However, the Iraqis could only see one side of the building and did not observe any civilians entering the building. Bad weather on the two preceding days prevented observation of the building from drones overhead, CBS News national security correspondent David Martin reports.

When the strike was approved, coalition forces had no information that civilians had taken shelter inside the building, Isler said.

Both snipers were killed in the strike and ensuing secondary explosion, as well as 101 civilians taking shelter in the lower floors. Another four civilians died in a nearby building, Isler said. He said 36 civilians remain unaccounted for.

The investigation determined that the collapse of the building could not have been caused by the 500 U.S. pound bomb, which contained 196 pounds of explosives. Explosives experts estimated it would take at least 1,000 pounds of TNT distributed throughout the second floor of the building to bring it down.

Explosive residue found at the blast site did not match the type of explosives used in a 500-pound bomb, Isler said, but did match explosives previously used by ISIS.

"They put a lot of work into this set up," Isler said. He concluded ISIS intended the explosives to kill civilians once the sniper's nest was bombed.

The civilians had taken shelter in the basement and on the first floor of the building because it was well-built and the owner had offered it up as shelter.

It was likely the largest single incident of civilian deaths since the U.S. air campaign against IS began in 2014. The deaths represent about a quarter of all civilian deaths since the U.S. air campaign began.



WAR OF THE WILLS? I DON’T WANT TO HURT ANYONE’S FEELINGS, BUT THE TWO THINGS I DISLIKE MOST (IN ADDITION TO LITTLE SNIDE COMMENTS) ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE AFRAID TO TOUCH ANOTHER AND PEOPLE WHOSE RANGE OF FOODS WHICH THEY WILL EAT MAKES THEM IMPOSSIBLE AS A GUEST, HUSBAND OR CHILD. THEY SHOULD GO BACK AND LIVE WITH THEIR MAMA AGAIN. NONETHELESS, THIS STORY DOES END WITH A SHARED LAUGH, WITH IS A GOOD SIGN. I HOPE THEY WON’T HAVE A DIFFICULT RELATIONSHIP BECAUSE WE NEED FRANCE AND GERMANY – NATO IN GENERAL, ACTUALLY – AS MUCH AS WE DO BRITAIN. THE OLD FASHIONED TERM “THE FREE WORLD” IS STILL APPROPRIATE TODAY IN MOST CASES.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-macron-handshake-turns-into-showdown/
CBS/AP May 25, 2017, 3:35 PM
Trump, Macron handshake turns into showdown

BRUSSELS -- U.S. President Donald Trump met his match in a handshake showdown with France's new president, Emmanuel Macron.

At their first meeting, ahead of a NATO summit in Brussels on Thursday, the two men locked hands for so long that knuckles started turning white.

Trump finally seemed ready to pull away -- but Macron evidently wasn't. The French leader held the shake for a few seconds more. Both men's jaws seemed to clench.

rtx37kqn.jpg
U.S. President Donald Trump (L) shakes hands with French President Emmanuel Macron before a working lunch ahead of a NATO Summit in Brussels, Belgium, on May 25, 2017. REUTERS

Trump has described himself as "a germ freak" and called handshakes "barbaric." In his 1997 book "The Art of the Comeback," Trump wrote he'd "often thought of taking out a series of newspaper ads encouraging the abolishment of the handshake."

Trump's aversion to hand-shaking seemed to lessen over the course of the U.S. presidential campaign. He's now deep into an inaugural world tour that has forced him to exchange hand greetings with leaders from Israel to the Vatican.

rtx37kp3.jpg
U.S. President Donald Trump (L) and France's President Emmanuel Macron shake hands before a working lunch ahead of a NATO Summit in Brussels, Belgium, on Thu., May 25, 2017. REUTERS

Macron won France's election this month by positioning himself as the anti-Trump, embracing globalization and immigration.

But as a 39-year-old who has never held elected office, Macron clearly was excited about the appearance with the U.S. president, which cemented his status as a new global player -- and as a formidable hand-shaker.

Later, Mr. Trump extended his hand to Mr. Macron while the leaders gathered prior to the remarks at the unveiling of NATO's Article 5 and Berlin Wall memorials. The presidents shook hands momentarily before Mr. Trump quickly pulled back and they shared a laugh.



I’M AFRAID THAT TRUMP’S PROBABLY MISTAKEN SHARING OF THE SECRET INFORMATION WITH THE RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR HAS MADE IT AROUND THE WORLD AND BACK AGAIN, AND PEOPLE LIKE BRITAIN MAY NEVER TRUST HIM AGAIN. THAT NOT ONLY MAKES ME SAD, IT WORRIES ME.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/manchester-bombing-arrests-network-isis-leaks-intelligence-britain-angry/
CBS NEWS May 25, 2017, 6:48 AM
U.S. leaks shed light on Manchester attack, but infuriate U.K.

MANCHESTER, England -- Britain fell silent on Thursday morning in memory of those murdered in Manchester -- a tribute to the 22 lives, many of them young, ended so cruelly by a suicide bomber.

As CBS News correspondent Mark Phillips reports, beyond the unspeakable grief, the investigation is continuing apace.

Report: Police find more explosives in raids across Manchester
Play VIDEO
Report: Police find more explosives in raids across Manchester
Police have found more evidence that the bombing was not the work of a lone wolf, but of a terror network. Two more men were arrested Thursday morning -- detained in raids around the south Manchester district of Moss Side, where suicide bomber Salman Abedi lived with his family. There are now eight men in custody in connection with the attack.

Some of the clues suggesting Abedi was part of a wider terror network in Manchester have been revealed in leaked photos of the remnants of the bomb itself. The images show a shredded backpack that the device was apparently carried in, metal bolts and screws used as lethal shrapnel, and the apparent trigger, believed to have been carried in the bomber's left hand and showing a small circuit board.

It was the work, reports Phillips, of a relatively sophisticated bomb-maker, with skills the suicide bomber is not thought to have possessed himself.

British authorities are now furious that the photos, shared with American counterterrorism officials, have leaked out -- originally in the United States. They say the leaks compromise their investigations by telling the people they're still hunting for what they know.

Was Manchester bomber part of a terror network?
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Was Manchester bomber part of a terror network?
Prime Minister Theresa May said Thursday morning that when she meets later in the day with President Trump in Brussels, she would make it clear "that intelligence shared must remain secure."

Speaking later Thursday in Brussels, May described the intelligence sharing relationship between the U.S. and Britain as "deep," but added that it was, "built on trust, and part of that trust is knowing that intelligence can be shared confidently."

After meeting May, President Trump described the leaks as "very troubling."

A former senior U.K. government counterterrorism official, however, suggested Mr. Trump's administration could be partly to blame.

"I fear we may be caught up in the crossfire of disagreements between the Trump administration and the intelligence services, but this must stop," Lord Carlile, a former independent reviewer of terrorism to the U.K. government, told Sky News.

Carlile blasted whomever leaked the information to U.S. media, "without a thought to the consequences," and said they "should be prosecuted."

U.K. upset about Manchester investigation leaks
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U.K. upset about Manchester investigation leaks

Greater Manchester Police Chief Constable Ian Hopkins said Thursday that it was "absolutely understandable" that the leaks to U.S. media had caused the victims' families distress, but he would not comment on reports by British outlets suggesting intelligence sharing between the two allies would be reduced to some extent as a result.

Multiple media outlets said Thursday, citing anonymous British intelligence sources, that the Greater Manchester Police would stop sharing information on their fast-developing investigation into the bombing with U.S. counterparts, but the U.K. government did not confirm that.

Hopkins described the arrests made thus far as "significant," and items found during the investigation as "very important."

Abedi's movements just before the attack have also lent credence to the terror cell theory. Police sources say he was captured on security camera video at a store in Manchester, possibly buying the backpack used to carry the device.

hashem-abedi-libya.jpg
Hashem Abedi, younger brother of Manchester suicide bomber Salman Abedi, is seen in an undated photo during a visit to Libya. UNIVERSAL NEWS & SPORT
Abedi had been to Libya -- where his parents are from -- just prior to the attack. Officials believe he may have met with ISIS operatives there. Abedi's brother Hashem and father Ramadan were detained on Wednesday by one of the militia groups in Tripoli that claims to be an anti-terrorism force.

U.K. raises threat level to critical following Manchester terror attack
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U.K. raises threat level to critical following Manchester terror attack
In her remarks Thursday morning, Prime Minister May said the nation's terrorism threat level would remain at critical, meaning another attack could be imminent.

The "public should remain vigilant," she warned.

But as the investigation continues, so does the grief. Charlotte Campbell learned only on Wednesday that her 15-year-old daughter Olivia was among those killed in the attack on Manchester Arena.

"I don't know what to do, I just knew, something told me I had to come here -- I could see Olivia's friends there. As a family we're untied, we're standing strong. I ask her friends, strangers, relatives to do the same," the bereaved mother said. "Please stay together -- don't let this beat any of us, please -- don't let my daughter be a victim!"

Queen Elizabeth II paid a surprise visit on Thursday morning to victims still recovering from their injuries at a Manchester hospital. She was greeted by a head nurse before going inside to meet young victims of the attack.



SADNESS AND SIGHS – AND PERHAPS LIES?

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/doj-says-sessions-was-instructed-not-to-disclose-meetings-with-foreign-dignitaries/
By KATHRYN WATSON CBS NEWS May 25, 2017, 1:47 PM
DOJ says Jeff Sessions was told not to disclose meetings with foreign dignitaries

Photograph -- U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions speaks on issues related to visas and travel after President Trump signed a new travel ban order in Washington on March 6, 2017. REUTERS

The Department of Justice claims Attorney General Jeff Sessions was "instructed" not to disclose meetings with foreign dignitaries.

Sessions, who met with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak at least twice last year, didn't list those interactions on his security clearance application because he was told he didn't need to, according to the DOJ. The forms require applicants to list any contacts with a foreign government or its representatives.

"As a United States senator, the attorney general met hundreds -- if not thousands -- of foreign dignitaries and their staff," DOJ's Deputy Director of Public Affairs Ian Prior said in a statement. "In filling out the SF-86 form, the attorney general's staff consulted with those familiar with the process, as well as the FBI investigator handling the background check, and was instructed not to list meetings with foreign dignitaries and their staff connected with his Senate activities."

The statement did not say exactly who told Sessions' staff not to list the contacts.

During his confirmation process, Sessions claimed under oath he did not have any contact with any part of the Russian government before or after the 2016 election. That turned out not to be the case. Sessions recused himself from the law enforcement investigation into Russian election meddling and any ties to the Trump campaign, leaving that probe to Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein. Rosenstein also stepped away from the probe, naming former FBI Director Robert Mueller to be the investigation's special prosecutor.

Play VIDEO -- Did Russia plant a fake email to reignite the Clinton server investigation?

President Trump insists the investigation into Russian meddling is a "witch hunt," but the public seems to differ. A Fox News poll released Wednesday found 61 percent of respondents were concerned about "Russian meddling in U.S. affairs."

The day after he fired FBI Director James Comey, the president reportedly told Russian diplomats that firing Comey relieved great pressure on him.

CBS News justice reporter Paula Reid contributed to this report.



THOSE OF US WHO WANT OUR “INFORMATION” TO STAY THE SAME, AS THOUGH WRITTEN IN STONE WILL NOT LIKE THIS STORY, BUT I DO; BECAUSE IT IS THE NATURAL PROGRESS OF THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD TOWARD A NEW VIEW OF TRUTH, AND TO ME EACH NEW PIECE OF INFORMATION IS EXCITING. HOPE YOU LIKE THIS STORY!

THE FACT, HOWEVER, IS THAT THERE IS NO WAY TO BE DEAD CERTAIN ABOUT SOMETHING THAT HAPPENED ABOUT 80,000 YEARS AGO – WHICH IS WHY SCIENTISTS RARELY SPEAK IN ABSOLUTELY POSITIVE WORDS AS THIS ARTICLE QUOTES. IT IS A GREAT POSSIBILITY, THOUGH, SO I JUST ACCEPT IT AS ANOTHER NEW IDEA TO THINK ABOUT, AND KEEP MY EYES OPEN FOR MORE TO COME!

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/2017/05/22/europe-birthplace-mankind-not-africa-scientists-find/?WT.mc_id=tmg_share_em
Science
Europe was the birthplace of mankind, not Africa, scientists find
Sarah Knapton, science editor
22 MAY 2017 • 7:00PM


Image -- An artist's reconstruction of Graecopithecus freybergi, left, with the jawbone and tooth found in Bulgaria and Greece CREDIT: UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

The history of human evolution has been rewritten after scientists discovered that Europe was the birthplace of mankind, not Africa.

Currently, most experts believe that our human lineage split from apes around seven million years ago in central Africa, where hominids remained for the next five million years before venturing further afield.

But two fossils of an ape-like creature which had human-like teeth have been found in Bulgaria and Greece, dating to 7.2 million years ago.

The discovery of the creature, named Graecopithecus freybergi, and nicknameded [sic] ‘El Graeco' by scientists, proves our ancestors were already starting to evolve in Europe 200,000 years before the earliest African hominid.

An international team of researchers say the findings entirely change the beginning of human history and place the last common ancestor of both chimpanzees and humans - the so-called Missing Link - in the Mediterranean region.

To some extent this is a newly discovered missing link
Professor Nikolai Spassov, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences

At that time climate change had turned Eastern Europe into an open savannah which forced apes to find new food sources, sparking a shift towards bipedalism, the researchers believe.

“This study changes the ideas related to the knowledge about the time and the place of the first steps of the humankind,” said Professor Nikolai Spassov from the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences.

“Graecopithecus is not an ape. He is a member of the tribe of hominins and the direct ancestor of homo.

“The food of the Graecopithecus was related to the rather dry and hard savannah vegetation, unlike that of the recent great apes which are living in forests. Therefore, like humans, he has wide molars and thick enamel.

The species could be the first hominid ever to exist CREDIT: UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO

"To some extent this is a newly discovered missing link. But missing links will always exist, because evolution is infinite chain of subsequent forms. Probably El Graeco's face will resemble a great ape, with shorter canines."

An artist's impression of Graecopithecus CREDIT: NATIONAL MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY - SOFIA, ASSEN IGNATOV

The team analysed the two known specimens of Graecopithecus freybergi: a lower jaw from Greece and an upper premolar tooth from Bulgaria.

Using computer tomography*, they were able to visualise the internal structures of the fossils and show that the roots of premolars are widely fused.

"While great apes typically have two or three separate and diverging roots, the roots of Graecopithecus converge and are partially fused - a feature that is characteristic of modern humans, early humans and several pre-humans,", said lead researcher Professor Madelaine Böhme of the University of Tübingen.

The lower jaw, has additional dental root features, suggesting that the species was a hominid.

Photograph -- The tooth of Graecopithecus, CREDIT: UNIVERSITY OF TUBINGEN

The species was also found to be several hundred thousand years older than the oldest African hominid, Sahelanthropus tchadensis which was found in Chad.

"We were surprised by our results, as pre-humans were previously known only from sub-Saharan Africa," said doctoral student Jochen Fuss, a Tübingen PhD student who conducted this part of the study.

Professor David Begun, a University of Toronto paleoanthropologist and co-author of this study, added: "This dating allows us to move the human-chimpanzee split into the Mediterranean area."

During the period the Mediterranean Sea went through frequent periods of drying up completely, forming a land bridge between Europe and Africa and allowing apes and early hominids to pass between the continents.

Photograph -- The jawbone of Graecopithecus, CREDIT: UNIVERSITY OF TUBINGEN

The team believe that evolution of hominids may have been driven by dramatic environmental changes which sparked the formation of the North African Sahara more than seven million years ago and pushed species further North.

They found large amounts of Saharan sand in layers dating from the period, suggesting that it lay much further North than today.

Professor Böhme added: "Our findings may eventually change our ideas about the origin of humanity. I personally don't think that the descendants of Graecopithecus die out, they may have spread to Africa later. The split of chimps and humans was a single event. Our data support the view that this split was happening in the eastern Mediterranean - not in Africa.

"If accepted, this theory will indeed alter the very beginning of human history."

However some experts were more skeptical about the findings.

Retired anthropologist and author Dr Peter Andrews, formerly at the Natural History Museum in London, said: "It is possible that the human lineage originated in Europe, but very substantial fossil evidence places the origin in Africa, including several partial skeletons and skulls.

"I would be hesitant about using a single character from an isolated fossil to set against the evidence from Africa."

The new research was published in the journal PLOS One.


Computed tomography* is the proper term, according to Merriam-Webster, on Google.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/computed%20tomography

“Definition of computed tomography: radiography in which a three-dimensional image of a body structure is constructed by computer from a series of plane cross-sectional images made along an axis —called also computed axial tomography, computerized axial tomography, computerized tomography”

(“yeah, right….”)

Maybe this one from the same site will work better:

Student Dictionary -- One entry found for computed tomography.

Main Entry: computed tomography
Function: noun
: the process by which a CAT scan is produced -- called also computerized tomography.

OH, OF COURSE!


THIS A SECOND ARTICLE ON THE SAME SUBJECT, BUT WITH A GOOD DEAL MORE DETAILS INCLUDED, INCLUDING A PEEK BEHIND THE STORY. TO SEE HOW THE SCIENTISTS SCRAP AND ARGUE OVER THEIR FINDINGS, SEE THE SECTION BELOW CALLED “SIGNS OF THE TIMES.”

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2132026-our-common-ancestor-with-chimps-may-be-from-europe-not-africa/
DAILY NEWS 22 May 2017
Our common ancestor with chimps may be from Europe, not Africa
By Colin Barras

Image -- Graecopithecus seems to be different from any other ancient ape found in Europe
Painting by Chicago-based artist Velizar Simeonovski according to scientific instructions of Madelaine Böhme and Nikolai Spassov

The last common ancestor we shared with chimps seems to have lived in the eastern Mediterranean – not in East Africa as generally assumed.

This bold conclusion comes from a study of Greek and Bulgarian fossils, suggesting that the most mysterious of all ancient European apes was actually a human ancestor, or hominin. However, other researchers remain unconvinced by the claim.

Go back 12 or more million years ago and Europe was an ape’s paradise. But, about 10 million years ago, environmental conditions deteriorated and the European apes began to disappear. Apes became largely confined to Africa, splitting there into gorillas, chimpanzees and humans.

At least, that’s what most researchers think happened. But in 2012, Nikolai Spassov at the National Museum of Natural History in Sofia, Bulgaria, and his colleagues reported the discovery of an ape tooth from Bulgaria that was just 7 million years old. It was, they said, the youngest European ape fossil yet found.

Very Ancient Greek

Spassov and his colleagues – including Madelaine Böhme at the University of Tübingen in Germany and David Begun at the University of Toronto, Canada – now think the tooth belongs to an ape called Graecopithecus that clung on in eastern Europe long after the other apes had disappeared from the continent. What’s more, the team says, Graecopithecus was no ordinary ape – it was a hominin.

Other than the Bulgarian tooth, Graecopithecus is known from just one fossil jawbone found near Athens in 1944. The fossil was reportedly unearthed as the occupying German forces were building a wartime bunker – although Spassov says the exact details of the story are unclear.

Ancient humans: What we know and still don’t know about them

With so little fossil material to work with, Graecopithecus is the most poorly known of all European apes. This is not helped by the fact that the Greek jawbone – nicknamed El Graeco – has a heavily worn surface.

But Spassov and his colleagues have used a micro-CT scanner to peer into the jawbone of El Graeco, and found that the roots of one of the premolars are “fused” together in an unusual way.

“This condition is so far only known to occur regularly in hominins – pre-humans and humans,” Spassov says. “It is extremely rare in recent chimps.”

There are also hints from the jaw that Graecopithecus had relatively small canines – another hominin trait. Together, the two features suggest Graecopithecus may have been a hominin, the researchers say.

Signs of the times

In a complementary analysis, the team has also investigated the local geology in Greece and Bulgaria at the time to establish that Graecopithecus lived in exactly the sort of dry savannah-like environment traditionally thought to have driven early hominin evolution.

What’s more, geological dating techniques suggest it was alive between 7.18 and 7.25 million years ago – which means Graecopithecus slightly predates the oldest potential hominin found in Africa: Sahelanthropus is between 7 and 6 million years old.

Putting the pieces of the puzzle together, the team thinks that hominins might have split from the chimp evolutionary lineage in the eastern Mediterranean a little earlier than 7.25 million years ago. In other words, they say, that our last common ancestor with chimps may have been an eastern European.

David Alba at the Catalan Institute of Palaeontology in Barcelona, Spain says there is value to the new work: it provides convincing anatomical evidence that Graecopithecus is different from any other ancient ape found in Europe – something that wasn’t clear from earlier studies of the jawbone.

But he is less convinced by the idea that the tooth roots alone can confirm that Graecopithecus is a hominin. He says study co-author David Begun has been arguing for 20 years that the great apes first appeared in Europe. “It is not surprising at all that Begun is now arguing that hominins as well originated in Europe.”

Bernard Wood at George Washington University in Washington DC says the “hominin teeth” claim is relatively weak. “This would not be a character I would want to hang my hat on,” he says.

Rotten tooth argument?

Sergio Almécija, also at George Washington University, says it is important to bear in mind that primates seem particularly prone to evolving similar features independently. “Single characters are not reliable to make big evolutionary [claims].”

Others are even more blunt. Tim White at the University of California, Berkeley, says the new research “tries to resurrect Begun’s tired argument with a long-known crappy fossil, newly scanned”.

However, Begun rejects these criticisms. “The fact is that if this specimen had been found in Africa at this age there would be much less scepticism,” he says.

The new evidence does, potentially, cast the earliest potential hominins from Africa in a new light, says John Hawks at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

He says that dental similarities have been some of the most prominent features used to argue that genera like Sahelanthropus and Ardipithecus are hominins. Finding similar dental features in a European ape suggests the features might not be indicative of hominins after all.

“We need to look again at those supposed early hominins, which really share very few features with us,” says Hawks. “I think we should consider that they might instead be part of a diversity of apes that are continuous across parts of Africa and Europe, and our real ancestry may still be undiscovered.”

Lost in the scuffle

Some solid science in the new studies risks being lost in a broader argument over whether or not Graecopithecus is a hominin, says Nathan Young at the University of California in San Francisco. “The paper falls into a typical pattern in which a Miocene ape is not appreciated for its own characteristics and evolution, but instead is placed in the context of hominin evolution,” he says.

Ultimately, however, the early human fossil record is so poorly known that it’s impossible to definitively dismiss the new claims, says Alba. “Of course, it is possible that hominins first evolved in Europe – however, evidence favouring this view is anecdotal at best,” he says. Likewise, Graecopithecus might be a hominin, he says, but that can only be confirmed if more fossils are found.

Spassov is optimistic about the likelihood of those remains coming to light. “There are chances of finding more fossils,” he says. “We are working on that.”