May 26 AND 27, 2017


News and Views


1968 to 2017, NIXON AND TRUMP, TWO PEAS FROM THE SAME POD

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/hillary-clinton-tears-into-trump-in-commencement-address-wellesley/
By REBECCA SHABAD CBS NEWS May 26, 2017, 1:07 PM
Hillary Clinton tears into Trump in commencement address

Hillary Clinton on Friday encouraged 2017 college graduates to stand up for "truth and reason" as she suggested President Trump has launched a "full-fledged" assault on those ideals.

"When people in power invent their own facts and attack those who question them, it can mark the beginning of the end of a free society," the 2016 Democratic presidential nominee warned in a commencement address at her alma mater, Wellesley College, in Wellesley, Massachusetts.

That's not hyperbole -- "It is what authoritarian regimes throughout history have done," she said.

"You are graduating at a time when there is a full-fledged assault on truth and reason," Clinton told the class of 2017.

Clinton spoke about people who deny science and of those who concocted a conspiracy theory about her operating a child abuse ring out of a Washington, D.C.-based pizza parlor last year.

Photograph -- 2017-05-26t162325z-650030702-rc1d187eb170-rtrmadp-3-usa-politics-clinton.jpg, Former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton delivers the Commencement Address at Wellesley College in Wellesley, Massachusetts, U.S., May 26, 2017. BRIAN SNYDER

"Some are even denying things we see with our own eyes -- like the size of crowds," she said, referencing Mr. Trump's false characterization of the crowd size at his inauguration in January.

Clinton called Mr. Trump's 2018 budget proposal "a con," which she said would underfund public education, mental health, efforts to combat the opioid epidemic and fight climate change. She spoke about Americans who have lost faith in the political, cultural, economic and societal conditions in the U.S., acknowledging that "many feel left behind, left out, looked down on." She said these same people don't want "DREAMERs deported or health care taken away" and "many don't want to retreat on civil rights, women's rights and LGBT rights."

She spoke about her graduation from Wellesley in 1969, and recalled the election of President Nixon a year earlier.

"We were furious about the past presidential election -- of a man whose presidency would eventually end in disgrace for his impeachment for obstruction of justice," she said, drawing applause from the crowd, at a time when some Democrats have said Mr. Trump committed obstruction of justice and should be impeached. "We got through that tumultuous time."

Clinton said that the future of the nation depends on young people who "insist on truth and integrity."

"You didn't create these circumstances but you have the power to change them," said Clinton," who said the students might face "trolls galore" who "may even call you 'a nasty woman,'" referencing a phrase she embraced on the 2016 campaign trail, after Mr. Trump used the phrase about her during their third presidential debate.

She said she's been "doing okay" since her election upset last November, which she joked has involved long walks in the woods, "organizing my closets" and she said "chardonnay helped a little, too."

Clinton urged the students to make "defending truth and a free society a core value" of their life every day after their graduation.

"Wherever you wind up next, the minute you get there, register to vote," she said. "While you're at it, encourage others to do so...and vote in every election."




I DO HOPE THAT THIS ISSUE CAN BE RESOLVED, AND THAT TRUMP WILL BE TARRED AND FEATHERED AND DRIVEN OUT OF WASHINGTON, ALONG WITH HIS CRONIES. I KNOW THAT SOUNDS PRETTY “HOSTILE” ALSO, BUT I DON’T BELIEVE THAT WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW WILL “QUIETLY” GO AWAY IF WE ARE VERY GENTLE AND QUIET. SOME WERE SAYING THAT SPEAKING OUT JUST MAKES THE HYSTERIA WORSE. UNFORTUNATELY, THE DEMOCRATS HAVE BEEN DOING THAT FOR YEARS, AND WE HAVE LOST MEMBERS YEAR AFTER YEAR AS THE ALWAYS AGGRESSIVE REPUBLICANS GROW MORE POWERFUL. WE NEED TO LEARN A LESSON FROM THAT IF WE DO WANT TO BECOME AGAIN A PARTY WHICH CAN SPONSOR AND CHAMPION COURAGE AND GOODNESS. THE TRUMP TEAM IS SPONSORING AND CHAMPIONING THE COLD HEARTEDNESS OF WHITE POWER. I DON’T PLAN TO CURL UP IN THE FETAL POSITION AT THEIR FEET.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/special-counsels-office-coordinating-with-comey-team-on-scope-of-congressional-testimony/
By ANDRES TRIAY CBS NEWS May 26, 2017, 2:33 PM
Special counsel's office coordinating with Comey team on scope of congressional testimony

Photograph -- FBI Director James Comey testifies before the House Intelligence Committee hearing into alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 U.S. election, on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., March 20, 2017. JOSHUA ROBERTS

A week after the Senate Intelligence Committee announced former FBI Director James Comey would testify, no date has yet been set for the hearing.

One reason -- CBS News has learned that Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office is now involved in determining the scope of what Mr. Comey will be talking about before the committee.

An associate of Comey's tells CBS News that Mueller's office is "coordinating" with Comey's legal team about what he would say in public testimony before the Committee.

It "has not been (fully) coordinated yet," an individual close to Comey says.

As for the memos Comey wrote about his meetings with President Trump -- including one in which Comey said the president asked him repeatedly for his personal loyalty -- the fired FBI director does not object to releasing the memos to congressional committees or submitting them to Mueller's office. However, Comey will leave that decision up to the FBI.

When he testifies, the associate says Mr. Comey wants to talk about "just the facts."

The issue may be resolved soon.



WHEN THE GROUPTHINK BECOMES VILE, AGGRESSIVE AND TOTALLY IDIOTIC AT THE SAME TIME, WE ARE IN TROUBLE. TO QUOTE JESUS, “YE ARE THE SALT OF THE EARTH, BUT WHEN THE SALT LOSES ITS’ SALTINESS, WHEREWITH SHALL IT BE SALTED? IF THE GOOD CITIZENS OF THE USA BECOME TAINTED WITH THE KIND OF EVIL THAT IS ARISING EVERYWHERE NOW, WE ARE IN DEEP, DEEP TROUBLE. OF COURSE, HUMANS ARE INDEED TAINTED, BUT IT’S A MATTER OF HOW MUCH AND IN WHAT WAY. LOOK AT THESE NEXT SEVERAL ARTICLES, JUST FROM THE LAST FEW DAYS. THEY’RE BOTH DEPRESSING AND ALARMING.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/texas-governor-jokes-about-shooting-reporters/
By JOSH CARTWRIGHT CBS NEWS May 26, 2017, 2:51 PM
Texas governor jokes about shooting reporters

Photograph -- Texas Gov. Greg Abbott speaks at Dallas City Hall in downtown Dallas following the deaths of five police officers on July 8, 2016, in Dallas, Texas. SPENCER PLATT/GETTY IMAGES

Two days after a GOP House candidate from Montana was charged with assaulting a journalist, Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, joked about shooting reporters, according to the Texas Tribune.

The comment followed Abbott's Friday signing of a bill that reduces the licensing fee to carry a handgun in the state of Texas from $70 to $40.

The governor then made his way upstairs to the shooting range for some target practice, and once he was finished, he held up his target sheet to show off his marksmanship, joking to the reporters and photographers present that, "I'm gonna carry this around in case I see any reporters."

His remark comes mere days after Greg Gianforte, who is now the Congressional representative for Montana's at-large district, allegedly slammed Ben Jacobs, a reporter for The Guardian, to the ground.

Though he initially contradicted the reporter's version of the altercation -- backed up by an audio recording and a Fox News producer who witnessed the altercation -- Gianforte later admitted to his "mistake" in an apology delivered after securing Montana's only congressional seat.

Gianforte has been charged with misdemeanor assault, and is scheduled to appear in court between now and June 7th.

Jokes about threatening the press have become more common recently. At the United States Coast Guard commencement ceremony on May 17th, 2017, DHS Secretary John Kelly joked with President Trump after he'd been presented with a ceremonial sword, saying, "Use that on the press, sir."

President Trump chuckled, responding, "Yeah, that's right."



AH, THE WISDOM, SWEETNESS, AND BEAUTY OF INNOCENCE.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/2-year-old-girl-defends-choice-of-doll-to-cashier-shes-a-doctor-like-im-a-doctor/
By JENNIFER EARL CBS NEWS April 4, 2017, 5:29 PM
Girl, 2, defends choice of doll to cashier: "She's a doctor like I'm a doctor"

Photograph -- Sophia Benner, 2, poses with her new doctor doll. FACEBOOK/BRANDI BENNER

Two-year-old Sophia was told she could pick out a “special prize” — anything she wants — after she successfully completed potty training.

She was thrilled, and of course, headed straight for the doll aisle when she walked into Target with her mom, Brandi Benner, on Friday afternoon. Scanning the aisles, Sophia passed a row of baby dolls and headed for the “big girl dolls.” One doll in particular caught her eye: a little black girl dressed in a white lab coat, wearing a stethoscope around her neck.

“When she picked [the doll] up and saw that she was a doctor it was game over,” Benner told CBS News. “She got so excited.”

“Mommy! Mommy! Mommy! I want this one. I want this one,” she shouted.

Smiling, Benner picked up the doll, “Oh, absolutely.”

She still had some money left over, so she picked out a Jeep for her new doll to ride around in. Together, Sophia and her mother walked to the cash register to check out. As always, Sophia offered to “pay” for the items — and by pay, she means put the toys on the conveyer belt.

brand.jpg
Brandi Benner takes a selfie with her daughter, Sophia. FACEBOOK/BRANDI BENNER
She was greeted by the cashier, who asked, “Are you going to a birthday party?”

Confused, Sophia ignored the question and continued to stare at her beloved prize.

Then the cashier pointed to the doll, whose name is Megan, and asked if she picked her out for a friend.

Benner spoke up, explaining to the cashier that Sophia was getting a reward for using the potty.

“I am not ashamed that’s how I did it, because it works,” joked Benner about using the doll as incentive for potty training.

The woman gave Benner a puzzled look and turned to Sophia and asked, “Are you sure this is the doll you want, honey?”

At that point, Benner recalls she was starting to feel protective of Sophia, hoping she wouldn’t understand why the woman was questioning her choice of doll. But just as she was about to speak up, Sophia interjected, “Yes, please!”

The cashier replied, “But she doesn’t look like you. We have lots of other dolls that look more like you.”

Sophia responded, “Yes, she does. She’s a doctor like I’m a doctor. And I’m a pretty girl and she’s a pretty girl. See her pretty hair? And see her stethoscope?” her mother said.

The cashier simply responded with an “Oh, that’s nice.” She finished ringing up the family and they were on her way. Sophia didn’t think twice about the exchange, unlike Benner.

screen-shot-2017-04-04-at-4-47-55-pm-1.png
Brandi Benner poses with her two daughters, Isabella, 7 months, and Sophia, 2. FACEBOOK/BRANDI BENNER

The mother of two — Sophia, 2, and Isabelle, 7 months — wanted to share the story with her Facebook friends.

“This experience just confirmed my belief that we aren’t born with the idea that color matters. Skin comes in different colors just like hair and eyes and every shade is beautiful,” Benner wrote in a post that has since gone viral with more than 201,000 shares.

While Benner is happy people are spreading the message, she feels it’s sad that it had to be said in the first place.

“It’s sad that such a small act has become national news,” she said. “In a sense it shouldn’t be surprising that a kid of one color wanted a doll of another — that shouldn’t be such a huge thing.”

Fortunately, her daughter wasn’t fased by it.

“What if she had been older — like 7, 8 or 9?” Benner asked. “Then she would have experienced more of the world and been more aware of cultural ‘dos and don’ts,’ and maybe would have second guessed [herself]. She maybe wouldn’t have been so quick to stick up for herself.”

Benner just hopes her daughter keeps her spunky spirit, and her dream to become a doctor.

Sophia first learned the word “stethoscope” from the TV cartoon “Doc McStuffins.” And her pediatrician allows the little girl to play with the tools in her doctor bag, which led to her desire to work in medicine someday.

That’s why, to Sophia, the doll’s skin tone doesn’t matter — all that matters is that she helps people, just like Sophia wants to do.



THERE HAS EMERGED A VIRULENT EPIDEMIC OF RIOTOUS AND FRIGHTENING ACTIONS FOR THE LAST SEVERAL MONTHS. IT’S CLEAR FROM THE TIMING THAT IT’S THE DIRECT RESULT OF THE TRUMP PHENOMENON OF HOSTILITY AND VIOLENCE. THOSE LIKE THIS MAN CHRISTIAN ARE ALSO INSANE.

SEVERAL YEARS AGO THERE WAS AN ARTICLE ABOUT A SIZABLE GROUP OF SCHOOL CHILDREN WHO ALL, TOGETHER, BEGAN TO EXPERIENCE “NAUSEA” WHEN THEY SAID THEY SMELLED AN “UNFAMILIAR” ODOR. THE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATION FOUND NOTHING. THE PSYCHOLOGIST WHO WROTE THE ARTICLE CALLED IT “MASS HYSTERIA.”

I THINK MAYBE SOMETHING LIKE THAT IS HAPPENING HERE. IT ALSO DOESN’T HELP THAT ALMOST EVERYONE NOW IS ON THE INTERNET INTERACTING AND DISCUSSING ISSUES, ONE OF WHICH IS WHITE SUPREMACY. SOME PEOPLE DO CRAVE EXCITEMENT, AND SOME OF THOSE INTERNET ARGUMENTS GET QUITE "EXCITING. IN THIS DEMOCRACY OF OURS, WHICH HAS PERHAPS TOO MUCH "FREE SPEECH," WITH THOSE ANGRY INDIVIDUALS YELLING ABOUT "POLITICAL CORRECTNESS," THE IRE OF ONE HITS A NERVE OF ANOTHER AND THAT IRRITATION IS PASSED ALONG TO OTHERS. THIS MAY BE THE MECHANISM BY WHICH THESE HORRIFIC GROUP ACTIONS LIKE LYNCHINGS TAKE PLACE. I HOPE NOT, BUT I EXPECT THIS WILL GET WORSE BEFORE IT GETS BETTER.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/jeremy-joseph-christian-portland-stabbing-muslim-hate-speech/
CBS/AP May 27, 2017, 1:45 PM
Suspect named in killing of 2 people who defended Muslim women

Photograph -- Jeremy Joseph Christian KOIN-TV/MULTNOMAH COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE

PORTLAND, Ore. -- Authorities on Saturday identified a 35-year-old Portland man as the suspect in the fatal stabbing of two people on Northeast Portland light-rail train who yelled racial slurs at two young women, one of whom was wearing a hijab.

Court records show that Jeremy Joseph Christian was convicted of robbery, kidnapping and a weapons charge in 2002. Christian is being held in the Multnomah County Jail on suspicion of aggravated murder and attempted murder.

One man was dead at the scene and another died at a hospital. The third person was taken to a hospital with non-life threatening injuries, police said.

Witnesses told CBS affiliate KOIN-TV the suspect was yelling about hating Muslims for several minutes before people confronted him and the encounter turned violent.

Police say that before the stabbing the assailant on the train was ranting on many topics, using "hate speech or biased language."

"In the midst of his ranting and raving, some people approached him and appeared to try to intervene with his behavior and some of the people that he was yelling at," police Sgt. Pete Simpson told The Oregonian. "They were attacked viciously."

Play VIDEO -- Reports of hate crimes on the rise at American universities

It wasn't clear why the man was yelling, Simpson said.

"He was talking about a lot of different things, not just specifically anti-Muslim," Simpson said.

Christian is locally known as a right-wing extremist and white supremacist, according to the Portland Mercury newspaper. Police have not confirmed the report.

The paper reports Christian showed up to a right-wing "March for Free Speech" event on April 29 with a baseball bat that was quickly confiscated by police.

"He ranted how he was a nihilist. He'd soon yelled racial slurs ... and gave the Nazi salute throughout the day," the Portland Mercury says.

Portland Police Chief Mike Marshman told KOIN-TV that Friday's attacks "are hard to comprehend."

He said his detectives have spoken with the victims' families and that the investigation "is moving forward." Marshman said that detectives are working "to figure out the history" of the suspect.

"Even though I've been doing police work for a long, long time now, the shock of these senseless crimes still stunned me," he said. "Just horrific."




REP. ADRIAN SMITH DIDN’T WANT TO GIVE US "RADICAL" LEFTISTS A MICROMILLIMETER OF GROUND HERE, BUT SCOTT SIMON WASN’T HAVING ANY OF THAT, AND SMITH HAD TO ADDRESS THE ISSUE, ALMOST. I’M SURE ALL OF THE ULTRA-RIGHTISTS WOULD GIVE IN IF TEN, TWENTY THOUSAND FURIOUS CITIZENS BEGAN TO MARCH AROUND THE CAPITOL; IF, EVERY TIME THE MEMBERS OF CONGRESS EXITED THE BUILDING TO GO TO THEIR MANSIONS IN THEIR SHINY BLACK CADDILACS, THEIR WAY WERE TO BE BLOCKED AND PEOPLE BANGED ON THE CAR WINDOWS WITH BRICKS. THAT’S HOW THINGS ARE DONE IN MANY COUNTRIES, AND WE SHOULD KEEP IN MIND THAT IT REALLY ISN’T IMPOSSIBLE HERE.


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/adrian-smith-food-stamps-eat_us_5929b06ce4b053f2d2acc6c2
POLITICS 05/27/2017 01:30 pm ET
GOP Congressman Declines To Say Whether Every American Is Entitled To Eat
Rep. Adrian Smith (R-Neb.) was asked about proposed food stamp cuts.
By Daniel Marans

Rep. Adrian Smith (R-Neb.) refused to say whether “every American is entitled to eat” and the food stamps program is the best way to ensure that they have the food they need.

NPR’s Scott Simon interviewed Smith on Saturday about the farm bill and President Donald Trump’s proposed cuts to the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as food stamps. In the president’s budget, the White House is seeking $193 billion in cuts to SNAP over 10 years, an amount equal to more than one-quarter of the program’s cost over that period.

There is room for “very minor shifts” in SNAP that “make sure we do not harm the most vulnerable among us,” according to Smith.

“Especially for people in need we do not want to leave our most vulnerable without nutrition,” he said. “Looking at that, we always want to keep that in mind.”

But Simon pressed Smith on his views about the program’s underlying philosophy.

“Let me ask you this bluntly: Is every American entitled to eat?” he asked.

“Well, nutrition obviously we know is very important and I would hope that we can look to ―” Smith began.

“Well, not just important, it’s essential for life,” Simon interjected.

Smith conceded that nutrition is essential to life.

“So is every American entitled to eat and is food stamps something that ought to be that ultimate guarantor?” Simon persisted.

“I think we know that given the necessity of nutrition, there could be a number of ways that we could address that,” Smith answered.

TOM WILLIAMS/GETTY IMAGES
Rep. Adrian Smith (R-Neb.) says that he wants to “make sure we do not harm the most vulnerable among us.”

As Smith later observed, a president’s budget is merely a set of suggestions that reflect the president’s fiscal priorities. It is up to Congress to allot the funds for federal programs. The president can then sign or veto budget legislation they craft.

Smith refused to rule out reductions in SNAP spending as part of that process, however.

“I want to look at our entire budget, look at all of the details,” he said.

Roughly 43 million low-income Americans receive SNAP benefits, which are vouchers to buy food. Enrollment has dropped significantly since 2014 due to improvement in the economy.

Mick Mulvaney, director of the White House Office of Management and Budget, by claiming there are people receiving benefits who do not need them given how long ago the recession was.

The administration has not been clear about its intentions for the means-tested aid program though. Secretary of Agriculture Sonny Perdue, whose department oversees SNAP, has defended SNAP’s performance and claimed that it will be up to Congress to decide how much it wants to reduce the program’s spending.



WHILE I DON’T TO SEE ANOTHER 1950 STYLE ARMS RACE, IF NORTH KOREA IS GOING TO BECOME MORE AND MORE BELLIGERENT, PRACTICING SHOOTING THEIR MISSILES TOWARD US, WE’D BETTER CHECK OUR STOCK OUT, TOO.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/u-s-plans-first-test-of-intercontinental-range-missile-intercept-with-north-korea-on-mind/
CBS/AP May 26, 2017, 2:22 PM
Pentagon to try to shoot down intercontinental-range missile, with North Korea on mind

24 Photos -- People watch a TV news program showing a file image of a missile launch by North Korea, at the Seoul Railway Station in Seoul, South Korea, on Sun., May 21, 2017. AP

WASHINGTON -- Preparing for North Korea's growing threat, the Pentagon will try to shoot down an intercontinental-range missile for the first time in a test next week. The goal is to more closely simulate a North Korean ICBM aimed at the U.S. homeland, officials said Friday

statement Friday, an Air Force spokesman, Col. Patrick Ryder, said Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson directed the military branch's inspector general's office to investigate the allegations.

During a weeklong inspection of the mortuary at Dover Air Force Base in Delaware last winter, Defense Department inspectors were offered a chance to view Glenn's remains before they were interred at Arlington National Cemetery on April 6, Ryder said. Glenn died in December at the age of 95.

John Glenn, first American to orbit the Earth and U.S. senator, dead at 95
Play VIDEO
John Glenn, first American to orbit the Earth and U.S. senator, dead at 95

The Military Times reports that William Zwicharowski, the mortuary's chief, made the offer to the inspectors twice, on Feb. 28 and on March 2.

Zwicharowski told The Associated Press Friday that Glenn's remains were treated with "impeccable care" and that he was proud of how he and his staff cared for them.

Ryder said that the inspectors declined the offer and didn't view the remains, according to the Defense Department.

"The Air Force takes extremely seriously its responsibility to fulfill the nation's sacred commitment of ensuring dignity, honor and respect to the fallen and care, service and support to their families," Ryder said. "At the conclusion of the investigation, the Air Force will determine what further corrective actions, if any, may be necessary and appropriate. If any allegations of misconduct are substantiated, those involved will be held accountable."

John Glenn in his own words
Play VIDEO
John Glenn in his own words

In 2012, Zwicharowski told Martin that he was branded a troublemaker when he called for an outside investigation of the way the mortuary was run following accusations that the mortuary had mishandled the remains of fallen servicemembers.

The head of a federal agency created to protect whistleblowers at the time told Martin that Zwicharowski consequently was targeted by an escalating campaign of retaliatory personnel actions, all the way up to termination. But he was cleared and returned to his job.

Ryder said the mortuary passed last winter's inspection with a score of 94 percent.



IT’S IMPOSSIBLE AT THIS TIME FOR COUNTRIES TO MAINTAIN NO RELATIONSHIP WITH OTHERS. IT ALSO ISN’T GOOD FOR NATIONAL ECONOMIES, WHICH MUST BE REFRESHED WITH NEW TRADE GOODS, IDEAS, ETC., TO STIMULATE INNOVATION AND SIMPLY KEEP THE PEOPLE HAPPIER. THERE IS NO QUICKER WAY FOR INDIVIDUALS TO BECOME DEPRESSED THAN BY ALLOWING OURSELVES TO BECOME LONELY AND BORED. EVEN THOUGH THE “OLD CHINESE CURSE,” IS PROVING TO BE TRUE, AT LEAST SINCE 2016, I HAVE HAD AN INTERESTING LIFE AND TIMES, AND I’M GLAD. IT WOULD BE A SHAME TO FORGET TO LIVE BEFORE IT’S TIME TO DIE.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-america-first-is-playing-out-in-the-trump-administration/
By KATIANA KRAWCHENKO CBS NEWS May 26, 2017, 6:00 AM
How "America first" is playing out in the Trump administration

Photograph -- Heather Conley of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Major Garrett, and Steve Chaggaris CBS NEWS / KATIANA KRAWCHENKO

"America first" may have become a common refrain during the Trump administration, but there have been a strains [sic] of it in U.S. foreign policy for decades, argues Heather Conley of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. And President Trump's first overseas trip, to Saudi Arabia, Israel, Italy and Belgium, is sending a message around the world that this remains his administration's rubric.

On "The Takeout" podcast this week, just before Mr. Trump left for Saudi Arabia on his first trip abroad as president, Conley talked with CBS News Chief White House Correspondent Major Garrett and Political Director Steve Chaggaris, about the origins of the phrase, "America first." She said aviator Charles Lindbergh became a leading voice in the isolationist movement prior to World War II. At its peak, the America First Committee had a membership of about 800,000 across the political spectrum.

Listen to this episode on Stitcher

"They did not want the U.S. to get involved in Europe, as Churchill was trying to get us because of the growing strength of Nazi Germany," Conley said. "What happened? The Japanese invaded Pearl Harbor, we were struck, we tried to stay isolated… and then we had an extraordinary cost to fight a world war on two fronts."

The idea was conceived with U.S. leadership, Conley said, "but it was for U.S. self-interest, economics and security." She added, "What Mr. Trump is doing in asserting 'America first' -- it's all about what America's interested in: 'You will pay us, but you will do what America wants you to do.'"

Conley pointed to the U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia as an example. The two nations reaffirmed their desire to drive out terrorism from their countries. President Trump raised concerns about Iran's increasing influence in the Middle East, which is a point the two nations agree on.

Every country, Conley says, wants to prioritize their own interests.

"Ultimately any country's foreign and security policy is based on their self-interest. So you know there's an 'America first policy,' there's a 'Saudi first' policy," she said.

For more from Conley's conversation with CBS News Chief White House Correspondent Major Garrett and CBS News Political Director Steve Chaggaris, listen to "The Takeout" podcast, available on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher,Spotify and CBSNews.com. And follow "The Takeout" on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter: @TakeoutPodcast.

Producers: Arden Farhi, Nick Fineman, and Katiana Krawchenko



THIS IS APPARENTLY HELPFUL FOR CLEARING OUT SOME OF THE TRASH THAT IS IN THE OCEAN. IF WE COULD ONLY GET INTO THE HABIT OF NEVER THROWING ANYTHING ON THE STREET OR ANY OTHER INAPPROPRIATE PLACE! THE NEXT HEAVY RAINSTORM WASHES THOSE CUPS AND BAGS INTO THE DRAINS, THE RIVERS AND THEN THE OCEAN.

https://www.newscientist.com/article/2132650-newly-evolved-microbes-may-be-breaking-down-ocean-plastics/?utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=ILC&utm_campaign=webpush&cmpid=ILC%257CNSNS%257C2016-GLOBAL-webpush-plastic-microbes
SHORT SHARP SCIENCE 25 May 2017
Newly-evolved microbes may be breaking down ocean plastics
By Michael Le Page

Photograph -- Richard Whitcombe / Alamy Stock Photo

Plastic. There should be hundreds of thousands of tonnes of the stuff floating around in our oceans. But we are finding less than expected – perhaps because living organisms are evolving the ability to break it down.

Plastic production is rising exponentially, so ever more of it should be ending up in the oceans, says Ricard Sole, who studies complex systems at the Universitat Pompeu Fabra in Barcelona.

But surveys of areas where floating plastic accumulates, such as the North Atlantic gyre, are not finding nearly as much plastic as expected.

Mystery of the missing plastics
In fact, there’s only a tenth to a hundredth as much plastic as expected – and the amount of floating plastic does not appear to be increasing. “The trend should be there,” Sole says.

This lack of trend cannot be explained by physical processes, according to his team’s mathematical models. Instead, they propose that there has been a population boom in microbes that have evolved the ability to biodegrade plastic.

Other researchers agree that surveys are finding far less plastic in the oceans than expected. However, they say there are several other possible explanations for this “missing plastic”.

Surprisingly, even if ocean plastic is being degraded much faster than thought, it is not clear that this is a good thing. “It is difficult to say,” says Matthew Cole of Exeter University in the UK.

For instance, biodegradation could be speeding up the breakdown of large pieces of plastic into lots of very tiny pieces, which might have a greater overall impact.

Plastic also contains various additives that could get released and enter the food chain if the plastic part biodegrades, says environmental chemist Alexandra ter Halle of the Laboratoire des IMRCP in France.

“To really tackle the plastic problem, we need to stop it getting into the oceans in the first place,” Cole says.

The ‘platisphere’
In theory it is possible that some microbes have evolved the ability to break down plastics. Studies by Linda Amaral-Zettler of the Netherlands Institute for Sea Research show that the microbes colonising floating plastic are quite distinct from those in the surrounding water, and suggest some are feeding on pollutants.

In effect, the plastic is creating a whole new ecosystem that Amaral-Zettler and colleagues call “the plastisphere”.

But when ter Halle looked at the DNA of the organisms on floating plastic in the North Atlantic, she didn’t find any microbes known to be capable of breaking down plastic. That could be because they have not yet been discovered of course – there could be millions of unknown microbes still.

Amaral-Zettler and ter Halle think it is more likely that floating plastic is simply sinking to the seafloor as colonising organisms weigh it down, or breaking into such microscopic pieces that it is not being caught in the nets of research vessels. It could also be being swallowed by living organisms, or carried by currents to unexpected parts of the ocean.

The sinking explanation might also be compatible with his findings, says Sole. His study does not prove that microbes are metabolising plastic, but the lack of an upward trend can only be explained by a biological response that can increase in proportion to the amount of plastic. If a physical process was responsible, there would still be an upward trend, he says.

It is possible that some plastic is being biodegraded, Amaral-Zettler says, but it could be over too long time-scale – a hundred years, say – to explain the missing plastic. And even if it is happening much faster, there’d still be a problem.

Plastics are polluting every part of the ocean, from the beaches of remote islands to the deepest parts of the sea. Large pieces of plastic can accumulate in the stomach of animals such as turtles, which then starve to death.

While there may be less than expected, large amounts of floating plastic are found in the subtropical gyres where surface waters circle. While terms such as the “Great Pacific Garbage Patch” conjure up visions of litter-covered seas, much of the floating plastic in the ocean consists of tiny pieces just a few millimetres wide or smaller, which are not obvious to the naked eye at all. Its impact on marine life is not clear, either.

Various schemes have been proposed to remove this plastic from the oceans, but trying to clean up the oceans is impractical, says Amaral-Zettler. “We need to look at prevention and reduction at the start.”

Journal reference: Biorxiv, DOI: 10.1101/135582