APRIL 28, 2018


NEWS AND VIEWS


THIS IS VERY INTERESTING STUFF ON SUMO SEMI-RELIGIOUS TRADITION AND THE THOUSANDS OF YEARS OF ANTI-FEMINISM. THIS IS THE KIND OF THING THAT THOSE OF US WHO ARE INTERESTED IN ANTHROPOLOGY LOVE TO FIND. SEVERAL MODERN JAPANESE WOMEN ARE WORKING TO GET ACCESS TO THE NATIONAL COMPETITION ON SUMO. WOMEN DO COMPETE IN THE LOCAL AND LOWER LEVELS OF COMPETITION, HOWEVER. LOOK AT THE ARTICLE FOR A PHOTO OF TWO WOMEN WRESTLING. THEY DON’T WEIGH AS MUCH AS THE MEN, BUT THEY ARE VERY STURDY AND MUSCULAR WOMEN, WHO SEEM TO BE FORCEFULLY GRAPPLING. I WON’T PICK A FIGHT WITH EITHER OF THEM!

http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-43934925
Sumo wrestling: The growing sexism problem in Japan's traditional sport
APRIL 28, 2018 1 hour ago

Sumo wrestling dates back thousands of years in Japan AFP/GETTY

Japan's sumo wrestling authority has postponed a decision on the sport's "men-only" policy.

The Japan Sumo Association (JSA) met after a recent string of scandals, including when women were made to leave the ring after stepping in to help a man.

Women are traditionally believed to be "unclean" and cannot enter the space.

JSA director Toshio Takano said they needed more time, calling it "an extremely difficult issue".

Inside the scandal-hit world of sumo
Why is sumo under fire?

In April, Maizuru city mayor Ryozo Tatami collapsed in a sumo ring, known as "dohyo"*, when he was giving a speech.

Women rushed to help the mayor, but they were ordered to leave by the referee.

Local media reports spectators then watched salt being thrown into the ring - a practice performed before a match to purify the space.

Image copyrightAFP/GETTY
Image caption
Salt is thrown into the ring to "purify" the space

The Japan Sumo Association faced universal condemnation for the referee's actions, and association chief Nobuyoshi Hakkaku apologised for the "inappropriate act".

But within days, the association came under fresh fire after denying the female mayor of a city entry to the ring.

Tomoko Nakagawa, mayor of Takarazuka, asked the association if she could deliver a speech before an exhibition match in the city, but was reportedly told to "give due respect to tradition".

"Female mayors are also humans," she reportedly said in a speech delivered beside the ring. "I am frustrated that I cannot give this speech on the dohyo just because I am a woman."

Image copyrightAFP/GETTY
Image caption
Mayor Tomoko Nakagawa is fighting against the men-only policy in the sport

The association also ruled girls could not take part in a spring sumo tour in which young people could join the wrestlers in the ring, citing safety concerns - despite girls having taken part in previous years.

Why are women denied entry to the ring?

Sumo dates back thousands of years, and to this day maintains many ancient traditions.

Mark Buckton, a former commentator and columnist with the Japan Times, says the practice has links to Japan's Shinto religion.

"It's never been considered a sport in Japan," Mr Buckton told the BBC. "It's far deeper in the Japanese psyche."

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Traditionally before a match, a hole is made in the centre of the dohyo and filled with nuts, squid, seaweed and sake by Shinto priests.

The hole is closed, enshrining inside a spirit. Sumo wrestlers then perform a ritual stamp and clap to scare away bad spirits.

"The ring is considered a holy Shinto space," explained Mr Buckton.

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Image caption
Sumo wrestlers perform the ritual to clear evil spirits from the dohyo

Traditionally in the religion, women were considered impure because of their menstrual blood, and denied entry to the space because of this.

Mr Buckton explains any blood is believed to sully the space - if male wrestlers bleed on the dohyo, it is purified with salt.

While women can and do compete in amateur sumo wrestling around the world, they cannot enter the ring at Tokyo's 11,000 Ryogoku Kokugikan arena, or compete in professional tournaments.

BBC - Religion: Shinto
Is the policy likely to change?

Sumo chief Oguruma, who only goes by one name, told local media after Saturday's JSA meeting that the policy has been in place "for hundreds of years".

"We can't change it in an hour," he said.

Certainly, the JSA has not bowed to pressure before now.

In 2000, the then governor of Osaka, Fusae Ota, asked the sumo association to allow her to enter the ring so she could present a trophy to the champion wrestler, but her request was rejected.

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Image caption
Women compete in sumo tournaments around the world

Mr Buckton thinks the association will never change the policy, due to the long-standing traditions in the sport and what he considers a limited awareness of feminism in the country.

"The sumo association are just waiting for a few more scandals to pop up, and for this to fade away," he said.

"It's not a major controversy in Japan at all."

But as the #MeToo movement takes hold in Japan and recent controversies sparked by Japanese female politicians discussing the difficulties of being a woman in work, this latest debate about women in sumo may not fade as quickly and easily as previously.

Japanese women at a crossroads
#MeToo hits Japan as top official resigns
The drive for gender equality in corporate Japan


https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/dohyo
Definition of dohyo in English:
dohyo, NOUN
The ring within which sumo wrestling takes place.
Japanese, abbreviation of dohyōba ‘wrestling arena’.



THIS COMEDIENNE IS DISAPPOINTED THAT DONALD TRUMP WILL NOT SUBMIT HIMSELF TO BEING IN THE AUDIENCE THAT WELL-KNOWN NIGHT OF FUNNY INSULTS, SO THAT SHE CAN’T ZING HIM IN PUBLIC. OBAMA DID IT, AND HAD SOME FUNNY LINES OF HIS OWN, ALSO. OH, WELL. I HAVE TO CONFESS THAT THIS STANDUP COMIC HAS A TYPE OF SPEAKING VOICE THAT DOES IRRITATE ME BIG TIME – HIGH PITCHED WITH VERY LITTLE MUSICAL SOUND. SHE IS AWARE OF IT, AND MADE FUN OF IT. SHE IS FUNNY, HOWEVER, AND I’M GOING TO TRY TO SEE IT.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/michelle-wolf-white-house-correspondents-dinner-host-comedian/
CBS NEWS April 28, 2018, 9:32 AM
Comedian Michelle Wolf says it's "cowardly" for Trump to skip Correspondents' dinner

Comedian Michelle Wolf has grabbed the spotlight through her success in stand-up and her regular role on "The Daily Show." On Saturday night, she takes the stage at the White House Correspondents' Association dinner.

For the second year while in office, President Trump will not be in attendance.

"Does that make it better for you as a comedian or harder for you that the president is not there? Would you rather the president be in the room?" CBS News' Jamie Wax asked Wolf.

"I like making fun of people to their face more than anything, like, more than behind their back," she said. "It's nicer to make fun of someone when they're there."

"I think it's cowardly not to go," she said. "I think it's-- the only other person that didn't go was Reagan when he was shot. And he called in."

At the end of the day, she said she wants people at the dinner to say, "Those were funny jokes."

"I'm not tryin' to ... make some sort of bigger point or anything. I just want people to be like, 'It was really funny," she said.

She added: "I'll be really happy when it's over. It's a homework assignment."

Wolf has created a fast-rising career for herself by being a standout stand-up. Whether it's talk show appearance slots at high-profile charity events, or her currently streaming HBO special "Nice Lady," Wolf has been consistently singled out for the quality of her comedic craftsmanship.

"I think it's important to have, like-- to feel like people are seeing, like, even if it's just five minutes, like, a little show. You know? Where you're just like, 'No, I did this for you.' It wasn't just a small collection of jokes. It was like, 'No, I made you a little thing. I made you a meal,'" Wolf said.

The current "meal" she's taking on is one of the toughest and most prestigious gigs in comedy: hosting Saturday's White House Correspondents' Dinner, joining a long list of respected comedians.

"The biggest thing everyone says, which you know as a stand-up going into it, is: it's a bad room. It's a big ballroom. There's circular tables, which is bad for comedy because some people aren't looking at you. It's during dinner, which is bad for comedy 'cause they're focused on eating or not eating or drinking," Wolf said.

As much as she seems like a natural comedian, humor wasn't always an obvious gift. On full display though was her determined and competitive nature.

"In college, I didn't wanna just get an A. I wanted to get the best grade in the class. 'Cause you know how, like, your grades are listed by, like, your Social Security number or whatever. I always wanted to be the top, like I always wanted the best grade. I mean, it's insanely competitive for no reason," Wolf said.

At first, that drive for the top landed her a job in the world of finance, not comedy.

"And then I very quickly was like, 'I hate this. This is not my thing at all,'" Wolf said. "And Bear Stearns collapsed, and then like a week later, I started my first improv class. And I just immediately loved it."

It didn't take long for Wolf's combination of talent and work ethic to catch the eye of two of today's most influential late-night shows, "Late Night with Seth Meyers" and "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah."

"What did you learn from that kind of experience, out of the clubs, writing for someone else with a team?" Wax asked.

"Writing for someone else's voice is very hard. And it's a good skill to learn, and it helps you think from different perspectives," Wolf said. "Trevor taught me a lot about, like, performing, and like – 'cause he's – he's such a charismatic performer that I learned a lot of that from him. And I learned a lot from Seth about, like, just like joke writing and economy of words and, you know, just having like strong punch lines."

Wolf is poised herself to become one of only a handful of women breaking into late night when Netflix launches "The Break with Michelle Wolf" in late May.

"I'm not tryin' to, like, reinvent the wheel with this show. I'm just tryin' to get back to, like, having just a really funny show. I'm not going to talk about policy or, you know," Wolf said.

But for the moment, she remains focused on Saturday's event, with or without the presence of the traditional guest of honor.

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.


YELLOWSTONE USED TO THRILL ME, BUT ONCE I LEARNED THAT IT IS A “SUPERVOLCANO,” CAPABLE OF EJECTING 240 CUBIC MILES OF LAVA, AND HAS BEEN MORE ACTIVE IN THE LAST SEVERAL DECADES, I DO HOPE THAT IT ISN’T BUILDING UP TO A REALLY BIG BLAST. PERHAPS IT WILL WAIT ANOTHER SEVERAL HUNDRED THOUSAND YEARS.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/steamboat-geyser-eruption-yellowstone-national-park-today-2018-04-27/
AP April 27, 2018, 9:53 PM
Steamboat Geyser at Yellowstone National Park erupts for third time in six weeks

YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK, Wyo. -- Yellowstone National Park geologists have reported the third eruption from the world's largest active geyser in the past six weeks. The National Park Service says a park visitor reported seeing a rare eruption of Steamboat Geyser on Friday.

Steamboat Geyser

Steamboat Geyser, in Yellowstone National Park's Norris Geyser Basin in Wyoming, erupts on Wednesday, July 31, 2013. ROBB LONG / AP

Park geologists compared the report with seismic activity and the discharge of water and concluded the eruption probably started at 6:30 a.m.

The geyser also erupted on March 15 and April 19.

All three eruptions were smaller than the last major eruption that occurred on Sept. 3, 2014.

© 2018 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.


I REALLY DO WANT TO SEE BIG PHARMA GET WHAT’S COMING TO THEM! THE OPIOID MATTER IS JUST ONE OF SEVERAL THINGS THAT THEY HAVE DONE FOR WHICH THEY SHOULD BE PUNISHED. I HOPE THAT HAPPENS. AS DISGUSTING AS SHKRELI IS, I FEEL SURE HE IS BUT ONE OF MANY. THE SUPPLY OF MONEY IS SO GREAT THAT IT DRAWS SCOUNDRELS LIKE SUGAR DRAWS ANTS.

https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/04/17/taking-aim-corporate-impunity-sanders-bill-would-send-big-pharma-execs-behind-opioid
Published on
Tuesday, April 17, 2018
byCommon Dreams
byJulia Conley, staff writer

Taking Aim at Corporate Impunity, Sanders' Bill Would Send Big Pharma Execs Behind Opioid Crisis to Jail
"We know that pharmaceutical companies lied about the addictive impacts of opioids they manufactured...Not one of them has been held fully accountable for its role in an epidemic that is killing tens of thousands of Americans every year."

PHOTOGRAPH -- "At a time when local, state and federal governments are spending many billions of dollars a year dealing with the impact of the opioid epidemic, we must hold the pharmaceutical companies and executives that created the crisis accountable," said Sanders in a statement. (Photo: AP)

While President Donald Trump attempts to place blame for the enduring opioid addiction crisis on immigrants, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) announced Tuesday that he would introduce legislation to take aim at those who drug policy experts agree are truly behind the epidemic that kills tens of thousands of Americans per year—pharmaceutical companies and executives.

"At a time when local, state and federal governments are spending many billions of dollars a year dealing with the impact of the opioid epidemic, we must hold the pharmaceutical companies and executives that created the crisis accountable," said Sanders in a statement.

The bill (pdf) would threaten Big Pharma executives with at least 10 years in prison should their companies be found guilty of contributing to the opioid crisis through manipulative marketing practices. Executives would also face fines equal to their total compensation packages, while companies would be fined $7.8 billion—one-tenth of the annual cost of the public health epidemic, according to government estimates.

Under the legislation, companies would be required to clearly state that opioids are addictive in any marketing materials for the drugs, which include popular brands including OxyContin, Vicodin, and Percocet.

The roots of the opioid crisis are traced back to the 1990s, when Purdue Pharma, the maker of OxyContin, began marketing the drug as safe for long-term use for chronic pain, denying that prescription opioids—which are chemically similar to heroin—had highly addictive properties.

After opioid painkiller prescriptions skyrocketed as a result, the rate of overdose began to rise as well, with opioid overdoses killing at least 63,000 Americans in 2016.

In Ohio next year, Purdue is one of several drug companies that will face a jury trial over a lawsuit accusing them of "deceptively marketing opioids" and alleging distributors "ignored red flags indicating the painkillers were being diverted for improper uses."

But Sanders noted that no company has truly been held liable for the epidemic, which Purdue alone has make tens of billions of dollars off of in recent years:

In 2007, Purdue Pharma...pled guilty and agreed to pay more than $600 million in fines for misleading the public about the risks of the drug. But the company still made $22 billion off of the drug in the past decade.

"We know that pharmaceutical companies lied about the addictive impacts of opioids they manufactured," said Sanders. "They knew how dangerous these products were but refused to tell doctors and patients. Yet, while some of these companies have made billions each year in profits, not one of them has been held fully accountable for its role in an epidemic that is killing tens of thousands of Americans every year."

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 License


THE WHOLE MATTER OF BREXIT IS SO COMPLICATED THAT I HAD HOPED TO HAVE TO LOOK AT IT VERY OCCASIONALLY AND SHALLOWLY. WITH THAT IN MIND, I FOUND TWO INTERESTING TONY BLAIR COMMENTS ON IT. THE FIRST IS POLITICO AND THE SECOND A VIDEO FROM YOUTUBE. MANY IN BRITAIN WERE SHOCKED THE MORNING AFTER AS THEY DISCOVERED THAT THE BREXIT PROPOSITION HAD ACTUALLY WON, JUST AS MANY AMERICANS HAD SEVERE MORNING AFTER SYMPTOMS WHEN TRUMP WAS FOUND TO HAVE WON THE PRESIDENCY.

I PERSONALLY NEVER VOTE FOR SOMEONE ON A SYMBOLIC BASIS, INCLUDING EVEN THE FACT THAT THEY ARE A WOMAN. A LARGE NUMBER OF FEMINISTS VOTED FOR HILLARY FOR THAT REASON. SHE DIDN’T WIN ANYWAY, THOUGH. I DID NOT VOTE FOR TRUMP, BUT FOR HILLARY AT BERNIE SANDERS’ REQUEST FOR THE PURPOSE OF TRYING TO KEEP TRUMP OUT. IT DIDN’T WORK. VOTERS IN A DEMOCRACIES NEED TO BE CAREFUL WHAT THEY DO. THE ACTION MAY BE SYMBOLIC, BUT THE RESULTS ARE VERY REAL.

https://www.politico.eu/article/tony-blair-weeks-to-stop-brexit-eu-immigration-uk-citizens/
Tony Blair: Just weeks left to stop Brexit
The former prime minister will say in a speech Thursday that the EU should reform to provide an alternative to Brexit.
By RYAN HEATH 3/1/18, 12:01 AM CET Updated 3/2/18, 11:04 AM CET

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair | Carl Court/Getty Images

Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair will say in a speech Thursday that there are just weeks left to stop Brexit and EU reforms centered on immigration control are key to persuading Britons to change their mind in a second EU referendum.

Blair will tell those at a European Policy Center event that the Leavers in effect lied to British voters during the EU referendum campaign in 2016 and left them expecting an impossible-to-deliver vision of Brexit, according to a copy of his speech seen by POLITICO.

Instead of the U.K. government delivering a complicated Brexit and EU supporters offering “passive acquiescence,” Blair will suggest that a “comprehensive plan on immigration control” across Europe could sit at the core of an alternative to Brexit.

According to Blair, the Brexit vote was an unambiguous warning to Brussels that it needs to reform, and EU leaders are responsible for helping Europe escape a Brexit “cul-de-sac.”

If they fail, the competitive pressure a desperate Britain places on the EU will diminish both the bloc and U.K., and potentially lead to race-to-the-bottom policies, Blair will warn.

Brexit “weakens Europe’s standing and power the world over,” the former prime minister will say. “It reduces the effectiveness of the single market by removing from it Europe’s second largest economy. And Britain out of Europe will ultimately be a focal point of disunity, when the supreme requirement for unity is so manifest. No matter how we try, it will create a competitive pole to that of Europe, economically and politically to the detriment of both of us.”

Running with the Brexit cake metaphor favored by European Council President Donald Tusk, Blair will also predict it will be hard for the U.K. government to win a parliamentary vote on the final Brexit deal. “Outside commentary underestimates the fact that at some point this year the government have got to put a vote to parliament and win it. They will of course try to fudge, but as we are seeing this cake is quite resistant to fudge,” he will say.

How Jeremy Corbyn changed Britain’s Brexit landscape
CHARLIE COOPER AND TOM MCTAGUE
Blair will call on MPs to take a stand: “For once, parliament in this equation can be more decisive than either government or opposition.”

Authors:
Ryan Heath


VIDEOS -- TONY BLAIR'S THOUGHTS ABOUT WORLD EVENTS

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7hTlK1Ro8U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nu-J16VQho8
ABOUT GQ POLITICS
Alastair Campbell is GQ’s arch interrogator, a writer, communicator and strategist, and the former Downing Street Director of Communications in Tony Blair’s government from 1997 to 2003. In this series, Campbell talks candidly with a host of political influencers about heavyweight subjects such as Brexit, the future of the left, the general election and much more.


KILLINGS IN CHINA TODAY -- MASS KILLINGS ARE HAPPENING EVEN IN THE CONSERVATIVE CHINA, SO THIS PROBLEM ISN’T SIMPLY ABOUT AMERICA’S BEING “TOO OPEN.” I THINK A WORLDWIDE DISCONTENT WITHIN THE CITIZENRY IS THE PROBLEM. MOST OF THESE ATTACKERS, IN THE USA AT ANY RATE, ARE POOR AND IGNORANT, YOUNG, AND NOT AS SELF-CONTAINED AS THEY WILL BE LATER –ASSUMING THEY DON’T DIE EARLY AT THE HANDS OF POLICE – WHICH I THINK HAS BEEN PROPERLY CATEGORIZED AS “SUICIDE BY COP.”

I BELIEVE IN THIS COUNTRY WE HAVE NEVER PAID ENOUGH ATTENTION TO MENTAL ILLNESS IN THE POPULATION, (NOT IN MY FAMILY!) AND PERHAPS WORLDWIDE. WE MISTAKE IT FOR PHILOSOPHY, INSTEAD, OR “SIN,” AND WE HAVEN’T TAUGHT OUR KIDS TO “WORK THROUGH” FEELINGS CAUSING THEM TO BE PERSONALLY OVERWHELMED AS LIFE STRESSES ACCUMULATE. WE’RE HAVING A NATIONAL AND WORLDWIDE “NERVOUS BREAKDOWN,” AND IT THREATENS OUR COUNTRY AS A GOVERNMENT.

WHAT DONALD TRUMP HAS DONE FROM THE FIRST DAYS OF THE PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN AND EARLIER, IS TO FOCUS ON THAT PSYCHOLOGICAL CONFUSION AND EMOTIONALITY IN THE POPULATION. WHEN I FIRST SAW HIM IN ACTION WHIPPING THE CROWD UP INTO A HOWLING MOB IN 2016 AND ‘17, I WAS AFRAID, BECAUSE I HADN’T SEEN ANYTHING LIKE THAT SINCE THE MID 1960S WHEN LESTER MADDOX, THE DEMOCRATIC GOVERNOR OF GEORGIA BETWEEN 1967 AND 1971, RANTED WILDLY AGAINST BLACKS AND “COMMUNISTS,” AND GAVE OUT “AX HANDLES” FOR PEOPLE TO USE IN SELF DEFENSE AGAINST BLACK PEOPLE.

FOR A VIEW OF LESTER MADDOX AND THE POPULIST RIGHT WING IN MY YOUNG DAYS, AND THEN CHINA TODAY, GO TO THE FOLLOWING WIKIPEDIA SITES.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lester_Maddox
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/School_attacks_in_China_(2010%E2%80%9312), School attacks in China (2010–12)


A CHINESE MASS KILLING

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/china-stabbing-7-students-killed-at-middle-school-shaanxi/
CBS/AP April 27, 2018, 12:28 PM
7 students killed in stabbing rampage at middle school in China

BEIJING -- Seven students were killed Friday in a stabbing rampage at a middle school in China's northwest, authorities said. State broadcaster CCTV said the attack happened in Shaanxi province's Mizhi county as students were leaving the No. 3 Middle School. It said 12 other students were injured.

A suspect identified by the surname Zhao has been arrested, CCTV said. Police said the suspect is 28 years old and a former student of the school, the BBC reports.

China tightly restricts private gun ownership, making knives and homemade explosives the most common weapons employed in violent crimes.

No information was given as to a motive. Police said five girls and two boys were killed in the attack.

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.



EH, WHAT? THIS IS ANOTHER PIECE OF EVIDENCE THAT AUTOMATIC CARS ARE NOT READY FOR THE ROADS YET. THE PHOTO’S GREAT! (DAILY LIFE IN BRITAIN TODAY.)

http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-devon-43934577
Parking machine gets pizza car topping in Dawlish
APRIL 28, 2018 31 minutes ago

Photograph -- Nobody was hurt in the incident but the ticket machine has been decommissioned OZ'S PIZZA AND KEBAB HOUSE

A fast food delivery vehicle ended up on top of a parking meter, after the driver "lost control while reversing".

Oz's Pizza and Kebab House in Dawlish, Devon, said on Facebook its spare delivery vehicle had been involved in an accident on Friday evening.

"We are pleased to confirm (with the exception of the driver who sustained extensive bruising to his ego) nobody was hurt in this incident," it said.

The driver said he was "immensely grateful the car had not hit anyone".

The statement explained: "The driver (who had almost completed work-based trial and training) lost control of the automatic vehicle whilst reversing and was subsequently forced to leave the car parked on top of a parking ticket machine."

Image copyrightOZ'S PIZZA AND KEBAB HOUSE
Image caption
Police officers attended and the car has been moved

The owner of the shop, Oz Dogantekin, said Devon and Cornwall police officers attended and dealt swiftly with the incident.

The car has been moved but "regrettably, the ticket machine involved sustained extensive damage and has been decommissioned", he added.


MSNBC MADDOW 4/27/18

Russian lawyer had deep ties to Kremlin, emails show
Leaked emails indicate that Natalia Veselnitskaya, the Russian lawyer who met with top members of the Trump campaign in June 2016, appeared to direct the Russian government response to a DOJ information request in a 2014 case. Duration: 13:47


HELP 4/27/18
Russian mercenaries play critical role in Syria
To downplay its involvement in the Syrian conflict, the Kremlin relies on contract soldiers there — just one example of how Putin outsources dangerous or unsavory work to others. Duration: 9:59


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 4/26/18
Trump stomps on own legal strategy with blurting rant on Fox News
Rachel Maddow outlines how Donald Trump's lawyers have been crafting a legal defense based on attorney-client privilege with Michael Cohen, only to have Donald Trump minimize his relationship with Cohen during an untethered phone-in with Fox News. Duration: 21:25


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 4/26/18
McQuade: Trump a living law school cautionary example
Barbara McQuade, former U.S. attorney, talks with Rachel Maddow about Donald Trump's propensity to speak without thinking through how what he is saying hurts his own case, serving as a textbook example of why lawyers ask clients not to discuss a case. Duration: 5:54


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 4/26/18
Trump extends abysmal track record of nominee failures
Rachel Maddow reports on Ronny Jackson's withdrawal from nomination to be Secretary of Veterans Affairs, and notes that Jackson is Donald Trump's 24th failed Senate-confirmable nominee. Duration: 2:09


THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 4/26/18
'Our veterans deserve better': Former VA Secretary McDonald
Robert McDonald, former secretary of Veterans Affairs, talks with Rachel Maddow about the political pressures of privatization on the challenges of leading an organization as large as the V.A. Duration: 7:13


HELP THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW 4/25/18
Giuliani looks to restart Trump Mueller talks, Cohen takes 5th
Rachel Maddow reports on the myriad legal developments happening in Donald Trump's orbit, from his new lawyer Rudy Giuliani trying again on a Trump interview with Mueller, to his old lawyer asserting his Fifth Amendment rights in the Stormy Daniels case. Duration: 17:48