Monday, May 28, 2018
MAY 26 TO 28, 2018
NEWS AND VIEWS
THIS NEWS ARTICLE WILL APPLY TO MANY USA “NEWS SITES.” THOUGH I AM NOT EXACTLY A “NEWS SITE,” BUT A BLOG, I GOT A NOTICE ON MY BLOGGER PROGRAM THAT I HAVE TO MAKE A CHANGE. IF YOU HAVE BEEN UNABLE TO GET TO MY SCRAPS OF INFORMATION AND OPINION, WAIT A WEEK OR SO. I’M WORKING ON IT.
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-44248448
GDPR: US news sites unavailable to EU users under new rules
25 May 2018
Some high-profile US news websites are temporarily unavailable in Europe after new EU data protection rules came into effect.
The Chicago Tribune and LA Times were among those saying they were currently unavailable in most European countries.
Meanwhile complaints were filed against US tech giants within hours of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) taking effect.
GDPR gives EU citizens more rights over how their information is used.
It is an effort by EU lawmakers to limit tech firms' powers.
Under the rules, companies working in the EU - or any association or club in the bloc - must show they have a lawful basis for processing personal data, or face hefty fines.
There are six legal bases for using personal data, including getting express consent from consumers. However, in most cases firms must also show that they need the personal data for a specific purpose.
What is the legal case about?
Facebook, Google, Instagram and WhatsApp are accused of forcing users to consent to targeted advertising to use the services.
Privacy group noyb.eu, led by activist Max Schrems, said people were not being given a "free choice".
If the complaints are upheld, the websites may be forced to change how they operate and they could be fined.
Google and Facebook face GDPR complaints
Tech firms struggle with GDPR privacy rules
Which sites are unavailable?
News sites within the Tronc and Lee Enterprises media publishing groups were affected.
Tronc's high-profile sites include the New York Daily News, Chicago Tribune, LA Times, Orlando Sentinel and Baltimore Sun.
Its message read: "Unfortunately, our website is currently unavailable in most European countries. We are engaged on the issue and committed to looking at options that support our full range of digital offerings to the EU market."
GDPR quiz: How will privacy law affect you?
Are you swamped with privacy updates?
Lee Enterprises publishes 46 daily newspapers across 21 states.
Its statement read: "We're sorry. This site is temporarily unavailable. We recognise you are attempting to access this website from a country belonging to the European Economic Area (EEA) including the EU which enforces the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and therefore cannot grant you access at this time."
THIS IS MY COMPLIANCE NOTICE, WHICH I HAVE NOT YET BEEN ABLE TO DO. I DON'T EVEN KNOW EXACTLY WHAT IT IS THAT I'M SUPPOSED TO DO, AND AM RESPONSIBLE FOR. MY KIND COMPUTER REPAIR COMPANY WILL HOPEFULLY GUIDE ME THROUGH THIS, OR BETTER STILL, JUST DO IT FOR ME. I HOPE FOR ALL OF THIS TO BE IN ORDER WITHIN SEVERAL DAYS.
“European Union laws require you to give European Union visitors information about cookies used and data collected on your blog. In many cases, these laws also require you to obtain consent.
As a courtesy, we have added a notice on your blog to explain Google's use of certain Blogger and Google cookies, including use of Google Analytics and AdSense cookies, and other data collected by Google.
You are responsible for confirming this notice actually works for your blog, and that it displays. If you employ other cookies, for example by adding third party features, this notice may not work for you. If you include functionality from other providers there may be extra information collected from your users.
Learn more about this notice and your responsibilities.”
WHAT IS GDPR?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Data_Protection_Regulation
General Data Protection Regulation
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"GDPR" redirects here.
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) (EU) 2016/679 is a regulation in EU law on data protection and privacy for all individuals within the European Union and the European Economic Area. It also addresses the export of personal data outside the EU and EEA. The GDPR aims primarily to give control to citizens and residents over their personal data and to simplify the regulatory environment for international business by unifying the regulation within the EU.[1]
Superseding the Data Protection Directive 95/46/EC, the regulation contains provisions and requirements pertaining to the processing of personally identifiable information of data subjects inside the European Union, and applies to all enterprises, regardless of location, that are doing business with the European Economic Area. Business processes that handle personal data must be built with data protection by design and by default, meaning that personal data must be stored using pseudonymisation or full anonymisation, and use the highest-possible privacy settings by default, so that the data is not available publicly without explicit consent, and cannot be used to identify a subject without additional information stored separately. No personal data may be processed unless it is done under a lawful basis specified by the regulation, or if the data controller or processor has received explicit, opt-in consent from the data's owner. The data owner has the right to revoke this permission at any time.
A processor of personal data must clearly disclose any data collection, declare the lawful basis and purpose for data processing, how long data is being retained, and if it is being shared with any third-parties or outside of the EU. Users have the right to request a portable copy of the data collected by a processor in a common format, and the right to have their data erased under certain circumstances. Public authorities, and businesses whose core activities centre around regular or systematic processing of personal data, are required to employ a data protection officer (DPO), who is responsible for managing compliance with the GDPR. Businesses must report any data breaches within 72 hours if they have an adverse effect on user privacy.
It was adopted on 14 April 2016,[2] and after a two-year transition period, became enforceable on 25 May 2018.[3] Because the GDPR is a regulation, not a directive, it does not require national governments to pass any enabling legislation and is directly binding and applicable.[4] As the United Kingdom is leaving the European Union in 2019, it granted royal assent to the Data Protection Act 2018 on 23 May 2018, which contains equivalent regulations and protections.[5][6]
NEGATIVE PEOPLE ALWAYS LIKE TO SAY “THAT WON’T WORK.” THE TRUTH IS THAT, FROM MY KNOWLEDGE OF PEOPLE, SOME ARE ALMOST TOTALLY IMPERVIOUS TO BEING WILLING TO EXPERIENCE SOMETHING NEW, OR WHICH IS NOT “POPULAR” AMONG THEIR CROWD. SOME ARE ACTUALLY FULLY BIASED AND HARD-CORE WHITE SUPREMACISTS, BUT MOST ARE JUST FOLLOWERS RATHER THAN LEADERS OR INDEPENDENTS. THAT’S HOW USUALLY NICE PEOPLE BECOME A LYNCH MOB. LEARNING TAKES TIME FOR JUST ONE INDIVIDUAL, MUCH LESS TO PERCOLATE THROUGH TO ALL, AND FOR A FULL SOCIETAL CHANGE THAT HAS TO HAPPEN.
I DO BELIEVE IN INTRODUCING GOOD IDEAS IN UNPOPULAR PLACES, BECAUSE GOOD REPLICATES JUST AS EVIL DOES. I THINK WHAT SAVES MANKIND IS THAT EVERY TIME A NEW PERSON IS BORN AND INTRODUCED TO THE WORLD, IT’S A CHANCE FOR AN INBORN GOOD HUMAN INSTINCT TO HAVE AN EFFECT ON OTHERS. IF HE OR SHE IS LOVED OPENLY AND SHOWN DAILY HOW TO THINK THINGS THROUGH, THEY CAN MATURE INTO LOVE FOR OTHERS. IT IS MY PERSONAL BELIEF, FROM LONG YEARS OF OBSERVATION IN GROUPS SUCH AS MY OWN FAMILY FIRST, MY HOME TOWN SECOND, AND MOVING ON OUTWARDLY AROUND ME, THAT HUMANS DEFINITELY AREN’T REALLY “NICE” BEYOND A CERTAIN POINT. BUT, IN A GREAT DEMOCRATICALLY ORIENTED SOCIETY LIKE AMERICA AND MOST OF EUROPE, WE NEED TO EMBODY THAT IDEA OF GREATNESS. BY EMBODY, I MEAN PERSONALLY DO IT OURSELVES TO THE DEGREE THAT WE CAN. TRAINING IN THESE SPECIFIC ISSUES WILL BE VERY GOOD FOR SOME, AND FOR THE OTHERS, IF THEY CONTINUE TO BE RUDE TO PEOPLE OF ANY KIND WHEN THEY ARE “REPRESENTING THE COMPANY,” IT’S GROUNDS FOR DISMISSAL.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/starbucks-closing-for-anti-bias-training-will-it-make-a-difference/
CBS/AP May 28, 2018, 4:39 PM
Starbucks closing for anti-bias training: Will it make a difference?
Starbucks, trying to put to rest an outcry over the arrest of two black men at one of its stores, is closing more than 8,000 stores for an afternoon of anti-bias training, a strategy some believe can keep racism at bay.
After the arrests in Philadelphia last month, the coffee chain's leaders apologized and met with the two men, but also reached out to activists and experts in bias training to put together a curriculum for its 175,000 workers.
That has put a spotlight on the little-known world of "unconscious bias training," which is used by many corporations, police departments and other organizations to help address racism in the workplace. The training is typically designed to get people to open up about implicit biases and stereotypes in encountering people of color, gender or other identities.
The Perception Institute, a consortium of researchers consulting with Starbucks, defines implicit bias as attitudes — positive or negative — or stereotypes someone has toward a person or group without being conscious of it. A common example, according to some of its studies, is a tendency for white people to unknowingly associate black people with criminal behavior.
Many retailers including Walmart and Target said they already offer some racial bias training. Target says it plans to expand that training. Nordstrom has said it plans to enhance its training after issuing an apology to three black teenagers in Missouri who employees falsely accused of shoplifting.
Anti-bias sessions can incorporate personal reflections, explorations of feelings and mental exercises. But one expert says training of this kind can have the opposite effect if people feel judged.
According to a video previewing the Starbucks training, there will be recorded remarks from Starbucks executives and rapper/activist Common. From there, employees will "move into a real and honest exploration of bias" where, in small groups, they can share how the issue comes up in their daily work life.
Starbucks has described it as a "collaborative and engaging experience for store partners to learn together." "
Developed with feedback from the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund, the Perception Institute and other social advocacy groups, the four-hour session will give workers a primer on the history of civil rights from the 1960s to present day. Workers will also view a short documentary film.
Alexis McGill Johnson, Perception's co-founder and executive director, says anti-bias training is about awareness.
"The work that we want to do is not say you're a bad person because you have a stereotype about a group, but say this is why your brain may have these stereotypes," she said.
Johnson declined to elaborate on the details of the Starbucks training. But she said Perception's workshops typically include mental exercises to show participants how bias creeps into situations. A session can include personal reflections, she said, such as, "'I was socialized to think about a group this way.'"
Johnson said the real work is for employees to apply what they learn in their everyday lives. She likened it to exercising a muscle. Some ways to practice counter-stereotyping, she said, are to look for something unique about a person that is beyond their social identity.
"It could be having a question that elicits something more interesting than, say, the weather or the traffic," Johnson said, stressing the need to "go well beyond the superficial."
In the Philadelphia incident, Rashon Nelson and Donte Robinson were asked to leave after one was denied access to the bathroom. They were arrested by police minutes after they sat down to await a business meeting. The incident was recorded by cellphones and went viral.
Nelson and Robinson settled with Starbucks this month for an undisclosed sum and an offer of a free education. They also reached a deal with the city of Philadelphia for a symbolic $1 each and a promise from officials to establish a $200,000 program for young entrepreneurs.
Starbucks has since announced anyone can use its restrooms even if they are not buying anything. According to documents Starbucks sent to store workers, employees should also think carefully when dealing with disruptive customers. A guide advises staff to consider whether the actions they take would apply to any customer in the same situation. They should dial 911 only if the situation seems unsafe.
Starbucks said the arrests never should have occurred and announced the mass closures of its stores for the afternoon of training.
Calvin Lai, an assistant professor of psychological and brain sciences at Washington University in St. Louis, said people should not place high expectations on this one day.
"We find that oftentimes diversity training has mixed effects, and in some cases it can even backfire and lead people who are kind of already reactive to these issues to become even more polarized," Lai said.
One afternoon wouldn't really be "moving the needle on the biases," especially when it's a company with as many employees as Starbucks, he said. "A lot of those employees won't be here next year or two years or three years down the line."
Starbucks has said Tuesday's sessions serve as "a step in a long-term journey to make Starbucks even more welcoming and safe for all." It is working with volunteer advisers including Heather McGhee, president of social advocacy organization Demos, and Sherrilyn Ifill, president and director-counsel of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund.
"One of the things Starbucks has to wrestle with is how to incorporate this kind of training into the onboarding of every employee," Ifill said.
That takes a sustained effort, McGhee added.
"We have really made it clear that one training is not enough, and this needs to be part of an ongoing review of their policies," McGhee said. "They really need to commit."
© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.
_____________
THE CONSERVATIVE VOICE OF THE WALL STREET JOURNAL SPEAKS HERE. I DISAGREE WITH THE PRO-TRUMP VIEW ON THIS, BUT IT IS WELL WRITTEN AND STIRS MY INTEREST. I WOULD HAVE TO LOOK AT SOME VALID LAW BLOG TO SEE WHETHER OR NOT CONGRESS OVERSEES THE DOJ, UNDER WHAT CONDITIONS AND HOW. WHAT WSJ’S KIMBERLEY STASSEL* IS SHOWN IN A DISCUSSION: [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oZp5rmOV5Ga]
WHAT WOULD REALLY BE USEFUL IN ACHIEVING JUSTICE WHEN THREE MORE OR LESS AUTONOMOUS AND EQUALLY IMPORTANT BODIES WOULD BE THE FORMATION OF DECISION MAKING PANELS WHEN ONE OF THESE THREE COEQUAL PARTS OF THE GOVERNMENT COME INTO CONFLICT. THIS STRUCTURE WAS SET UP SO THAT IT WOULD NOT BE “EASY” FOR ONE TO OVERRIDE THE OTHER, AND THAT DEEP DISCUSSION WOULD ENSUE. ANNOYING AS THAT IS TO THOSE AMERICANS WHO WANT A STRONG AND EVEN DOMINANT PRESIDENT, IT DOES HAVE A FUNCTION, SIMILAR PERHAPS TO THE “GANG OF EIGHT” GROUPS EMPLOYED IN SOME SITUATIONS BY THE LEGISLATURE, ONLY THIS GROUP WOULD INCLUDE KEY MEMBERS FROM ALL THREE BRANCHES OF GOVERNMENT. A POWER GRAB, WHICH IS EXACTLY WHAT TRUMP HAS DONE, IS NOT THE WAY TO GO FOR A PEACEFUL AND FAIR RESULT. THAT IS THE REASON WHY THIS INTERACTION THAT IS UNDERWAY OVER THE RUSSIA INVESTIGATION REALLY RESEMBLES A FOOD FIGHT.
IT’S NOT ONLY PRODUCING INJUSTICE, BUT IT’S CHAOTIC AND TO ME, EMBARRASSING FOR OUR COUNTRY. WHILE WE’RE REWRITING THE CONSTITUTION – IF YOU ARE A FOLLOWER YOU WILL KNOW THAT WE ARE DOING THAT HERE IN “WARNERLAND” -- THIS IS AN IMPORTANT AREA OF CONCERN. I BELIEVE WE MUST NOT HAVE A SITUATION IN WHICH THE EXECUTIVE OFFICE OVERRIDES THE PROCESS OF AN INVESTIGATION OF PRESIDENT TRUMP, AND ESPECIALLY WHEN THE EVIDENCE WE ALREADY HAVE SHOWS TRUMP’S INVOLVEMENT IN A SHOCKING ATTEMPT TO TAKE OVER THE USA BY COUP. THEORETICALLY IT HAS SUCCEEDED, BUT “THE PEOPLE”, THE REAL PEOPLE, HAVE NOT FINISHED SPEAKING YET.
WORSE STILL, THIS IS BEING DONE BY A MAN WHO SPECIFICALLY WANTS TO REMOVE THE DEMOCRATIC PART OF OUR “DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC,” AND BRING IN THE FULL AND TOTAL RULE BY OLIGARCHS. THE FACT THAT TRUMP, IN ADDITION TO SEVERAL OTHER REPUBLICANS TODAY, IS DEEPLY LINKED WITH OUR LONG TERM INTERNATIONAL RIVAL AND ENEMY RUSSIA, WHOSE LEADER VLADIMIR PUTIN IS ANOTHER OLIGARCH AND POSSIBLE MURDERER, WHICH SHOULD BE IMPOSSIBLE FOR “PATRIOTIC” AMERICANS SUCH AS THE AMERICAN RIGHT TO TOLERATE. I CAN ONLY CONCLUDE THAT THEY ARE BRAINWASHED, OR SO GREEDY THAT THEY WILL DO ANYTHING FOR MORE MONEY.
WE HUMANISTICALLY INCLINED CITIZENS REALLY MUST GET INTO AN IMPROVED POSITION AGAIN, TO KEEP US A FREE PEOPLE. THIS PARTICULAR SET OF RACISTS AND FASCISTS ARE OF A MIND TO TAKE OVER TOTALLY. DON’T LET THEM! AT ANY RATE, CHECK THE FOLLOWING ARTICLE OUT. CONSIDER THIS AS MY ATTEMPT TO BE TRULY “FAIR AND BALANCED.” BY THE WAY, THIS ARTICLE IS LOCK STEP WITH THE TRUMP CAMP, WITH THE GOAL OF KILLING THE RUSSIA INVESTIGATION, WHICH DESPITE LOTS OF UNAMBIGUOUS EVIDENCE, APPEARS TO ME TO BE A SIGN OF GUILT ON THEIR PARTS. WHY SO FEARFUL?
TO GET THE LIBERAL/PROGRESSIVE SIDE OF THE ISSUES, I SUGGEST THAT YOU REGULARLY WATCH MSNBC’S THE RACHEL MADDOW SHOW AND HER WELL-PLACED GUESTS, SUCH AS ADAM SCHIFF, BERNIE SANDERS, ANDREW CLAPPER, ETC. READ THE SANDERS LINKED SITE CALLED COMMON DREAMS AND READ CBS OR SOME OTHER DEPENDABLY ACCURATE GENERAL NEWS SOURCE. ALSO, FACT CHECK THE OVERLY EMOTION-PACKED NUGGETS OF INFORMATION (DOG WHISTLES) OR THOSE SIMPLY STRANGE THINGS FROM THE RUSSIAN TROLL FARMS. THERE IS A GOOD DEAL OF LEGAL AND LEGISLATIVE EXPERTISE AVAILABLE, TOO.
WHO OVERSEES THE FBI? IT’S A MIXTURE. CONGRESS IS ONE PART, THE SENATE IS ONE, AND THE DOJ, WHICH IS IN THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH. YES, THE PRESIDENT LEGALLY CAN FIRE THE SPECIAL COUNSEL WHO IS INVESTIGATING HIM, BUT HE WOULD STEP INTO A TRAP OF BEING (VERY LOGICALLY) SEEN AS OBSTRUCTING JUSTICE IN THIS CASE WHICH IS AN IMPEACHABLE OFFENSE AND A CRIME. THAT WAS RICHARD NIXON’S MISTAKE.
https://www.fbi.gov/about/faqs/who-monitors-or-oversees-the-fbi
Who monitors or oversees the FBI?
The FBI’s activities are closely and regularly scrutinized by a variety of entities. Congress—through several oversight committees in the Senate and House—reviews the FBI’s budget appropriations, programs, and selected investigations. The results of FBI investigations are often reviewed by the judicial system during court proceedings. Within the U.S. Department of Justice, the FBI is responsible to the attorney general, and it reports its findings to U.S. Attorneys across the country. The FBI’s intelligence activities are overseen by the Director of National Intelligence.
“EVADING OVERSIGHT?” THAT MEANS THAT MUELLER IS NOT CAVING IN TO TRUMP CAMP’S DEMANDS. SHAMEFUL! HERE IS THE “FAKE” WSJ STORY ON WHAT THE “REAL” CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS IS. I THINK THE REAL CONSTITUTIONAL CRISIS IS THAT NEO-NAZIS HAVE ENTERED OUR GOVERNMENT BECAUSE AS A SUPPOSEDLY INTELLIGENT PEOPLE, WE WERE SO COMPLACENT DESPITE THE KKK/JOHN BIRCH SOCIETY CONNECTIONS, THAT WE WERE ASLEEP, AND WE LET ENEMIES SNEAK THROUGH THE BACK DOOR.
https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-real-constitutional-crisis-1527201552?mod=djcm_OBV1_092216
The Real Constitutional Crisis
The FBI and Justice Department continue evading congressional oversight.
Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein speaks at the Bloomberg Law Leadership Forum, New York City, May 23
By Kimberley A. Strassel
May 24, 2018 6:39 p.m. ET
PHOTO: Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein speaks at the Bloomberg Law Leadership Forum, New York City, May 23. PHOTO: VICTOR J. BLUE/BLOOMBERG NEWS VICTOR J. BLUE/BLOOMBERG NEWS
Democrats and their media allies are again shouting “constitutional crisis,” this time claiming President Trump has waded too far into the Russia investigation. The howls are a diversion from the actual crisis: the Justice Department’s unprecedented contempt for duly elected representatives, and the lasting harm it is doing to law enforcement and to the department’s relationship with Congress.
The conceit of those claiming Mr. Trump has crossed some line in ordering the Justice Department to comply with oversight is that “investigators” are beyond question. We are meant to take them at their word that they did everything appropriately. Never mind that the revelations of warrants and spies and dirty dossiers and biased text messages already show otherwise.
We are told that Mr. Trump cannot be allowed to have any say over the Justice Department’s actions, since this might make him privy to sensitive details about an investigation into himself. We are also told that Congress—a separate branch of government, a primary duty of which is oversight—cannot be allowed to access Justice Department material. House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes can’t be trusted to view classified information—something every intelligence chairman has done—since he might blow a source or method, or tip off the president.
That’s a political judgment, but it holds no authority. The Constitution set up Congress to act as a check on the executive branch—and it’s got more than enough cause to do some checking here. Yet the Justice Department and Federal Bureau of Investigation have spent a year disrespecting Congress—flouting subpoenas, ignoring requests, hiding witnesses, blacking out information, and leaking accusations.
Senate Judiciary Chairman Chuck Grassley has not been allowed to question a single current or former Justice or FBI official involved in this affair. Not one. He’s also more than a year into his demand for the transcript of former national security adviser Mike Flynn’s infamous call with the Russian ambassador, as well as reports from the FBI agents who interviewed Mr. Flynn. And still nothing.
Ron Johnson, chairman of the Senate Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee, is being stonewalled on at least three inquiries. The House Judiciary and Oversight committee chairmen required a full-blown summit in April with Justice Department officials to get movement on their own subpoena. The FBI continues to block a fuller release of the House Intelligence Committee’s Russia report.
Not that the documents that Justice sends over are of much use. Mr. Grassley this week excoriated the department for its routine practice of redacting key information, and for similarly refusing to provide a “privilege log” that details the legal basis for withholding information. His team recently discovered that one of the items Justice had scrubbed from the Peter Strzok-Lisa Page texts was the duo’s concern that former Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe had a $70,000 conference table. (Was it lacquered with unicorn tears?) A separate text refers to an investigation that the White House is “running,” but conveniently blacks out which one. The FBI won’t answer Mr. Johnson’s questions about who is doing the redacting.
This intransigence is creating an unprecedented toxicity between law enforcement and Congress, undermining what has long been a cooperative and vital relationship. It is also pushing lawmakers ever closer to holding Justice Department officials in contempt or impeaching them. Congress hasn’t impeached a member of the executive branch (presidents excepted) since the 19th century. Let’s agree such a step would amount to a real crisis. And the pressure to use these tools to get disclosure is growing, as congressional Republicans worry about losing their oversight authority in the midterms, and suspect the Justice Department is stringing them along for that very reason.
Which is why Mr. Trump was right to order that Justice comply with Mr. Nunes’s demands for documents about the alleged FBI spy Stefan Halper* and other information related to the catalyst of this investigation. As president, he has a duty to protect the reputation and integrity of the Justice Department—even from its own leaders. Forcing officials to comply with legitimate congressional oversight is far better than sitting back to watch those same officials singe the institution and its relationship with Congress in a flame of impeachment resolutions.
Mr. Trump has an even quicker way to bring the hostility to an end. He can—and should—declassify everything possible, letting Congress and the public see the truth. That would put an end to the daily spin and conspiracy theories. It would puncture Democratic arguments that the administration is seeking to gain this information only for itself, to “undermine” an investigation. And it would end the Justice Department’s campaign of secrecy, which has done such harm to its reputation with the public and with Congress.
Write to kim@wsj.com.
Appeared in the May 25, 2018, print edition.
Biography
@KimStrassel
Kim.Strassel@wsj.com
STEFAN HALPER – THIS STORY IS LONG IN WORDS AND SHORT ON INFORMATION CONCERNING TRUMP, TO ME. HOWEVER, IT DOES INTRODUCE HALPER IN THIS DRAMA. HE IS A SORT OF PROFESSIONAL SPY, WHO WORKS FOR THE MONEY, I THINK.
https://heavy.com/news/2018/05/stefan-halper/
Stefan Halper: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know
By Jessica McBride
May 20, 2018 at 9:34pm
Stefan Halper the University of Cambridge professor identified in multiple media outlets as the alleged FBI informant who made contact with Donald Trump campaign aides during the 2016 presidential election, has long-standing ties to both the CIA and former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Ronald Reagan.
Halper has been paid over $1 million by the U.S. government from 2012 through 2017, this official government database shows. He praised Hillary Clinton in a Russian news source during the presidential election, saying she would be a better choice for the UK and European Union than Trump. Halper’s father-in-law was a long-time CIA man.
Halper was once caught up in a scandal over allegations that he led an operation within the Reagan campaign to dig up information on Jimmy Carter. In 1983, The New York Times reported that Halper was in charge of “an operation to collect inside information on Carter Administration foreign policy” that was “run in Ronald Reagan’s campaign headquarters in the 1980 presidential campaign.”
Some news outlets did not name Halper, such as The New York Times, but gave details about his background that were so specific that other media sources have named Halper as the alleged informant, whom Trump supporters are referring to as a “plant” or “mole” within the campaign. Heavy is naming Halper because his name has already been widely reported. He has not confirmed that he was an alleged informant, nor have authorities.
Trump has highlighted the informant in tweets without naming him. “I hereby demand, and will do so officially tomorrow, that the Department of Justice look into whether or not the FBI/DOJ infiltrated or surveilled the Trump Campaign for Political Purposes – and if any such demands or requests were made by people within the Obama Administration!” the president wrote.
On May 19, 2018, Trump also wrote, “If the FBI or DOJ was infiltrating a campaign for the benefit of another campaign, that is a really big deal. Only the release or review of documents that the House Intelligence Committee (also, Senate Judiciary) is asking for can give the conclusive answers. Drain the Swamp!”
The DOJ’s Rod Rosenstein then ordered the Inspector General to look into those claims, saying, that if “anyone did infiltrate or surveil participants in a presidential campaign for inappropriate purposes, we need to know about it and take appropriate action.”
Who is Stefan Halper?
Here’s what you need to know:
1. Halper, a Professor, Made Contact With Three Trump Campaign Officials During the Election & Has Provided Information to the CIA & FBI for Years, Reports Say
The New York Times described the academic, but didn’t name him, as “an American academic who teaches in Britain” and who “made contact” in summer 2016 with Trump campaign aides Carter Page and George Papadopoulos. Halper is an University of Cambridge Professor with “ties to American and British intelligence,” according to The Washington Times.
“Halper’s sit-downs with Page reportedly started in early July 2016, undermining fired FBI Director James Comey’s previous claim that the bureau’s investigation into the Trump campaign began at the end of that month,” The New York Post reported.
People close to Papadopoulos told NBC that “he has described being summoned to England in September 2016 by Halper, who was offering to pay him to discuss energy issues involving Turkey, Israel and Cyprus, which was his area of expertise.”
PHOTOGRAPH -- carter page, Getty
Carter Page arrives at the courthouse on the same day as a hearing regarding Michael Cohen, longtime personal lawyer and confidante for President Donald Trump, at the United States District Court Southern District of New York, April 16, 2018 in New York City.
Papadopoulos told these sources, according to NBC, “that Halper attended the meetings with his assistant, a young Turkish woman. Papadopoulos said he found Halper’s demeanor odd, and in retrospect believes Halper was working on behalf of an intelligence or law enforcement agency.”
Page told NBC he met Halper several times on his farm but didn’t find it suspicious at the time. He wrote the same on Twitter, saying, “Reporters keep asking me about my interactions with Prof. Halper. I found all our interactions to be cordial. Like this email I received about a year after I first met him. He never seemed suspicious. Just a few scholars exchanging ideas. He had interests in policy, and politics.”
. . . .
THE LEGALIZATION OF ABORTION COMES TO IRELAND
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/05/25/ireland-abortion-referendum-voters-head-polls-leo-varadkar-backs/
Ireland abortion referendum: exit polls predict landslide pro-choice victory
James Rothwell, dublin Chris Graham
26 MAY 2018 • 9:02AM
Ireland has voted by a landslide to reform its tough abortion laws, referendum exit polls indicate.
According to the Irish Times projection, 68 per cent voted Yes to scrapping the country's de facto ban on abortion, while RTE television projected support would reach nearly 70 per cent.
Voters were asked whether to scrap the eighth amendment of the Irish constitution, which puts the life of a mother and her baby on equal footing. The amendment was introduced via a referendum in 1983.
The current regime forces thousand of women to travel to England for terminations, which the pro-choice Yes campaign says is inhumane and causes needless suffering in an already traumatic situation.
"It's looking like we will make history tomorrow," Prime Minister Leo Varadkar, who was in favour of change, said on Twitter.
Leo Varadkar
✔
@campaignforleo
Thank you to everyone who voted today. Democracy in action. It’s looking like we will make history tomorrow.... #Together4Yes
6:35 PM - May 25, 2018
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Polls previously suggested that the Yes camp had a comfortable majority, but in the wake of the Brexit vote and the surprise victory of Donald Trump, the result seemed close to call.
The Irish Times exit poll suggested that women voted by 70 per cent in favour of the proposal and 30 per cent against. Support among men was 65 per cent pro-choice and 35 per cent anti-abortion.
People over 65, however, voted mostly against change.
Among the youngest voters, 18-24 year-olds, the poll found 87 per cent had voted to allow abortion, according to the poll.
Nearly 3.5 million voters were asked whether they wanted to overturn the ban after an emotional and divisive campaign.
Yes campaign: It's time for more compassionate law
Ireland has some of the toughest abortion laws in Europe, banning the procedure in cases of rape, incest or fatal foetal abnormalities. Those who choose to have an illegal abortion in Ireland risk up to 14 years in prison.
But the pro-life No campaign says the alternative proposed by the government goes too far, as it would allow unrestricted access to abortion for up to 12 weeks.
Photographs on Twitter showed campaigners hugging and in tears at the Together4yes umbrella group's headquarters shortly after the first exit poll was published.
Justice Minister Charlie Flanagan called it "another big step out of our dark past." Minister for Children Katherine Zappone, an early advocate for holding the referendum, said an "emotional, historic day" lay ahead.
Yes campaigners rejoice in Dublin as exit polls indicate a vote to repeal Ireland's 8th amendment
Yes campaigners rejoice in Dublin as exit polls indicate a vote to repeal Ireland's 8th amendment CREDIT: HARLES MCQUILLAN/GETTY IMAGES
Mr Varadkar said repealing the eighth amendment would pave the way for more compassionate abortion laws.
"I hope that a Yes vote will help to lift that stigma and help to take away that legacy of shame that exists in our society," Mr Varadkar said.
Simon Coveney, the deputy prime minister, wrote on Twitter: "Thank you to everybody who voted today - democracy can be so powerful on days like today - looks like a stunning result that will bring about a fundamental change for the better. Proud to be Irish tonight."
Marian Keyes, the author, was among the first Irish celebrities to react to the exit polls.
Marian KeYES
✔
@MarianKeyes
Oh my god Lads! Exit poll shows 68% voted YES! Can exit polls be trusted? If so, THIS IS GREAT
THANK YOU, EVERYONE!!! https://twitter.com/julie_cooling/status/1000123155577438213 …
5:18 PM - May 25, 2018
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Graham Lineham, creator of Father Ted, tweeted a meme of his sitcom as he celebrated.
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Graham YES Linehan
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@Glinner
5:51 PM - May 25, 2018
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Stephen McGann, star of Call The Midwife, revealed he was brought to tears by the exit poll.
Stephen McGann
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@StephenMcGann
Tearing up in work at reports of the exit poll. Those silent legions of poor, scared, lonely women. All of that coldness and shame. Please let it end now with a single, strong, healing heart. x
5:29 PM - May 25, 2018
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No campaign: Proposed replacement is too extreme
Meanwhile, Cora Sherlock, a prominent No campaigner, expressed disappointment at the polls.
"Exit polls, if accurate, paint a very sad state of affairs tonight," she tweeted late on Friday.
"But those who voted No should take heart. Abortion on demand would deal Ireland a tragic blow but the pro-life movement will rise to any challenge it faces. Let's go into tomorrow with this in mind. #8thref"
Speaking to the Telegraph, No campaign chief John McGuirk said it was essential that Ireland protected the eighth amendment or it would put the lives of countless unborn children at risk.
“If you believe a child has rights before it is born then this referendum would take away those rights," Mr McGuirk said.
It came as GPs supporting the No side claimed that asking doctors to carry out abortions without a reason being offered cannot be described as healthcare.
General practitioners opposed to the repeal of the eighth amendment said the proposals to liberalise Ireland's termination laws would amount to "abortion on demand".
More than 120 GPs put their names to the open letter, expressing "serious concerns" about health minister Simon Harris's plan.
Dr Brendan Crowley, one of the signatories, said the doctors were "not expressing a position on abortion one way or the other".
"However, we are united in the view that the Government's proposals would open the door to abortion on demand in a similar manner to that prevailing in Britain," he said.
"In circumstances where the draft abortion law specifies that the role of the GP will be 'carrying out the termination of pregnancy' at the request of the patient, without the need for any reason to be given by the patient, there is no way such a proposal could be described as 'healthcare'."
'Hope' for Northern Ireland
The exit poll results also spurred hope for Northern Ireland, which could soon become the only part of Britain and Ireland where terminations are all but outlawed.
The UK Government's International Development Secretary Penny Mordaunt was among those referencing the situation in Belfast as she pointed to the historic events in Dublin.
Penny Mordaunt MP
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@PennyMordaunt
Based on the exit poll, a historic & great day for Ireland, & a hopeful one for Northern Ireland. That hope must be met. #HomeToVote stories are a powerful and moving testimony as to why this had to happen and that understanding & empathy exists between generations. #trustwomen
7:06 PM - May 25, 2018
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Reacting to the polls, former shadow Northern Ireland secretary, Labour's Owen Smith, tweeted: "Wonderful news, if true. And a powerful message to Northern Ireland. We need change across the whole island of Ireland."
Leader of Northern Ireland's Alliance Party Naomi Long said: "Eyes will now turn to us: yet again a place apart. Behind GB. Behind Ireland."
Thousands return home to vote
Thousands of Irish voters have flown home from as far away as America, Vietnam and Kenya to have their say in the referendum.
Ciaran Gaffney, based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, spotted four of his countrymen on a plane home to vote.
He tweeted: "Was actually so humbled and relieved to meet four other Irish people on the flight from Buenos Aires to London, all of them flying onwards to Dublin today or tomorrow to #voteyes."
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the cute hoor
@HoorayForNiamh
So I forgot my repeal jumper when I first started my travels in January and now my mam and dad are after showing up at Dublin airport with the jumper in hand and I just 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭 #HomeToVote #Together4Yes #repealthe8th #VietnamToIreland
8:56 AM - May 23, 2018
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Mary Galvin, 73, from Wexford, cut her holiday to Italy short by a day to be home for the referendum to vote No.
She said: "I've been a nurse all my life - the hard cases, there are many hard cases, like a lady who had been raped, and you help deal with that and the aftermath of that, with support."
“TAOISEACH LEO VARADKAR DESCRIBED THE REFERENDUM RESULT AS A “QUIET REVOLUTION” THAT CAME 100 YEARS AFTER WOMEN WERE GIVEN THE RIGHT TO VOTE. ... FOR THOSE WHO VOTED NO, HE SAID: "I WOULD LIKE TO REASSURE YOU THAT IRELAND IS STILL BE [SIC] THE SAME COUNTRY TODAY AS IT WAS BEFORE, JUST A LITTLE MORE TOLERANT, OPEN AND RESPECTFUL.” CAN THIS BE A BAD THING?
VARADKAR IS CLEARLY INTELLIGENT AND RESPECTS WOMEN. THERE ARE MANY THINGS I LIKE ABOUT THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, OR AT ANY RATE ABOUT THE CATHOLIC PEOPLE I’VE KNOWN, BUT THE ANTI-ABORTION PREJUDICE IS NOT ONE OF THEM. RELIGIOUS BOOKS AND KNOWLEDGE ARE NOT THE ONLY SOURCE OF INFORMATION.
I’M JUST GLAD TO SEE THAT OUR CURRENT POPE IS CONCERNED ABOUT SO MANY LONG-TERM CHURCH PROBLEMS. HE HAS ALSO SPOKEN OUT ON THE ANTI-SCIENTIFIC BIAS ON ISSUES LIKE PRESERVING A WORLD WHERE LIFE CAN CONTINUE TO FLOURISH, THE OCEAN WON’T BE BARREN, THE AIR WILL BE BREATHABLE, AND IT WON’T BE FLOODED DUE TO MELTED ICE.
BECAUSE I KNOW YOU REALLY WANT TO KNOW THE PRONUNCIATION OF THIS WORD AS MUCH AS I DO, I FOUND THIS ON GOOD OLD TRUSTY GOOGLE:
“TAOISEACH (OR AN TAOISEACH) IS THE TITLE FOR THE HEAD OF GOVERNMENT AND THE EQUIVALENT OF PRIME MINISTER. THE ESTABLISHED ANGLICISATION FOR THIS WORD IS TEE-SHOCK (-EE AS IN MEET, -SH AS IN SHIP). THE ANGLICISED PRONUNCIATION TEE-SHUHCK IS ALSO WIDELY HEARD. NOV 25, 2010.”
https://www.independent.ie/irish-news/abortion-referendum/we-voted-to-look-reality-in-the-eye-and-we-did-not-blink-leo-varadkar-on-landslide-referendum-result-36949348.html
'We voted to look reality in the eye and we did not blink' - Leo Varadkar on landslide referendum result
Constituencies declared: 40/40
Kevin Doyle
May 26 2018 6:46 PM
PHOTOGRAPH -- Taoiseach Leo Varadkar pictured at the Dublin County Count Centre in Citywest Photo: Frank Mc Grath
Taoiseach Leo Varadkar described the referendum result as a “quiet revolution” that came 100 years after women were given the right to vote.
With 66pc of voters backing the Government's proposal to allow abortions in Ireland, Mr Varadkar said: “We have voted to look reality in the eye and we did not blink."
For those who voted No, he said: "I would like to reassure you that Ireland is still be the same country today as it was before, just a little more tolerant, open and respectful.”
Mr Varadkar said for 35 years we had “hidden our conscience behind the Constitution” but voters had said “no more”.
“No more doctors telling their patients there is nothing that can be done for them in their own country.
“No more lonely journeys across the Irish Sea. No more stigma. The veil of secrecy is lifted.
How Did Your Constituency Vote?
FINAL RESULTS Constituencies declared: 40/40
IrelandDublin
+
-
Map Key
Yes55% 50%55% No
“No more isolation. The burden of shame is gone.”
Mr Varadkar said the campaign had been largely respectful and the Government now had a mandate to bring forward legislation and secure its passage by the end of the year.
“I said in recent days that this was a once in a generation vote. Today I believe we have voted for the next generation,” he said.
And paraphrasing poet Maya Angelou, he concluded: “The wrenching pain of decades of mistreatment of Irish women cannot be unlived. However, today we have ensured that it does not have to be lived again.”
Online Editors
A HIGHLY DETERMINED AND FORTHRIGHT IRISH BLACK WOMAN MAKES THE POINT, IN CASE ANYBODY MISSED IT.
https://www.independent.ie/videos/irish-news/video-men-should-know-their-place-in-abortion-debate-30526010.html
VIDEO: 'Men should know their place' in abortion debate
Orlagh Bailey/David O'Beirne
August 21 2014 12:55 PM
Video Irish News Video Saturday 26 May 2018
(2014) A speech made at a Dublin pro-choice rally yesterday said 'men must know their place in the abortion debate' and that 'it's a women's campaign'
A SPEECHMAKER at an abortion rally in Dublin yesterday said men should ‘know their place’ in the abortion campaign.
During the impassioned speech, the woman said that the campaign is a women’s campaign.
Speaking on the country’s latest abortion case, where a young women was refused an abortion and a c-section was carried out, she said:
“The hospitals in this wretched country gave her a horrible disservice.
“I am sorry to the women who are still having to go through this s**t in this country because of a cowardly government.”
She then addressed the men who attended the rally:
“I want to address all the men in this audience. All the men who have with their female friends who have come here today to be with us, to support us.
“I want to talk to all the men today, who made placards and banners of pro-choice.
“I want to talk to the men today who made countless articles to show support to women to have body autonomy for themselves
“I am saying to all those men – know your place. This is a women’s movement. And your support, as much as it's always needed, you must always remember you are here are here to support women.
“If you see any man, any man, friend or foe – if they are against any women who are trying to speak about their experience - you know nothing about it.
“You must listen to them, you must never tell them of any women’s studies or international development course that you decide of your won free choice to participate in. Your debate is not my life.
“I love and respect and appreciate the men who do this. But remember your place. This is a women’s movement.”
Stephanie Lord, spokeperson for Choice Ireland told Independent.ie:
"We understand that there may be people who felt unsettled at the comments but the sentiment of them was that men involved in the pro-choice movement should be supporting and not dominating the conversation.
"While the speaker also thanked the men present and stated that she respected them for being there.
"We are a movement aiming to eradicate gender inequality, so that also involves being self-critical and not replicating the oppression of dominant political structures where men consistently make decisions regarding women's reproductive choices.
"However, we do recognise that transgender men and people outside the gender binary may also experience pregnancy. This is their campaign too."
Jene Kelly of AIMSI said: "AIMSI congratulates Amanda on her powerful speech at yesterday's demonstration. Women's voices are so often lost in academic and political debate around maternal health and rights.
"There are often attempts to invalidate and discredit women's stories - instead of listening to and prioritising them as with a woman-centred approach.
"The voice of migrant women* needs to be front and centre in this discussion - they are all too frequently overlooked, yet disproportionately represented in tragedy after tragedy in our maternity wards."
MIGRANT WOMEN* http://www.unwomen.org/en/news/stories/2017/12/compilation-international-migrants-day
SEE ALSO "IRISH TRAVELLERS" IN WIKIPEDIA. THEIR HISTORY AND DNA INFORMATION IS REALLY FASCINATING. IN THE USA, AT LEAST, THOUGH, THEY HAVE A VERY SKETCHY REPUTATION, VERY MUCH LIKE "GYPSIES -- OR ROMA.
TRUMP EXPLAINING HIS CONSTANT ATTACKS ON THE PRESS WITH HIS BLATANT LIES. SEE THIS LESLIE STAHL INTERVIEW.
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2018/05/23/leslie_stahl_trump_told_me_he_uses_term_fake_news_to_discredit_the_media.html
Back to Videos
Lesley Stahl: Trump Told Me He Uses Term "Fake News" To Discredit The Media
Posted By Ian Schwartz
On Date May 23, 2018
INTERVIEW VIDEO : LESLIE STAHL: TRUMP’S PLAN TO DISCREDIT ...
60 Minutes correspondent Lesley Stahl revealed an off-camera conversation about the media and his use of "fake news" she had with then-candidate Donald Trump when she interviewed him for the newsmagazine show after he won the Republican nomination.
Stahl said in an interview with PBS News' Judy Woodruff that Trump told her he keeps hammering the press so that when they write negative stories no one will believe them.
LESLEY STAHL: It's just me, my boss, and him -- he has a huge office -- and he's attacking the press. There were no cameras, there was nothing going on and I said, 'That is getting tired, why are you doing it? You're doing it over and over and it's boring. It's time to end that, you've won the nomination. And why do you keep hammering at this?'
And he said: 'You know why I do it? I do it to discredit you all and demean you all so when you write negative stories about me no one will believe you.'
So, put that in your head for a minute.
Watch the full 'Deadline Club' interview:
Related Topics: Donald Trump, JUDY WOODRUFF, Lesley Stahl
TRUMP AND THE “MADE UP” WHITE HOUSE NEWS SOURCE
https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/reporters-call-bs-after-trump-claims-new-york-times-made-up-source-for-north-korea-story
Reporters call BS after Trump claims New York Times made up source for North Korea story
by Josh Siegel
| May 26, 2018 12:09 PM
| Updated May 26, 2018, 12:21 PM
Reporters called out President Trump on Saturday for claiming the New York Times falsely reported that a White House official told them it would be impossible for the president to reinstate a canceled summit meeting with North Korea’s Kim Jong Un in Singapore on June 12.
“The Failing @nytimes quotes “a senior White House official,” who doesn’t exist, as saying “even if the meeting were reinstated, holding it on June 12 would be impossible, given the lack of time and the amount of planning needed.” WRONG AGAIN! Use real people, not phony sources," Trump said in a Twitter post.
Reporters quickly defended the Times, saying the White House official spoke with a number of journalists in an arranged discussion on background, meaning they could not use his or her identity. One reporter, Yashar Ali of New York Magazine and Huffington Post, named the official, to prove Trump is not telling the truth. He reasoned that since he is not a White House reporter who agreed to the on-background terms, he felt okay naming the official.
Dan Hannan on the progress of a US-UK trade deal
“This is something a senior White House official, whose name is known to reporters, said on background on a conference call with lots of reporters. This person definitely exists,” said Katie Watson, a reporter with CBS News, in a Twitter post.
“I mean, every reporter on the call knows who this official was, and this official exists. And we all heard the official say it,” said Mike Warren, a writer at The Weekly Standard, in a tweet.
Another reporter, Benjy Sarlin of NBC News, threatened to stop following White House directions on how to refer to officials who brief the media. "Doesn’t seem like there’s any reason to honor WH demands for anonymous briefings if the WH is going to then claim their own briefings are fake news," Sarlin said on Twitter.
Seung Min Kim, a White House reporter for the Washington Post, shared the full quote from the official as well as the explanation given for not wanting to go on the record.
Trump also tried to deny Saturday that there is internal disagreement among his staff on whether or how to proceed with a summit meeting with Kim, after Trump had canceled the meeting in a letter to him. Trump now says he is hopeful to meet with the North's leader.
“Unlike what the Failing and Corrupt New York Times would like people to believe, there is ZERO disagreement within the Trump Administration as to how to deal with North Korea...and if there was, it wouldn’t matter. The @nytimes has called me wrong right from the beginning!” Trump tweeted.
The Times said Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and Defense Secretary Jim Mattis favor negotiating with North Korea over its nuclear weapons program, while national security adviser John Bolton says that Trump should only meet with Kim if he is prepared to give up all its nuclear weapons.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Saturday that "the White House pre-advance team for Singapore will leave as scheduled in order to prepare should the summit take place.”
TRUMP V WORLD
https://washingtonpress.com/2018/05/26/trump-just-accused-the-media-of-inventing-a-source-and-reporters-immediately-hit-back/
Trump just accused the media of inventing a source, and reporters immediately hit back
BY VINNIE LONGOBARDO
PUBLISHED ON MAY 26, 2018
It’s Trump’s deliberate plan to weaken faith in the believability of any media outlet that doesn’t sing his praises so that as more and more news of his administration’s corruption and venality is published, the less impact it will have on a public made doubtful by his constant attacks.
He attacked the “failing,” as he invariably and falsely describes it, New York Times this morning in a tweet that accused the paper of inventing non-existent sources for its stories of internal White House turmoil.
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
The Failing @nytimes quotes “a senior White House official,” who doesn’t exist, as saying “even if the meeting were reinstated, holding it on June 12 would be impossible, given the lack of time and the amount of planning needed.” WRONG AGAIN! Use real people, not phony sources.
11:21 AM - May 26, 2018
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Now The Hill has published evidence refuting Trump’s claims, submitted by reporters who are fighting back, incensed by the president’s attacks on their credibility and basic competence at their jobs in general — and the veracity of this story in particular.
The reporters say that not only does this “senior White House official” exist but that they held an “in-person background briefing about the summit on Thursday.” They directly quoted the official, unnamed as per the journalistic norms of background briefings, as saying:
“The ball is in North Korea’s court right now. There’s really not a lot of time. We’ve lost quite a bit of time that we would need.”
Twitter was ablaze with comments from indignant reporters who pointed out the fallacy of the president’s latest deliberate lie.
View image on Twitter
Daniel Dale
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@ddale8
This is a ridiculous lie about the Times. The senior White House official is not only real - the official said June 12 was extremely unlikely *at an in-person White House briefing to the media* on Thursday.
11:33 AM - May 26, 2018
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Alex Mallin
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@alex_mallin
.@realDonaldTrump is slamming the @nytimes for citing a senior White House official “who doesn’t exist,” but the portion of the article he appears to be referring to directly cites comments made at a background briefing the White House held for the whole press corps Thursday.
11:35 AM - May 26, 2018
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Mike Warren
✔
@MichaelRWarren
I mean, every reporter on the call knows who this official was, and this official exists. And we all heard the official say it. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1000396430371106817 …
11:31 AM - May 26, 2018
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The actual reporters of The New York Times story that Trump refers to also used the president’s preferred medium to respond to the cynically baseless accusations.
David Sanger
@SangerNYT
The reason that this official was not named in our story is that the White House press office insisted that its briefing -- for hundreds of reporters -- was on background. Best way to alleviate the President's concern about anonymous sources would be for WH to name the official. https://twitter.com/maggieNYT/status/1000403695396446210 …
12:00 PM - May 26, 2018
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Maggie Haberman
✔
@maggieNYT
Trump told two demonstrable falsehoods this AM, one about his administration’s policy of separating undocumented immigrant kids inclu infants from their parents, which he tried to claim wasn’t his own policy. The other was falsely claiming his own aide didn’t give a bg briefing.
11:58 AM - May 26, 2018
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Maggie Haberman
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@maggieNYT
Imagine being the WH background briefer who led this briefing, who now has his boss - the president of the US - saying he/she doesn’t exist. https://twitter.com/alex_mallin/status/1000399920627666944 …
11:50 AM - May 26, 2018
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It took reporters who were not present at the background briefing and therefore not subject to the rules preventing them from identifying the person holding it to identify the source with an actual name.
Yashar Ali 🐘
✔
@yashar
The official is Matt Pottinger who serves on the National Security Council. He briefed dozens of reporters on background. https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/1000396430371106817 …
11:48 AM - May 26, 2018
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Glenn Kessler
✔
@GlennKesslerWP
FYI, Matthew Pottinger is NSC Senior Director for Asian Affairs, @POTUS. Ask for a transcript of the briefing, done in the White House with the press office's approval. https://twitter.com/yashar/status/1000404335568785408 …
12:04 PM - May 26, 2018
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After real journalists reveal the truth behind the president’s purposeful lies, there is only one thing to say to Trump:
“WRONG AGAIN! Use real facts, not phony excuses for your own administration’s inability to get your story straight.”
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Add your name to millions demanding Congress take action on the President’s crimes. IMPEACH TRUMP & PENCE!
VINNIE LONGOBARDO
VINNIE LONGOBARDO IS A 35-YEAR VETERAN OF THE TV, MOBILE & INTERNET INDUSTRIES, SPECIALIZING IN START-UPS AND THE INTERNATIONAL MEDIA BUSINESS. HIS PASSIONS ARE POLITICS, MUSIC AND ART.
LOST 1500 IMMIGRANT CHILDREN – THE ORIGINAL CNN STORY
https://www.cnn.com/2018/05/26/politics/hhs-lost-track-1500-immigrant-children/index.html
US lost track of 1,500 immigrant children, but says it's not 'legally responsible'
By Dakin Andone, CNN
Updated 2:57 PM ET, Sat May 26, 2018
VIDEO – BORDER OFFICIALS GIVE CONFLICTING ACCOUNTS OF DEADLY SHOOTING
(CNN)The federal government has placed thousands of unaccompanied immigrant children in the homes of sponsors, but last year it couldn't account for nearly 1,500 of them.
New DHS policy could separate families caught crossing the border illegally
Steven Wagner, a top official with the Department of Health and Human Services, disclosed the number to a Senate subcommittee last month while discussing the state of the Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) that oversees the care of unaccompanied immigrant children.
Wagner is the acting assistant secretary for the Administration for Children and Families, which is part of the Department of Health and Human Services. ORR is a program of the Administration for Children and Families.
CNN reported earlier this month that, in his testimony, Wagner said during the last three months of 2017, the ORR lost track of nearly 1,500 immigrant children it had placed in the homes of sponsors.
Wagner's statement has attracted more attention amid reports that immigrant children are being separated from their parents at the US border.
Wagner said the Department of Homeland Security referred more than 40,000 immigrant children to the ORR during the 2017 fiscal year.
After a stay in an ORR shelter, the majority of children are sent to live with sponsors who have close ties to the children -- typically a parent or close relative, Wagner said, though some end up living with "other-than-close relatives or non-relatives."
Between October and December 2017, Wagner told the subcommittee, the ORR reached out to 7,635 unaccompanied children to check on them. But the ORR "was unable to determine with certainty the whereabouts of 1,475 children," Wagner testified. An additional 28 had run away.
That's more than 19% of the children that were placed by the ORR. But Wagner said HHS is not responsible for the children.
"I understand that it has been HHS's long-standing interpretation of the law that ORR is not legally responsible for children after they are released from ORR care," Wagner said.
The office is "taking a fresh look at that question," he added. But if the ORR were to be legally responsible for the well-being of unaccompanied immigrant children, it would need a significant increase in resources.
A request for comment from HHS on Saturday has not been returned.
The ORR has a series of evaluations to determine if a sponsor is suitable to provide and care for a child. Those policies have also been enhanced since February 2016. Among the ORR's practices, it evaluates potential sponsors' relationship with the children and conducts background checks to ensure children are protected from human traffickers or smugglers, Wagner said.
Woman in possible 'caravan' case accuses Sessions of discrimination
Wagner's statement has received increased scrutiny a month after the Department of Homeland Security defended an agency policy that will result in more families being separated at the border.
At a Senate hearing earlier this month, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said similar separations happen in the US "every day."
Nielsen said the policy will refer everyone caught crossing the border illegally for prosecution, even if they are claiming they deserve asylum or have small children. Any parents who are prosecuted as a result will be separated from their children in the process.
"Our policy is if you break the law, we will prosecute you," Nielsen said. "You have an option to go to a port of entry and not illegally cross into our country."
CNN's Tal Kopan contributed to this report.
https://washingtonpress.com/2018/05/26/trump-just-gave-a-disgusting-excuse-for-losing-1500-immigrant-kids/
Trump just gave a disgusting excuse for losing 1,500 immigrant kids
BY VINNIE LONGOBARDO
PUBLISHED ON MAY 26, 2018
Facing growing outrage over the news widely disseminated yesterday about the plight of the nearly 1,500 children whom the government has lost track of after ripping them away from their immigrant parents at the border, President Trump did what he typically does when faced with a horrible situation resulting from policies that he himself instituted: shirk responsibility and blame the Democrats for his own reprehensible actions.
The president took to Twitter to spread his latest batch of lies.
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Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
Put pressure on the Democrats to end the horrible law that separates children from there parents once they cross the Border into the U.S. Catch and Release, Lottery and Chain must also go with it and we MUST continue building the WALL! DEMOCRATS ARE PROTECTING MS-13 THUGS.
9:59 AM - May 26, 2018
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Let’s get the trademarked grammatical errors out of the way before delving into the content of the tweet.
While we now know that White House communications staffers who sometimes commandeer Trump’s account to compose tweets on his behalf are imitating his misspellings and mangling of the lexicon to appear authentic, there is no excuse for using “there” instead of the possessive “their” in front of the word parents.
With that out of the way, it might be useful to remind the president that he and his party control both the legislative branch of government that makes the laws and the executive branch that enforces them. There’s no need to “put pressure on” Democrats to end any laws that separate children from their parents. If Republicans weren’t explicitly in favor of Trump’s immigration crackdown, they would end it and they haven’t done a thing to try.
It’s the second half of the tweet that explains why Trump’s rant against the very concept of immigration is the foundation of his political appeal to his base of aggrieved working-class whites who have been suckered by the 1% who control America’s wealth into blaming immigrants rather than the oligarch’s greed for their floundering fortunes.
Trump’s shift from blaming Democrats for his own heinous deportation policies that separate families at the border to his fear mongering blame of them for “PROTECTING MS-13 THUGS” demonstrates both the deep incoherence of his logic as well as the hypocritical media manipulation that may be his only talent.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
VINNIE LONGOBARDO
VINNIE LONGOBARDO IS A 35-YEAR VETERAN OF THE TV, MOBILE & INTERNET INDUSTRIES, SPECIALIZING IN START-UPS AND THE INTERNATIONAL MEDIA BUSINESS. HIS PASSIONS ARE POLITICS, MUSIC AND ART.
ONE OF MY FAVORITE OLD FAIRY TALES HAD A LINE IN IT THAT ALWAYS HAS MADE ME LAUGH. THE HERO HAD TO KILL A DRAGON WITH MANY HEADS WHICH, ACCORDING TO THE STORY, WERE “EACH MORE FEARSOME THAN THE OTHERS.” IT SHOULD HAVE SAID THAT EACH WAS WORSE THAN THE ONES BEFORE, BUT THAT DOESN'T HAVE THE SAME RHYTHM. DONALD TRUMP’S PROBLEM IS THAT EACH OF HIS INTERNAL “SPIES” IS MORE DANGEROUS THAN ALL OF THE OTHERS, SO THAT EVERY TIME HE DOES ANOTHER PURGE A LEGION OF OTHERS SPRING UP. THAT’S BECAUSE SO MANY PEOPLE DISAGREE WITH HIM IN PRINCIPLE. WHAT HE CAN’T GET A GRIP ON IS THAT WITHOUT TRULY DRACONIAN MEASURES AGAINST THE AMERICAN CITIZENS, STATESMEN AND BUREAUCRATS HE WILL NOT BEAT THIS DRAGON.
ALSO, AS SOME OF US KNOW, IF AND WHEN HE DOES BEAT OUR GOVERNMENTAL STRUCTURE, HE MAY BE OUT GOLFING IN FLORIDA ONE FINE DAY WHEN A BULLET WILL DECIDE THE ISSUE. A FURIOUS CITIZEN? NO. THE CIA. THAT WOULD BE A TRAGEDY FOR ALL OF AMERICA, NOT JUST FOR HIM, SO I HOPE THE MUELLER INVESTIGATION WILL FIND JUICY MATERIAL AND INDICT HIM, INSTEAD, FOR MULTIPLE FINANCIAL CRIMES AND DEALING WITH THE RUSSIAN MAFIA.
https://washingtonpress.com/2018/05/26/leakers-just-leaked-that-trump-is-planning-to-take-action-against-white-house-leakers/
Leakers just leaked that Trump is planning to take action against White House leakers
BY COLIN TAYLOR
PUBLISHED ON MAY 26, 2018
Two sources close to the President have just revealed to the Independent Journal Review that the President is planning another purge of his administration in yet another attempt to cleanse his “well-oiled machine” of the leakers who are constantly humiliating and undermining him and his administration.
The constant appointments and firings of the Trump administration has been an endless source of chaos and disorganization as one group of idiot grifters and scheming ideologues are replaced with a different group of idiot grifters and scheming ideologues, a carousel of mediocrity and privilege that sees the absolute worst people America has to offer elevated to positions of prominence and power.
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But since most of them are utterly shameless in their ambitions and selfish desires, they constantly leak information to damage their rivals within the administration and to get revenge on those who have slighted them, like when it was recently revealed that a Trump staffer had made an insensitive remark about Sen. John McCain’s brain cancer. Many leaks are “the result of someone losing an internal policy debate,” said a leaker to Axios.
While it’s unclear who is getting the axe, when it will happen, and which hungry jackals will replace those who just lost their jobs, it’s clear that the Trump administration is falling apart at the seams – which we can be thankful for, since it makes rolling out their heinous agenda of white supremacy and shameless plutocracy that much more difficult.
“YOU KNOW WHAT YOU HAVE TO DO…THE ONLY EFFECTIVE THING YOU CAN DO: VOTE IN THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS IN NOVEMBER AND ELECT A DEMOCRATIC-CONTROLLED CONGRESS THAT WILL HOLD TRUMP ACCOUNTABLE FOR HIS MULTIPLE ATROCITIES.”
https://washingtonpress.com/2018/05/26/trump-just-accidentally-exposed-his-guilt-in-unhinged-twitter-attack-on-russia-probe/
Trump just accidentally exposed his guilt in unhinged Twitter attack on Russia probe
BY VINNIE LONGOBARDO
PUBLISHED ON MAY 26, 2018
Whatever muse that inspires President Trump to bring his tiny fingers to the Twitter keyboard was particularly active this morning. Given the deliberately fallacious contents of his multiple tweets today that muse was probably a member of the Transformers villains, the Decepticons.
With the number of tweets that Trump excretes directly proportional to the amount of heat he’s feeling from the Mueller investigation, the temperature level must be getting particularly hellish today.
While his early morning tweets were focused on immigration and the “fake news” media, his attention turned back to his favorite guiltily paranoid fever dream of the Russia investigation in the early afternoon.
Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
With Spies, or “Informants” as the Democrats like to call them because it sounds less sinister (but it’s not), all over my campaign, even from a very early date, why didn’t the crooked highest levels of the FBI or “Justice” contact me to tell me of the phony Russia problem?
3:28 PM - May 26, 2018
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22K people are talking about this
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Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
This whole Russia Probe is Rigged. Just an excuse as to why the Dems and Crooked Hillary lost the Election and States that haven’t been lost in decades. 13 Angry Democrats, and all Dems if you include the people who worked for Obama for 8 years. #SPYGATE & CONFLICTS OF INTEREST!
3:41 PM - May 26, 2018
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Donald J. Trump
✔
@realDonaldTrump
When will the 13 Angry Democrats (& those who worked for President O), reveal their disqualifying Conflicts of Interest? It’s been a long time now! Will they be indelibly written into the Report along with the fact that the only Collusion is with the Dems, Justice, FBI & Russia?
3:56 PM - May 26, 2018
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It’s certainly a bizarre spectacle when a president is asking the FBI why they didn’t tell him he was under investigation for colluding with Russia, but what makes it even more bizarre is the fact that they actually did tell him.
One could point out the obvious lies and deliberate misinformation that Trump is promulgating for the thousandth time, but with a president so desperately flailing away as the truth closes in on him from multiple directions, perhaps it would be more useful to point out the recent revelations that are forcing Trump to try to fight his way out of the corner.
There was yesterday’s scoop about Spanish police having delivered wiretapped conversations between a sanctioned Russian oligarch and a convicted money-launderer that had a senior Spanish prosecutor saying that “Mr. Trump’s son should be concerned.”
There are the 1,500 immigrant children who thanks to Trump’s immigration enforcement policies have been snatched from their families at the border and promptly lost track of by immigration authorities, possibly landing in the hands of human traffickers and sex offenders,
There’s the much-vaunted meeting between Congress members and the Justice Department to present the evidence that supposedly verifies the very accusations that Trump’s making in the tweets above that we know was a complete bust from the lack of valedictory press releases from the rabidly pro-Trump Republican Congress members who attended.
There’s the news that Trump’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen, met with another Russian oligarch at Trump Tower just eleven days before his inauguration.
Then, of course, the sight of former film mogul and accused rapist Harvey Weinstein being led away in handcuffs must have triggered an unpleasant foreshadowing of the possible fate that Trump himself may face for the numerous allegations of sexual assault that multiple women have lodged against him.
We could go on, but all of the above, plus the dream of a Nobel Peace Prize dissolving before his very eyes, is sufficient explanation for Trump’s pathetic attempts to place the blame for his criminal behavior everywhere but where it clearly belongs, squarely in his ample lap.
You know what you have to do…the only effective thing you can do: vote in the midterm elections in November and elect a Democratic-controlled Congress that will hold Trump accountable for his multiple atrocities.
Follow Vinnie Longobardo on Twitter.
Add your name to millions demanding Congress take action on the President’s crimes. IMPEACH TRUMP & PENCE!
VINNIE LONGOBARDO IS A 35-YEAR VETERAN OF THE TV, MOBILE & INTERNET INDUSTRIES, SPECIALIZING IN START-UPS AND THE INTERNATIONAL MEDIA BUSINESS. HIS PASSIONS ARE POLITICS, MUSIC AND ART.
"ALAN BEAN ONCE SAID 'I HAVE THE NICEST LIFE IN THE WORLD,'" NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION (NASA) ADMINISTRATOR JIM BRIDENSTINE SAID IN A STATEMENT. "IT'S A COMFORTING SENTIMENT TO RECALL AS WE MOURN HIS PASSING."
REST IN PEACE
https://www.yahoo.com/news/alan-bean-u-astronaut-moonwalker-dies-houston-86-193807277.html?soc_trk=gcm&soc_src=937981b8-b832-11e5-a8a0-fa163e2c24a6&.tsrc=notification-brknews
Alan Bean, U.S. astronaut and moonwalker, dies in Houston at 86: NASA
Reuters DF • May 26, 2018
FILE PHOTO: Retired Astronaut Alan Bean, 66, poses for a portrait in his spacesuit at the Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas, U.S., in this undated photo. Bean, who was the fourth man to walk on the moon in 1969, left NASA in 1981 and made a successful transition from spaceman to a full-time professional artist. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo
NEW YORK (Reuters) - American astronaut Alan Bean, the fourth person to walk on the moon in 1969 during the Apollo 12 mission and commanded a crew on the Skylab space station in 1973, died in Houston on Saturday, federal officials said.
He was 86 years old.
"Alan Bean once said 'I have the nicest life in the world,'" National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Administrator Jim Bridenstine said in a statement. "It's a comforting sentiment to recall as we mourn his passing."
(Reporting by Gina Cherelus; Editing by Susan Thomas)
29 reactions13%66%21%
ronald
ronald5 minutes ago
A brave man when the world was brave.
ReplyReplies (2)301
tRumpUturd
tRumpUturd5 minutes ago
American astronaut Alan Bean. Rest Peacefully..... Walking on the moon.
Reply20
Cousin Fred
Cousin Fred4 minutes ago
Great man, great artist, so few like him nowadays...now we have comic book heroes.
Reply8
THIS IS AMERICA IN ACTION TODAY, OUR HISTORY AND A BEAUTIFUL VIDEO. ENJOY!
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/coast-guard-long-history-new-york-hamilton-fleet-week/
CBS NEWS May 26, 2018, 11:38 AM
U.S. Coast Guard's long history of service in New York
More than a dozen Navy and Coast Guard ships took part in a 30-year tradition this week, parading through New York Harbor for Fleet Week. The nautical display lasts just a few days, but the U.S. Coast Guard patrols the waterways of New York all year long, reports CBS News correspondent Don Dahler.
"As Frank Sinatra would say, start spreading the news. You are about to become a Coast Guard city," Adm. Paul F. Zukunft said.
This month, the city was honored as the country's 25th and largest Coast Guard city. The proclamation came from sector New York commander, Capt. Michael Day.
"Without a doubt New York is one of the most patriotic, one most welcoming cities that I've ever been stationed at," said Day, who is in charge of more than 1,000 active duty and reserve guardsmen and women in the city where Alexander Hamilton founded the Coast Guard nearly 240 years ago.
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Capt. Michael Day CBS NEWS
"Right here in New York City, right at Federal Hall. George Washington signed it in August 4, 1790. So we've got a lot of history here with the city of New York," Day said. He said it was first started as a "revenue cutter service."
"As the ships were coming in and there were people avoiding paying their taxes, so customs type of duty," Day said.
The history may have been lost on most, but not the creator of "Hamilton," the musical.
"How does Hamilton, the short-tempered, Protean creator of the Coast Guard, founder of the New York Post, ardently abuse his cab'net post, destroy his reputation?" the character of Aaron Burr raps in the musical.
"He just says 'creator of the Coast Guard, founder of The New York Post' just like randomly. … If you're not really listening to it, you would not catch it at all," said Michael Luwoye, who plays Alexander Hamilton on Broadway.
The Coast Guard's presence in New York has evolved considerably from the original revenue cutters. The service now oversees everything from maritime security for the U.N. General Assembly and July Fourth celebrations in the summer, to ice breaking missions in the Hudson River in the winter. Not to mention the rescues.
ctm-0526-us-coast-guard-new-york.jpg
CBS NEWS
"The Miracle on the Hudson of course, Superstorm Sandy, 9/11 – Coast Guard played an integral role in a lot of the darkest hours for the city," Day said.
Day lead what's been called America's Dunkirk. As explained in the 2011 documentary short, "Boatlift," 500,000 people were rescued from lower Manhattan after the terrorist attack on Sept. 11, 2001. Day organized an amateur armada of private boats, ferries and tugboats.
"It started actually very small scale. But seeing how efficient it was, the Coast Guard made the call for all available boats and were just inundated with help in getting those people off," Day said.
Day's service was recognized by New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, who said what Day did "changed to course of history for the better." Day's tour of duty in the city is ending next month. Incoming Capt. Jason Tama will now lead the sector New York into the future.
"How would you define what the Coast Guard's duties are now?" Dahler asked him.
"I think a lot you can trace back to 1790 … and as the port has grown and the population has grown, that mission has become perhaps more dynamic in some ways. But really the roles are fundamentally the same. It's the safety, security and resilience of the harbor," Tama said.
© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
THIS IS THE SECOND TIME THAT I’VE POSTED THIS ARTICLE AND VIDEO. I’M NOT SURE WHY CBS IS RUNNING THIS STORY AGAIN, BUT I’M ENJOYING IT AS MUCH TODAY AS THE FIRST TIME. FIRST, WOMEN ARE ENERGIZED NOW, AS PEOPLE OF COLOR ARE, AND I DON’T BELIEVE WE ARE GOING TO FADE INTO THE BACKGROUND BEHIND THE MEN AGAIN, AT LEAST NOT IN THIS COUNTRY.
THEY ARE ALSO STANDING UP IN PARTS OF THE WORLD WHERE THEY SEEMED TO ME TO BE HOPELESSLY DEPRESSED, SUCH AS MIDDLE EASTERN COUNTRIES. THEY ARE CASTING OFF THEIR OWN PERSONAL ACCEPTANCE OF A DEEPLY INFERIOR ROLE LIKE A CUMBERSOME PIECE OF OUTMODED CLOTHING, AND WALKING AWAY. THIS IS ALABAMA, NOT NEW YORK, WHICH MAKES THE STORY REALLY IMPORTANT. AND THE FREE THINKERS OF THE COUNTRY ARE SAYING “NO MORE.” BETTY FRIEDAN WOULD BE PROUD.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/cbsn-originals-grassroots-in-alabama-emerging-womens-movement/
CBS NEWS March 25, 2018, 12:04 AM
Grassroots in Alabama: An Emerging Women's Movement
Something new is taking root amid the cotton and peanut fields and Gulf Coast beaches of Baldwin County, Alabama. A grassroots movement propelled by women is aiming to change politics here from the ground up.
"In Alabama we're taught that women are to be quiet, not cause trouble. But it seems like the climate has changed here," said Heather Brown, 42, a freelance writer, wife and mother of three who lives in the town of Summerdale.
She's not causing trouble, but she's not keeping quiet either. For her, it started last fall when Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore was accused of sexual misconduct by several women, including some who said they were in their teens when it happened.
"The sexual allegations against Roy Moore came out, and we just had the #MeToo movement, and it just seemed like the perfect time and opportunity to use our voices to speak our truths," Brown said.
Outraged and determined to take action, volunteers -- many of them new to politics -- knocked on doors and placed countless phone calls urging voters to do something Alabamians hadn't done in decades: elect a Democrat, Doug Jones, to the U.S. Senate.
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Heather Brown rallies for Democrat Doug Jones in the Alabama special election for senate in December 2017. CBS NEWS
In the lead up to the special election in December, Brown and local women organized a protest against Moore dressed in the red cloaks and white bonnets of "handmaids" -- women held as men's property in the dystopian novel and TV series, "The Handmaid's Tale."
Doug Jones won a hard-fought victory in a campaign watched nationwide. And Heather Brown realized she was just getting started.
"I never dreamed that this little 'handmaid' protest we were doing would change my life," she said. "When we had that big win with Doug Jones, it was like, 'Oh, we can do it!' You know, the little things we were doing helped bring about that win."
She decided to run for office herself, seeking a a seat on the Baldwin County Commission as part of a wave of new Democratic candidates challenging the local Republican power structure.
Brown is one of nine Democrats -- five of them women -- now running for office in a county where the party hasn't had local candidates on the ballot in more than a decade.
"I decided to run because I want to be the change, not just talk about being the change," she declared.
It's part of a trend seen nationwide as more women jump into political races to make their voices heard. According to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University, so far this year 233 women have filed to run for U.S. Senate, House and governors races, and another 350 are considered likely to file soon -- numbers that would break records.
But the newly energized Democrats in Alabama have their work cut out for them. Alabama is one of the reddest of red states, giving President Trump 62.9 percent of the vote in 2016.
"To be blue here in sea of red, you are seriously outnumbered. It takes a lot of conversation, a lot of relationship building, to show we're not really all that different," Brown said.
Volunteer political consultant Hanh Hua is helping her get a handle on what it will take to compete. Hua, 32, grew up in Alabama after her family immigrated from Vietnam.
"I'm a weird mix of like a lot of different cultures -- of like Vietnamese, American, Southern," she quipped.
She moved back home last year after more than a decade of living and working in Boston and Hanoi, explaining, "I just felt, like, this weird calling that I had to be in Alabama at this time."
She's found political organizing for the candidates and causes she supports to be a challenge, especially compared to the resources of the party in power.
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Hanh Hua, left, and Heather Brown talk politics at an Alabama restaurant. CBS NEWS
"The Republican infrastructure's just super well organized and a well oiled machine," she said, while the state Democrats are still in startup mode.
"Actually when I consulted for the state party this summer, sometimes I wished I was Republican. I was like, 'Oh, infrastructure! Organization!' I wish I had that. But we'll slowly get there."
One of the issues driving Heather Brown to get involved in government is health care, and for her it's personal. She works from home and cares for her husband, Randy, who is disabled from complications of diabetes.
"You don't expect at 33 to hear from doctor, to hear you'll be permanently disabled, never work again. I wasn't even 30 at time. It's changed me a lot," she said. "And we went from your typical family to a family who had to struggle to raise their children. ... And I think going from somebody who knew what it was like to have the American dream and lose it, through something that you couldn't control ... I realized just how hard things can be."
She's bonded over those experiences with her friend Katrina Hardy, 40, a health care worker who also cares for a disabled husband.
"We agree a lot on where our health care is and what needs to be done in Medicare benefits and disability benefits because both of us have husbands that are disabled," Hardy said.
The bureaucratic problems her elderly patients encounter motivate her even more.
"You know, people like Miss Ella are why I'm going to involve myself in Washington at some point," she said. "They said she hadn't met her insurance deductible. So in order for this 93-year-old sweet woman to sleep, she has to pay $345 for a 30-day prescription. That breaks my heart."
But don't mistake Katrina Hardy for a progressive.
"I'm a big conservative," she declared, a proud Republican and Trump supporter who does not see eye to eye with her friend Heather on a host of other issues.
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Katrina Hardy describes herself as "a big conservative." CBS NEWS
Their friendship manages to transcend politics, but it isn't always easy. On a shopping trip together, the friendly banter turns divisive and Heather holds her tongue as Katrina says she doesn't want refugees or "people from terrorist countries" coming to America.
Later she reflects, "Katrina is probably more representative of the majority of Alabama, especially Baldwin County, than I would be. But Katrina and I can talk about health care and use that to build a relationship where you can talk about things like immigration, that you don't agree on, and still stay civil."
Back home with Randy, Heather gets some encouragement not to give up.
"You're part of a big movement that's needed to happen for quite some time and it's nothin' but a good thing and it's gaining momentum every day," he tells her. "I mean, I'm tired of the good old boy system. The good old boy system ain't done nothin' in the last 12-16 years in lower Alabama. It's time for the good old girl system."
She laughs, "I like that! We're gonna start a new trend."
She celebrated the news that she's qualified for the ballot, and even though she admits the odds are stacked against her, she's keeping up the fight.
"I want to make sure when I have grandchildren, that they come into a word [sic] that is receptive to them no matter what. Maybe I want their future to not be a fight to be them."
© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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