AUGUST 16 AND 17, 2018


NEWS AND VIEWS


TRUMP IS MAKING A SERIOUS ATTEMPT TO STIFLE OPPOSITION BY FORCE HERE RATHER THAN JUST ANOTHER STAGE SHOW, I THINK. HIS METHODS ARE LIKE THE MOVEMENTS OF A SLEIGHT OF HAND ARTIST, DISTRACTING WITH ONE HAND IN A GRAND MANNER, WHILE ACTING DANGEROUSLY AND COVERTLY WITH ANOTHER.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/john-brennan-security-clearance-revoked-fran-townsend-deeply-disturbing/
CBS NEWS August 16, 2018, 12:08 PM
Trump revoking Brennan security clearance is "deeply disturbing," Fran Townsend says

After revoking former CIA Director John Brennan's security clearance on Wednesday, President Trump told the Wall Street Journal he held Brennan as one of the people responsible for the special counsel's Russia investigation. According to CBS News senior national security analyst Fran Townsend, who was homeland security and counterterrorism adviser to President George W. Bush, the decision appears to be "unprecedented."

"Normally, clearances, if they're revoked or lapsed, go through a very formal bureaucratic process. The fact that the president did this himself leaves him open to the criticism that it looks politically motivated," Townsend said Thursday on "CBS This Morning."

"Many of us, former senior officials, maintain our security clearance because we volunteer our time back to the government," Townsend added. "I sit on a government advisory board. I couldn't do it without my clearance. This is not a professional courtesy as the White House has suggested. We do this out of a sense of continuing public service, and so the notion that you're going pull somebody's clearance because you don't like what they did in government service or you don't like what they say is deeply disturbing and very offensive, frankly."


Addressing Mr. Trump's decision, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Wednesday, "The president has a constitutional responsibility to protect classified information and who has access to it." She also said, "Mr. Brennan has a history that calls into question his objectivity and credibility."

Brennan, a longtime critic of Mr. Trump, wrote in a New York Times op-ed that the president's denial of any collusion with Russia is "hogwash."

Townsend said Mr. Trump carried out his decision based on what is called the "Article II powers" as commander in chief.

"Let's be honest. If the president is relying on his Article II powers to remove a clearance, it's the same power he'd rely on if he wanted, for example, to fire [special counsel Robert] Mueller. So we ought to understand that the president's very expansive view of his powers, his constitutional powers, he seems to have an unlimited view of how expansive they are," Townsend said.

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.



TURKEY – TWO ARTICLES

TURKEY HAS BEEN THE TOP NATION FROM WHICH MY READERS HAVE BEEN COMING FOR OVER A MONTH NOW, AND THIS TURMOIL MUST BE WHY. I HOPE THIS WILL COOL OFF, AND SOON. TRUMP GETS PERSONAL LEVEL NEGATIVE INTERACTIONS WITH FOREIGN LEADERS, MAINLY I THINK BECAUSE HE HASN’T BEEN IN A POSITION BEFORE IN WHICH EXACTLY WHAT HE DOES IS THIS IMPORTANT AND WHAT WOULD BE A TRIVIAL INCIDENT BLOWS UP.

https://www.dw.com/en/opinion-the-erdogan-trump-rivalry-turns-dangerous/a-45088569
EUROPE
Opinion: The Erdogan-Trump rivalry turns dangerous
Turkey is a country in crisis, the Lira's freefall being a case in point. President Erdogan needs to tackle this, but a diplomatic row with the US could force him to go against his nature, writes DW's Seda Serdar. Date 15.08.2018
Author Seda Serdar

Every day the pressure on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is increasing. He is being dogged by a worsening economy, the unresolved Syria conflict, the case of Pastor Andrew Brunson and most recently by US President Donald Trump's decision to block the delivery of fighter jets to Turkey.

Instead of finding a solution, Turkey chose to retaliate by increasing import tariffs on certain US products. But to deescalate the tension, Erdogan could and should end up doing something he's not used to: take a step back and free Pastor Brunson.

Power struggle

The Trump administration is demanding the immediate release of Brunson, who has been held since 2016 on terrorism and espionage charges. Erdogan isn't keen to return the pastor, because he is hoping to exchange him for Muslim cleric Fethullah Gülen, currently living in exile in Pennsylvania. The aging religious leader is considered the mastermind behind the 2016 failed coup.

Meanwhile, Erdogan is even thinking about pursuing alternatives to the US-Turkish partnership in case the two countries aren't able to resolve their issues. But this isn't a realistic approach. Russia or China cannot be alternatives to the traditional Western alliance. Such relations would be against the values of modern Turkey, a country that still ostensibly believes in democracy and freedom of speech.

Seda Serdar Kommentarbild App
DW's Seda Serdar

Certainly Turkey needs to have good relations with oil-rich Russia and economic giant China, and it's no secret that Erdogan feels more at home looking eastward, but Turkey needs to be cautious in establishing close relationships with these autocratic regimes. In such an unstable region, Turkey needs its NATO partners and vice versa.

Erdogan is aware of this. Pastor Brunson is not the main issue in this conflict. He's just a symbol of the power struggle between Trump and Erdogan. But the diplomatic crisis around the pastor is harming Turkey.

Turkey and the US are both NATO members and allies, and must strive to remain so. But unless the Brunson case is resolved, the tension with the US will not diminish and Turkey's political climate at home will remain volatile. For that reason, Erdogan must send Brunson home. The sooner Ankara makes this happen, the better for everyone, especially for Turkey.

Watch video02:35
Turkey's tumbling economy
Read more: Can Turkey turn to the Arab world for support?

Dialogue, not alienation

Turkey needs the West as much as the West needs Turkey. The Europeans know this so much better than Washington. When there is instability in the region, Europe is the first to face the consequences, not the US across the Atlantic.

Turkey's goal should be to be a strong partner to the West. The Western nations might not always come across as best friends in Turkey's eyes, but they remain reliable partners when it comes to security and strategic issues.

Meanwhile Berlin has been closely observing the whole debate. While Trump is pushing Turkey to its limits, Berlin is trying to continue a dialogue as a representative of Western values.

When Erdogan visits Germany at the end of September, he will be given military honors and a banquet. But while the red carpet is being rolled out, Germany will continue to regard Erdogan with a critical eye, considering Turkey's democratic deficits.

It is important to keep the dialogue channels open. The conflict with the US ought to be resolved by then and it depends on Erdogan how pleasant his Berlin visit will be for both sides.

Erdogan's problems will not end with the pastor's fate. He still has to make his country attractive again for investors, and in order to do so, he needs political stability and a concrete plan to fix the economy. And this will most likely have Turkey knocking on the International Monetary Fund's door once again.

TURKEY'S CURRENCY CRISIS EXPLAINED

The big picture
Turkey is in the throes of a full-blown currency crisis, with the Turkish lira losing nearly 45 percent of its value since the start of the year. The currency crisis threatens to plunge the world's 18th-largest economy into a financial crisis and trigger contagion in emerging markets and Europe.



https://www.cbsnews.com/news/turkey-anger-donald-trump-us-tariffs-turks-smash-iphones-burn-fake-dollars/
By TUCKER REALS CBS NEWS August 16, 2018, 9:26 AM
Turks are smashing their iPhones to protest Trump

Turks are taking sledgehammers, handguns and fire to iPhones in a symbolic backing of their government as it clashes with the Trump administration over a jailed American pastor. Videos showing Turkish citizens stomping on or otherwise destroying iPhones have proliferated online in recent days, following President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's call for Turks to boycott U.S. products -- specifically the smartphones made by California tech giant Apple.

Erdogan issued the call and announced a massive hike in tariffs on U.S. goods this week after the U.S. raised tariffs on Turkish imports and aimed new sanctions at Turkish officials in the row over American Pastor Andrew Brunson, who remains under house arrest pending his trial in Turkey on charges of espionage and terrorism.

PHOTOGRAPH -- An unidentified Turkish man prepares to smash iPhones in protest of U.S. tariffs and sanctions against Turkey in a screengrab from video posted online on Aug. 15, 2018. TWITTER

The U.S. government insists the charges against Brunson are contrived and that he is an innocent family man being held for political reasons. Brunson had lived in Turkey for more than 20 years prior to his arrest. He was jailed for about two years before being moved to house arrest last month.

President Trump demanded Turkey free Brunson and then followed through with his threat to hit Ankara with sanctions and tariffs when he wasn't released.

Erdogan's government insists the Turkish judicial system must be respected, and Brunson's fate currently rests with a court in Ankara that is expected to rule on the American's legal appeal for release this week. A lower court rejected the appeal on Wednesday, but Brunson's lawyer suggested to CBS News that he still had hope the higher court would reverse that decision.

The feud escalated into an economic battle with global consequences this week as the Turkish currency, the lira, plummeted in value over fears of the country's economic stability stemming from the harsh U.S. sanctions.

Erdogan refused to relent, leveling the retaliatory measures on U.S. products and urging his citizens to reject American products.


dokuz8HABER
@dokuz8haber
· Aug 15, 2018
Replying to @dokuz8haber
Pentagon, Türkiye’nin NATO üyeliğinin sorgulanması üzerine askeri ilişkilerin siyasi krizden etkilenmediğini belirtti. Pentagon sözcüsü Felix Gedney, “Türkiyeli müttefiklerimizle ilişkimizde bir değişiklik görmüyoruz” dedi. pic.twitter.com/FFbJixOBx9


dokuz8HABER
@dokuz8haber
Sosyal medyada ABD'yi protesto için tekbir eşliğinde balyozla iPhone parçalanan bir video paylaşıldı. "Bu reis için, bu Abdülhamit Gül için, bu Süleyman Soylu için" diyerek iPhone'ların parçalandığı videonun sonunda çalan başka bir iPhone zil sesi dikkat çekti. pic.twitter.com/CTcLaYsZfx

11:23 AM - Aug 15, 2018

41
30 people are talking about this
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In one of the videos circulating online in Turkey, which have been picked up by the country's online news organizations, an unidentified man with four boys kneeling behind him in front of a Turkish flag, addresses the U.S. leader directly, asking Mr. Trump, "who do you think you are?"

"If you threaten us with hunger you will only make us laugh. Do whatever in your power," he says, before taking a sledgehammer to iPhones handed over by the boys. "Look now what will happen to you iPhones on the orders" of Erdogan.

Another video shows a lawmaker from the Turkish Nationalist Movement Party, Cemal Enginyurt, buying a Samsung smartphone and asking a fellow party member to throw his old iPhone on the floor and jump on it. His colleague complies, proclaiming that "the U.S. is being dragged across the floor."


Amichai Stein
✔
@AmichaiStein1
· 9h
בעקבות הקריאה מצד ארדואן: סרטון של טורקים מרסקים אייפון


Amichai Stein
✔
@AmichaiStein1
אוקיי, לא רק אייפון: הנה אזרח טורקי שמביע מחאה נגד מוצר הדגל מארצות הברית: Coca Cola

6:36 AM - Aug 16, 2018

18
29 people are talking about this
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Other videos show a man shooting his iPhone point blank with a handgun, one being burned in a box full of matchsticks and another, circulated online by an Israeli journalist, of a Turkish boy dumping a bottle of Coca-Cola down the toilet -- all in solidarity with Erdogan. Some Turkish news outlets have

As CBS News correspondent Holly Williams reported on Wednesday, angry Turks have also torn up fake dollar bills in protest. While many in the country believe the crisis is the fault of the U.S., even though experts have been warning of danger signs in the economy for months, Williams says some Turks do blame authoritarian President Erdogan for the crisis.

The lira has regained some of its value in the last 24 hours, following pledges from Arab nations to pour billions of dollars of funding into the Turkish economy.

CBS News' Pinar Sevinclidir in Ankara and Ahmed Shawkat in Cairo contributed to this story.

© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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Tucker Reals
Tucker Reals is the CBSNews.com foreign editor, based at the CBS News London bureau.


IN 1970 ARETHA WAS ONE OF THE SINGERS WHO GAVE ME A RELIABLE PLEASURE IN A TIME WHICH WASN’T ALWAYS HAPPY AT ALL. FROM THE VIETNAM WAR AND CIVIL RIGHTS MARCHES TO CHANGES IN MY PERSONAL LIFE, I WAS SOOTHED AND THRILLED BY HER MUSIC. SHE HAD A UNIQUE VOICE AND STYLE. I’M SORRY SHE HAS GONE, BUT SHE FORMED A FUNCTION FOR ME AND MILLIONS OF OTHERS.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/aretha-franklin-queen-of-soul-respect-singer-dead-at-76-today-2018-08-16/
CBS NEWS August 16, 2018, 10:02 AM
Aretha Franklin, "Queen of Soul," is dead at 76

VIDEO – CBS NEWS SPECIAL REPORT

Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, died Thursday morning at her home in Detroit after a long battle with cancer, her family said in a statement. She was 76 years old.

The family said Franklin died from advanced pancreatic cancer of the neuroendocrine type. The cause of death was confirmed by Franklin's oncologist, according to the statement.

"In one of the darkest moments of our lives, we are not able to find the appropriate words to express the pain in our heart," the family said. "We have lost the matriarch and rock of our family. The love she had for her children, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and cousins knew no bounds."

Within minutes of the news of her death, musicians, actors, producers, high-profile executives, political figures and others paid tribute to the powerful singer. Funeral arrangements would be announced "in the coming days," the family said.

Franklin's prolific career spanned six decades and included hit songs like "Respect," "A Natural Woman" and "I Say a Little Prayer." Even in her 70s, she was still performing. In 2015, her performance of "A Natural Woman" at the Kennedy Center Honors brought President Barack Obama to tears.

Franklin, whose father was a Baptist preacher, was born in Memphis but grew up in Detroit, where she began singing in the church choir at an early age. By many accounts, the young prodigy learned to play piano by ear. By the age of 14, with her father's encouragement, Franklin started making records. Her early music blended gospel and jazz. By 1961, she made the transition into pop; between 1961 and 1969, she recorded 10 albums with Columbia Records.

The singer's career took off when she recorded her 1967 hit "Respect," which won two Grammy Awards. The song was off her first platinum album, "I Never Loved a Man the Way I Love You." She would go on to win 18 Grammy Awards in total and perform at three presidential inaugurations. Franklin was also the first woman to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

But Franklin did not have an easy road to success. Her mother moved away when Franklin was just 6 years old, and died four years later from a heart attack. Franklin's father raised her as a single parent.

Franklin herself was already a mother before she struck fame. Just before she turned 13, Franklin gave birth to her first child, and she had the second of her four children less than two years later.

The singer also struggled with depression, alcoholism and her weight. A biography said that Franklin was "overwhelmed by fear and obsessed with control" and was afraid her fans would forget her. Franklin was also known for her fear of flying; she frequently took buses instead.

In spite of her fears, Franklin's legacy remained strong even in recent years. In 2015, she sang for Pope Francis in Philadelphia. But last year, she announced her semi-retirement, saying she was no longer going to perform regularly after the release of her newest album, "A Brand New Me." She said last February, "This will be my last year. I will be recording, but this will be my last year in concert. This is it." Franklin said she wanted to spend more time with her grandchildren.

Rumors swirled that Franklin's health was in decline over the last decade. In 2011, she told Anthony Mason for "CBS Sunday Morning" that there was nothing to worry about. She said, "My health is wonderful. It is fabulous now." Franklin added of any health issues, "It wasn't anything well, it wasn't bad."

Her last known performance was in November, for Elton John's AIDS Foundation Fall Gala. Franklin died in Detroit, which is where she spent most of her childhood and adult life. In 2016, she made headlines when she donated hotel stays and food to nearby Flint residents during their water crisis.

Two other famous musicians also died on Aug. 16. Thursday marked the anniversary of the deaths of Elvis Presley, who died in 1977 at the age of 42, and of famed blues guitarist and singer Robert Johnson, who died in 1938.

Aretha Franklin 1942-2018
© 2018 CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.


I DO HOPE SOMEBODY IN THE TRUMP GRAVY TRAIN WILL SPEND SOME TIME IN PRISON.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/08/17/paul-manafort-trial-jury-resumes-deliberations-tax-bank-fraud-case/1017802002/?csp=chromepush
Judge in Paul Manafort bank and tax fraud trial 'optimistic that case might end soon'
Kevin Johnson and Christal Hayes, USA TODAY Published 10:17 a.m. ET Aug. 17, 2018 | Updated 12:52 p.m. ET Aug. 17, 2018

Photograph -- The trial case against Paul Manafort over money laundering and tax evasion has entered jury deliberations. Kevin Johnson reports from Alexandria, Va. USA TODAY
17 photos – Paul Manafort trial

More: Manafort trial: Jury asks judge to redefine 'reasonable doubt' during first day of deliberations
More: Manafort trial: Why 'reasonable doubt' is hard to define in courtrooms

The reason for the delay has not been revealed, and the judge said Friday that he would likely keep last week's matter sealed until the end of the case, saying that the disclosure would be "disruptive" to the ongoing case.

Prosecutors and defense attorneys have huddled privately numerous times throughout the trial, and only rarely have the contents of those meetings been disclosed. Ellis, however, said Friday that all sealed proceedings would be made public at the conclusion of the case.

Paul Manafort trial
Fullscreen

Kevin Downing (L), Jay Nanavati (2-L), Richard Westing (C), Thomas Zehnle (2-R) and Brian Ketcham (L), attorneys representing President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, arrive to US District Court for closing arguments in the ongoing Manafort trial in Alexandria, Va. on Aug. 15, 2018.

Manafort is facing over a dozen charges including tax evasion and bank fraud. SHAWN THEW, EPA-EFE

Kevin Downing (L), Jay Nanavati (2-L), Richard Westing (C), Thomas Zehnle (2-R) and Brian Ketcham (L), attorneys representing President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, arrive to US District Court for closing arguments in the ongoing Manafort trial in Alexandria, Va. on Aug. 15, 2018. Manafort is facing over a dozen charges including tax evasion and bank fraud. SHAWN THEW, EPA-EFE
He acknowledged the challenge from news organizations Friday, promising to weigh the matter by early afternoon.

"A thirsty press is essential to a free country," Ellis said in open court, after the jury had retired to resume deliberations.

As courthouse employees passed in and out of the courtroom Friday afternoon, reporters played cards and read books and newspapers. A line of photographers and television crews remained stationed out front of the Albert V. Bryan Courthouse.

More: Five key points that could sway the jury in Paul Manafort's trial — and determine his fate

More: Paul Manafort trial: Judge T.S. Ellis III known as taskmaster, unafraid to speak his mind

Manafort is facing life in prison if he's found guilty on all of the 18 counts laid against him. The harshest sentence is likely if he's found guilty in the alleged bank fraud scheme prosecutors outlined during the trial.

Prosecutors offered documents and witnesses who testified that Manafort lied about his income and debt while seeking bank loans and directed his associates to doctor documents. In all, prosecutors have alleged that Manafort fraudulently secured more than $20 million in bank loans.

As Trump was leaving the White House Friday and while jurors were still deliberating, the president attacked the Manafort trial and called it "very sad." He wouldn't discuss whether he'd consider pardoning Manafort if he was found guilty on any counts.

"When you look at what’s going on there, I think it’s a very sad day for our country," the president said. "He worked for me for a very short period of time. But you know what? He happens to be a very good person.

Trump added: "And I think it’s very sad what they’ve done to Paul Manafort."

President Donald Trump refused to say whether he would pardon Paul Manafort, calling him a "very good person" as he left the White House for New York. Trump also again called out Turkey, saying the country has been a "problem for a long time." (Aug. 17) AP



DREJKA, A WHITE MAN, HAS A STRING OF GUN THREAT EVENTS FROM SEVERAL YEARS IN THE PAST AND NOW HAS SHOT AND KILLED A BLACK MAN IN A SIMPLE DISPUTE. INTERESTINGLY, HE SEEMS TO BE GUARDING A HANDICAPPED PARKING SPOT, PRESUMABLY AS HIS CIVIC DUTY. DOES THAT MAKE ANY SENSE TO YOU? THIS IS THE REASON WHY I DON’T WANT ANYBODY AT ALL, UNLESS THEY ARE POLICE OFFICERS OR PEOPLE WHO HAVE A SPECIFIC NEED FOR PROTECTION, TO BE WALKING AROUND WITH A GUN. A GUN AND INSANITY ARE THE COMBINATION THAT WE SO OFTEN HAVE; AND I PERSONALLY HAVE AN IMPRESSION THAT THERE ARE MORE INSANE PEOPLE THESE LAST TEN YEARS OR SO, OR THAT PSYCHIATRIC HOSPITALS ARE FOLLOWING THE “CATCH AND RELEASE” POLICY THAT PRESIDENT TRUMP HATES SO MUCH IN THE IMMIGRATION WAR.

TO BE MORE RESPECTFUL OF THE PRACTICE, THEY KNOW THAT GOOD PSYCHIATRIC MEDICINE CAN PROTECT A PATIENT FROM EPISODES AS LONG AS THE MEDICINE IS TAKEN EXACTLY AS PRESCRIBED, BUT THAT DOESN’T ALWAYS HAPPEN OUTSIDE A HOSPITAL WHERE A MALE NURSE WILL REGULARLY COME THROUGH THE WARD WITH “MEDS.” THE MORE DERANGED HE IS, THE MORE LIKELY THE PATIENT IS TO TAKE TOO LITTLE OR TOO MUCH MEDICATION, OR EVEN THE WHOLE BOTTLE, AND CHOOSE NOT TO GO REGULARLY TO HIS PSYCHIATRIST.

EVERYBODY IN THE COMMUNITY OF CLEARWATER APPARENTLY KNEW EACH OTHER, BECAUSE THERE WERE THREE SEPARATE REPORTS OVER SEVERAL YEARS OF HIS PROVING THAT HE IS “A DANGER TO HIMSELF AND/OR OTHERS,” ESPECIALLY BLACK PEOPLE. SO, THERE ARE TWO LESSONS HERE – NO GUNS WITHOUT A LICENSE AND A NEED TO HAVE ONE, AND NO EARLY RELEASE OF MENTAL PATIENTS.

https://www.cbsnews.com/news/stand-your-ground-shooting-clearwater-florida-drivers-say-michael-drejka-had-confrontations-before/
CBS/AP August 15, 2018, 10:27 AM
3 drivers say man charged in "stand your ground" shooting death threatened them

CLEARWATER, Fla. -- Officials, in court documents, have cited three other drivers who said Michael Drejka threatened them during confrontations that preceded his parking lot run-in with Markeis McGlockton -- a case that revived debate over Florida's "stand-your-ground" law. Two of them said he displayed a gun.

A black man who drives a septic truck told Pinellas Sheriff's Detective George Moffett that he parked in the same handicapped-accessible spot three months before McGlockton's July 19 videotaped shooting, the court documents show. The man said Drejka, 48, began yelling at him and said he would shoot him.

The driver said he left, but as he pulled away, Drejka shouted racial slurs. The man's boss told Detective Moffett that Drejka later called, telling him "that he was lucky he didn't blow his employee's head off."

In separate 2012 cases, drivers reported that Drejka waved a gun at them during road rage confrontations. In both cases, officers stopped Drejka and found a gun in his car, but he denied showing it to the other drivers.

dkfq6cou0aawozu.jpg
Michael Drejka PINELLAS COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE

On Tuesday, a Florida judge kept bond at $100,000 for Drejka, who was charged with manslaughter in the fatal shooting of a 28-year-old McGlockton, a black man who shoved him outside a convenience store in a dispute over parking.

Judge Joseph Bulone in the Pinellas County court said that if Drejka posts bail, he must surrender all of his guns to the sheriff, wear an ankle monitor and not leave the county. He said he didn't have the money to hire a private attorney, which means a public defender will be appointed.

McGlockton's girlfriend, Britany Jacobs, was seated in the couple's car on July 19 with two of their children, ages 3 years and 4 months, when she said Drejka confronted her for being parked in a handicapped-accessible space. McGlockton had gone into the store with the couple's 5-year-old son, also named Markeis.

"I can tell my kids now that the police got the bad man," Jacobs said, following the brief bond hearing. She was one of several family members who attended. "I'm still answering their questions about when daddy is going to wake up. And all I can tell them is, daddy is resting right now."

Video of the July incident showed McGlockton leaving the store and shoving Drejka to the ground. Seconds later, Drejka pulled a handgun and shot McGlockton as he backed away. McGlockton then ran back into the store clutching his chest. Witnesses said he collapsed in front of young Markeis, who was waiting inside. McGlockton later died at a nearby hospital.

"The charges are only one step in this journey to get justice for the unbelievable killing of Markeis McGlockton in front of his children," said Benjamin Crump, the family's attorney. "They understand when you look at the history of the state of Florida and stand your ground that this doesn't equal a conviction. All of America is watching Clearwater, Florida to see if there will be equal justice for Markeis McGlockton ... If the facts were in reverse, nobody would doubt what the outcome would be."

Pinellas County Sheriff Bob Gualtieri originally declined to charge Drejka, saying one day after the shooting that the man was protected by Florida's stand-your-ground law. The sheriff passed the case to prosecutors for a final decision.

The McGlockton family said Monday the manslaughter charge provides them "with a small measure of comfort in our time of profound mourning."

"While this decision cannot bring back our partner, our son, our father, we take solace in knowing our voices are being heard as we work for justice," the family said in a statement.

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


RACCOONS ARE INCREDIBLY CUTE CRITTERS, AND PEOPLE TEND TO COME CLOSER TO LOOK AT THEM. I HAVE HEARD FOR YEARS THAT IF YOU SEE A RACCOON OR A SKUNK OUT IN THE DAYTIME, ASSUME IT IS SICK, AND MAY BE CARRYING NOT ONLY DISTEMPER, BUT RABIES. IF YOU SEE SUCH AN ANIMAL, CALL ANIMAL CONTROL OR THE SHERIFF’S OFFICE IMMEDIATELY AND REPORT THE SIGHTING. IF YOU WAIT TOO LONG THE ANIMAL WILL VERY LIKELY BE GONE BY THE TIME THE RANGER GETS THERE.

https://www.wsj.com/articles/the-latest-scourge-of-central-park-zombie-raccoons-1534006800?mod=djcm_OBV1_092216&utm_source=taboola&utm_medium=referral
The Latest Scourge of Central Park: ‘Zombie’ Raccoons
A virus is causing raccoons to become dazed—and sometimes crazed
By Corinne Ramey
Updated Aug. 12, 2018 4:00 p.m. ET

PHOTOGRAPH -- A raccoon navigated Central Park in May 2017. This summer, the park has seen an outbreak of canine distemper among the animals. PHOTO: MARK CHALLENDER/BARCROFT MEDIA/GETTY IMAGES

The zombies have taken Central Park.

Nathan Gamble saw one cross a Manhattan street in broad daylight, brazenly cutting off tourists and horse carriages. Then it walked along a path.

“This one looked like he was moving with purpose,” Mr. Gamble, 45 years old, said of the creature. “It wasn’t well.”

It was a raccoon. Central Park is in the midst of an outbreak of so-called zombie raccoons, with rangers capturing 97 animals that have become sick or died since late June. The virus, called canine distemper, causes raccoons to leave their traditional habitats—trees, garbage cans, nighttime—and venture into the human domain, often in a crazed, disoriented or wobbly state.

The disease is contagious to other animals. Raccoons, dogs, pandas, ferrets, seals, coyotes, skunks and wolves can catch it by coming into contact with infected feces, urine or saliva.

“The raccoons might have runny eyes or runny noses,” said Ann Hohenhaus, a veterinarian at Animal Medical Center in Manhattan. “But you shouldn’t be close enough to assess that.”

Unvaccinated dogs can catch the virus from raccoons, a fact New York City officials began issuing warnings about last week. Vaccinated dogs typically aren’t at risk of catching the disease, Dr. Hohenhaus said.

The health and parks departments advised pet owners to keep their dogs on leashes. “The two agencies are specifically concerned about dogs in the park during dusk and dawn, off-leash hours, after two incidents where dogs had encounters with raccoons,” officials said.

Denis Woychuk said he and his dog, Howie Doing the Wonderdog, saw a ‘dazed and confused’ raccoon in Central Park earlier this month. PHOTO: CORINNE RAMEY

Parks department officials are also posting signs and distributing fliers in Central Park. The health department said it can’t determine what led to the outbreak.

One morning last week, Tracy Wargo’s beagles, Butters and Pixel, went after a raccoon in Central Park. When she intervened, the raccoon latched on to her foot and took a bite.

“It didn’t appear sick,” said Ms. Wargo, 51. “It was defending itself pretty fervently.”

Still, she has changed her usual route and now scans for raccoons during walks. Her foot is still bandaged—“and a little gross”—from the incident, but she’s otherwise OK.

Howie Doing the Wonderdog, a 15-year-old “sort of a dachshund-something,” saw a raccoon lumbering along a path earlier this month.

Howie appeared unconcerned. But his owner, Denis Woychuk, was worried.

“It was looking dazed and confused,” said Mr. Woychuk, who owns KGB Bar, a Soviet-themed establishment in Manhattan’s East Village neighborhood. “I hear there are a bunch of them.”

He did note the fearless raccoon may simply have been a New Yorker.

“They’re wild animals,” he said. “If they’re hanging out in the city, they probably just have a ‘f--- you’ attitude.”

Tommy, a 7-year-old Coton de Tulear, was allowed to roam a park field without a leash—until his owner, Paul Crichton, remembered the raccoons.

PHOTOGRAPH -- Tommy, a 7-year-old Coton de Tulear, was allowed to roam a park field without a leash—until his owner, Paul Crichton, remembered the raccoons. PHOTO: CORINNE RAMEY

One recent afternoon, Jim Mills and his wife strolled through Central Park with their Shih Tzu mix, Logan. Mr. Mills had read on the internet that zombie raccoons had come to New York.

“They act very strange, kind of like you don’t want your spouse to act when they’ve had too much to drink,” said Mr. Mills, 67, of Bridgeport, W.Va.

His wife glared at him, then walked ahead, pushing Logan in a teal stroller.

Paul Crichton, who lives in Washington Crossing, Pa., was in Central Park walking Tommy, his 7-year-old Coton de Tulear. That afternoon, he had allowed Tommy to walk across a field without a leash.

“I was breaking the rules,” he said. “Then I thought of the raccoons.”

He quickly scooped up his dog.

Write to Corinne Ramey at Corinne.Ramey@wsj.com



IS THE SANDERS JUGGERNAUT REALLY MAINSTREAM YET? DEMOCRATS LOOKING AT A POSSIBLE CHANGE OF RULES IN THE NEXT TWO WEEKS THAT WOULD NOT ALLOW SANDERS OR OTHERS TO RUN AS A DEMOCRAT WITHOUT MAINTAINING FULL MEMBERSHIP IN THE PARTY, AND PERHAPS FOR A SPECIFIED TIME PERIOD? WHAT WOULD THAT MEAN, EXACTLY? PAY DUES, ACCEPT PARTY PLATFORM WITHOUT COMPLAINT? DON’T COMPETE WITH OTHER CANDIDATES ASSERTIVELY? ALL OF THE ABOVE? I WOULD MUCH RATHER SEE HIM GIVE IT A RUN ON HIS OWN THAN TO DO THAT. WE NEED HIS MESSAGE AS IT IS, NOT CORPORATIZED. I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO 2020.

http://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/402251-bernie-sanders-socialism-moves-to-democratic-mainstream
Bernie Sanders socialism moves to Democratic mainstream
BY AMIE PARNES - 08/17/18 06:05 AM EDT

PHOTOGRAPH -- BERNIE SANDERS SPEAKING -- © Greg Nash

Bernie Sanders and democratic socialism increasingly look to be winning over the Democratic Party, raising concerns among some Democrats about whether it could hurt the party in this year’s midterm elections, and the presidential race of 2020.

The biggest Democratic star of the summer is Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who, like Sanders, is a democratic socialist.

Prospective Democratic candidates in the 2020 presidential election are flocking to the Sanders “Medicare for all” bill, which would institute a single-payer health-care system across the country.

And a new Gallup poll this week found that 57 percent of Democrats view socialism favorably, compared to 47 percent who view capitalism positively.

Two years after Sanders energized progressives during the 2016 Democratic presidential primary, it all suggests the Democratic field in the upcoming primary will be pulled more and more to the left as candidates compete for a large slice of their party's electorate.

“Bernie Sanders lost the war but won the battle to reshape the party,” said Brad Bannon, a Democratic strategist.

What that means in the general election against President Trump is another question.

A number of Democrats are worried their party could be hurt by an association with leftist politics, which they fear could cost them Trump voters and independents.

Republicans, for their part, practically salivate over the chance to tie Democrats to socialism — beginning with this fall’s midterms.

“It would be a disaster for them. They would guarantee a Trump victory,” said Shermichael Singleton, a Republican strategist who has been opposed to many of the president’s policies. “I would square it to committing political suicide.”

“It’s the kiss of death nationwide in a general,” added Republican strategist Susan Del Percio, who has also frequently disagreed with Trump’s policies.

Sanders, for his part, doesn’t sound too worried.

In an interview Wednesday night on CBS’s “Late Show,” Sanders said democratic socialist ideas are “mainstream” after host Stephen Colbert pressed him over whether an association with socialism would taint Democratic candidates.

“I think the real issue is that the ideas that we've been talking about, almost without exception, are now ideas that are mainstream ideas and are supported by the vast majority of the American people,” Sanders said.

Democratic strategist Basil Smikle — who served as the executive director of the Democratic Party of New York and worked for Hillary Clinton — said the Gallup polls suggest Sanders’s policies continue to be attractive to the younger voters both parties are seeking to claim.

Fifty-one percent of those 18 to 29 years old have a positive view of socialism, according to the Gallup poll.

“The poll suggests that if Democrats are to grow the party with younger, more diverse voters, we need to pay attention to their political impetus for supporting these policies,” Smikle said. “Younger voters, who seem the most attracted to socialism, are keenly aware of global inequality and see the U.S. as lagging in its political will to build more fairness in our economy."

Bannon, the Democratic strategist, said the prevailing wind in Democratic politics is good news for Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), as it clearly gives them a shot at the presidential nomination.

“Democrats who don't support Medicare for all and other Sanders proposals will swim against the tide during primary and caucus season,” he said.

At the same time, he conceded that “what works in the spring doesn't always translate to votes in the fall.”

Republicans such as Del Percio think Republicans could make an effective argument in using socialism against Democrats.

“If people were wondering how Trump won in the Rust Belt and they’d like to see him do it again, then yes, put in a Democrat who calls himself a socialist,” she said. “It would be very difficult for Democrats to pick up a significant amount of support should they embrace a socialist message.”

That’s certainly been conventional wisdom for decades.

But the Gallup poll, and Sanders's popularity, has more than one Democrat questioning whether the tides are changing — particularly as Americans voice frustration about income inequality and a growing economy that still leaves many poor and middle-class voters struggling to send their kids to college.

Democratic strategist Celinda Lake said socialism “has become code for progressive economics” and that many Democrats would fall into that category even if they didn’t call themselves “socialists.”

Even a candidate such as former Vice President Joe Biden, who is likely to position himself to the right of Sanders and Warren in a primary, will back progressive policies on the economy and health care, Lake said.

Sanders really began shaping the Democratic Party during his primary bid against Clinton in 2016.

Many of his policies made it into the Democratic platform, reflecting his growing power and the desire among Democrats to bring his supporters into the fold.

“We have made enormous strides,” Sanders said in a statement in July of 2016. “Thanks to the millions of people across the country who got involved in the political process — many for the first time — we now have the most progressive platform in the history of the Democratic Party.”

In the end, that effort was not completely successful, however, given Clinton’s loss to Trump.

Sanders also angered Clinton supporters in 2016 by running in the Democratic primary even though he isn't a Democrat.

The Democratic National Committee is considering a rule change next week that would require candidates running for the party’s presidential nomination to run as Democrats.

The Sanders force is also seen in the fact that other Democrats are backing his single-payer push, including Sens. Kamala Harris (Calif.), Cory Booker (N.J.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (N.Y.), who are all seen as potential presidential candidates.

“Bernie’s positions used to be fringe ideas. Single-payer was a dirty word in politics,” said Chuck Rojas, a Democratic strategist who served as a consultant to Sanders’s presidential campaign and was recently one of several advisers who gathered to consult Sanders about the possibility of running in 2020. “Now it’s all becoming mainstream. It’s a new day.”



MSNBC’S RACHEL MADDOW POINTED OUT A FEW WEEKS AGO THAT THE LEVEL OF SPITE AND THE FREQUENCY OF TRUMP’S TWEETS WENT UP ON THE DAY THAT CERTAIN PARTICULARLY DASTARDLY DEEDS WERE OCCURRING. THEY ALSO TIME THEIR CONTROVERSIAL STATEMENTS AND ACTIONS ON A FRIDAY NIGHT SO IT WON’T GET OUT INTO THE MAIN DAILY NEWS FLOW UNTIL THE NEXT DAY, A SATURDAY. READ YESTERDAY’S WA PO ARTICLE ON THESE REVOCATIONS, AND THE TRUEST HARM THAT THEY DO. HE IS PROBABLY DOING IT IN ORDER TO SILENCE THOSE WHOM HE DOESN’T TRUST, SO THAT THEY JUST WON’T HAVE ANY REALLY JUICY STUFF TO FEED THE PRESS.

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/402437-sanders-shine-discussing-how-trump-revoking-security-clearances-can
Trump aides discussed using security clearance revocations to distract from negative stories: report
BY JUSTIN WISE - 08/17/18 09:12 PM EDT

PHOTOGRAPH -- Trump Speaking on White House lawn--

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders and White House deputy chief of staff Bill Shine have reportedly discussed when would be the best time for President Trump to revoke additional security clearances.

The Washington Post reported Friday that Sanders and Shine are discussing the matter in an attempt to have Trump's revocations serve as a distraction during unfavorable news cycles. Sources told the Post that Trump wants to sign "most, if not all" of the planned revocations.

The report comes just days after the White House announced that former CIA Director John Brennan, an outspoken critic of the president, had his security clearance revoked.

The revocation of Brennan's clearance came amid a flurry of damaging claims stemming from former White House aide Omarosa Manigault Newman's new tell-all memoir of her time in the White House, "Unhinged: An Insider Account of the Trump White House.”

In her book, Manigault Newman claims that the president used the "N-word" and that she was offered $15,000 a month to work on the president's campaign shortly after she was fired by chief of staff John Kelly. Throughout the week, the former aide has leaked audio recordings and spoken on a number of unsubstantiated claims surrounding her time in the White House, prompting backlash from Trump and his aides.

The White House and Trump have sought to discredit Manigault Newman and her book.

The administration has drafted more notices to revoke the security clearances of current and former officials critical of Trump.

In addition to revoking Brennan's clearance, Sanders said Wednesday that the Trump administration was reviewing access to classified information for several former intelligence officials, including former director of national intelligence James Clapper, former FBI directors Michael Hayden and James Comey, former deputy FBI director Andrew McCabe and former FBI staffers Lisa Page and Peter Strzok.

Trump has also said that he is ready to revoke the security clearance of Justice Department official Bruce Ohr.

“I think Bruce Ohr is a disgrace. I suspect I'll be taking it away very quickly," the president told reporters outside the White House. “For him to be in the Justice Department and doing what he did, that is a disgrace.”

Many have seized on these developments as evidence that Trump is targeting individuals who are critical of him.

Trump later acknowledged to The Wall Street Journal that he drew a direct connection between special counsel Robert Mueller's probe into possible ties between his campaign and Russia, and his decision to revoke Brennan’s security clearance.



THIS LOOKS LIKE AN ACT OF SPITE ON THE DEMOCRATS’ PART, BUT IT’S ACTUALLY A BRAKE ON THE PRESIDENT’S ABILITY TO ELIMINATE ALL WHO HAVE SOME EFFECT ON THE TRUMP TRAIN. GOOD GOING SENATOR WARNER!!

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/402415-sen-warner-to-introduce-amendment-limiting-trumps-ability-to-revoke-security
Sen. Warner to introduce amendment limiting Trump’s ability to revoke security clearances
BY TAL AXELROD - 08/17/18 06:05 PM EDT

PHOTOGRAPH -- SEN. MARK WARNER © Anna Moneymaker

Senator Mark Warner (D-Va.), the vice chair of the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, announced Friday he would introduce an amendment curtailing the president’s ability to revoke security clearances from his critics.

“I will be introducing an amendment next week to block the President from punishing and intimidating his critics by arbitrarily revoking security clearances. Stay tuned,” he tweeted Friday evening.

A Warner spokesperson confirmed to The Hill the amendment would be added to the minibus appropriations bill for the Departments of Defense, Labor, and Health and Human Services. She added that more details would be released Monday.

However, the amendment is likely to be more symbolic than anything else, as its chances of getting it on the government funding bill in the Republican-controlled Senate are slim.

Several GOP lawmakers including Sen. John Cornyn (R-Texas), the No. 2 Senate Republican, have publicly supported Trump's decision, making it unlikely they would support Warner's forthcoming amendment.

To bring it up to get a vote on the Senate floor as part of the appropriations bill, Warner would need either the consent of every senator or to get Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) or to get Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.)[sic] to agree to force a vote. Neither scenario is likely.

The amendment comes in response to the White House’s announcement this week it was revoking the security clearance of former CIA Director and frequent Trump critic John Brennan.

It also threatened to do the same for nine others, all of whom have either been critical of the president or are connected in some way to the Mueller probe into possible collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

Democrats and some Republicans have criticized the move from the Trump administration. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) called the revocation a “pathetic attempt to silence critics.” Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) called it "a banana republic kind of thing."



I’VE ALWAYS HATED THESE AGREEMENTS WHICH ARE TOTALLY ONE-SIDED, THOUGH OF COURSE THERE’S NOT MUCH THAT AN EMPLOYEE, EVEN A FAIRLY HIGH LEVEL ONE, CAN DO ABOUT IT EXCEPT REFUSE THE JOB. IF SANDERS BECOMES PRESIDENT, THOUGH, WHO KNOWS?

http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/402356-judge-rules-white-house-confidentiality-agreement-is-limited-in-scope
Judge rules White House confidentiality agreement is limited in scope
BY JOHN BOWDEN - 08/17/18 01:24 PM EDT

A judge in New York has ruled that a confidentiality agreement between the Trump campaign and a former staffer is limited in scope, a decision that could have potential ramifications for other nondisclosure agreements signed by former Trump staffers.

In a ruling in the case of Jessica Denson, a former Trump campaign staffer who filed a lawsuit last year alleging sexual discrimination and harassment while working for the campaign, the judge ruled that Denson's harassment claim was not subject to out-of-court arbitration under the agreement.

Due to the wording of the agreement, it appeared only disputes over the agreement itself and a few other prohibited behaviors were subject to arbitration, Judge Arlene Bluth wrote, according to Yahoo News.

“As an initial matter, the Court observes that the arbitration clause confines arbitration to ‘any dispute arising under or relating to this agreement,’” Bluth reportedly wrote. “It does not require arbitration for any ‘dispute between the parties’ or even ‘any dispute arising out of plaintiff’s employment.’”
“There is simply no way to construe this arbitration clause in this agreement to prevent … pursuing harassment claims in court," she added.

The case could have significant effects on the results of future arbitration cases filed by the Trump campaign against former staffers, including that of Omarosa Manigault Newman, the former White House staffer who made headlines this week with the release of a tell-all book about the Trump administration.

The president has also been involved in nondisclosure agreements with women who claim to have had affairs with him, including former Playboy model Karen McDougal and adult-film star Stormy Daniels.

Manigault Newman has been targeted for arbitration over claims made in her book and on her press tour, with the Trump campaign reportedly seeking millions in damages.

The president has sought to undermine his former aide's credibility in the wake of her book's release, attacking her on social media and in official statements.

“When you give a crazed, crying lowlife a break, and give her a job at the White House, I guess it just didn’t work out. Good work by General Kelly for quickly firing that dog!” Trump tweeted earlier this week.