NOVEMBER 16 AND 17, 2018

NEWS AND VIEWS

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46243752
Trump 'personally answers Mueller Russia questions'
16 November 2018

PHOTOGRAPH -- Donald Trump says he has finished answering questions about alleged Russian meddling during the 2016 presidential campaign. EPA

The US leader told reporters he had personally answered the questions "very easily", but his responses had yet to be submitted to the investigating team.

Special counsel Robert Mueller has been looking into allegations of collusion between Mr Trump's campaign and Russia.

Mr Trump strongly denies any collusion, calling the probe "a witch hunt".

On Thursday, he took to Twitter to describe Mr Mueller as "conflicted", called the investigation "absolutely nuts", adding that those involved in the long-running probe "are a disgrace to our nation".

The tweets came a week after he forced the resignation of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, replacing him with Matthew Whitaker, who now has the power to sack Mr Mueller or end the investigation.

After Trump fires Sessions - is Mueller next?
All you need to know about Trump Russia story

Speaking to reporters on Friday, he said the investigation had wasted "millions and millions of dollars" and "should never have taken place".

Mr Trump also suggested the people who wrote the questions he agreed to answer "probably have bad intentions".

"I'm sure they're tricked-up because, you know, they like to catch people," Mr Trump said, after making it clear he had written the answers to the questions.

Image copyrightAFP
Image caption
Robert Mueller is overseeing the investigation in allegations of collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign AFP

"My lawyers don't write answers. I write answers," he said. "I was asked a series of questions. I've answered them very easily."

Exactly what the questions covered is not known. However, Mr Trump's lawyer Rudy Giuliani told the Washington Post on Thursday he had not answered questions relating to the period after his election, saying some were "possible traps", while others were "unnecessary" or "irrelevant".

What is behind the Russia investigation?

In 2016, US intelligence agencies concluded that Russia had used a state-authorised campaign of cyber attacks and fake news stories planted on social media in an attempt to turn the election against Democrat candidate Hillary Clinton.

A team of investigators led by Mr Mueller is looking into whether anyone from Mr Trump's campaign colluded in the effort.

It has been established that senior members of Mr Trump's team met Russian officials, and that several of these meetings were not initially disclosed.

The Trump-Russia saga in 200 words

The president's son, Donald Trump Jr, met a Russian lawyer during the campaign who was said to have "dirt" on Mrs Clinton, and former adviser George Papadopoulos has admitted lying to the FBI about meetings with alleged go-betweens for Russia.

Four people connected with Mr Trump's campaign and presidency - campaign chairman Paul Manafort, advisers Rick Gates and George Papadopoulos, as well as former national security adviser Michael Flynn - have been charged and further indictments could be issued.

However the US president denies any wrongdoing and no solid evidence has emerged to implicate him.


THE FOLLOWING RUSSIA CASE CONCERNING THE LADY SPY WHO WASN'T A LADY IS MOVING FORWARD THROUGH THE US DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA. FROM BITS OF NEWS I SAW IN THE LAST SIX MONTHS OR SO, THE NRA IS KNOWN TO HAVE CONTRIBUTED MONEY TO THE DONALD TRUMP CAMPAIGN. THE GUN RIGHTS ACTIVIST FROM RUSSIA, MARIA BUTINA, MAY BE CONSIDERING A PLEA DEAL “OR SOME OTHER CONCLUSION” TO HER CASE.

https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/articles/2018-11-16/us-negotiating-possible-resolution-in-russian-agent-case
US Negotiating Possible Resolution in Russian Agent Case
New court papers reveal that a woman accused of being a Russian agent is in negotiations with federal prosecutors about a "potential resolution" to her case.
Nov. 16, 2018, at 1:37 p.m.
BY CHAD DAY, ASSOCIATED Press

PHOTOGRAPH -- FILE - This July 18, 2018, file courtroom sketch depicts Maria Butina, listening to Assistant U.S. Attorney Erik Kenerson as he speaks to Judge Deborah Robinson, left, during a hearing in federal court in Washington. New court papers reveal that Butina, accused of being a Russian agent, is in negotiations with federal prosecutors about a "potential resolution" to her case. It's the first acknowledgement that Maria Butina is potentially working on a plea deal or some other conclusion to her criminal case. (Dana Verkouteren via AP) THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON (AP) — A gun-rights activist accused of being a Russian agent is negotiating a "potential resolution" to her criminal case, federal prosecutors and her lawyers said Friday.

Lawyers for Maria Butina and prosecutors in Washington made the disclosure in a joint court filing, the first acknowledgement that the 30-year-old is potentially working on a plea deal or some other conclusion to her case. It is a reversal in tone for Butina's lawyers, who have undertaken an aggressive defense from charges they have called "overblown."

In fact, Butina's team, which denies she is a Russian agent, tried this week to have the case thrown out.

The case was brought by the U.S. attorney for the District of Columbia and is unrelated to special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian election interference. But it has been part of a larger push by the Justice Department to aggressively enforce U.S. laws governing foreign agents, including those accused of working for Russia, who seek to operate in the American political system.

Butina was arrested over the summer and later indicted on charges of conspiracy and acting as an unregistered foreign agent.

Prosecutors say she used her status as a student as a cover to infiltrate the National Rifle Association and other American political organizations associated with the Republican Party during the 2016 campaign and after President Donald Trump's election.

Court papers say she relayed information she gathered in the U.S. back to a Russian official, who was sanctioned this year by the Treasury Department, and she also sought to establish back channels between American politicians and the Kremlin.

Her lawyer, Robert Driscoll, has said she was just a student interested in networking with influential people in American politics and wanted to see better U.S.-Russia relations. The Russian government has advocated for her release and said the charges are "preposterous."

In the latest filing, both sides asked U.S. District Judge Tanya Chutkan to push back a scheduled early December hearing by two weeks to allow "negotiations regarding a potential resolution of this matter" to continue.

Chutkan granted the request Friday. That move, Butina's lawyers said, would result in their withdrawal of motions filed this week attacking the case.

Read the filing: http://apne.ws/qVmF10q
Follow Chad Day on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChadSDay

Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46132670
Mid-terms 2018: When voting goes wrong
8 November 2018

Photograph – creative art photograph of an obviously suppressed voter

After celebration of historic wins by diverse candidates, the other big online trend for the US mid-term election was claims of massive and deliberate vote suppression.

Reddit's top post was an unverified video of apparent errors at a ballot machine in Indiana, while reports of hours-long queues, broken ballot machines and intimidation spread on Twitter and Facebook.

A Google map of live election-related searches showed spikes in interest in provisional ballots and long waiting lines across the country.

And in Florida, a church that serves as a polling station was criticised after posting a sign discouraging voters to choose Democrats, reported local media.

Skip Twitter post by @funder
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Scott Dworkin
✔
@funder
No power cords for voting machines in African American majority neighborhood in Georgia. This is a disgrace. I don’t believe in coincidences. Everyone should assume this is all orchestrated by Kemp. Who’s the biggest cheater in Georgia politics in years.

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Some reported cases were simple technical errors. In Ohio, one widely-shared claim of vote rigging turned out to be caused by a temporary paper jam.

In Georgia, where African-American candidate Stacey Abrams is contesting results in her race against incumbent governor Brian Kemp, many online are claiming that issues like ballot machines supplied without power cords and four-hour queues helped boost Mr Kemp to victory.

Mr Kemp was responsible for overseeing his own election, and the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People and the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law won emergency litigation in predominantly black areas of Georgia to extend voting times.

Before the election, 53,000 voter applications were put on hold in Georgia because of alleged problems with identification information.

Skip Twitter post by @TheWileyMiller

Wiley Miller
@TheWileyMiller
Just got back from voting, which took 2+ hours. Fulton County (GA) pulled 700 voting machines at the last minute, without explanation, leaving our polling place with just 4. Our district had near 100% turnout. No one left. Voter suppression didn't work here.

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Without comprehensive national data about problems like broken ballot machines, it is hard to calculate the full scale of Tuesday's problems, but evidence suggests that alleged vote suppression was more widespread this year than in previous mid-terms.

Calls to the largest non-partisan voter helpline in the country, run by the Election Protection Committee, were up by one-third in comparison with 2014, with 31,000 calls on Tuesday.

Purges of voters from electoral rolls are more frequent than in 2010 and there is evidence that the numbers of voters requiring provisional ballots also increased, Vanessa Williamson at the Brookings Institution research group, who has written on the topic, said on Wednesday.

Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Image caption
Stacey Abrams is contesting the results in her bid to be Governor of Georgia

Provisional ballots are issued when a voter's eligibility is in question and are often only counted in a close race.

On Wednesday, Senator Dick Durbin of Illinois also accused Republican lawmakers of trying to "make it as hard as possible for people to vote".

Alleged vote suppression and intimidation tends to happen in areas with high African American, Hispanic or poor populations, where their vote could alter the status quo.

"Officials pursue voter suppression tactics to lock out voters of colour with the end goal of distorting electoral outcomes," said Kristen Clarke, president of Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law, part of the Election Protection Committee, on Wednesday.

US mid-terms: What are the claims of vote suppression?
Five things we learned from the mid-terms

Her organisation tracks alleged voter suppression efforts throughout election cycles and won a lawsuit against Mr Kemp in Georgia in 2016, but nonetheless the scale of claims of problems on Tuesday were "startling", Ms Clarke said.

Georgia, Arizona, Texas and North Dakota, Florida are the front line of their efforts.

Research has previously shown that alleged vote suppression in the form of ID laws does not seriously affect election outcomes.

But in places like Georgia, where Mr Kemp may have won the race by fewer than 85,000 votes, it is easy to see why citizens would be concerned that an election was stolen from them.

"In very close races, an enormous number of factors contribute to the margin of difference. But where we are talking about hundreds of thousands of people shunted off the rolls, any reasonable person would be concerned about what that would mean for the validity of election outcomes," Ms Williamson commented.

By Georgina Rannard, UGC & Social News


ABRAMS PLANS TO LAUNCH A FEDERAL LAWSUIT FOR VOTER SUPPRESSION BY THE STATE OF GEORGIA. DO LISTEN TO HER POWERFUL, ELOQUENT SPEACH ANNOUNCING HER VOW TO SUE.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46243085
Georgia Democrat Stacey Abrams to challenge governor poll loss
NOVEMBER 16, 2018

PHOTOGRAPH -- Ms Abrams said she planned to file a "major federal lawsuit" against the state REUTERS

Georgia gubernatorial candidate Stacey Abrams has recognised her rival's victory while announcing a plan to sue the state.

Ms Abrams, the Democratic challenger to Republican Brian Kemp, said this was not a "concession" but an acknowledgement she could not win.

The candidate announced she would file a federal suit against Georgia for "gross mismanagement" of the vote.

Mr Kemp, however, declared the election "over".

"We can no longer dwell on the divisive politics of the past but must focus on Georgia's bright and promising future," he said shortly after Ms Abrams' speech.

The Republican served as Georgia's secretary of state before the race, putting him in overall charge of elections.

Ms Abrams and civil rights groups accused Mr Kemp of purging thousands from voting rolls in that capacity.

US mid-term results: Winners, losers and too close to call
When voting goes wrong

"This is not a speech of concession, because concession means to acknowledge an action as right, true or proper," Ms Abrams told her supporters in a speech on Friday.

"In the coming days, we will be filing a major federal lawsuit against the state of Georgia for the gross mismanagement of this election and to protect future elections."

Mr Kemp declared his victory shortly after the vote on 6 November, but the Democratic candidate's campaign team launched a legal challenge to ensure all ballots were counted.

Image copyrightREUTERS
Image caption
Brian Kemp previously served as Georgia's secretary of state

Ms Abrams ran as the first black female nominee for governor in the US.

The election result has been in doubt for 10 days.

In Florida, volunteers are conducting a legally required hand recount of votes in that state's acrimonious senatorial contest.

Incumbent Democratic senator Bill Nelson is up against Republican governor Rick Scott.



VIOLENCE OVER THE CARAVAN HAS ERUPTED AS IT REACHES THE US BORDER.

https://thehill.com/latino/417091-violence-breaks-out-as-first-group-from-migrant-caravan-arrives-in-tijuana
Violence breaks out as first group from migrant caravan arrives in Tijuana
BY JOHN BOWDEN - 11/16/18 10:01 AM EST

Members of a migrant caravan currently in Mexico clashed with residents in Tijuana on Thursday night after residents demanded that the migrants leave public spaces and report to shelters.

USA Today reports that Tijuana police were forced to separate groups of migrants and local residents, who were marching through city streets demanding police action, according to the newspaper.

At least 750 migrants from a thousands-strong caravan of Central American migrants bound for a U.S. port of entry are currently in Tijuana as groups of families from the caravan break off over issues of security and qualms about the caravan's slow pace through Mexico.

Local officials called on migrants to obey local laws and regulations, adding that they could only provide assistance to the caravan if members followed guidelines.

“The message to the migrant population is very clear,” Francisco Rueda Gómez, secretary of government of Baja California, said in a statement according to USA Today. “We are providing them with humanitarian support, health care and food, however the need to take into consideration the rules of the shelters so they can coexist in harmony with the local population.”

At least three journalists were injured in fistfights and other violence after midnight, according to the newspaper, which occurred after residents gathered to demand the migrants vacate a public beach.

Some members of the caravan likened local shelters to prisons, explaining that it was more comfortable for them to avoid the shelters entirely.

“For this reason — because this is oppression — we prefer to be in the streets, in the cold, rather than in a jail,” immigrant activist Irineo Mujica, who is working with the caravan, told the newspaper.

President Trump and Republicans focused their rhetoric on immigration reform and warnings about the caravan of migrants ahead of last week's midterm elections in attacks that some said were racist in nature. The GOP went on to lose dozens of seats in the House, but maintained its majority in the Senate.


STOP WALMART ACT PERTAINS TO OTHER LARGE COMPANIES AS WELL, AND PREVENTS STOCK BUYBACKS, AS LONG AS THEY REFUSE TO RAISE THEIR EMPLOYEE PAY TO $15.00 AN HOUR, AND ALLOW WORKERS TO HAVE THE BASIC BENEFITS THAT MOST WORKERS HAVE BEEN GETTING FOR YEARS, SUCH AS SEVEN DAYS OF ANNUAL PAID SICK LEAVE.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/11/15/business/bernie-sanders-walmart-minimum-wage/index.html
Bernie Sanders unveils Stop Walmart Act
By Tami Luhby, CNN Business
Updated 6:07 PM ET, Thu November 15, 2018

New York (CNN Business)Fresh off a campaign to get Amazon to raise its minimum wage, Senator Bernie Sanders is now shining his progressive spotlight on Walmart.

Sanders on Thursday introduced a bill, titled the Stop Walmart Act, that would prevent large companies from buying back stock unless they pay all employees at least $15 an hour, allow workers to earn up to seven days of paid sick leave and limit CEO compensation to no more than 150 times the median pay of all staffers.

Calling Walmart the poster child for corporate greed, Sanders noted that the company made $13 billion in profits last year and paid CEO Doug McMillon more than $22 million, or 1,188 times its typical worker, who earned $19,177.

Bernie Sanders
✔
@SenSanders
The Walton family of Walmart is the wealthiest family in America, worth $180 billion. Middle class taxpayers should not have to subsidize Walmart’s horrendously low wages to the tune of at least $6.2 billion every year.

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Walmart, which this past February raised its minimum wage to $11 an hour, said it offers competitive wages and benefits, as well as the opportunity to advance and earn higher pay.

"We have increased our starting wages by more than 50% in the last three years and currently have an average hourly total compensation of more than $17.50 an hour," the company said in a statement. "At the same time, we've also added new benefits like paid time off, advanced job training, paid family leave and college for $1 a day."

The new legislation marks a change in Sanders' tactics for pressuring companies to raise their wages. In September, he unveiled the Stop BEZOS Act, which called for levying a tax on large companies equal to the value of the public benefits that their workers receive. A month later, Amazon announced it would raise its minimum wage to $15 an hour, starting November 1. However, it also eliminated bonuses and stock awards for hourly workers.

In a call with reporters, the independent senator from Vermont reiterated his praise of Amazon, saying that he believes every worker impacted by the change saw their overall compensation rise, with some employees seeing huge pay increases of up to 50%.

Sanders has also called out other profitable companies, including American Airlines and McDonald's, for paying low wages.

The Walmart legislation is the latest progressive effort aimed at improving the lots of low-income and working Americans. Sanders and Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat who co-sponsored both the Bezos and Walmart bills, are also looking to re-introduce legislation in January to raise the national minimum wage to $15 an hour, from the current $7.25 an hour.

The legislation stands a better chance in the newly Democratic-controlled House than in the Senate, which remains in Republican hands.

President Donald Trump flip-flopped on the idea of raising the federal minimum wage during the 2016 presidential campaign, but his National Economic Council director, Larry Kudlow, recently came out strongly against increasing it.

Bernie Sanders wants Walmart to raise worker wages

Democrats are expected to issue a flurry of related bills after the next term starts in January. In addition to raising the minimum wage, members will likely look to strengthen labor rights and lower health care costs.

In the current Congress, Democrats have introduced bills aimed at making overtime available to more workers, providing federal subsidies to make childcare more affordable, strengthening unions, providing paid family and medical leave and piloting a guaranteed jobs program.

While many of the Democrats' policy efforts next year are expected to wither in the Republican-controlled Senate, some elements may get through in legislation of interest to both parties, such as boosting infrastructure spending, said Ben Olinsky, senior vice president for policy and strategy at the left-leaning Center for American Progress.



KASICH IS CONSIDERING A RUN IN 2020 AS A THIRD PARTY CANDIDATE. WHAT IF BERNIE DID THAT, TOO?

https://thehill.com/homenews/campaign/417059-kasich-wouldnt-want-presidential-run-to-diminish-my-voice
Kasich: Wouldn’t want presidential run to ‘diminish my voice’
BY TAL AXELROD - 11/15/18 08:55 PM EST

PHOTOGRAPH – JOHN KASICH © Getty Images
VIDEO – KASICH GOES TO NH FOR POST MIDTERM VISIT

Outgoing Gov. John Kasich (R-Ohio), who is known to be considering a run for president in 2020, said Thursday that he wouldn’t want a campaign to “diminish” his voice should he lose.

“In terms of politics, I can’t tell you because I don’t know what the environment is. What I don’t want to do is to try to go back into it again and then diminish my voice,” Kasich said at Saint Anselm College in New Hampshire when asked if he’d run for president.

Kasich said earlier this month that “all of my options are on the table.”

Running as a Republican would be difficult because that’s “locked down,” he added. "But I think for the first time, there is a legitimate chance for a third-party candidate.”

Should he run again, Kasich could possibly take a significant number of votes away from both Trump and the Democratic nominee, but it would still be difficult to win the White House as a third-party candidate.

His multiple visits to New Hampshire this year already furthered speculation that he was more seriously thinking about running against President Trump.

New Hampshire holds the first in the nation primary during each presidential election cycle. Kasich came in second place in New Hampshire in 2016 while Trump came in first.

The term-limited governor has repeatedly criticized Trump, hitting the president over his tone and his policies.


"THE FREEDOM OF THE PRESS IS A BEDROCK PRINCIPLE, AND OUR DEMOCRACY IS STRENGTHENED WHEN JOURNALISTS CHALLENGE OUR LEADERS RATHER THAN DEFER TO THEM."

ACOSTA HAS HIS SAY, AND THE JUDGE ORDERS THE WHITE HOUSE TO GIVE HIS PRESS PASS BACK. IT’S FUNNY HOW AMERICANS ACROSS THIS COUNTRY SPONTANEOUSLY STAND UP IN ANGER WHEN OUR NATIONAL PRINCIPLES ARE THIS BLATANTLY VIOLATED. WE AREN’T OFTEN PEOPLE WHO ARE DISINTERESTED IN WHAT HAPPENS. I’M LESS WORRIED ABOUT THE TRUMP STEAMROLLER AS TIME GOES ON.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-46240975
White House ordered to restore CNN reporter Jim Acosta's access
NOVEMBER 16, 2018 6 hours ago

PHOTOGRAPH -- Jim Acosta was in court to hear the judge's temporary ruling GETTY IMAGES

A judge in Washington DC has ordered the White House to return CNN reporter Jim Acosta's press pass after it was revoked by the US Secret Service.

The judge's order says that the pass must be reinstated as a CNN lawsuit against Donald Trump continues.

Mr Acosta's press pass was taken after he clashed with the president during a news conference earlier this month.

The judge said the White House decision likely violated the journalist's right to due process and freedom of speech.

Speaking outside the court, Mr Acosta praised the decision and told reporters "let's go back to work".

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said they would comply with the order, and would "also further develop rules and processes to ensure fair and orderly press conferences in the future".

"There must be decorum at the White House," she added.

Media captionDonald Trump and CNN's Acosta clash
The ruling forces the White House press office to temporarily return Mr Acosta's "hard pass", the credential that allows reporters easy access to the White House and other presidential events.

Mr Acosta's lawyer called the ruling "a great day for the first amendment and journalism".

White House attacks CNN's Acosta lawsuit
The Acosta affair: An unpopular opinion

How did the row begin?

Mr Acosta was barred from entering the White House a day after he had a heated exchange with President Trump during a news conference on 8 November.

A White House intern tried to take the microphone from Mr Acosta as he attempted to ask the president a follow-up question.

In a statement Mrs Sanders claimed that he had put "his hands on a young woman" during the exchange, during which Mr Trump called the reporter "a rude, terrible person".

CNN sued to have Mr Acosta's pass restored, and their lawsuit was joined by other media groups, including conservative-leaning Fox News.

Image copyrightREUTERS
Image caption
Jim Acosta lost his White House access after a fiery exchange with President Trump

Winning the battle but not the war
Anthony Zurcher, BBC News, Washington

With Jim Acosta sitting in the front row of the courtroom, the media won the opening round of what could be an extended legal battle.

Judge Kelly said he was not ruling on the merits of this case, but that the White House did not provide sufficient justification for revoking Acosta's credentials.

That shouldn't come as much of a shock, given that the administration's explanation for the move has shifted multiple times, from a tenuous allegation that the CNN reporter "placed his hands" on a White House intern to a more general assertion that he violated press conference decorum.

What's left to be decided after further hearings and court filings - assuming the case proceeds - is how much power a president has in determining which reporters get to have, and keep, access to the White House.

An administration has discretion to limit the number of passes it gives out, but the balancing of executive power and press rights gets trickier when government officials try to take media credentials away.

What did the judge say?

Judge Timothy Kelly, who was appointed to the bench by Mr Trump last year, said Mr Acosta's constitutional rights outweighed the White House's right to have an orderly news conference, the Washington Post reported.

He also criticised the Trump administration's decision, saying that the process was "so shrouded in mystery that the government could not tell me... who made the decision".

He also called Mrs Sanders' statement claiming that Mr Acosta had inappropriately touched an intern "belated efforts [that] were hardly sufficient to satisfy due process".

But in court documents, the White House argued that the decision was made in order to preserve White House decorum and it did not claim impropriety towards the intern.

Judge Kelly added that the White House was required to restore his White House access, but is under no obligation to call on him during questions.

A hearing on the case is scheduled for next week, but it is unclear if the White House will once again seek to strip Mr Acosta's access, or allow him to resume his work as CNN's chief White House correspondent.

What has the reaction been?

In a statement, CNN said: "We are gratified with this result and we look forward to a full resolution in the coming days.

"Our sincere thanks to all who have supported not just CNN, but a free, strong and independent American press."

Mrs Sanders said the judge "made clear that there is no absolute first amendment right to access the White House" and that her office planned to "temporarily reinstate the reporter's hard pass".

Ben Wizner of the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) said that the White House's attempts to silence Mr Acosta had backfired.

"The White House surely hoped that expelling a reporter would deter forceful questioning, but the court's ruling will have the opposite effect.

"The freedom of the press is a bedrock principle, and our democracy is strengthened when journalists challenge our leaders rather than defer to them."


CAREER OF JOHN MCCAIN
FRONTLINE
8/27/18

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Iu7BOa5KCo
McCain (full film) | FRONTLINE PBS Documentary on the life of Sen. John McCain
PBS is an American public broadcast service Wikipedia

FRONTLINE PBS | Official
Published on Aug 27, 2018

Sen. John McCain, a towering figure in American politics, has died at age 81 following a battle with brain cancer. Look back at McCain's life, politics and legacy, from his years as a POW in Vietnam, to his dramatic 2017 vote against the GOP's health care bill.

Subscribe on YouTube: http://bit.ly/1BycsJW

[NOTE: This is an updated version of a program that originally aired on April 17, 2018.]

Twitter: https://twitter.com/frontlinepbs
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Google+: https://plus.google.com/+frontline/posts

Stream +200 FRONTLINE documentaries for free, here: http://to.pbs.org/hxRvQP

Funding for FRONTLINE is provided through the support of PBS viewers and by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Major funding for FRONTLINE is provided by the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and the Ford Foundation. Additional funding is provided by the Abrams Foundation, the Park Foundation, The John and Helen Glessner Family Trust, and the FRONTLINE Journalism Fund with major support from Jon and Jo Ann Hagler on behalf of the Jon L. Hagler Foundation.
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News & Politics


I’M MOVING ON ACROSS THE OCEAN TO BRITAIN NOW. VERY LITTLE OF THIS, IF ANY, IS OF PRESSING IMPORTANCE, BUT IT’S ALL INTERESTING TO ME, SO HOPEFULLY IT WILL BE TO YOU ALSO. I WISH I COULD LIVE IN THE UK. THIS “LOCAL DEMOCRACY REPORTING SERVICE” FROM THE ARTICLE BELOW IS IN BRITAIN RATHER THAN THE USA, WHICH IS A SHAME. I THINK WE NEED ONE HERE WITH MANY BRANCHES AROUND THE COUNTRY -- SINCE WE HAVE LOST TRACK OF SUCH IDEAS AS DEMOCRACY IN THE LAST FEW YEARS HERE IN AMERICA.

IF YOU EVEN SAY THE WORD “DEMOCRACY” OUT LOUD, SOME SMARTARSE REPUBLICAN WILL SHOUT OUT “THIS IS A REPUBLIC.” I’VE LOOKED THAT UP TWICE, AND WE ARE ACTUALLY A “DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC.” THAT’S A LOT LIKE BEING A “DEMOCRATIC SOCIALIST.” THE OPERATIVE TERM IS “DEMOCRATIC,” AND NOT THE OTHER WAY AROUND. THEY THEN IN CONCERT WILL SAY THAT THE NAME OF OUR GRAND OLD PARTY, THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY, IS ACTUALLY “THE DEMOCRAT PARTY.” THAT KIND OF THING CREATES AND STOKES THE FIRE OF ILL WILL, WHICH IS PART OF THE SOCIAL PROBLEMS THAT WE HAVE HERE NOW. CALLING IT THE “DEMOCRAT PARTY” IS VERY MUCH LIKE CALLING A BLACK PERSON BY “THE N WORD.” IT IS VERY POOR HUMAN RELATIONS TO SAY THE LEAST, AND “FIGHTING WORDS,” IF THE RECIPIENT IS FEELING ANGRY ALREADY; SO, IF HE IS LARGER THAN YOU ARE OR A MARTIAL ARTS PRACTITIONER, YOU SHOULD SAY THAT VERY SOFTLY AND WITH YOUR BACK TURNED SO HE CAN’T READ YOUR LIPS. GRASSROOTS CONVERSATION ABOUT THE NEWS AND WORLD EVENTS, INSTEAD OF POLL AFTER POLL AFTER POLL IS WHAT WE REALLY NEED, I THINK, SO THE BRITS ARE OUTDOING US AT BEING FAIR, I THINK. POLITICAL ACTIVISM ISN'T CONSIDERED IN A VERY GOOD LIGHT, IT SEEMS TO ME, AND I WONDER HOW WE GOT TO THIS POINT.

I REALLY LOVE BBC, ALSO, FOR THEIR LIVELY INTEREST IN AMERICAN AFFAIRS AND OTHER INFORMATIONAL SUBJECTS, THEIR GREAT OLD COMEDIES AND THEIR LIBERAL VIEWS. THEN TOO, THEIR HUMAN INTEREST STORIES ARE REALLY GREAT TO ME, NOT ONLY BECAUSE I CAN USE SOME GOOD OLD-FASHIONED HEART WARMING, BUT ALSO BECAUSE THEY ARE NOT ABOUT PEOPLE AND PLACES THAT ARE OVERLY FAMILIAR TO ME; AND THE WORD AND TOWN NAMES ARE SO UNUSUAL. I DON’T USUALLY GO LOOKING FOR THESE STORIES, BUT RATHER MY HELPFUL GOOGLE SPY SERVICE HAS NOTICED THAT I WILL PICK BBC ARTICLES OFTEN, SO WHEN I TYPE “NEWS” ON THE SEARCH LINE THEY WILL VERY OFTEN GIVE ME SOMETHING FROM THE BRITS. SINCE I LIKE LIBRARIES VERY MUCH ALSO, I WAS DELIGHTED TO FIND THIS ONE.

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-cumbria-46234480
No books loaned from Barrow Island library in a year
NOVEMBER 16, 2018 6 hours ago

PHOTOGRAPH -- The community library has been in Barrow Island Primary School for a year

Not a single book has been taken out of a pop-up library in the last year.

Eighteen books were technically "checked out" at the library on Barrow Island, Cumbria, but they were by IT staff making sure the machine worked.

Barrow Local Committee was told the library had sporadic opening hours.

There is now a plan to get library staff out and about in the community more, providing story sessions for children, author visits and reading groups.

Cumbria County Council installed the library at Barrow Island Primary School.

Tracey Ingham, the council's area support manager for Barrow, told the committee a different approach was needed.

She said: "The proposal is to move away from the static library in the school and do more outreach."

Councillors agreed library staff should visit other community centres on Barrow Island each week, the Local Democracy Reporting Service* is reporting.

The area's libraries as a whole were used by 844 adults and 538 young people in two months.

Councillors also agreed to invest £5,400 in Barrow Central Library for "autism-friendly" services for children and adults.


Local Democracy Reporting Service* [LDRS]
https://www.bbc.co.uk/lnp/ldrs
LOCAL NEWS PARTNERSHIPS

Photograph – a steno pad with shorthand on it (a relic in its’ own right, these days)

The Local Democracy Reporting Service created up to 150 new journalism jobs to help fill a gap in the reporting of local democracy issues across the UK.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service created up to 150 new journalism jobs to help fill a gap in the reporting of local democracy issues across the UK.
The journalists are funded by the BBC as part of its latest Charter commitment but employed by regional news organisations.

At present 144 Local Democracy Reporters have been allocated to 59 news organisations in England, Scotland and Wales.

These organisations range from a radio station to online media companies and established regional newspaper groups.

Local Democracy Reporters cover top-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.

Principles of operation: Questions and answers

It is expected that the remaining posts to complete to full allocation of 150 reporters will be distributed to Northern Ireland news organisations in 2018.

Stories written by the democracy reporters are shared with more than 800 media organisations that have signed up to be part of the Local News Partnerships scheme.

To be awarded the democracy reporter contracts, the successful news organisations had to pass stringent criteria which included financial stability and a strong track record of relevant journalism in the area they were applying to cover.

The award decisions were made by senior editorial BBC figures across the English regions, Wales and Scotland.

The full list of organisations that were awarded contracts can be viewed here.

For contracts consisting of multiple local authorities, a number of successful bidders have agreed to share the local democracy reporting resource with neighbouring titles to ensure full coverage of the contract area.

Local Democracy Reporter content can be downloaded via an online portal, accessed via a log-in code supplied to all qualifying news organisations.


FOR MORE INFORMATION ON LDRS, GO TO -- https://medium.com/behind-local-news-uk/local-democracy-reporting-making-the-most-of-foi-9aebb010238a


BRITISH VIDS – THESE ARE ESSENTIALLY NEWS VIDEOS, BUT OFTEN WITH A HUMAN INTEREST OR HISTORICAL TOUCH. THERE ARE A NUMBER OF INTERLINKED VIDEOS HERE, AND IT’S ALL INTERESTING. HAVE A LOOK AT THEM.

REMOTE PLACES

https://www.bbc.com/reel/video/p05jlcmc/the-icelandic-model-who-shears-sheep
Meet Heiða Guðný Ásgeirsdóttir, the sheep farmer and former model who is fighting for her beautiful and remote corner of southern Iceland.


BBC Travel

https://www.bbc.com/reel/playlist/to-the-ends-of-the-earth?vpid=p06g4c8v
THE NEW ICELANDERS -- Gimli, Manitoba small village, film of the people of Icelandic heritage there.
A 500-year-old fight to save a language
REMOTE PLACES


ENGLISH HERITAGE – AN UPDATE

https://www.gazetteandherald.co.uk/news/17231131.striking-conversion-to-christianity/
NEWS
NOVEMBER 17, 2018 47 mins ago
Striking conversion to Christianity
By John Baker Reporter

PHOTOGRAPH -- Author and historian, Martyn Whittock, with his latest book, The Vikings from Odin to Christ, co-written with his daughter Hannah

VIKING and Christian are two words that you don’t often find in the same sentence, unless it describes how the former terrorised and abused the latter.

In their insightful new book, The Vikings from Odin to Christ, Bradford on Avon father and daughter, Martyn and Hannah Whittock, explore the impact of the Vikings on Christianity from the British Isles to Russia, as well as the impact of Christianity on the Viking invaders.

Mr Whittock, 60, a retired history teacher who still puts in the odd day at Kingdown School in Warminster, says: “We’re all familiar with the traditional image of the fierce pagan warriors that burst out of Scandinavia during the 8th century, plundering, ravaging and shedding blood wherever they went.

“A lesser-known fact about these infamous pillagers is that the majority converted to Christianity in the centuries that followed. By 1150, many Viking communities in England had been Christian for nearly 300 years.

“Their homelands of Denmark, Sweden and Norway were the last to convert to Christianity but it seems that wherever they went, they converted to Christianity very quickly – quite possibly for strategic political and economic reasons.

“Children of the Vikings who had martyred the Christian king of East Anglia minted coins extolling his holiness. In Normandy, the pagans became loyal supporters of the Catholic Church.

“In the east, the former Viking raiders founded the first Russian state in Kiev and later converted to Orthodox Christianity.”

Their book explores the reasons why the Vikings underwent a rapid transformation and quickly integrated themselves into local society, cultures and the Christian religions they found rather than remaining bloodthirsty pagans.

Drawing on evidence from a wide variety of literary, archaeological and architectural sources, the Whittocks argue the Vikings had as much impact as converts as they did as deadly marauders.

Their interesting and informative book, which took about 18 months to write and is Martyn’s 47th, looks at what we know about Norse beliefs, most of which is from medieval manuscripts written by Christians.

They trace the Vikings’ presence in England and the surrounding countries, from the infamous sacking of the monastery on Lindisfarne in 793 onwards.

But, as the authors note, of 113 attacks carried out on Irish monasteries between 795 and 820, only 26 were carried out by Vikings with the rest being mostly by Christian Irish kings.

Some of the new Viking rulers were keen to fit into Christian expectations of how a king should behave, seeing it as a good way to bring their territories into the orbit of mainstream European civilisation.

The blending of Norse myths and Christian symbols can be seen in carvings, coins and monuments from the period. Carved stone slabs at York Minster, decorated with Scandinavian-derived artwork, appear to represent the graves of the first generation of Viking Christians.

The authors also look at the influence of some of the key figures of the Viking Age and their role in the spread of Christianity, including Erik Bloodaxe, Rollo, Harald Bluetooth and King Cnut.

The final chapters detail the role of the Vikings in the establishment of Christianity in Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the East, the North Atlantic and elsewhere, completing a comprehensive account of how ‘the hammer of Thor succumbed to the victory of the cross of Christ’.

Mr Whittock, who is a lay reader in Trowbridge, said: “We have tried to condense the history and to write a broad and balanced book that is accessible for the general reader. It provides a one-stop shop on the Viking period and how they converted to Christianity.

“They were remarkable, dynamic people and our book looks at the way they interacted with other peoples and the way they assimilated themselves into local cultures. They were traders who settled down and became staunch supporters of Christianity.”

Mr Whittock is the author of 47 books, including When God Was King: Rebels and Radicals of the Civil War & Mayflower Generation (Lion Hudson, 2018) and Christ: The First Two Thousand Years (Lion Hudson, 2016), co-written with his younger daughter, Esther, 26.

His elder daughter Hannah, 29, has a first-class honours degree from Cambridge University in Anglo-Saxon, Norse and Celtic, as well as a Masters degree. She has now co-written five books with her father.

The Vikings from Odin to Christ is published by Lion Hudson in paperback, priced at £9.99, and is available online and in bookshops.

JOHN BAKER


https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-wiltshire-43837307
Stonehenge archaeology 'under threat' from Highways England diggers
23 April 2018

PHOTOGRAPH -- Stonehenge Alliance said using heavy machinery on wet ground could "devastate any fragile archaeological deposits" STONEHENGE ALLIANCE

Heavy diggers being used by Highways England near Stonehenge are threatening its "fragile archaeology", campaigners have warned.

The agency has been surveying the proposed site of a controversial tunnel near the monument since January.

Stonehenge Alliance said archaeological evidence may be lost due to heavy machinery being used on wet ground.

Highways England said the claims were "alarmist and untrue" and "due care" was being "exercised at all times".

Plans for 1.8-mile (2.9km) underground dual carriageway as part of a £1.6bn upgrade of the A303, were unveiled by the government in January.

But Dr Kate Fielden, from Stonehenge Alliance - a campaign group which includes archaeologists and environmental campaigners - said what Highways England were doing in the area "beggars belief".

"If we designate it [Stonehenge] as a World Heritage Site we should treat it as a World Heritage Site, but it's being treated the same as everywhere else," she said.

Image copyrightDEPARTMENT FOR TRANSPORT
Image caption
Highways England claims the scheme will "remove the sight and sound of traffic from the iconic monument and reduce intrusion in the wider World Heritage Site"

She said Highways England were carrying out archaeological evaluations in a "rushed manner" which threatened "more and more destruction".

"Every time you take heavy machinery out [on to site] you diminish the record for future generations because it gets too badly disturbed," she said.

"And when it's muddy and the ground is wet, it gets compressed and any fragile archaeology could potentially be crushed."

'Alarmist and untrue'

A spokeswoman for Highways England said "no work" had been carried out during "unsuitable conditions".

"The suggestion that survey work will destroy layers of archaeology is alarmist and untrue," she said.

"The recent wet weather has resulted in the plant operations being stood down at times to avoid any risk to archaeology.

"The works are being undertaken in a highly professional manner with due care being exercised at all times."

A public consultation to gather views of drivers and residents is due to end on Monday.


STONEHENGE PRESERVATION HISTORY

https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-wiltshire-45953712
Stonehenge: A ruin to a treasure in 100 years of public ownership
26 October 2018

Photograph -- Timber supports were needed to shore up those stones considered in danger of collapse ENGLISH HERITAGE

It may be hard to imagine now but at the start of the 20th Century much of Stonehenge was propped up with wooden poles and parts were in danger of collapse.

The ancient stone circle had been privately-owned by the Antrobus family who had looked after it since the early 19th Century. But they put it up for auction in 1915.

It was bought for £6,600 by Cecil and Mary Chubb, who gave it to the nation 100 years ago - on 26 October 1918.

Kate Mavor, English Heritage's Chief Executive, said their "generosity saved Stonehenge and transformed it from a neglected ruin to a national treasure".

"Their gift started a programme of care and conservation for the ancient stones and the surrounding landscape, one that continues today," she added.

Image copyrightJANE HILLS
Image caption
Some previously-forgotten photos of Sir Cecil and Lady Mary Chubb, taken on a cruise in 1924, were found earlier this year

Mrs Chubb received a legacy in 1905 of £100,000 - the equivalent of nearly £8m today. Her husband used part of this money to buy the Stonehenge site at the auction in 1915.

Brian Edwards, a visiting research fellow at the regional history centre at the University of the West of England, who has documented their lives, said: "She was absolutely crucial to this story because, without her legacy, Stonehenge would never have been purchased."

Mr Chubb was knighted a year after Stonehenge was handed to the nation via a deed of gift, and the pair became Sir Cecil and Lady Chubb.

Image copyrightENGLISH HERITAGE
Image caption
A number of repairs took place between 1919 and 1920

Realising the care and attention Stonehenge needed the government oversaw a number of projects to improve the site for visitors.

Many of the stones had fallen and several had become twisted as a result of many years of neglect.

Image copyrightENGLISH HERITAGE
Image caption
Prof William Gowland carried out an excavation at Stonehenge in September 1901

English Heritage historian Susan Greaney said the circle was in a bad state of repair when it was donated by the Chubbs but that their generosity "would never be forgotten".

Two major sets of work took place, she said, between 1919 and 1921 and in the 1950s and 60s, which left the stones in their current state.

Stonehenge saviour's picture unearthed
Families recreate old Stonehenge photos
DJ Oakenfold plays set at Stonehenge

Nowadays, the stone circle is perhaps best known for its use during the summer and winter solstices - when thousands of people gather to celebrate the longest and shortest days of the year.

Media captionA police drone was used to film the summer solstice crowd at Stonehenge.
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGES
Image caption

The summer and winter solstices are celebrated by thousands each year
The Stonehenge area is now a Unesco World Heritage Site - joining other UK sites such as the Giant's Causeway, the Lake District and Canterbury Cathedral.

But that status could be under threat.

The government wants to build a 1.9 mile (3km) tunnel to replace the single-carriage road that currently runs alongside the monument, arguing the move would help alleviate congestion.

Highways England argues the tunnel would "restore the tranquil environment and setting of the monument" but archaeologists claim digging the area up would cause irreparable damage.

And because of this, Unesco, which argues a bypass would be better than a tunnel, has threatened to withdraw World Heritage Status.

MORE ON THIS STORY
Stonehenge photos recreated for centenary project
20 September 2018
Stonehenge A303 parking sparks safety review
8 August 2018
Video Summer solstice: See the Stonehenge crowd from the sky
21 June 2018
Stonehenge saviour's picture unearthed after 100 years
13 June 2018
Stonehenge archaeology 'under threat' from Highways England diggers
23 April 2018
The man who bought Stonehenge - and then gave it away
21 September 2015
Stonehenge tunnel plan opposed by historians
17 March 2015
Related Internet links
English Heritage

GO TO THE BBC WEBSITE TO SEE THE FABULOUS KNIGHTS TEMPLAR CARVINGS INSIDE THIS CAVE.

https://www.bbc.com/news/av/uk-england-beds-bucks-herts-46202885/royston-cave-knights-templar-carvings-at-risk
Royston Cave: 'Knights Templar' carvings at risk

Royston Cave in Royston, near Cambridge, is believed to have been used by the Order of the Knights Templar as a secret meeting place. It was discovered by accident in the middle of the 18th century and is full of carvings.

Historic England said the "mystical carvings" had been added to its Heritage At Risk register because they had "steadily deteriorated due to water penetration and worm activity".

Cave manager Nicky Paton says he believes it is "call to action" and will bring about the "needed conservation" to stabilise the carvings.

14 Nov 2018


VIEW 166 EXCELLENT PHOTOS

https://www.usnews.com/photos/obama-behind-the-scenes
Former President Barack Obama walks by his presidential portrait during its unveiling at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery on Feb. 12, 2018, in Washington.

This gallery was originally published on Sept. 10, 2014. It has been updated to include pictures of President Obama post-presidency.MATT MCCLAIN/THE WASHINGTON POST VIA GETTY IMAGES



GO TO YOUTUBE FOR ANOTHER IMPORTANT VIDEO, THIS TIME ABOUT JOHN MCCAIN, HIS LIFE AND DEATH.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7Iu7BOa5KCo
JOHN MCCAIN BIOGRAPHY