“We will require all individuals purchasing firearms to be 21 or older,” Scott said in a statement on Friday. “There will be exceptions for active duty, reserved military and spouses, national guard members and law enforcement.”

The governor also announced a complete ban on the sale of bump stocks, the attachments which enable semi-automatic rifles to fire more rapidly. He did not call for the ban of any specific type of weapon.

The moves signal a new, harsher line on gun laws from the gun-friendly Republican governor. Scott has long enjoyed an A-plus rating from the National Rifle Association and has  signed multiple NRA-backed bills.

“I want to make it virtually impossible for anyone who has mental issues to use a gun. I want to make it virtually impossible for anyone who is a danger to themselves or others to use a gun.” Scott said.

Other proposals include a $450 million investment in school safety and $50 million in funding for mental health.
The proposals form part of Scott’s wider plan to address school safety in the wake of last week’s shooting. The attacker, identified as former student Nikolas Cruz, killed 17 students and wounded several others when he opened fire with an AR-15 semi-automatic rifle.

“This killer should not have been able to purchase or even possess a weapon,” the governor said. Scott lamented that Cruz was identified by authorities as a potential danger but was still able to legally purchase weapons.  

The proposals follow consultation between Scott and the parents, teachers and students of Parkland.

Scott also called for a  mandatory law enforcement officer in every public school. There had been an armed deputy on the Stoneman Douglas campus, but he remained outside and did not confront the attacker, the Broward County sheriff said on Thursday.

Federal and state lawmakers have faced renewed calls for tougher action on gun violence in the wake of the high school massacre. Students who survived the shooting at Stoneman Douglas have called for stronger gun control legislation and urged Americans to attend a March for Our Lives” rally in Washington DC next month.

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Sitting down together on BBC’s This Week program, the duo butted heads over trade deals, with Galloway told he was overlooking Russia; glossing over the Kremlin’s “violent history” out of convenience.

In a video that criticized Labour’s expected approach to departing the EU – Portillo observed that Galloway had not mentioned trade issues with China and Russia… but Galloway was having none of it. “One has to trade with all kinds of countries,” he said. “With the exception of Saudi Arabia, I’d be in favor of trading with them.”

Portillo accused Russia of being a “murderous regime” with which the UK should avoid relations. Galloway, however, jumped to the defense of the Kremlin. “To trade with them, you have to have good relations,” he said.

Turning the conversation back to EU relations, Galloway pointed out that Russian trade is essential. “It’s very cold outside, and if it’s warm indoors it because of Russian gas. Russia is an important trading partner and can be a more important trading partner.”

While the UK doesn’t get gas directly from Russia, Europe does – and some of it filters its way across the continent to Britain. Portillo countered by asking “murderous regimes with gas should be let off, should they?”

“Murderous regimes with oil, like Saudi Arabia, you always let off,” Galloway retorted.

“I’m asking the country to embrace the world,” he said. “To leave the European Union’s fading, failing economies with all of the stresses and strains in the EU – it is falling apart in front of our eyes – and embrace a world where economies are rising. This isn’t isolationism – it’s leaving the EU and joining the world.”

“We’re there for one reason: to get ISIS and get rid of ISIS, and to go home,” Trump said on Friday, during a joint press conference with Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull at the White House. “We’re not there for any other reason and we’ve largely accomplished our goal.”

While Trump did not hesitate to call the Syrian government “a humanitarian disgrace,” criticizing Russia and Iran for their involvement, his comments implied the US military also had no business in Syria beyond the ‘ultimate’ goal of defeating Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS/ISIL).

“Ultimately, there has to be a political settlement,” said Turnbull, noting that Australian troops in the region have been focused on training the Iraqi military and not so much on Syria.

The two leaders were answering a question from a US reporter who wondered what they intended to do about the East Ghouta crisis. The suburb of Damascus is held by Al-Qaeda-affiliated militants and has seen heavy fighting over the past two weeks.

Trump’s position might be news to his Cabinet officials, however. US envoy to the UN, Nikki Haley, who has been an outspoken advocate of regime change in Syria, is currently championing a Security Council resolution proposing an emergency ceasefire in the area, following the militants’ claims of civilian casualties and atrocities uncritically echoed in Western media.

The resolution’s objective was to blame the Syrian government for the escalation of violence in order to, yet again, promote regime change, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said at a news conference in Serbia on Thursday. Lavrov added that the militants in Ghouta belong to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an affiliate of Al-Qaeda and a terrorist group that is not covered by the ceasefire overseen by Russia, Iran and Turkey.

Last month, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson outlined defeating IS ‒ and Al-Qaeda ‒ as only one of the five goals the US was pursuing in Syria. The others? Curbing Iranian influence and eliminating weapons of mass destruction, ending the civil war and creating conditions for safe return of refugees, as well as ensuring a peaceful transfer to a “post-Assad leadership.”

In Tillerson’s vision, the majority of Syrian people will peacefully vote out President Bashar Assad in a free election. The Obama administration and its allies had repeatedly insisted that “Assad must go,” which the Trump administration has alternately agreed and disagreed with.

In December, a Pentagon spokesman acknowledged the presence of almost 1,800 US troops in Syria, and said they will remain there for “as long as we need to.”

Unlike the Russian forces, who are in Syria on the invitation of the country’s officially recognized government, the US forces are operating without any kind of mandate under international law. Some lawmakers have even questioned their continued presence under US law, as the Trump administration continues to rely on authorizations from 2001 and 2002 to use military force (AUMF), passed by Congress to allow President George W. Bush to invade Afghanistan and Iraq in the name of fighting terrorism.

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A new study by five Environmental Protection Agency scientists spotlights “the devastating reality of environmental injustice and racism in our country,” as one observer puts it.

The study focused on air pollution caused by particulate matter (PM) of 2.5 micrometers in diameter or less,  which is caused primarily by combustion and can have deleterious health effects. It was published online Thursday in the American Journal of Public Health.

The researchers found that in “every state except New Mexico, North Dakota, Maryland, Virginia, and Washington, D.C., communities of color are exposed to more environmental pollution than white communities,” as ThinkProgress reported.

BuzzFeed News delved into the new publication, explaining that EPA researcher and study author Ihab

Mikati and his colleagues tracked the location and quantity of air pollutants emitted by refineries and factories using the EPA’s National Emissions Inventory. The team then compared the emissions with the demographics of communities within 2.5 miles of each facility, using data from the US Census Bureau.

The new report found that the average U.S. resident lives near about five emissions sources. But, the authors noted, “Blacks in particular are likely to live in high-emission areas.”

Specifically, the study found that  those in poverty were exposed to 1.35 times more fine particulate pollution than the overall population; non-Whites were exposed to 1.28 times more pollution. Blacks faced the greatest amount of such pollution, being exposed to 1.54 times more particulate matter than the overall population. “These patterns,” the study abstract states, “were relatively unaffected by sensitivity analyses, and disparities held not only nationally but within most states and counties as well.

The Hill notes that the study “cited historical racism and economic inequality as major factors for the disparity due to the locations of facilities emitting particulate pollution, and used that knowledge as the basis for the study.”

Responding to the study, Leslie Fields, director of Sierra Club’s Environmental Justice Program, said, “It’s a travesty that the most vulnerable communities in our country must endure the worst air pollution and its health effects while Trump’s EPA administrator jets around the country in a first class seat, meeting with and encouraging the fossil fuel billionaires responsible for that pollution,” referring to Scott Pruitt’s controversial pricey flights. “This report illustrates how people of color and people with limited means have been grossly taken advantage of by polluters who don’t care about the misery they cause.”

“To make matters worse,” she added, “the Trump administration has even proposed to shutter the EPA’s environmental justice office and end programs that allow for communities to have input on how key clean air and clean energy policies are implemented—taking away vital tools to fixing the health disparities outlined in the report. This administration should be ashamed of this level of neglect toward people who need justice and must do more to protect them from greedy fossil fuel billionaires,” Fields concluded.

The environmental group’s executive director, Michael Brune, for his part, said the “report should be the wake up call that demands politicians act to ensure no community is left to suffer the worst consequences at the hands of corporate polluters, but the Trump Administration is likely to sleep through the alarm.”

Published time: 23 Feb, 2018 17:02

The Winter Olympics over in South Korea is almost over, bringing to an end a glorious 16 days of sliding on and down slippery surfaces – sometimes to music, sometimes to the sound of mysterious cowbells.

Trump’s statement, which has certainly raised quite a few eyebrows, comes in the wake of the deadly Florida school shooting earlier this month.

However, allowing teachers to pack ‘heat’ is the “only solution that can reasonably protect every kid in America today,” John William Loudon, a former Republican member the Missouri Senate, told RT. “You can ban all the guns you want – you can ban every sale, every manufacturer – you’re not going to stop a single shooting … The best way to defend against a criminal with a gun is somebody who’s law-abiding with a gun.”

Andres Bernal, a professor of urban studies at Queens College, took a different view, arguing that arming teachers would essentially “militarize” America’s educational institutions.

“What does education mean to us? If we want to militarize these areas, if we want to introduce weapons and encourage teachers to carry weapons – I think that’s absurd,” Bernal told RT. “For me and the majority of Americans, schools are a place of human development, and growth, and free thinking and critical thinking and not a place for weaponized suppression and fear and intimidation which happens from guns because that’s what they do – they kill.”

The two guests also locked horns over the role of America’s gun lobby. Bernal claimed that the National Rifle Association (NRA) has far too much power on Capitol Hill and doesn’t represent the views of most Americans, while Loudon dismissed the idea that the NRA was too powerful, arguing that the “power of the NRA is not in their campaign contributions, it’s the way they are reflecting the American people who value their liberties.”

Speaking with student survivors of the recent school shooting in Parkland, Florida, Trump proposed allowing teachers with special training to carry concealed firearms, because “A gun-free zone to a maniac – because they’re all cowards – a gun-free zone is ‘let’s go in and let’s attack, because bullets aren’t coming back at us.’”

READ MORE: Trump suggests arming teachers & staff could prevent school massacres

The idea of armed school staff has been both applauded and condemned – highlighting a sharp divide among Americans on issues surrounding gun control and public safety.

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Every year, the gay community in London – and many from further afield – come together to celebrate being able to live openly as homosexuals. In 2017, more than 26,000 people attended the event which attracts singers and performers, as well as attractions and partying across the UK capital.

However, Stonewall has entered a spat with the Pride organizers over claims they were ignored when they called for changes. Pride’s organizers rejected concerns raised by its advisory board last year that non-white communities were not included enough.

Now, Stonewall said it will pull support from Pride and march instead with UK Black Pride. A Stonewall spokeswoman said: “We know this is an event that’s important to many in our communities and very much hope to attend in future years. However last year, Pride in London’s community advisory board again raised concerns about the lack of diversity and inclusion at Pride in London – particularly of black and minority ethnic communities.

“Pride in London rejected those concerns from the community in the strongest terms and, as yet, have failed to make any public acknowledgement that they may need to make significant changes if Pride in London is to be an event for everyone.”

The organization said it put forward recommendations to Pride over how it could be more inclusive of BME (black and minority ethnic) groups.

This year’s parade is due to take place on July 7, and thousands are expected to fill the streets of London. Pride called the report was “inaccurate in many places, which is disrespectful to the many volunteers that work hard to deliver the event.”

Responding to Stonewall’s decision on Friday, a Pride spokesman said: “We will always welcome Stonewall to march with Pride in the parade, and we hope to welcome their team at many community-driven events that will take place this year, during the Pride festival.

“Embracing diversity in all its forms, and supporting organizations like UK Black Pride, is absolutely at the heart of our mission as a team. “We are working closely with the community advisory board and are dedicated to making Pride a success for all our communities – from those who have never been involved, to those who come back year-on-year, enabling them to celebrate, protest and march for equality.”

Last week, Cruz shot dead 17 of his former classmates and teachers in his assault rifle rampage at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. The Broward County Sheriff’s Office published a document on Friday listing all the service calls to Cruz’s home going back to 2008, when he was just nine years-old.

“In the interest of full transparency, we are making available the list of all 23 calls for service at the Cruz home,” the sheriff’s office said. “18 involved Nikolas Cruz. None appeared arrestable under Florida law. However, two of the calls remain under internal investigation.”

The most serious warning came in November 2017, when a caller located in Massachusetts advised that Cruz was collecting knives and was likely to conduct a school shooting. The caller was concerned Cruz would kill himself and “be a school shooter in the making.” They believed that Cruz’s weapons were kept at a friend’s house.

The incident was categorized as ‘suspicious’ by Broward County Police but no report was initiated, according to the document. That call is now under Internal Affairs review and investigation, the document shows.

The first incident, in August 2008, involved a boy throwing a rock at Cruz, who responded in kind. Three years later, in 2011, deputies were called to two incidents of violent or threatening behavior towards his mother. Linda Cruz said the first was perpetrated by Nikolas but did not say if he or his brother Zachary were to blame for the second incident.

In two more reported incidents in 2012, Nikolas fought with Zachary and hit his mother with a plastic vacuum cleaner hose. In 2013, Linda told police Nikolas threw her against a wall because she confiscated his Xbox games console. The following year, he punched the wall after she took away the Xbox again.

Later, in 2014, a neighbor reported Nikolas had shot at his chickens with an airsoft rifle, a replica of a real gun that shoots plastic pellets.

Another ‘suspicious incident’ was recorded in 2016, with third-hand information derived from Instagram that Cruz was going to “shoot up a school.” The Instagram post involved a picture of guns.

On Thursday, Sheriff Scott Israel revealed that the armed deputy assigned to the school had stood outside the building and did not confront the attacker. Deputy Scott Peterson chose to resign over his failure.

Three other Broward County deputies who arrived at the scene also took up positions outside the building, CNN reported on Friday citing sources in the Coral Springs Police Department.

The FBI has separately launched a review of its investigation regarding a tip-off about Cruz based on a YouTube comment. Florida Governor Rick Scott has demanded that FBI Director Christopher Wray resign, after the agency admitted it failed to process a detailed tip-off to its Miami field office.

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Journalists on social media pushed back on Friday against NRA spokesperson Dana Loesch’s claim that the news media “loves” mass shootings because they deliver ratings boosts.

This rhetoric is dangerous, and continues the assault on journalists in an effort to paint them as subhuman. Of the thousands of people I know, including hundreds of journalists, I know zero (ZERO) people subhuman enough to “love mass shootings” https://t.co/wBo8y5DPYz

— Ryan Famuliner (@RyanFamuliner) February 23, 2018

“Many in legacy media love mass shootings. You guys love it,” Loesch said Thursday at the annual Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC), addressing reporters in the back of the room. “Now I’m not saying that you love the tragedy. But I am saying that you love the ratings. Crying white mothers are ratings gold to you and many in the legacy media.”

Loesch’s comments echoed those made in a video released this week by the NRA, in which gun rights activist Colion Noir argued, “If there’s one organization in this country that has a vested interest in the perpetuation of mass tragedy, it’s the mainstream media.”

The former Blaze host doubled-down on her comments in a Friday morning interview on CNN with Alisyn Camerota, who told her, “You’re wrong on every single level,” and argued against her claim that shootings provide a ratings boost for news programs.

“Americans have reached saturation level,” said Camerota. “They’re so sick of it and it’s so heartbreaking that they actually often turn away.”

Alisyn Camerota to NRA spokeswoman: “You think we love mass shootings? … It’s just malicious, actually, that you would say that. I don’t know anybody in the media who likes mass shootings… We pray that there’s never another one.” https://t.co/qzE1DxoncO https://t.co/a0QY03VTYU

— CNN (@CNN) February 23, 2018

Many in the news media have pushed to refine how news stations cover mass shootings, urging journalists to focus less on the perpetrators of attacks. Much of the ongoing coverage of the shooting in Parkland, Florida last week has focused on efforts by survivors to achieve gun control legislation in order to prevent more shootings—a push that is strongly opposed by the NRA.

On social media, many reporters reminded Loesch and her supporters that journalists are members of their communities whose families are put at as much risk as any other American household by the prevalence of military-style semi-automatic firearms like the AR-15.

This an unequivocally horrifying thing to say. Journalists are humans, not story-pursuing robots salivating for the death of young kids. We don’t “love mass shootings.” Many of us have kids of our own. I’m floored by this. https://t.co/HmDU6G4NhG

— Sam Stein (@samstein) February 22, 2018

This is a disgusting insult to journalists everywhere. NOBODY loves mass shootings. We cry and grieve and fear for our kids just like anyone else. And guess what? Our families are victims of tragedies, too. Do people believe this garbage??? https://t.co/DHNKA5gLRm

— Melissa Luck (@MelissaKXLY4) February 22, 2018

Others pointed to the emotional toll covering repeated mass killings—typically with little to no action by legislators in the wake of such attacks, to curb shootings—can take on journalists.

The idea that mainstream media loves mass shootings is idiotic & insulting. I covered the VA Tech shootings & was totally unprepared emotionally. Spent nights in hotel room crying after interviewing family & friends of victims. Still affects me. https://t.co/jRwqg6jaFu

— Kevin Manahan (@KevinCManahan) February 23, 2018

Dana Loesch’s comments are so disingenuous and gross. If you really believe journalists enjoy covering mass shootings, especially those involving innocent children and teens, you should hang out at any newsroom and try to do our job for just a day.https://t.co/cCx4OPxXeF

— Andrea González-Ramírez (@andreagonram) February 22, 2018

As Catherine Woodiwiss wrote at Sojourners last July, reporters’ prolonged exposure to violent and traumatic events including shootings can correspond with high levels of distress:

In 2014, a study of “frequent and prolonged exposure to deeply disturbing images” published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine found that the frequency with which a journalist watches violent content correlates with the journalist’s likelihood of having anxiety, depression, PTSD, or alcoholism.

The Radio Television Digital News Association also released a statement about the NRA’s new talking point.

“We are your neighbors. Your friends. We attend the same houses of worship. We go the same classes at the gym. Our children are in the same classes at school…We are deeply affected by tragedy. We are journalists and we do what we do because you have a need to know and understand the world around you.”

“In the last few days The Sun, The Mail, The Telegraph and The Express have gone a little bit James Bond,” Corbyn said on Twitter.  Then a word of warning followed from the UK opposition leader: “Change is coming.”

According to the Sun, the BBC, Sky News, ITV News and Channel 4 News all declined to broadcast any of the video in their news bulletins, furious that the Labour leader is refusing to do interviews over the Soviet spy accusations. The Sun cheekily omitted the fact that they were at the front of the pack, leading the charge against Corbyn and his alleged stint as a Czechoslovakian informant.

A broadcast source told The Sun: “If Corbyn wants to make a point, he must make himself available for scrutiny at the same time. We’re not going to carry propaganda for him.”

Calling out Corbyn publicly on Twitter (Jez’s preferred method of soapbox) ITV News’ Political Editor, Robert Peston, posted: “If he really wanted to challenge them, why isn’t he doing TV interviews on it, given our impartiality?”

When the claims emerged about Corbyn’s supposed dealings with former Cold War Czechoslovak agent Jan Sarkocy, a Labour spokesman said that: “the claim that Jeremy Corbyn was an agent, asset or informer for any intelligence agency is entirely false and a ridiculous smear.”

Trump became the first president to appear two years in a row before the whooping crowd of evangelical Christians, NRA members and gung-ho warhawks, at the conference in National Harbor, Maryland. But he peppered his speech with jokes, ad-libs and asides, along with plenty of audience participation to break the tedium of his 90-minute address.

1: His bald spot

“I try like hell to hide that bald spot folks, I work hard at it,” Trump joked. “It doesn’t look bad! Hey, we’re hanging in there! Together we’re hanging in.”

2: One-man protest

A lone protester began screaming at Trump early in his speech and was quickly led out by security, to deafening boos and chants of “USA! USA!”

“For the media, the fake news back there, they took very good care of them, they were very gentle, he was very obnoxious,” Trump said. “The headline tomorrow: ‘Disruptors of CPAC’,” he predicted. “One person, and he was very nice, we looked at him and he immediately left.”

Citizens for Trump author Jack Posobiec claimed only four people turned up to protest outside CPAC:

3: Even the media will support me!

“Even the Media, the media will absolutely support me sometime prior to the election. All those horrible people back there,” predicted Trump, who has repeatedly slammed mainstream news media for wall-to-wall negative coverage of his election campaign and presidency.

“You know why? Because if somebody else won, their ratings would go down, they’d all be outta business, nobody would watch,” he said, taking credit for putting food on liberal journalists’ tables.

4: The Snake…

By popular request, Trump recited his version of soul singer Al Wilson’s 1968 Northern Soul hit ‘The Snake’. Trump used the poem, based on Aesop’s fable of the farmer and the snake, on the campaign trail to argue for tighter immigration controls.

Journalist and broadcaster Ben Shapiro tweeted that he’d pay good money for a record of Trump reading William Blake poems:

5: Tax cuts or 2nd Amendment? You decide!

Trump asked the audience, the largest conservative gathering, to choose between the tax cuts he introduced to near-universal conservative praise, or the 2nd Amendment right to bear arms, already more than 200 years old.

“If you only had the choice of one, which would you have?” he asked. The crowd overwhelmingly indicated the second.

6: “LOCK HER UP!”

“We have a very, very crooked media. We had a crooked candidate too,” Trump said, in a not-so-sly reference to Hillary Clinton. The crowd knew who he meant, and chanted “LOCK HER UP!”

Trump said the slogan “Never gets old.”

“I will say this folks,” Trump continued, “everything that’s turning out, now it’s amazing, that’s come full circle, boy have they committed a lot of atrocities when you look. Have they done things that are wrong.”

7: Don’t worry, you’re getting the Wall!

Another heckler, this time a conservative, wanted to know if Trump was still going to build his promised border wall with Mexico to keep out illegal immigrants. Trump replied that every time he heard someone say he wasn’t, the wall “just got ten feet taller.”

8: One man scuppered Trumpcare (John McCain)

Trump also made a very thinly disguised attack on veteran US Senator John McCain (R-Arizona), now battling brain cancer, over his vote against repealing and replacing Obamacare last year.

“When he was supposed to go this way (thumbs up) and he walked in and he went THIS WAY (thumbs down) and everyone said ‘what happened? What was that all about?’ Boy oh boy, eh? Who was that? I don’t know.”

9: “Are you sure he’s a conservative?”

“Do you remember, I started running and people say ‘Are you sure he’s a conservative?’,” Trump, a former Democratic party and Reform party member, reminisced about the start of his presidential bid. “I think that we’ve proved that I’m a conservative!”

US President Donald Trump’s former campaign aide Rick Gates has pleaded guilty to federal conspiracy and false-statements amid the ongoing Russia probe.

The plea by Gates strongly inidicates that he is planning to cooperate with Special Counsel Robert Mueller who is probing the Trump campaign’s alleged collusion with Russia.

This comes after Alex van der Zwaan, a former lawyer,  admitted Tuesday that he had lied to prosecutors about a September 2016 conversation with Gates.

The conversation the 33-year-old Dutch citizen had with Gates was about work they had done together for a Ukrainian political party aligned with Russia.

Zwaan’s decision to plead guilty also intensified pressure on Paul Manafort, Gates’s longtime business partner and the president’s former campaign chairman.

At the federal…

An Iranian Judge reportedly told Zaghari-Ratcliffe on Wednesday that her release was dependent on the UK paying the interest on the debt. Zaghari-Ratcliffe also claims the judge said the Iranian Foreign Ministry was in talks with the UK government.

“It’s the first time we’ve been told that it is linked to the dispute over the interest rate. But it is at least the second time an Iranian official has told Nazanin that her case is linked with the arms deal debt,” Ratcliffe told the Telegraph.

Zaghari-Ratcliffe has been imprisoned in Tehran’s Evin prison since April 2016 for allegedly attempting to undermine the Iranian regime, a charge she denies. She was arrested at Tehran airport on her way back from visiting her parents.

The arms deal was made between Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi and the UK for an order of Chieftain tanks and support vehicles. The shah paid for the delivery before receiving the arms, but the contract was cancelled after the Iranian revolution saw him overthrown in 1979.

Iran has long been trying to recover the money. The UK paid the cost of the deal into a frozen bank account in 2002, but the interest accrued on the debt was not included. Officials in the UK have denied there is a link between her release and the debt.

“This is a longstanding case and relates to contracts signed over 40 years ago with the pre-revolution Iranian regime. We and the Iranians reject any idea the two issues are linked,” the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office said. “Funding to settle the debt was paid to the High Court by the Treasury and the International Military Services in 2002. Iran’s ministry of defence remains subject to EU sanctions.”

The Telegraph reported in November it was told by senior sources that the government is at pains to ensure the payment isn’t directly linked with her release, but said work has intensified in recent months to improve relations.

“A fight over a half or one percent of interest rate does not seem such a big stone worth keeping a mother in prison away from her baby,” Ratcliffe said. “It’s just a question of agreeing whether it’s 3% or 4% or whatever the number is to be used. Once that’s agreed and everything else is in place, then as far as I understand Nazanin can come home,” he told Sky News.

In January 2016, Iran released a number of Iranian-Americans, including journalist Jason Rezaian, after the US agreed to give Iran $400 million it owed Tehran for fighter jets which the US didn’t deliver following the revolution.

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NRATV promotes the National Rifle Association’s message and often lambastes the mainstream media for their “anti-freedom” rhetoric. Describing it as “gun industry funded misinformation,” some Amazon Prime subscribers shared screen captures of their cancelled memberships. Others claimed the NRA’s “racism, bigotry, misogyny and violence” didn’t belong on Amazon. 

READ MORE: NRA leader LaPierre draws fire from liberals over call for armed guards in schools

Somehow Apple TV, Chromecast and Roku, which also stream NRATV, have managed to escape relatively unscathed in the ‘crossfire’. This is possibly because the latter, at least, doesn’t show any sign of backing down. A representative for Roku told Variety it is simply “an open platform for streaming and allow publishers to reach a TV audience,” when asked about their association with the NRA’s programming.

The NRA has invested more than $35.5 million into the channel in recent years, reports The New York Times. It’s passionate about keeping its free program alive.

READ MORE: Blessed are gun-toting couples: Pennsylvania church to host AR-15 ceremony

NRATV has ditched its usual tactic, following a mass shooting, of staying quiet until the uproar dies down, according to the NYT. Instead, the channel has come out swinging against media outlets who have blamed the organization for its role in the Valentine’s Day shooting, in the form of several videos condemning the reporting of the attack.

“The mainstream media love mass shootings. I’m going to say it again; the mainstream media love mass shootings…and you, the mainstream media just put out the casting call for the next mass shooter,” said gun rights activist Colion Noir.

The NRA describes the free 24-hour streaming service as a “source for the world’s most comprehensive video coverage of Second Amendment issues, events and culture.” The channel now offers 22 original series since its launch in late 2016 and promises to keep viewers “apprised of the truth about firearms and the Second Amendment.”

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The detainees started the strike on Wednesday in protest at the “offensive” treatment at the hands of the Home Office. They say that because the UK is the only country in the EU to not have a limit on detention, they “have given up thinking about the outside.”

The demonstrators also claim that subjects who are considered to be “at risk” or vulnerable because they are victims of rape and other abuse are being routinely detained. That despite the Home Office introducing a law forbidding detention of such people in 2016.

“The Home Office… continues to detain victims of sexual and gender-based violence. The healthcare system does not meet the needs of most detainees. Ailments are left to become [very serious] before being dealt with, if at all,” a joint statement by the women demonstrators said.

It comes after research in November by Women for Refugee Women found that despite the new framework, 85 percent of women detainees were survivors of rape and other gender-based violence. Antonia Bright, a representative of Movement for Justice (MoJ), told RT the detention center is intrinsically “racist.”

“The resistance being shown by detainees currently in Yarl’s Wood is really strong and important and represents the anger and boldness felt in all detention centers. What they are doing is expressing what is true about the immigration system. That it is thoroughly racist and that it doesn’t care about the human beings it deals with.

“It just treats them as a number,” Bright said. She went on to suggest that Yarl’s Wood, which is managed by private security company Serco, is so saturated with detainees who have previously been victims of rape and abuse that, were they set free, “there would be no one in detention.”

Describing the conditions in which detainees are kept, Bright said detainees complain about the health care, as the majority are “given paracetamol and sent away.” Those who have had a hospital operation are sent back to the IRCs, Bright claimed, despite the facilities being unable to “cope with the needs of the people that they hold on to.”

She blasted the system as “thoroughly cynical,” before adding: “The place can be run as cheap as possible as the people inside don’t matter. That is why [detainees] can say they are treated like animals.”

The detainees are also protesting against the Home Office’s breach of habeas corpus as most detainees are thrown behind bars without a judge’s decision. The MoJ campaigner added the UK immigration system operates on the basis of detainees being considered “guilty until proven innocent,” rather than the other way around.

Asked if the immigration system could be overhauled so that detention is made acceptable, Bright said: “The detention system is an extension of a racist and anti-immigrant policy, so there is no way of that [being] palatable.

A Home Office spokesperson said: “Detention and removal are essential parts of effective immigration controls, especially in support for the removal of those with no lawful basis to stay in the UK.

“We take the welfare of our detainees very seriously and any detainees who choose to refuse food and fluid are closely monitored by on-site healthcare professionals.”

By Claire Gilbody-Dickerson, RT

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Trump was in the midst of outlining his administration’s achievements, including tax reform and confirming federal judges, when the demonstrator appeared, prompting the audience to start booing.

As the man was escorted out by security, Trump supporters booed and chanted “USA, USA.” Many wore Make America Great Again hats.

Trump paused his speech as the demonstrator was being removed, before taking the time to joke about the fake news media.

“For the media, the fake news back there, they took very good care of them, they were very gentle, he was very obnoxious,” he said. “It was only one person.”

“Tomorrow the headline will be: Protesters disturb…One person, doesn’t deserve a mention, doesn’t deserve a headline.“

Trump repeatedly took swipes at the media throughout his speech, which he accuses of unfairly covering him.

Footage of the protester being removed from the conference shows him calling the president a “traitor.”

“Shame on conservatives, shame on you!” he shouted.

Trump was speaking at at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Maryland. CPAC is considered the biggest annual event in American conservative politics.

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Those ratings that castigate Afghanistan and some other poor countries as hopelessly “corrupt” always imply that the United States is not corrupt. This year’s report from Transparency International puts the US on a par with Austria, which is ridiculous. All kinds of people from politicians to businessmen would go to jail in Austria today if they engaged in practices that are quite common in the US.

While it is true that you don’t typically have to bribe your postman to deliver the mail in the US, in many key ways America’s political and financial practices make it in absolute terms far more corrupt than the usual global South suspects. After all, the US economy is worth over $18 trillion a year, so in our corruption a lot more money changes hands.

1. A sure sign of corruption is an electoral outcome like 2016. An addled nonentity like Donald Trump got filthy rich via tax loopholes a predatory behavior in his casinos and other businesses, and then was permitted to buy the presidency with his own money. He was given billions of dollars in free campaign time every evening on CNN, MSNBC, Fox and other channels that should have been more even-handed, because they were in search of advertising dollars and Trump was a good draw. Then, too, the way the Supreme Court got rid of campaign finance reform and allowed open, unlimited secret buying of elections is the height of corruption. The permitting of massive black money in our elections was taken advantage of by the Russian Federation, which, having hopelessly corrupted its own presidential elections, managed to further corrupt the American ones, as well. Once ensconced in power, Trump Inc. has taken advantage of the power of White House to engage in a wide range of corrupt practices, including an attempt to sell visas to wealthy Chinese and the promotion of the Trump brand as part of diplomacy.

2. The rich are well placed to bribe our politicians to reduce taxes on the rich. The Koch brothers and other mega-rich troglodytes explicitly told Mitch McConnell and Paul Ryan in 2017 that if the Republican Party, controlling all three branches of government, could not lower taxes on its main sponsors, there would be no billionaire backing of the party in the 2018 midterms. This threat of an electoral firing squad made the hundreds of bribe-takers in Congress sit up and take notice, and they duly gave away to the billionaire class $1.5 trillion in government services (that’s what Federal taxes are, folks, services–roads, schools, health inspections, implementation of anti-pollution laws–things that everyone benefits from and which won’t be there any more. To the extent that the government will try to continue to provide those slashed services despite assessing no taxes on the people with the money to pay for them, it will run up an enormous budget deficit and weaken the dollar, which is a form of inflation in the imported goods sector. Inflation hits the poor the worst. As it stands, 3 American billionaires are worth, as much as the bottom 150 million Americans. That kind of wealth inequality hasn’t been seen in the US since the age of the robber barons in the nineteenth century. Both eras are marked by extreme corruption.

One sign of American corruption is the rapidity with which American society has become more unequal since the 1980s Reagan destruction of the progressive income tax. The wealthier the top 1 percent is, the more politicians it can buy to gather up even more of the country’s wealth. In my lifetime the top one percent has gone from holding 25% of the privately held wealth under Eisenhower to 38% today.

3. Instead of having short, publicly-funded political campaigns with limited and/or free advertising (as a number of Western European countries do), the US has long political campaigns in which candidates are dunned big bucks for advertising. They are therefore forced to spend much of their time fundraising, which is to say, seeking bribes. All American politicians are basically on the take, though many are honorable people. They are forced into it by the system. The campaign season should be shortened to 3 months (did we really need 2 years to get an outcome in which a fool like Trump is president?), and Congress should pass a law that winners of primaries don’t have to pay for political ads on tv and radio.

When French President Nicolas Sarkozy was defeated in 2012, soon thereafter French police actually went into his private residencesearching for an alleged $50,000 in illicit campaign contributions from the L’Oreale heiress. I thought to myself, seriously? $50,000 in a presidential campaign? Our presidential campaigns cost a billion dollars each! $50,000 is a rounding error, not a basis for police action. Why, George W. Bush took millions from arms manufacturers and then ginned up a war for them, and the police haven’t been anywhere near his house.

American politicians don’t represent “the people.” With a few honorable exceptions, they represent the the 1%. American democracy is being corrupted out of existence.

4. Money and corruption have seeped so far into our media system that people can with a straight face assert that scientists aren’t sure human carbon emissions are causing global warming. Fox Cable News is among the more corrupt institutions in American society, purveying outright lies for the benefit of the fossil fuels billionaire class. The US is so corrupt that it is resisting the obvious urgency to slash carbon production. Virtually the entire Republican Party resists the firm consensus of all respected scientists in the world and the firm consensus of everybody else in the world save for a few denialists in English-speaking countries. This resistance to an urgent and dangerous reality comes about because they are bribed to take this stance. Even Qatar, its economy based on natural gas, freely admits the challenge of human-induced climate change. American politicians like Jim Inhofe are openly ridiculed when they travel to Europe for their know-nothingism on climate.

4. That politicians can be bribed to reduce regulation of industries like banking (what is called “regulatory capture”) means that they will be so bribed. Scott Pruitt, a Manchurian candidate from Big Oil, has single-handedly demolished the Environmental Protection Agency on behalf of polluting industry. This assault on the health of American citizens on behalf of vampirical corporations is the height of corruption.

6. The US military budget is bloated and enormous, bigger than the military budgets of the next twelve major states. What isn’t usually realized is that perhaps half of it is spent on outsourced services, not on the military.  It is corporate welfare on a cosmic scale. I’ve seen with my own eyes how officers in the military get out and then form companies to sell things to their former colleagues still on the inside. Precisely because it is a cesspool of large-scale corruption, Trump’s budget will throw over $100 billion extra taxpayer dollars at it.

7. The US has a vast gulag of 2.2 million prisoners in jail and penitentiary. There is an increasing tendency for prisons to be privatized, and this tendency is corrupting the system. It is wrong for people to profit from putting and keeping human beings behind bars. This troubling trend is made all the more troubling by the move to give extra-long sentences for minor crimes, to deny parole and to imprison people for life for e,g, three small thefts.

8. The National Security Agency’s domestic spying was a form of corruption in itself, and lends itself to corruption. With some 4 million government employees and private contractors engaged in this surveillance, it is highly unlikely that various forms of insider trading and other corrupt practices are not being committed. If you knew who Warren Buffett and George Soros were calling every day, that alone could make you a killing. The American political class wouldn’t have defended this indefensible invasion of citizens’ privacy so vigorously if someone somewhere weren’t making money on it.

9. As for insider trading, it turns out Congress undid much of the law it hastily passed forbidding members, rather belatedly, to engage in insider trading (buying and selling stock based on their privileged knowledge of future government policy). That this practice only became an issue recently is another sign of how corrupt the system is.

10. Asset forfeiture in the ‘drug war’ is corrupting police departments and the judiciary. Although some state legislatures are dialing this corrupt practice back, it is widespread and a danger to the constitution.

So don’t tell the global South how corrupt they are for taking a few petty bribes. Americans are not seen as corrupt because we only deal in the big denominations. Steal $2 trillion and you aren’t corrupt, you’re respectable.

An expansion of the Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme (VRPS) could prove controversial for the May administration, and would be surprising after the government refused to honor the Dubs Agreement pledge to take 3,000 migrant children.

However, after a trip to Lebanon, Amber Rudd claims she will consider upping that figure to welcome many more. Ms. Rudd said: “20,000 is definitely achievable by 2020, and I hope that we may get there earlier than that in fact. At the moment I am consulting with stakeholders and really engaging with other departments to decide what we should have to replace that when we go forward after 2020.”

Rudd was speaking at a refugee camp in the Middle Eastern country which Syrian refugees have fled to. She met with a few of the 46 families in an informal tented settlement in Qab Elias, a Lebanese town about 15 miles from the Syrian border.

Britain has paid out £2.46 billion ($3.4 billion) in funding to help Syrian families since 2012. Rudd’s statement came as hundreds of civilians are being killed in the rebel held area of Eastern Ghouta. Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces have surrounded the area, leaving thousands more starving. Rudd insisted the government has done a lot for those displaced by the war in Syria.

Rudd said the British should be “proud” of what the VPRS had achieved, saying: “It is the largest number of any European country of resettlement from the region. People have been very kind about saying how effective it is and how good the care is when people get to the local authority.” However, the Tories do not have a great track record for keeping their word.

MPs voted in 2016 to pass the Dubs Amendment to the immigration bill, outlining an intention to help unaccompanied migrant children. At the time, that figure was expected to be 3,000, but the government later said only 350 would benefit. The number later rose to 480, yet all those spaces have not been filled.

Published time: 23 Feb, 2018 16:04

President Donald Trump pushed for the idea of arming school personnel to protect the facilities from shooters during his speech at CPAC

Juncker said at a European Council summit on Friday: “I am not a British prime minister, it would be good for Britain if I was.” He was replying to reporters who asked him what he thought the outcome of Theresa May’s Brexit discussions with her divided cabinet would be. The response on Twitter was predictable.

It follows reports of Juncker smirking during an EU Commission press conference on Thursday when he claimed that he would “never interfere” in UK party politics. He said he “fully trusts” that May is capable of bridging differences within her Conservative Party.

He made the comments on the back of 62 Tory ministers sending May a “ransom” letter, in which they demanded that she seek a hard Brexit approach, and outlined exactly how she could achieve that. Juncker said: “I have full trust in the British prime minister, and I will never interfere in a party controversial matters.”

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The Trump administration’s plan to move its Israeli embassy to Jerusalem from its current location in Tel Aviv has been encouraged by billionaire casino magnate Adelson. He has reportedly offered to bankroll at least some of the operation, the Associated Press reports.

Haaretz reports the offer was made around the time Trump announced the embassy move in December. The total cost of the move would reportedly cost over $500 million dollars.

Trump is said to have originally promised Adelson that he would move the embassy in a private meeting 10 days before his inauguration, the New York Times reported in December. Adelson, a close friend of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has since pressured Trump to make the move, particularly in light of the millions of dollars the billionaire has given to the Trump campaign.

Adelson gave the Trump campaign $25 million in 2016 and gave his inauguration committee $5 million. The staunch Israel supporter owns the free Israeli newspaper, Israel Haymon, and the Las Vegas Review Journal. In April 2017, Adelson reportedly complained about the Trump administration for failing to move the embassy promptly enough.

Four US officials reported the offer to the Associated Press, and State Department lawyers are reportedly looking into the legality of accepting private donations to cover embassy costs.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson signed off on a security plan for moving the embassy to Jerusalem last week. Vice President Mike Pence said the move would happen by the end of 2019 when he was in Israel last week.

According to the anonymous officials, one of the ideas being floated is for Adelson’s donation to be accepted as part of a larger donation drive for Evangelical Christians and members of the Jewish community in the states.

The White House and Adelson refused to comment on the report. “We have no confirmation or details about this hypothetical proposal,” the State Department said.

According to the State Department’s Foreign Affairs manual, gifts from private citizens are to be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and the gifts must “not give the appearance of a conflict of interest.”

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With the conservative-dominated Supreme Court set to hear a case that poses the “biggest threat to organized labor in years” next week, members of National Nurses United (NNU)—the largest organization of registered nurses in the U.S.—rallied across the country on Thursday to highlight the crucial role of unions in protecting workers from corporate exploitation.

“We need to defend the trade union movement, we need to grow the trade union movement.”
—Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.)

“It’s the union that brings many safety laws in legislation and public regulatory protections. It’s the union dues that fund those efforts,” said Maureen Dugan, RN, who works at the University of California San Francisco. “It’s the nurses in my hospital, in my region, in my whole state that make up the strength of our union and our ability to protect our patients, our license, and our profession.”

“Americans should be worried about #Janus Supreme Court case” and its threat to #unions says RN Liz Downard, pointing out Calif is ONLY state in U.S. with safe nurse-to-patient staffing ratios bc @CalNurses fought for and won that legislation. “Hospitals just care about $.” pic.twitter.com/LAhCsnwHtC

— California Nurses (@CalNurses) February 22, 2018

The case under consideration—Janus v. AFSCME Council 31—could determine whether public sector unions are allowed to collect what are called “fair share” fees from workers to cover the costs of collective bargaining. 

As the Huffington Post‘s Dave Jamieson notes, “Although fair share fees have been upheld as legal for decades, the high court’s conservative majority is likely to strike them down as unconstitutional.”

“If the court rules against AFSCME, the entire U.S. public sector would essentially be a ‘right-to-work’ zone―meaning employees could no longer be required to pay anything to the unions that bargain on their behalf,” Jamieson adds.

Speaking at an NNU rally in Chicago on Thursday, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) said “there is a war going on against the working class in America” and argued unions are “the last line of defense.”

“We need to defend the trade union movement, we need to grow the trade union movement,” Sanders declared. “And every person in America, whether you’re in a union or not, has got to understand that the reason [the rich] are attacking the trade union movement is they know the trade unionists are the last line of defense against this reactionary, corporate agenda, which wants to give more to the rich and take away from the middle class and working families.”

Watch:

Hear @SenSanders‘ message at @NationalNurse’s rally against #Janus in Chicago today: We’ve got to stand together and make sure everyone knows that unions protect not only their members but everyone who works for a living! #1u pic.twitter.com/MwkEp6xs1L

— NationalNursesUnited (@NationalNurses) February 22, 2018

According to a report published by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) earlier this week, the Janus case did not arise out of widespread worker opposition to “fair share” fees.

“Rather, the fair share cases are being financed by a small group of foundations with ties to the largest and most powerful corporate lobbies,” the report notes, highlighting the large role played by groups like the right-wing Liberty Justice Center, which is supported the Charles Koch Institute and similar pro-corporate organizations.

“This case is one of the most important cases to corporate interest groups. It is one of the cases that made Senate Republicans so determined to block President Obama’s nominee to the Supreme Court,” EPI labor counsel Celine McNicholas, who co-authored the report, concluded in a statement. “The outcome of Janus will affect millions of working people across the country and will impact the public services we depend on these workers to provide.”

The former deputy prime minister called on the Tory party Chairman Brandon Lewis to sack Vice-Chairman Ben Bradley over a tweet in which he alleged Corbyn worked as an informant for the Eastern bloc back in the 1980s. The tweet was deleted after Corbyn threatened Bradley with a libel suit.

READ MORE: Ken Livingstone tells RT he was ‘too left-wing for the KGB’ amid Corbyn spy allegations (VIDEO)

In a remarkable swipe at his Tory opponents on BBC Question Time, Prescott said: “Look, I’ve been 50 years in parliament and I have to say this is the dirtiest slur I have seen against any individual politician. I have known Jeremy all the time he has been in parliament and I have to say he is an honest man who states principles.

“They might not be agreeable to you, but he has become the elected leader of the Labour Party,” Prescott continued. He then hit out at Lewis for advocating a “respect pledge” for Tory candidates, stipulating that Conservatives should “behave responsibly and show respect” to opponents. Prescott asked if, by these standards, he would sack Bradley over his slur.

“Your vice chairman, who you appointed, said he was selling British secrets to Communist spies. My God, there’s no evidence for that!” said Prescott.

“Will you now, under this new program of better moral standards, sack your vice chairman who said those things without evidence?” He added: “Now, you’ve got top people in the Tory party lined up with their with right-wing papers to say [Corbyn] is a traitor, an agent. This is unacceptable.”

Lewis claimed in response that there was a big difference between a “proper and robust debate” and “personal abuse.” But Prescott hit back with a knockout blow, saying: “This isn’t about spies, it’s about lies.” Prescott’s defense of the Labour leader was lauded on social media. Tweeters said the former deputy PM is “still strong.”

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Inmate Doyle Lee Hamm’s scheduled execution was halted on Thursday night as the prison medical staff did not have enough time to prepare him before the death warrant expires. Earlier on Thursday, the Supreme Court greenlighted the capital punishment, but before midnight, Alabama Corrections Commissioner Jeff Dunn said it was impossible to have “the appropriate venous access.”

The 61-year-old man suffers from hepatitis C after years of intravenous drug use and has B-cell lymphoma, which is progressing according to his attorney, Bernard Harcourt, who tried to stop the lethal injection. Harcourt argues that the injection would be “a botched, painful, and bloody execution” as Hamm’s veins are severely compromised.

“They probably could not find a vein, as we had insisted since July. Unconscionable. Simply unconscionable,” Harcourt tweeted. He added that he had been waiting outside the execution room for more than two hours while the prison staff might have been trying in vain attempt to find a proper place to insert the needle.

Earlier, the inmate was discovered to have no usable veins in his upper extremities, forcing prison officials to attempt to put an intravenous line to a vein in his hips, legs, or feet.

The state argues that Hamm’s disease is in remission and that the procedure can be carried out. State Attorney General Steve Marshall says that the execution will not be stopped.

Hamm has been on Alabama’s death row since 1987 for the murder of motel clerk Patrick Cunningham in a robbery in which $410 was taken.

‘Murderers!’ Florida inmate screams during execution

On Thursday, two other southern states, Florida and Texas, planned to execute inmates. Texas called off the execution of Thomas Whitaker, 38, less than an hour before he was set to be put to death. His sentence was lowered to life without parole. The man was convicted in 2003 for the murders of his mother and brother.

In Florida, the execution proceeded, with death row inmate Eric Scott Branch pronounced dead at 7:05pm Thursday. The man screamed as he received the fatal injection, and reportedly yelled “murderers!” three times, thrashing on a gurney before going silent.
Beforehand, 47-year-old Branch told the prison staff that he wanted Florida Governor Rick Scott and Attorney General Pam Bondi to carry out the execution instead of them.

“Let them come down here and do it,” the inmate said. “I’ve learned that you’re good people and this is not what you should be doing.”

Branch, found guilty of the 1993 rape and murder of a college student, has long fought against his sentence as it contradicts the current laws. Branch was sentenced under the state’s old capital punishment system which did not require a unanimous jury verdict. The system was ruled unconstitutional by the US Supreme Court in 2016.

Branch appealed for a new sentencing hearing because there was a 10-2 jury vote in his 1994 trial. The appeal was denied as the Florida Supreme Court ruled that the new system of sentencing did not apply to inmates sentenced to death before 2002, according to AP.

On Thursday, the Brexit ‘war cabinet’ met for hours of tense discussions at Chequers, Prime Minister Theresa May’s official country residence. After a good eight hours of back and forth, senior sources said that “divergence has won.” In other words, the United Kingdom will demand the freedom to cast off the shackles of EU rules after the UK leaves the bloc.

Not all are seeing eye to eye though. “Hammond and Boris are still the two on the peripheries of the argument, and both are still very dug in,” One source told The Sun. “Neither are ready to budge yet, so some sort of verbal fudge looks most likely.”

Meanwhile, the Conservative’s number one pro-EU rebel, Anna Soubry, seems to be courting the Labour party to sow instability for Theresa May’s Brexit plans.

Soubry has tabled a fresh amendment to the Government’s Trade Bill. MPs are expected to vote on the bill within weeks, but as May only has a working majority of 13, the likelihood of the bill being passed has tipped in Soubry’s favor – and it would significantly undermine the PM’s authority… again.

Her move comes as Jeremy Corbyn reportedly prepares to officially commit Labour to joining a customs union with the EU following Brexit.

The bill is designed to force the UK to join a customs union with the EU after Brexit – but Tory MP Jeremy Hunt firmly told the BBC on Friday that there is no possibility of the government coming around to a customs union… so watch this space.

Meanwhile, the prime minister is apparently preparing to do a backflip on past comments that EU citizens arriving in the UK during the post-Brexit transition period should have different rights than those who arrived before the change, according to The Times.

May is reportedly gearing up to bow to the pressure put on her by Brussels by giving permanent residency to EU migrants who arrive in the UK during the Brexit transition period.

The 180-degree flip would see the UK PM reverse her stance only three weeks after saying EU citizens would be treated differently when the UK exits the bloc in March 2019.

“I’m clear there is a difference between those who came prior to us leaving and those who will come when they know the UK is leaving,” she told journalists in January.

May’s stance angered the bloc, with EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier stating that “if the UK wants to enjoy the advantages of the single market and customs union, it has to accept all the rules and obligations until the end of the transition.”

“To be quite frank, if these disagreements persist the transition is not a given,” he said. “As I said, time is very short and we haven’t a minute to lose if we want to succeed, and we do want to succeed in this orderly withdrawal.” May will hash out more details of the Government’s Brexit approach in a major speech next Friday – so now we watch and wait.

“My story is not unique. Other people are living the same life, and frozen in fear,” said the woman identified only as ‘Kimberly’ in the KPHO-TV special report. Kimberly said the army was prioritising her husband’s value as a combat asset over his threat to public safety.

“He’s an asset to them with his skills. He’s an investment. They put a large amount of time and money into his training,” she said, insisting that she had “the obligation as a US citizen” to speak out.

Kimberly’s husband is a sniper with the US Army’s 7th Special Forces Group. He remains in the unit, bearing arms and training at army sniper schools around the country.

Kimberly says her husband choked her, abused her three young children and even killed the family dog.

“In some cases, I was left unconscious. [Strangulation] was his abuse of choice,” Kimberly said. “I used to stop using my energy to fight back, and tried to conserve as much energy and as many breaths as I could.”

It was the death of the household pet that persuaded Kimberly to take the children and leave months ago, while her husband was away on sniper training. They now live in a shelter in Arizona.

“She was like another child to me, and I knew we had to go,” she said.

Officers at the Eglin Air Force Base in Florida investigated Kimberly’s accusations and found evidence of physical and mental abuse. She was granted military and civil protection orders including a “no contact” clause, but her husband was not court-martialed. A special forces veteran interviewed for the program also said the case was not an isolated one.

“The unit seems to have a history of glossing over and ignoring these things,” said Jack Murphy, who runs the SOFREP.com website. “It raises the question: If beating women doesn’t get you a dishonorable discharge, what does?”

Murphy previously exposed a sex, drugs and blackmail scandal in the upper echelons of the Army Special Forces.

“I love the Army, but when you have situations like this, where women are being abused, you have to question the notion of brotherhood and what it really means,” he said.

Following the shooting at the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Texas, last November, it was revealed that the attacker, Devin Patrick Kelley, had been discharged from the US Air Force for abusing his wife and child. The USAF failed to inform civilian law enforcement of his 2012 court-martial and 12-month jail sentence, however, so Kelley was allowed to buy a gun legally. He killed 26 people.

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Officers tried to snag Kellie Beasley, 40, in a Facebook post appealing for communities across the UK to look out for her.

But, within hours, Beasley herself decided to make an appearance. The furious ‘fraudster’ began commenting on the post, denying allegations that she stole a pensioner’s handbag.

Police then attempted to coax Beasley into handing herself in, while social media users sat back and shared the popcorn emojis.

Angered Beasley began her reply: “They’re lying I will prove it yes fraud not old women all my people no I wouldn’t do that f*****g pig liars and the police will be apologising.”

In response, Wandsworth Police attempted to calm her down, writing: “Kellie, the easiest way to sort this out is to go into your nearest police station and hand yourself in. It will get the matter sorted much quicker than arguing with us online.

“Or you could tell us where you are and we’ll come to you – we’ll even arrange transport. But we need to speak to you – in person – about this very soon.”

Beasley insisted she would sue police for making false allegations and for attempting to find people to “grass me up.” The suspect repeatedly denied the accusations that she had robbed an old lady – but admitted she had committed fraud in the past.

One woman hilariously warned her: “You do not have to say anything, but it may harm your defence if you repeatedly admit fraud on social media.”

Other Facebook users found the exchange hilarious – and disturbing. One woman posted: “Just to give you a giggle, the lass is actually arguing with the police on her own wanted post. If this is real…stop the planet…I’m getting off!!!!”

Another said: “This has to be a viral plot of some new Channel 5 show, right? It’s genius.”

Some even said it was “better than Eastenders and corrie,” referring to the popular UK soap operas.

One user wrote: “Should we take bets on how long it takes them to track Kellie down now that she’s left a digital footprint big enough to see from space? I give her 12 hours tops.”

However, some were highly unimpressed with the conduct of the police, who hoped the public would help track Beasley down.

One man wrote: “Is this really what policing in the met has become? A witch hunt on social media? It’s really quite pathetic…. Also, you better hope that she’s convicted (by a court) of the crimes you allege, or you’ve left yourselves open to a lible [sic] claim… And you wonder why people have lost faith in the police?.. idiots!”

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It appears members of the Trump administration, congress, senators and political commentators have taken to using Russian terms when describing their ‘meddling’ ways.

The Russian terms for country house, a high-ranking party official, compromising material, people linked to the security service or military and spies stationed overseas are all phrases used by various members of the US establishment.

READ MORE: Who you gonna blame? Five times Britain used the Russian bogeyman in just the last 3 months

How long until Russians are accused of hacking the English language too?

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The gaffe-prone foreign secretary, who famously championed Brexit, has seemingly undermined the cause in a private meeting with German officials held in Berlin, according to The Telegraph. The meeting took place in November 2016 or in April last year, when Johnson reportedly urged officials to turn Brexit into an economic opportunity.

The German representatives are understood to have declined his proposal, fearing that they could impede the mandate of chief EU negotiator Michel Barnier.

One of Johnson’s allies, however, has sternly denied the allegations, saying on Tuesday evening that the report was a smear. Johnson’s friend told The Telegraph: “These old claims will be rightly dismissed as nonsense by anyone sensible. Boris knows Brexit will be a great success and is committed to taking back control of our money, laws and borders.”

The report comes as Johnson was accused of being incoherent and having “double-standards” when he delivered his Brexit speech last week. During his address, he optimistically said that Britain would reap economic benefits from Brexit, while he dismissed any proposal for a second EU referendum on the final UK-EU deal.

Politicians and influential journalists branded the speech “a waste of time” and claimed the MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip is clueless about the internal workings of the EU, actor and writer David Schneider highlighted Johnson’s tendency to U-turn on his statements.

Meanwhile, the UK government is reportedly set to announce a major climbdown on the rights of EU citizens during the Brexit transition period. Prime Minister Theresa May is said to have refrained from entirely rejecting Brussels’ request that EU citizens arriving in Britain during the transition period would enjoy the same rights as those who arrived before it.

If the EU’s request is approved, the move would represent another capitulation to Brussels by May in the context of the ongoing negotiations.

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It was a natural ‘bombshell’ story: “Alt-right” botnets and even Russians themselves had targeted the Minnesota Democrat after a radio broadcaster – described as a “Hooters pinup girl and lad-mag model” – accused him of groping her on a comedy tour years ago. “Franken was framed!” exclaimed the #Resistance Twitter, calling for the senator’s reinstatement, following a story published on Monday by Newsweek.

According to the piece, accusations by broadcaster Leanne Tweeden were unreasonably amplified by a pair of fake news websites based in Japan and created before she came forward, while a “swarm of related Twitter bots” made the accusations go viral in tandem with “prominent real, live members of the far right” such as Mike Cernovich. This supposedly drowned out testimonies by female Democrat staffers defending Franken.

The story even claimed that a “Russian intelligence operation” had joined in, citing the Alliance for Securing Democracy (ASD), another shady outfit that sees Russian bots and Putin puppets everywhere. Newsweek’s story was quickly seized-upon by Clinton supporters such as Richard Painter, head of the activist group CREW, and progressive news blog RawStory.

There was a tiny problem with the story, though. It was not true. The fact-checking outfit Snopes was the first to raise some red flags. The bit about Russians was removed after ASD disputed the interpretation of their “research.” Newsweek eventually retracted the story in its entirety on Wednesday, with an apology by national politics reporter Nina Burleigh.

‘What happened?’ as Hillary Clinton herself might wonder. Apparently, Burleigh was all too eager to lap up the slop served up by a shady outfit called “Unhack the Vote,” which first made the claim about overseas ‘alt-right’ bots and cheered when it was picked up by Newsweek and RawStory.

According to the retraction, Newsweek was “unable to independently verify” Unhack the Vote’s claims. That’s all fine and good, but isn’t fact-checking something that ought to be done before publication, not days later?

Also, though both Newsweek and RawStory had referred to journalist Ijema Oluo’s article about Franken in their stories, neither outlet had apparently taken the trouble of actually contacting her.

Newsweek was once a respectable magazine. Founded in 1933, it was acquired by the Washington Post in 1961, and extensively covered the Watergate scandal in the 1970s. By 2008, however, it had fallen on hard times, and was sold in 2010 for the grand sum of $1. After a brief merger with the Daily Beast, it was relaunched as a print magazine in 2014, under new management.

The magazine also had formerly employed Kurt Eichenwald, whose articles, claiming that Trump conspired with Russia in libelling a former Sputnik editor, had to be retracted under the terms of a court settlement. Eichenwald became infamous after his tweets, revealing his interest in Japanese cartoon pornography, somehow upstaged former FBI Director James Comey’s first Senate testimony last year.

On the same day Burleigh’s bot story ran, Newsweek published another piece about the magazine management’s own shady business dealings. Editorial review of the article “involved egregious breaches of confidentiality and journalism ethics” and one reporter involved ended up losing her job as a result.

Let’s not forget also that Newsweek was so convinced of a Hillary Clinton triumph that it had actually printed a special edition – titled ‘Madam President’ – and even “mistakenly” sent it to some distributors ahead of the November 2016 election. The issue is now a collector’s item, selling for up to $75 on eBay.

All of this paints the picture of a once-respectable magazine falling prey to clickbait, sketchy editorial and management practices, and hyper-partisanship that has gripped American media ever since Trump’s surprising triumph.

One particular symptom of this is the uncritical reliance on the Alliance for Securing Democracy and its “Hamilton 68 Dashboard.” Journalist Glenn Greenwald, who has followed the outfit since it was set up by leading Democrats and neocons in July 2017, called it “the single most successful media fraud & US propaganda campaign” he had seen in years of covering US politics.

As for Franken, it was Senate Democrats who pressured him to resign, which he did in December 2017. Minnesota Lieutenant-Governor Tina Smith was appointed to fill his seat, and was sworn in on January 3. She will run to keep the seat in November and will have to run again in 2019.

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The governmental obsession with Russia took a new, giant leap this week when the hapless head of Britain’s three military arms outlined what he – as a former businessman – has decided is the biggest threat to UK security.

Naturally, it’s Russia.

The same Russia which has seen bombings and attacks on public transport by the same enemy Britain is facing.

Williamson’s declaration could spark a significant shift in security policy which will focus on the Kremlin over proven killers.

The secretary put Moscow in the same boat as Pyongyang, North Korea – equating unfounded fears over Russia with a nation which has genuinely threatened, almost weekly, to unleash nuclear war.

“We would highlight state-based threats as the top priority and . . . the speed with which they are escalating. But within a hair[‘s breadth] it is followed by the terrorism threat,” he told the Defence Select Committee. “We have probably all got to look at how we have got to invest more to deal with this threat that we have not had to deal with for the last 25 years.”

Mark Francois, a Conservative member of the select committee and a former defence minister, spotted the staggering change and questioned Williamson on his willingness to change the focus of the military. He said the move puts the forces at readiness for war.

“Yes it does,” Williamson replied.

The cabinet chief said Britain had been “caught napping” and insisted state-on-state conflict is something the military must invest in.

The latest pang of paranoia from Williamson, who was catapulted into limelight from the shadows of the chief whip’s office, follows on from ramblings on Russia in January, when he bizarrely claimed it would take out deep-sea communications cables.

Apparently viewing Moscow as a self-mutilating monster, Williamson decided the order would be given to cut Britain’s electricity interconnectors to Europe, damaging international relations irrevocably.

Now, as part of a defense review, former potter Williamson is focusing hard on state-led threat. But he has at least backed up his notions.

Due to the Russians’ presence in the Mediterranean region and the Kremlin’s “increased assertiveness,” it is time Britain gets stronger, he said.

This comes just a week after Britain ordered ships to pass the disputed South China Sea, much closer to the Chinese coast than the white cliffs of Dover. In a move which naturally caused international tensions.

The government appears to be bringing back the Rule Britannia mentality, but God forbid another nation should bolster its own international security arrangements. That, according to Williamson, is almost an outright declaration of war.

Williamson has been playing soldier since he took the office with zero military knowledge and is starting to turn things around.

“But then you are seeing new nations that are starting to play a greater role in the world, such as China. You are seeing the challenges that we face in terms of North Korea,” he told the committee.

“If you do not respond to these threats you are leaving our country a lot less safe than it should be.”

Interestingly there is another nation doing exactly the same. The USA.

Washington has been directly threatened by North Korea and has listed state tensions as being a priority – naturally.

Williamson’s hawkish rhetoric comes coincidently at a time when the military must plug an estimated £30 billion (US$41.7 billion) funding gap.

There are currently plans to scrap marines, warships and postpone war tech projects to save the cash – although the Ministry of Defence (MoD) isn’t exactly admitting it.

An internal defense review, born from outraged calls for one from the Whitehall-wide review of security capability, will consider the future shape and size of the navy, army, air force and Joint Forces Command. Most of whose manpower is dropping to record lows.

By Zoie O’Brien, RT

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The charges stem from an affair Greitens had with his hairdresser in 2015, while his wife was either pregnant or had just given birth to their second child. Greitens admitted to the affair and apologized, but denied reports that he had tried to blackmail the mistress into silence by threatening to release a sexually explicit photo of her.

A grand jury in St. Louis indicted the governor on Thursday, accusing him of knowingly taking photographs of the woman and transmitting the image “in a manner that allowed access to that image via a computer.” He was reportedly taken into custody but soon released on a personal recognizance bond, pending a hearing scheduled for March 16, 2018. 

Last month, the ex-husband of the governor’s paramour provided the St. Louis TV station KMOV an audio recording in which she confesses to having the affair and accuses the governor of taking photos of her naked, blindfolded and tied up in his basement. The confession was recorded without her knowledge and released to the media by her ex-husband without her consent, according to the Kansas City Star.