To compare great things with small.
— Milton, Paradise Lost

What a coincidence-the activities of two great performers in the very same week! Of course, the activity of one of the performers was, as all of his performances are, fake, whereas the activities of the other performer were completely genuine, although not as all-encompassing as when viewed in movies.

One of the performances took place on January 26, 2018, in Davos, Switzerland, at the World Economic Forum. It was there that D.J. Trump, known professionally as “President Trump,” distinguished himself by not making a fool of himself or embarrassing the country he came to represent. He reaffirmed that America was great, letting the attendees know that he has been successful in making America “great again,” while saying, in response to a shouted question that “everyone’s great.”

The other performance took place four days earlier in Greenville, South Carolina, at The Trophy Club, where Stephanie Clifford, known professionally as “Stormy Daniels,” staged her own performance. Her performance was the beginning of a tour that was not in furtherance of making America Great Again. It was a tour that was called: “Make America Horny Again.” It was a somewhat different performance from the one given by Mr. Trump, although the performance revealed Ms. Clifford’s attributes that not only caused her and Mr. Trump to become friends, but demonstrated what qualities she possessed that had contributed to her success in the world of adult entertainment. There were a number of similarities in the presence and presentations of the two celebrities in their respective venues.

According to reports, Mr. Trump was the hottest ticket in Davos at an event attended by luminaries from around the world. One viewer said Mr. Trump was very successful in presenting his accomplishments. Another commentator said the speech had a very strong domestic focus. Like Mr. Trump, Ms. Clifford was very successful in presenting her successes to those in attendance at The Trophy Club, and, of course, her presence reminded viewers that her encounters with Mr. Trump had a strong domestic focus, having taken place while his wife was at home caring for their youngest who had been born a few short months before Mr. Trump’s tryst with Ms. Clifford took place.

Unlike Mr. Trump’s performance, Ms. Clifford’s performance was not marked by a crowd of distinguished diplomats and people of great wealth. It had a folksier appeal. According to one description of those attending Ms. Clifford’s performance, the attendees were “large men with small bills.” Attendees at Davos were people who all had large bills. Many of the men in attendance at Ms. Clifford’s performance wanted to have their pictures taken with her, and she gladly acquiesced. She even graciously removed her top and permitted the man standing next to her to “grab her front,” as the New York Times reporter in attendance delicately put it. She permitted other men to nestle their heads between what were described as her basketball-sized breasts. Those wanting to have their pictures taken with Mr. Trump were not afforded the same courtesy, even if they presented him with large bills.

The cost of attending the two events was markedly different. Davos, when the home of the Economic Forum, is a place only the very wealthy can afford to attend. The Trophy Club upped its prices to take advantage of the appearance of Ms. Clifford. The cover charge went from $10 to $20. Although that was a 100% increase over the normal rate, Jay Levy, who owns the Trophy Club said: “I’ve got to take care of my people. I’ll take advantage of the situation, but not my people.”

The performance at the Trophy Club by Ms. Clifford, was somewhat different from the performance given by Mr. Trump in Davos. Although Mr. Trump strolled imperiously among the guests bestowing occasional, but supercilious smiles and gestures on observers, and ending his appearance with a speech attended by a full house, Ms. Clifford’s appearance, while more revealing, was less imperious. It let the world see what it was that had attracted Mr. Trump to her. In addition to her exposures, she also gave two five-minute burlesque shows. Those shows were, of course, shorter than Mr. Trump’s performance, though probably more entertaining since they were real, whereas descriptions of Mr. Trump’s speech said he mixed fact and fiction. There was no fiction (other than perhaps the cause of the oversized breasts) in Ms. Clifford’s performance.

Running for political office is something Mr. Trump did, and something Ms. Clifford considered. A report in the New York Post that described Ms. Clifford’s appearance at The Trophy Club, concluded with the news that Ms. Clifford had considered running for the Senate against Louisiana’s David Vitter. The campaign slogan she considered was quite different from the “Make America Great Again” slogan used by Mr. Trump. Hers was very straightforward: “Stormy Daniels: Screwing people honestly.” Had Mr. Trump thought of it, with one minor modification, that slogan would have worked for him, too. The only change that would have been required was dropping the last word.

The “highly trained professional” stalks his victims and keeps tabs on their homes for weeks before striking, using what police describe as “unnecessary levels of violence.”

His modus operandi is to wait until the cover of darkness, ambushing owners with a sawn-off shotgun and his face hidden under a balaclava. Victims are bound with cable ties and invariably beaten before he ransacks their safes.

‘The Night Watcher’ is believed to be responsible for at least seven raids, including a hold-up at Goodwood House, the ancestral seat of the Earl of March. The robber made off with £700,000 ($982,000) worth of goods.

Due to his “specialist knowledge and skills,” police believe they are dealing with a man who has previous – or even current – experience with the armed forces or a similar background. Until they have more evidence to support this theory, however, they are facing a dead end. Detectives have a suspicious DNA sample they wish to test, but the Ministry of Defence has denied access to its highly sensitive DNA database until further evidence is submitted.

Detective Inspector Dee Fielding of Surrey Police said “the burglaries all appear to be the work of someone who knows exactly what they are doing and who is incredibly decisive in their actions.”

“On each occasion, unnecessary levels of violence have been used in addition to a firearm, which he used to threaten the victims, who have then been tied up,” she said. “He has worked quickly and appears to have knowledge of who is home at the time of each attack, the location of safes and the layout of the home.

“This leads us to believe he has planned the attacks in advance with a great level of detail and prior knowledge. More than £1 million of valuable items, including irreplaceable heirlooms, have been taken,” she added.

Fielding said the ‘Night Watcher’ is incredibly confident and incredibly violent. “This individual does extensive research on houses before he burgles them. In fact, we know he will stake out houses for weeks,” she said.

“He does this to ensure he knows what the occupants are doing, their daily routines before using the sawn off shotgun to intimidate and terrify them. He is an extremely confident individual, it is very unusual for someone to be willing to enter a house alone and dominate more than one person inside.”

Police fear that the next victim of the savage robber may not escape with their lives. Appealing for help, Fielding pleaded with members of the public to come forward if they have any information.

“There is senseless violence against his victims as he violates their homes,” she said. “These are extremely traumatic incidents. These people feared for their lives and those of other family members in their homes. In some cases, children were present, unaware that the burglary was taking place.

“We can’t run the risk of him striking again. Somebody knows who he is. Perhaps someone from an ex-military or services background?”

Irreplaceable jewelry, watches and heirlooms have been pilfered from the homes of the rich – including a ring that once belonged to Charles II.

The Night Watcher’s most recent victim, 61-year-old Susan Morris, was attacked in her £3.5 million ($4.9 million) home in Kingswood, Surrey during November.

Morris said she thought the man would rape or kill her. “When he was hitting me with the gun pointing at me, at that moment I did think, ‘This is it, it’s all over,’” she said.

“All I wanted to do is get him out of the house as quickly as possible, give him what he wanted and get him out. So I took him to the jewelry, gave him the jewelry, but he said to me ‘Get on the floor.’ I thought he was going to rape me, I was very, very frightened.

“I gave him a lot of jewelry from the safe and I said to him ‘You have got very valuable stuff there, now get out.’ But he wasn’t happy with that, he asked for more jewelry, I gave him some more jewelry and he then wanted more jewelry, and this is when he really got angry and started to hit me.

“He hit me very hard on my face, not enough to knock me out, he knew exactly how hard to hit me, he hit me three times on my face, it was very painful, I couldn’t believe the blows kept coming.”

The 61-year old suffered a broken jaw and lost a tooth from the beating. Susan’s husband Stephen Morris said it was “lucky in a way that no one was killed or maimed.”

“He needs to be caught so he can’t do it to anybody else and ruin someone else’s life, and if anyone does know anything, although he’s obviously a very clever person, they really better say something because there are so many other people,” he said.

Surrey Police have released a description of the suspect as white, with a stocky or muscular build, and is around 6ft tall. He also has a south-of-England accent.

The seven raids linked to the ‘Night Watcher’ were at Kingswood, Surrey on November 12, 2014; Maidenhead, Berkshire on January 21, 2015; Chichester, West Sussex on January 13, 2016; Sevenoaks, Kent on November 22, 2016; Maidstone, Kent in January 2017; Virginia Water, Surrey on April 24, 2017; and Kingswood, Surrey on October 26, 2017.

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The driver was pulled over in a routine traffic stop on Saturday night, but when LAPD officers noticed him acting nervously they decided to search the vehicle.

During the search they came across a bag containing 14 ‘burritos’ that they had originally thought to be a food delivery.

However, closer inspection revealed that the foil-wrapped packages were stuffed with methamphetamine. Officers estimate they weigh more than 25 pounds, ABC reports.

The officers also found a handgun and hundreds of dollars in cash. The driver was arrested for transportation of narcotics.  

Disguising drugs as food is one of the oldest tricks in the traffickers’ playbook. Earlier this month police in Portugal and Spain seized 745 kg of cocaine hidden in fresh pineapples.  

Police also dismantled a laboratory where the drug was cut with additives and nine members of a South American gang were arrested.

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Plummer, 33, has been locked up in an Egyptian “hell hole” since December 26 after being found with nearly 300 Tramadol pills in her suitcase. She says she was transporting the pills for her Egyptian husband Omar Abd El Azim, 31, who suffers from back pain as a result of a car crash.

Over the weekend, The Sun tabloid “exclusively” revealed Plummer that would walk free after appearing on a pardon list issued by Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Plummer was told she was going home and her family traveled to the country to greet her.

A day later, however, The Sun claimed the pardon had been “withdrawn.”

Members of a support group for Plummer say the pardon was never officially confirmed by Egyptian officials.

“There was never a pardon. It has not been withdrawn,” said Brigette Landon, one of Plummer’s supporters.

“I 99 percent blame The Sun as they shouldn’t have splashed it across their front pages without confirming it through official channels in Egypt. As journalists, they have a responsibility to check their facts to the best of their ability and they failed to do that,” she said.

“They created a media storm on the say-so of someone unofficial, which was irresponsible and cruel in my opinion.

“Even worse, they are now trying to pin the blame on the Egyptian authorities. In this case, the Egyptian government seems to be squeaky clean.”

She added: “The story will come out I’m sure when they have worked out how to explain this huge screw-up.

Landon told RT: “Sadly they [Plummer family] have fallen foul of the tabloid press, primarily The Sun, who seem to be exploiting their naivety.

“The pardon was never granted, I’m sure when the family get some professional PR support, the truth will come out.

“In the meantime, the speculation and false news will continue. It saddens me that the blame is being placed at Egypt’s door when this is completely the fault of the British media. There was no pardon, so how could it have been revoked?”

Some of Plummer’s supporters are angry about how her family were given “false hope.” They had traveled to Egypt to greet Plummer as she was released, and posed for a picture at the airport with the front page of The Sun that read: “Egypt frees pill Brit.”

The family is yet to appeal Plummer’s sentence. It is understood that an appeal could take 10 months to go to court.

Amine Mecifi, another member of Plummer’s support group, claims that after spending two days trawling the Egyptian media, she thinks “this pardon doesn’t exist and never existed in first place.”

She added The Sun’s “PR” stunt risks worsening Plummer’s situation. “Whoever is managing the communication about this case is turning it into a PR disaster. Egyptians authorities won’t be impressed by the mess caused by British media.

“Chances of pardon for foreigners are already slim but creating an incident about it and making Egyptian authorities feel manipulated about a potential pardon, effectively reduces the chances to nil.

READ MORE: ‘Systematically murdered’: Cancer-stricken Brit detained in Dubai describes ‘barbaric’ treatment

“They can try to submit her name through human rights organization to the new pardon commission for next year but ideally without sharing it with The Sun or the Daily Mail,” said Mecifi.

Another member, Chad Smith, added: “I’m more annoyed as The Sun first ran this story on Thursday, two days before pardons were made… how on Earth could they get that info? Looks to me they were taking a calculated risk to lure the family into promising them to speak to them only for nothing more than sales.”

An Egyptian source told The Mirror: “There was never any official confirmation from us. She has not yet appealed so there are other avenues for her to try.

“We were very confused when we started to see the media reports. You can only get a pardon where you have exhausted all other options. There was no way this was ever going to happen.”

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“I know how this game is going to be played. We are going to win,” Philip Mudd, a former CIA analyst told CNN, referring to a brewing conflict between Trump and  America’s security services following the recent release of the GOP document.  

Mudd, who also served as a deputy national intelligence officer for the Near East and South Asia on the US National Intelligence Council, added that despite the declassification of the document which outlines abuses by the FBI and the US Justice Department, Trump can’t do anything about the “hundreds of agents” working on the case of his alleged collusion with Russia. Apparently, Trump’s just not powerful enough.

“They [the FBI] are going to be saying (I guarantee it): You [Trump] think you can push us off this [investigation] because you can try to intimidate the [FBI] director? You better think again, Mr. President. You have been around for 13 months. We have been around since 1908,” Mudd said.

He also noted the security services’ reaction to the memo, saying: “FBI people are ticked.” He also described accusations of corruption issued against the FBI by no less than the US head of state himself, as “an attack on [its] ability to conduct an investigation with integrity.”

The four-page GOP file that has caused a stir within the US political establishment was initially commissioned by the House Intelligence Committee Chair Devin Nunes (R-California) in mid-January. Trump authorized its release on Friday.

The document chronicles how the FBI and the DOJ obtained a warrant to spy on Trump campaign adviser Carter Page entirely on the basis of the so-called “Steele dossier” paid for by Hillary Clinton’s campaign through the Democratic National Committee.

Democrats, many mainstream media outlets, and a number of former and current FBI and DOJ officials fiercely resisted its publication. It also triggered a social media storm and sent Trump critics into meltdown. And of course, some even ‘found’ a Russian trail in these developments.

Baddiel, who is Jewish, accused Galloway – a former MP and ex-colleague of Corbyn – of being anti-Semitic, in a row which erupted on social media.

The fight began on Twitter when Galloway accused Baddiel of being an “Israel fanatic,” after the comedian retweeted Labour MP Stella Creasy’s post calling for a mass protest at the upcoming visit of US President Donald Trump to the UK.

Galloway used Creasy’s voting record over military action in the Middle East against her – but also attacked Baddiel, writing: “There will be no supporter of the Palestinian people marching behind vile Israel-fanatic “comedian” David Baddiel. There will be no opponent of imperialist wars marching behind Stella Creasy.”

The ex-MP later deleted the Tweet, but not before a Twitter spat had broken out. 

The comedian insisted Galloway’s only reason for calling him an “Israel-fanatic” would be because he is Jewish.

Ex-MP for Labour and the Respect party, Galloway made the accusations despite Baddiel previously saying he is neutral on the Middle East and once making the claim: “I don’t give a f*** about f***ing Israel.”

The founder of the Corbyn supporting grass-roots movement Momentum, Jon Lansman, jumped to Baddiel’s defence.

Galloway threatened them both with legal action.

Members of the public rounded on the comedian in support of Galloway.

Baddiel refused to back down, responding to some of those that supported Galloway’s position. 

Simultaneously, a petition to have Galloway reinstated in the Labour party after his 2003 expulsion over comments on Iraq is gathering steam.

Several thousand signatures were gathered in a matter of weeks as Galloway’s supporters claimed former-leader Tony Blair was wrong to oust him.

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The bizarre ritual was commissioned by the girl’s mother, who believed evil spirits were “making her misbehave,” the Brockton Enterprise reported.

Two sisters, Peggy LaBossiere, 51, and Rachel Hilaire, 40, agreed to help, performing the ritual on the child in their home in East Bridgewater, Massachusetts. The ordeal the girl went through was described by the girl’s eight-year-old brother, who said the women threatened to behead him with a machete.

One of the sisters lit a stick on fire and blew the flames over the girl’s face while the other sisters together with the girl’s mother were holding the five-year-old down, the boy said. They repeatedly cut her with an object resembling a needle, drew blood and applied an irritating substance to her eyes. The torture-like ritual left the girl with third degree burns to her face and permanently mutilated.

The women saw nothing wrong in the injuries they caused the girl, telling the police that sometimes their “patients” get burned when evil spirits leave their bodies. They claimed to have vast experience in voodoo practices and routinely perform “cleansing baths,” burning frankincense, myrrh and other incense. Both denied intent to harm the child, pleading not guilty to all charges on Monday.

The women are due in court next Wednesday, to determine whether they pose a danger to the public and should remain in custody for the time of the investigation. Among the charges the women face are mayhem, assault and battery using a dangerous weapon, causing an injury and indecent assault of a minor.

The girl’s mother, who is of Haitian descent, was not charged and is currently undergoing treatment in a mental facility. The boy was transferred to a state foster care.

A new report accuses the FBI of slow response to abuse accusations against a former US Gymnastics doctor, giving him an opportunity to molest over three dozen more women and girls.

Larry Nassar sexually assaulted at least 40 girls and women while he was under FBI investigation for similar behavior, according to a new report by The New York Times.

Nassar first fell under FBI scrutiny in July 2015 after three top-tier female athletes lodged complaints to the bureau. However, he was allowed to continue practicing medicine until September 2016, when The Indianapolis Star published damning accusations against him.

The FBI responded to the Times report by saying that many allegations against Nassar “transcended jurisdictions,” meaning bureaucratic inefficiency was a…

As the bus was taking our accompaniment delegation to Honduras to the airport for our return home, it stopped by the offices of Radio Progreso. Piling on to the bus came some twenty staff members of the station to bid us goodbye. Each of them greeted us with an embrace, a kiss, or a clasp of hands expressing heartfelt gratitude for our having come to be with them at this dangerous and chaotic time in their country. It was a striking gesture of affection that deeply touched us, the visiting delegates.

We came to this country at the urgent request of SHARE El Salvador, a humanitarian aid organization with a long history of solidarity work in Central America. Police and military repression in Honduras since the overtly fraudulent elections in November 2017 has been getting worse, with over thirty people killed and more than one thousand in jails. Death threats aimed at those who are raising their voices the loudest are getting more overt and intense.

In particular, the life of Jesuit priest and native Honduran Father Ismael Moreno, known as Padre Melo, is in danger. Possibly as well known as the assassinated Berta Caceres, Melo is the director of Radio Progreso, an independent station that reports on human rights violations, police and military abuses, and the work of dissidents and protectors of the land and waters. A humble and soft-spoken man, he is a spiritual and political leader who has not minced words as he has pointed to the illegal and brutal behaviors of the Honduran government and elites. He has also denounced the United States for its support of the regime, and for its hypocrisy in certifying Honduras as having an acceptable human rights record. Now his picture is featured on a flyer being circulated purporting to depict terrorists in El Progreso, in what could well be a prelude to his assassination.

The organizers of our delegation had originally hoped that a handful of faith leaders could come on very short notice to accompany and protect Padre Melo, as well as others, and to witness and report on what is happening on the ground as the cycles of demonstrations and police repression escalate. Surprisingly, fifty people – mostly clergy – got on a plane and arrived on January 24 to spend a week meeting with Radio Progreso staff and grass roots activists, listen to stories from family members of victims of the repression, attend street demonstrations, marches, and vigils as observers, take part in religious ceremonies, and generally listen and observe.

Most of us knew the history we were walking into: the 2009 coup when President Zelaya was arrested in his pajamas by the military and flown out of the country; the immediate support of the U.S. for the new coup regime; the subsequent mass repression of the people; the corruption of political leaders as they have colluded with multinational corporations to steal land and exploit mineral resources; the assassinations of dissidents such as Berta Caceres; the impunity of the police and military; the flagrant violation of domestic and international law.

Then came the elections of 2017. Salvador Nasralla of the opposition Libre party was well ahead in the count when the ballot count was halted, supposedly by a glitch in the computer system. Twenty-one days later, the Supreme Electoral Tribune announced that Juan Orlando Hernandez, the incumbent, had been re-elected.

It was a transparently fraudulent election. Not only was the process full of so-called “irregularities,” the very fact that Orlando Hernandez was running for a second term was expressly forbidden by the Honduran constitution. Ironically, the rationale used for the ousting of Zelaya in 2009 was that he was conspiring to run for a second term. And here was Hernandez, the chosen one of the elites, doing exactly that and getting away with it.

In this context, one might expect demonstrations of dissent in any democratic society. But Honduras can scarcely be called a democracy at this point. People in the streets are understandably carrying signs calling their government a dictatorship. They are denouncing Hernandez and endlessly chanting for his ouster with the cry of “Fuera JOH!” They take roads and block traffic. They stand face-to-face with integrated forces of counterinsurgency-trained police and military in their riot gear with their armored cars, shields, water cannons, and seemingly endless supply of tear gas. All financed and supplied by the U.S.A.

It is breathtaking to see the courage and tenacity of the people. They know the dangers they face because so many of their loved ones have been victimized by this regime. When we listened to the families of the victims, we heard one story after another. Jose Luis was trying to leave a protest when he was shot in the face. He lost an eye. Maria’s husband was walking home from work in an area near where a protest was happening when he was shot, near his home. He is now paralyzed and brain damaged. When his son ran out of the house to help him, he was arrested, and bathed in pepper spray. A woman in tears told us how her husband was shot and taken to a hospital. He was judged to be in good condition. But then he was visited in his room by two military men who accompanied him to the operating room, where he died on the operating table. His wife has filed denunciations with the police and says she is now persecuted and followed.

As members of our delegation attended a street demonstration one evening, they got a ride home from a former legislator, Bertolo Fuentes, who is known for speaking out against the government. Fuentes is living in dangerous circumstances – his picture is in the center of the flyer that also targets Padre Melo, calling him a terrorist. As he was driving our fellow delegates home, Fuentes got a call that four uniformed policemen were invading his house. The police had pointed guns at the heads of his wife and son and had  dragged his son from the house and kicked and beaten him. Fuentes immediately turned around and sped to his house. When the delegate group arrived, the policemen quickly left. 

Some of our delegates, including a journalist, traveled to Pajuiles, where there is a small encampment of people next to a hydroelectric project being built, at the entrance to their community. Nearby are two squads of fully integrated military, police, and military police that have been at this post since before the elections. There our delegates learned that on Tuesday, January 23 around 4 am, a 35-year old agricultural worker and father of five was dragged out of his home and executed by the police. He was shot more than 40 times in the back of his head and torso, by a military/police patrol, his mother and brother watching from nearby. The police and military post is less than 300 meters from where the man was killed. There has been no investigation or even mention by the police of the incident. Thursday night, the same day of the funeral, the police threw gas bombs into the community. This was confirmed by one police officer who spoke to our group.

At the end of the week, our delegation was able to meet with staff at the U.S. Embassy in Tegucigalpa, including Chargé d’Affaire Heide Fulton, the acting head of the embassy since President Trump has not filled the ambassador position in Honduras. We told them these stories and more.

We explained how the violence of the state is causing people to flee. How, in fact, the U.S. sponsorship of this regime is a cause for the migration that so concerns politicians in our country, to which we have responded with our militarized border, walls, and prisons. And we pointed out that revoking the Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Honduran refugees would only worsen the situation in Honduras, causing more and more suffering and deaths in Honduras.

We explained how these very same conditions in Honduras were the same conditions many of us saw in El Salvador in the 1970s and 1980s. How Honduras could be looking at a much worse problem in the near future. How, in fact, the people we talked to in Honduras very much fear this will be the case after the inauguration of Hernandez, when the eyes of the world are no longer on Honduras. They fear the hammer will come down on them for their opposition.

We urged the State Department officials to hear us and to take the following immediate actions:

1.     Protect the lives of dissenters, in particular Padre Melo;

2.     Insist that the government stop using militarized policing to repress demonstrators;

3.     Release political prisoners who are being dragged off to jails for dissenting;

4.     Acknowledge that this was a fraudulent election and call, as the OAS has recommended, for a new election, conducted under international supervision. 

We certainly had little expectation of a favorable response from these State Department officials, but we were nonetheless surprised at the tone deafness and bureaucratic defensiveness of Ms. Fulton’s reply. She instructed us that the State Department mission there is to “improve security, fight corruption, increase prosperity, and strengthen historically weak institutions.” She said that the country does not have enough police to provide security and that the U.S is remedying this. She said she would like to see factual evidence of what we were telling her we had seen and heard, and stated that “there are two sides to every story.” She said she had not heard about any illegal detentions. And she said that since the Honduran constitution does not provide for a new election option, the U.S. could not do anything other than work for reforms that improved the process next time. 

Of course, Fulton did not acknowledge the historic role the U.S. has played in Honduras, and indeed throughout Latin America and the world, in fostering the very conditions of destabilization that we witnessed, supporting repressive regimes, and undermining democratic structures and institutions. She didn’t blink when she said there was nothing the U.S. could do about the fraudulent election in Honduras, its client state. In the face of hearing the heartfelt testimony and pleas from this largely religious delegation, the trained diplomat came back with the expected dispassionate company line. As one delegate said, it showed the typical U.S. government “heart of stone.”

The next day, we got on the bus and headed to the airport. When we were thanked and so warmly sent on our way by the staff of Radio Progreso, we were reminded how remarkable the people of this country are. They continue in their courageous struggle with good humor, graciousness, and resilience, despite the grim repression they face. Many of us expressed our gratitude to them in return, for inspiring us to call on these inner strengths ourselves, even in the hardest of times, for protecting us, and for giving us a glimpse of the dictatorship our government supports.

On the plane home, still feeling the embraces of solidarity, I recalled the saying that is attributed to Lila Watson, an indigenous Australian: “If you have come here to help me you are wasting your time, but if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.”

How can we be free when our sisters and brothers are not? La luche sigue.

Pompeo has an impressive background, graduating first in his class from West Point, and editing the Law Review during his time at Harvard Law School. But far more impressive is his ability to not laugh out loud at his own statements.

“I don’t do fine lines. I do the truth.”

I promise, I didn’t make that up. The CIA director actually said that. Historical coups and Saddam’s non-existent WMDS apparently don’t count in Pompeo’s world.

Americans should be worried about that statement on two fronts. Firstly, either their top spymaster is a terrible liar, which is not great in a spy. Or their top spymaster doesn’t lie, which is not great in a spy.

The usual suspects were in the firing line for the sit-down BBC interview: North Korea, China, Russia and Iran. The top trumps of global villains in the eyes of America.

We can only assume a dozen CIA snipers had their sights trained on the reporter posing the questions. Short of stroking the CIA director’s brow, it couldn’t have been a more comfortable experience.

Pompeo launched his PR offensive by claiming the CIA is “the world’s finest espionage service… we’re going to go out there and do our damnedest to steal secrets.”

It’s good that he admits this is the game the CIA is involved in, and it makes you wonder why the American government throws such a tantrum when it realizes every other country is doing exactly the same.

The people who should be most worried is probably the Chinese. Not the Chinese government, but normal Chinese people. Pompeo said: “The Chinese are very active… We can watch very focused efforts to steal American information, to infiltrate the United States with spies, people who are going to work on behalf of the Chinese government against America. We see it in our schools, we see it in our hospitals and medical systems. We see it throughout corporate America. It’s also true in other parts of the world… including Europe and the UK.”

Hey, erm, Mike. Some of those people are just school kids, nurses and business people who happen to look Chinese. Perhaps try and get a handle on that paranoia.

He called China a “bigger” threat than Russia. Moscow, I’m sure, will be glad of the day off.

The BBC reporter then asked whether the CIA has “concerns” that Russia is planning to interfere in the mid-term elections. Of course he said “of course” and promised that America would “push back.” It’s a shame the journalist posing the questions didn’t push back and ask for evidence.

Pompeo’s views on Iran were a bravura performance in high satire. At least I hope they were. Try these comments out for size: “The non-nuclear Iranian threat is a very serious challenge to stability in the Middle East, and they are not a force for good.“

“The Iranian people understand that these adventures, which cost the Iranian people tens of millions of dollars and present risk to their lives to fight in Yemen, make no sense.”

Here are those quotes again, but with some tiny edits. It’s amazing how well they still work: ‘The non-nuclear AMERICAN threat is a very serious challenge to stability in the Middle East, and they are not a force for good.’

‘The AMERICAN people understand that these adventures, which cost the AMERICAN people tens of millions of dollars and present risk to their lives to fight in AFGHANISTAN, make no sense.’

Pompeo says he hopes Iranians rise up because “the Iranian people don’t support the kind of adventurism, the kind of military activities in places like Iraq that frankly just don’t benefit their country.”

I could change that quote too, but you get the point by now.

Pompeo did, however, provide genuine reassurance for anyone worried that the US president is not really like you and me. “[Trump] is curious about the facts that we present… he wants to understand why we believe them.”

The world is with you on that one, Donald.

By Simon Rite, RT

“The United States have not provided any of its allied forces in Syria with anti-aircraft weapons,” Pentagon spokesman Maj. Adrian J.T. Rankine-Galloway told TASS. He said the US-led coalition is currently not engaged in any operations in the area where the jet was downed Saturday. He added that the coalition’s combat efforts are “geographically orientated on the current fight with Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS, ISIL) in eastern Syria.”

The Russian Defense Ministry said earlier the jet was attacked from the ground by rebels possibly using a man-portable air-defense system (MANPADS) in the designated ceasefire zone in north-western Idlib province. The Pentagon will study “the veracity of the statements” put forward by the Russian military to ensure security of its coalition allies, Rankine-Galloway added.

Some Russian legislators and experts interviewed by Russian media voiced concerns the weapons may have its origins in the West and then smuggled through a neighboring country. The deputies urged a thorough investigation to trace the air defense system’s origin.

The pilot, identified in some reports as Major Roman Filippov, ejected from the stricken aircraft and parachuted to the ground. It’s believed the pilot was engaged in a firefight with militants before being killed. Purported images of his personal belongings, including his gun and a recommendation for a state honor, have surfaced on social media. As did footage of militants shouting “Allahu Akbar” (“God is great”) at the sight of the jet crashing and militants taking selfies with the body of the slain pilot.

The Russian ministry, in cooperation with Turkey, is now trying to retrieve his body. The Tahrir al-Sham extremist group, which has links to the Al-Nusra terrorist group, claimed responsibility for the attack. However, posts and videos of the downed Russian plane appeared on the social media accounts of  the Jaysh al-Nasr militant group which is affiliated with the Free Syrian Army.

READ MORE:US defense bill ‘directly threatens’ security of Russian military in Syria – Russian FM spokesperson

The US has repeatedly denied it had shipped portable air defense missile systems to the rebels, brushing off Moscow’s concerns in the process. The 2017 National Defense Authorization Act enabled the Pentagon to authorize shipments of anti-aircraft weapons to Syrian rebels for it to be used “against aircraft of one side only.”

The Russian Defense Ministry argued that if such weapons are brought into Syria, they might easily fall into the hands of IS and other terrorists. 

The Pentagon then denied it had any plans to send the weapons. 

The 2018 defense act significantly limits the possibility of MANPADS deliveries. Section 1227 of the bill states that in order to provide air-defense systems to the “vetted Syrian opposition,” the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary of State must first inform the congressional committee; describe in detail the location of the group; its intelligence assessment; the number of devices to be shipped; as well as an “explanation of the purpose and expected employment” of the defense systems.

Tens of thousands of people in British capital of London have braved cold weather and rain to march on Downing Street demanding an end to the persisting crisis affecting the UK’s National Health Service (NHS) and challenging Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to adequately fund the NHS.

Londoners waged the massive protest march on city streets on Saturday to declare support for the NHS, which has come under intense pressure by the country’s lawmakers to cut costs and even privatize amid continuing shortages of healthcare providers and equipment and numerous problems in timely treatment of patients.

The protesters, including healthcare workers, patients, union members and activists, joined forces to demand an end to the “crisis” in the NHS and press for more funding from the Tory Health Secretary to finance more hospital beds as well as medical staff.

1. He told you he’d cut your taxes, and that the super-rich like him would pay more. You bought it. But his new tax law does the opposite. By 2027, according to the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, the richest 1 percent will have got 83 percent of the tax cut and the richest 0.1 percent, 60 percent of it. But more than half of all Americans — 53 percent — will pay more in taxes. As Trump told his wealthy friends at Mar-a-Lago just days after the tax bill became law, “You all just got a lot richer.” 

2. He promised to close “special interest loopholes that have been so good for Wall Street investors but unfair to American workers,” especially the notorious “carried interest” loophole for private-equity, hedge fund, and real estate partners. You bought it. But the new tax law keeps the “carried interest” loophole.

3. He told you he’d repeal Obamacare and replace it with something “beautiful.” You bought it. But he didn’t repeal and he didn’t replace. (Just as well: His plan would have knocked at least 23 million Americans off health insurance, including many of you.) Instead, he’s doing what he can to cut it back and replace it with nothing. The new tax law will result in 13 million people losing health coverage, according to the Congressional Budget Office. 

4. He told you he’d invest $1 trillion in our nation’s crumbling infrastructure. You bought it. But after his giant tax cut for corporations and millionaires, there’s no money left for infrastructure. 

5. He said he’d drain the Washington swamp. You bought it. But he’s brought into his administration more billionaires, CEOs, and Wall Street moguls than in any administration in history, to make laws that will enrich their businesses, and he’s filled departments and agencies with former lobbyists, lawyers and consultants who are crafting new policies for the same industries they recently worked for.

6. He said he’d use his business experience to whip the White House into shape. You bought it. But he has created the most dysfunctional, back-stabbing White House in modern history, and has already fired and replaced so many assistants (one of them hired and fired in a little more than a week) that people there barely know who’s in charge of what. 

7. He told you he’d “bring down drug prices” by making deals with drug companies. You bought it. But now the White House says that promise is “inoperative.”

8. He told you he’d “stop foreign lobbyists from raising money for American elections.” You bought it. But foreign lobbyists are still raising money for American elections. 

9. He told you “I’m not going to cut Social Security like every other Republican and I’m not going to cut Medicare or Medicaid.” You bought it. But he and House Speaker Paul Ryan are already planning such cuts in order to deal with the ballooning deficit created, in part, by the new tax law for corporations and the rich. 

10. He promised “six weeks of paid maternity leave to any mother with a newborn child whose employer does not provide the benefit.” You bought it. But the giant tax cut for corporations and the rich doesn’t leave any money for this. 

11. He said that on Day One he’d label China a “currency manipulator.” You bought it. But then he met with China’s president Xi Jinping and declared “China is not a currency manipulator.” Ever since then, Trump has been cozying up to Xi. 

12. He said he “won’t bomb Syria.” You bought it. Then he bombed Syria.

13. He said he’d build a “wall” across the southern border. You believed him. But chief of staff John Kelly says it is “unlikely that we will build a wall, a physical barrier, from sea to shining sea.”

14. He promised that the many women who accused him of sexual misconduct “will be sued after the election is over.” You bought it. He hasn’t sued them, presumably because he doesn’t want the truth to come out. 

15. He said he would not be a president who took vacations, and he called Barack Obama “the vacationer-in-Chief.” You bought it. But since becoming President he has spent nearly 25 percent of his days at one of his golf properties for some portion of the day, according to Golf News Network, at a cost to taxpayers of over $77 million. That’s already more taxpayer money on vacations than Obama cost in the first 3 years of his presidency. Not to mention all the money taxpayers are spending protecting his family, including his two sons who travel all over the world on Trump business.

16. He said he’d force companies to keep jobs in America, and that there would be “consequences” for companies that shipped jobs abroad. You believed him. But despite their promises, Carrier, Ford, GM, and the rest have continued to ship jobs to Mexico and China. Carrier (a division of United Technologies) has moved ahead with plans to send 1,000 jobs at its Indiana plant to Mexico. Notwithstanding, the federal government has rewarded United Technologies with 15 new contracts since Trump’s inauguration. GE is sending jobs to Canada. IBM is sending them to Costa Rica, Egypt, Argentina, and Brazil. There have been no “consequences” for sending all these jobs overseas. 

17. He promised to revive the struggling coal industry and “bring back thousands” of lost mining jobs. You bought it. But coal jobs continue to disappear. Since Trump’s victory, at least 6 plants that relied on coal have closed or announced they will close. Another 40 are projected to close during the president’s four-year term. Utilities continue to switch to natural gas instead of coal, and renewable energy is cheaper than ever.

18. He promised to protect steel workers. But according to the American Iron and Steel Institute, which tracks shipments, steel imports were 19.4 percent higher in the first 10 months of 2017 than in the same period last year. That import surge has hurt American steel workers, who were already struggling against a glut of cheap Chinese steel. 

19. He said he’d make America safer. You believed him. But according to Mass Shooting Tracker, there have been 377 mass shootings so far in the Trump administration, including 58 people killed and hundreds injured at a concert in Las Vegas, and 26 churchgoers killed and 20 injured at a church in Texas. Trump refuses to consider any gun control legislation. 

20. He said he’d release his taxes. “I’m under a routine audit and it’ll be released, and as soon as the audit is finished it will be released,“ he promised during the campaign. He hasn’t released his taxes.

Prime Minister Theresa May, who will visit China this week in order to strengthen diplomatic and trade ties for the UK’s post-Brexit landscape, spoke to reporters on her Royal Air Force (RAF) jet.

“Are you asking me, is there more for us to do talk to people more generally about what we are achieving and what we are doing?… yes, there’s always more for us to be able to do to talk to people about what we’re achieving,” she told journalists while travelling at 30,000 feet.

“First and foremost, I’m serving my country, my party. I’ve said to you before, I’m not a quitter and there’s a long-term job to be done,” she said.

“There is a focus for the government – yes we want to get Brexit right, and we are working on that – but we also, alongside that, are looking at the key issues that matter to people on a day to day basis,” she added.

“And that job is about getting the best Brexit deal, about ensuring that we take back control of our money, our laws, our borders, that we can sign trade deals around the rest of the world.  But it’s also about our domestic agenda.”

Despite May’s insistence that her Conservative government is working on the “best Brexit deal,” her MPs appear increasingly at odds with one another.

Recently, former Conservative party chairman Grant Shapps called for May to name a date for her departure from office, adding that numerous letters are being sent to the 1922 Committee demanding a vote of no confidence.

To call a vote of no confidence in a Conservative leader, 15 percent of the party – 48 MPs – must write to the chairman of the 1922 committee of backbench Tories to trigger a leadership vote.

Insiders say that the current number has reached 40.

May has refused to respond to questions from reporters as to whether she would contest the vote or resign if a no confidence vote was called. Noting that rules pertaining to Conservative leadership is a matter for the party.

Despite the sword of Damocles looming above her, May is refusing to let Tory in-fighting spoil her China trade mission. Turning the conversation to Brexit, the PM said that she is focusing on the task at hand.

“There are huge trade opportunities in China that we want to help British businesses take advantage of,” she said.

“That is why I’m taking a large multi-sector business delegation with me, representing all corners of the UK and sectors in which the UK excels.

“My visit will intensify the ‘Golden Era’ in UK-China relations. The depth of our relationship means we can have frank discussions on all issues.”

British exports are up 60 percent since 2010 and China is expected to be one of the UK’s biggest foreign investors by 2020.

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Brenda Lawrence, Democratic Representative for Michigan, was caught playing ‘Candy Crush’, a popular iPhone game, during the president’s first State of the Union Address. Could this explain why so few Democrats applauded Trump as he announced his first-year achievements inside the Capitol?

In the revealing photograph, reportedly snapped by Chip Somodevilla of Getty Images, Lawrence is seated alongside Bonnie Watson Coleman and Joyce Beatty, Democratic representatives from New Jersey and Ohio, respectively.

Aside from underscoring the powerful capabilities of camera equipment, the photo showed Watson checking her Twitter account – with the type clearly visible. Beatty, meanwhile, was reading over a draft of a press release in response to Trump’s speech.

All three Democrats are members of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Many commentators were quick to note that the Caucus did not applaud when Trump announced that black unemployment rates were presently at the lowest rates ever recorded. 

“Unemployment claims have hit a 45-year low. African-American unemployment stands at the lowest rate ever recorded, and Hispanic American unemployment has also reached the lowest levels in history,” Trump said.

This wasn’t the only moment when the Democrats as a whole refused to stand and applaud for the Republican populist who is guided by the bumper sticker slogan ‘Make America Great Again’.

Another statement that failed to bring the Democrats to their feet in applause came when Trump made reference to God.

“In America, we know that faith and family, not government and bureaucracy, are the center of the American life,” he said. “Our motto is ‘In God we trust’.”

A spokesperson for Beatty told DailyMail.com on Thursday that she had already read through Trump’s speech.

“That State of the Union is put out an hour in advance so Democrats and Republicans can read along,” the spokesman said. “And while the speech was going on, she was putting together a statement in response.”

The other two congresswomen’s offices, however, did not provide an explanation for their bosses’ behavior.

Members of Congress receive an annual salary of $174,000.

As Janet Yellen’s tenure as the Chair of the Federal Reserve ends, US President Donald Trump’s pick prepares to take the helm at the central banking system of the United States.

The New York billionaire who had no rosy relationship with Yellen since the days of the 2016 campaign, had opted not to re-nominate her, which made her announce in advance that she would leave at the end of her term.

Therefore, Jerome Hayden Powell, Trump’s pick who has been confirmed by the GOP-controlled Senate, is starting his job as the new “Fed Chair” on February 5.

According to law, the president must nominate someone for the position from the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System.

After Powell was appointed by Trump on November 2, he was confirmed by the American senators with little opposition.

The 64-year old will…

Detective Inspector Dan O’Sullivan said there are disturbing similarities with the unsolved case of a prolific intruder known as the ‘Wimbledon Prowler’ – where 200 homes in South-West London were ransacked and more than £10 million (US$14.2 million) worth of valuables were snatched – and the Night Watcher crime spree.

The Night Watcher has made off with £7 million worth of valuables from homes in the stockbroker belt, including a in a £400,000 diamond tiara and an emerald ring once owned by King Charles II.

O’Sullivan said there were similarities between the modus operandi of the two criminals. The Scotland Yard officer said he was seeking information from police investigating the Night Watcher raids in Surrey to see if the same person could be behind both crime sprees.

“There is evidence that my suspect [Wimbledon Prowler] also has military training or experience of the Armed Forces,” O’Sullivan said.

“He is highly disciplined and has left few clues. In the offences committed in South West London the suspect has clearly observed properties but has avoided confrontation. But if the psychological profiling of the individual is correct, he could be disciplined enough to ‘switch on’ violence and intimidation when he needs it.”

O’Sullivan said the military-style planning uncovered by the Surrey investigation caught his attention, as well the way that both men involved in the two crime sprees operated alone, fitted a similar physical description, and carried out extensive planning. In both cases, the suspects have managed to dispose of their stolen goods without leaving clues for police.

Former victims of the Wimbledon Prowler include former tennis champion Boris Becker and French ex-footballer Nicolas Anelka. During the height of his crime spree, the thief made off with a safe containing £1 million and struck 20 times in a four-month period.

The Night Watcher’s modus operandum has included lingering in the expansive properties of the rich for up to two weeks, biding his time, before breaking in undetected and restraining his victims with cable ties.

He is known for his skill in dismantling security alarms, evading residents and scaling properties. Once inside, the violence begins – so far he has booted a pregnant woman in the stomach and broken another woman’s jaw.

It is believed the man, described as 6 feet (186cm) tall and muscular with a “south of England” accent, may have trained with the French Foreign Legion.

Detectives in Surrey have expressed surprise that none of the irreplaceable items stolen from the homes of the wealthy, such as unusual items of jewelry and unique watches, have appeared on the market. 

Police believe that the items were stolen to order or have been sold overseas on a black market.

Surrey Police Detective Inspector Dee Fielding, who is leading the Night Watcher inquiry, said the robber has knowledge and skills that exceed your average crim.

She also said police were working with other forces to investigate if the same perp may have committed more crimes elsewhere.

“We anticipate we will get some calls from other forces about further burglaries at similar houses,” she said. “We work in an affluent area and it is not unusual to have multimillion-pound burglaries. We cannot rule out that he has committed further offences.”

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The sheriff’s office shares weekly episodes of ‘Wheel of Fugitive’ on Facebook. It features Sheriff Wayne Ivey, who says the game is “my favourite time of the week.”

Ivey spins a wheel featuring different fugitives’ mugshots to determine “who we’re going after this week.”  

“We ask our citizens to not only help locate that individual, but all the other fugitives that are up on the wheel,” Ivey explained in the latest episode shared on Tuesday.

This week, Kenneth L. Gordon Jr. was named fugitive of the week for a bench warrant failure for driving with a suspended licence. He is also described as being a “habitual traffic offender.”

Ivey addressed Gordan in the video, telling him to “do the right thing and turn yourself in.”

“If not, our citizens are going to contact our fugitive unit,” Ivey said. “Either way, someone’s going to tell us where you’re at and our fugitive unit’s coming to your door.”

On Thursday, the Sheriff’s Office announced Gordan had been arrested, posting his photograph on Facebook with the words, “Busted,” written over it.

“Gordon admitted to knowing he was wanted but said he was unaware he was one of the contestants on the Wheel of Fugitive,” Ivey wrote. “Another great job by our Fugitive Unit and now it’s time to look forward to next week’s episode of Wheel of Fugitive!!”

Brevard County Sheriff has been playing ‘Wheel of Fugitive’ since the end of 2015.

Ivey introduced the first game in local outlet Space Coast Daily, describing it as being “designed to partner the citizens of Brevard County and law enforcement together to help get fugitives off our streets.”

Space Coast Daily reports on each episode of the sheriff’s game.

A brief study of the featured fugitives suggests the majority are wanted for driving and drug-related crimes.

Brevard County Sheriff’s Office also produces, ‘Cookin’ Up Justice’ a series of videos which highlight a local restaurant and at the same time highlight a featured criminal.

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It appears that supplying the dearly departed with items to take to the next world is not something entirely confined to ancient history — but then again, our ancestors did not have public crematoria. In our day and age such customs may have unintended consequences, as a Greater Manchester facility has tactfully reminded its clients.

“We are asking people to be considerate regarding the items they place into coffins before the cremation process,” Donna Ball, Assistant Director of Community Services at Bolton Council, told the BBC.

READ MORE: Medieval villagers ‘mutilated corpses to stop rise of living dead’

“We have seen a rise in things like e-cigarettes, bottles of whisky and vodka, golf balls, sometimes golf clubs, and mobile phones. Mobile phones in particular are a real issue for us.

Usually the funeral director will pick them up but sometimes things are slid inside people’s pockets and they are just not picked up during the process, then when they go through the cremation process a hell of an explosion can sometimes occur.”

The BBC reported that a coconut left in one of the coffins “sent fear” through the crematorium staff when it suddenly exploded.

The assistant director added that placing electrical devices with batteries into the coffin would raise crematorium emissions up to “unacceptable levels.” It’s not all mobile phones either: One study of British crematoria staff found that nearly half of them had experienced an exploding pacemaker, as the chemicals in the device’s powerful batteries can ignite, creating toxic fumes and sending bits of red-hot metal flying across the room. Such an explosion can be dangerous if staff open up the cremation chamber to check on the state of the body.

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A four-page memorandum commissioned by Representative Devin Nunes (R-California), chair of the House Intelligence Committee, is to be made public over the objections of Democrats, the FBI and the Department of Justice.

“I think it’s terrible, if you want to know the truth,” Trump said at the White House on Friday, after sending the memo back to Congress. “I think it’s a disgrace.”

“A lot of people should be ashamed of themselves, and much worse than that,” Trump added. “Let’s see what happens.”

The committee voted to make the classified memo public on Monday, with every single Democrat opposed. President Donald Trump had five days to approve or veto the publication.

The memo, commissioned by the Republican staff of the House Intelligence Committee, supposedly contains information on surveillance violations by the FBI and the Department of Justice. It is alleged the FBI sought a warrant to spy on President Donald Trump’s associates, without disclosing that its motivation for doing so was based on the infamous Trump-Russia dossier, also known as the Steele dossier, and funded by Hillary Clinton’s campaign as opposition research against Trump.

One of the key  points of the memo, as reported by the Washington Examiner on Friday, are that the dossier put together by ex-British spy Christopher Steele formed an essential part of the initial FISA application to spy on Trump campaign adviser Carter Page, and all three renewal applications.

Deputy FBI Director Andrew McCabe confirmed that without the dossier, there would have been no FISA warrant request. The political origins of the dossier were known to senior officials at the DOJ and the FBI, but was not mentioned in the FISA applications, according to the Examiner.

This week, Politico reported that House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-OH) appears to be attempting to repackage cuts to Medicaid, food assistance, and affordable housing as “workforce development.” If it were a sincere effort, the idea of offering more workforce development would make sense: It’s good for workers, and it’s actually a popular idea (Ryan himself has acknowledged that openly calling for Medicaid cuts was “not a great buzz phrase.”)  However, it seems that this is the latest rebrand of the same old proposals to slash essential benefits for struggling families that Ryan has touted for years.

It’s especially insincere, given the Trump administration’s proposal to gut existing workforce development programs. Its 2018 budget cut funding for the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act by 43 percent, which would cause 571,000 workers to lose job training and job search assistance. President Trump is also in the process of advancing an apprenticeship proposal that would lead to a proliferation of low-quality programs that don’t offer job-relevant skills or decent wages.

For his part, Ryan seems to be confused about what workforce development actually entails. He told his caucus last night that it needs to “focus on closing the skills gap” by training unemployed workers to take currently open jobs. This incorrectly assumes that a lack of skills is the only thing that’s keeping workers out of the labor market—it’s possible that workers are struggling to find good jobs that pay decent wages. Indeed, 2017 saw the slowest job growth since 2010, and the weakest wage growth in 4 years. Trump and congressional Republicans have also fought to make work worse by advancing policies to weaken workplace protections, make it harder for workers to collectively bargain, make it easier for employers to steal wages from tipped employees, and make it easier for employers to discriminate against workers.

If Speaker Ryan and congressional Republicans truly cared about helping people transition into the labor market, they would support policies like raising the federal minimum wage, strengthening collective bargaining rights, and advancing policies like paid leave and universal child care, which actually help improve the quality of work.

This is the latest rebrand of the same old proposals

Instead, participants at the GOP retreat where Ryan initially floated this idea reported that his proposal would impose work requirements on Medicaid recipients – of whom more than 7 in 10 are caregivers or in school. The move would put at least 6.3 million people at risk of losing their health care outright, and force others into low-quality, low-paying jobs that are more harmful than helpful.

Ultimately, this workforce development push, like welfare reform before it, is about kicking struggling workers while they’re down, and taking away essential benefits from families when they need them most. And while Ryan may have ditched the racially-coded welfare rhetoric for now, his policies are still ripped right from Trump’s divisive handbook.