rawstory--2020-01-11--Joe and Hunter Biden should call Trump’s bluff — and offer to testify

Donald Trump just delivered a gift to Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats , if they ’ re savvy enough to take it .
“ I ’ m going to leave it to the Senate , but I ’ d like to hear from the whistleblower , I ’ d like to hear from shifty Schiff , I ’ d like to hear from Hunter Biden and Joe Biden , ” Trump announced at a White House event on Thursday , opening the door to testimony by witnesses at his upcoming trial in the Senate .
This article first appeared in @ @ @ @ @ @ @ not object to former national security adviser John Bolton testifying at his Senate trial .
“ I would have no problem other than we have to protect , we have to be able to protect ” executive privilege , Trump said .
Bolton had announced his willingness to testify earlier this week , saying in a statement on his website , .
“ I have concluded that , if the Senate issues a subpoena for my testimony , I am prepared to testify.
” Trump ’ s invitation to testimony by the Bidens @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his invocation of Hunter Biden at a rally he held on Thursday night in Toledo , Ohio .
In the middle of a running commentary on his potential Democratic opponents in this year ’ s presidential election , Trump suddenly veered off into a crazed soliloquy on Biden ’ s son .
“ Where ’ s Hunter ?
” Trump shouted out to his cheering supporters .
“ Here ’ s a guy , made no money , got thrown out of the military forces , I think the Navy , got thrown @ @ @ @ @ @ @ no nothing .
So he went from that to making millions of dollars a year as soon as Sleepy Joe became vice president , right ?
He made millions of dollars a year !
Would anybody in this room do that for millions ?
I would .
We all would.
” In 2014 , Hunter Biden was appointed to the board of the scandal-plagued Ukrainian gas company , Burisma , reportedly earning as much as $ 50,000 a month for his labors .
Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee continually called for testimony @ @ @ @ @ @ @ last fall , using the younger Biden as a punching bag in their questioning of witnesses throughout the hearings .
More recently , Sen. Lindsey Graham announced that he is seeking “ documents related to former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden ’ s previous work in Ukraine ” from the State Department .
Republicans have been going all-in on Hunter Biden since before impeachment was even on the table .
Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani has made trips to Ukraine looking for dirt on Hunter Biden , most recently last @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an interview on Trump ’ s new favorite propaganda pipeline , the One America News Network ( OAN ) , trumpeting spurious “ evidence ” he claimed to have uncovered .
“ We have found multiple crimes the Bidens have committed : extortion , bribery , and money laundering , ” Giuliani told OAN in the interview , presenting a handwritten document labeled “ Bribery ( Crime ) .
” OAN went on to feature a document from Latvian prosecutors that presents Burisma as a corrupt corporation and alleges Hunter Biden was involved @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the authenticity of which is in question , instead showed that multiple countries were concerned about the business behavior of Burisma and were further concerned that Ukrainian prosecutors weren ’ t doing much to investigate the company .
Every single allegation of corruption by either Biden in Ukraine has been debunked by multiple investigations .
No charges have been brought in either the United States or Ukraine against either the father or the son .
Two investigations of Hillary Clinton ’ s tenure as secretary of state have recently concluded with no charges @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
The Department of State announced in October that a three-year investigation into Clinton ’ s use of private servers for her emails produced “ no persuasive evidence of systemic , deliberate mishandling of classified information.
” The Washington Post reported on Thursday that a two-year Department of Justice investigation into various alleged “ scandals ” involving Clinton had concluded with no charges or allegations of wrongdoing by the former presidential candidate .
You wouldn ’ t know that by listening to Trump at his rallies , however .
Trump appears to be @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Obama , Hillary Clinton and whoever wins the Democratic nomination : Right now , he suspects that will be Joe Biden .
That ’ s why he constantly takes such wild swings at Biden through his son , Hunter .
He is in the process of turning Hunter Biden into a combination of the elder Biden ’ s Benghazi and “ emails ” as he and the right-wing echo chamber pound on his supposed “ corruption ” in Ukraine .
The charges he is pounding on against Biden are no more legitimate than @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in 2016 against Hillary Clinton , and yet Biden faces the same dilemma she did back then .
How do you respond to a blizzard of blatant lies like that in the middle of a presidential campaign ?
Hillary was never able to quiet the yapping about her “ emails , ” and Biden is running the same risk with the spurious charges of corruption against his son .
That ’ s why Trump ’ s recent call for testimony by both Bidens is such a fat , juicy pitch over the center @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Democrats .
It sets them up to answer Trump ’ s rallying cry , “ Where is Hunter Biden ?
” with the answer : Right here , willing and ready to testify at your impeachment trial , along with his father Joe and Rep. Schiff and anyone else you want to call .
We ’ ll give you your witnesses if you give us ours .
Nancy Pelosi should deliver the articles of impeachment to Mitch McConnell with the list of witnesses Donald Trump has personally demanded be called to testify at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ witness list : Bolton , Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin , Giuliani , Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and all the lesser figures identified in the recently released email chains about the withholding of military aid to Ukraine that was appropriated by the Congress .
McConnell has already said that everything he ’ s doing about impeachment is being done in consultation with the White House .
Well , the White House wants these witnesses ?
Here they are .
Call his bellowing bluff .
Dare McConnell and the Republicans to put Hunter Biden @ @ @ @ @ @ @ What have they got to hide ?
Trump wants his attorneys to question them ?
Go right ahead .
We ’ ve got a few questions , too .
If Trump takes the bait and calls the Bidens , he will bury forever the chance to use Ukraine as a cudgel against Joe Biden in the election , and he ’ ll open himself to the kinds of questions he has been stonewalling for months .
It would be a win-win for Democrats .
If McConnell stiff-arms even the witnesses Trump himself has @ @ @ @ @ @ @ be televised , ” as New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg said on Ari Melber ’ s Friday show on MSNBC .

Donald Trump just delivered a gift to Nancy Pelosi and the Democrats, if they’re savvy enough to take it. “I’m going to leave it to the Senate, but I’d like to hear from the whistleblower, I’d like to hear from shifty Schiff, I’d like to hear from Hunter Biden and Joe Biden,” Trump announced at a White House event on Thursday, opening the door to testimony by witnesses at his upcoming trial in the Senate.
This article first appeared in Salon.
Trump also said he would not object to former national security adviser John Bolton testifying at his Senate trial. “I would have no problem other than we have to protect, we have to be able to protect” executive privilege, Trump said. Bolton had announced his willingness to testify earlier this week, saying in a statement on his website,. “I have concluded that, if the Senate issues a subpoena for my testimony, I am prepared to testify.”
Trump’s invitation to testimony by the Bidens and others came on the heels of his invocation of Hunter Biden at a rally he held on Thursday night in Toledo, Ohio. In the middle of a running commentary on his potential Democratic opponents in this year’s presidential election, Trump suddenly veered off into a crazed soliloquy on Biden’s son.
“Where’s Hunter?” Trump shouted out to his cheering supporters. “Here’s a guy, made no money, got thrown out of the military forces, I think the Navy, got thrown out, had no job, had no nothing. So he went from that to making millions of dollars a year as soon as Sleepy Joe became vice president, right? He made millions of dollars a year! Would anybody in this room do that for millions? I would. We all would.”
In 2014, Hunter Biden was appointed to the board of the scandal-plagued Ukrainian gas company, Burisma, reportedly earning as much as $50,000 a month for his labors. Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee continually called for testimony from Hunter Biden at the impeachment hearings last fall, using the younger Biden as a punching bag in their questioning of witnesses throughout the hearings.
More recently, Sen. Lindsey Graham announced that he is seeking “documents related to former Vice President Joe Biden and his son Hunter Biden’s previous work in Ukraine” from the State Department. Republicans have been going all-in on Hunter Biden since before impeachment was even on the table.
Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani has made trips to Ukraine looking for dirt on Hunter Biden, most recently last December. Upon his return he gave an interview on Trump’s new favorite propaganda pipeline, the One America News Network (OAN), trumpeting spurious “evidence” he claimed to have uncovered. “We have found multiple crimes the Bidens have committed: extortion, bribery, and money laundering,” Giuliani told OAN in the interview, presenting a handwritten document labeled “Bribery (Crime).” OAN went on to feature a document from Latvian prosecutors that presents Burisma as a corrupt corporation and alleges Hunter Biden was involved in money laundering. The document, the authenticity of which is in question, instead showed that multiple countries were concerned about the business behavior of Burisma and were further concerned that Ukrainian prosecutors weren’t doing much to investigate the company.
Every single allegation of corruption by either Biden in Ukraine has been debunked by multiple investigations. No charges have been brought in either the United States or Ukraine against either the father or the son.
Two investigations of Hillary Clinton’s tenure as secretary of state have recently concluded with no charges against Clinton or any of her associates. The Department of State announced in October that a three-year investigation into Clinton’s use of private servers for her emails produced “no persuasive evidence of systemic, deliberate mishandling of classified information.”
The Washington Post reported on Thursday that a two-year Department of Justice investigation into various alleged “scandals” involving Clinton had concluded with no charges or allegations of wrongdoing by the former presidential candidate.
You wouldn’t know that by listening to Trump at his rallies, however. Trump appears to be ready to campaign against former president Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton and whoever wins the Democratic nomination: Right now, he suspects that will be Joe Biden. That’s why he constantly takes such wild swings at Biden through his son, Hunter. He is in the process of turning Hunter Biden into a combination of the elder Biden’s Benghazi and “emails” as he and the right-wing echo chamber pound on his supposed “corruption” in Ukraine. The charges he is pounding on against Biden are no more legitimate than his “lock her up” campaign in 2016 against Hillary Clinton, and yet Biden faces the same dilemma she did back then. How do you respond to a blizzard of blatant lies like that in the middle of a presidential campaign? Hillary was never able to quiet the yapping about her “emails,” and Biden is running the same risk with the spurious charges of corruption against his son.
That’s why Trump’s recent call for testimony by both Bidens is such a fat, juicy pitch over the center of the plate for Pelosi and the Democrats. It sets them up to answer Trump’s rallying cry, “Where is Hunter Biden?” with the answer: Right here, willing and ready to testify at your impeachment trial, along with his father Joe and Rep. Schiff and anyone else you want to call. We’ll give you your witnesses if you give us ours.
Nancy Pelosi should deliver the articles of impeachment to Mitch McConnell with the list of witnesses Donald Trump has personally demanded be called to testify at his trial, alongside the Democrats’ witness list: Bolton, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, Giuliani, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and all the lesser figures identified in the recently released email chains about the withholding of military aid to Ukraine that was appropriated by the Congress. McConnell has already said that everything he’s doing about impeachment is being done in consultation with the White House. Well, the White House wants these witnesses? Here they are.
Call his bellowing bluff. Dare McConnell and the Republicans to put Hunter Biden and Adam Schiff on the stand. What have they got to hide? Trump wants his attorneys to question them? Go right ahead. We’ve got a few questions, too.
If Trump takes the bait and calls the Bidens, he will bury forever the chance to use Ukraine as a cudgel against Joe Biden in the election, and he’ll open himself to the kinds of questions he has been stonewalling for months. It would be a win-win for Democrats.
If McConnell stiff-arms even the witnesses Trump himself has called for, “the cover-up will be televised,” as New York Times columnist Michelle Goldberg said on Ari Melber’s Friday show on MSNBC.


rawstory--2020-01-11--McConnell ‘is trying to pull another Merrick Garland’ by derailing Trump impeachment trial: MSNBC gu

McConnell ‘is trying to pull another Merrick Garland’ by derailing Trump impeachment trial: MSNBC guest

Appearing on MSNBC on Saturday morning with host Geoff Bennett , Mother Jones contributor David Corn praised House Speaker Nancy Pelosi ( D-CA ) for holding up the impeachment trial in an effort to expose Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell as a power-grabbing fraud .
To make his point , he brought up McConnell ’ s previous stalling to hold hearings on Merrick Garland who had been nominated to the Suprerem Court by former President Barack Obama .
“ What did Democrats think they achieved with this delay and not immediately sending over the articles ?
” host Bennett asked @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spotlight , ” Corn replied .
“ He ’ s basically going to pull a Merrick Garland on this .
He ’ s not there for a fair trial , he ’ s there in lockstep in defense of Trump.
” “ For three weeks , there was also recess , but it showed that McConnell is resisting witnesses and is not really concerned about showing the public both sides or even one side of this matter , ” he continued .
“ It may well be at the end of the day @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trial .
Maybe it passes on a 51-49 vote with maybe one or two Republicans saying no to this .
”

Appearing on MSNBC on Saturday morning with host Geoff Bennett, Mother Jones contributor David Corn praised House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) for holding up the impeachment trial in an effort to expose Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell as a power-grabbing fraud.
To make his point, he brought up McConnell's previous stalling to hold hearings on Merrick Garland who had been nominated to the Suprerem Court by former President Barack Obama.
"What did Democrats think they achieved with this delay and not immediately sending over the articles? " host Bennett asked.
"They've cast a spotlight," Corn replied. "He's basically going to pull a Merrick Garland on this. He's not there for a fair trial, he's there in lockstep in defense of Trump."
"For three weeks, there was also recess, but it showed that McConnell is resisting witnesses and is not really concerned about showing the public both sides or even one side of this matter," he continued. "It may well be at the end of the day he will have this fast and forgettable trial. Maybe it passes on a 51-49 vote with maybe one or two Republicans saying no to this."
Watch below:


rawstory--2020-01-11--Trump hammered for inventing new excuses to keep John Bolton from testifying before Congress

On CNN Saturday , Axios reporter Margaret Talev tore apart President Donald Trump ’ s claim that he was invoking executive privilege against former National Security Adviser John Bolton ’ s testimony for the sake of “ future presidents.
” “ When President Trump talks about the continuity in office and how things should be done and always should be done , how the president says he ’ ll make his own rules , just a couple days ago , the president suggested he would not stop the Senate , that would be a decision up to Mitch McConnell , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ looks like he ’ s get something advice from his lawyers here .
He ’ s been a little inconsistent in how he would approach this.
” “ Democrats have argued for or against certain witnesses .
Republicans have played this different ways , ” added Talev .
“ You can read a lot of tea leaves and completely diverging views of how it is going to be , but the question still remains , is there going to be witness testimony ?
And Mitch McConnell has not answered that question .
”

And the alleged perpetrators in both counties are facing felony charges.
The similarity of events in Mesa County and Coffee County were of particular interest to Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold, who has been vocal about the need for vigilance against “insider threats” to election systems. In response to the Georgia indictment, Griswold said such threats, as the nation heads into a new election year in which Trump is the leading GOP candidate for president, remain active.
“I strongly believe Coloradans and Americans deserve and need to know ongoing attempts to steal elections,” Griswold told Colorado Newsline.
The Georgia indictment, which came from a Fulton County grand jury, charged Trump and 18 members of his inner circle on 41 counts. Two defendants with Colorado ties are named in the indictment — Trump attorneys John Eastman, who at the time of the alleged criminal activity was a visiting scholar at the University of Colorado Boulder and currently represents the Colorado Republican Party in a lawsuit against Griswold, and Jenna Ellis, who until recently lived in Colorado and, though she was censured this year over election falsehoods, remains licensed to practice law in the state.
The indictment, which charges each of the defendants with racketeering, among other counts, says that after Trump lost the election the defendants “refused to accept that Trump lost, and they knowingly and willfully joined a conspiracy to unlawfully change the outcome of the election in favor of Trump.”
Part of that alleged conspiracy involved Misty Hampton, who in 2020 was the Coffee County elections supervisor. Starting on Jan. 7, 2021 — the day after the Jan. 6 insurrection — Hampton, Trump lawyer Sidney Powell and other co-conspirators broke into the county’s Dominion machines and improperly accessed voter data, according to the indictment. Hampton “allowed” co-conspirators into private areas of the elections office.
About four months later, then-Mesa County Clerk Tina Peters committed an almost identical criminal act, according to prosecutors. The Republican clerk allegedly allowed digital copies of the Mesa County election system server’s software and other sensitive information to be made and disseminated. The case against Peters began with an investigation by Griswold’s office.
Though different people are thought to have been involved in the Colorado and Georgia security breaches, the sweeping indictment out of Fulton County speaks of a wide-ranging conspiracy that involved alleged criminal acts “in other states” and 30 unindicted unnamed co-conspirators. Griswold noted that the breaches occurred as part of national election-denial efforts by figures such as MyPillow CEO Mike Lindell and former Overstock.com CEO Patrick Byrne, both of whom have ties to Peters. Byrne in a video appeared to acknowledge his own involvement in the Mesa County case.
“Make no mistake, there was a national conspiracy to breach Mesa County’s voting equipment. That has always been very clear. Patrick Byrne admitted his complicity on a video and posted it to Twitter,” Griswold said.
Asked if the Fulton County indictment had any bearing on the Peters case, which does not involve the kind of far-ranging racketeering charges brought in Georgia, Mesa County District Attorney Dan Rubinstein, whose office is prosecuting the case against Peters, wrote in a text, “We will not be amending our charges, as we want to avoid any further delays and are eager to get our case before a jury.”
Peters did not respond to a text seeking comment.
The parties are due in early September to establish a trial date.
Elbert County was also the site of an election system security breach facilitated by the county’s own top election official. In that case, Colorado election denier Shawn Smith, who was part of the Trump mob that attacked the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6 and works on “election integrity” efforts for the Lindell-funded Cause of America, helped then-Clerk Dalls Schroeder, a Republican, copy sensitive voter information.
Similar security breaches also occurred in three Michigan counties.
Griswold, a Democrat, said such breaches don’t alter election outcomes. But they serve other purposes, such as spreading disinformation.
“I’m absolutely concerned,” Griswold said. “The purpose of the ‘big lie’ is to create chaos, and chaos is definitely part of local election administrators trying to undermine the election process from within. I am increasingly concerned all across the nation about insider threats.”
Colorado has taken steps, such as passage of Griswold-backed protections against “insider threats,” that put the state in a better position to maintain election security, she said.


rawstory--2020-01-11--Senior Trump officials undercut president’s claim four embassies faced ‘imminent threats’: report

After President Donald Trump went on Fox News and claimed that he ordered the killing on Iranian military leader Qassem Suleimania because he was plotting attacks on at least four embassies , members of his own administration who had seen the intelligence stated they have no idea what he was talking about .
During the Fox News interview , host Laura Ingraham asked , “ Did [ Suleimani ] have large-scale attacks planned for other embassies ?
And if those were planned , why can ’ t we reveal that to the American people ?
Wouldn ’ t that help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ president , “ I can reveal that I believe it probably would ’ ve been four embassies.
” However , according to the Post , senior officials in the Trump White House disputed the president ’ s claims .
“ A senior administration official and a senior defense official , speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss classified information , said they were only aware of vague intelligence about a plot against the embassy in Baghdad and that the information did not suggest a fully formed plot , ” the Post reports @ @ @ @ @ @ @ threats against multiple embassies ” The report goes on to note , “ The senior defense official did not directly contradict Trump but said there was concern that there might be an attempt to place a bomb at the Baghdad embassy , a heavily fortified structure in a secure area of the Iraqi capital , ” before adding , “ The senior administration official said that Trump has been fixated on not allowing an attack on a U.S. diplomatic facility , out of fear of being compared unfavorably to his predecessor.
” “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an alert commensurate to the threat Trump described , said a person familiar with the situation , who was not authorized to comment publicly , ” the report continues , pointing out , “ When the U.S. government has specific information about threats to embassies , warnings or alerts are often sent to embassy personnel to be vigilant.
” You can read more here .

After President Donald Trump went on Fox News and claimed that he ordered the killing on Iranian military leader Qassem Suleimania because he was plotting attacks on at least four embassies, members of his own administration who had seen the intelligence stated they have no idea what he was talking about.
During the Fox News interview, host Laura Ingraham asked, "Did [Suleimani] have large-scale attacks planned for other embassies? And if those were planned, why can’t we reveal that to the American people? Wouldn’t that help your case?”
According to the president, "I can reveal that I believe it probably would’ve been four embassies.”
However, according to the Post, senior officials in the Trump White House disputed the president's claims.
"A senior administration official and a senior defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity to discuss classified information, said they were only aware of vague intelligence about a plot against the embassy in Baghdad and that the information did not suggest a fully formed plot," the Post reports. "Neither official said there were threats against multiple embassies"
The report goes on to note, "The senior defense official did not directly contradict Trump but said there was concern that there might be an attempt to place a bomb at the Baghdad embassy, a heavily fortified structure in a secure area of the Iraqi capital," before adding, "The senior administration official said that Trump has been fixated on not allowing an attack on a U.S. diplomatic facility, out of fear of being compared unfavorably to his predecessor."
"The embassy in Baghdad did not receive an alert commensurate to the threat Trump described, said a person familiar with the situation, who was not authorized to comment publicly," the report continues, pointing out, "When the U.S. government has specific information about threats to embassies, warnings or alerts are often sent to embassy personnel to be vigilant."
You can read more here.


rawstory--2020-01-11--North Korea says will resume US talks if demands fully met

North Korea said Saturday it had received Donald Trump ’ s letter wishing a happy birthday to leader Kim Jong Un , but warned it will return to nuclear talks only when Washington fully accepts its demands .
The US president and Kim have held three meetings since June 2018 but negotiations have been largely deadlocked since the breakup of their Hanoi summit last February .
Kim Kye Gwan , North Korea ’ s foreign ministry adviser , said Trump ’ s congratulatory letter had arrived in the isolated , nuclear-armed state directly from the US .
“ As acknowledged @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that the personal relations between ( Kim Jong Un ) and President Trump are not bad , ” he said in a statement carried by the official KCNA news agency .
However , it would be “ absent-minded ” to expect Pyongyang to resume dialogue because of that warm personal relationship , the statement continued .
“ We have been deceived by the US , being caught in the dialogue with it for over one year and a half , and that was the lost time for us , ” the adviser said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ he said that reopening dialogue would only be possible in the case of Washington ’ s “ absolute agreement ” on the issues raised by North Korea .
But the senior official was sceptical that the US would accept these demands , saying : “ we know well that the US is neither ready nor able to do so .
We know… the way we should go and will go on our way.
” At a meeting of his ruling party in December , Kim Jong Un declared an end to North Korea @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ballistic missile tests .
The leader also threatened a demonstration of a “ new strategic weapon ” soon .
Saturday ’ s statement on KCNA came a day after South Korea ’ s presidential security adviser said Trump had asked Seoul to deliver his birthday message for Kim .
North Korea has never officially confirmed Kim ’ s age or date of birth — but on January 8 , 2014 , basketball star Dennis Rodman sang him “ Happy Birthday ” before an exhibition match in Pyongyang .
The adviser warned South Korean @ @ @ @ @ @ @ mediator between the US and the North .
“ The South Korean authorities had better not dream a fabulous dream that we would return to the dialogue with thankful feelings for the birthday greetings like someone , ” he said .

North Korea said Saturday it had received Donald Trump's letter wishing a happy birthday to leader Kim Jong Un, but warned it will return to nuclear talks only when Washington fully accepts its demands.
The US president and Kim have held three meetings since June 2018 but negotiations have been largely deadlocked since the breakup of their Hanoi summit last February.
Kim Kye Gwan, North Korea's foreign ministry adviser, said Trump's congratulatory letter had arrived in the isolated, nuclear-armed state directly from the US.
"As acknowledged by the world, it is true that the personal relations between (Kim Jong Un) and President Trump are not bad," he said in a statement carried by the official KCNA news agency.
However, it would be "absent-minded" to expect Pyongyang to resume dialogue because of that warm personal relationship, the statement continued.
"We have been deceived by the US, being caught in the dialogue with it for over one year and a half, and that was the lost time for us," the adviser said.
On the gridlocked nuclear talks, he said that reopening dialogue would only be possible in the case of Washington's "absolute agreement" on the issues raised by North Korea.
But the senior official was sceptical that the US would accept these demands, saying: "we know well that the US is neither ready nor able to do so. We know... the way we should go and will go on our way."
At a meeting of his ruling party in December, Kim Jong Un declared an end to North Korea's moratoriums on nuclear and intercontinental ballistic missile tests.
The leader also threatened a demonstration of a "new strategic weapon" soon.
Saturday's statement on KCNA came a day after South Korea's presidential security adviser said Trump had asked Seoul to deliver his birthday message for Kim.
North Korea has never officially confirmed Kim's age or date of birth -- but on January 8, 2014, basketball star Dennis Rodman sang him "Happy Birthday" before an exhibition match in Pyongyang.
The adviser warned South Korean authorities against trying to act as a mediator between the US and the North.
"The South Korean authorities had better not dream a fabulous dream that we would return to the dialogue with thankful feelings for the birthday greetings like someone," he said.
© 2020 AFP


rawstory--2020-01-11--Weinstein jurors must differentiate between consent and compliance – which research shows isn’t easy

Did the women accusing Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault consent to his sexual advances of their own free will , or were they coerced ?
Jurors ’ answers to this question will be critical in determining the outcome of Weinstein ’ s trial , which began jury selection in New York on Jan. 7 .
I ’ m a scholar of social influence , compliance and consent , and I ’ ve found that people often fail to fully appreciate the coercive dynamics of situations from the outside .
Although more than 80 women have publicly accused Weinstein of sexual @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trial comes down to two accusers who say Weinstein sexually assaulted them .
Weinstein has argued that the encounters were consensual and claims as evidence emails and texts showing an ongoing , intimate relationship with one of his accusers following the alleged assault .
Weinstein ’ s lawyer , Donna Rotunno , for her part , has stated , “ I believe women are responsible for the choices they make.
” His defense team ’ s strategy , it appears , will be to cast doubt on the accusers ’ accounts , depicting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ than the women claim their actions to have been .
To tease apart these competing accounts , jurors are likely to ask themselves , “ Could these women have tried harder to avoid or remove themselves from these situations ?
Could they have said ‘ no ’ more forcefully ?
” Unfortunately , research suggests that the answers people tend to come up with to these hypothetical questions don ’ t accurately capture how someone would actually behave in a such a situation .
We tend to imagine that people – including ourselves @ @ @ @ @ @ @ forceful ways in response to offensive and inappropriate behavior than people actually do when confronted with such behavior .
What the research says In a classic study , researchers asked one group of women how they would respond to being asked a number of sexually inappropriate questions in a job interview .
When these women thought about this situation hypothetically , 68 % said they would refuse to answer at least one of the questions , 62 % said they would tell the interviewer the question was inappropriate and 28 % said they @ @ @ @ @ @ @ However , when the researchers invited another group of women to take part in what they believed to be a real job interview and actually subjected them to the same questions , not a single interviewee refused to answer even one question , and hardly any explicitly addressed the inappropriate nature of the questions with the interviewer .
Moreover , participants who contemplated being asked these questions hypothetically imagined feeling angry .
However , participants who actually found themselves in this situation reported feeling more afraid .
Instead of confronting the interviewer out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ facing the interviewer in reality instead tried to appease him by smiling .
My colleagues and I have similarly found that people fail to appreciate how hard it is for someone to refuse inappropriate , intrusive and romantic requests .
In one of our studies , 86 % of participants believed a “ reasonable person ” would say “ no ” to an invasive request to unlock and hand over their phone to us to look through , and 72 % said they themselves would refuse to do so .
However , when @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , only 3 % actually refused .
In another study , participants overestimated by 56 % the number of students on a college campus who would refuse to vandalize a library book when asked to do so , and in yet another , we found that targets of romantic advances felt more uncomfortable saying “ no ” than perpetrators of such advances realized .
What all of this means is that while people frequently feel coerced into doing things they don ’ t want to do , others tend not to recognize these @ @ @ @ @ @ @ we tend to view others ’ actions as freer and more autonomous than they experience them .
We assume someone must have wanted to go along with something on some level ; otherwise they would just have just said “ no , ” or said “ no ” more forcefully .
The jury selection process is supposed to uncover potential biases in the hopes of assembling an impartial jury .
Much has been made of the difficulty of putting together an impartial jury due to jurors ’ preexisting biases against Weinstein .
However @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as consent means that jurors are just as likely to have biases against his accusers ’ version of events .
Unfortunately , these more entrenched psychological biases are less likely to come out during jury selection .
[ Insight , in your inbox each day .
You can get it with The Conversation ’ s email newsletter . ]
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license .
Read the original article .

Did the women accusing Harvey Weinstein of sexual assault consent to his sexual advances of their own free will, or were they coerced?
Jurors’ answers to this question will be critical in determining the outcome of Weinstein’s trial, which began jury selection in New York on Jan. 7.
I’m a scholar of social influence, compliance and consent, and I’ve found that people often fail to fully appreciate the coercive dynamics of situations from the outside.
The jury’s task
Although more than 80 women have publicly accused Weinstein of sexual harassment and assault, the New York trial comes down to two accusers who say Weinstein sexually assaulted them.
Weinstein has argued that the encounters were consensual and claims as evidence emails and texts showing an ongoing, intimate relationship with one of his accusers following the alleged assault. Weinstein’s lawyer, Donna Rotunno, for her part, has stated, “I believe women are responsible for the choices they make.”
His defense team’s strategy, it appears, will be to cast doubt on the accusers’ accounts, depicting their actions as more autonomous and self-directed than the women claim their actions to have been.
To tease apart these competing accounts, jurors are likely to ask themselves, “Could these women have tried harder to avoid or remove themselves from these situations? Could they have said ‘no’ more forcefully?”
Unfortunately, research suggests that the answers people tend to come up with to these hypothetical questions don’t accurately capture how someone would actually behave in a such a situation.
We tend to imagine that people – including ourselves – would behave in bolder and more forceful ways in response to offensive and inappropriate behavior than people actually do when confronted with such behavior.
AP Photo/Seth Wenig
What the research says
In a classic study, researchers asked one group of women how they would respond to being asked a number of sexually inappropriate questions in a job interview.
When these women thought about this situation hypothetically, 68% said they would refuse to answer at least one of the questions, 62% said they would tell the interviewer the question was inappropriate and 28% said they would walk out of the interview.
However, when the researchers invited another group of women to take part in what they believed to be a real job interview and actually subjected them to the same questions, not a single interviewee refused to answer even one question, and hardly any explicitly addressed the inappropriate nature of the questions with the interviewer.
Moreover, participants who contemplated being asked these questions hypothetically imagined feeling angry. However, participants who actually found themselves in this situation reported feeling more afraid. Instead of confronting the interviewer out of anger, as anticipated, participants facing the interviewer in reality instead tried to appease him by smiling.
My colleagues and I have similarly found that people fail to appreciate how hard it is for someone to refuse inappropriate, intrusive and romantic requests.
In one of our studies, 86% of participants believed a “reasonable person” would say “no” to an invasive request to unlock and hand over their phone to us to look through, and 72% said they themselves would refuse to do so. However, when we asked participants to do just that, only 3% actually refused.
In another study, participants overestimated by 56% the number of students on a college campus who would refuse to vandalize a library book when asked to do so, and in yet another, we found that targets of romantic advances felt more uncomfortable saying “no” than perpetrators of such advances realized.
Compliance versus consent
What all of this means is that while people frequently feel coerced into doing things they don’t want to do, others tend not to recognize these coercive pressures.
As a result, we tend to view others’ actions as freer and more autonomous than they experience them. We assume someone must have wanted to go along with something on some level; otherwise they would just have just said “no,” or said “no” more forcefully.
The jury selection process is supposed to uncover potential biases in the hopes of assembling an impartial jury. Much has been made of the difficulty of putting together an impartial jury due to jurors’ preexisting biases against Weinstein.
However, the widespread bias toward interpreting compliance as consent means that jurors are just as likely to have biases against his accusers’ version of events. Unfortunately, these more entrenched psychological biases are less likely to come out during jury selection.
[ Insight, in your inbox each day.You can get it with The Conversation’s email newsletter. ]
Vanessa K. Bohns, Associate Professor of Organizational Behavior, Cornell University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.


rawstory--2020-01-11--‘They have no idea what they have done’: Terrorist groups in Africa now vowing revenge on US after S

‘They have no idea what they have done’: Terrorist groups in Africa now vowing revenge on US after Suleimani killing

President Donald Trump ’ s decision to eliminate Iranian general Qassim Suleimani could have far-reaching consequences that are difficult to appreciate in the short term .
And one example is already being seen in Africa .
According to The Daily Beast , the Islamic Movement of Nigeria ( IMN ) , a West African group of Shi ’ a converts formed in the wake of the Iranian revolution of 1979 , has sworn vengeance against the United States for the assassination .
IMN issued a statement saying that Suleimani was an “ ardent anti-imperialist who gave the United States of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sleepless nights , ” and his mission against America would be “ accomplished by his brothers , children , and students from resistance men and mujahideen from all the peoples of the world that reject humiliation and submission to the tyrants of this century.
” “ America will pay for the killing of Soleimani , ” said Ibrahim Hussien , an IMN supporter who participated in an anti-America protest in Nigeria ’ s capital city of Abjua on Monday .
“ They have no idea what they have done.
” This comes just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ an American serviceman and two contractors at a military installation in Northern Kenya .
This attack , part of the group ’ s “ Al-Quds Will Never Be Judaized ” campaign , came just two days after the Suleimani killing .
There is no clear evidence that al-Shabab is linked to Iran , but Suleimani has reportedly sent operatives to the region in the past .
Iran has historically shied away from engaging foreign rivals directly , instead opting to use proxy forces .
Indeed , Iranian Ambassador to the U.N. Majid Takht-Ravanchi @ @ @ @ @ @ @ can speak on behalf of the Iranian government , we are not responsible for the actions that others might take ” — a clear signal that they will not condemn violence committed against Americans by these proxies .

President Donald Trump's decision to eliminate Iranian general Qassim Suleimani could have far-reaching consequences that are difficult to appreciate in the short term. And one example is already being seen in Africa.
According to The Daily Beast, the Islamic Movement of Nigeria (IMN), a West African group of Shi'a converts formed in the wake of the Iranian revolution of 1979, has sworn vengeance against the United States for the assassination.
IMN issued a statement saying that Suleimani was an "ardent anti-imperialist who gave the United States of America and their stooges in the region sleepless nights," and his mission against America would be "accomplished by his brothers, children, and students from resistance men and mujahideen from all the peoples of the world that reject humiliation and submission to the tyrants of this century."
“America will pay for the killing of Soleimani,” said Ibrahim Hussien, an IMN supporter who participated in an anti-America protest in Nigeria's capital city of Abjua on Monday. “They have no idea what they have done.”
This comes just after Somalia's al-Shabab group killed an American serviceman and two contractors at a military installation in Northern Kenya. This attack, part of the group's "Al-Quds Will Never Be Judaized" campaign, came just two days after the Suleimani killing. There is no clear evidence that al-Shabab is linked to Iran, but Suleimani has reportedly sent operatives to the region in the past.
Iran has historically shied away from engaging foreign rivals directly, instead opting to use proxy forces. Indeed, Iranian Ambassador to the U.N. Majid Takht-Ravanchi told CNN Friday that, "We can speak on behalf of the Iranian government, we are not responsible for the actions that others might take" — a clear signal that they will not condemn violence committed against Americans by these proxies.


rawstory--2020-01-11--US World Cup star Megan Rapinoe slams IOC ‘no protest’ policy

United States World Cup icon Megan Rapinoe Friday vowed that athletes “ will not be silenced ” after the International Olympic Committee warned against political protests at the Tokyo Games .
“ So much being done about the protests , ” Rapinoe said in an Instagram post .
“ So little being done about what we are protesting about .
“ We will not be silenced.
” Rapinoe ’ s comments were accompanied by a graphic showing fists raised through the interlocking rings — under the crossed out words “ kneeling , hand gestures , signs.
” The post comes @ @ @ @ @ @ @ athletes , coaches , trainers and officials are banned from political protests on the field of play , at the Olympic Village , during the opening and closing ceremonies and on the medal podium .
“ If this political neutrality is not respected , then the Olympic Games will divide , and not unite , the world , ” Bach insisted .
The guidelines issued Thursday by the IOC on specific actions that are banned and will draw sanctions , come after two US athletes were reprimanded by the US Olympic Committee for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Games in Lima .
Fencer Race Imboden kneeled and hammer thrower Gwen Berry raised a fist in protest .
Both received 12 months probation .
Rapinoe has been outspoken on political issues during her career , speaking out about issues including gender equality and racism .
In 2016 she joined former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick in kneeling during the national anthem to protest racial inequality in America .

"It wasn't about, actually, having a system that works, a process that works," Scarborough said, referring to the fake electors scheme. "They knew the Supreme Court was going to overturn it. It was about creating the delay, creating the chaos, and if riots happened, as they said, 'That's why we have the Army, that's why we have the Insurrection Act, then we can use the Insurrection Act, get the Army in the street, put down the riots from people whose votes have been stolen, and Trump can declare martial law,' which is basically what they're talking about doing."
"This is what Russia was trying to do in 2016, this is what Russia admitted that they were trying to do in 2016," Scarborough continued. "This is what the head of the Wagner Group bragged about, saying, 'Remember how successful our campaign was in America in 2016? I mean, come on -- Russian hoax? You shame yourself every day. You shame yourself every day if you don't see a linkage here, if you don't see the linkage of the Russians trying to sow confusion, and then Donald Trump on his own, learning from people that he's always admired, on his own, to just create a process that will sow confusion, that's illegal, that will sow delay, and if he's lucky, will create riots in the streets, and they can use the Insurrection Act to declare martial law."
READ MORE: Trump supporter spooks NBC News' Vaughn Hillyard by pushing 'civil war' if former president is convicted
"You call it free speech!" he added. "I call it un-American, and guess what, most Americans agree with me and not you. You're disgusting! You're absolutely disgusting if you're going to forgive this type of behavior."
Republicans have sought to compare the former president's alleged crimes to Hunter Biden's foreign business dealings, but Scarborough said the two situations weren't even remotely similar.
"Over here, we're talking about an illegal scheme to overthrow an election, to get riots in the streets so Donald Trump can declare martial law, and you're saying there's some sort of legal equivalency, there's some sort of moral equivalency?" he said. "That's grotesque, and what's so sad for you, is you know it's grotesque. The entire Republican establishment knows it's gross. You've got a guy trying to steal an election, and you've got a prosecutor that's trying to bring him to justice, and if this guy were a Democrat, you would already have him locked up."
"Jack Smith is trying to bring this guy to justice, and what do you do?" Scarborough added. "You sit back silently, you talk about, oh, two standards of justice, and then you're silent as Donald Trump threatens a federal prosecutor, an officer of the United States court system, saying, 'I'm coming after you' – silence."
Watch the video below or at this link.


rawstory--2020-01-11--China reports first death from mystery pneumonia outbreak

China on Saturday said a 61-year-old man had become the first person to die from a respiratory illness believed caused by a new virus from the same family as SARS , which claimed hundreds of lives more than a decade ago .
Forty-one people with pneumonia-like symptoms have so far been diagnosed with the new virus in Wuhan , with one of the victims dying on Thursday , the central Chinese city ’ s health commission said on its website .
Seven others remained in serious condition , two were discharged from treatment , and the rest were stable , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ alarm due to the spectre of SARS , or Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome , which in 2002-2003 killed 349 people in mainland China and another 299 in Hong Kong , whose economy was hit hard by the epidemic ’ s devastating impact on tourism .
Chinese scientists investigating the outbreak said last week they believe the pathogen to be a previously unknown type of coronavirus , a broad family ranging from the common cold to more serious illnesses like SARS .
Scientists in Hong Kong ’ s Department of Health said Saturday that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ one of the Wuhan patients and published online by a Chinese expert indicated it was 80 percent similar to SARS found in bats .
Speaking at a news conference in Hong Kong , they said it was too early to conclude definitively that it was a SARS strain , adding that the city needed to stay vigilant .
“ We will remain alert as we believe the epidemic will continue to develop , ” said Wong Ka-hing , director of the department ’ s Health Protection Centre .
Hong Kong authorities have taken @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the disinfection of trains and planes , and checks of passengers .
The Wuhan health commission said the man who died had purchased goods from a seafood market in the city identified by authorities as the centre of the outbreak .
It was closed on January 1 .
The man , who also had underlying health issues including chronic liver disease , died in hospital on Thursday of “ respiratory failure and severe pneumonia ” , the commission added .
No new cases have been detected since January 3 nor any “ clear @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
The WHO said Thursday it was not recommending any specific measures for travellers or restrictions on trade with China , and expressed confidence in the ability of Chinese authorities to contain the virus .
China has entered its annual Lunar New Year holiday travel rush , raising concerns about the mass movement of people serving as a vector for the pathogen .
In the world ’ s largest annual human migration , hundreds of millions will pack together on trains , buses and planes for the festival in late January .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
Hong Kong authorities said on Saturday that the number of people who have been hospitalised with flu-like symptoms in recent days after travelling to Wuhan had grown to 60 , including seven new cases since Friday .
Forty-six of that total , however , have already been discharged .
None have yet been diagnosed with the new coronavirus .
City residents worried about the outbreak have rushed to buy face masks from local pharmacies , with many selling out earlier this week , while officials in Taiwan have urged the island ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ quarantine controls .

China on Saturday said a 61-year-old man had become the first person to die from a respiratory illness believed caused by a new virus from the same family as SARS, which claimed hundreds of lives more than a decade ago. Forty-one people with pneumonia-like symptoms have so far been diagnosed with the new virus in Wuhan, with one of the victims dying on Thursday, the central Chinese city's health commission said on its website.
Seven others remained in serious condition, two were discharged from treatment, and the rest were stable, it added.
The episode has caused alarm due to the spectre of SARS, or Sudden Acute Respiratory Syndrome, which in 2002-2003 killed 349 people in mainland China and another 299 in Hong Kong, whose economy was hit hard by the epidemic's devastating impact on tourism.
Chinese scientists investigating the outbreak said last week they believe the pathogen to be a previously unknown type of coronavirus, a broad family ranging from the common cold to more serious illnesses like SARS.
Scientists in Hong Kong's Department of Health said Saturday that genetic sequencing of the virus found in one of the Wuhan patients and published online by a Chinese expert indicated it was 80 percent similar to SARS found in bats.
Speaking at a news conference in Hong Kong, they said it was too early to conclude definitively that it was a SARS strain, adding that the city needed to stay vigilant.
"We will remain alert as we believe the epidemic will continue to develop," said Wong Ka-hing, director of the department's Health Protection Centre.
Hong Kong authorities have taken a range of precautions including stepping up the disinfection of trains and planes, and checks of passengers.
- Travel rush looms -
The Wuhan health commission said the man who died had purchased goods from a seafood market in the city identified by authorities as the centre of the outbreak. It was closed on January 1.
The man, who also had underlying health issues including chronic liver disease, died in hospital on Thursday of "respiratory failure and severe pneumonia", the commission added.
No new cases have been detected since January 3 nor any "clear evidence of human-to-human transmission", it said.
The WHO said Thursday it was not recommending any specific measures for travellers or restrictions on trade with China, and expressed confidence in the ability of Chinese authorities to contain the virus.
China has entered its annual Lunar New Year holiday travel rush, raising concerns about the mass movement of people serving as a vector for the pathogen.
In the world's largest annual human migration, hundreds of millions will pack together on trains, buses and planes for the festival in late January.
China has not announced any travel restrictions.
Hong Kong authorities said on Saturday that the number of people who have been hospitalised with flu-like symptoms in recent days after travelling to Wuhan had grown to 60, including seven new cases since Friday.
Forty-six of that total, however, have already been discharged. None have yet been diagnosed with the new coronavirus.
City residents worried about the outbreak have rushed to buy face masks from local pharmacies, with many selling out earlier this week, while officials in Taiwan have urged the island's health and welfare ministry to strengthen quarantine controls.


rawstory--2020-01-11--Ukraine demands punishment for Iran plane downing

Ukraine on Saturday demanded that Iran punish those guilty for the downing of a Ukrainian airliner and compensate victims while praising Tehran for cooperating with an “ objective ” investigation .
Ukrainian president Volodomyr Zelensky was due to discuss the incident with his Iranian counterpart President Hassan Rouhani at 5:00 pm local time ( 1500 GMT ) , his press office said .
“ We expect Iran… to bring the guilty to the courts , ” the Ukrainian leader wrote on Facebook , calling also for the “ payment of compensation ” and the return of remains .
Tehran admitted @ @ @ @ @ @ @ International Airlines ( UIA ) plane , killing all 176 people on board on Wednesday , shortly after launching missiles at bases hosting US forces in Iraq .
Tehran has invited the United States , Ukraine , Canada and others to join the crash investigation .
Kiev said that Iran had cooperated with its experts and it expects an objective probe .
Tehran has handed Ukrainian experts enough data including “ all the photos , videos and other materials ” to show the investigation “ will be carried out objectively and promptly , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ The political part of the work is finished , ” it added .
It published photos of experts examining the scene and close-ups of holes in the fuselage and shrapnel damage .
Ukraine said Friday its experts dispatched to Iran had been granted access to the flight ’ s black boxes , debris from the plane , the crash site and to recordings of conversations between the pilot and the airport control tower .
Oleksiy Danilov , the secretary of Ukraine ’ s national security and defence council which is coordinating the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ yet have evidence on where the missile was produced , only that it was “ launched from Iranian soil.
” Zelensky said earlier that Ukraine hoped the inquiry would be pursued “ without deliberate delay and without obstruction.
” He urged “ total access ” for the 45 Ukrainian experts , and in a tweet also sought an “ official apology ” .
UIA vice president Igor Sosnovsky told a news conference in Kiev on Saturday that Tehran should have closed the airport due to the escalation of regional tensions following the US @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Iran said a missile operator shot down the Boeing 737 after mistaking it for a cruise missile at a time when threats were at the highest level .
The majority of passengers on UIA Flight PS752 from Tehran to Kiev were Iranian-Canadian dual nationals but also included Ukrainians , Afghans , Britons and Swedes Many in Kiev have compared the crash to the 2014 downing of Malaysian Airlines MH17 killing 298 people over eastern Ukraine where pro-Russian separatists are fighting government forces .
Moscow has denied the findings of international investigators that a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
“ Iran has shown itself to be more civilised than Russia , ” pro-western Ukraine MP Volodymyr Ariev wrote on Facebook .
“ Tehran has admitted its guilt in three days while Russia continues to try to get out of it .
”

Ukraine on Saturday demanded that Iran punish those guilty for the downing of a Ukrainian airliner and compensate victims while praising Tehran for cooperating with an "objective" investigation. Ukrainian president Volodomyr Zelensky was due to discuss the incident with his Iranian counterpart President Hassan Rouhani at 5:00 pm local time (1500 GMT), his press office said.
"We expect Iran... to bring the guilty to the courts," the Ukrainian leader wrote on Facebook, calling also for the "payment of compensation" and the return of remains.
Tehran admitted Saturday that it accidentally downed the Ukraine International Airlines (UIA) plane, killing all 176 people on board on Wednesday, shortly after launching missiles at bases hosting US forces in Iraq.
Rouhani said Tehran "deeply regrets this disastrous mistake".
Tehran has invited the United States, Ukraine, Canada and others to join the crash investigation.
Kiev said that Iran had cooperated with its experts and it expects an objective probe.
Tehran has handed Ukrainian experts enough data including "all the photos, videos and other materials" to show the investigation "will be carried out objectively and promptly," Zelensky's office said.
"The political part of the work is finished," it added.
It published photos of experts examining the scene and close-ups of holes in the fuselage and shrapnel damage.
Ukraine said Friday its experts dispatched to Iran had been granted access to the flight's black boxes, debris from the plane, the crash site and to recordings of conversations between the pilot and the airport control tower.
Oleksiy Danilov, the secretary of Ukraine's national security and defence council which is coordinating the probe, told AFP Kiev did not yet have evidence on where the missile was produced, only that it was "launched from Iranian soil."
Zelensky said earlier that Ukraine hoped the inquiry would be pursued "without deliberate delay and without obstruction."
He urged "total access" for the 45 Ukrainian experts, and in a tweet also sought an "official apology".
- 'Absolutely irresponsible' -
UIA vice president Igor Sosnovsky told a news conference in Kiev on Saturday that Tehran should have closed the airport due to the escalation of regional tensions following the US assassination of a top Iranian general.
IRNA/AFP/File / Akbar TAVAKOLI UIA vice president Igor Sosnovsky said Iran should have closed the airport IRNA/AFP/File / Akbar TAVAKOLI "It's absolutely irresponsible," Sosnovsky said, accusing Iran of failing to protect ordinary citizens while "playing at war." "They were obliged to close the airport. Obliged! Then shoot as much as you like."
Iran said a missile operator shot down the Boeing 737 after mistaking it for a cruise missile at a time when threats were at the highest level.
The majority of passengers on UIA Flight PS752 from Tehran to Kiev were Iranian-Canadian dual nationals but also included Ukrainians, Afghans, Britons and Swedes
Many in Kiev have compared the crash to the 2014 downing of Malaysian Airlines MH17 killing 298 people over eastern Ukraine where pro-Russian separatists are fighting government forces.
Moscow has denied the findings of international investigators that a Russian BUK misile hit the Malaysian flight.
"Iran has shown itself to be more civilised than Russia," pro-western Ukraine MP Volodymyr Ariev wrote on Facebook.
"Tehran has admitted its guilt in three days while Russia continues to try to get out of it."


rawstory--2020-01-11--Republicans are using their old Iraq tricks to shutdown critics of Trump’s Iran adventure — but this

Republicans are using their old Iraq tricks to shutdown critics of Trump’s Iran adventure — but this time nobody’s buying

To be clear , Republicans tried to use these old demonizing tactics in the wake of Trump ’ s order to assassinate Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani , the second most powerful man in Iran .
On Monday , Trump ’ s former UN ambassador Nikki Haley said , “ The only ones that are mourning the loss of Soleimani are our Democrat leadership , and our Democrat presidential candidates.
” Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina declared that anyone who questioned Trump ’ s obvious lies justifying the killing of Soleimani was “ empowering the enemy.
” Rep. Doug Collins @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in love with terrorists ” and that Democrats “ mourn Soleimani more than they mourn our Gold Star families.
” This is a game conservatives perfected in the Bush years : Bullying liberals with false accusations of being sympathetic to Islamic terrorism , simply for daring to question the bloodthirsty and provocative approach that Republicans prefer .
It ’ s an accusation that never made sense , starting with the fact that the liberal values of secularism , sexual liberation , and feminism that homegrown conservatives hate are also despised by Islamic theocrats @ @ @ @ @ @ @ accusation that doesn ’ t grapple with one main reason that most liberals prescribe a dovish approach : More violence only breeds more terrorism — a theory proved by the way ISIS grew from the ashes of Bush ’ s war in Iraq .
But , during those bad old days , this outrageous lie tended to get traction , and liberals were often on the defensive , trying haplessly to argue that , no , they don ’ t love terrorists .
This time around , however , the tactic … simply @ @ @ @ @ @ @ himself forced to explicitly apologize .
There was absolutely no reason to believe his apology , however , as he ’ s still fundraising off this “ Democrats love terrorists ” sentiment — and was still making this outrageous claim on Fox News only two hours before his supposed apology .
But even the fact that Collins had to pretend to be sorry shows that the current political environment is no longer so friendly to this strategy .
Similarly , Haley is now playing a bizarre game of clean-up , trying to pretend @ @ @ @ @ @ @ obscure definition of the word “ mourning ” to justify saying what she did .
As with Collins , it ’ s utter nonsense , but the fact that she ’ s scrambling demonstrates that casually equating criticism of a president ’ s actions with treason isn ’ t working quite as well as it used to .
The ultimate display of how the McCarthyite tactics conservatives have long used to silence anti-war voices are falling flat might have been that truly epic rant unleashed by Sen. Mike Lee , a Republican from @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Rand Paul of Kentucky , broke ranks with other Republicans to argue that Trump ’ s weak excuses for killing Soleimani and escalating tension with Iran simply weren ’ t good enough .
Lee complained that the Trump administration was using accusations that “ you will be emboldening Iran ” in order to convince senators that “ we need to be good little boys and girls and not debate this in public ” .
He called such pressure tactics “ un-American ” and “ absolutely insane.
” So yeah , when even Republicans @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tactics , it ’ s safe to say things have changed a lot from the days when anyone offering criticism of the Bush administration ’ s warmongering ran the risk of being labeled a “ terrorist sympathizer.
” This shift has two major causes .
First , the Iraq war was such an epic disaster that it casts a pall over any and all tactics that were used to support it .
Second of all , Trump is president and no one in their right mind thinks he had good intentions with this @ @ @ @ @ @ @ experienced a good intention in his life .
On the first part , the big problem facing conservatives rehashing the same tactics they used to defend the Iraq war is their opponents can simply , calmly ask how their methods worked out the last time .
Sure , they were able to accomplish the immediate goal of quashing meaningful debate over the war , but in the end , their critics were proved right and they were proved wrong .
Silencing good faith arguments is bad .
Silencing arguments that later turn out @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , cowardly and tyrannical .
On the second part , it ’ s hard for pro-war people to claim they are defending the nation when it ’ s clear that Trump , the guy who started all this , doesn ’ t give a fig about national security , but cares only about himself .
With Bush , there was at least an argument that he was trying to do the right thing , as ill-conceived as it was .
But with Trump , even the illusion that he has some noble purpose @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a joke .
Common sense alone should tell us this about Trump ’ s character .
But just in case there was any doubt , reporting from this week confirms it : Trump ’ s motive in killing Soleimani wasn ’ t national security , but a belief that it would help him politically .
A report from the Wall Street Journal released Thursday contained this newish nugget of information : “ Mr .
Trump , after the strike , told associates he was under pressure to deal with Gen. Soleimani from GOP @ @ @ @ @ @ @ his coming impeachment trial in the Senate , associates said.
” On Friday , Maggie Haberman , a New York Times reporter who covers the White House , noted that Trump “ actually was surprised [ killing Soleimani ] was not more of a unifying event for the country ” and had hoped he could distract from impeachment by generating the same rally-round-the-flag environment “ along the lines of what you saw around the Iraq War lead-up , ” which successfully silenced criticism of Bush during that time .
This is in line @ @ @ @ @ @ @ House believed “ the attack on Soleimani would be politically popular ” and the fact that , shortly after the killing , the Trump campaign blanketed Facebook with nearly 800 separate ads bragging about the strike .
It also comports with everything we know about Trump ’ s character , that is , as a man who never does anything for any reason outside of self-interest .
All of which means that if you yell “ terrorist sympathizer ” you ’ re actually attacking someone who is questioning the wisdom of nearly starting @ @ @ @ @ @ @ polling boost going into an election year .
Not exactly the most morally compelling of arguments for behavior that was already pretty shady .

To be clear, Republicans tried to use these old demonizing tactics in the wake of Trump's order to assassinate Maj. Gen. Qassem Soleimani, the second most powerful man in Iran.
On Monday, Trump's former UN ambassador Nikki Haley said, "The only ones that are mourning the loss of Soleimani are our Democrat leadership, and our Democrat presidential candidates."
Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina declared that anyone who questioned Trump's obvious lies justifying the killing of Soleimani was "empowering the enemy."
Rep. Doug Collins of Georgia claimed that Democrats "are in love with terrorists" and that Democrats "mourn Soleimani more than they mourn our Gold Star families."
This is a game conservatives perfected in the Bush years: Bullying liberals with false accusations of being sympathetic to Islamic terrorism, simply for daring to question the bloodthirsty and provocative approach that Republicans prefer.
It's an accusation that never made sense, starting with the fact that the liberal values of secularism, sexual liberation, and feminism that homegrown conservatives hate are also despised by Islamic theocrats. But it's also an accusation that doesn't grapple with one main reason that most liberals prescribe a dovish approach: More violence only breeds more terrorism — a theory proved by the way ISIS grew from the ashes of Bush's war in Iraq.
But, during those bad old days, this outrageous lie tended to get traction, and liberals were often on the defensive, trying haplessly to argue that, no, they don't love terrorists.
This time around, however, the tactic ... simply didn't work. Collins found himself forced to explicitly apologize. There was absolutely no reason to believe his apology, however, as he's still fundraising off this "Democrats love terrorists" sentiment — and was still making this outrageous claim on Fox News only two hours before his supposed apology. But even the fact that Collins had to pretend to be sorry shows that the current political environment is no longer so friendly to this strategy.
Similarly, Haley is now playing a bizarre game of clean-up, trying to pretend she was using some other, more obscure definition of the word "mourning" to justify saying what she did. As with Collins, it's utter nonsense, but the fact that she's scrambling demonstrates that casually equating criticism of a president's actions with treason isn't working quite as well as it used to.
The ultimate display of how the McCarthyite tactics conservatives have long used to silence anti-war voices are falling flat might have been that truly epic rant unleashed by Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican from Utah, who, along with Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky, broke ranks with other Republicans to argue that Trump's weak excuses for killing Soleimani and escalating tension with Iran simply weren't good enough.
Lee complained that the Trump administration was using accusations that "you will be emboldening Iran" in order to convince senators that "we need to be good little boys and girls and not debate this in public". He called such pressure tactics "un-American" and "absolutely insane."
So yeah, when even Republicans are bristling under these kind of intimidation tactics, it's safe to say things have changed a lot from the days when anyone offering criticism of the Bush administration's warmongering ran the risk of being labeled a "terrorist sympathizer."
This shift has two major causes. First, the Iraq war was such an epic disaster that it casts a pall over any and all tactics that were used to support it. Second of all, Trump is president and no one in their right mind thinks he had good intentions with this Soleimani killing, since Trump has never experienced a good intention in his life.
On the first part, the big problem facing conservatives rehashing the same tactics they used to defend the Iraq war is their opponents can simply, calmly ask how their methods worked out the last time. Sure, they were able to accomplish the immediate goal of quashing meaningful debate over the war, but in the end, their critics were proved right and they were proved wrong. Silencing good faith arguments is bad. Silencing arguments that later turn out to be correct makes you look foolish, cowardly and tyrannical.
On the second part, it's hard for pro-war people to claim they are defending the nation when it's clear that Trump, the guy who started all this, doesn't give a fig about national security, but cares only about himself. With Bush, there was at least an argument that he was trying to do the right thing, as ill-conceived as it was. But with Trump, even the illusion that he has some noble purpose that his critics could be undermining is a joke.
Common sense alone should tell us this about Trump's character. But just in case there was any doubt, reporting from this week confirms it: Trump's motive in killing Soleimani wasn't national security, but a belief that it would help him politically.
A report from the Wall Street Journal released Thursday contained this newish nugget of information: "Mr. Trump, after the strike, told associates he was under pressure to deal with Gen. Soleimani from GOP senators he views as important supporters in his coming impeachment trial in the Senate, associates said."
On Friday, Maggie Haberman, a New York Times reporter who covers the White House, noted that Trump "actually was surprised [killing Soleimani] was not more of a unifying event for the country" and had hoped he could distract from impeachment by generating the same rally-round-the-flag environment "along the lines of what you saw around the Iraq War lead-up," which successfully silenced criticism of Bush during that time.
This is in line with Washington Post reporting that the White House believed "the attack on Soleimani would be politically popular" and the fact that, shortly after the killing, the Trump campaign blanketed Facebook with nearly 800 separate ads bragging about the strike. It also comports with everything we know about Trump's character, that is, as a man who never does anything for any reason outside of self-interest.
All of which means that if you yell "terrorist sympathizer" you're actually attacking someone who is questioning the wisdom of nearly starting a war in hopes of getting a polling boost going into an election year. Not exactly the most morally compelling of arguments for behavior that was already pretty shady.


rawstory--2020-01-11--Merkel, Putin discuss Middle East flashpoints at Kremlin meeting

German Chancellor Angela Merkel met Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Saturday for talks set to focus on flashpoints in the Middle East .
Merkel and Putin shook hands at the start of the meeting which the German leader said would cover topics including turmoil in Libya and the Syria conflict as well as Ukraine ’ s war with pro-Russian separatists .
“ There is a lot to discuss , ” said Merkel , adding that “ talking with one another is always better than talking about one another.
” Putin thanked the chancellor for visiting and said @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” topics .
The leaders were set to give a press conference afterwards .
Germany and Russia said ahead of the talks that they would cover the confrontation between Washington and Tehran over the US killing of a top Iranian general and turmoil in Libya .
The visit by Merkel was her first to Russia since May 2018 when the leaders met at Putin ’ s Black Sea residence .
Putin visited Syria and Turkey this week and is keen to stress his role as a regional powerbroker .
German Foreign Minister Heiko @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a “ key reason ” for the meeting was the escalating crisis in Libya , where Berlin is acting as a mediator in a conflict he has warned could become a “ second Syria ” .
“ We are involving Europe and those players who are influential there , for that we need Russia , ” Maas told Germany ’ s NTV television .
“ For us , it ’ s not too far to fly to Moscow to discuss that with Putin.
” Merkel is to invite Putin to a Berlin conference @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sources told AFP .
Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for a ceasefire in Libya on Wednesday , although they are seen as supporting opposing sides in the conflict .
While Turkey has sent troops to support the UN-backed Tripoli government , Moscow is accused of backing mercenaries supporting strongman Khalifa Haftar in his fight against the government .
Haftar said he would fight on despite the call for a ceasefire .
The Kremlin has said the talks will also cover the “ escalation of tensions ” in the Middle East @ @ @ @ @ @ @ General Qasem Soleimani in a drone strike close to Baghdad .
Putin warned the killing could “ seriously aggravate the situation in the region ” .
Iran , an ally of Moscow , responded with missile attacks on Iraqi bases housing American troops .
It also accidentally brought down a Ukrainian passenger plane with missiles after mistaking it for a hostile target .
While Germany condemned the tit-for-tat violence and urged Tehran to end a “ spiral ” of conflict , Putin said using force would “ not contribute to finding solutions to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ” .
Tehran has announced a further rollback on its commitment to a 2015 nuclear accord following the United States ’ unilateral withdrawal in 2018 .
Russia and Germany are among world powers still backing the deal .
The Moscow meeting with Merkel also comes after Putin in December took part in talks on the Ukraine conflict in Paris in the “ Normandy format ” hosted by Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron .
This was his first face-to-face meeting with his recently-installed Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky .
The war with Moscow-backed separatists @ @ @ @ @ @ @ annexation of Crimea and has killed more than 13,000 people .
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Vadym Prystaiko tweeted on Friday that he had spoken to Maas about the Ukraine conflict and was “ waiting for news ” to emerge from the talks .

The video begins with a close up of the turtle’s head, its dark green, pebbled skin out of place against the stark-white boat deck. Robinson’s hands approach, moving the pliers toward the turtle’s nostril. The tool clamps down on the edge of something — A barnacle? A worm? — barely visible within the dark tunnel. The creature squirms and dribbles blood as the pulling begins. A long, thin object begins to emerge, inch by excruciating inch.
It was August 10, 2015, and marine conservation biologist Christine Figgener was collecting data for her Ph.D. a few miles off the coast of Guanacaste, Costa Rica. She and a colleague, Nathan Robinson, were researching olive ridley sea turtles when they noticed a male had something encrusted in its nose. The pair decided to try to extract the object. Robinson flipped open his Swiss army knife’s pliers and Figgener grabbed her phone and began to film.
“We had no idea what we were frigging looking at,” Figgener said in a newer, annotated version of the video. It wasn’t until one of the researchers cut off a piece of the object that they realized what it was: a four-inch piece of plastic straw.
“We couldn’t believe that such a mundane object that we really use on a daily basis … that we found it in the turtle’s nose,” she said — “that a tiny object caused so much suffering.”
A volunteer holds plastic straws picked during the World Clean-Up day activity in Kendari, Indonesia. Andry Denisah / SOPA Images / LightRocket via Getty Images A volunteer holds plastic straws picked during the World Clean-Up day activity in Kendari, Indonesia.
When Figgener uploaded the turtle straw video to her YouTube account eight years ago, it went viral. For a few years, plastic straws were the trendy rallying cry for sustainability. In many ways, the campaign was a success story — one that elevated our awareness of single-use plastics to the point where it resulted in actual policy change. But upon reflection, not all the solutions that spun out of the anti-straw movement actually held water. In recent years, many environmental pundits have focused on the movement’s shortcomings.
To many environmentalists fighting plastic pollution, anti-straw advocacy now feels passé — out of touch with the broader need to address all forms of single-use plastic. But the movement’s rise and fall still holds lessons for the activists of today.
From soda bottles to yogurt containers, there is a lot of plastic pollution out there. So how did we end up so obsessed with straws?
The anti-plastic straw movement didn’t actually originate with Figgener’s turtle video. Back in 2011, a 9-year-old named Milo Cress found it odd that the restaurants he would go to with his mom in Burlington, Vermont, would automatically serve drinks with a straw, whether or not their customer wanted one. He approached the owner of Leunig’s Bistro and Café in Burlington, and eventually, Leunig’s became one of the first establishments in the country to ask customers whether they wanted a straw or not.
Milo Cress, founder of the Be Straw Free campaign, photographed in Niwot, Colorado on August 7, 2012. Mark Leffingwell / MediaNews Group / Boulder Daily Camera via Getty Images Milo Cress, founder of the Be Straw Free campaign, photographed in Niwot, Colorado on August 7, 2012.
Eventually, Cress and his mom made some calls to straw manufacturers and estimated that 500 million straws are used and discarded by people in the U.S. every day. The environmental advocacy group Eco-Cycle published Cress’s findings, which in the years since have been cited by nearly every major news media outlet that has covered the plastic straw beat, including CNN, the New York Times, and the Washington Post. (The credibility of that figure has since been questioned, with market research firms determining the figure to be between 170 million and 390 million a day.)
But the turtle video added just the right amount of injury to plastic insult. Figgener’s viral footage helped stir single-use plastic outrage into a frenzy. Celebrities called on their followers to #stopsucking, a social media campaign that aimed to “turn the plastic straw into environment enemy number one.”
Thousands of restaurants joined the pledge and the idea took off, reaching the rare environmental threshold of actual policy change. In 2018, Seattle became the first big city in the United States to ban plastic straws. It was followed shortly by other major municipalities in California, New Jersey, Florida, and other states. That same year, companies including Starbucks and American Airlines jumped on the anti-straw bandwagon, the former announcing it would launch a new “sippy” lid for its cold beverages starting in 2020, allegedly diverting more than 1 billion straws per year.
A flat, plastic lid that does not need a straw is shown on a cup of Starbucks iced tea on July 9, 2018 in Sausalito, California. Justin Sullivan / Getty Images A flat, plastic lid that does not need a straw is shown on a cup of Starbucks iced tea on July 9, 2018 in Sausalito, California.
But for all its success in getting people riled up about plastic pollution, much of that outrage seemed limited to, well, straws, which only make up a small part of the single-use problem. National Geographic calculated that of the 8 million tons of plastic deposited into the world’s oceans each year, only 0.025 percent is comprised of plastic straws.
Some anti-plastic advocates began denouncing the straw bans as “slacktivism,” a type of activism characterized by a lack of commitment or effort. They said the bans gave people an overblown sense that they were making a difference in combating the plastics crisis. For example, anti-straw pledges didn’t seem as concerned with other types of plastic waste or the fossil fuels associated with every part of their life cycle. Even the anti-straw Starbucks sippy lids were actually made from polypropylene, a type of plastic that has a 3 percent recycling rate in the U.S. (The company claimed it was still an improvement, as the new lids could potentially be recycled. Plastic straws are too lightweight and thin to make it through the mechanical recycling sorting process.)
The anti-plastic straw movement also started getting pushback from disability advocates, who pointed out that some people need flexible straws to be able to drink liquids. Paper straws get soggy and fall apart more quickly, reusable straws made of metal are not easy to bend, and silicone straws are difficult to clean.
For the average consumer, functionality is often more important than sustainability, said Leslie Davenport, a climate psychology educator and consultant. “Our brains favor habits because they conserve energy. So if we are going against the current — a BYO straw for example — it’s hard for most people to do so unless highly motivated.”
San Francisco’s Boba Guys tests alternatives to plastic straws made of metal, bamboo, and reusable plastic ahead of a 2018 vote that would ban plastic straws in the city. Carlos Avila Gonzalez/The San Francisco Chronicle via Getty Images San Francisco’s Boba Guys tests alternatives to plastic straws made of metal, bamboo, and reusable plastic ahead of a 2018 vote that would ban plastic straws in the city.
For restaurants that chose to continue to provide disposable straws, there were options beyond paper or plastic. Straws made with natural materials such as sugarcane and wheat are 100 percent biodegradable, but are inflexible and cost more to manufacture. As a result, many businesses looked to straws made from bioplastics — allegedly compostable plastics made from corn, sugarcane, agave, and other nonpetroleum sources. But according to Brandon Leeds, co-founder of SOFi Paper Products, bioplastics require specific disposal and processing methods, many of which aren’t always followed or clearly outlined, in order for them to decompose effectively.
“Many businesses desire to adopt sustainable practices, and when they encounter these plastic-like alternatives, they may mistakenly believe that they can be environmentally conscious without truly moving away from the plastic aesthetic,” Leeds said. “The absence of stricter governmental regulations allows companies to take advantage of greenwashing tactics, making it difficult to differentiate genuinely sustainable options from those that are not.”
Buying into greenwashing, a term that refers to environmental “solutions” whose appeal is based on appearing environmentally friendly rather than actually being so, “can be an unconscious psychological defense in individuals to shield them from the fear and overwhelming [feeling] of climate change,” Davenport said. “There can be an unexamined story of ‘I’m doing my part’ because it is more soothing than feeling out of control with the harmful and terrifying trajectory we are on with climate change.”
A plastic straw and lid is among the trash washed up on a beach in Santa Monica, California. Citizen of the Planet / Education Images / Universal Images Group via Getty Images A plastic straw and lid is among the trash washed up on a beach in Santa Monica, California.
Plastic straw bans are alive and well today, with new proposals still cropping up at the state and city levels. But eliminating plastic straws is no longer the go-to goal of the anti-plastic movement. Part of that is the result of the existing bans’ success: For many consumers, the absence of plastic straws has become normal, even mundane. Now, anti-plastic advocates hope to harness in new ways the outrage they once inspired.
According to Jackie Nuñez, the Plastic Pollution Coalition’s advocacy and engagement manager and the founder of The Last Plastic Straw, the anti-plastic straw movement helped advance awareness and understanding of other single-use products. California, Delaware, Hawaii, Maine, New York, Oregon, and Vermont have all placed some form of ban on plastic bags. The U.S. Interior Department stated that single-use plastic products will be phased out of national parks and around 480 million acres of federal land by 2032. In 2022, the Canadian federal government implemented a single-use plastics ban that included bags, cutlery, food service ware, and stir sticks.
It’s not really the item, it’s the material that’s the problem, Nuñez said. “All plastic is pollution by design.”
Some activists have attempted to call attention to the scourge of single-use plastics by staging ‘plastic attacks,’ in which protesters head to the grocery store and proceed to remove the plastic wrapping from the food in their carts and return the waste to the store.
Shoppers leave excess packaging at the entrance to a Brussels supermarket as part of a “plastic attack” designed to to emphasize the over-usage of plastic in supermarkets. NICOLAS MAETERLINCK / AFP via Getty Images Shoppers leave excess packaging at the entrance to a Brussels supermarket as part of a “plastic attack” designed to to emphasize the over-usage of plastic in supermarkets.
Since they began in 2018, the strategy has gone global. Plastic attacks have been reported in places including in Hong Kong, South Korea, Canada, Peru, and the United States. Some of the biggest demonstrations have drawn hundreds of participants.
The anti-plastic straw movement “triggered a lightbulb moment for a lot of people,” Nuñez said. “It ended up becoming a thing I call a gateway issue.”
Grist is a nonprofit, independent media organization dedicated to telling stories of climate solutions and a just future.