24 Jul 2018

MSNBC host Joe Scarborough coined a nickname Tuesday morning for the open-borders, Russia-crazed, socialist far left — “Woke Nation” — and compared this radical Democratic faction to the populist Tea Party of 2010.

Scarborough confidently predicted Tuesday that “Woke Nation” will propel Democrats to victory — though not necessarily in 2018. The Morning Joe host suggested that during the next presidential election cycle, the Democratic party would be “more pragmatic” than the Republican party in 2012, when establishment pick Mitt Romney failed to oust incumbent Barack Obama.

“2010 Tea Party, Meet 2018 Woke Nation,” Scarborough wrote, sharing a Commentary thinkpiece from Never-Trumper Noah Rothman which argues that progressives are hurting their midterm chances and bolstering Trump’s base because of their efforts to personally destroy anyone associated with him. However, Rothman concludes, Democrats will still likely win a majority in Congress. “A Democratic wave in November will propel to Congress a new cast of liberals who are beholden to ideological rigidity and constituencies that will punish aisle-crossing,” he writes.

Scarborough appeared to express hope that this left-wing hostility will subside in two years so that a “more pragmatic” Democratic party can make Trump a one-term president. “As in 2010, the most energized wing of the party will win in November,” he predicted. “The 2020 Democratic Party will be more pragmatic than the Tea Party and win the White House. Just wait and see.”

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2010 Tea Party, Meet 2018 Woke Nation. As in 2010, the most energized wing of the party will win in November.

The 2020 Democratic Party will be more pragmatic than the Tea Party and win the White House. Just wait and see.

This isn’t the only bold prediction the frequent Trump critic has made this year. In an April op-ed for the Washington Post, Scarborough wrote he does not believe President Trump will seek re-election in 2020, citing a handful of Republican lawmakers reportedly unsure about his future. “Republican politicians seem just as baffled by the reality TV star’s future as they were the day he first launched this publicity stunt gone wildly wrong,” he said.

The former Republican congressman released a single in January inspired by the anti-Trump Woman’s March. The new song, “Stand,” is “dedicated to those who #Resist,” he wrote.

https:// www.breitbart.com/big-journalism/2018/07/24/woke-nation-joe-scarborough-rebrands-the-resistance-as-tea-party-of-2018/

Officials: no risk to national security in Toronto rampage

TORONTO (AP) — Canadian investigators said Tuesday there was no national security risk following the mass shooting that killed two people and wounded 13, as they continued to probe the life of the 29-year-old gunman for clues to what prompted the deadly rampage in a popular Toronto neighborhood.

The assailant, Faisal Hussain, died after an exchange of gunfire with police. His family has said he suffered from lifelong “severe mental health challenges” but they never imagined he would do such a thing. It was not immediately clear whether he took his own life or was killed by police during the attack Sunday night.

“At this stage, based on the state of the investigation, which is led by the Toronto police service, there is no connection between that individual and national security,” Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale said.

The mass shooting in Toronto’s Greektown neighborhood stunned people in a normally safe city, already unsettled by an attack just three months ago when a man used a van to plow over pedestrians on a downtown sidewalk, killing 10 people and injuring 14 in an attack apparently aimed at women.

Hussain’s family issued a statement saying their son had a long history of psychosis and depression and had not responded to numerous treatment approaches, including therapy and medication.

Toronto’s police chief says a 10 year-old girl and an 18-year-old woman were killed in the mass shooting in the city’s Greektown neighborhood. Police chief Mark Saunders said 13 other victims have injuries ranging from minor to serious. (July 23)

“While we did our best to seek help for him throughout his life of struggle and pain, we could never imagine that this would be his devastating and destructive end,” the family said. “Our hearts are in pieces for the victims and for our city as we all come to grips with this terrible tragedy. We will mourn those who were lost for the rest of our lives.”

Investigators searched the low-income apartment that Hussain shared with his parents and siblings on Thorncliffe Park Drive in the eastern part of the city, and removed boxes of potential evidence overnight. An autopsy on Hussain was expected Tuesday.

Where Hussain got his handgun remains unknown.

READ MORE: https:// apnews.com/973174ea78134b738a28622274aeeedd/Officials:-no-risk-to-national-security-in-Toronto-rampage

First lady visits hospital to promote her ‘Be Best’ campaign

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Melania Trump joined in the children’s pastimes of blowing bubbles and playing with trains Tuesday as she promoted her “Be Best” campaign at a hospital and expressed her desire to help educate mothers and children about the dangers of drug misuse and dependency.

The first lady got an in-depth briefing from medical and other professionals at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt on their treatment program for babies born with drug dependency, also known as neonatal abstinence syndrome. The hospital keeps mothers and babies together to improve outcomes.

“My passion is to shine a light on the opioid crisis,” Mrs. Trump told them. “I want to continue to learn and believe in starting early to educate young mothers and children about the dangers of drugs. I believe the more we talk about this, the shame and guilt will go away.”

It was Mrs. Trump’s first domestic trip to publicize “Be Best,” the initiative she launched in May to focus on child well-being, social media use and the opioid crisis. She has promoted “Be Best” in the Washington area and during a recent stop in London, where she accompanied the president.

At the conclusion of the briefing, Mrs. Trump asked how she could use her role to help, said her spokeswoman, Stephanie Grisham.

Melania Trump traveled to Nashville, Tenn. on Tuesday, to promote her “Be Best” campaign. She visited children and their families at a children’s hospital in her first domestic trip to highlight the initiative. (July 24)

“She is impressed by their goal here of keeping mothers and children together,” Grisham said. Reporters traveling with Mrs. Trump were escorted out of the room before the first lady spoke. Grisham later said the professionals wanted privacy to discuss specific patient cases.

Afterward, Mrs. Trump walked over to a playroom, where she hugged Essence Overton, a patient at the hospital, and they compared fingernails.

“Yours are all different colors. I like that,” the first lady told the 4-year-old. She took a seat in a child-sized chair and joined Essence and other child patients playing with the train. She moved to a corner of the room after a few minutes and began blowing bubbles with 18-month-old Elliegh Rasmussen.

Essence became excited when the first lady gave her a pink fleece blanket with the White House seal and asked how the first lady knew that pink was her favorite color, Grisham told reporters, who had left the playroom.

The first lady also spent about 30 minutes in private with the parents of an 8-day-old baby who was born early and will remain in the hospital for several days. She held the baby and listened as the 22-year-old mother talked about using drugs while she was pregnant, and the first lady “gave her words of encouragement,” Grisham said.

https:// apnews.com/ecc8f069c4784ccda9066c3d41f57561/First-lady-visits-hospital-to-promote-her-'Be-Best'-campaign

Michael Avenatti arranged meeting with Cohen’s lawyer to talk about potential settlement: Report

Diana Stancy Correll

33 minutes ago

Michael Avenatti, the lawyer for porn actress Stormy Daniels, contacted a lawyer for President Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen and proposed a meeting to evaluate a potential settlement, a new report says.

Michael Avenatti, the lawyer for porn actress Stormy Daniels, contacted a lawyer for President Trump’s former personal attorney Michael Cohen and proposed a meeting to evaluate a potential settlement, a new report says.

According to Cohen’s lawyer Brent Blakely, Avenatti reached out to Blakely and requested that they meet this week in New York to talk about a possible settlement, CNN reports.

Daniels has been embroiled in a legal battle with Trump over an alleged extramarital affair. Cohen paid her $130,000 in exchange for her silence on the affair, but she filed a lawsuit earlier this year claiming the nondisclosure agreement she signed should be nullified because Trump didn’t sign it.

It was previously reported that Cohen and Avenatti ran into each other in Manhattan and Avenatti offered to work together and hash out an agreement, although CNN reports that Avenatti claims that description is a “complete fabrication.”

Blakely contacted Avenatti following the interaction, which prompted the men to arrange a meeting.

"Upon learning of Mr. Avenatti's discussion with Mr. Cohen last week, I called Mr. Avenatti and asked that he direct any future communications regarding the Clifford litigation to my office, and not to my client. Mr. Avenatti agreed to do this and then requested that we have an in-person meeting in New York to discuss settlement," Blakely said, per CNN.

"Our discussions were cordial and professional, and we agreed that it would be a good idea to discuss the possible resolution of the dispute," he added. "While we did take steps to schedule a meeting, it never occurred."

Blakely also said that he is “always open to discussing settlement.”

But Avenatti claimed that Blakely’s characterization was “not entirely accurate.”

“Brent Blakely is dishonest," Avenatti said, according to CNN. "I'm not going to get into the details of all of the lies told by Michael Cohen and his lawyers."

Blakely said he pulled the plug on the meeting because of Avenatti’s comments on ABC News’ “This Week” on Sunday, where Avenatti predicted that Cohen would “tell the truth” and hinted that Cohen may “cooperate” with him.

“I think he’s going to tell the truth, and ultimately I think he’s going to cooperate with us as it relates to our search for the truth," Avenatti said.

But Blakely denied that he and Cohen were interested in “cooperating.”

"Neither myself or Mr. Cohen have provided any information to Mr. Avenatti, are in any way cooperating with Mr. Avenatti, or have any interest whatsoever in cooperating with Mr. Avenatti to the detriment of President Donald Trump,” Blakely said. “Mr. Cohen's legal matters will not be tried in the court of public opinion, but in a court of law."

https:// www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/michael-avenatti-arranged-meeting-with-cohens-lawyer-to-talk-about-potential-settlement-report

Turkey vows to keep buying Iranian oil: 'We will not obey'

by Joel Gehrke

| July 24, 2018 07:32 PM

Turkey plans to keep purchasing Iranian oil in defiance of American sanctions on the rogue regime, according to the NATO ally’s top diplomat.

“We buy oil from Iran and we purchase it in proper conditions,” Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said Tuesday. “What is the other option?”

Cavusoglu’s comments raise the specter of yet another clash between the U.S. and Turkey, which is also in the final stages of an arms deal with Russia that could trigger American sanctions. Turkish officials, in both cases, have dismissed the U.S.' threat of sanctions to constrain the choices of other countries.

“While we are explaining why we will not obey these sanctions, we have also expressed that we do not find these U.S. sanctions appropriate,” Cavusoglu said Tuesday.

The Trump administration hopes to isolate Iran and deprive the regime of access to international sources of revenue that might be used to finance a nuclear weapons program or regional aggression by the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps and the regime’s terrorist proxies.

"Any time sanctions are put in place, countries have to give up economic activity,” Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in May. “So the Americans have given up economic activity now for an awfully long time, and I’ll concede there are American companies who would love to do business with the Islamic Republic of Iran … But everyone is going to have to participate in this. Every country is going to have to understand that we cannot continue to create wealth for Qasem Soleimani.”

Turkey has pledged to consummate an agreement to purchase Russian S-400 anti-aircraft defenses, despite strong pushback from NATO allies and U.S. sanctions on the Russian defense industry.

But as Cavosoglu takes a hard line on the oil sanctions, Tupras, Turkey’s biggest oil importer, is cutting back on deals with Iran without eliminating the sales entirely.

“During the sanctions scheme of 2011 by the U.S., Tupras was able to purchase three to four cargoes of Iranian crude a month,” a source told Hurriyet Daily News. “I believe they would want to be able to stick to that this time as well instead of completely stopping. This crude needs to be bought by someone as otherwise it will send the price shooting up, which nobody wants.”

That reduction might render Turkey eligible for a rare waiver from the sanctions. “We are prepared to work with countries that are reducing their imports on a case-by-case basis,” Brian Hook, the State Department director of policy planning, told reporters in early July. “But as with our other sanctions, we are not looking to grant waivers or licenses.”

Still, Cavusoglu’s rhetoric is emblematic of the disagreements that have hampered U.S.-Turkey cooperation in the region of late.

“We need [Turkey’s] behavior to reflect the objectives of NATO, and that’s what we’re diligently working to do: to get them to rejoin NATO, in a way, with their actions, consistent with what we’re trying to achieve in NATO,” Pompeo said during a May congressional hearing. “And not take actions that undermine its efforts.”

https:// www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/defense-national-security/turkey-vows-to-keep-buying-iranian-oil-we-will-not-obey

Facebook looks to set up innovation hub in China to break into Chinese market after 10-year stall

by Katelyn Caralle

| July 24, 2018 05:09 PM

Facebook registered and said it was approved for a subsidiary in Hangzhou, China, last Wednesday, which could award the social media site temporary official status in the country after a decade of being blocked.

However, on Tuesday the corporate registration was taken down from the Chinese government website and references to the subsidiary seemed to be censored on social media sites in China, according to the New York Times.

Facebook and its associated apps Instagram and WhatsApp are all blocked in China, as are most Western social media platforms and all Google services. Facebook had said it would use its new Chinese subsidiary to coordinate with Chinese developers in a market that is closely censored.

“We are interested in setting up an innovation hub in Zhejiang to support Chinese developers, innovators and start-ups,” Facebook spokeswoman Debbie Frost said. “We have done this in several parts of the world — France, Brazil, India, Korea — and our efforts would be focused on training and workshops that help these developers and entrepreneurs to innovate and grow.”

Last week Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg told Recode that the social media company was “a long time away from doing anything” with China.

“We need to figure out a solution that is in line with our principles and what we want to do, and in line with the laws there, or else it’s not going to happen,” Zuckerberg said. “Right now, there isn’t an intersection.”

The Times notes that the Chinese Communist Party views social networks that it does not control as potentially destabilizing.

https:// www.washingtonexaminer.com/policy/technology/facebook-looks-to-set-up-innovation-hub-in-china-to-break-into-chinese-market-after-10-year-stall

Corrupt Republican Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr Defending FISA Application, Trying to Hide SSCI Involvement in FISA “Spygate”…

Posted on July 24, 2018 by sundance

The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence (SSCI) is the same committee that Michael Caputo told: “God damn you to hell“, and with very good reason. The entire committee is corrupt from top to bottom; especially Chairman Richard Burr and member Marco Rubio.

The latest evidence therein comes from Chairman Burr defending the insufferably corrupt FISA application that was used against U.S. person Carter Page:

(Via CNN) […] “I don’t think I ever expressed that I thought the FISA application came up short,” Burr said when asked about House Republican memo alleging FBI and Justice Department abuses of the FISA process. “There (were) sound reasons as to why judges issued the FISA.”

Burr’s comments once again put him at odds with House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, who spearheaded the memo on FISA abuses. (read more)

The motives for Burr’s duplicity here are obvious. The entire apparatus of the media has avoided the explosive revelation of the unredacted FISA application being delivered to the committee on March 17, 2017, because the consequences from admitting the truth are catastrophic to the ongoing narrative.

The committee requested and received the FISA application on March 17th, 2017. [Full Backstory Here] On the same day, the indicted Security Staffer for the committee, James Wolfe, leaked the 82 page application in a series of 82 photographic text messages (one picture per page) to his concubine reporter, Ali Watkins.

Note: why would Wolfe take pictures of fully redacted pages? He wouldn’t. That implies it is likely this March 17th, 2017, copy was not heavily redacted, if at all.

What everyone seems to overlook, is how easily the intelligence apparatus handed over the FISA application on March 17th, 2017; yet, the House Judiciary Committee (Nunes), House Intelligence Committee (Goodlatte) and Senate Judiciary Committee (Grassley), had to demand and threaten to sue the DOJ in December, January and February 2018 to see it.

Why the difference in compliance?

My ongoing suspicion is that someone within the IC, likely ODNI Dan Coats and NSA Director Admiral Mike Rogers, knew the Senate Intelligence Committee was fully compromised; and they used the March 17, 2017, copy production as bait in their successful leak hunt. [Ultimately culminating in the indictment of Wolfe]

I have no doubt the March 17th, 2017, produced copy has an intentionally changed date of the FISA application.

The date on the original FISC copy is October 21st, 2016. That is when it was approved by Judge Rosemary Collyer. That is the correct date. However, the Washington Post first reported on the FISA application, from leaked sources, with an origination date of October 19th, 2017.

I will bet you a donut the March 17th copy of the FISA application has October 19th, 2016, as the leak tracer within it.

https:// theconservativetreehouse.com/2018/07/24/corrupt-republican-senate-intelligence-committee-chairman-richard-burr-defending-fisa-application-trying-to-hide-ssci-involvement-in-fisa-spygate/#more-152160