SYRIA UPDATE

President al-Assad: Food security a key factor of Syria’s independent decision

President Bashar al-Assad affirmed that food security ensured by the agricultural sector is one of the key factors that consolidated Syria’s independent decision over the past decades. Therefore, one of the primary goals of terrorists was to cut off roads to block the transfer of agricultural cops in service of foreign plots. The delegation members congratulated the Syrian leadership and people on the imminent victory against terrorism, hailing the Syrian people as productive whose self-sufficiency in the agricultural field was of the factors of their steadfastness in the war that targeted the basics of their lives.

https://sana.sy/en/?p=151176

More displaced Syrians head back to Syria coming from Lebanon

New batches of displaced Syrians, who are coming from Lebanon, arrived in the Syrian territories on Thursday morning via the crossings of al-Dabbousyia, al-Zamrani and Jdeidet Yabous. They expressed happiness for returning to the homeland, thanking the bodies concerned in Lebanon and Syria which have worked on providing all the required facilitations to them.

https://sana.sy/en/?p=151119

23 civilians killed in US-led coalition airstrikes on Deir Ezzor countryside

Local sources told SANA that the int’l coalition warplanes launched several airstrikes against residential neighborhoods in al-Boubadran and al-Sousa villages in the eastern countryside of Deir Ezzor, claiming the lives of 23 civilians and the destruction of residential houses in the villages. Yesterday, the int’l coalition targeted Hajin city and al-Sha’afa village with cluster bombs causing the martyrdom of a number of citizens and the injury of many others in addition to inflicting huge material damage to residents’ houses and properties.

https://sana.sy/en/?p=151202

Idlib De-Escalation Agreement Is Shrinking Amid New Violations

In details, two units of Jaysh al-Izza and another unnamed radical group attempted to sneak from their positions in the towns of al-Lataminah and al-Zakat towards military positions in the government-held part of the northern Hama countryside. However, the SAA detected both units and targeted them. “Accurate shelling forced the terrorist infiltrators to run away towards their hideouts and positions in the outskirt of the demilitarized zone and many of them were killed and injured,” the SANA’s reporter in Hama said. Militants in the northern Hama countryside violate the deconfliction agreement on a daily basis. A Syrian source had warned that these repeated violations may eventually force the SAA and its allies to launch a military operation in the region.

https://southfront.org/idlib-de-escalation-agreement-shrinking-amid-new-violations/

U.S. Envoy To Syria Exposes Assad’s Evil Plan To Create ISIS And Provoke U.S. Military Intervention

We also think that you cannot have an enduring defeat of ISIS until you have fundamental change in the Syrian regime and fundamental change in Iran’s role in Syria, which contributed greatly to the rise of ISIS in the first place in 2013, 2014,” Jeffery said during a press briefing.

The Syrian regime produced ISIS. The elements of ISIS in the hundreds, probably, saw an opportunity in the total breakdown of civil society and of the upsurge of violence as the population rose up against the Assad regime, and the Assad regime, rather than try to negotiate or try to find any kind of solution, unleashed massive violence against its own population,” Jeffery said.

“We’re not about regime change. We’re about a change in the behavior of a government and of a state,” Jeffery said answering a question about the U.S. stand on regime change in the war torn country.

NOTE: We know this is a bald face lie, sad that this continues

https://southfront.org/u-s-envoy-to-syria-exposes-assads-evil-plan-to-create-isis-and-provoke-us-military-intervention/

Bad Weather Forces Syrian Army To Put On Pause Anti-ISIS Operation In Al-Safa

“Clashes stopped in the area of al-Safa today, Wednesday 14-11-2018, and yesterday, Tuesday, after the formation of several streams and swamps as a result of heavy rain … military operation is limited to some artillery strikes now and then,” al-Suwayda 24 reporter around al-Safa said.

https://southfront.org/bad-weather-forces-syrian-army-to-put-on-pause-anti-isis-operation-in-al-safa/

NC State Rolls Out PhD In "Social Justice Education"

North Carolina State University announced a Ph.D. in social justice education on Monday.

The program, which will debut in fall 2019, aims to teach educators, or "scholar-activists," about social justice and how they can bring about change in the classroom setting, according to an NC State news release.

“The goal of the program is to help educators recognize and disrupt systems of oppression by helping to foster and create equitable learning environments,” Jessica DeCuir-Gunby, a professor of educational psychology and director of graduate programs for the Teacher Education and Learning Sciences Department, said in the news release.

Faculty will come from various research areas, such as “social justice teacher education, multicultural education and literacy, education and immigration and diversity and equity in schools and communities,” according to the Ph.D. program’s webpage. The program also claimed it would focus on “equity in STEM” and “scholar activism.”

“This program area of study promotes social diversity while naming, interrogating and challenging oppression, exploitation and marginalization within education at the local, state, national and international levels,” the website states.

Courses that are required to attain the Ph.D. in social justice education include “Social Justice in Education,” “Diversity & Equity Scholar Leader Course,” and more.

NCSU College Republicans chairman Kye Laughter told Campus Reform he views this new Ph.D. program as a way to push social justice on future students.

“I think any person pursuing a degree or a Ph.D. in social justice already has an agenda in mind and this field will only allow bias to grow not only among those in academia but for those being taught this dangerous ideology,” Laughter said.

The chairman also suggested that the program shows that the university has a double standard, contending that a Ph.D. in a conservative thought field would never be created.

“Our university should not be afraid of discussing different ideas, but I am doubtful we will see any Ph.D. programs in conservative ideologies anytime soon, as academia has been infested with liberalism,” Laughter said, while noting that the university excels in fields like agriculture, engineering, and architecture.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-11-15/nc-state-rolls-out-phd-social-justice-education

Report: Florida Democrats Urged Voters to Submit Absentee Ballots After Election Day Using Altered Forms

Florida Democrats urged voters to submit absentee ballots after Election Day, using an official form that had been altered to make it look like they were doing so within the legal deadline, hoping a judge would later allow the votes.

That attempt to add Democratic votes, which critics say is possible election fraud, was reported Thursday morning by Ana Ceballos of the Naples Daily News, who notes the scheme has already been reported to federal prosecutors.

Ceballos reported:

A day after Florida’s election left top state races too close to call, a Democratic party leader directed staffers and volunteers to share altered election forms with voters to fix signature problems on absentee ballots after the state’s deadline.

The altered forms surfaced in Broward, Santa Rosa, Citrus and Okaloosa counties and were reported to federal prosecutors to review for possible election fraud as Florida counties complete a required recount in three top races.

But an email obtained by the USA TODAY NETWORK-Florida shows that Florida Democrats were organizing a broader statewide effort beyond those counties to give voters the altered forms to fix improper absentee ballots after the Nov. 5 deadline. Democratic party leaders provided staffers with copies of a form, known as a “cure affidavit,” that had been modified to include an inaccurate Nov. 8 deadline.

One Palm Beach Democrat said in an interview the idea was to have voters fix and submit as many absentee ballots as possible with the altered forms in hopes of later including them in vote totals if a judge ruled such ballots were allowed.

Election Day was November 6.

A decision Thursday by federal judge Mark Walker, a Barack Obama appointee, will allow voters to correct mismatched signatures on mailed-in and provisional ballots until Saturday. Republicans have appealed.

Republicans are already crying foul over Democrats’ efforts to overturn GOP victories in the races for governor and U.S. Senate by suing local election authorities to include votes that were improperly cast (or not cast).

Election officials in Broward County and Palm Beach County failed to comply with state laws and court orders regarding the counting and reporting of outstanding ballots, leading to speculation about efforts to tamper with the results.

Democrats have countered by claiming that Republicans do not want every vote to be counted.

https://www.breitbart.com/politics/2018/11/15/report-florida-democrats-urged-voters-to-submit-absentee-ballots-after-election-day-using-altered-forms/

College office cancels ‘The Vagina Monologues’ because, well, ‘not all women have vaginas’

The Women’s Resource Center at Eastern Michigan University no longer will host “The Vagina Monologues” because the play lacks diversity and inclusion, focuses on cisgender women, and excludes transgenders, MLive reported.

‘Not all women have vaginas’?

The center’s decision came on the heels of a survey launched after conversations with current students, as well as feedback from a WRC workshop titled, “Not all women have vaginas,” during the 2017-18 academic year, the outlet said.

“We feel that making this decision is in line with the WRC mission of recognizing and celebrating the diverse representations of women on campus along with the overall mission of the Department of Diversity and Community Involvement, in which the WRC is housed, of supporting and empowering minoritized students and challenging systems and structures that perpetuate inequities,” the WRC told MLive in an email. “We truly believe that it is important to center our minoritized students and this decision is in line with this mission driven value.”

The center’s email added that “many of the same people” favoring the production believe it should be modified or accompanied by workshops that address the diversity and inclusion the play lacks, the outlet said.

But alas, copyright law prohibits changing the script of Eve Ensler’s iconic feminist play, MLive said, which features first-person narratives of women discussing their vaginas.

Is this an uncommon occurrence?

Turns out EMU isn’t the first college to take a new look at “The Vagina Monologues.”

More from the outlet:

American University’s Women’s Initiative chose to change the event to the “Breaking Ground Monologues” in an effort to “broaden the focus from specifically female genitalia to multiple identities and bodies.”

In 2015, a student group at Mount Holyoke College decided to cancel its annual performance of production, saying the play excludes the experiences of transgender women who don’t have a vagina.

Here’s a clip on the origins of “The Vagina Monologues,” which features a long list of all different kinds of women who talked about their genitalia — and sure enough, transgenders are left out:

https://www.theblaze.com/news/2018/11/15/college-office-cancels-the-vagina-monologues-because-well-not-all-women-have-vaginas

Trump-Appointed Judge Upholds Mueller Indictment Against Concord Management in Junk Russian Bot Case

Dabney Friedrich, a Trump-appointed federal judge upheld Mueller’s indictment against Concord Management on Thursday.

Concord Management and Consulting Co., a Russian company accused of operating a “troll farm” to interfere in the 2016 presidential election pleaded not guilty and filed a motion to dismiss Mueller’s indictment; the judge sided with Mueller on Thursday.

CNN reported:

A federal judge on Thursday upheld a federal indictment against the Russian troll farm accused of meddling in the 2016 election, handing a victory to special counsel Robert Mueller.

In a 32-page opinion, Judge Dabney Friedrich rejected efforts by Concord Management and Consulting to dismiss the indictment, which accused the Russian company of conspiring to defraud the US government. Mueller’s team says the company was involved in a well-funded “troll farm” that pumped out political propaganda to millions of Americans throughout the 2016 presidential campaign

Last month, Judge Dabney Friedrich was having serious doubts about the ‘conspiracy against the U.S.’ charges against Concord Management brought forth by the Special Counsel.

In a court order filed in October, the judge said Concord Management’s conduct was not in violation of the law.

But today she sided with Mueller.

Mueller’s team was not expecting Concord Management to show up to court.

The indictment of Concord Management was a publicity stunt to justify Mueller’s salary and witch hunt.

Concord Management has put up a fight in court, often mocking Mueller’s team and previously accused them of ‘indicting a ham sandwich.’

https://www.docdroid.net/6Kr27PV/concord-nov-15-memo.pdf

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/11/trump-appointed-judge-upholds-mueller-indictment-against-concord-management-in-junk-russian-bot-case/

Not what Mueller wanted, discovery will be bad for him

Seattle City Council Candidate Drops From Race Following Vile Racist Threats from the Far Left to His Wife and Children

Following the tradition of threats of violence and harassment toward those whom they disagree with, far left activists in Seattle have forced a city council candidate to drop out of the race, just three weeks into his campaign.

Christopher Rufo promised to challenge the status quo in Seattle, which has become a beacon of misery. The city experiencing an epidemic of homelessness, skyrocketing housing costs, tons of new taxes, and rising crime rates. So Rufo filed to run for city council for the 2019 elections. Cue the leftist crybullies, who began to threaten Rufo, along with his wife and family.

My Northwest reports:

Seattle City Council members have been focused on making a national presence for themselves instead of actually governing the city and focusing on what the city needs. You’ve got tent cities decorating what was once the Emerald City. You’ve got people who haven’t been to Seattle for awhile commenting on how unpleasant it is, how violent it is, how aggressive it is, and how ugly it is.

So we’ve got a new crop of candidates saying that this is a failure of government, and promising to give people an alternative to the socialist viewpoints and programs of Seattle politicians.

Here’s the problem with wanting to stop the ideological divide in Seattle — anybody who gives a hint of being tolerant toward a conservative base is instantly frowned upon in some circles in this city. In fact, when Rufo first made the announcement that he was running, someone on Facebook commented that he seemed like a nice guy, but had been at an event in town thrown by a conservative group, which automatically made him suspicious. Does attendance at a conservative event now disqualify you? What if you attended an event of a conservative you disagreed with just to hear what they had to say?

But anyway, Christopher Rufo said that he wanted a new way of doing business, a new method — and now he’s already out. On Wednesday, he sent an email out to members of his campaign saying that he’s got to leave. It’s not because he wants to leave; it’s because of the “tolerant” atmosphere in Seattle.

Rufo released a statement to his supporters:

“I had hoped that this would be a campaign of ideas, but I quickly discovered that the activists in this city have no interest in ideas. Since the campaign launch, they have harassed and threatened my family nonstop. I was prepared to take the heat, but unfortunately, they have focused their hatred on my wife and children. They’ve made vile racist attacks against my wife, attempted to get her fired from Microsoft, and threatened sexual violence. They have even posted hateful messages to my 8-year-old son’s school Facebook page. I know that as the race progresses, the activists will ratchet up their hate-machine and these attacks will intensify significantly.”

Antifa supporting The Stranger adds:

A documentary filmmaker who has worked for PBS, Rufo had recently announced his candidacy for Seattle City Council’s 6th District, currently held by Mike O’Brien, and while the election was many months away, he’d already gotten some constituent interest and media attention.

“I started getting dozens and then hundreds of messages from people saying, ‘This is exciting. What are you doing? What’s your platform? What do you want to see change?'” Rufo said. “A business owner just messaged me and said ‘We’re getting hammered because of how we’re handling homelessness.’ Someone reached out and said, ‘Someone came at me with an axe in the middle of Ballard yesterday.’ Victims of violent crimes have said, ‘What can we do? We feel like we don’t have a voice. No one cares about us.'”

Rufo hoped to be that voice. When I asked what he would do differently that the current city council, he offered to send me his white paper on effective ways to combat homelessness. Socially liberal and fiscally conservative, Rufo calls himself a centrist, and if elected to city council, he hopes to counter what he called the “activist class.”

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/11/seattle-city-council-candidate-drops-from-race-following-vile-racist-threats-from-the-far-left-to-his-wife-and-children/

Best headline of the day!

US State Department On Acid: Claims ISIS Was Created to 'Protect People' From Assad

http://12160.info/profiles/blogs/us-state-department-on-acid-claims-isis-was-created-to-protect?xg_source=activity

Five Saudis Face Death Penalty Over Khashoggi Killing; Crown Prince Cleared

Saudi Arabia public prosecutor Sheikh Shaalan al-Shaalan said on Thursday that the kingdom will seek the death penalty for five suspects among the 11 charged in the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, confirming suspicions that members of the murder squad purportedly sent to "interrogate" Khashoggi will now themselves face beheadings as the Saudi Royal Family closes ranks around the Crown Prince, per the FT.

As for Mohammed bin Salman who runs the day to day affairs of the world’s top oil exporter and is the de facto head of OPEC, the prosecutor said had "no knowledge" of the mission, effectively absolving him of any domestic suspicion, if not international.

The charges were handed down after the kingdom dismissed five senior intelligence officers and arrested 18 Saudi nationals in connection with Khashoggi's disappearance. The Saudi insider-turned-dissident journalist disappeared on Oct. 2 after entering the Saudi Arabian consulate in Istanbul to pick up documents that would have allowed him to marry his fiance. Khashoggi was a legal resident of Virginia.

According to the Saudi prosecutor, five people charged are believed to have been involved in "ordering and executing the crime," according to CNN.

The prosecutor said that the former Saudi deputy intelligence chief, Ahmed al-Assiri, ordered a mission to force Khashoggi to go back to Saudi Arabia and formed a team of 15 people.

They were divided into three groups, the Saudi Public Prosecutor said: a negotiation team, an intelligence team and a logistical team.

It was the head of the negotiating team who ordered the killing of Khashoggi, the prosecutor said.

The Saudis stuck by latest (ever changing) narrative that the Washington Post columnist was killed after a mission to abduct him went awry. The deputy chief of intelligence ordered that Khashoggi be brought back to the kingdom, Shaalan said. The team killed him after the talks failed and his body was handed to a "collaborator" in Turkey, he said.

Asked whether Saud al-Qahtanti, an aide to Prince Mohammed, had any role in the case, Shaalan said that a royal adviser had a coordinating role and had provided information. The former adviser was now under investigation, the prosecutor said, declining to reveal the names of any of those facing charges.

Al-Shaalan did reveal that a total of 21 suspects are now being held in connection with the case. Notably, the decision to charge the 5 comes after National Security Advisor John Bolton repudiated reports that a recording of Khashoggi's murder made by Turkish authorities suggested that Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman was behind the murder plot.

But as long as OPEC+ is planning to do "whatever it takes" to boost oil prices, the US's willingness to give the Saudis a pass could always be tested if crude prices again turn sharply higher.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-11-15/5-saudis-face-death-penalty-over-khashoggi-killing

>>3915710

No proof of death at all from anyone, just the dodgy Turkish audio recording

Man Accused of Sending Pipe Bombs to Trump Critics Pleads Not Guilty - Reports

he Florida man accused of sending pipe bombs to critics of President Donald Trump pleaded not guilty to all charges against him during a court appearance on Thursday, NBC News reported.

Cesar Sayoc appeared in a New York courtroom for arraignment on Thursday where he pleaded not guilty, NBC News New York reported. The media specified that Sayoc's trial is expected to start next summer.

The 56-year-old faces 30 charges, including using weapons of mass destruction, interstate mailing of explosives and use of destructive devices during crimes of violence.

Sayoc is accused of sending explosive devices to current and former Democratic officials, including Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, as well as high-profile Democratic donors and CNN.

https://sputniknews.com/us/201811151069847234-pipe-bombs-sayoc-court/

>>3915616 Seattle City Council Candidate Drops From Race Following Vile Racist Threats from the Far Left

>>3915740

I know it's only a council man but I think it needs to be noted as it highlights the lefts violence strategy to go after women and children

EU Recalls Ambassador From Tanzania Due to 'Pressure' by Local Gov't - EU Chief

The European Union recalled its ambassador from Tanzania for consultations, accusing the authorities of this country of putting pressure on the diplomat, EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini said on Thursday.

"The Tanzanian authorities have consistently increased their pressure on the EU Ambassador. This eventually led to his forced departure and recall for consultations. This unprecedented attitude is not in line with the long-established tradition of bilateral dialogue and consultation between the two parties, which the EU deeply regrets. The EU calls on Tanzanian authorities to refrain from exerting undue pressure and limitations on diplomatic missions," Mogherini was quoted as saying in the statement.

Due to this situation, Brussels decided to conduct a comprehensive review of the bloc's policy toward Tanzania, and the political dialogue with the country will be resumed only after this work is completed, the EU top diplomat stressed.

Late last month, the chairman of the Dar Es Salaam Regional Chamber at the Tanzania Chamber of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture, Francis Lukwaro, said that Tanzania expected the implementation of the African Continental Free Trade Area agreement to provide a strong boost to the national economy and promote the growth of incomes.

Tanzania is one of Africa's fastest growing economies and has managed to sustain relatively high economic growth over the last decade — some 6-7 percent per year — and significantly improve social indicators.

https://sputniknews.com/africa/201811151069846923-eu-ambassador-tanzania/

Obama-Appointed Florida Judge Sides With Democrats on Fixing Ballot Signatures

Here we go.

Obama-appointed federal judge Mark Walker sided with Democrats Thursday morning on fixing ballot signatures.

Judge Mark Walker, who was appointed by Barack Obama in 2012, sided with Democrat Senator Bill Nelson’s campaign on Thursday morning and gave voters until 5 PM Saturday to ‘fix ballots’ that were initially rejected due to mismatched signatures.

CBS Miami reported:

Siding with U.S. Sen. Bill Nelson’s campaign and national Democrats, a federal judge early Thursday gave voters until 5 p.m. Saturday to fix ballots that were rejected because of mismatched signatures.

U.S. District Judge Mark Walker’s ruling came hours before a 3 p.m. Thursday deadline for a machine recount to be completed in the U.S. Senate race between Nelson and Republican Gov. Rick Scott, whose 56,000-vote election-night lead had dwindled to fewer than 13,000 votes when the recount was ordered.

The lawsuit focuses on part of Florida law that requires signatures on mail-in and provisional ballots to match signatures on file with elections offices. Voters whose ballots are delivered by 5 p.m. the day before an election have the opportunity to “cure” signature mismatches. But people whose mail-in ballots are received after that, or voters who cast provisional ballots on Election Day, do not.

“The precise issue in this case is whether Florida’s law that allows county election officials to reject vote-by-mail and provisional ballots for mismatched signatures — with no standards, an illusory process to cure, and no process to challenge the rejection — passes constitutional muster. The answer is simple. It does not,” Walker wrote in a 34-page order.

Democrat lawyers descended on Florida last week to steal the election from Republicans.

Perkins Coie and Hillary Clinton are leading the charge in Florida.

Federal prosecutors in Florida have already discovered altered election documents on the forms used to fix the vote-by-mail ballots.

Mismatched signatures, altered dates on “cure affidavits” and provisional ballots are all being used by the Democrats in their recount efforts.

It is a violation of state law to count ballots with irregularities such as mismatched signatures however; Senator Marco Rubio (R-FL) reported Tuesday evening that Democrat lawyers are actually arguing to change Florida laws to steal the elections.

“Florida law requires that the voter signatures on mail ballots match the signature of the voter, but Dem lawyers are asking a judge to throw that law out & force Florida to count ballots with signatures that don’t match the voter signature on file,” Senator Rubio explained.

The Florida election will now be decided by Democrat lawyers and an Obama-appointed judge just like Senator Rubio warned. Let that sink in.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/11/obama-appointed-florida-judge-sides-with-democrats-on-fixing-ballot-signatures/

PRAY for:

PATRIOTS

LOVED ONES

THE FUTURE YOU WANT

PROJECT GREATNESS

KILL SEEDS OF NEGATIVE THOUGHT

VICTORY IS OURS

WWG1WGA

GODSPEED!

WATCH: Mexican Protesters Tell Caravan Migrants to Go Home

Mexican citizens began protesting the migrant caravan arriving in Tijuana as they attempt to claim asylum in California. The protests turned violent–leading law enforcement to separate the migrants from the demonstrators.

This week, hundreds of migrants from a caravan originally starting off in Honduras last month, began arriving to Tijuana as part of the final leg of their journey to reach the U.S. border and claim asylum. Residents in Tijuana began protesting their arrival by by demanding they leave and shouted “Mexico First,” the online news outlet Victor Cancino News reported.

https://www.breitbart.com/border/2018/11/15/watch-mexican-protesters-tell-caravan-migrants-to-go-home/

WTF???

Fox’s Varney kills extremely bizarre interview with Elon Musk’s brother, apologizes to viewers

The following interview might be what some people would consider a “train wreck.”

Elon Musk’s brother, Kimbal Musk, was featured on Fox Business’ “Varney & Co.” on Thursday, where he made a very impressionable appearance.

After nearly three painful minutes, Stuart Varney cut off the interview and apologized to viewers for the strange interaction.

What are the details?

The interview was bizarre from the outset. Varney welcomed Kimbal Musk, who sits on Tesla’s company board, to the show.

“Hi, and thank you for having me here,” Kimbal said. “I’m so excited about Plant A Seed Day.”

Varney smiled and went on to ask Kimbal about Tesla’s new chairman, Robyn Denholm.

“You are on the board at Tesla,” Varney said. “And you’ve got a new chair. Have you heard anything from her? Is she laying down the law?”

Kimbal responded, “I am so happy for the future of Tesla. On March 20, 2019, we’re going to do a Plant a Seed Day—”

Varney cut Kimbal off and protested: “Come on! You are on the board of Tesla — which is very much in the news. You’ve got a new chair to replace your brother, Elon Musk. You’ve got to tell me: Is she laying down the law? Have you had contact with her? What’s she saying? What’s she doing on the board?”

Kimbal was eager to respond — but not necessarily with what Varney expected.

“I am very happy about the future of Tesla,” Kimbal repeated. “Let me tell you about a story—”

Varney interrupted once more, becoming increasingly irritated by Kimbal’s deflection.

“I want to know what’s going on at Tesla with the new board chair, and you are on the board,” Varney said. “Can you answer the question? What is she doing? What do you know that she’s doing so far? I don’t need to know you’re happy about future of Tesla, I want to know what your new chair is doing at Tesla on the board.”

It quickly became clear that Kimbal wanted to talk about nothing but Plant a Seed Day, and Varney nothing but Tesla’s new chairman.

“What I’d like to share, I’m so happy about the future of Tesla,” Kimbal reiterated and then launched into his promotion for Plant a Seed Day. “Plant A Seed Day in 2019 will be a way for companies across America to participate—”

Neither would budge, and Varney eventually had to kill the interview.

“You think my viewers want to learn about Plant a Seed Day?” Varney thundered. “They don’t care!”

Kimbal insisted that Americans would care about Plant a Seed Day, but Varney was having none of it.

“OK. I’m wrapping it up,” Varney said. “I’m sorry. It’s over. I will not be used.”

After the interview was cut off, an exasperated-looking Varney appeared on the screen and issued an apology.

“Deep breath,” an off-screen voice can be heard saying.

Varney responded, “Sorry about that.”

https://www.theblaze.com/news/2018/11/15/foxs-varney-kills-extremely-bizarre-interview-with-elon-musks-brother-apologizes-to-viewers

REPORT: President Trump Planning Second Meeting With North Korea's Kim Jong Un

This time, the stakes may be much lower.

Vice President Mike Pence announced Thursday that the United States will move ahead with plans for a second summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean dictator Kim Jong Un, despite indications that North Korea is expanding its nuclear missile program in violation of agreements made during an earlier summit in Singapore.

In an apparent concession to North Korea, Pence says Trump won't request a list of North Korea's nuclear sites, even though the United States demanded a thorough accounting of their missile development program.

NBC News reports that Pence — and the Trump administration — don't see North Korea's non-compliance as a barrier to a more concrete relationship between North Korea and the United States — a development that might surprise Americans who remember Trump's vicious war of words with Kim Jong Un ahead of the first summit.

Pence noted to NBC News that the United States is now looking for a "verifiable plan" from North Korea: "Now we need to see results."

“I think it will be absolutely imperative in this next summit that we come away with a plan for identifying all of the weapons in question, identifying all the development sites, allowing for inspections of the sites and the plan for dismantling nuclear weapons,” Pence added.

But the Trump administration's outlook on its relationship with North Korea seems rosier than evidence would suggest about the agreement's reality.

As The Daily Wire's Editor-in-Chief Ben Shapiro noted recently, North Korea hasn't halted its missile development program, even though it assured American negotiators it was ending its pursuit of nuclear weapons.

On Monday, new satellite images showed that North Korea has continued to upgrade its ballistic missile program at 16 secret facilities. As The Daily Beast reports, “The development suggests North Korea’s promise to shut down one major test site was an attempted deception.”

The Center for Strategic and International Studies states, “North Korea’s decommissioning of the Sohae satellite launch facility, while gaining much media attention, obscures the military threat to U.S. forces and South Korea from this and other undeclared ballistic missile bases.”

Before that, North Korea balked at the idea of meeting directly with Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, causing the U.S. to pull out of further talks with Kim Jong Un's diplomatic team. Last week, North Korea returned the favor, pulling out of the rescheduled negotiations, set to take place in New York.

Pence noted to NBC, however, that the United States has no plans to lift sanctions against North Korea until it has conclusive proof North Korea is making good on its word, and the Center for Strategic Studies maintains that before the United States makes any concessions — or even makes any serious attempt at negotiating a deal with North Korea — that the United States should receive what Trump's not asking for: a full list of all North Korean missile sites and military weapons development operations.

“We can’t negotiate over things they don’t admit having,” one of the Center for Strategic Studies researchers told NBC News. “It should take us back to the initial U.S. negotiating point: We need a full declaration.”

Trump wants a landmark treaty with North Korea to serve as a hallmark of his first term in office. Although the Trump administration has made significant waves on the domestic policy front, passing tax cuts and widespread deregulation and reform, it has little to speak for on the foreign policy front, aside from some notable conflicts with European nations. A solid pact with one of the United States' oldest foreign enemies could go a long way to solidifying Trump's impact on global issues.

The problem is, of course, that Trump has to ink that deal first, and with North Korea, that could be a lot harder than anticipated.

https://www.dailywire.com/news/38402/report-president-trump-planning-second-meeting-emily-zanotti

SLICK! Democrat VA Governor To Amazon: We'll Protect You From FOIA Problems

Online retail giant Amazon will be opening two new headquarters — one in New York and one in Virginia. Each state gave the billion-dollar company gobs of money to woo it to open up shop, but Virginia went a step further and gave Amazon something that should worry every journalist and anyone else concerned with transparency and the connection between the State and Big Business.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, has promised Amazon that the Old Dominion State would give the company two days’ notice about any Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. This is being done to allow Amazon “to seek a protective order or other appropriate remedy.” So, Amazon will be given a heads up about anyone looking into the business so they can shut it down.

The Virginia government also promised it would only disclose what is required under applicable law, cooperate “with the company,” in responding, and “limit disclosure, refuse to disclose, and redact and/or omit portions of materials to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law.”

Wow.

This portion of the agreement was noticed by journalist Benjamin Freed, who tweeted out the relevant section.

Under agreement between Amazon and Virginia, the commonwealth will give the company written notice about any FOIA requests "to allow the

Company to seek a protective order or other appropriate remedy" pic.twitter.com/BkVXdnoX2M

— Benjamin Freed (@brfreed) November 13, 2018

In addition to working with Amazon to keep reporters and other citizens from snooping around into the business, the city of Arlington will also give the company $573 million. This amount includes $22,000 per job for a promised 25,000 jobs plus an extra $23 million cash grant. Amazon is expected to produce jobs with an average wage of over $150,000 over the next 12 years. The extra $23 million will come from “incremental growth of the existing local Transient Occupancy Tax, a tax on hotel rooms.”

Jim Geraghty of National Review summed up the deal perfectly.

“In other words, Arlington is raising taxes in order to pay Amazon to locate there. This is not how government and taxation are supposed to work,” Geraghty wrote (emphasis original). “This deal should be tattooed onto the forehead of Governor Ralph Northam. Never let a Virginia Democrat ever claim that Republicans are ‘in the pocket of big business and special interests’ again.”

Geraghty also pointed out that we can’t expect The Washington Post to “stand up to this giant corporate giveaway” since Jeff Bezos owns the Post as well as Amazon.

New York is giving Amazon even more money, to the tune of $1.525 billion to create the same number of jobs: 25,000. The Empire State is paying $48,000 to Amazon for each of the created jobs plus a $325 million cash grant.

Oh, and both locations are getting a helipad. We can’t expect Bezos to drive in the nasty D.C. or New York City traffic, can we?

Amazon will also open a smaller location in Nashville, TN. That state will give the company $102 million for 5,000 new jobs.

https://www.dailywire.com/news/38396/virginia-wooed-amazon-state-incredibly-absurd-ashe-schow

Pentagon Fails Audit as Official Admits 'We Never Thought We Were Going to Pass

The Pentagon has failed its first-ever audit, according to the second highest ranking Pentagon official.

"We never thought we were going to pass an audit, right? Everyone was betting against us that we wouldn't even do the audit," Deputy Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan told reporters Thursday at the Pentagon, as quoted by Defense News. The DoD's Office of Inspector General is expected to release the full-scope audit Thursday.

"Some of the compliance issues are irritating to me, because the point of the audit is to drive better discipline in our compliance and our management systems and our procedures… some of those things frustrated me because we have a job to do and just have to follow our procedures," the official said.

One area of concern was tracking inventory of military equipment. The Pentagon's central database identified inventory that didn't exist in the real world, Defense News noted.

Still, Shanahan was upbeat that the public and the taxpayers shouldn't be too concerned about the failed audit. Instead, taxpayers can be encouraged that the audit was actually completed, Shanahan said, according to the report.

Approximately $918 million was budgeted to simply complete the audit, Federal News Network reported in January. Some 1,200 DoD staff members have worked on the audit full-time since it started last December.

The Pentagon, with a sprawling yearly budget of more than $700 billion under the Trump administration, successfully resisted undergoing an audit for almost 30 years. US President George H.W. Bush signed the Chief Financial Officers Act in 1990 that required all federal agencies to conduct annual audits, but the Pentagon was able to skirt around the law until finally agreeing to an audit last December.

https://sputniknews.com/us/201811151069848289-pentagon-fails-audit-never-thought-we-were-going-to-pass/