Senate Democrats Sue To Remove Whitaker As Acting AG

Not content to sit back and let the State of Maryland do all the heavy lifting (and reap all of the credit should it succeed) three of the most publicity hungry Democrats in the Upper Chamber are reportedly filing a federal lawsuit to challenge Acting AG Matthew Whitaker's appointment, arguing that President Trump's decision to elevate Whitaker over Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein using a controversial federal succession law was unconstitutional.

According to the Daily Beast, which first reported on the lawsuit, the senators are hoping a federal judge will remove Whitaker from his post immediately, allowing Rosenstein to serve as acting AG until the White House can shepherd its nominee through the Senate. The lawsuit comes after the DOJ's office of legal counsel affirmed Whitaker's appointment on constitutional grounds last week.

The suit, which is being filed by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), and Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, is the latest and most aggressive salvo against the Whitaker appointment. Last week, the Department of Justice Office of Legal Counsel defended Whitaker’s promotion in a memo that drew immediate criticism for its expansive understanding of the president’s power. That view is in hot dispute, including from the state of Maryland, which petitioned a federal judge to stop him from serving on constitutional grounds.

The Senators are working with two groups, Protect Democracy and the Constitutional Accountability Center, on the lawsuit. Their argument hinges on the notion that Whitaker wasn't confirmed by the Senate, and is therefore ineligible to serve. Though he was confirmed years ago as US Attorney for the Southern District of Iowa under George W Bush, the suit argues that this confirmation has effectively lapsed. By comparison, the White House has argued that Whitaker's position as chief of staff to Session constituted a "senior role" in the Department, making him eligible for elevation under the Vacancies Reform Act. What little precedent exists appears to favor Trump: Last year, a federal judge ruled in the White House's favor when Trump use of the act to appoint Mick Mulvaney to lead the CFPB triggered Democratic resistance. The Democrats must also prove that they have "standing" to challenge Whitaker's appointment - meaning that Whitaker's appointment violated their rights.

Blumenthal, who has been angling to replace Dianne Feinstein as the top Dem on the Senate Judiciary Committee after she steps down or retires, said in a statement that Whitaker's appointment was a flagrant violation.

"Installing Matthew Whitaker so flagrantly defies constitutional law that any viewer of Schoolhouse Rock would recognize it," Blumenthal said in a statement. "President Trump is denying Senators our constitutional obligation and opportunity to do our job: scrutinizing the nomination of our nation’s top law enforcement official. The reason is simple: Whitaker would never pass the advice and consent test. In selecting a so-called "constitutional nobody" and thwarting every Senator’s constitutional duty, Trump leaves us no choice but to seek recourse through the courts."

If that's true, Richard, then why hasn't a federal judge already ruled Whitaker ineligible to serve?

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-11-19/senate-democrats-sue-remove-whitaker-acting-ag

Lock Her Up! Florida Democrat Calls for Criminal Investigations and Prosecutions of Brenda Snipes

Broward County Elections Supervisor resigned on Sunday night after the Florida hand recount concluded.

Snipes had a long history of corruption and incompetence.

On Election night Brenda Snipes originally reported 634,000 votes were cast in the midterm election in her county.

By last week on Friday morning Snipes said 717,000 votes were cast in her county in the midterm election.

Broward County Democrats mysteriously found 83,000 votes in two days!

She still has not explained how this happened.

Brenda Snipes has been accused of criminal activity and incompetence at least 14 times — before this year’s election.

On Sunday night Florida Democrat Tim Canova called on criminal investigations and prosecutions against Brenda Snipes and her staff.

It’s about time.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/11/florida-democrat-calls-for-criminal-investigations-and-prosecutions-of-brenda-snipes-following-her-resignation/

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Can’t Get Three Branches Of Government Right – “The Presidency, The Senate and The House”

In a recent online video chat conference for Justice Democrats, socialist darling Alexadria Ocasio-Cortez rambled on for 15+ minutes in an improvised word soup freestyle. Unscripted Ocasio is the best Ocasio, as she’s more likely to have the depths of her intelligence on full display.

During her rant, she urged her followers to run for office in their own areas by saying “If we work our butts off to make sure that we take back all three chambers of Congress — Uh, rather, all three chambers of government: the presidency, the Senate, and the House.”

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez Can’t Get Three Branches Of Government Right – “The Presidency, The Senate and The House”

by Brock Simmons November 19, 2018 427 Comments

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In a recent online video chat conference for Justice Democrats, socialist darling Alexadria Ocasio-Cortez rambled on for 15+ minutes in an improvised word soup freestyle. Unscripted Ocasio is the best Ocasio, as she’s more likely to have the depths of her intelligence on full display.

During her rant, she urged her followers to run for office in their own areas by saying “If we work our butts off to make sure that we take back all three chambers of Congress — Uh, rather, all three chambers of government: the presidency, the Senate, and the House.”

That’s right, a congresswoman (?) doesn’t even know what the branches of the government are that she’s now part of.

Her full delusional rant can be seen on the Justice Democrats facebook page.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/11/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-cant-get-three-branches-of-government-right-the-presidency-the-senate-and-the-house/

NATO mapping software now available to Chinese military, report finds

China has obtained cutting-edge mapping software used by NATO and US militaries to collect intelligence on the battlefield, putting its armed forces on equal footing with the most advanced Western armies, a report says.

A Belgium-based defense contractor Luciad has sold the software to China, according to the South China Morning Post (SCMP) citing Chinese government sources. The software, which includes a Luciad Lightspeed application, is used to map the terrain and ensure situational awareness of military commanders.

The software, which is in used by NATO and US militaries, visualizes changes in enemy positions and identifies targets in real time. It’s 75 times faster than its closest competitor and is remarkably accurate. The same software is reportedly employed by US Special Operations Forces, whose raid on Osama bin Laden in Pakistan made headlines in 2011.

Notably, a foreign company supplying software to the Chinese government must fully reveal its codes for a security check. But it’s unclear if Luciad complied with the requirement. Much to the concern of the US military, China has made an array of remarkable breakthroughs in military hi-tech over the past years. Beijing heavily invested in advanced military technologies, nearly outpacing the Americans.

US experts predict China “wants to be a first mover” in artificial intelligence, efficiently incorporating the Internet of Things, big data, robotics and machine learning. China’s progress in electronic warfare, cyber, counter-space systems and hypersonic weapons also didn’t go unnoticed in the West.

The Chinese military is also catching up in an area where Western powers have had unrivaled dominance – airpower. A 2018 edition of Military Balance, a reputed British publication, described China's progress in aerospace defense as “remarkable.”

“These advances are all part of the Chinese air force’s goal to become capable of challenging any opponent in the air domain. For the past three decades, air dominance has been a key advantage for the US and its allies. This can no longer be assumed,” it stated.

https://www.rt.com/news/444348-china-military-software-nato/

2002 PM Netanyahu the U.S. To attack Iraq.

6:53 video in his own words.

WAR CRIMINAL

Death Of HHS Official Ruled Suicide; Found With "Multiple Blunt Force Injuries"

The November 1 death of Daniel Best, a former pharmaceutical executive in charge of efforts to lower prescription drug prices for the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), has been ruled a suicide, according to the Washington D.C. Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, which noted that Best died of "multiple blunt force injuries," according to Cleveland.com.

The city's Office of the Chief Medical Examiner on Thursday said Best died from "multiple blunt force injuries" and it ruled his death a suicide. It would not release further information.

In announcing his death, HHS Secretary Alex Azar said the 49-year-old former CVSHealth and Pfizer Pharmaceuticals executive agreed to work at HHS "out of a desire to serve the American people by making health care more affordable." -Cleveland.com

Best, a senior adviser to HHS Secretary Alex Azar, was found "unresponsive" at 5:25 a.m. on Nov. 1 near the garage door exit of a Navy Yard apartment building, which is located approximately a mile south of the Capitol. He was pronounced dead at the scene by medical personnel.

A drug industry insider, Best worked for over a decade as an executive for several companies, including 12 years at Pfizer, Universal American, MemberHealth and CVS Caremark Corporation, where he made just over $500,000 per year negotiating drug prices for seniors.

His March appointment drew the ire of President Trump's opponents, who accused his administration of becoming too close with the drug industry. Best was advising Azar - a former pharma executive and lobbyist, on drug pricing.

"He brought his deep expertise and passion to this task with great humility and collegiality," said Azar in a statement following Best's death. "All of us who served with Dan at HHS and in the administration mourn his passing and extend our thoughts and prayers to his wife Lisa and the entire Best family at this difficult time."

In May, Stat reported that Best was a seasoned negotiator - however questions remained on "whether he'll advocate for his former colleagues in the PBM world, or if, in the words of a lobbyist, he'll show the public "where the bodies are buried""

Best has stepped into the government in the midst of a vicious battle between PBMs and drug makers, each blaming the other for the high cost of prescription drugs. PBMs point out that the drug companies set the price. Drug makers say that PBMs effectively force the prices up through the complex rebate system. Best has an inside view into the situation.

“The most important thing I learned about the PBM industry is that every player serves a critical role in managing this complex system and we wouldn’t be talking about lowering prescription drug prices today unless PBMs had a role to play,” Best said in an email, through an HHS spokesperson. -Stat

Former co-workers described Best as a nice guy, yet tough negotiator according to the Epoch Times:

"He’s got a real nice personality," said former MemberHealth colleague Chuck Spinelli. "He’s not a jerk, he’s not overbearing. He’s approachable, and pharma liked him. They appreciated working with him. He was very transparent. He was very honest. He didn’t play any games."

Best, who grew up in Erie Pennsylvania, is survived by his wife Lisa and three children.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2018-11-19/death-hhs-official-tasked-lowering-drug-prices-ruled-suicide-found-multiple-blunt

Univ. says profs shouldn’t use capital letters: They can ‘generate anxiety,’ ‘discourage students’

Leeds Trinity University’s journalism department has requested that lecturers avoid a plethora of offenses out of fear of intimidating or frightening students.

So what are those ‘offenses?’

Some of those offenses include writing in capital letters — which could “scare [students] into failure,” harsh tones, and more, according to the school’s memo.

The United Kingdom school’s memo was obtained by the Express and published on Monday.

A portion of the memo read, “Despite our best attempts to explain assessment tasks, any lack of clarity can generate anxiety and even discourage students from attempting the assessment at all.”

Lecturers are also encouraged to “write in a helpful, warm tone, avoiding officious language, and negative instructions.”

The memo’s intent is to enhance “student understanding, engagement, and achievement,” and also suggests that professors avoid overusing the words “do” and “don’t.”

The school missive also says that staffers must also be “explicit about any inexplicitness” in their assignment briefings.

What did a Leeds Trinity staffer say?

One Leeds Trinity staffer told the Express that they don’t agree with the new policy.

“We have some excellent students but it’s a constant battle against a system that wants to treat them like little kids,” the unidentified staffer said, according to the outlet. “We are not doing our students any [favors] with this kind of nonsense.”

Another added that the new policy is nothing more than “more academic mollycoddling.”

A spokesperson for the university told the outlet that the move was an attempt to provide guidance to professors on explaining assignments to students so that those students could ascend to and perform at their highest potential.

Professor Margaret A. House OBE, vice chancellor at Leeds Trinity University, told Mirror Online that the school simply wants students to work to the best of their abilities.

“At Leeds Trinity University we support our students to be the very best they can be. We’re proud to offer a personal and inclusive university experience that gives every student the support to realise their potential,” House said.

House went on to explain that she believes the school does its best to utilize “best practice teaching guidelines,” adding that “the memo cited in the press is guidance from a course leader to academic staff, sharing best practice from the latest teaching research to inform their teaching.”

What else?

House added that much of the dialogue is intended to foster positive communications and interactions.

“For every assignment, academic staff have an ‘unpacking’ session with students so the students are clear on what is expected,” House’s statement continued. “The majority of universities do this. It is also about good communication and consistent style. For example, it is best practice not to write in all capital letters regardless of the sector.

“We are absolutely committed to enhancing and enriching the student learning experience at Leeds Trinity, where staff and students are a name not a number,” House noted.

“We support students to achieve their full potential, and we are proud that this is reflected in the University’s employability statistics with 95 [percent] of our graduates in employment or further study within six months of graduation, and also in our very successful alumni community,” the statement concluded.

The school’s Twitter page also issued the statement on Monday.

https://www.theblaze.com/news/2018/11/19/univ-says-profs-shouldnt-use-capital-letters-they-can-generate-anxiety-discourage-students

France - Fuel Tax Protests Continue For Third Day

For a third consecutive day, France is seeing nationwide protests against the increase of diesel and petrol prices. The demonstrators dressed in yellow fluo jackets (called the ‘gilets jaunes’) have blocked access to fuel depots in several places and setup roadblocks all over the country.

In certain rural places, farmers have joined in the protest, blocking access to various city centres. The government refuses to give in.

The oil company Total reported that two major French fuel depots have been blocked, in Vern near Rennes and Fos-sur-mer (Bouches-du-Rhône). The group's refineries have not yet been affected.

Related coverage: France – 283,000 Tax Protesters, Tear Gas In Paris, 227 Wounded (Video).

If the protest persists, several fuel pumps will run out of fuel by tomorrow.

http://www.thegoldwater.com/news/42773-France-Fuel-Tax-Protests-Continue-For-Third-Day-Video

US Calls Out Canada For Failed Defense Spending Targets

Republican Rep. Michael Turner of Ohio told NATO’s defense and security committee Saturday in Halifax that Canada is failing to meet its own defense spending commitments.

As CBC News reported, Turner, the acting chairman of the committee, reminded Canadian Deputy Defense Minister Jody Thomas that Canada was one of the NATO nations attending a 2014 NATO summit that promised to increase its defense spending to two percent of its GDP.

“Many of the nations that are here are either meeting their two percent or have in place a plan to reach the two per cent,” said Turner. “Canada is one of those countries who has not yet put forward a commitment to reach the two percent although that is a commitment that Canada joined in making at Wales.”

Thomas could only point to a promise by the Trudeau government to increase defense spending to 1.46 percent of its GDP by 2024. Trudeau has consistently said that Canada’s participation in peacekeeping activities offsets its lower defense spending levels, what Thomas called “qualitative” spending.

“Canada’s defense budget is growing by 70 percent as a result of Strong, Secure, Engaged [Canada’s defense policy],” said Thomas. “We also on the ground are leading a significant number of operations, and we have never not participated in a NATO commitment or operation.”

https://dailycaller.com/2018/11/18/us-canada-failed-defense-spending/

Former Facebook Security Chief Alex Stamos: ‘Yes, Facebook Made Mistakes… but We Weren’t the Only Ones’

ormer Facebook Chief Security Officer Alex Stamos wrote an article for the Washington Post, Saturday, titled “Yes, Facebook made mistakes in 2016. But we weren’t the only ones.”

“To be clear, no one at the company ever told me not to examine Russian activity, nor did anyone attempt to lie about our findings, but Facebook should have responded to these threats much earlier and handled disclosure in a more transparent manner,” declared Stamos in the article. “Yet Facebook’s shortcomings do not stand alone. The massive U.S. intelligence community failed to provide actionable intelligence on Russia’s information-warfare goals and capabilities before the election and offered a dearth of assistance afterward.”

“Technology companies can build tools and teams to look inward on their products, but they will never have true geostrategic insight or ability to penetrate hostile countries. This relationship has greatly improved in 2018, mostly due to the initiative of hard-working intelligence professionals,” he continued. “Our elected officials, however, can claim little credit. Lawmakers’ public grandstanding at investigative hearings stands in stark contrast to their failure to establish facts, effectively oversee the executive branch and provide for the common defense.”

Stamos also claimed that media outlets “rewarded” Russian hackers by publishing stories on leaked emails from Democrats.

“The sad truth is that blocking Russian propaganda would have required Facebook to ban stories from the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal and cable news — not to mention this very paper,” Stamos proclaimed. “Since the election of Donald Trump, print and television news organizations have staffed up and provided a critical service to Americans, but they have never adequately grappled with their culpability in empowering Russia’s election interference.”

Stamos has been a prominent media commentator since leaving Facebook in August following user data privacy scandals at the company, and in October, he called out Apple CEO Tim Cook, declaring that Apple needs to “come clean” about its practices in China.

Stamos also previously claimed that Facebook was run “like a college campus,” and last week he criticized Google CEO Sundar Pichai.

https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2018/11/19/former-facebook-security-chief-alex-stamos-yes-facebook-made-mistakes-but-we-werent-the-only-ones/

‘The Rotten Cherry Atop Theresa May’s Poison Cake’: PM Makes Brexit Speech to Pro-EU Business Group

British Prime Minister has given a speech to the Confederation of British Industry’s (CBI) annual conference standing by her so-called ‘Brexit in name only’ (Brino) plan, but the speech and audience have been criticised as supporting turning Britain into a “vassal state of the EU”.

Theresa May addressed the CBI, a body which has long supported Britain’s membership of the European Union and has been called upon to back up the Prime Minister’s softest-Brexit plan on Monday, with her saying the people of Britain should listen to big business and not members of Parliament when deciding whether to back her plan.

The Prime Minister doubled down in face of intense criticism and opposition from her own benches and said: “let no one be in any doubt, I am determined to deliver”.

Her speech at the conference, declaring her success in delivering the Brexit that the people of Britain voted for in the 2016 referendum — despite prominent Brexiteers and pro-Brexit groups lining up to point out that it severely betrays both the principles of Brexit and her own red lines — is one of the series of carefully stage-managed appearances planned for the Prime Minister to sell her deal.

The PM told the CBI conference that her deal delivered on the promises of Brexit and would achieve control over borders, money, and laws, and would protect businesses in a Brexit that will see British negotiators in an “intense week of negotiations” ahead of Sunday’s summit. In a challenge to Parliament to back her plan, the PM said it was down to the House to back her deal “in the national interest” in the coming weeks.

Despite the PM’s promises that her deal would give Britain control of its borders, her speech was immediately criticised by pressure group Migration Watch, which said it totally failed to address public concern about the scale of immigration, calling it “highly unsatisfactory”.

May also talked up the Conservative record in government, praising the “striking economics success story… the jobs miracle” and the state of public finances compared to the last Labour government, and said her new agreement for a services trade deal with the EU represented a significant liberalisation that goes “well beyond” World Trade Organisation (WTO) rules.

https://www.breitbart.com/europe/2018/11/19/rotten-cherry-atop-theresa-mays-poison-cake-pms-brexit-speech-to-pro-eu-business-group/

>>3961652

he needs a terrorist army