Guardian: Meet Dr Miriam Adelson: the record-breaking Republican donor driving Trump’s Israel policy

When Dr Miriam Adelson was awarded the US Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s top civilian honor, by Donald Trump in November, the public response ranged from disdainful to “who?” Her husband, the casino billionaire Sheldon Adelson, is widely known for his record donations to Republican causes, as well as passionate support for conservative Israeli interests. Many news articles about the award described Miriam solely as his wife.

But Miriam’s influence has been deeper than many credit, although she appears to have been perfectly comfortable remaining in her 85-year-old husband’s shadow until recently.

The 73-year-old has played a pivotal role in forming the couple’s interests and alliances in the US, where she is a naturalized citizen, and in her native Israel, according to public records and interviews with people who know her socially and professionally. Evidence suggests that she is the driver in the couple’s political and philanthropic activities, whether pushing for the relocation of the US embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv or donating an unprecedented $113m to this year’s midterm elections.

“Everybody says it’s Sheldon, but it’s Miriam,” says Michael Cherry, the associate chief justice of the Nevada supreme court, who sits on the board of the Las Vegas methadone clinic that the Adelsons founded.

“Sometimes I chuckle and sometimes I just shrug,” says Ron Reese, the senior vice-president of communications for the Las Vegas Sands Corp, the casino company that Sheldon created.

Case in point: a photo of Sheldon that accompanied some stories about their midterms donations cropped Miriam out, leaving only bits of her spiky blonde hair and one lens of her rimless glasses. Paul Krugman, the New York Times columnist, tweeted, “Some thoughts on giving Miriam Adelson, who has done nothing for her country besides being the wife of a Trump-friendly megadonor, the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Of course it’s ludicrous, and an insult to people who received the medal for genuine service.”

https://israelpalestinenews.org/guardian-meet-dr-miriam-adelson-the-record-breaking-republican-donor-driving-trumps-israel-policy/

POTUS this Anon does NOT like this relationship! Fuck the Zionists!!!

As USAID shutters operations in Palestine, local organizations will suffer the most

In late December, dozens of humanitarian organizations, businesses, educational institutions, and local municipalities across the West Bank and Gaza were faced with a harsh reality: they would only have a few weeks, one month maximum, to come up with thousands of dollars if they wanted to keep running their respective programs.

They had just learned that the grants they had been promised for 2019 from USAID, one of the largest and most important humanitarian agencies in the region, would not be coming.

“We were shocked, all of a sudden with no prior warning, we were told the money was gone,” Waleed Khatib, an official with the Beit Jala municipality told Mondoweiss, speaking on a USAID-funded project the municipality had been anxiously waiting on.

In November 2018, USAID announced that by early 2019, their operations will be completely shut down, leaving thousands of local institutions, like the Beit Jala municipality, that benefit from USAID funding empty handed.

Following the decision, a USAID official told Mondoweiss “we will assess future U.S. assistance in the West Bank and Gaza in a global context, with a focus on areas in which we can best advance U.S. national interests and ensure value to the U.S. taxpayer.”

Ambitious plans brought to a halt

For over 20 years, USAID has provided some $5.5 billion for infrastructure, education, health, and economic projects in the occupied Palestinian territory.

When traveling through the West Bank, it is difficult to find a village or city that does not have a large billboard with a USAID logo, whether it be outside a new road, water facility, clinic, or school.

In most places in the West Bank, whether due to lack of financial resources or restrictions on building imposed by the Israeli occupation, roads that were paved decades ago have been left unkept, leading to unsafe and uncomfortable traveling conditions for Palestinians in the territory.

In bigger cities, where populations have rapidly outgrown the existing infrastructures, traffic congestion has reached near unbearable heights.

So when the municipality of the Beit Jala town, located adjacent to the bustling tourist hub of Bethlehem, came up with a plan to alleviate congestion, boost the local economy, and reclaim spaces for pedestrians, they were thrilled that there was someone willing to help them see their vision come to life.

https://mondoweiss.net/2019/01/operations-palestine-organizations/

Kremlin mum on Putin's possible participation in Davos economic forum

MOSCOW, January 9. /TASS/. Russian President Vladimir Putin has not made any decisions on possible participation in the economic forum in Davos yet, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov told reporters.

"The president has not made any decisions yet," the Kremlin spokesman said, answering the question on whether the president decided whether he will attend this forum or not.

In late December 2018, Peskov said that Putin may take part in the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, but stressed that no decision was taken yet.

In November the forum’s organizers reported that Rusal’s co-owner Oleg Deripaska, Renova Group’s owner Viktor Vekselberg and VTB head Andrei Kostin will not be invited to Davos. The Russian side expressed bewilderment, saying that the absence of Russian representatives will negatively affect the forum itself and the level of discussion there, as well as warned that it will not participate in the WEF at the parliamentary level if terms for the Russian businessmen are not revisited.

The forum’s organizers later changed their position regarding the participation of Russia’s representatives. Then the Russian government stated that the official government delegation will go to Davos due to the lifting of restrictions for the Russian businessmen. The level and the composition of the delegation were not named. The forum is scheduled for January 22-25, 2019.

In mid-December 2019, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders told journalists that US President Donald Trump will take part in the WEF.

http://tass.com/economy/1039204

Foxing, so he can turn up and meet Trump without Cabal interference????

President Trump Says He May Still Declare a National Emergency to Build Border Wall

President Donald Trump announced on Wednesday that he will not rule out declaring a national emergency to build the wall along the southern border.

Asked by a reporter about if he was still considering declaring a national emergency to get the wall built, President Trump asserted that the only reason he hasn’t done it yet is because he still hopes there may be an opportunity for a deal.

“I have the absolute right to do a national emergency if I want,” President Trump declared.

The reporter then asked what his threshold would be, to which Trump responded that it will be if he cannot make a deal with “people that are unreasonable.”

“My threshold will be if I can’t make a deal with people that are unreasonable,” President Trump explained.

There had been speculation that he would declare a national emergency during his prime time address from the Oval Office on Tuesday evening, but he did not.

“We can call a national emergency because of the security of our country, absolutely,” Trump said on Friday.

“We can do it. I haven’t done it. I may do it,” Trump told reporters. “We can call a national emergency and build it very quickly and it’s another way of doing it, but if we can do it through a negotiated process, we’re giving that a shot.”

USA Today reports, “A national emergency, declared by the president by proclamation or executive order, gives a president extraordinary powers — to seize property, call up the National Guard and hire and fire military officers at will.”

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/01/president-trump-says-he-may-still-declare-a-national-emergency-to-build-border-wall-video/

Why Did Tripoli Issue Arrest Warrants for Libya’s Top Post-2011 Actors?

The Libyan Public Prosecutor has issued an arrest warrant of the Chairman of the Wattan Party Abdelhakim Belhaj and the former commander of the Petroleum Facilities Guard Ibrahim Jadran, according to Libyan Express.

The warrants included four other Libyan personalities and 31 Chadian names from the Rebel Groups in Chad.

The papers issues by the investigation office of the Public Prosecutor in Tripoli headed by Siddiq Al-Sour were sent to the Intelligence Chief and General Investigation Bureau’s Chairman.

The warrants say Belhaj and Jadran as well as the rest were involved in attacks, crimes and leading armed groups in Libya, including attacks on oil terminals, Timnahint air base in southern Libya and other crimes in south of the country.

Michel Cousins, the editor-in-chief of the Libya Herald, said in a piece that the move is a political bombshell, by issuing arrest warrants for one of Libya’s top post-2011 actors and other key figures in the Libya crisis.

He added that a total of 31 Chadian and Sudanese militants in Libya were also charged. All are accused of involvement in attacks on oil terminals and on the airbase at Tamanhent, near Sabha in southern Libya.

Abdelhakim Belhaj, the most prominent figure named on the warrants, leads Libya’s pro-Islamist Watan Party. A former fighter in Afghanistan against the Soviets and later the leader of [al Qaeda affiliated] Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG), which was allied to al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan, he became head of Tripoli Military Council after the 2011 revolution.

https://www.globalresearch.ca/why-did-tripoli-issue-arrest-warrants-for-libyas-top-post-2011-actors/5665061

With Golan at Stake, Netanyahu, Bolton Set Trump Straight on US Syria Withdrawal Plan

Understanding the significance of the Golan Heights is in many ways key to understanding why the Syrian conflict was engineered by foreign powers in the first place.

https://www.globalresearch.ca/with-golan-at-stake-netanyahu-bolton-set-trump-straight-on-us-syria-withdrawal-plan/5665086

Jewish Moroccan scholar: ‘Israel uses Holocaust as a justification of occupation’

The Moroccan Jewish scholar, Jacob Cohen, who is known for his anti-Zionist ideas, stated that “Israel is still employing the cause of the Holocaust to justify the occupation and gain the sympathy of global public opinion.”

Cohen’s statement came during a seminar entitled: “The Holocaust and the Zionist Agenda,” which was organised by the non-governmental National Working Group for Palestine in Rabat.

Cohen, who is a human rights activist and an author, added: “Israel has been trying to invest in this cause since the 1970s in order redeem its public image and distract the world from the violations committed against the Palestinian people.”

“Israelis are always trying to raise this issue to suggest that Israel is threatened,” he noted.

Cohen continued: “At the domestic level, all the Israeli governments are trying to root the Holocaust issue in the consciousness of the Israeli citizens to continue spreading fear and violence and create a state of permanent aptness for war.”

The Israeli authorities claim that Israel needs security, so it must keep the Golan Heights and other Arab territories in a state of occupation. Thus, they are always trying to convince foreign diplomats to believe in such a narrative

he said.

Cohen pointed out that after some EU countries boycotted some of the Israeli products, which are manufactured in settlements in the West Bank, “Israel’s answer was to publish several pictures showing Jewish merchants being boycotted by the Nazis, claiming that there is an attempt to reproduce the same scenario of the Holocaust. Such propaganda forced many countries to reconsider the idea of boycotting Israeli products.”

Cohen also indicated that “the Jewish lobby is working to transform the Holocaust into an unquestionable historical event which should not be placed under scrutiny as other historical narratives. Likewise, this lobby is attempting to block all kinds of research regarding this issue.”

He indicated: “The Jewish lobby forbids the use of the term “Holocaust” to describe the suffering of persecuted Indians or Africans, consecrating all possible efforts to reserve the use of such term exclusively for Jews.”

Cohen considered that “there are many types of repressive acts that can be referred to as a Holocaust and not just the ones related to the Jews.”

Cohen, who was born in the Moroccan city of Meknes, confirmed that “Israel does not want peace and relies on a system that cannot give up the use of weaponry.”

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190109-jewish-moroccan-scholar-israel-uses-holocaust-as-a-justification-of-occupation/

Kremlin says US gripped by hostility against Russia, despite selective easing of sanctions

MOSCOW, January 9. /TASS/. The Kremlin is not apt ‘to wearing rose-colored glasses’ amid selective statements on the potential easing of anti-Russian sanctions since Washington is still gripped with hostility against Russia, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitry Peskov said on Wednesday.

The Russian presidential spokesman thus commented on a statement by the US Treasury Department on December 19, 2018 about its intention to lift the sanctions against Rusal and En+, companies linked to Russian tycoon Oleg Deripaska.

On January 9, the leaders of seven House committees in Congress called on the Trump administration to delay lifting the sanctions against those companies.

"As for the hostile displays, there are still plenty of them in Washington, in Congress, in the Senate and in the US State Department," Peskov specified.

"We are not inclined to wear rose-colored glasses and are aware that such unfriendly manifestations are still predominant, to our regret," the Kremlin spokesman noted.

Responding to a question about the Russian tycoon’s assets, Peskov noted that "the Kremlin would actually prefer to be quite accurate in making any statements on the sanctions against Deripaska’s companies."

"Very thorough work is underway and let it be continued further," the Russian presidential spokesman said.

http://tass.com/economy/1039223

Yellow Vest Movement Spreads to Australia & Poland

We are witnessing the Yellow Vest Movement now also spreading to Australia. We are seeing the rise there and in Canada also against Fake News that the media is desperately fighting Trump on who now label him an idiot in headlines. We are also witnessing a backlash against taking in the Muslim claimed refugees from Syria in Australia as well. It is not a matter of race, but culture. People who traveled to Paris from the USA this summer have often returned with horror stories of being robbed on the street, cell phones, jewelry, purses being stolen by people on motorcycles. Muslim women begging on every corner of the Champs-Élysées. The culture clash is the problem. These people cannot speak the language and lack skills for employment for the most part. Immigrants historically seek economic opportunity – not handouts. Last November, Merkel was offering cash to the refugees to leave Germany it was getting that bad. Now she is willing to pay one year’s rent back home to leave Germany.

The Green groups that have taken over the UN are frantic fearing that they want to avoid the violent clashes that have rocked France from becoming a “je suis Trump” (I’m Trump) moment for against climate change. It was the higher global warming fuel taxes and other environmental efforts that sparked the “yellow-vests” protests that have forced Pres­ident Emmanuel Macron into ­retreat. In Canada, the Yellow Vests are also growing over environmental sanctions that block pipelines and creating employment in the energy industry which is also lurking behind a growing separatist movement in Alberta. The Yellow Vest Movement has hit Poland for all the same reasons. In Egypt, the government has restricted the sale of yellow vests in hope of preventing the spread of the movement there as well. This is turning into a clash against the Global Warming Crowd. The environmentalists now fear that the Yellow Vest movement will engulf all of Europe as their agenda has been to raise taxes and lower the standard of living in addition to the birth rate.

https://www.investmentwatchblog.com/yellow-vest-movement-spreads-to-australia-poland/

Australian Jewish Association urges boycott of Palestine football team

The Australian Jewish Association (AJA) has urged the Australian national football team to boycott their Asian Cup group match against Palestine scheduled for this Friday.

According to reports, the AJA believes “Palestine is not a country recognised by the international community and that soccer has been ‘blatantly politicised’ by the Asian Football Confederation admitting the Arab state as a member.”

On Friday, “Australia will take on Palestine in a crucial Group B clash in Dubai, needing to bounce back from their opening game loss to Jordan.” Palestine, meanwhile, picked up their first point in a major tournament on Sunday, “when they held Syria to a 0-0 draw in Sharjah”.

Palestine was admitted to FIFA in 1998 and qualified for their first Asian Cup in 2015 in Australia.

As the report notes, “despite having diplomatic relations, Australia is one of several countries globally which do not recognise Palestinian statehood.”

The AJA said Australia playing Palestine “legitimises the politicisation of the tournament” and has called on the Football Federation Australia to not take part in Friday’s match.

“The FFA board should not allow the Socceroos to play Palestine,”, AJA president David Adler said yesterday. “If compelled to do so, then at the very least it must do so under protest.”

https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20190109-australian-jewish-association-urges-boycott-of-palestine-football-team/

>>4682393

The Marxist (Left) V Zionist (Right) Deception

Soros v Netanyahu separate arms of the same beast and it's control system.

Same goals:

Control the world.

Elevate one class over another. Serfs/Elite.

Create a new world order.

Rule with an iron fist.

Control resources.

Eliminate competitors aka white people, black people, arab's, asians.

Greater Israel project.

Bring forth the anti-christ.

Satanic rule.

Control both sides of all arguments.

Endless death and suffering on competitors.

Traits of each:

Psychopaths.

Warmongers

Liars

Manipulators

Know thy enemy

>>4682295

>>4682434

$3.5 Trillion A Year: Is America's Health Care System The World's Largest Money-Making Scam?

If the U.S. health care system was a country, it would have the fifth largest GDP on the entire planet. At this point only the United States, China, Japan and Germany have a GDP that is larger than the 3.5 trillion dollar U.S. health care market. If that sounds obscene to you, that is because it is obscene. We should want people to be attracted to the health care industry because they truly want to help people that are suffering, but instead the primary reason why people are drawn to the health care industry these days is because of the giant mountains of money that are being made. Like so many other things in our society, the health care industry is all about the pursuit of the almighty dollar, and that is just wrong.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2019-01-09/35-trillion-year-americas-health-care-system-worlds-largest-money-making-scam

>>4682493

Interesting how no stories on Israel make your notes!

Incoming Senate Judiciary Chair Graham After Meeting with AG Nominee Barr: ‘Bill Barr Has a Very High Opinion of Mueller’

Incoming Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-SC) met with Trump’s nominee for Attorney General, Bill Barr on Wednesday as the Committee prepares for the confirmation hearings scheduled for next week.

Senator Graham took questions from reporters after he met with Trump’s AG nominee and said that Bill Barr has a very high opinion of Robert Mueller.

“Was it a requirement for you going into this that he say that he would leave the Mueller investigation alone…?” a reporter asked Lindsey Graham.

“It wasn’t a requirement, it was just an obvious question and it took about 3 seconds for me–what do you think about Mueller and what he’s doing — I didn’t know that they worked together, that they were that close personally and that they worked together for years,” Graham added.

Lindsey Graham continued, “I can assure you he has a very high opinion of Mr. Mueller and he is committed to seeing Mr. Mueller complete his job.”

Reporters still weren’t satisfied with Lindsey Graham’s reassurance that Bill Barr would leave King Mueller’s scope alone so they pressed the Senator further.

“He had absolutely no indication he was going to tell Bob Mueller what to do or how to do it. He is confident that Mr. Mueller will pursue the facts and the law,” Graham said.

Well, there you have it!

The Gateway Pundit previously reported on Bill Barr’s relationship with Mueller going back years–the DC swamp is deep!

Fox News legal analyst Gregg Jarrett warned President Trump recently not to choose Bill Barr to be the next AG because he’s an ‘establishment insider.’

The more things change, the more they stay the same.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/01/incoming-senate-judiciary-chair-graham-after-meeting-with-ag-nominee-barr-bill-barr-has-a-very-high-opinion-of-mueller-video/

>>4682522

Israel Ex-Minister to Get 11 Years for Spying for Iran

(AFP) An Israeli ex-minister charged with spying for the country’s arch-foe Iran has reached a plea bargain with prosecutors that will see him serve 11 years in prison, the justice ministry said Wednesday.

As part of the agreement, Gonen Segev will plead guilty to serious espionage and transfer of information to the enemy, the ministry said in a statement.

A sentencing hearing was set for February 11.

The trial of Segev, who served as energy and infrastructure minister from 1995 to 1996, opened in July but was held behind closed doors, with few details of the accusations publicly released.

Segev served in the Labour government of prime minister Yitzhak Rabin after defecting from the far right to cast the decisive vote in favour of the Oslo II peace agreement with the Palestinians.

He has previously served prison time on criminal charges.

In 2004, he was charged with trying to smuggle 30,000 ecstasy pills into Israel from the Netherlands using a diplomatic passport with a falsified expiry date.

The following year, he admitted the charges as part of a plea bargain.

He has also been convicted of attempted credit card fraud.

https://www.breitbart.com/middle-east/2019/01/09/israel-ex-minister-to-get-11-years-for-spying-for-iran/

>>4682553

Always telling everyone what to do.

Is this a scam being run to rig the election for Netanyahu??? We'll know if they blame Iran!

Admitting flaws, election committee ‘devising plan’ to thwart foreign meddling

After Shin Bet chief issues alert, body organizing April’s ballot says it’s working to address vulnerabilities to politically motivated cyberattacks, but doesn’t have all the tools

Israel’s Central Elections Committee said Wednesday that it is devising a detailed plan of action to thwart attempts by foreign countries to meddle in the April 9 Knesset elections, following a reported alert from the head of the Shin Bet security agency that such attempts are being made by a country that cannot be named by orders from the military censor.

“Together with security bodies, we learned what happened in other countries and we are devising a plan of action,” the body in charge of organizing the national ballot said in a statement.

The statement came a day after reports that Shin Bet chief Nadav Argamon had warned a foreign state “intends to intervene” through cyberattacks in Israel’s elections. The name of the state was gagged by the military censor.

https://www.timesofisrael.com/admitting-flaws-election-committee-devising-plan-to-thwart-foreign-meddling/

TV report: Police agreed to PM’s request to confront witnesses, he demurred

Source close to investigation tells Hadashot that when investigators agreed to have Netanyahu meet accusers, he said he’d need to ask his lawyers — then never got back to them

https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog-january-9-2019/

Ocasio-Cortez: Trump Is 'Anti-American' For Not Letting In Every Foreigner Who Wants To Come

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said Tuesday night on MSNBC that it's "wrong and anti-American" for President Trump to restrict forms of legal immigration and he's "forcing" illegal immigrants "to become undocumented" by not handing out legal status to everyone who wants to come here.

Partial transcript from Townhall:

"No one should feel unsafe in the United States of America and that includes our amazing and beautiful and productive immigrant community. And moreover, the one thing that the president has not talked about is the fact that he has systematically engaged in the violation of human rights borders – of human rights on our borders," Ocasio-Cortez told Maddow.

That does not include people like Kate Steinle, Mollie Tibbetts and others who were killed by illegal aliens. They're on their own!

[…] "He has separated children from their families, he talked about what happened the day after Christmas. On the day of Christmas, a child died in ICE custody," Ocasio-Cortez explained.

[…] "The president should not be asking for more to an agency [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] that has systematically violated human rights. The president should really be defending why we're funding such an agency at all because right now what we're seeing is death. Right now what we're seeing is the violation of human rights," she said.

Ocasio-Cortez voted to fund ICE just days ago.

"Even if you're anti-immigrant in this country, the majority of immigrant overstays, the majority of the reason that people are undocumented is visa overstays. It's not because people are crossing a border illegally," the Congresswoman said. "It's because of visa overstays, which, mind you, he is talking about legal immigration.

Overstaying your visa is a form of illegal immigration. Does this mean she's fine with a much-needed crack down on visa overstays?

Here's the kicker:

"He's trying to restrict every form of legal immigration there is in the United States. He's fighting against family unification. He's fighting against the diversity visa lottery. He's fighting against almost every legal way people can actually legally enter this country, forcing them to become undocumented and then he's trying to attack their undocumented status."

Ocasio-Cortez added: "This is systematic. It is wrong and it is anti-American. And again, those women and children trying to come here with nothing but the shirts on their back to create an opportunity and provide for this nation are acting more in an American tradition than this president is right now."

Just to recap: everyone who wants to come to America should be allowed in and given legal status and everyone who wants to come to America is de facto more American than actual Americans.

https://www.informationliberation.com/?id=59652

France warns Italy over supporting yellow vest movement

Tensions increased between Paris and Rome this Tuesday as Italy showed support for the yellow vest movement.

Luigi Di Maio, Deputy Premier and Labour and Industry Minister said “Macron compared our government to leprosy!” in response to being told to “butt out” by the Minister of French European Affairs, Nathalie Loiseau.

Both Di Maio and Matteo Salvini, have given their backing to the yellow vest movement with Di Maio saying his 5-Star Movement (M5S) was ‘ready to provide support to the Yellow Vests’, and later responding to Loiseau “Maybe she is forgetting that her president, (Emmanuel) Macron), compared us to leprosy when talking about our government.”

Loiseau responded by saying the French government would raise the issue with Italian Foreign Minister Enzo Moavero Milanesi.

“We speak often, about many things, we’ll talk about this too. The priority of every government is to take care of the well-being of its citizens, so I think that the well-being of the Italian people is the priority of the Italian government. I don’t think dealing with the yellow vests has anything to do with the well-being of the Italian people”.

A spokesperson for Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker gave support to the French Government saying, “The European Commission supports President Macron and the French authorities, who have our confidence to put into practice the programme the president was elected on”

https://voiceofeurope.com/2019/01/france-warns-italy-over-supporting-yellow-vest-movement/

Far-left Dutch EU politician joins protest against Hungarian Prime Minister

Dutch Green MEP Judith Sargentini, author of a report critical of the state of the rule of law in Hungary approved by the European Parliament last year, addressed a demonstration against the Hungarian government’s policies organised by the Hungarian opposition in Brussels on Tuesday.

In her speech at the protest organised by the Radical European Democrats (RED) movement, Sargentini stressed the importance of a free media and being critical of governments in a democracy.

She said it was dangerous to conflate a government or a political party with the state or its citizens, adding that this is what was happening in the case of debates on the situation in Hungary. She also said it was important for trade unions, civil groups and opposition parties to come together.

As regards her report, Sargentini said it focused on a number of key topics about civil rights in Hungary and how the Hungarian government was undermining those rights. The MEP said all European citizens have equal rights. Sargentini said she was expressing solidarity with Hungarians because they are “first class European citizens”. The politician said the time for“quiet diplomacy” was over and it was time to act, lest the situation worsens.

The event was also attended by MEPs and politicians of left-liberal and green Hungarian parties, such as the socialist MSZP, the Democratic Coalition (DK), the LMP, the Dialogue (Parbeszed) and the Momentum.

According to Fidesz, the event was part of US billionaire George Soros’s campaign for the upcoming European Parliamentary elections. Balazs Hidveghi, the ruling party’s communications director said that Soros “is doing his utmost to attack Hungary” and as part of his efforts “he has even commanded” Sargentini to join the Hungarian opposition in their campaign “smearing Hungary” in Brussels. Hungary faces these attacks because Hungarians reject immigrants and “stand in the way” of the implementation of Soros’s pro-migration plan, he said.

The government’s international spokesman, Zoltan Kovacs also dismissed the demonstration as a campaign event. “It’s not about rule of law and democracy. This is the Soros network, the international Left engaged in a concerted campaign effort, desperate to find some sliver of hope for their own electoral chances and to smear a popular, democratically elected government that staunchly opposes immigration and insists on national sovereignty,” he wrote.

According to Judit Varga, the state secretary for EU affairs, “It’s sad that Hungary’s left-liberal opposition finds common ground with Judith Sargentini, who is trying to discredit Hungary. This goes against the interests of the Hungarian people. But ultimately, yesterday’s event in Brussels proved that birds of a feather flock together. Remember these images when May comes”.

https://voiceofeurope.com/2019/01/far-left-dutch-eu-politician-joins-protest-against-hungarian-prime-minister/

French protesters want to set off bank run with withdrawals

PARIS (AP) — Activists from a French protest movement encouraged supporters Wednesday to set off a bank run by emptying their accounts, while the government urged citizens to express their discontent in a national debate instead of weekly demonstrations disrupting the streets of Paris.

Activists from the yellow vest movement, which started with protests over fuel tax increases, recommended the massive cash withdrawals on social media. One protester, Maxime Nicolle called it the “tax collector’s referendum.”

“We are going to get our bread back … You’re making money with our dough, and we’re fed up,” Nicolle said in a video message.

The movement’s adherents said they hoped the banking action will force the French government to heed their demands, especially giving citizens the right to propose and vote on new laws.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe gave details Wednesday of a “big debate” the government plans to start next week in all the regions of France.

“We want it to be rich, impartial and fruitful,” Philippe said.

The debates will focus on four main topics: climate change, democratic issues, taxes and public services, the prime minister said. Anyone can propose a local event and an internet platform will provide another venue for discussion, he said.

President Emmanuel Macron proposed the debate as a way for the government to hear and to respond to the movement’s central complaints.

Macron also announced 10 billion euros ($11.5 billion) worth of measures to boost the purchasing power of French households.

About 200 protesters, including trade union members and participants in the yellow vest movement, gathered Wednesday in Creteil, a Paris suburb as Macron visited a handball facility dedicated to handball gymnasium.

Police officers used tear gas to keep the crowd at a distance from the French leader.

The yellow vest movement was named after the fluorescent garments French motorists must carry so they are visible if they need to get out of their vehicles in a place that could be unsafe.

The protests started in November to oppose fuel tax hikes and have expanded into broader public rejections of Macron’s economic policies, deemed to favor the rich.

https://www.apnews.com/c8646ad291c440978c5d8a260a11d454

THIS IS A GREAT WAY TO DESTROY THE ELITE

Ford Cancels a $1.6 Billion Mexico Plant and Adds 700 Jobs in Michigan

Ford Motor Co (F, +0.96%) on Tuesday scrapped a planned Mexican car factory and added 700 jobs in Michigan following criticism by Donald Trump, as the U.S. president-elect turned his attention toward rival General Motors Co with the threat of a “big border tax” over compact cars made in Mexico.

Ford CEO Mark Fields called the move “a vote of confidence” in Trump, but primarily a response to a decline in North American demand for small cars like those that would have been made at the Mexican plant. He said Ford would have made the same decision even if Trump had not been elected.

Ford will cancel plans unveiled in April to spend $1.6 billion to build the new plant in San Luis Potosi, Mexico, a project Trump urged the automaker to abandon and called an “absolute disgrace” during the election campaign.

The No. 2 U.S. automaker also said it would invest $700 million to expand the Flat Rock, Michigan factory and would make new electric, hybrid and autonomous vehicles there.

Trump’s efforts to browbeat the U.S. car industry show he may go further than other modern presidents to try to influence corporate decisions, especially those related to trade and investment.

http://ecomputerzone.com/ford-cancels-a-1-6-billion-mexico-plant-and-adds-700-jobs-in-michigan/

Trump says emergency declaration coming without border deal with Dems

President Trump on Wednesday said he may declare a national emergency to circumvent Congress and build a border wall if spending talks fail, raising the stakes for negotiations set to resume later in the day.

“I think we might work a deal, and if we don’t we might go that route,” Trump told reporters during a bill signing in the Oval Office.

The president said he has the “absolute right” to declare an emergency, even though some legal scholars and Democratic lawmakers say he does not.

Trump added that his “threshold” for declaring a national emergency is if he cannot reach a deal with congressional Democrats, who have rejected his demand for $5.7 billion for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The comments come one day after he argued to the nation in a televised addressed that a “humanitarian crisis” caused by drug trafficking and illegal immigration exists on the southern border and his proposed wall is the only thing that can stop it.

The president stopped short of declaring a national emergency, despite the expectation from some lawmakers that he would. But the White House on Wednesday reiterated that the option is still on the table.

Trump’s words did not move Democratic leaders who have repeated their demands that the president reopen the government before negotiations on border security can progress.

“It’s much harder to achieve a good negotiation while the government’s shut down,” Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) said at the Capitol. “The first order of business — we’ll continue to negotiate — the first order of business: Open up the government.”

Schumer and Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will return to the White House later Wednesday to resume talks with Trump and his top staff.

Two such meetings last week yielded little progress in resolving the partial government shutdown, which is in its 19th day, but Trump expressed optimism about the talks.

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/424551-trump-says-emergency-declaration-coming-without-border-deal-with-dems

Trump tells FEMA not to send more money to California for forest fires

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President Trump said Wednesday that he has ordered the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to withhold funding for California unless the state improves its forest management to prevent wildfires.

"Billions of dollars are sent to the State of California for Forrest (sic) fires that, with proper Forrest (sic) Management, would never happen," Trump tweeted.

"Unless they get their act together, which is unlikely, I have ordered FEMA to send no more money," he added, calling it a "disgraceful situation in lives & money."

Trump later retweeted the statement with "forest" correctly spelled.

FEMA did not immediately respond to a request for comment, nor did the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), of which FEMA is a part. The Hill has also reached out to California Gov. Gavin Newsom's (D) office for comment.

FEMA and DHS are currently without funding amid a partial government shutdown that has lasted 19 days and counting.

Trump has at least twice before threatened to withhold disaster funding from California for its wildfires and pressed the state to fix what he sees as major flaws with its forest management practices that cause or exacerbate fires.

Local officials and fire experts, meanwhile, have criticized Trump for ignoring the impact that climate change is having on the length and severity of fires — and denying climate change science — while giving too much credit to forest management.

California passed a comprehensive law last year aimed at wildfires. Among other changes, it puts new resources into clearing out brush, dead trees and other biomass that contributes to fires.

A majority of forest land in the state, however, is owned by the federal government.

Wildfires ravaged the state in 2018, with the Camp Fire in Northern California killing at least 85 people and destroying thousands of buildings. The wildfire was the deadliest in the state's history and racked up an overall damage cost of $16.5 billion, according to reinsurance firm Munich Re, which on Tuesday named it the costliest disaster of 2018.

As the Camp Fire raged in November, Trump threatened to withhold federal payments to the state unless officials addressed forest management. The president ultimately issued a disaster declaration for California that freed up federal funding.

Congressional Democrats from California quickly slammed Trump and doubted his ability to withhold FEMA funds over forest management.

More

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/424566-second-federal-employees-union-sues-trump-over-shutdown

Ex-Gitmo US Navy Commander Charged With Obstruction of Justice in Death at Base

Former Guantanamo Bay Naval Base commander John R. Nettleton has been arrested Wednesday and charged with obstruction of justice and other charges relating to the 2015 death of a civilian on the base, for which he was relieved of command.

On January 11, 2015, the body of 42-year-old Christopher Tur, a commissary worker on the US naval base in southeastern Cuba, was found dead in the waters on the western side of the base after being reported missing the previous day.

Nettleton was relieved of duty on January 21, 2015, after it was revealed that he was having an affair with Tur's wife, who was the director of the base's Navy Fleet and Family Services Center, CBS reported. A federal indictment also noted that Nettleton and Tur had fought earlier that night.

Nettleton also has been charged with concealing material facts related to Tur's death. He was arrested in Jacksonville, Florida.

Naval Criminal Investigative Services has been investigating the case since, and a 2016 story in the Miami Herald noted the case was stalled, barring further direction by the Department of Justice.

https://sputniknews.com/news/201901091071344842-Ex-Guantanamo-Commander-Charged-Obstruction-Justice-Death/