a little moar on Plantard I found when came across the name on dig This is one page mentioning a book written on him.
US sanctions Nicaragua oil company over Venezuela ties
Published time: 30 Jan, 2019 22:11
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Washington has imposed sanctions on Albanisa, a private Nicaraguan company that trades in Venezuelan oil. National security advisor John Bolton announced the sanctions on Wednesday, calling Albanisa a joint venture with Venezuela’s PdVSA and a “slush fund of the corrupt regime of Daniel Ortega,” Nicaragua’s president. The US blocked PdVSA’s assets earlier this week in a bid to engineer regime change in Caracas and force the government of President Nicolas Maduro to accept the self-proclaimed and US-backed Juan Guaido as president.
https://www.rt.com/newsline/450189-albanisa-nicaragua-venezuela-sanctions/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=RSS
U.S. LAWMAKERS SEEK TO FORCE TRUMP DECISION ON SAUDI YEMEN WAR
BY REUTERS JANUARY 31, 2019 00:10
U.S. LAWMAKERS SEEK TO FORCE TRUMP DECISION ON SAUDI YEMEN WAR
BY REUTERS JANUARY 31, 2019 00:10
WASHINGTON - U.S. lawmakers said on Wednesday they expect Congress will pass a resolution ending U.S. involvement in the Yemen war, which would force President Donald Trump to issue the first veto of his presidency in order to continue supporting the Saudi-led coalition.
Republican and Democratic senators and representatives said on Wednesday they were re-introducing a war powers resolution that passed the Senate by 56-41 in December, a rebuke of Trump amid anger at Saudi Arabia not just over civilian deaths in Yemen, but also the killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at a Saudi consulate in Turkey.The lawmakers - an alliance of progressive Democrats and Republican constitutional conservatives - deplored the "humanitarian disaster" in Yemen but also said they wanted Congress to reassert its constitutional authority to decide whether the United States should be involved in military conflict.
"That decision has never been debated and discussed and voted on and approved by Congress," Republican Senator Mike Lee, one of the measure's sponsors, told a news conference.
The United States has supported the Saudi-led air campaign against Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen with mid-air refueling support, intelligence and targeting assistance.
Opponents of the resolution are reluctant to risk disrupting the strategic U.S. relationship with Saudi Arabia, seen as an essential counterweight in the Middle East to Iran, arch-enemy of close U.S. ally Israel.
https://www.jpost.com/Breaking-News/US-lawmakers-seek-to-force-Trump-decision-on-Saudi-Yemen-war-579248
'Roll up our sleeves and get to it': Lawmakers begin tough negotiations on border security
Michael Collins, USA TODAY Published 5:06 p.m. ET Jan. 30, 2019 |
A bipartisan congressional committee is attempting to negotiate a deal on border security before Feb. 15. President Donald Trump has warned there could be another federal government shutdown if the panel is unable to reach an agreement. (Photo: PAUL RATJE, AFP/Getty Images)
WASHINGTON – Members of a bipartisan congressional committee trying to negotiate a deal on border security expressed optimism at their first meeting Wednesday that they will be able to reach an agreement and avoid another government shutdown.
“Some say reaching an agreement is a steep mountain to climb,” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. “But I’m from the Mountain State, so I embrace that. … I’m ready to go to work.”
Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., warned that if lawmakers don’t strike a deal, “we’ll be right back where we started” and will be facing another government shutdown.
“We have to address the situation at our border,” Tester said, “… so my suggestion is to roll up our sleeves and get to it.”
From left, Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt., ranking member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., Sen. Jon Tester, D-Mont., and Sen. Dick Durbin, D-Ill., the assistant Democratic leader in the Senate, meet as a bipartisan group of House and Senate bargainers work to craft a border security compromise in hope of avoiding another government shutdown, at the Capitol in Washington Jan. 30, 2019. (Photo: J. Scott Applewhite, AP)
The 17-member panel of senators and House members has until Feb. 15 to reach a deal. President Donald Trump has warned if no agreement is in place by that deadline, the federal government will shut down again or he will declare a national emergency to get money for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.
The committee – seven senators, House members – was named last week to begin negotiations on border security after Trump and congressional leaders agreed to reopen the government for three weeks and end a 35-day shutdown, the longest in U.S. history.
President Donald Trump says he will declare a national emergency to build his U.S.-Mexico border wall if there is no deal with Congress by mid-February. (Jan. 25) AP
The shutdown was triggered by Trump’s demand for $5.7 billion for a border wall, one of the signature promises of his campaign for president in 2016. Democrats refused to give him the money, saying a wall would be costly and ineffective.
Before Wednesday’s meeting, Trump took to Twitter to pressure the panel to focus on a border wall.
“If the committee of Republicans and Democrats now meeting on Border Security is not discussing or contemplating a Wall or Physical Barrier, they are Wasting their time!” he wrote.
While Republicans and Democrats on the committee emphasized the need for more technology, staffing and other measures to secure the border, they remain divided over the need for a wall or barrier.
“I believe we need a physical barrier – I do think we need a wall,” said Rep. Chuck Fleischmann, R-Tenn. “But that’s only one part of it. We need all of the above.”
Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, said a wall or fence would be a waste of money since migrants looking to enter the U.S. could just dig a tunnel beneath it or climb over it.
Rep. Steven Palazzo, R-Miss., suggested members of the panel travel to the border and see for themselves what security measures are needed.
But Cuellar reminded his colleagues that he represents a border district. “I drink the water. I breathe the air," he said. "I don’t just go there and say I’ve been to the border.”
Any border security solutions the committee embraces must be grounded in facts and reality, “not just campaign rhetoric,” said Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vt.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/01/30/border-security-divided-lawmakers-optimistic-striking-deal/2722434002/?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=usatoday-newstopstories
Update on Brazil dam break
At least 99 dead as families dig for loved ones in Brazil dam collapse
Muddy waste oozing toward river that provides drinking water to five Brazilian states
The Associated Press · Posted: Jan 30, 2019 5:05 PM ET | Last Updated: 19 minutes ago
Under a scorching sun, Tereza Ferreira Nascimento on Wednesday dug through the mud with garden tools and her hands in search of her brother Paulo Giovane dos Santos, resigned to the reality that he was most likely dead six days after the collapse of a Brazilian dam holding back mine waste.
As search-and-recovery efforts dragged on, authorities also worked to slow the reddish-brown mud that was heading down a small river with high concentrations of iron oxide, threatening to contaminate a much larger waterway that provides drinking water to communities in five of the country's 26 states.
Friday's breach at the mine owned and operated by the Vale mining company led to a sea of mud that plastered several areas of the southeastern city of Brumadinho. To date, 99 people have been confirmed dead and 259 were missing.
"We have been here since Friday, taking turns between brothers, brothers-in-law, searching for the body so that we can at least give him a dignified burial," said Nascimento, holding back tears. "So far it has been in vain."
3 Brazil mining company employees, 2 contractors arrested in dam disaster
In the distance, helicopters could be heard and firefighters worked several areas, in theory in search for survivors, but more likely for bodies. No one had been rescued alive since Saturday, making chances for a miracle less with each passing moment.
Vagner Diniz, 60, was holding on to some hope Wednesday that some of his five missing family members were still alive. His list of missing was staggering: his two adult children, Luiz and Camila; his daughter-in-law Fernanda, who was five months pregnant; and the biological parents of Luiz, who was adopted.
"This was a massive assassination," said Diniz, who lives in Australia with his wife and had come to his native Brazil on vacation.
https://www.cbc.ca/news/world/brazil-dam-collapse-death-1.4999427?cmp=rss
Police Report Is Game-Changer in Case of Gay, Black Actor Attacked by ‘Trump Supporters’
When gay black actor Jussie Smollett said he was attacked by white men who yelled some stuff about “MAGA,” it didn’t take long for the liberal rage machine to mobilize.
“The star of the tv show ‘Empire,’ Jussie Smollett, was attacked by two assailants early Monday morning in Downtown Chicago according to Chicago Police Department Spokesperson Anthony Guglielmi,” CNN reported.
“Smollett, 36, was walking on the 300 block of E. North Lower Water Street when two men approached him and ‘gained his attention by yelling out racial and homophobic slurs towards him,’ Guglielmi says in a statement.
“Two unknown offenders — it is unknown if they were male or female — then attacked Smollett, hitting him in the face and then poured an unknown chemical substance on him.
“At some point during the scuffle, one of the offenders wrapped a rope around the victim’s neck and then both offenders fled the scene, the statement reads.”
TRENDING: GOP Lobbyist Has ‘Evidence’ That Could Reveal Why DNC Analyst Seth Rich Died [RETRACTED]
Smollett took himself to Northwestern Hospital, where the incident was reported to police, according to CBS Chicago.
There was plenty of condemnation to go around, particularly after TMZ reported that the attackers had shouted “this is MAGA country.”
Two of the outraged included black Democratic senators, who just by chance, happen to either be running for president or widely expected to be running for president
There was one problem with this “modern-day lynching” narrative: None of that “MAGA country” stuff was originally mentioned to police and they’re having trouble corroborating the fact that the attack even happened.
https://www.westernjournal.com/ct/police-report-game-changer-case-gay-black-actor-attacked-trump-supporters/?utm_source=push&utm_medium=westernjournalism&utm_content=2019-01-30&utm_campaign=manualpost
Well well
Elon Musk gears up for Model Y crossover as Tesla makes second straight quarterly profit
Nathan Bomey, USA TODAY Published 4:52 p.m. ET Jan. 30, 2019 | Updated 5:15 p.m. ET Jan. 30, 2019
Tesla is gearing up to begin making its next vehicle — an electric crossover called the Model Y — as it boosts production of its current vehicles, lowers prices and cuts costs.
With a debt payment of more than $900 million due within weeks unless the company's stock makes a sudden leap, Tesla is under pressure to improve its operations through cost reductions, faster production and increased sales.
The automaker said Wednesday that it made a profit of $139.5 million in the fourth quarter, up from a loss of $675.4 million a year earlier. It's the second straight quarter the company has made money after a string of brutal losses.
The quarterly profit will help Tesla as it saves up for the likely bond payment in March.
But the company warned that it will hard to make a profit in the first quarter of 2019 as it enacts $400 million in cost cuts, which will deal an upfront dent to the bottom line. Those cuts represent about 7 percent of the company's global workforce.
Tesla's stock fluctuated slightly up and down in after-hours trading Wednesday. The shares had risen 3.8 percent to close at $308.77 during the day.
CEO Elon Musk said in a letter to investors that the company expects to make a profit every quarter after the year's first. Under an "optimistic" scenario, it could make money in the first quarter, he wrote.
The company projected 2019 sales of 360,000 to 400,000 vehicles, which would represent growth of about 45 percent to 65 percent over 2018.
Although the Model Y is on the way, the Model 3 will have to carry the load this year.
Tesla projected first-quarter sales of the ultra-luxury Model S and Model X to fall "slightly" after customers rushed to buy those vehicles in the fourth quarter to qualify for the full $7,500 federal tax credit before it was slashed in half on Jan. 1. The company has reduced prices of all of its vehicles by $2,000 and ended production of lower-end versions of the ultra-luxury models.
Because of Tesla's success, the tax credit for its buyers will be slashed in half again halfway through 2019. That has added urgency for Tesla to introduce a cheaper version of the Model 3. The car was supposed to be offered at a starting price of $35,000, but that base model hasn't yet been offered.
Instead, it's selling for well over $50,000 in many cases. That has helped Tesla turn a profit for two straight quarters after enduring what Musk called "production hell" earlier in 2018, when the company's ability to make vehicles in high volume was called into question.
Improvements in manufacturing, including the hasty construction of a tent outside the company's Fremont, California, factory, helped speed production output. The company says it has learned from the process and will incorporate those lessons in its new plant under construction in Shanghai.
Tesla said Wednesday that it expects to make 7,000 Model 3 vehicles per week at a "sustainable" pace at its Fremont factory by the end of 2019. Meanwhile, the company expects to hit an annualized rate of more than 10,000 Model 3 vehicles weekly at its under-construction Shanghai factory sometime between the fourth quarter of 2019 and the second quarter of 2020.
The next vehicle in the company's lineup is the Model Y, which will share the same platform as the Model 3 to save costs. Tesla said that vehicle will "most likely" be made at the company's battery plant in Reno, Nevada. Pricing, styling and specifications haven't been revealed.
https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2019/01/30/tesla-fourth-quarter-earnings-model-3-model-y-elon-musk/2712569002/?utm_source=feedblitz&utm_medium=FeedBlitzRss&utm_campaign=usatoday-newstopstories
Judge refuses to unseal criminal charges against Assange
Today 03:06 am JST
FALLS CHURCH, Va.
A federal judge on Wednesday rejected a request to unseal criminal charges against Wikileaks founder Julian Assange that were mistakenly revealed in another case.
U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema said in a 10-page ruling that free-press advocates seeking to unseal the charges have no proof Assange has actually been charged.
The Reporters Committee for the Freedom of the Press sought to unseal the charges after a federal prosecutor inadvertently typed a reference to "the fact that Assange has been charged" in an unrelated case.
The government has acknowledged it made an error but has not publicly confirmed that charges against Assange have been filed.
After the mistake was made, news outlets including The Associated Press reported that Assange has indeed been charged. But those reports relied on anonymous sources.
The precise charges against Assange are unclear. The Wikileaks founder has been staying in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London since 2012 under a grant of asylum and has long expressed fear of a U.S. prosecution. WikiLeaks has served as a vehicle for release of thousands of classified U.S. military and diplomatic cables. In addition, WikiLeaks' role in releasing emails hacked from the Democratic National Committee in 2016 has also been under scrutiny as special counsel Robert Mueller has investigated Russian interference in the 2016 election and whether the Trump campaign was involved.
Criminal charges typically remain secret and under seal until a defendant has been arrested to prevent a target from fleeing prosecution or destroying evidence. Lawyers for the free-press foundation said that rationale for secrecy no longer exists given the inadvertent disclosure and the fact that Assange has long assumed he has been charged.
Brinkema, though, wrote in her ruling that the Reporters Committee "has not demonstrated with sufficient certainty that Assange has been charged. Unlike in other high-profile cases, the Government has not affirmatively disclosed that charges have been filed. Although the Government acknowledges that it made a mistake … the nature of that mistake is fundamentally unclear."
Katie Townsend, a lawyer for the Reporters Committee, said no decision has been made on whether to appeal. "The disclosure of the nature of the charges against Assange are a matter of public interest and should be made public," she said.
https://japantoday.com/category/world/judge-refuses-to-unseal-criminal-charges-against-assange
not roger stone…. r you kidding?
I keep telling anons
Q = JFK JR
I watch all kinds of videos of ppl who have caught on, some have even had their comment or video content acknowledged by him.
One lady received a set of silver coins acknowledging 'her getting it' in a vid she did, question she asked in identifying him.