Dressbarn to close all 650 stores

Ascena Retail Group said Monday it’s winding down its Dressbarn business and plans to shut all 650 or so of the women’s clothing stores in order to focus on its more profitable brands.

Ascena, which also owns apparel chains Ann Taylor and Loft, said the decision wasn’t an easy one. But the “Dressbarn chain has not been operating at an acceptable level of profitability in today’s retail environment,” Dressbarn CFO Steven Taylor said in a press release.

The retailer said customers will be able to continue to shop from Dressbarn stores and online, as the closures won’t take place immediately. It hasn’t outlined an exact timeline for the winding-down process of the business. It said its vendors and suppliers will continue to be paid on “normal terms,” and that employees will be updated as decisions are made about when specific locations will close.

The announcement comes amid a wave of store closures across the country this year. More than 6,000 closures have been announced so far in 2019 by companies ranging from Payless ShoeSource to Gymboree to Charlotte Russe, Victoria’s Secret and Gap. That’s more store closures than in all of 2018, when 5,864 closures were announced over the duration of the entire year, according to a retail real estate tracker by Coresight Research.

https://governmentslaves.news/2019/05/21/dressbarn-to-close-all-650-stores/

Bombshell Transcripts: Obama AG Loretta Lynch Claims James Comey Lied Under Oath

Transcripts of testimony by former Attorney General Loretta Lynch show her accusing former FBI Director James Comey of lying under oath to Congress.

Rep. Doug Collins released transcripts on Monday from several Department of Justice officials, including Lynch and former FBI deputy director Andrew McCabe.

There’s really only one way to view this, folks – Lynch’s testimony shows that either she or Comey lied to Congress. As Comey’s interview was under oath, he presumably stands to suffer the greater consequences.

Somebody’s Lying

Central to the bombshell testimony by Lynch is an incident in which Comey repeatedly claimed she had downgraded terminology for the Hillary Clinton private server investigation.

The former head of the FBI testified that he felt “queasy” after the AG asked him to refer to the probe of Clinton’s emails as a “matter” rather than an “investigation.”

“[Lynch] told me to call it a matter, which confused and concerned me. But that was one of the bricks in the load that led me to conclude I have to step away from the [Justice] Department if we’re to close this case credibly,” Comey claimed.

Lynch, during her hearing before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, recalled that she was “quite surprised” by this claim.

Loretta Lynch DENIES telling Comey to refer to the Clinton email case as a “matter,” rather than an investigation, directly contradicting statements made by Comey. SOMEONE IS LYING. pic.twitter.com/qb0U4Jopp3

— Cory Groshek (@CoryGroshek) May 20, 2019

Lynch is reminded that Comey made these statements under oath.

“I did not,” Lynch unequivocally responded when asked if she had directed Comey to downgrade the Clinton case from an investigation to a ‘matter.’

“I have never instructed a witness as to what to say specifically,” she added. “Never have, never will.”

https://thepoliticalinsider.com/bombshell-transcripts-obama-ag-loretta-lynch-claims-james-comey-lied-under-oath/?utm_campaign=TPI05212019Afternoon&utm_source=critiicalipact&utm_medium=email&utm_content=1d09840caddec138a6473c7b9fa19141&source=CI

Nadler subpoenas Hope Hicks and McGahn's former aide for testimony

House Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler (D-N.Y.) on Tuesday subpoenaed two former White House officials to testify before his committee and provide documents, a move that is likely to further exacerbate a standoff with the White House.

Nadler issued subpoenas to Annie Donaldson, who served as chief of staff to former White House counsel Don McGahn, and former White House communications director Hope Hicks, one of President Trump's longest-serving aides in the West Wing.

The two subpoenas mark an ongoing fight between the White House and Congress as House Democrats seek to compel the testimony of other current and former administration officials as part of their sprawling investigations into Trump and his administration.

Representatives for Hicks and Donaldson did not immediately return a request for comment on Tuesday.

The subpoena orders Hicks to provide documents by June 4 and then to testify before the Judiciary Committee on June 19.

A separate subpoena requires Donaldson to turn over a tranche of documents to the committee by June 4 and demands her appearance at a deposition on June 24.

Democrats believe Donaldson and Hicks witnessed a series of key events that they hope to examine as they review the episodes Mueller examined as possible obstruction of justice.

Donaldson is said to have kept detailed notes about the meetings with McGahn that she sat in on and such notes were frequently mentioned in special counsel Robert Mueller’s report. Hicks also played a pivotal role as a trusted advisor in Trump’s inner circle, following him from the early days of his presidential campaign and into the White House.

The Judiciary panel voted along party lines to authorize Nadler to issue subpoenas for Hicks, Donaldson, McGahn and former White House chief of staff Reince Priebus in early April as part of its sprawling investigation into allegations of obstruction and abuses of power by Trump. At the same meeting, Democrats also voted to authorize Nadler to subpoena Mueller’s full report –– an order he has already issue.

Nadler already issued a subpoena for documents and testimony from McGahn, but the former White House counsel has declined to comply with the requests at the direction of the White House.

The news of the subpoenas came the same day that McGahn evaded public testimony before the committee on instructions from Trump, who cited a Department of Justice legal opinion that McGahn is immune from compelled congressional testimony.

Democrats believe Donaldson and Hicks witnessed a series of key events that they hope to examine as they review the episodes Mueller examined as possible obstruction of justice.

https://thehill.com/policy/national-security/444850-nadler-subpoenas-hope-hicks-and-mcgahns-former-aide-for-testimony

Study: 98% of FDA Laws Are Unconstitutional

Angela C. Erickson and Thomas Berry of the Pacific Legal Foundation have just published a new report examining illegally issued regulations at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).

Their study found that:

Unconstitutional rulemaking procedures are rife at HHS, especially at the FDA.

They analyzed who were the people making these rules at HHS in what they claim is the largest study ever done on this subject.

[This] has never been studied before: a large expansion of rulemakers who are not democratically accountable.

These unaccountable rulemakers are not constitutionally authorized to issue final rules that have the force of law.

But, as this study shows, that hasn’t stopped them.

The basis for which they claim these rules are unconstitutional is what they call The Appointments Clause and the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on this issue 43 years ago.

The U.S. Constitution requires executive branch officials who exercise significant authority and discretion to be formally appointed in a manner the Appointments Clause specifies in Article II, Section 2.

All principal officers must be nominated by the President and confirmed by the Senate before they are appointed.

Inferior officers must undergo the same process unless Congress by law authorizes their appointment by the President or a department head.

The Framers specified these appointment rules to ensure that all high government officials who exercise significant power over us would be accountable to the people in a meaningful way.

The Supreme Court established 43 years ago that rulemaking was one of those significant powers that only democratically accountable officers appointed in this manner could exercise. Rightly so.

Permanent career staff in regulatory agencies have important jobs, but they are not democratically accountable to the people in this manner. They shouldn’t be issuing regulatory law that governs us. Their rules simply aren’t valid.

They claim that this is the largest study ever done on this topic, looking at 2,952 rules over a 16-year period.

Pacific Legal Foundation (PLF) analyzed the rulemaking practices of one executive department over several administrations. In a first-of-its-kind study, the researchers examined every regulation issued by the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) from 2001 through 2017 (2,952 rules).

The study focused on who issued each final rule, the rulemaker’s authority, and the rule’s significance.

The study found that a majority of HHS regulations were illegally issued by low-level officials or career employees who had no authority to do so.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) was the most frequent and clear-cut violator. The FDA’s illegal rules were so numerous that they skewed the results for the rest of HHS.

http://healthimpactnews.com/2019/study-98-of-fda-laws-are-unconstitutional/

Full report:

https://pd.pacificlegal.org/HHSReport

>>6552413

You will soon have only amazon then your sarcastic ass will be put in its place.

Zio-Anglo-American Axis Amassing Thousands of Terrorists on Russian-CIS Border—Why?

5,000 terrorists amassed in Afghanistan close to CIS border – Russian FSB chief

An Islamic State offshoot has amassed around 5,000 militants in northern Afghanistan on the border of post-Soviet republics of Central Asia, the director of Russia’s FSB has warned, adding that many of them have fought in Syria.

“Especially worrying is re-deployment of terrorist groups into northern provinces of Afghanistan,” Alexander Bortnikov told chiefs of ex-Soviet intelligence services in Dushanbe. He warned that ‘Wilayat Khorasan’, a local Islamic State (IS, formerly ISIS) affiliate, had managed to gather 5,000 fighters in the area.

Terrorist cells are now infiltrating into former Soviet countries where they are forming ties with organized crime. To keep a low profile, they try to pose as refugees and migrants, according to Bortnikov.

Islamists have suffered a series of defeats in Syria and Iraq, but they still remain a danger. “Now they are trying to regroup in areas which Syrian government doesn’t control, or hide out in refugee camps,” the FSB chief noted.

Another alarming trend is that terrorist groups are relocating their forces to other parts of the world, including Northern Africa and Southeast Asia.

Despite military losses, terrorist organizations are accumulating massive foreign funding to prepare for attacks “all around the world.” Notably, they resort to cryptocurrencies and online payment services to receive money from abroad. Revenues from “illicit oil trade, human trafficking and other criminal activities” also are used by terrorists to stay afloat.

Last month, the FSB director warned of IS militants returning to their countries of origin and creating terrorist cells at home. More than 1,500 of 5,000 jihadists from Europe who earlier joined IS managed to return from the Middle East, Bortnikov said at the time.

https://www.rt.com/news/459861-thousands-terrorists-concentrated-afghanistan/

The True History and Purposes of the British Secret Intelligence Services

British Secret Intelligence Service Spymasters

England is a mythical land of Magna Carter power politics heritage. Such cultural and emotional symbols as ‘Mrs. Miniver’ Rose or the White Cliffs of Dover are engrained in the public consciousness as essential British tradition. When the “Bard of Avon” presented his indispensable observations, Shakespeare on Englanddefined the perception essence of countless generations.

This royal throne of kings, this sceptered isle,

This earth of majesty, this seat of Mars,

This other Eden, demi-paradise,

This fortress built by Nature for herself

Against infection and the hand of war,

This happy breed of men, this little world,

This precious stone set in a silver sea,

Which serves it in the office of a wall

Or as a moat defensive to a house,

Against the envy of less happier lands,

This blessed plot, this earth, this realm, this England,

This nurse, this teeming womb of royal kings,

Feared by their breed and famous by their birth

[Richard II, 2.1, 40-51]

Yet even with such lofty attitudes about England, the real world upon which intelligence operations maneuver have very little to do with serving the British society that most closely associates with the image of a fable people. When scholars examine the nature of the British Empire, many fail to identify that the true power behind the institutions and military prowess is not controlled by Parliament or even the German Monarchy clan of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, who has taken the name of Windsor. In actuality, the raw power that embodies the “Crown” functions accordingly.

http://batr.org/forbidden/050217.html

As Denver Decriminalizes Mushrooms, Major City Moves to Decriminalize Ayahuasca, Ibogaine Too

Nearly seven years ago, Colorado citizens—tired of the war on drugs and wise to the near-limitless benefits of cannabis—made US history by voting to legalize recreational marijuana. Now, this state has once again placed themselves on the right side of history as they voted this month to decriminalize magic mushrooms. But this was just the beginning and their momentum is spreading—faster and stronger, toward decriminalizing all plant-based psychedelics.

Now, a major city in California is following suit, but not just with psilocybin—Oakland is calling for decriminalization of other psychedelics like mescaline cacti, ayahuasca and ibogaine.

To be clear, the recent measure does not mean that mushrooms are now legal in Denver, it simply means that cops can’t make it a priority to go after folks for them and it won’t land people in jail for possession. While legalization would be the perfect result, this is most certainly a step in the right direction and this step appears to be a giant leap now that California is doing the same.

As Forbes reports:

The resolution, which would seek to bar police and other city officials from using “any city funds or resources to assist in the enforcement of laws imposing criminal penalties for the use and possession” of the plant- and fungi-based substances, has been scheduled for a hearing before the Oakland City Council’s Public Safety Committee on May 28.

If approved there, it would head to the full Council for a final vote.

Like the Denver resolution, the Oakland resolution would make possession of these psychedelics “amongst the lowest law enforcement priority” for the city under the measure, according to Forbes, which also specifies that the Council “wishes to declare its desire not to expend City resources in any investigation, detention, arrest, or prosecution arising out of alleged violations of state and federal law regarding the use of Entheogenic Plants.”

“We already have support from at least five members of the Council, but our goal is to get eight out of eight to show unanimous support, because this affects all communities in Oakland,” Carlos Plazola, an organizer with the group Decriminalize Nature, which worked to help draft the measure, said in an interview.

https://thefreethoughtproject.com/psychedelics-decriminalize-oakland-mushrooms/

Carson clashes with Dems over proposal to block illegal immigrants from public housing

Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Ben Carson faced harsh criticism from Democrats on Tuesday, as he fielded questions at a Capitol Hill hearing on a proposed rule change that would strip public housing assistance for illegal immigrants.

Some of the most intense grilling came from Rep. Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., who claimed that Carson's plan "would bring nothing but despair to thousands of American families."

"Quite frankly, I find it despicable," Maloney said of the plan, which would eliminate government aid for families with members who are in the U.S. illegally, even if other family members, such as children, are citizens or legal residents. A HUD study found roughly 25,000 households are in this situation, including approximately 55,000 children with legal status.

"Your plan to create vacancies by making 55,000 American children homeless is among the most damaging proposals I have ever seen," Maloney said during the House Financial Services Committee hearing. "Where will they live?" she asked, wondering if Carson would have them stay in cages on the border.

Carson was quick to defend and explain the proposal, which he said addressed Maloney's concern.

"If you read the rule carefully," he said, "you will see that it provides a six-month deferral on request, if they have not found another place to live." Carson said that deferral can then be renewed twice, "for a total of 18 months, which is plenty of time for Congress to engage in comprehensive immigration reform so that this becomes a moot point."

Committee Chairwoman Maxine Waters, D-Calif., also commented on the proposal during her opening statement, calling it "cruel," and "inconsistent with HUD's mission."

The proposal notes that existing law prohibits the government from providing housing assistance to those in the country illegally, and allows Carson to strip assistance from anyone receiving it improperly.

The current system lets families of mixed immigration status receive a prorated amount of assistance for those who are citizens or legal residents. Carson said that while these families receive assistance, there are other families – where every member is in the country legally – who have to spend years on a wait list to get help. He noted that this includes "hundreds of thousands of children," not to mention disabled people and the elderly.

"If in fact you want to explain to the American citizens who have been on the wait list for several years in your district in New York why we should continue to support families who are not here legally, I would be happy to join you in helping explain that to them," Carson told Maloney.

https://www.foxnews.com/politics/carson-clashes-with-dems-over-proposal-to-block-illegal-immigrants-from-public-housing

Pope Francis Calls For Global Governance to Fight Climate Change

Demands new powers be transferred to international authority that ‘manages’ interests of nations.

Pope Francis recently called for global governance to fight climate change, asserting, “The nation state cannot be considered as an absolute.”

During an address to the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences, the Pope condemned “growing nationalism that neglects the common good” and called for more globalism.

“The nation state cannot be considered as an absolute, as an island with respect to the surrounding context,” he said, adding, “The nation state is no longer able to procure the common good of its populations alone.”

Pope Francis said that a “special authority legally and concordantly constituted” was necessary to facilitate the implementation of new climate change policies.

He went on to demand that power be transferred from nation states to “intergovernmental institutions that manage their common interests.”

“This universal common good, in turn, must acquire a more pronounced juridical value at international level,” concluded Francis.

The Pope has made innumerable statements bashing nationalism and populism, particularly in the context of his advocacy of bringing millions of migrants into Europe.

Under his guidance, the Catholic Church has also fully embraced the global warming mantra despite deep skepticism amongst Christians.

https://newspunch.com/pope-francis-global-governance-combat-climate-change/

Pull Danish troops back home to man WALL on German border, anti-Islam right-wing party leader says

A dark horse right-wing candidate in Denmark’s national elections who has called to militarize the country’s land border and to build a wall to keep out migrants just might earn enough votes to enter the parliament.

Immigration is already defining the contours of the upcoming national elections in Denmark, but one party is literally following the “hard line” on the issue, with calls going as far as to strip Muslim Danes of their citizenship, and deport them.

Now, debating two government ministers on Denmark’s Channel 2 TV, Stram Kurs party leader Rasmus Paludan has called for Danish troops to be pulled from overseas peacekeeping missions and to instead be stationed on the country’s border with Germany – all to prevent the entry of Muslim migrants.

“Instead of making invasion wars, where you put Danish help out, to meddle in foreign affairs of other countries, where we cannot perceive the consequences, and where the consequences are mostly awful – Libya, Iraq and Syria, etc. – I think that we should use the defense forces in order to protect our own border, and not meddle in other countries’ affairs. Because we do not want other countries meddling in our affairs,” said Paludan.

Facing off against Interior Minister Emil Amnitzbøl of the Liberal Alliance party and Integration Minister Inger Støjberg of the Venstre party, Paludan called for the construction of a physical border wall that would prevent the entry of asylum-seekers, according to Danish journal Der Nordschleswiger.

https://www.rt.com/news/459933-danish-anti-islam-party-wall-germany/

Trump Bans Huawei while Israel Through Intel Corp and WhatsApp…

Editor’s note: Trump is waging Israel’s war on China, not for territory, but to defend Israel’s massive “spy on everyone always everywhere” program. The war on Huawei is pure Wikileaks level distraction.

Earlier media reported that Google had suspended its business operations with Huawei, including the transfer of hardware, software and technical services, as well as the Chinese giant’s access to updates of its Android operating system.

Shenzhen-based telecom giant Huawei suggested last year that app makers develop software for a new Huawei app store outside China – a never-before-heard-of plan, according to documents viewed by Bloomberg News.

The Chinese company reportedly told potential partners that by the end of 2018 it would have 50 million Europeans using its own app store, rather than Google’s, and is said to have been involved in talks with European wireless carriers about spreading the new app store further.

Huawei has yet to comment on the story which comes shortly after reports that big-name US tech companies, including Intel, Qualcomm, Xilinx, and Broadcom, had cut off the supply of their software and gear to the Chinese giant in the wake of the US government adding it to a trade blacklist last week.

In addition, Google is said to have severed its dealings with Huawei, suspending the supply of hardware and some software services except those publicly available via open source licensing.

Huawei phones, which run on Google’s Android operating system, are also expected to lose access to updates to some popular apps, but the existing devices will be safe from upcoming restrictions.

Commenting on the decision on Tuesday, Huawei’s vice-president said that the US move has become a challenge for the Chinese tech giant, Google, and the industry as a whole. The top official stressed that the company would do everything to mitigate the negative consequences of the US decision.

Last week, the US Department of Commerce placed Huawei on a trade blacklist, barring the Chinese firm from acquiring technology or components from American firms without the US government’s consent. According to Reuters, shortly after, the restrictions were lifted under a temporary general license, which lasts until 19 August.

US Tech Giants Join Google in Cutting Off Ties With Huawei − Reports

Separately, US President Donald Trump has directed the Commerce Department and other relevant US agencies to devise a plan to ban American companies from using telecommunications equipment made by foreign manufacturers that are “deemed to pose a national security risk”.The developments around Huawei come amid the ongoing trade war between China and the United States. Over the past several months, Huawei has been hit with allegations that it’s been spying on behalf of the Chinese government and stealing commercial information.

The telecom giant has consistently dismissed the accusations, stressing that it is independent of the government and sees no reason for restrictions on developing its 5G networks in any country. The United States, New Zealand, and Australia have already barred Huawei from building its 5G mobile phone network in said countries, citing security concerns.

https://www.veteranstoday.com/2019/05/21/trump-bans-huawei-while-israel-through-intel-corp-and-whatsapp/

Federal Judge Orders Release of Trump’s Tax Returns

On May 10, House Dem Ways and Means Committee chairman Richard Neal subpoenaed Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and IRS commissioner Charles Rettig to release Trump’s personal tax returns for the 2013-18 period, along with other returns for several of his businesses.

The move followed Mnuchin’s refusal to voluntarily comply with the House request, claiming it was politically motivated.

According to 1924 US legislation, the House and Senate Joint Committee on Taxation may request for examination anyone’s personal tax information.

Federal law also requires candidates for federal office, as well as current office holders and their senior staff — including congressional members, the president and vice president, along with their cabinet members, and senior administration staff — to comply with provisions of the 1978 Ethics in Government Act. It applies to Supreme Court justices as well.

They’re required to file annual disclosures of their personal finances, including amounts and sources of earned and unearned income, assets, relevant transactions (like purchases or sales of property or other assets), liabilities, honoraria received for speeches or other activities (only allowed if donated to charity while in office), gifts received, book deals, reimbursed travel expenses, non-government positions held, and whatever relates to the above.

The same obligation holds for spouses and dependent children. In my judgment, the above requirements include full disclosure of federal income tax returns as requested by Congress which Trump refused to comply with.

Before taking office, it’s standard practice for incoming US presidents to either divest from financial and related holdings or place them in a blind trust to have no say over how they’re managed.

Trump did neither, instead placing his adult children in charge of his financial and business interests, arguably a violation of the Ethics in Government Act by keeping himself informed (and maybe personally involved) in how his monied interests are managed.

On Monday, US District Court for the District of Columbia Judge Amit Mehta ruled against Trump’s lawsuit to block a House subpoena, ordering release of his personal and business tax returns as explained above, saying:

https://www.globalresearch.ca/federal-judge-orders-release-trumps-tax-returns/5678087

California Senate Passes Bill to Compel Public Universities to Provide Free Abortion Pills to Students

The California Senate passed a bill on Monday evening that will force the state’s 34 public universities to provide students with free abortion pills.

Senate Bill 24, the College Student Right to Access Act, would grant $200,000 to each student health center to pay for abortion pills, training, and necessary equipment — plus an additional $200,000 to set up a 24-hour hotline.

“The bill would require, on and after January 1, 2023, each student health care services clinic on a California State University or University of California campus to offer abortion by medication techniques, as specified. The bill would require the Commission on the Status of Women and Girls to administer the College Student Health Center Sexual and Reproductive Health Preparation Fund, which the bill would establish. The bill would continuously appropriate the moneys in that fund to the commission for grants to these student health care clinics for specified activities in preparation for providing abortion by medication techniques, thereby making an appropriation. The bill would provide that its requirements would be implemented only if, and to the extent that, a total of at least $10,290,000 in private moneys is made available to the fund in a timely manner on or after January 1, 2020,” the bill reads.

The bill, which was introduced by Senator Connie Leyva, will now go up for a vote in the State Assembly. If it passes there, it will go to Governor Gavin Newsom to make the final decision.

“Former Governor Jerry Brown, also a Democrat, vetoed a similar piece of legislation in September 2018, claiming that a trip off-campus to access an abortion wasn’t enough of an inconvenience to justify the bill,” CBS News reports.

At the time, Newsom was Lieutenant Governor and said that he would not have signed the bill.

“We’re going to expand access because that’s what we do in California: we lead,” Leyva told CBS News.

https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2019/05/california-senate-passes-bill-to-compel-public-universities-to-provide-free-abortion-pills-to-students/

Terrorists with fireproof passports flew planes into the towers on 911

Or Israeli Mossad and DS did it!

You choose!