Category Archives: Clown

Trump attacks Mattis and complains others ‘take total advantage’ of US | US news | The Guardian

Trump regularly repeats inaccurate claims about payments to Iran. According to the website Politifact, the $1.8bn figure is a slight exaggeration of a transfer that covered an order for military equipment made before the 1979 revolution and thus never fulfilled. The attack on McGurk echoed remarks by Mulvaney and other aides. He was appointed as Isis envoy by Barack Obama in 2015 but his first senior jobs as a diplomat, on Iran and Iraq, were under George W Bush. Senators asked Trump to withhold a final decision on Syria for 90 days. But on Monday the Pentagon confirmed that Mattis had signed the withdrawal order. No operational details were provided. On Sunday, Trump tweeted: “President Erdoğan of Turkey has very strongly informed me that he will eradicate whatever is left of Isis in Syria … and he is a man who can do it plus, Turkey is right ‘next door’. Our troops are coming home!” In Syria, Turkish troops were reported to be concentrating near Manbij, a town held by Kurdish fighters.

Source: Trump attacks Mattis and complains others ‘take total advantage’ of US | US news | The Guardian

US government shutdown: No end in sight | News | DW | 23.12.2018

US President Donald Trump canceled his holiday plans to stay in Washington as Democrats continue to reject his border wall funding demand. The US Senate will not meet until after Christmas.

Source: US government shutdown: No end in sight | News | DW | 23.12.2018

“I am proud to shut down the government…I will take the mantle. I will be the one to shut it down. I’m not gonna blame you for it.”—Donald Trump, December 11″

US Government shutdown looms as Donald Trump lays blame on Democrats – Donald Trump’s America – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

“I am proud to shut down the government…I will take the mantle. I will be the one to shut it down. I’m not gonna blame you for it.”

—Donald Trump, December 11″

 

Racing toward a partial government shutdown, US President Donald Trump appears stuck in a standoff with Democrats over his demand for billions of dollars in US-Mexico border wall money.

Source: US Government shutdown looms as Donald Trump lays blame on Democrats – Donald Trump’s America – ABC News (Australian Broadcasting Corporation)

US announces it is pulling all troops out of Syria | News | DW | 19.12.2018 Cut and run loser Trump

Ignoring the advice of his military and security advisers Although many in the Department of Defense (DoD), including Defense Secretary James Mattis, have tried for quite some time to convince the president not to make the move, he was unswayed by the advice of his military and security advisors. DoD officials say that the troop withdrawal will betray Kurdish allies fighting alongside US troops in Syria and Iraq. Moreover, they argued that by abandoning the Kurds the US would put any future alliances with local fighters at risk, as the US would be seen as an unreliable partner. In both Iraq and Syria, Kurdish groups have been among the most effective fighters against IS, bolstered by air support, intelligence, equipment and training from Western and Gulf powers. However, NATO member Turkey in particular objected to the cooperation with Kurdish groups it considers either terrorists or their accomplices.

Source: US announces it is pulling all troops out of Syria | News | DW | 19.12.2018

Mueller Rejects Flynn’s Attempt to Portray Himself as Victim of the F.B.I. – The New York Times

“A sitting national security adviser, former head of an intelligence agency, retired lieutenant general and 33-year veteran of the armed forces knows he should not lie to federal agents,” prosecutors wrote in court papers. “He does not need to be warned it is a crime to lie to federal agents to know the importance of telling them the truth.”

President Trump, hostage taker? – Los Angeles Times

Trump’s statement that he may intervene in the case against Meng could be one of his most dangerous “break the norms” moments since he won the White House. By putting her arrest in play as a bargaining chip in trade talks, Trump has told the world that hostage-taking is now a part of his approach to international negotiations too.  It also is a further erosion of the independence of the Justice Department. Trump has already demanded that it investigate his political foes, including Hillary Clinton, though so far the department has refused to follow his lead. It’s unclear how much it could resist him in the Meng case, but to swap her prosecution for a trade deal tells the world that U.S. arrest warrants can be made to go away if Trump gets a trade concession. While Trump may have the legal authority to intervene in a specific case, that he is willing to do so not for reasons of justice, but for political gain, is an appalling blurring of policy goals and our concept of an independent and professional Justice Department.

Source: President Trump, hostage taker? – Los Angeles Times

‘They don’t care’: Facebook factchecking in disarray as journalists push to cut ties | Technology | The Guardian

Current and former Facebook factcheckers told the Guardian that the tech platform’s collaboration with outside reporters has produced minimal results and that they’ve lost trust in Facebook, which has repeatedly refused to release meaningful data about the impacts of their work. Some said Facebook’s hiring of a PR firm that used an antisemitic narrative to discredit critics – fueling the same kind of propaganda factcheckers regularly debunk – should be a deal-breaker. “They’ve essentially used us for crisis PR,” said Brooke Binkowski, former managing editor of Snopes, a factchecking site that has partnered with Facebook for two years. “They’re not taking anything seriously. They are more interested in making themselves look good and passing the buck … They clearly don’t care.”

Source: ‘They don’t care’: Facebook factchecking in disarray as journalists push to cut ties | Technology | The Guardian

Germany: AfD′s ′white men′ Advent calendar sparks controversy and ridicule | Germany| News and in-depth reporting from Berlin and beyond | DW | 11.12.2018

Germany’s right-wing populists said they sought to celebrate the contributions of white men, who faced “rampant discrimination” in society. The calendar was promoted with the hashtag “yes to white men” on Twitter.

Source: Germany: AfD′s ′white men′ Advent calendar sparks controversy and ridicule | Germany| News and in-depth reporting from Berlin and beyond | DW | 11.12.2018