CLG News

Trump: US to 'begin cutting off' aid to countries associated with migrant caravan | 22 Oct 2018 | President Trump on Monday said that the U.S. will begin to cut off or reduce aid to Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador as citizens of those countries flee for the U.S. as part of a so-called caravan of migrants. In a trio of tweets, the president escalated his rhetoric surrounding the group of migrants, declaring a national emergency as they approach the border and claiming without evidence that "unknown Middle Easterners" had joined the group. "Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador were not able to do the job of stopping people from leaving their country and coming illegally to the U.S. We will now begin cutting off, or substantially reducing, the massive foreign aid routinely given to them," Trump wrote in a tweet.

University of Kent student union bans costumes that threaten others' "rights to a safe space" | 11 Oct 2018 | Students have been warned not to dress up as "chavs or Tories" or wear sombreros under new guidelines seen by the BBC. Kent Union, which represents students from the University of Kent, said outfits which threaten others' rights to "a safe space" should not be worn. Banned costumes include cowboys, Native Americans, priests and Mexicans. In the guidance, which has been circulated to student groups, the union says it will not tolerate behaviours that seek to offend a "particular race or culture". [Since when is there a "right to a safe space?" Was that something in the Magna Carta or the English Bill of Rights that I missed? Nobody has a right not to be offended! --Michael Rectenwald, @AntiPCNYUProf]

McConnell and wife confronted by customers at restaurant | 20 Oct 2018 | Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) was reportedly confronted by a small group of diners at a restaurant in Louisville, Ky., on Friday night. In footage obtained by TMZ, at least one diner at the Havana Rumba restaurant can be seen berating the Kentucky Republican for his politics. At the beginning of the clip, the diner can be seen yelling at the Republican and arguing with his wife, Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.

Saudi Arabia: Journalist Jamal Khashoggi killed at consulate in Turkey --Eighteen Saudis have been arrested so far in connection with the journalist's death | 19 Oct 2018 | Saudi Arabia has confirmed Jamal Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate in Istanbul after a fight broke out. Mr Khashoggi, 59, went missing on 2 October during a visit to the consulate to get marriage papers and pressure had been growing on Saudi Arabia to explain his disappearance. Saudi Arabia's public prosecutor was quoted on state television as saying that a fight broke out between Mr Khashoggi and people who met him in the consulate, leading to his death.

Nellie Ohr invokes spousal privilege, avoiding questions on Steele dossier | 19 Oct 2018 | Nellie Ohr, the wife of Justice Department official Bruce Ohr, claimed spousal privilege on Friday in order to avoid certain questions from House Republicans about the controversial anti-Trump dossier. While describing her as cooperative in the voluntary appearance, Republican and Democratic lawmakers told Fox News that Ohr took spousal privilege, which Republicans said did not allow them to get to core questions about the salacious dossier, and how it got into the hands of the FBI. Nellie Ohr worked for Fusion GPS, the research group that commissioned the dossier.

WikiLeaks' Julian Assange Sues Ecuador for 'Violating His Fundamental Rights' | 19 Oct 2018 | WikiLeaks announced Friday that Julian Assange had taken legal action against the government of Ecuador for "violating his fundamental rights and freedoms." The whistleblowing website said its general counsel, Baltasar Garzon, arrived in Ecuador on Thursday to officially launch the case. In March, Ecuadorean officials cut off his internet connection and phone lines. WikiLeaks said Assange was not permitted access to journalists and human rights organizations...A statement said that Assange's legal representatives would challenge a "special protocol" put in place by Ecuador that required his lawyers to hand over personal details, including social media information and their devices' serial numbers, before they were granted access to see him.

Evidence suggests crown prince ordered Khashoggi killing, says ex-MI6 chief | 19 Oct 2018 | A former head of MI6 has said all the evidence suggests Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman was behind the death of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi, and that the theory that rogue elements in the Saudi military were responsible was "blatant fiction". Sir John Sawers told the BBC his assessment was based on conversations with senior Whitehall sources and his knowledge of the Turkish intelligence services. Sawers, who was head of the British secret intelligence service until 2014, also claimed that the crown prince would only have acted if he believed he had licence from the White House to behave as he wished.

Paul Manafort to be sentenced Feb. 8 in federal court in Virginia --Manafort appeared in court in a wheelchair Friday | 19 Oct 2018 | Paul Manafort, President Trump's onetime campaign chairman, is set to be sentenced Feb. 8 in Alexandria federal court on eight bank and tax fraud crimes. Judge T.S. Ellis III set the sentencing date during a Friday afternoon hearing. The judge also dismissed 10 counts on which a jury deadlocked at Manafort's summertime trial. Legal experts said Manafort, 69, is likely to face about seven to 10 years in prison under federal sentencing guidelines. He also faces sentencing in a related case in the District, also brought by special counsel Robert S. Mueller III.

CNN's chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta sends private message to former Melania Trump aide: 'F--- you' | 19 Oct 2018 | CNN chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta sent a direct message to a Twitter follower that read "F--- you" after being mocked on the social media platform on Thursday night. Direct messages can only be seen by the sender and receiver, but Justin Caporale, a former aide to first lady Melania Trump, made Acosta's message public by tweeting it to his own followers. The response came after Caporale jokingly responded to an Acosta tweet reporting on a rally in Montana featuring President Trump on Thursday...After reports began to surface of Acosta's message to Caporale, the reporter publicly apologized while stating he thought Caporale was "an old friend from the campaign days."

Japan plans to dump 1.09 million tons of Fukushima's radioactive water into the Pacific Ocean | 16 Oct 2018 | Water that the Japanese government is planning to release into the Pacific Ocean from the crippled Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant contains radioactive material well above legally permitted levels, according to the plant's operator and documents seen by The Telegraph...Its plan to release the approximately 1.09 million tons of water currently stored in 900 tanks into the Pacific has triggered a fierce backlash from local residents and environmental organisations, as well as groups in South Korea and Taiwan fearful that radioactivity from the second-worst nuclear disaster in history might wash up on their shores. Tokyo Electric Power Co., (Tepco) which runs the plant, has until recently claimed that the only significant contaminant in the water is safe levels [?] of tritium, which can be found in small amounts in drinking water, but is dangerous in large amounts...Documents provided to The Telegraph by a source in the Japanese government suggest, however, that the ALPS [Advanced Liquid Processing System (ALPS) operated by the nuclear arm of Hitachi Ltd.] has consistently failed to eliminate a cocktail of other radioactive elements, including iodine, ruthenium, rhodium, antimony, tellurium, cobalt and strontium.

Four Japan firms used foreign trainees to clean up at Fukushima plant after nuclear meltdowns - final report | 19 Oct 2018 | The government concluded Friday that four companies had used foreign trainees to perform work cleaning radioactive contamination after the March 2011 tsunami triggered meltdowns at the Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant. The headline figure from the final report on a survey conducted by the Justice Ministry, the labor ministry and the Organization for Technical Intern Training was the same as that in the interim report, released in mid-July, which reflected results of surveying fewer than 200 companies with foreign trainee programs. Officials visited a total of 1,018 such companies with facilities in eight prefectures in eastern and northeastern Japan, interviewing technical interns there to confirm the situation, after the issue came to light in March.

Treasury employee charged with leaking financial info on Trump team was arrested with flash drive in hand, prosecutors say | 18 Oct 2018 | The top Treasury Department employee who was charged Wednesday with leaking confidential financial documents pertaining to former Trump officials was apprehended the previous evening with a flash drive containing the allegedly pilfered information in her hand, prosecutors said in court papers. The dramatic arrest late Tuesday came on the heels of other high-profile, leak-related prosecutions under the Trump administration, which has pledged to go on the offensive against leakers that the president has called "traitors and cowards." Natalie Mayflower Sours Edwards, 40, a senior official at the department's Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN), is accused of illegally giving a reporter bank reports documenting several suspicious financial transactions, known as Suspicious Activity Reports ("SARs"), from October 2017 to the present.

Trump administration supports Mexico, UN plan to deal with caravan of migrants | 19 Oct 2018 | The Trump administration on Thursday night welcomed a Mexican government plan to work with the United Nations refugee agency to deal with a controversial caravan of mostly Honduran migrants -- fleeing poverty and violence -- before they can make their way to the U.S.-Mexico border. The caravan of migrants, who number anywhere between 1,500 to 4,000 people, has angered President Donald Trump. This week, he threatened the governments in Central America and Mexico if they failed to deal with the situation.

Rep. Meadows Calls for Rosenstein to 'Resign Immediately,' Following James Baker Testimony He Plotted to Oust Trump From Office | 18 Oct 2018 | Congressman Mark Meadows (R-NC) called for Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein to step down Thursday following explosive testimony from Comey confidant James Baker. Former FBI lawyer James Baker appeared on Capitol Hill earlier Thursday for the second time to testify about Rosenstein's plan to wear a wire and and the use of FISA warrants to oust President Trump from office. Rep. Meadows emerged from the testimony Thursday calling for Rosenstein to "resign immediately."

Top Afghan police chief killed, 2 Americans wounded in Kandahar attack | 18 Oct 2018 | The powerful police chief of Kandahar province in Afghanistan was killed Thursday in an attack following a security meeting with the top US commander in the city, three Afghan officials told CNN. Two Americans also were wounded in the shooting attack at Kandahar Palace, said Col. Dave Butler, a spokesman for US Forces-Afghanistan. US Army Gen. Scott Miller, the commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan, was present but uninjured in the attack, a statement from US forces said. While Butler initially said three Americans were wounded, he later issued a statement clarifying that the three wounded personnel were all members of the NATO-led coalition but only two of the wounded were Americans.

Mnuchin cancels plans to attend Saudi Arabia conference | 18 Oct 2018 | Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said Thursday he has decided against attending a conference in Saudi Arabia this month, amid the uproar over the the presumed death of activist Jamal Khashoggi. "Just met with @realDonaldTrump and @SecPompeo and we have decided, I will not be participating in the Future Investment Initiative summit in Saudi Arabia," Mnuchin tweeted. Mnuchin has been facing calls to cancel his plans to attend after Khashoggi vanished two weeks ago during a visit to the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul. Turkish officials allege Khashoggi was killed and dismembered inside the consulate.

Suspected member of Khashoggi 'hit-team' dies in mysterious 'traffic accident' in Saudi Arabia | 18 Oct 2018 | A member of the 15-man team suspected in the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi has died in an accident back in Saudi Arabia, according to Turkish media, prompting suspicion of a cover-up. Meshal Saad al-Bostani, a 31-year-old lieutenant in the Saudi Royal Air Force, is believed to have died in a 'suspicious car accident' in the Saudi capital Riyadh, sources told the Turkish Yeni Safak - which earlier covered the shocking details of the murder. A still taken from a Turkish police CCTV video, released by the Sabah newspaper, identified Bostani as he passed through Istanbul's Ataturk airport on October 2. He, along 14 other Saudi citizens allegedly arrived and left Turkey on the same day and are alleged by Turkish police to have tortured and murdered Khashoggi after he entered the Saudi consulate.

DNC Hit with First Defamation Suit over 'Irreparable Damage' Caused by Dossier | 17 Oct 2018 | Former Trump campaign adviser Carter Page has filed a defamation suit against the Democratic National Committee and its law firm for the Steele dossier. Page filed the suit in federal court in Oklahoma and named not only the DNC, but also its law firm, Perkins Coie, and two of its partners, Marc Elias and Michael Sussmann, The Daily Caller News Foundation reported. Perkins Coie also represented Hillary Clinton's campaign, and they were hired by Fusion GPS, an opposition research group that investigated Donald Trump's possible involvement with Russia.

Corker: Trump administration 'clamped down' on Saudi intel, canceled briefing | 17 Oct 2018 | Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.) said Wednesday that the Trump administration is restricting access to information about a missing Saudi journalist, a move that comes as President Trump has publicly echoed denials of wrongdoing from top Saudi officials. Corker, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, told The Washington Post that the administration had "clamped down" on sharing intelligence about Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi, a critic of the Saudi government who has been missing for more than two weeks. "I can only surmise that probably the intel is not painting a pretty picture as it relates to Saudi Arabia," Corker told The Post.

Hurricane Michael death toll rises to 33 | 17 Oct 2018 | The death toll from Hurricane Michael rose to 33 on Wednesday after officials confirmed seven more fatalities in Florida, USA Today reported. Twenty-three of the reported deaths occurred in Florida, where the storm hit the hardest, while 10 others were reported across Georgia, Virginia and North Carolina. Hurricane Michael pummeled the Florida Panhandle last week, devastating infrastructure and leaving some neighborhoods submerged in water.

Two GOP Candidates Assaulted in Minnesota --Attacks come as state Democrats suspend staffer for beheading post | 17 Oct 2018 | The Minnesota Democratic Party has suspended a spokesman for calling for violence against Republicans even as two GOP candidates have been assaulted in suspected politically motivated attacks. The Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party has suspended communications staffer William Davis for one week without pay after making a Facebook post joking that Democrats would "bring [Republicans] to the guillotine" on Nov. 7, the day after the midterm elections. Minnesota Republican Party chairman Jennifer Carnahan said the suspension was not enough, calling for his immediate firing in the aftermath of separate attacks against Republican candidates. She said she has been subjected to numerous death threats during her tenure as the state party leader and that death threats are no laughing matter.

Four women in Texas 'voter fraud ring' arrested; they targeted seniors on Fort Worth's north side | 12 Oct 2018 | Members of an organized voter fraud ring have been arrested and indicted on charges they targeted and, in one case stole, the votes of elderly voters on the city’s north side. Four people were arrested -- Leticia Sanchez, Leticia Sanchez Tepichin, Maria Solis and Laura Parra -- after being indicted on 30 felony counts of voter fraud, according to a statement from the Texas Attorney General's Office. These people allegedly were paid to target older voters on the north side "in a scheme to generate a large number of mail ballots and then harvest those ballots for specific candidates in 2016," the statement read.

Supreme Court agrees to hear case that could determine whether Facebook, Twitter and other social media companies can censor their users | 16 Oct 2018 | The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case that could determine whether users can challenge social media companies on free speech grounds. The case, Manhattan Community Access Corp. v. Halleck, No. 17-702, centers on whether a private operator of a public access television network is considered a state actor, which can be sued for First Amendment violations. The case could have broader implications for social media and other media outlets. In particular, a broad ruling from the high court could open the country's largest technology companies up to First Amendment lawsuits.

Honduran ex-lawmaker who helped arrange massive migrant caravan to US is detained | 16 Oct 2018 | A former Honduran lawmaker traveling with a caravan of migrants heading toward the U.S.-Mexico border was detained by authorities in Guatemala on Tuesday as President Trump threatened to arrest anyone entering the country illegally. Ex-legislator Bartolo Fuentes, who is said to have organized the march, was detained by Guatemalan authorities after failing to register with migration officials upon entering the country...An official with the country's migration agency said that Fuentes was to be taken to a migrant shelter and then deported.

Trump warns Central American countries he'll withhold funds over immigrant caravan | 16 Oct 2018 | President Trump in a tweet on Tuesday warned Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador that he intends to withhold funds if the "caravan" of Honduran migrants reaches the U.S.-Mexico border. Trump earlier in the day had threatened to cut off aid for Honduras over the caravan. "We have today informed the countries of Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador that if they allow their citizens, or others, to journey through their borders and up to the United States, with the intention of entering our country illegally, all payments made to them will STOP (END)!" Trump tweeted on Tuesday evening. "Anybody entering the United States illegally will be arrested and detained, prior to being sent back to their country!" he added in another post.

Judge tosses Stormy Daniels's defamation suit against President Trump | 15 Oct 2018 | A federal judge dismissed Stormy Daniels's defamation lawsuit against President Donald Trump on Monday, saying the president made a "hyperbolic statement" against a political adversary when he tweeted about a composite sketch the porn actress's lawyer released. Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, sued Trump in April after he said a composite sketch of a man she said threatened her in 2011 to keep quiet about an alleged affair with the real estate mogul was a "con job." Trump tweeted that the man was "nonexistent" and that Daniels was playing the "fake news media for fools." In an order handed down Monday, U.S. District Judge S. James Otero said Trump's statement was protected speech under the First Amendment.

Cherokee Nation Calls Elizabeth Warren's DNA Test 'Inappropriate and Wrong' | 15 Oct 2018 | The Cherokee Nation called Sen. Elizabeth Warren's DNA test to prove her Native American ancestry "inappropriate and wrong" in a statement Monday. "Sovereign tribal nations set their own legal requirements for citizenship, and while DNA tests can be used to determine lineage, such as paternity to an individual, it is not evidence for tribal affiliation," the Cherokee Nation's Secretary of State Chuck Hoskin Jr. said. "Using a DNA test to lay claim to any connection to the Cherokee Nation or any tribal nation, even vaguely, is inappropriate and wrong."

Elizabeth Warren Shares DNA Test Showing She Has Native American Ancestry | 15 Oct 2018 | Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren published a DNA test on Monday that she says shows that her claims to Native American ancestry have a basis in fact. President Donald Trump has alleged that Warren, seen as a potential presidential competitor in 2020, used false claims about her heritage to advance her career as a lawyer...Warren shared a video and a website of testimonials from her colleagues at Harvard University and elsewhere saying her ancestry had no impact on her hiring. Dr. Carlos Bustamante, a professor of genetics at Stanford University, said an analysis of Warren's genome turned up evidence of Native American ancestry.

GOP Vermont House Candidate Says She Received Letter Threatening Her With Rape, Murder | 15 Oct 2018 | Deserae Morin, a GOP candidate for Vermont's House of Representatives, claimed to have received a letter that threatened her with rape and murder, an experience that she said was a first for her. Morin shared a photo of the letter, which was composed of letters that were cut out of various printed materials, and called the letter a "threat to all Vermont Republicans." The letter began by calling Morin a derogatory name for women and the statement, "we are hunting you." "My comrades will kill you and the Constitution," the letter continued. "First, we will rape you for days. You will scream and know that agonizing horror." The letter added that Republicans don't have equal rights and stated, "Socialism is here." "Open season for Republican death in Vermont," the letter concluded. "Fear our revolution."

Saudi government preparing to admit journalist died during interrogation, sources say --CCTV footage shows Khashoggi entering the Saudi consulate on October 2. | 15 Oct 2018 | The Saudis are preparing a report that will acknowledge that Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi's death was the result of an interrogation that went wrong, one that was intended to lead to his abduction from Turkey, according to two sources. One source says the report will likely conclude that the operation was carried out without clearance and transparency and that those involved will be held responsible. One of the sources acknowledged that the report is still being prepared and cautioned that things could change.