Juan Cole | 'Emperor Has No Clothes': Trump Asked of Egypt's al-Sisi, 'Where's My Favorite Dictator?'
15 September 19
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14 September 19
Juan Cole | 'Emperor Has No Clothes': Trump Asked of Egypt's al-Sisi, 'Where's My Favorite Dictator?'
Juan Cole, Informed Comment
Trump is not as naive as he pretends, and he knows very well that the strongmen he admires, from Bolsonaro in Brazil to Kim Jong-un in North Korea are brutal dictators. Trump calls them “tough” and doesn’t care if they oppress tens of millions, as long as they act in ways that support his vision of geopolitics (white America on top, everyone else offering its corporations access to their economies and keeping down any forces that might interfere in all this).
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Juan Cole, Informed Comment
Trump is not as naive as he pretends, and he knows very well that the strongmen he admires, from Bolsonaro in Brazil to Kim Jong-un in North Korea are brutal dictators. Trump calls them “tough” and doesn’t care if they oppress tens of millions, as long as they act in ways that support his vision of geopolitics (white America on top, everyone else offering its corporations access to their economies and keeping down any forces that might interfere in all this).
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Adam Schiff. (photo: AOL)
Rep. Adam Schiff Subpoenas Acting Intelligence Director Over Whistleblower Complaint
David Boddiger, Splinter
Boddiger writes: "Yet another possible political scandal could be brewing in the Trump administration, this time over a whistleblower complaint that acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire refuses to hand over to Congress."
David Boddiger, Splinter
Boddiger writes: "Yet another possible political scandal could be brewing in the Trump administration, this time over a whistleblower complaint that acting Director of National Intelligence Joseph Maguire refuses to hand over to Congress."
House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff issued a subpoena on Friday to Maguire to “compel the production of a whistleblower complaint that the Intelligence Community Inspector General’s (IC IG) determined to be credible and a matter of ‘urgent concern,’” a statement from Schiff’s office said.
Schiff also is seeking the IC IG’s determination and “all records pertaining to the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s (ODNI) involvement in this matter, including any and all correspondence with other Executive Branch actors such as the White House.”
The Intelligence Committee chairman added that he is concerned that the complaint is being intentionally withheld from Congress “to protect the President or other Administration officials.”
Schiff noted that it is unprecedented for a director of national intelligence to prevent a whistleblower complaint determined by the IC IG to be credible from being submitted to the congressional intelligence committees.
Additionally, Maguire allegedly consulted with the Justice Department about the complaint, filed last month, in apparent violation of a statute requiring him to submit it to the congressional committee within 10 days.
While we do not know the contents of this complaint, which was made by someone in the intelligence community, Schiff’s statement is rather ominous. The House Intelligence Committee should have received it by Sept. 2, according to a letter Schiff sent Maguire on Friday. The committee formally requested it on Sept. 10.
“As Acting Director of National Intelligence, you have neither the legal authority nor the discretion to overrule a determination by the IC IG. Moreover, you do not possess the authority to withhold from the Committee a whistleblower disclosure from within the Intelligence Community that is intended for Congress,” the letter stated.
Given the administration’s track record of ignoring congressional subpoenas and forcing matters to court, Schiff said he would require Maguire to appear before the committee in an open hearing on Sept. 19 if Maguire fails to abide by the subpoena.
According to Politico, Maguire’s office acknowledged receiving the subpoena. “We are reviewing the request and will respond appropriately,” a senior intelligence official told the news site. “The ODNI and Acting DNI Maguire are committed to fully complying with the law and upholding whistleblower protections and have done so here.”
The secretive nature of the complaint has prompted all types of speculation on social media. Whatever the content, it’s definitely worth keeping an eye on.
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Yes, the United States Needs to Withdraw From Afghanistan
Farooq Sulehria, Jacobin
Sulehria writes: "When President Trump scuttled talks for a peace deal in Afghanistan, liberal media heaved a sigh of relief. But despite the risks, an end to the US occupation is a precondition for peace in the country."
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Farooq Sulehria, Jacobin
Sulehria writes: "When President Trump scuttled talks for a peace deal in Afghanistan, liberal media heaved a sigh of relief. But despite the risks, an end to the US occupation is a precondition for peace in the country."
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New York Uncovers $1 Billion in Sackler Family Wire Transfers
Danny Hakim, The New York Times
Hakim writes: "The New York attorney general's office said on Friday that it had tracked about $1 billion in wire transfers by the Sackler family, including through Swiss bank accounts, suggesting that the family tried to shield wealth as it faced a raft of litigation over its role in the opioid crisis.
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Danny Hakim, The New York Times
Hakim writes: "The New York attorney general's office said on Friday that it had tracked about $1 billion in wire transfers by the Sackler family, including through Swiss bank accounts, suggesting that the family tried to shield wealth as it faced a raft of litigation over its role in the opioid crisis.
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Pedophile Priest Sentenced to 30 Years of Prison in US
teleSUR
Excerpt: "A former Catholic priest who served in New Mexico will serve 30 years in prison for abusing a young alter boy for two years in the 1990s."
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teleSUR
Excerpt: "A former Catholic priest who served in New Mexico will serve 30 years in prison for abusing a young alter boy for two years in the 1990s."
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'The Poor Are Punished': Dorian Lays Bare Inequality in the Bahamas
David Smith, Guardian UK
Smith writes: "Holidaymakers queuing at immigration at the Bahamas' Nassau airport are still serenaded by three pink-shirted men playing jovial music. They are still sunbathing on the beaches and still swimming in the sea. It is as if nothing has changed in paradise."
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David Smith, Guardian UK
Smith writes: "Holidaymakers queuing at immigration at the Bahamas' Nassau airport are still serenaded by three pink-shirted men playing jovial music. They are still sunbathing on the beaches and still swimming in the sea. It is as if nothing has changed in paradise."
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Migrating Birds May Be Collateral Damage for a Popular Pesticide
Jim Daley, Scientific American
Daley writes: "One of the most widely used agricultural insecticides causes severe weight loss in white-crowned sparrows and delays the migration of these common North American songbirds, according to a new study published Thursday in Science. The finding suggests exposure to the pesticide could be contributing to declines in certain bird species over the past half-century, experts say."
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Jim Daley, Scientific American
Daley writes: "One of the most widely used agricultural insecticides causes severe weight loss in white-crowned sparrows and delays the migration of these common North American songbirds, according to a new study published Thursday in Science. The finding suggests exposure to the pesticide could be contributing to declines in certain bird species over the past half-century, experts say."
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