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Wednesday, May 24, 2017
Israel to Make Rare Overture to Palestinians ‘at Trump Request’
Jerusalem (AFP) – Israeli ministers have approved measures aimed at improving the Palestinian economy and facilitating crossings, rare moves said to be at Donald Trump’s request hours ahead of the US president’s arrival.
An Israeli official told AFP on condition of anonymity that ministers were responding to a Trump request to present him with “confidence-building measures” ahead of his talks with Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Tuesday.
In a statement, Trump’s administration welcomed the moves, saying he “has been encouraging both sides to take steps that improve the environment for peace making.”
“He has expressed particular interest in taking steps to improve the Palestinian economy in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.”
In what the Israeli official described as a “gesture for Trump’s visit, which does not harm Israel’s interests”, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet on Sunday approved the enlargement of a Palestinian industrial zone on the edge of the southern West Bank.
He said that the possibility of extending Israel Railways services to the northern West Bank city of Jenin would also be examined.
They also gave the nod to streamlining transit procedures at Shaar Ephraim, a busy crossing point in the northern part of the occupied West Bank for Palestinian labourers with permits to work in Israel.
The official said that opening hours for passage across the main Jordan River bridge linking the Palestinian territory and the neighbouring kingdom were to be extended to 24/7.
There would also be reforms to Palestinian land use in urban areas in the 60 percent of the West Bank under full Israeli control.
He did not elaborate but Israel’s Haaretz daily said the intention was to allow construction of “thousands of Palestinian homes” in the area where for years it has been almost impossible for Palestinians to get Israeli permits to build on their own land.
Haaretz said that at Sunday night’s meeting Education Minister Naftali Bennett and justice minister Ayelet Shaked, of the religious-nationalist Jewish Home party, “objected vehemently” to the building plans.
In an apparent attempt to calm opposition from within Netanyahu’s coalition government, seen as the most right-wing in the country’s history, the security cabinet also approved setting up a committee to work for retroactive legalisation of wildcat Israeli construction in the West Bank, the official said.
Report: Saudi Arabia, UAE Will Donate $100M to Ivanka Trump-Proposed Women Entrepreneurs Fund
Two Arab countries have pledged to donate $100 million towards a fund designed for women entrepreneurs proposed by the president’s eldest daughter and adviser Ivanka Trump, according to a report.
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will contribute $100 million towards the World Bank’s Women Entrepreneurs Fund, which Ivanka proposed, the Wall Street Journal reported.
ABC News reported that World Bank president Jim Yong Kim announced the countries’ pledge at a Sunday event on women’s economic empowerment with Ivanka.
At the event, Ivanka praised Saudi Arabia for making “progress” as a nation towards empowering women, but she added that “there’s still a lot of work to be done.”
“Saudi Arabia’s progress, especially in recent years, is very encouraging but there’s still a lot of work to be done and freedoms and opportunities to continue to fight for,” she said. “The stories of Saudi women, such as yourselves, catalyzing change, inspire me to believe in the possibility of global women’s empowerment.”
The Islamic nation prohibits women from driving and requires that women get permission from a man to travel in public. It also imposes strict segregation of the sexes and requires that women cover themselves in public.
The first daughter, along with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, proposed the idea for the $1 billion fund to the World Bank, USA Today reported.
The proposed fund would be controlled entirely by the World Bank, which means Ivanka would not be involved in the fund’s management or solicit funds for the initiative, but she would remain an advocate for the project, Bloomberg Politics reported.
Gingrich: World Leaders Respect Trump; Media 'Pygmies' Don't
By Sandy Fitzgerald
It's "ironic" to watch world leaders in Israel and Saudi Arabia treating President Donald Trump with "enormous respect" while the "pygmies" in the media treat him with contempt, and the president and his administration should take a tougher stance against them, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Monday.
"The reporters are pygmies, they're little midgets," Gingrich told Fox News' "Fox & Friends" program. "They spent their lifetime watching other people do real things."
Further, Gingrich said, the Trump administration should put out a new rule when it comes to the media.
"The gap between how world leaders treat [President] Donald Trump and how the American media treats him is inexcusably big." -@newtgingrich
"If you're a midget, that's fine, but you're not going to be at a press conference with me or my staff," Gingrich said members of the media should be told. "I think they need to have a tougher attitude toward the media."
That would mean, he continued, for Trump to remind members of the media that he is the president, and "'you're not. And if you're not worthy of my talking to you, I'm not going to talk to you.'"
This would make the media "begin to fall in line, because the gap between how world leaders treat Donald Trump and the American media treats him is inexcusably big," said Gingrich.
Meanwhile, in Saudi Arabia and in Israel, there is a "sense of relief that America's back" because of Trump's travels there, said Gingrich.
"I mean, obviously, they had a deep feeling that President [Barack] Obama left an enormous vacuum that left them much more vulnerable," the former speaker said.
"In both Israel and Saudi Arabia, you have the sense of how glad they are that Donald Trump is president."
The president is an "ideas guy" who loves to create and build, said Gingrich.
Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner, one of the president's senior advisers, has also worked very hard toward the trip, said Gingrich, so there should be "a bunch of new ideas during the course of today."
Trump will likely come home with a better understanding about what he will do with with his presidency, said Gingrich, and will give Americans "an enormous boost in understanding how smart he is, how powerful he is, how committed he is to really big things."
Bombshell? WikiLeaks Ally says He has Proof that Russia was NOT the Source of DNC Leaks
By iPatriot
In a stunning development over the weekend, internet personality and blogger “KimDotcom” is preparing to present evidence on Tuesday morning that Seth Rich, the murdered DNC staffer, was the source of Wikileaks stunning DNC revelations during the 2016 Presidential election cycle, NOT the Russians as the media and Democrats have contrived.
Yes my fellow Americans, as you have long suspected, the Russians are a figment of the DNC’s imagination as an effort to distract the country from their corruption.
“On July 8, 2016, 27 year-old Democratic staffer Seth Conrad Rich was murdered in Washington DC. The killer or killers took nothing from their victim, leaving behind his wallet, watch and phone.
Shortly after the killing, Redditors and social media users were pursuing a “lead” saying that Rich was en route to the FBI the morning of his murder, apparently intending to speak to special agents about an “ongoing court case” possibly involving the Clinton family.
Seth Rich’s father Joel told reporters, “If it was a robbery — it failed because he still has his watch, he still has his money — he still has his credit cards, still had his phone so it was a wasted effort except we lost a life.”
Everyone remember poor Seth Rich now? Certainly a suspicious set of circumstances to have a man murdered in a “robbery” with nothing taken from his body isn’t it? The story, of course, deepens:
“In August Wikileaks offered a $20,000 reward for information on the murder of DNC staffer Seth rich. Julian Assange also suggested in August that Seth Rich was a Wikileaks informant.”
See the video below for Assange’s comments which suggested Rich was the Wikileaks source:
Until this weekend, the evidence for Rich being the source of DNC leaks was convincing yet circumstantial. Until this tweet from the blogger Kimdotcom yesterday:
“If Congress includes #SethRich case into their Russia probe I’ll give written testimony with evidence that Seth Rich was @Wikileaks source.”
WHOA. This was the first indication that anyone possessed evidence to confirm the circumstantial trail of breadcrumbs which indicated Rich’s involvement. It isn’t the last indication however. In response to Sean Hannity’s request to view this evidence Kimdotcom continued:
“I knew Seth Rich. I know he was the @Wikileaks source. I was involved.”
The evidence itself will be presented on Tuesday as this brave blogger consults with his attorneys (and hopefully surrounds himself with a security team before the Dems give him the Seth Rich treatment) over the weekend. Hold onto your seats folks, the next few days are set up to rock the “Trump/Russia” theory and reveal what we’ve long suspected: the Russians are a creation of the globalists and mainstream media’s imagination.
I'm meeting my legal team on Monday. I will issue a statement about #SethRich on Tuesday. Please be patient. This needs to be done properly.
French Women Protest “No Go Zones” Where Routine Migrant Harassment Takes Place
By Andrew West
France’s unfortunate relationship with the Syrian refugee crisis has mutated once again, with assaults against French women rising sharply in recent years.
As these refugees seek asylum all across the world, much of Europe has found itself in the crosshairs of radical Islamic terrorists who are exploiting the E.U.’s lax border policies in order to move their operative around the continent. The danger is very real, with France and Germany both falling victim to several terror-related incidents already in 2017.
Now, another threat against the European people is emerging, particularly against women who are routinely harassed and assaulted in areas with a high migrant population.
“Women in Paris have been protesting against ‘no go zones’ where immigrants from Asia and Africa pester and abuse them.
“It’s claimed the district of Chapelle-Pajol, in the north east of the French capital, has become more dangerous for women as the rate of immigration there grows. Large groups of men are said to hang around in the streets, sometimes drinking, and often intimidate women.
“One 80-year-old woman from the district has even said she was sexually assaulted walking home one night.
“Others have complained about catcalls and verbal abuse, which makes them feel unsafe.”
“It’s claimed the district of Chapelle-Pajol, in the north east of the French capital, has become more dangerous for women as the rate of immigration there grows. Large groups of men are said to hang around in the streets, sometimes drinking, and often intimidate women.
“One 80-year-old woman from the district has even said she was sexually assaulted walking home one night.
“Others have complained about catcalls and verbal abuse, which makes them feel unsafe.”
While the sovereignty of the French people is being eroded by the E.U.’s insistence on their global capitulation, it is the safety and well being of their people that is ultimately at stake.
There is a place and a time for the celebration of cultural diversity, certainly, but when it comes to the treatment of women, the idea that allowances of inappropriate behavior are spreading throughout a nation such as France is disturbing to say the least. By allowing the darker, archaic bits of cultural nuance to roam free in France, a dangerous situation is taking root. In the home countries of these immigrants, their behavior may have been quietly endured. As disgusting as the behavior is, that may just be the reality that needs to be faced.
With French police seemingly unable to deter these abuses from taking place, possibly for fear of retribution from the E.U.’s globalist gestapo, it seems that France is taking better care of their asylum seekers than their mothers, daughters, and sisters. And that is truly shameful.
Trey Gowdy’s Promotion Was The Last Thing The Democrats Wanted To See
Trey Gowdy has built a reputation in Congress as a dogged investigator.
Now he just received a promotion.
And it’s bad news for Democrats.
Congressman Jason Chaffetz – who chaired the House Oversight Committee – announced he was retiring from Congress and would leave before his term was up.
That set off a scramble to find a successor, as Chaffetz was overseeing critical investigations such as those surrounding former FBI Director James Comey and his firing.
In stepped Trey Gowdy.
Axios reported Gowdy is expected to succeed Chaffetz:
“Republican Rep. Trey Gowdy recently said he “would not be the right person” to replace James Comey as FBI director — perhaps because he’s reportedly expected to take Jason Chaffetz’s House Oversight Committee chairman position, per Politico.
Why now: Chaffetz is leaving Congress in June and will not seek re-election, as he’s reportedly going to assume an on-air role at Fox News. In his absence, the committee will need a new chairman for the high-profile position, and various members of the House Steering Committee panel (which decides the chairmanship) told Politico Gowdy could “easily” win this position.
Why it matters: Gowdy led the investigation into the Benghazi attacks, and if selected as chairman, he would lead the investigation into whether Trump encouraged James Comey to drop the investigation into Michael Flynn’s possible collusion with Russia.”
The investigation into Comey’s firing took on urgency after Comey associates leaked excerpts of a memo claiming Trump urged him to shut down the investigation into former National Security Advisor Michael Flynn.
But the memo was undercut by Comey’s May 3rd testimony, where he admitted he never felt political pressure to stop an investigation.
The Washington Post reports the transcript of the exchange:
“HIRONO: So if the Attorney General or senior officials at the Department of Justice oppose a specific investigation, can they halt that FBI investigation?
COMEY: In theory, yes.
HIRONO: Has it happened?
COMEY: Not in my experience. Because it would be a big deal to tell the FBI to stop doing something like that — without an appropriate purpose. I mean where oftentimes they give us opinions that we don’t see a case there and so you ought to stop investing resources in it. But I’m talking about a situation where we were told to stop something for a political reason, that would be a very big deal. It’s not happened in my experience.”
Chaffetz has been trying to get Comey to testify to clear up this obvious contradiction.
But his efforts have been unsuccessful.
Officially noticed a hearing for next Wed at 9:30am ET with former FBI Dir Comey. But I still need to speak with him...evidently has a new #
Comey may be trying to duck his contradictory statements.
But with Gowdy in charge, any attempt to subvert the President by opponents like Comey and other Deep State bureaucrats will be rooted out.
White House Budget Cuts Entitlements $1.7 Trillion, Slashes EPA 30%
by SEAN MORAN
The White House will release its “taxpayer-first budget” on Tuesday, which includes $1.7 trillion in cuts for entitlement spending and a 30 percent reduction in the Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) budget.
The Trump budget proposal will balance over the next ten years by cutting both mandatory and discretionary funding for agencies such as the EPA and State Department. The budget proposal assumes that the economy will grow at three percent compared to the 1.6 percent growth that America experienced in 2016. White House staffers explained that the proposal is a “post-policy” budget, meaning that the budget assumes that Trump signed the health care overhaul known as the American Health Care Act (AHCA) and tax reform into law.
The budget proposal will make substantial cuts into four entitlement programs, SNAP (food stamps), CHIP (Children’s Health Insurance Program), and SSDI (Disability Insurance). The Trump budget assumes that the AHCA becomes law, which would roll back Medicaid expansion. White House staffers told Axios that the budget would cut entitlement costs through an “emphasis on work requirements for able-bodied people.”
The Washington Post’s Damian Paletta stated, “The White House also will call for giving states more flexibility to impose work requirements for people in different kinds of anti-poverty programs, people familiar with the budget plan said, potentially leading to a flood of changes in states led by conservative governors.”
Josh Archambault, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Government Accountability, explained that giving states the flexibility to impose work requirements could to lead to significant changes to programs such as Medicaid or public housing assistance.
“One of the encouraging things about putting this in the budget is that states will see if it works,” Archambault said. “States will try it.”
Michael Tanner, a welfare expert at the Cato Institute, admitted that despite the United States spending roughly $700 billion a year on entitlement programs, the country does not experience significant reductions in poverty.
Tanner said, “We’re not seeing the type of gains we should be seeing for all that spending, and that would suggest it’s time to reform the system.”
Although the budget will include cuts to food stamps and disability insurance, President Donald Trump told his budget director Mick Mulvaney that he does not want any cuts to Medicare or Social Security.
President Donald Trump’s budget would also cut the EPA’s budget by a third and slash the agency’s operational budget by 35 percent. The budget would reduce environmental grant programs by 35 to 40 percent. The proposed budget for the EPA would limit the EPA’s budget to $5.7 billion from roughly $8 billion.
Trump’s budget cuts for the EPA coincide with the EPA’s $12 million buyout and early retirement plan to reduce the agency’s workforce under the Trump administration.
Trump made campaign promises to eliminate the EPA, and has already taken great strides to limit the agency’s workforce. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt dismissed half of the scientists on its Board of Scientific Counselors earlier this month.
White House staffers told Axios that the Trump budget proposal will be a victory for conservatives, much to the chagrin of moderates and Democrats.
“Conservatives will love it; moderates will probably hate it.”
Joplin: Six Years After Devastating Tornado – Rush Limbaugh Was Right
Before and After the Joplin, MO Tornado
Six years ago today, one of the worst tornadoes in American history struck Joplin, Missouri. Several thousand buildings were destroyed and over 9,000 people were displaced. More than 160 deaths are attributed to the tornado.
There was a tremendous outpouring from the rest of America. The tornado captured the country’s attention.
A little over a month after the tornado struck, on July 4th, Rush Limbaugh went to Joplin to offer some words of encouragement:
Part of what Rush Limbaugh said was this:
“You’re going to build back. It is going to get fixed. It is going to be rebuilt. It is going to be better than it ever was. You are going to show the rest of the country how it’s done because you represent the best of what this country has to offer.”
Today, Joplin has largely rebuilt. Missouri’s free market think tank, the Show-Me Institute, published a paper in April about tax-increment financing (or, TIF–it’s a government subsidy) in post-tornado Joplin.
The introduction to the paper explains:
“Joplin was rebuilt, and rebuilt quickly. As part of the reconstruction effort, city leaders adopted a tax increment financing (TIF) subsidy program and created the Joplin Redevelopment Corporation to manage it. What happened next is a useful lesson in TIF and development subsidies for all Missourians: The taxpayer funded scheme played little if any role in Joplin’s almost-immediate reconstruction. In fact, the subsidies appear to have done little more than allow for mismanagement and profiteering.”
The paper also notes:
“Not only has Joplin recaptured all lost assessed property value and then some, but the city claims that the population was higher in 2015 than it was in 2010 before the tornado.”
The paper’s author, Patrick Tuohey, recently visited Joplin to report on this transformation:
In short, Rush was right. While we can never forget the many people who lost their lives and those who suffered life altering injuries from the tornado; the people of Joplin, with the help of Americans across the fruited plain, rebuilt the city despite the failure of the TIF subsidy. The people worked (and continue to work) to make Joplin better than it ever was and in so doing showed themselves to be the very best that this country has to offer.
Cable News Ratings Shock: Fox Slips to 3rd Place in Primetime for First Time in 17 Years
by BEN KEW
Fox News slipped to third place in the primetime demo for the first time in 17 years last week as competitors CNN and MSNBC enjoyed a surge in viewership thanks to a chaotic news week for President Donald Trump’s administration.
For the week of May 15-19, Fox News averaged just 497,000 viewers in the advertiser-coveted key demo of adults 25-54 during primetime hours, compared to CNN’s 589,00 and MSNBC’s 611,000, according to the Hollywood Reporter, which cited data from ratings tracker Nielsen.
However, the longtime cable news king remained second in total viewership, with an average of 2.41 million viewers over the course of the week, compared with CNN’s 1.65 million and MSNBC’s leading 2.44 million. Fox News also remained in the lead in primetime and total day viewership for the month of May.
Flagship shows such as CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 and MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show performed particularly well, while Fox has seemingly struggled with the loss of Bill O’Reilly’s The O’Reilly Factor, which had consistently led all cable news programs in the ratings for the better part of two decades. O’Reilly departed the network last month following a report that he had allegedly settled multiple claims of sexual harassment with high-dollar payouts.
As a result, Fox News’ primetime lineup has undergone perhaps its most significant shake-up ever, with anchor Tucker Carlson now hosting the 8 p.m. hour and the panel show The Five moving to 9 p.m.
Meanwhile, MSNBC and CNN likely benefitted from a week of seemingly non-stop breathless coverage of Trump and his administration, including the firing of former FBI Director James Comey and allegations that the president shared classified information with Russian government officials during a meeting at the White House.
The ratings news comes as Fox News co-owner Rupert Murdoch held a company-wide meeting at the network’s New York City headquarters last month to unveil a new second-floor studio, Studio F, which will replace the network’s longtime basement operations center. Murdoch also reportedly discussed the overall direction and future of the company, with the meeting being conducted in two shifts so as to include all employees.
The ratings developments also come less than a week after the death of former CEO Roger Ailes. Ailes died Thursday due to complications from a subdural hematoma he sustained after a fall at his home, according to the Palm Beach County medical examiner.
You can follow Ben Kew on Facebook, on Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at bkew@breitbart.com
However, the longtime cable news king remained second in total viewership, with an average of 2.41 million viewers over the course of the week, compared with CNN’s 1.65 million and MSNBC’s leading 2.44 million. Fox News also remained in the lead in primetime and total day viewership for the month of May.
Flagship shows such as CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360 and MSNBC’s The Rachel Maddow Show performed particularly well, while Fox has seemingly struggled with the loss of Bill O’Reilly’s The O’Reilly Factor, which had consistently led all cable news programs in the ratings for the better part of two decades. O’Reilly departed the network last month following a report that he had allegedly settled multiple claims of sexual harassment with high-dollar payouts.
As a result, Fox News’ primetime lineup has undergone perhaps its most significant shake-up ever, with anchor Tucker Carlson now hosting the 8 p.m. hour and the panel show The Five moving to 9 p.m.
Meanwhile, MSNBC and CNN likely benefitted from a week of seemingly non-stop breathless coverage of Trump and his administration, including the firing of former FBI Director James Comey and allegations that the president shared classified information with Russian government officials during a meeting at the White House.
The ratings news comes as Fox News co-owner Rupert Murdoch held a company-wide meeting at the network’s New York City headquarters last month to unveil a new second-floor studio, Studio F, which will replace the network’s longtime basement operations center. Murdoch also reportedly discussed the overall direction and future of the company, with the meeting being conducted in two shifts so as to include all employees.
The ratings developments also come less than a week after the death of former CEO Roger Ailes. Ailes died Thursday due to complications from a subdural hematoma he sustained after a fall at his home, according to the Palm Beach County medical examiner.
You can follow Ben Kew on Facebook, on Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at bkew@breitbart.com
Saudi Arabia Folds, Tells Melania She Is Allowed to Dress How She Wants
BY MARTIN LIOLL
When first lady Melania Trump got off the plane in Saudi Arabia last week, she had broken the mold in a major way: She appeared without the headscarf and full-body dress most Saudi women — including visitors — are supposed to wear.
According to the U.K. Express, the first lady decided to wear her typical sartorial gear. That’s unusual for female visitors, who are expected to wear a traditional full-length dress called the abaya and a headscarf.
The San Jose Mercury-Express reported that some women in Saudi Arabia also cover up their faces with veils, leaving just a small slit for the eyes.
While other female guests of state have forgone the traditional Saudi dress in recent years — U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May was the latest, back in April — few are known for being as fashionable as Melania Trump. Thus, there was an open question about whether she would be forced into dressing more conservatively.
However, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel bin Ahmed Al-Jubeir told the media that the country “usually doesn’t demand” a certain dress code but makes “suggestions.”
Enjoyed talking to the incredible women working hard @GE_Saudi service center. Great strides being made towards the empowerment of women.
Had the honor of visiting 1st all-women process service center in #Riyadh, #SaudiArabia. Thanks to @GE_Saudi for the invite!
It’s worth pointing out that even the president wasn’t always convinced that this was the proper thing for a first lady to do. During the Obama administration, Trump disapproved of first lady Michelle Obama going without a headscarf during a 2015 visit to Saudi Arabia, saying that the Saudis “were insulted,” according to the Los Angeles Times.
However, you know, you grow. What Trump and his wife now realize is clear — that the only insult is Saudi Arabia’s oppressive treatment of women. Of all the things Michelle Obama may have done wrong, she got that one right — and Melania took it a step further with fashionable clothing, including high heels.
If only Saudi women were afforded the same luxury without the threat of stoning.
Bravo, Melania. You did the right thing in Saudi Arabia.
Helen and Moe Lauzier
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