From The Alpha and the Omega - Chapter Eight
by Jim A. Cornwell, Copyright © 1995, all rights reserved
"KING OF THE WEST 2019 CONTINUED TO APRIL"

    This file is attached to http://www.mazzaroth.com/ChapterEight/BeastThatCameOutOfTheSea.htm from “Beast That Came Out Of The Sea” - Chapter Eight by Jim A. Cornwell, Copyright © 1995, all rights reserved.
    This link will return you to King Of The West 2019 for March or continue to King Of The West 2019 for May

KING OF THE WEST 2019 CONTINUED TO APRIL
2019 BEGINNING WITH APRIL


4/1/2019 Treaty’s end would give U.S., Russia impetus to make more nukes: study by Arshad Mohammed and Jonathan Landay
FILE PHOTO - National flags of Russia and the U.S. fly at Vnukovo International Airport
in Moscow, Russia April 11, 2017. REUTERS/Maxim Shemetov
    WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The demise of the only U.S.-Russia arms control pact limiting deployed nuclear weapons would make it harder for each to gauge the other’s intentions, giving both incentives to expand their arsenals, according to a study to be released on Monday.
    The expiration of the New START accord also may undermine faith in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which calls on nuclear states such as the United States and Russia to work toward nuclear disarmament, as well as influence China’s nuclear posture, historically one of restraint.
    The study, produced by the CNA Corp non-profit research group and seen by Reuters, is the most comprehensive public examination to date of the consequences of New START’s demise.    It argues for extending the 2011 treaty, which expires in February 2021 but can be extended for five years if both sides agree.
    The Trump administration is deliberating whether to extend the pact, which President Donald Trump has reviled as a bad deal and his national security adviser, John Bolton, has long opposed.    Russia has said it is prepared to extend New START but wants to discuss what it regards as U.S. violations first.
    The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the administration’s deliberations.
    Trump has said Washington will withdraw from another arms pact, the 1987 Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty, this summer unless Moscow ends its alleged violations, compounding tense ties.    Russia denies violating the INF treaty. [nL1N1ZW0K1]
    The New START treaty required the United States and Russia to cut their deployed strategic nuclear warheads to no more than 1,550, the lowest level in decades, and limit delivery systems – land- and submarine-based missiles and nuclear-capable bombers.
It also includes extensive transparency measures requiring each side to allow the other to carry out 10 inspections of strategic nuclear bases each year; give 48 hours notice before new missiles covered by the treaty leave their factories; and provide notifications before ballistic missile launches.
    Both sides must also exchange data declaring their deployed strategic nuclear warheads, delivery vehicles and launchers, as well as breakdowns of how many of each are located at individual bases.
    All of that would end if the treaty expires.
    “Neither country would have the same degree of confidence in its ability to assess the other’s precise warhead levels,” CNA’s Vince Manzo wrote in the study.    “Worst-case planning is also more likely as a result."
    “Increased opacity between U.S. and Russian strategic nuclear forces would unfold within the broader context of growing mistrust and diverging perceptions about strategy, intentions, and perceptions,” he added.
    Without the data, the United States would have to reassign its overworked satellites, possibly devoting more surveillance to Russia and less to China, Iran and North Korea.
    Another casualty of the treaty’s expiration could be global nonproliferation, making non-nuclear states doubt the United States and Russia will keep working toward nuclear disarmament under the NPT, the study said.
    While it was impossible to predict how China – estimated to have about 280 nuclear warheads – would react to New START’s expiry, the study cites factors that could make Beijing expand its capability.
    Without a treaty limiting U.S. and Russian nuclear forces, China could overestimate their arsenals.    Unconstrained U.S. and Russian forces could also strengthen voices in China that view a large arsenal as symbolically important, as well as those already advocating for more nuclear weapons.
    The study recommends steps for the United States and Russia to mitigate the risks from the treaty’s expiration, including voluntarily sticking to its limits and continuing to exchange data.    It also recommends Washington propose annual exchanges of nuclear weapons information and dialogue with Beijing.
(Reporting by Arshad Mohammed and Jonathan Landay; Editing by Mary Milliken and Dan Grebler)

4/1/2019 4/1/2019 Clapper: Obama ordered Russia probe by OAN Newsroom
    According to former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, former President Obama ordered an operation that led to the years-long Russia probe.
WE ALL NOW KNOW WHERE THE WITCH HUNT BEGAN SO IT IS TIME TO UNREDACT THE FISA WARRANT

4/1/2019 President Trump points out flaws in Democrats over Russian collusion by OAN Newsroom
    President Trump said Democrats and many others have gone back to the “pre-witch hunt” phase of their lives before the Mueller investigation.
    The president made the comment in a tweet Monday, adding, others are now pretending that Robert Mueller no longer exists since the “collusion delusion” is over.
    Trump tweet: “Now that the long awaited Mueller Report conclusions have been released, most Democrats and others have gone back to the pre-Witch Hunt phase of their lives before Collusion Delusion took over. Others are pretending that their former hero, Bob Mueller, no longer exists!”
    Attorney General William Barr released the principal findings of the Mueller report last week, finding no evidence of Russian collusion.
    Since then, the president has sounded off on Democrats and the mainstream media for focusing on the Russian collusion narrative rather than his administration’s accomplishments.
President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump walk along the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, Sunday,
March 31, 2019, as they return from Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

4/1/2019 Rep. Maxine Waters continues to push for impeachment of President Trump by OAN Newsroom
    Congresswoman Maxine Waters has continued to bash the president, while calling for his impeachment.
    On Saturday, Waters spoke at the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Image Awards, where she said the public has “seen enough of President Trump."
    The California Democrat has been known to chant “impeach 45” at rallies and public events since President Trump’s election.
Rep. Maxine Waters, D-Calif., arrives at the 50th annual NAACP Image Awards on Saturday, March 30, 2019,
at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP)
    “We have seen enough, we have seen right before our very eyes the obstruction of justice…and for those of us who believe that it is in the best interest of this country not to have a president who is dangerous, who is unpredictable, and who has alienated all of our allies…and I, as you know, have said I believe he needs to be impeached,” stated the congresswoman.
    Waters also spoke about the Mueller probe, saying she wants the full report to be released.
[If you see Maxine Waters any where tell her to stick a probe up her ??? since she wants one so badly.]

4/1/2019 Italy’s Senate passes relaxed gun laws similar to U.S. firearm legislation by OAN Newsroom
    The Italian Senate has passed a law, which makes it easier for citizens to protect against home intruders.    The new law — named the ‘legitimate defense’ bill — expands what is considered legal self-defense.
    This decision comes amid calls from Italy’s Deputy Prime Minister for relaxed gun-regulations as more Italians are starting to embrace more U.S.-style gun and self-defense laws.
Italian Deputy Premier and Interior Minister Matteo Salvini talks on the podium during his party The League’s rally,
in Treviso, northeastern Italy, Monday, March 24, 2019. (Alberto Colusso/ANSA via AP)
    “In his own home, a citizen has the right to be safe and free.” –– Nicola Molteni, member of the Chamber of Deputies of Italy.
    Before the law was passed, homeowners required proof trespassers posed an immediate physical threat to them or other residents if the intruders were hurt or killed while trespassing.    Homeowners can now fire upon trespassers as long as there is a perceived threat of violence. Italian citizens are also offered free legal aid if they claim they killed or injured an intruder in self-defense.
    This is similar to U.S. ‘castle laws,’ which allow citizens to use lethal force — including firearms — to protect against trespassers.
    Italy is known for its firearm craftsmanship, and has exported an estimated two billion dollars worth of shotguns to the U.S. over the past decade.    Nonetheless, few Italians in the past have ever owned guns. Most who have, used them more for sports hunting than self-defense.
    Reports last year showed that gun ownership in Italy rose by about 14-percent from 2017 to 2018. As Salvini’s government continues to relax legislation on guns and self-defense, more citizens are embracing U.S.-like ideas of individual safety and freedom.
[Since the Pope does not think it needs walls, the Italian people wants their weapons to defend itself from immigration.]

4/1/2019 President Trump eyeing Judge Amy Coney Barrett to replace Ruth Bader Ginsburg by OAN Newsroom
    President Trump is rumored to be eyeing a replacement for Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s Supreme Court seat.
    Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals Judge Amy Coney Barrett is in the running to replace Justice Ginsburg in the event of her death or retirement.
Judge Amy Coney Barrett. (Photo/Robert Franklin/South Bend Tribune via AP)
    The 86-year-old was forced to sit out on multiple Supreme Court cases in January, while she was being treated for cancer.
    Barrett was among the names being considered to replace former Justice Anthony Kennedy after he resigned from the Supreme Court in 2018.
    Judge Brett Kavanaugh was then chosen over Barrett and confirmed to the bench in October.

4/1/2019 President Trump urges Congress to fix loopholes in immigration system by OAN Newsroom
    President Trump is urging lawmakers to take action regarding our nation’s immigration system.    In a tweet Monday, the president said “Democrats working with Republicans in Congress” could potentially “fix the asylum and other loopholes quickly.”
    Trump tweet: “Democrats, working with Republicans in Congress, can fix the Asylum and other loopholes quickly. We have a major National Emergency at our Border. GET IT DONE NOW!”
    This comes after Customs and Border Protection (CBP) released a statement over the weekend, saying nearly every sector along southwest border has exceeded capacity.
    Additionally, the president is considering closing down the southern border if Mexico doesn’t do more to stop migrants from crossing into the U.S.
    President Trump is set to visit the border crossing in San Diego, California later this week.
In this Thursday, March 14, 2019, photo, a group of migrant families walk from the Rio Grande, the river separating
the U.S. and Mexico in Texas, near McAllen, Texas. The migrants said they crossed the river in an inflatable raft
and were hoping to be apprehended by the Border Patrol so they could be processed and released. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
    Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen has ordered hundreds of Border Patrol personnel to redeploy to the southern border amid the growing crisis.
    Nielsen sent a directive to CBP’s commissioner Monday, outlining the steps the agency must take to combat the influx of migrants.    She said the crisis is getting worse, and the Department of Homeland Security will do everything it can to end it.
    The secretary wants about 750 personnel in areas most affected by the crisis.    She also directed CBP to enforce an initiative, which requires migrants to stay in Mexico until an immigration court reviews their asylum claims.

4/1/2019 Senior U.S. House Republican questions Trump plan to cut Central American aid
FILE PHOTO - U.S. Representative Michael McCaul (R-TX) is escorted by Madeleine Westerhout (R) as he arrives at Trump Tower
to meet with U.S. President-elect Donald Trump in New York, U.S., November 29, 2016. REUTERS/Mike Segar
    WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The top Republican on the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee said on Monday that cutting aid to El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras would make the situation there worse, not better, a sign that President Donald Trump will face bipartisan objections in Congress as he pursues the plan.
    “If we cut all this funding, and a lot of it, quite honestly, is seriously law enforcement that we’re doing down there … I think it’s going to make things tragically worse, not better,” Representative Michael McCaul said in a presentation at the Wilson Center think tank in Washington.
    The State Department said on Saturday it was carrying out Trump’s directive to end aid programs to the three Central American nations, known as the Northern Triangle, after Trump blasted them for sending migrants to the United States.
    However, congressional aides noted that, since the U.S. constitution says Congress, not the president, sets spending policy, Trump cannot overrule spending bills passed by Congress, which he signed into law, without lawmakers’ approval.
    To obtain that approval, the administration would have to send Congress a formal notification explaining its plans for reusing the aid money and seeking lawmakers’ approval.
    McCaul said those who might want to cut off aid may not understand the issue, arguing that U.S. money goes to addressing the problems that prompt migrants to leave their countries.
    “I don’t think they thought it through,” he said.
(Reporting by Patricia Zengerle in Washington; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and James Dalgleish)

4/1/2019 Supreme Court will take up case of citizenship question on 2020 Census by OAN Newsroom
    The legal battle over adding a citizenship question the 2020 Census continues, with the nation’s highest court now taking up the case.    The decision comes after the Justice Department asked the U.S. Supreme Court to decide whether the question could be included in the decennial survey.
    The Trump Administration is looking to appeal a ruling by the Southern District of New York, which struck down their request.    The ruling then headed to the Second Circuit Court of Appeals; however, this latest move means Justices will resolve the case before the lower court has the chance to review it.
    The Department of Justice said Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, who announced he would pursue updating the questionnaire in 2018, has the legal authority to include the citizenship question on next year’s census.
    However, the district judge cast doubt on the reasoning behind Ross’ decision to include the question in the survey.    The judge argued its inclusion would be unlawful and would violate the Administrative Procedure Act, but Ross cited the need to enforce the Voting Rights Act by asking census-takers if they are citizens of the United States.
    The agency argued the question was included in previous years, with it last being seen in 1950.
FILE – This March 23, 2018 file photo shows an envelope containing a 2018 census letter mailed to a U.S.
resident as part of the nation’s only test run of the 2020 Census. (AP Photo/Michelle R. Smith, File)
    Last year, acting Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights John Gore maintained the Department of Justice relies on the survey to conduct elections in compliance with federal laws.
    “The department’s letter explained that accurate citizenship data is crucial to the department’s enforcement of Section Two of the Voting Rights Act, and it’s important protections against racial discrimination and voting,” Gore explained.    “To fully enforce those requirements the department needs reliable citizen voting ago population data in localities and census blocks, where voting rights violations are alleged or suspected.”
    The questions being presented in the case look to determine whether the district court misrepresented precedent in its ruling. The Supreme Court must reach a decision by June, before census forms begin printing.
[IF THEY ARE NOT CITIZENS THEN THEY SHOULD NOT BE VOTING IF THEY DO NOT HAVE A REAL SOCIAL SECURITY CARD AND NUMBER.]

4/1/2019 President Trump points out flaws in Democrats over Russian collusion by OAN Newsroom
    President Trump said Democrats and many others “have gone back to the pre-witch hunt phase of their lives” prior to Special Counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation.
    The president made the comment in a tweet Monday, adding, others are now pretending that Mueller “no longer exists” since the “collusion delusion” is over.
    Trump tweet: “Now that the long awaited Mueller Report conclusions have been released, most Democrats and others have gone back to the pre-Witch Hunt phase of their lives before Collusion Delusion took over. Others are pretending that their former hero, Bob Mueller, no longer exists!”
    Attorney General William Barr released the principal findings of the Mueller report last week, and found no evidence of Russian collusion during the 2016 General Elections.
    Since then, the President has sounded off on Democrats and the mainstream media for focusing on the Russian collusion narrative rather than his administration’s accomplishments.

4/2/2019 Oil up $1.45 to $61.59, DOW up 330 to 26,259.

4/2/2019 Subpoenas on tap for Mueller report by Mary Clare Jalonick, ASSOCIATED PRESS
    WASHINGTON – The House Judiciary Committee will prepare subpoenas this week seeking special counsel Robert Mueller’s full Russia report as the Justice Department appears likely to miss a Tuesday deadline set by Democrats for the report’s release.
    The Judiciary panel plans to vote on subpoenas Wednesday, a day after the deadline.    The chairmen of several House committees asked for the full, unredacted report last week after Attorney General William Barr released a four-page summary laying out the report’s “principal conclusions.”    Barr said in a letter to the House and Senate Judiciary committees on Friday that a redacted version of the full 300-page report would be released by mid-April, “if not sooner.”
    The planned committee vote, announced Monday morning, would not automatically issue subpoenas but would authorize House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., to send them if he decides to do so.
    “As I have made clear, Congress requires the full and complete special counsel report, without redactions, as well as access to the underlying evidence,” Nadler said in a statement.    “Attorney General Barr has thus far indicated he will not meet the April 2 deadline set by myself and five other committee chairs, and refused to work with us to provide the full report, without redactions, to Congress.”
    The vote comes as Democrats are escalating their battle with the Justice Department over how much of the report they will be able to see.    Democrats have said they will not accept redactions and will almost certainly be unhappy with the amount of information provided by Barr.
    The panel will also vote Wednesday to authorize subpoenas related to a number of President Donald Trump’s former top advisers, including strategist Steve Bannon, communications director Hope Hicks, chief of staff Reince Priebus, White House counsel Donald McGahn and counsel Ann Donaldson.
    They were key witnesses in Mueller’s probe of possible obstruction of justice and were sent document requests by the Judiciary panel last month.    Nadler said he is concerned about reports that documents relevant to Mueller’s investigation “were sent outside the White House,” waiving executive privilege rights that would block document production.
    “To this end, I have asked the committee to authorize me to issue subpoenas, if necessary, to compel the production of documents and testimony,” Nadler said.
    Nadler sent requests to 81 people connected to Trump’s political and personal dealings as he launched a wide-ranging investigation into possible obstruction of justice, public corruption and abuses of power.
    Barr said in the letter Friday that he is scrubbing the report to avoid disclosing any grand jury information or classified material, in addition to portions of the report that pertain to ongoing investigations or that “would unduly infringe on the personal privacy and reputational interests of peripheral third parties.”    Democrats say they want all of that information, even if some of it can’t be disclosed to the public.
[WELL NADLER YOU ARE NOT GOING TO GET THAT SO SUCK IT UP SINCE YOU WILL GET WHAT THEY GIVE YOU.    EVEN IF YOU DID NOT GET IT AT ALL YOU WILL STILL TRY TO IMPEACH TRUMP WITHOUT ANY PROOF WHICH IS CALLED SORE LOSERS.].

4/2/2019 President Trump blasts House Democrats call for releasing full Mueller report by OAN Newsroom
    President Trump is blasting Democrats as they try to subpoena the release of the full findings in the Mueller report.
    On Twitter Tuesday, the president pointed out that in 1998 New York Representative Jerry Nadler strongly opposed the release of the Starr Report, following the investigation of Bill Clinton.    He added, “no information whatsoever would or could be legally released.”
    Trump tweet: “In 1998, Rep.Jerry Nadler strongly opposed the release of the Starr Report on Bill Clinton. No information whatsoever would or could be legally released. But with the NO COLLUSION Mueller Report, which the Dems hate, he wants it all.    NOTHING WILL EVER SATISFY THEM! @foxandfriends.”
    However, Nadler is now calling for the release of the full Mueller report even after no collusion was found.     In another tweet, the president said there is no satisfying Nadler or “shifty Adam Schiff.”
    Trump tweet: “There is no amount of testimony or document production that can satisfy Jerry Nadler or Shifty Adam Schiff.    It is now time to focus exclusively on properly running our great Country!”
    The House Judiciary Committee will vote Wednesday on whether to authorize a subpoena for the Department of Justice to release Mueller’s final report and the underlying evidence.
President Donald Trump arrives at the 2019 Prison Reform Summit and First Step Act Celebration in the
East Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, April 1, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)

4/2/2019 Rep. Ilhan Omar investigated over campaign misspending accusations by OAN Newsroom
    The lawmaker once under fire for saying “its all about the Benjamin’s” when referring to Americans supporting Israel is now accused of misusing campaign funds.
    According to reports, freshman Democrat lawmaker Ilhan Omar allegedly used $6,000 from her campaign fund for personal use.    The money reportedly went toward a divorce attorney in 2016 as well as personal trips to Boston and Estonia.
    When asked about the payments, she claimed it was compensation for her help on a campaign.
In this March 12, 2019, photo, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., listens as Office of Management and Budget Acting Director
Russ Vought testifies before the House Budget Committee on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
    The allegations were first brought up last year by Minnesota lawmaker Steve Drazkowski, who said he observed a “long pattern” of similar behavior from Omar.    This isn’t the first time Drazkowski accused Omar of violating campaign spending laws.
    “She’s repeatedly trampled on the laws of the state and a variety of areas, and gotten by with it,” he claimed.
    Omar was also forced to pay back $2,500 she had improperly accepted between 2017 and this year for speeches at state-funded colleges, which is a violation of ethics rules for lawmakers in her state.
    State election officials reportedly launched an investigation into Omar’s handling of campaign funds, which has since come to an end.    The board is expected to make a ruling on the investigation sometime over the next two-months.
[What would you expect if you had been raised to do whatever it takes to get your agenda to pass, cheat, lie and insult.    Trump is going to do a rally in Minnesota and he will have fun there, to see if Minnesotans are really Islamists, or were just duped by the above.]

4/2/2019 Residents near Texas border town threatened by human smugglers by OAN Newsroom
    Residents in a Texas border town say they are living in fear of so-called “cartel coyotes.”    According to residents near the Falfurrias border checkpoint on Monday, the area has become a stomping ground for human traffickers.
    One rancher — identified only as Solia — said she regularly sees armed cartel gunman directing groups of illegal migrants as with as many as 70 people through her property in hopes of bypassing border check points.    She also said the groups frequently threaten residents to stay quiet.
In this Thursday, March 14, 2019, photo, a Border Patrol agent talks with a group suspected of having entered the U.S.
illegally near McAllen, Texas. While many adults crossing the border on their own in South Texas try to flee agents, most migrant
parents and children wait to surrender so they can be processed and released into the United States. (AP Photo/Eric Gay)
    “They just put a finger to their lips and it’s like… ‘you better not say anything’…they know what we drive, they know where we live,” explained the Texas rancher.    “They were trying to get in towards the house.”
    Solia said she feels so threatened that she can no longer leave her house without a gun.    She also said the number of human traffickers she sees has increased over the past years, and clearly illustrates the need for a wall at the border.

4/2/2019 Judge upholds decision to block firearm magazine ban in Calif. by OAN Newsroom
    “Individual liberty and freedom are not outmoded concepts.”
    Those were the first words in the decision by San Diego-based U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez, who ruled on Friday to strike down a law that would force gun owners to turn over their magazines with a capacity over 10 rounds or face criminal charges.
    California’s ban on purchasing high-capacity magazines has been in effect since the year 2000, however, those who already owned the magazines could do so without punishment.    This changed with the passage of Proposition 63 back in November of 2016, which introduced penalties on those who possessed them.
FILE — In this June 27, 2017 photo, a semi-automatic rifle is displayed with a 25 shot magazine, left, and a 10 shot magazine,
right, at a gun store in Elk Grove, Calif. San Diego-based U.S. District Judge Roger Benitez declared, Friday March 29, 2019,
unconstitutional the law banning possession of magazines containing more than 10 bullets. California law has prohibited buying
or selling the magazines since 2000, but has allowed those who had them to keep them. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli, File)
    The judge referred to the law as “severe and arbitrary,” saying the legislation violates the Constitution.    The 86 page decision cited the Second Amendment as well as the landmark 2008 Supreme Court decision known as District of Columbia v. Heller, which holds that law-abiding, responsible citizens have the right to use firearms in defense of their homes.
    California has some of the nation’s strictest gun laws, and Second Amendment advocates — including the NRA — have celebrated the decision as a “major win” against gun-control efforts in the state.
    However, this may not be the end of the dispute over the issue.    The office of California Attorney General Xavier Becerra has said they are reviewing the decision, and are evaluating their next move.

4/2/2019 NASA official speaks on India’s decision to shoot down a satellite from space by OAN Newsroom
International Space Station. (Alexander Gerst/European Space Agency/NASA/AP)
    NASA’s highest ranking official is speaking out on India’s recent decision to shoot down a satellite from space.
    According to NASA Administrator Jim Bridenstine, the country’s decision to shoot down its own satellite in efforts to show its military strength was a “terrible thing.”
    This comes after Indian officials claimed the mission was safe, saying the remnants of the satellite will fall back to earth within weeks.    However, Bridenstine is saying that’s not the case.
    “The risk, and I’m talking about small debris impact to the International Space Station, the risk went up 44% over a period of 10 days,” he warned.
    NASA said it has identified 400 pieces of debris in space, and are unable to track the smaller pieces.
    Although the threat level increased, the astronauts aboard the ISS are currently deemed safe, because they can maneuver the station as debris approaches.

4/2/2019 2020 Democrats attend conference where tribute is paid to a convicted cop killer by OAN Newsroom
    A convicted cop killer recently received praise at a political conference in Washington, D.C., which was attended by eight Democrat White House hopefuls.
    Monday’s ‘We the People Summit’ included speakers Cory Booker, Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren and Beto O’Rourke among others.    Members representing far-left organizations such as the Sierra Club, MoveOn and Planned Parenthood were also in attendance.
Independent presidential candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., speaks during the We the People Membership Summit, featuring the
2020 Democratic presidential candidates, at the Warner Theater, in Washington, Monday, April 1, 2019. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
    The audience was asked by a top official from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) to repeat a quote by Assata Shakur.    She was convicted of murdering a New Jersey state trooper back in 1973, but has since escaped from prison to live in Cuba.
    “I will have you participate in repeating some words from a leader by the name of Assata Shakur,” said Jamal Watkins, Vice President of Civic Engagement for the NAACP.    “It is our duty to fight for our freedom…it is our duty to win…we must love each other and respect each other…we have nothing to lose but our chains.”
    Shakur was a member of the Black Liberation Army, and was the first woman to make the FBI’s most wanted list.    Although none of the     Democrat candidates personally expressed support for Shakur at the event, reports say she has been an influential figure on the left.

4/2/2019 Lanny Davis calls to indict Don Jr. by OAN Newsroom
    Michael Cohen’s attorney is pushing unfounded allegations regarding the president and his family.
    On Monday, Lanny Davis told The Hill he thinks Donald Trump Jr. should be indicted.    He said Don Jr. signed a check that was later used to repay Cohen.    Davis claimed the check reimbursed Cohen for payments made to Stormy Daniels in exchange for her silence about an alleged affair.
Michael Cohen departs following a full day of testimony with the House Intelligence Committee behind closed doors
at the Capitol in Washington, Wednesday, March 6, 2019. (Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, AP)
    Cohen presented two checks during his testimony before the House Oversight Committee.    One was signed by President Trump, and another was signed by Trump Organization CFO Allen Weisselberg.
    However, Davis now seems to be putting the blame on Donald Jr.
    “I do suggest respectfully, that Donald Jr. — based upon signing a hush money check for his father out of a trust fund, by the way, that was set up to prevent any money being spent that would help Donald Trump while he was president…out of that trust fund is where the Donald Jr. check was written…that is a crime and he should be, in my opinion, respectfully indicted based upon on just the signing of that check,” said Cohen’s attorney.
    President Trump has denied the alleged affair, and maintains the arrangement did not violate campaign finance laws.
    Meanwhile, Cohen is set to report to prison for a three-year sentence in May.
[The Democrats continue to hassle the President but any of the above mention is not a crime or a campaign contribution.]

4/2/2019 Avenatti says he’s ‘confident’ after first Calif. court hearing for fraud by OAN Newsroom
    Attorney Michael Avenatti made his first court appearance on the West Coast for fraud and embezzlement charges.
    The disgraced Hollywood attorney made a speech after his court hearing in Santa Ana, California Monday, where he vowed to fight the charges against him.
    Avenatti is accused of filing false tax returns and embezzling more than $1.5 million from a client.    This comes as he also fights charges in New York, where he is accused of extorting the clothing company Nike for $20 million.
Attorney Michael Avenatti, second from right, talks to reporters after a hearing, Monday, April 1, 2019,
in Santa Ana, Calif. Avenatti appeared in federal court on charges he fraudulently obtained $4 million in
bank loans and pocketed $1.6 million that belonged to a client. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
    “I will now spend the time in connection with this case and the case in New York, relying on that same justice system that I have now subjected myself to,” he stated.    “And I am highly confident that when the process plays out that justice will be done.”
    Avenatti faces up to 30-years in prison for the most serious charge in California, and up to 20-years for the top charge in New York.

4/2/2019 Trump says NATO countries burden-sharing improving, wants more
NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg (L) is escorted as he arrives to meet with U.S. President Donald Trump
at the White House in Washington, U.S. April 2, 2019. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst
    WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Tuesday NATO member nations have improved in bearing a greater share of defense costs but added that he hoped to see them spend even more in future years.
    “We’ve worked together in getting some of our allies to pay their fair share.    It’s called burden sharing,” Trump said at the White House during a meeting with NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg.
    Trump repeated his complaint that the United States pays a disproportionate share of defense costs for the North Atlantic Treaty Organization.
    However, he added that “tremendous progress” had been made and said the U.S. relationship with NATO was good and the relationship with Stoltenberg is “outstanding.”
    The U.S. president said he would like to see NATO members pay more than 2 percent of gross domestic product for defense.    Trump told NATO leaders last year to increase defense spending to 4 percent of GDP.
    Trump singled out Germany.    “Germany honestly is not paying their fair share,” he said.
    “They’re not paying what they should be paying.    They’re paying close to 1 percent.”
(Reporting by Steve Holland; Writing by Doina Chiacu, editing by G Crosse and Chizu Nomiyama)
[That’s because they are paying to Climate Change collusion thinking that will protect them instead of paying for military protection against the real dangers in the world.]

4/2/2019 Dutch security agency warns against Chinese, Russian technology
FILE PHOTO: EU leaders including Belgian Prime Minister Charles Michel (C), Netherlands Prime Minister Mark Rutte (R),
Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel (L) and Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni (rear left)
gather around a computer screen at the European Union leaders summit in Malta, February 3, 2017. REUTERS/Darrin Zammit-Lupi/File Photo
    AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – The Dutch security service advised the government on Tuesday not to use technology from countries with active cyber-hacking campaigns against the Netherlands, such as China and Russia.
    The recommendation came as the Dutch government is weighing options for a new 5G telecommunications network in the coming years and seeks to replace its domestic emergency services network, known as C2000.
    The AIVD security agency flagged Chinese and Russian attempts at digital espionage as a major security risk.
    “It is undesirable for the Netherlands to exchange sensitive information or for vital processes to depend on the hardware or software of companies from countries running active cyber programs against Dutch interests,” the AIVD said in its annual report.
    Prime Minister Mark Rutte has refused to rule out doing business with Chinese technology companies, even as key allies the United States and Australia restricted Huawei Technologies from accessing its next-generation mobile networks on national-security grounds.
    Washington has said that Huawei is at the beck and call of the Chinese state, warning that its network equipment may contain “back doors” that could open them up to cyber espionage.    Huawei says such concerns are unfounded.
(Reporting by Anthony Deutsch; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

4/2/2019 Shunned by banks, France’s Le Pen seeks to crowdfund EU election campaign by Simon Carraud
FILE PHOTO: French far-right National Rally (Rassemblement National) party leader Marine Le Pen sings the national anthem
during a meeting in Saint-Paul-du-Bois, France, February 17, 2019. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe/File Photo
    PARIS (Reuters) – Marine Le Pen, the leader of France’s far-right party, said on Tuesday she would raise funds from the public for next month’s European Parliament elections, after her party failed to secure a multi-million-euro bank loan.
    Nationalist, eurosceptic and anti-immigration parties are expected to make strong gains in the vote, and Le Pen’s Rassemblement National (National Rally) is almost neck-and-neck in the polls with President Emmanuel Macron’s En Marche.
    The RN, which changed its name from Front National to shed a brand associated by many voters with racism and anti-Semitism, faces financial problems: it is heavily indebted and has had its accounts in France closed by banks which declined to say why.
    It also remains dogged by questions over a Russian loan that helped financed Le Pen’s 2017 presidential run.
    “We have no other option than to go to the French people and ask to borrow money for a year to wage our campaign,” Le Pen told LCI news site.
    The party had been hoping to secure a 4 million euro ($4.5 million) loan, Jordan Bardella, the lead candidate on Le Pen’s list for the European election, told Reuters in January.
    But that was unsuccessful and the party now hopes to raise cash through loans or donations from supporters, Le Pen said.
    The RN’s cash-crunch could hamper its ability to mount a national campaign and win support beyond Le Pen’s core base.    Voters often use European Parliament elections to express discontent with the government.
    After Macron reshaped France’s political landscape with his 2017 election victory, obliterating the traditional center-right and center-left blocks that dominated politics for decades, the European contest is shaping up as a showdown between Macron’s and Le Pen’s parties.
    An Ifop-Fiducial survey this week showed Macron’s La Republique en Marche on 22.5 percent compared with 21 percent for Le Pen’s party.
    The RN is not alone in seeking public financial support.    On Sunday, the hard-left France Insoumise (France Unbowed) said it had raised 300,000 euros in the first few hours of launching a crowdfunding appeal.
(Writing by Richard Lough; Editing by Robin Pomeroy)

4/2/2019 Top House Democrat cites labor, enforcement concerns on new NAFTA
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks during the introduction of the Climate Action Now Act
on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., U.S., March 27, 2019. REUTERS/Joshua Roberts/File Photo
    WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said on Tuesday lawmakers could not take up the replacement for the North American Free Trade Agreement unless Mexico passes legislation protecting workers’ rights.
    Pelosi, speaking in an interview with Politico, also cited concerns over enforcement provisions for the new U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), among other issues.
    “No enforcement, no treaty,” she told Politico.
    The new trade deal has received a cool reception in the Democratic-controlled House of Representatives because of its provisions on labor, biologic drugs and other matters.
    “The concerns that our members have are workers rights, the environment and issues related to pharmaceuticals,” Pelosi said.    “The overarching concern that we have is – even if you have the best language in the world in that (deal), if you don’t have enforcement, you ain’t got nothin’. … You have to have strong enforcement provisions.”     Democratic lawmakers say the deal must ensure workers in Mexico have the right to organize, a step that would require new Mexican labor laws.    They believe a major weakness of NAFTA was that it allowed Mexican wages to stagnate.
    “When you don’t have strong enforcement provisions, you are essentially facilitating the outsourcing of jobs and bad worker protections and undercutting of U.S. workers,” Representative Pramila Jayapal said last month.
    Pelosi underscored that concern in the Politico interview.
    “One of the things that the Mexican government has to do before we can even consider it, is to pass legislation about workers’ rights in Mexico,” she said.
(Reporting by Susan Heavey; Writing by David Alexander; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Susan Thomas)
[Hopefully they are not trying to delay it to keep it from helping Trump, but he did not care because Pre-NAFTA is still better than what we had before.]

4/2/2019 Ecuador’s president says Assange breached terms of London embassy asylum
FILE PHOTO: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is seen on the balcony of the
Ecuadorian Embassy in London, Britain, May 19, 2017. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls
    QUITO (Reuters) – President Lenin Moreno of Ecuador told radio stations on Tuesday that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has “repeatedly violated” the terms of his asylum in the Andean nation’s London embassy, where he has lived for nearly seven years.
    Moreno, interviewed by the Ecuadorean Radio Broadcasters’ Association, said Assange does not have the right to “hack private accounts or phones” and cannot intervene in the politics of other countries, especially those that have friendly relations with Ecuador.
    Attorneys for Assange did not respond to requests for comment.
    Moreno made the comments on Assange after private photographs of him and his family at a time years ago when they were living in Europe circulated on social media.    Although Moreno stopped short of explicitly blaming Assange for the leak, the government said it believed the photos were shared by WikiLeaks.
    “Mr. Assange has violated the agreement we reached with him and his legal counsel too many times,” Moreno said in the interview in the city of Guayaquil.    “It is not that he cannot speak and express himself freely, but he cannot lie, nor much less hack private accounts or phones.”
    Moreno did not say whether or not the government would take steps to remove Assange from the embassy.
    WikiLeaks said in an emailed statement that Moreno’s remarks were in retribution for WikiLeaks having reported on corruption accusations against Moreno, who denies wrongdoing.
    “If President Moreno wants to illegally terminate a refugee publisher’s asylum to cover up an offshore corruption scandal, history will not be kind,” WikiLeaks said.
    Assange took refuge in Ecuador’s London embassy in 2012 to avoid being extradited to Sweden, where authorities wanted to question him as part of a sexual assault investigation.
    That probe was later dropped, but Assange fears he could be extradited to face charges in the United States, where federal prosecutors are investigating WikiLeaks.
    Ecuador last year established new rules for Assange’s behavior while in the embassy, which required him to pay his medical bills and clean up after his pet cat.    He challenged the rules in local and international tribunals, arguing they violated his human rights. Both courts ruled against him.
    Last month, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which is linked to the Organization of American States, rejected Assange’s request that Ecuador ease the conditions it has imposed on his residence in the London embassy.
    Assange says Ecuador is seeking to end his asylum and is putting pressure on him by isolating him from visitors and spying on him.    Ecuador has said its treatment of Assange was in line with international law, but that his situation “cannot be extended indefinitely.”
(Reporting by Alexandra Valencia, Brian Ellsworth and Luc Cohen; Additional reporting by Mark Hosenball in Washington; editing by Grant McCool)

4/3/2019 Oil up $0.99 to $62.58, DOW down 79 to 26,179.

4/3/2019 In Trump times, agreeing to disagree becomes norm at G7 meetings by John Irish and Marine Pennetier
FILE PHOTO - U.S. President Donald Trump arrives for the official welcoming ceremony the G7 Summit in the
Charlevoix town of La Malbaie, Quebec, Canada, June 8, 2018. REUTERS/Christinne Muschi
    PARIS (Reuters) – Foreign ministers from the Group of Seven nations meet on Friday in France to prepare for the leaders’ summit in August, but the absence of U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo underscores how tough agreeing common ground between allies has become.
    Ten months after U.S. President Donald Trump threw the efforts of other leaders to show a united front into disarray by leaving early, backing out of a joint communique and criticizing his Canadian host, senior diplomats are scrambling to avoid a repeat episode.
    France, which took over the rotating presidency of the group of major industrialized nations, has scaled back its ambitions, counting on minor advances in areas where consensus can be found easily, including the dangers of cyber crime for democracy and tackling inequalities between men and women.
    “The idea is to avoid losing energy on texts that do not bring much, whereas what (President) Emmanuel Macron wants is that our presidency makes it possible to advance on specific topics,” said a senior French diplomat ahead of the meeting on Friday and Saturday in the Brittany seaside resort of Dinard.
    Along with the United States and France, the group includes Japan, Germany, Britain, Italy, Canada and the European Union.    The ministerial meeting is critical to ensuring that when the leaders convene in Biarritz in August, they are largely in agreement.
    But tensions between the United States and its European allies, particularly over trade, climate issues and the nuclear deal with Iran, have meant that where they were once in agreement, they now seek the lowest common denominator.
    “The G7 has become the United Nations of democracies.    It’s the same divisions and blockages,” said Dominique Moisi, a special adviser to the IFRI foreign relations think tank in Paris.
    “Can we come up with a common position on Russia, China, the Middle East?    It’s damage limitation.”
    The U.S. State Department gave no reason why Pompeo was not attending even though he had no other engagements in his diary.
    His deputy, John Sullivan, will replace him for broad discussions, including on the crisis in Venezuela, Iran’s destabilizing behavior in the Middle East and the denuclearization of North Korea, the State Department said.
    “Symbolically, it sends a pretty negative message: Pompeo has better things to doThe U.S. is isolated, but the U.S. dictates the tempo and we fit in behind.”
(Reporting by John Irish and Marine Pennetier; Editing by Richard Lough and Peter Cooney)

4/3/2019 Venezuela lawmakers loyal to Maduro open door to prosecution of Guaido by Angus Berwick and Vivian Sequera
Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who many nations have recognised as the country's rightful interim ruler,
arrives at the National Assembly in Caracas, Venezuela April 2, 2019. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado
    CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela’s Constituent Assembly, an all-powerful legislature controlled by the ruling Socialist Party, on Tuesday approved a measure allowing for a trial of opposition leader Juan Guaido, in what appeared to be step toward having him arrested.
    Guaido, leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, in January invoked the country’s constitution to assume the interim presidency after declaring President Nicolas Maduro’s 2018 re-election a fraud.
    He has been recognized by the United States and most other Western nations as Venezuela’s legitimate leader, and has said he does not recognize decisions emanating from the Maduro government.
    The Constituent Assembly’s decree is necessary for the Supreme Court to move ahead with a trial of Guaido because as a legislator he has parliamentary immunity that makes it more difficult for him to be tried than the average citizen.
    “This formally authorizes the continuation of the trial (of Guaido),” said Constituent Assembly Chief Diosdado Cabello, who is also the Vice President of the Socialist Party.
    The Supreme Court on Monday had reiterated a previous measure blocking Guaido from leaving the country, an order which he openly violated in February when he embarked on a tour of Latin American nations to bolster support for his campaign to oust Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
    Venezuela’s chief prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation of Guaido, into alleged links to “incidents of violence” in January, but has not ordered his detention or officially charged him with any crime.
    “We are not going to evade our responsibility,” Guaido told reporters in eastern Caracas after the announcement.    “They thought this would be easy.    But it won’t be.    If they want to move forward, they will have to assume the consequences.”
    Constitutional lawyer Jose Vicente Haro called the decision a “constitutional fraud” that stripped Guaido of parliamentary immunity without the approval of the legislature, which under the constitution must approve such a decision.
    The legislature is currently control by the opposition.
    “It also violated due process, because he should have had a hearing to defend himself,” said Haro in a telephone interview.
    Maduro has said Guaido should “face justice” and calls him a coup-mongering puppet for the United States – but he has stopped short of calling for his arrest.
    Guaido’s international backers, chiefly the Trump administration, have warned Venezuelan authorities not to touch him and threatened ever harsher sanctions against the Maduro administration to further cut it off from foreign financing.
(Reporting by Angus Berwick and Vivian Sequera; Writing by Brian Ellsworth; Editing by Lisa Shumaker and Michael Perry)

4/3/2019 Bruce & Nellie Ohr shared email access with Fusion GPS contractor by OAN Newsroom
FILE – In this Aug. 28, 2018, file photo, Justice Department official Bruce Ohr arrives
for a closed hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
    Another day, another email scandal — this time involving the controversial Department of Justice official Bruce Ohr.
    According to new testimony, Ohr shared a joint email account with his wife Nellie.    In her testimony, Nellie admited she was occasionally in contact with Fusion GPS co-founder Glenn Simpson using the account.
    This is not surprising since Nellie also worked for Fusion GPS, the company who financed the infamous dossier.    Her primary task was searching for connections between the Trump campaign and Russia.    However, critics are saying Bruce Ohr’s use of a shared email with his wife could not only have ethical issues, but have national security implications as well.
    “So, this DOJ official, who’s wife works for Fusion GPS, is talking to Fusion GPS repeatedly, and Fusion GPS was paid for with secret money by Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the Democrat National Committee — so, it’s scandal on top of scandal,” said Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton.
    Republicans maintain there was wrongdoing at the Department of Justice as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
    Senator Lindsey Graham recently suggested Attorney General William Barr may be preparing to look into the accusations.

4/3/2019 House GOP seeking transcripts to pursue potential perjury charges against Cohen by OAN Newsroom
    House Republicans are demanding the transcript of Michael Cohen’s closed-door testimony in order to pursue possible perjury charges.
    On Tuesday, Representatives Jim Jordan and Mark Meadows wrote a letter to House Intelligence chairman Adam Schiff.    They are demanding transcripts from Cohen’s appearances before the panel in February and March.
    The congressmen are calling for accountability for — what they say — were blatant lies told by the president’s former personal attorney.
Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C., left, and Rep. Jim Jordan, the House Oversight and Reform Committee’s ranking member, discuss their
objections to House Oversight and Reform Committee Chair Elijah Cummings, D-Md., and his investigation of people in Presidentz
Donald Trump’s administration who were granted security clearances despite “disqualifying issues” in their backgrounds, according to a
whistleblower, during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, April 2, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
    Back in February, they sent a criminal referral to the Justice Department for false statements made by Cohen.    This includes his claim before the House Oversight Committee, claiming he never wanted to work in the White House.
    House Oversight Committee chairman Elijah Cummings said he disagrees with the characterization of lies in Cohen’s testimony.    Republicans are asking for the transcripts from Cohen’s testimony in front of other committees in hopes of changing his mind on the matter.

4/3/2019 House Republicans create discharge petition for ‘Born Alive Act’ by OAN Newsroom
    Republicans are hoping to force the House to vote on a bill to end infanticide after failed abortions.
    House Minority Whip Steve Scalise and Representative Ann Wagner filed a discharge petition Tuesday in hopes of forcing a vote in the House on the ‘Born Alive Act.’    Under the act, infants who survive an attempted abortion would be required to receive medical care instead of being killed.
    Scalise made a statement on the House floor Tuesday, saying the legislation should not be a partisan issue.
Steve Scalise is shown. (AP/Photo)
    “This issue transcends the abortion debate,” he stated.    “In fact, people across every spectrum: Republicans, Democrats, Independents, even people who align themselves with pro-choice believe it’s wrong to murder the baby after it’s born alive and yet it’s still allowed.”
    The Democrat-controlled House will be forced to bring the bill to the floor if the petition is signed by 218 representatives.    The petition currently sits at 191 signatures.

4/3/2019 House Judiciary Committee votes to subpoena unredacted Mueller report by OAN Newsroom
    The House Judiciary Committee has voted to subpoena the full unredacted Mueller report.    The committee approved a resolution to authorize subpoenaing the report in a 24-to-17 party-line vote early Wednesday.    It also authorizes a subpoena for all underlying evidence and documents used in the investigation.
    The measure gives chairman Jerry Nadler the authority to subpoena documents and testimony from individuals, who may have received documents from the White House related to the probe.
    Before the vote, ranking member Doug Collins called the subpoena’s “preemptive,” and pointed out their targets are already cooperating.    He also suggested the move seems like a counterintuitive way to conduct oversight.
House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Doug Collins, R-Ga., makes an objection to the resolution
by Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., left, to subpoena special counsel Robert Mueller’s full report, on
Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, April 3, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
    “And as far as the attorney general’s gone, he said ‘I’m giving you the Mueller report…as I should under regulations’…but undoubtedly that’s not enough, undoubtedly that doesn’t make enough press releases,” stated Collins. Chairman Nadler said he will give Attorney General William Barr time to comply with the panel before issuing that subpoena.
[Good job Collins for telling the Democrats they are dreaming again and wasting tax payers money on frivolous actions and now they are going after their past future hero Special Councel who investigated and did not provide them what they wanted and now will throw him under the bus.]

4/3/2019 Border agents are busing migrants hundreds of miles inland by OAN Newsroom
    Border agents are directly releasing illegal immigrants into the U.S., because they do not have enough resources to detain them.
    Authorities are now bussing migrants apprehended at the border to cities that are hundreds of miles inland.    Some of those cities include Albuquerque, San Antonio, and Phoenix.     The migrants are left in the care of local churches and relief organizations as loopholes in immigration law make it nearly impossible to deport them.
    President Trump is calling on Congress to eliminate these loopholes.    Otherwise, the Commander and Chief may close down the southern border entirely.
    Trump tweet: “Congress must get together and immediately eliminate the loopholes at the Border! If no action, Border, or large sections of Border, will close. This is a National Emergency!”
    Roughly 100,000 illegal immigrants were caught crossing the border in March, which is the highest level in more than a decade.
Immigrants from Central America seeking asylum board a bus, Tuesday, April 2, 2019, in downtown San Antonio.
The surge of migrants arriving at the southern border has led the Trump administration to dramatically expand a
practice it has long mocked as “catch and release.” (AP Photo/Eric Gay)

4/3/2019 George Soros donated millions to anti-Trump research firm Fusion GPS by OAN Newsroom
    One of the biggest names behind the Fusion GPS report, which targeted President Trump, turns out to also be one of the most radical leftists in America today.
    One America’s Pearson Sharp has more on the “dark funding” behind the infamous Steele dossier.
George Soros seen above has his hands in the dossier for the FISA-warrant corruption
As seen above is proof of that charge.

4/3/2019 Germany seeks to deter future militants by voiding nationality by Paul Carrel
FILE PHOTO: Militant Islamist fighters take part in a military parade along the streets of
northern Raqqa province, Syria, June 30, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer
    BERLIN (Reuters) – Germans with a second nationality who fight abroad for groups like Islamic State will lose their citizenship, the cabinet agreed in a draft law on Wednesday intended to deter future militants.
    Like other Western countries, Germany faces a conundrum of how to deal with citizens who travel to the Middle East to join violent Islamist causes like IS whose self-proclaimed “caliphate” was eliminated last month.
    The measure, which needs parliamentary approval, would exclude minors, cover only future cases, and not apply to single nationality Germans who could otherwise be left stateless.
    “This will send a signal to IS supporters, to those thinking of traveling to IS areas,” government spokesman Steffen Seibert told reporters.
    More than 1,000 Germans have left their country for Middle East war zones since 2013 and the government has been debating how to deal with them as U.S.-backed forces took IS’s last patch of territory in Syria and rounded up prisoners.
    About a third have returned to Germany, another third are believed to have died, and the rest are thought to be still in Iraq and Syria, including those detained by Iraqi forces and U.S.-backed fighters in Syria, according to German intelligence officials.
    In February, U.S. President Donald Trump urged Britain, France and Germany to take back more than 800 captured Islamic State fighters and put them on trial.
    Germany said it would take back fighters only if the suspects have consular access, adding that in principle, all of its citizens and those suspected of having fought for IS have the right to return.
    In one high-profile case, Britain in February revoked the citizenship of a teenager who had left London aged 15 to join IS in Syria.    The case of Shamima Begum highlighted the security, legal and ethical dilemmas facing European governments dealing with those who swore allegiance to a group determined to destroy the West.
    Germany joined the military campaign against IS militants in Syria in a support role by deploying Tornado reconnaissance jets, refuelling aircraft and a frigate to the region, after an appeal from close partner France for Berlin to do more.
(Writing by Paul Carrel; Editing by Andrew Cawthorne)

4/3/2019 FEC files second complaint against Rep. Ocasio-Cortez, campaign manager by OAN Newsroom
    New York Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is at the center of yet another complaint by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
    According to reports, the FEC filed a complaint against the freshman Democrat Wednesday, alleging she operated a subsidy scheme along with her campaign manager.    The complaint named Ocasio-Cortez, her chief of staff Saikat Chakrabarti along with three organizations, which were all co-created by Chakrabarti as overlapping entities aimed at “subsidizing cheap assistance for Ocasio-Cortez and other candidates at rates far below market value.”
    One of the organizations — called Brand New Congress LLC — is accused of providing campaign contributions known as “in-kind” expenditures.    This means it helped the campaign at a loss to the company in order to provide services for cheap.    It is currently unclear what exactly the company charged as it is a limited liability company, meaning it is not subject to to the same disclosure and transparency laws as political action committees.
FILE – In this Feb. 27, 2019, photo, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., listens to questioning
of Michael Cohen on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
    Under campaign finance legal requirements, anyone running a campaign must purchase goods and services at fair market value.
    This is the second complaint filed by the FEC against the 29-year-old lawmaker.    Just last month, the group accused Ocasio-Cortez of violating campaign finance laws by taking part in a “off the books operation.”
    The watch dog group said they will sue if their complaint is not addressed in 120 days.

4/3/2019 White House considers strategies to reduce economic hit if border is shutdown by OAN Newsroom
    The Trump administration is considering keeping truck lanes open to alleviate economic setback if President Trump shuts down the southern border.
During an interview Wednesday, White House Economic Adviser Larry Kudlow said the administration is reviewing strategies to ensure trade is not interrupted.    The trade representative said he has advised President Trump about the issue, but also said the president’s threat shows how serious he is about border security.
    Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen suggested the administration is considering military resources to help with the crisis.    She made the comment ahead of her trip to El Paso Wednesday.
    Meanwhile, President Trump doubled down on his threat to close the U.S.-Mexico border in a recent tweet. He warned that if no action was taken, large sections or maybe the entire southern border would be closed.
    Trump tweet: “Congress must get together and immediately eliminate the loopholes at the Border! If no action, Border, or large sections of Border, will close. This is a National Emergency!”
    While the president hasn’t followed through on his threat, drivers at the southern border are already feeling the impact of the Trump administration’s efforts to handle the surge of Central American migrants entering the U.S.
    “It’s been several days that the threats the President of the United States is making have been coming true, and it’s affecting third parties,” said truck driver Jose Cota.    “In this case the manufacturing industry, transportation companies, and directly — and most strongly — on the operators, the drivers.”
Cars and trucks line up to enter Mexico from the U.S. at a border crossing in El Paso, Texas, Friday, March 29, 2019. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
    This comes after hundreds of agents, who screen cargo at the border, were reassigned to immigration duties.    Senior Homeland Security officials said the move was to blame for the slowing of legal crossings at ports of entry.
    On Tuesday, Mexico’s foreign minister — Marcelo Ebrard — acknowledged the slow down was becoming a problem, but said a complete shutdown of the border is not expected.
    “If we are not able to restore this very soon, this is going to economically cost both countries, because we are talking about one of the borders that has the most flow between countries,” stated Ebrard.
    Meanwhile, the head of Homeland Security compared the situation at the border to a “Category 5 hurricane” disaster.    Kirstjen Nielsen made the comment during an emergency conference call with cabinet members Tuesday night.    She reportedly added that 900,000 people are coming to the U.S. this year “without any legal right to stay.”

4/4/2019 Oil down $0.12 to $62.46, DOW up 39 to 26,218.

4/4/2019 House opens fight for Mueller report by Bart Jansen, USA TODAY
    WASHINGTON – The House Judiciary Committee voted Wednesday to authorize a subpoena for special counsel Robert Mueller’s full report and the evidence his investigators gathered, setting up what could be a historic legal clash with the Justice Department.
    The panel also voted to authorize subpoenas for evidence from some of President Donald Trump’s former top advisers, including strategist Steve Bannon, communications director Hope Hicks, chief of staff Reince Priebus, White House counsel Donald McGahn and counsel Ann Donaldson.
    The committee did not issue the subpoena immediately.    Instead, the vote gave Judiciary Chairman Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., the authority to do so in the future, the first step by Congress to force Attorney General William Barr to release Mueller’s entire confidential report about Russian interference in the 2016 election.
    The committee approved the subpoena by a party-line vote of 24-17.
    Nadler said Mueller’s report “probably isn’t the ‘total exoneration’ the president claims it to be,” so Congress must review the whole thing.    He said the Justice Department should not seek to withhold parts of it, as Barr has said he plans to do.
    “We are dealing now not with the president’s private affairs, but with a sustained attack on the integrity of the republic by the president and his closest advisers,” Nadler said.    “This committee requires the full report and the underlying materials because it is our job, not the attorney general’s, to determine whether President Trump has abused his office.”
    Mueller completed his investigation and submitted his report to Barr on March 22.    Barr said the investigation did not establish that Trump or his campaign had coordinated with efforts by the Russian government to influence the 2016 election.    Mueller declined to draw a conclusion about whether Trump had obstructed justice during the investigation; instead, Barr said he and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, concluded based on the evidence Mueller gathered that the president had not.
    Trump, who has previously endorsed the release of Mueller’s report, appeared more cautious in recent days.    He told reporters Tuesday that Democrats would never be satisfied by Mueller’s conclusion that the investigation did not establish a conspiracy involving his campaign, calling it “politics at a very low level.”
    “Anything you give them, it will never be enough,” Trump said.    “They’ll always come back and say it’s not enough, it’s not enough.”
    Barr has told lawmakers that he and other Justice Department officials are examining the nearly 400-page report, plus tables and appendices, to remove grand jury evidence, intelligence material, evidence that could affect other cases and information that could infringe on the privacy of people who weren’t charged.    Barr said he expected to give Congress his redacted version of the report by mid-April.
    Nadler said he would not issue the subpoenas to Barr immediately but instead “will give him time to change his mind” on releasing grand jury material.    He said he expected to subpoena the report “in very short order.”
Reps. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., left, and Doug Collins, R-Ga., attend a Judiciary Committee hearing on Capitol Hill. J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE/AP

4/4/2019 Calif. County sues Dept. of Homeland Security over cost of asylum seeking migrants by OAN Newsroom
    San Diego County is suing the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) over the rising cost of asylum seekers.    The Southern California county filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the heads of the agencies within the department, claiming the county has suffered from the release of asylum-seeking migrants.
    Many illegal immigrants cannot be immediately deported and must be allowed to stay in the country to wait out their court case, because of loopholes in immigration law.
    Due to limited funds and housing resources, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) were forced to stop implementing their “safe release” policy last fall, which provided asylum seekers assistance to reach destinations outside of San Diego.
    The county is now left to front the bill for the upkeep of migrant shelters and medical care, which is estimated to cost millions of dollars.
Central American migrants line up for a meal at a shelter in Tijuana, Mexico, Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2018. (AP/Photo)
    “Our Border Patrol — the job they’ve done is incredible…the job that ICE is doing is incredible, and we have run out of space.    We can’t hold people anymore and Mexico can stop it so easily.” –President Donald Trump.
    County officials are seeking a permanent injunction, which would require ICE to resume their “safe release” policy and to reimburse them.
    This lawsuit is a dramatic shift for San Diego as supervisors last April voted to back the Trump administration’s lawsuit challenging California sanctuary laws.     San Diego County chairwoman Dianne Jacob claimed the lawsuit is not a matter of politics, but of the rising costs of asylum seekers in the county.
[WELL I GUESS WE WILL HAVE TO LET THE SANCTUARY CITIES GET OVERLOADED WITH ILLEGAL ALIENS UNTIL IT GETS TO BE A PROBLEM.    THEY ARE COMPLAINING AND THEY NEED TO COMPLAIN TO CONGRESS TO DO THEIR JOB AND CHANGE THE IMMIGRATION LAWS AND CALL THEIR GOVERNOR TO DO THE SAME.].

4/4/2019 Manafort requests new ruling, denies WikiLeaks allegations by OAN Newsroom
    After a grueling two-year legal battle, the special counsel has shown they are interested in much more than Paul Manafort’s financial crimes.    They’re going after his integrity.
    The former Trump campaign chairman was recently sentenced to a total of 73-months.
    “Paul Manafort caught a break because he defied the law, he tampered with witnesses, he lied to prosecutors, he laundered money, evaded taxes,” said Senator Richard Blumenthal.
    Based on provided evidence from the Mueller investigation, U.S. District Judge Amy Jackson also ruled that Manafort lied about his interactions with a Russian intelligence officer.
    Manafort’s attorneys are now asking the judge to reconsider her ruling, claiming their client told the truth to the “best of his ability.”    They submitted a filing to the court on Wednesday, which they say proves their client did not intentionally lie.
Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort. (Photo/Matt Rourke/AP)
    “I feel very badly for Paul Manafort, and, you know, he worked for Ronald Reagan very successfully.    He worked for John McCain.    He worked for Bob Dole and many others for many years, and I feel badly for him.    I think it’s a very sad situation.” — President Donald Trump.
    Slashing the hopes of a presidential pardon, Judge Jackson dismissed the request and is content with the current evidence.    She said Mueller was sufficient in proving “one of several instances in which Manafort gave false testimony.”
    While the allegations were not formally pursued, questions have continued to swirl about Manafort’s role of a potential conspiracy and his business with the founder of WikiLeaks.
    Manafort issued a response from his Virginia jail cell, condemning The Guardian for publishing a false story and denying any involvement with the website that notoriously released thousands of Democrat Party emails in 2016.
[Now they are trying to blame Manafort with the Wikileaks issue based on: an article dated 1/19/2019 U.S. asked Ecuadorean officials about alleged Assange-Manafort meeting: source by Alexandra Valencia and Jose Llangari.    U.S. officials spoke with officials from Ecuador’s British embassy about an alleged meeting there between President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager, Paul Manafort, and WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, an Ecuadorean government source said.    The Guardian newspaper reported the meeting in November, alleging the two met at least three times, including in 2016, just before WikiLeaks released damaging emails about Trump’s rival in the 2016 presidential elections, Hillary Clinton.    Manafort and Assange have both previously denied meeting each other at the embassy.    Part of Mueller’s probe has involved looking into whether Trump associates may have had advance notice before WikiLeaks published emails stolen by Russian hackers from Democratic computer networks to damage Clinton.    WikiLeaks called the Guardian’s story “indisputably fabricated” and said it was being used as a pretext for the United States to prosecute Assange.
    I THINK THIS IS ALL ABOUT GETTING INFORMATION TO HASSLE ROGER STONE WITH BUT IT IS ALL FAKE NEWS OF COURSE PART OF THE COLLUSION ILLUSION.].

4/4/2019 House Democrats request President Trump’s tax returns, seek filings from 2013-2018 by OAN Newsroom
    The fight to obtain the president’s tax returns heats up, with Democrats formally requesting those documents.
    House Ways and Means Committee chairman Richard Neal sent a letter to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) commissioner Wednesday, requesting the president’s filings from 2013 to 2018.    The committee is also requesting tax returns from eight of the president’s business entities.
    In the letter Neal said he’s looking to determine if the IRS’s audits of the president have been conducted “fully and appropriately.”
In this April 2, 2019, photo, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., arrives for
a Democratic Caucus meeting at the Capitol in Washington. Neal, whose committee has jurisdiction over all tax issues,
has formally requested President Donald Trump’s tax returns from the Internal Revenue Service. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
    While speaking to the media Wednesday, the president said he will not comply with the request as those audits are still taking place.
    “We’re under audit, despite what people said, and we’re working that out as I’m always under audit it seems,” President Trump explained.    “But I’ve been under audit for many years, because the numbers are big and I guess when you have a name, you’re audited…until such time as I’m not under audit I would not be inclined to do that.”
    The committee has given the IRS until next Wednesday to hand over the documents.
    Meanwhile, the accounting firm in charge of the president’s tax information has said they will only release his financial statements if subpoenaed first.
    While speaking to reporters Wednesday, House Oversight chairman Elijah Cummings said Mazars USA will comply with the panel’s request, but only if they can formalize the process through what Cummings called a “friendly subpoena.”    He went on to say the committee will have no issue fulfilling the House’s request for information.
[MORE PRESIDENTIAL HARRASSMENT BY THE LEFT AS NOW THEY THINK THEY CAN POLITICALIZE THE IRS.].

4/4/2019 Rep. Gaetz unveils ‘Green Real Deal’ to deregulate renewable energy by OAN Newsroom
Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., voices an objection to a resolution by House Judiciary Committee Chair Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., to subpoena
special counsel Robert Mueller’s full report, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, April 3, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
    Florida Congressman Matt Gaetz recently unveiled his ‘Green Real Deal,’ outlining a set of pragmatic environmental policies.
    In a statement Wednesday, Gaetz introduced a free market-based plan to counter the ‘Green New Deal’ proposed by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.
    Gaetz urged deregulation of the energy sector as well as federal lands to enable research and development of renewable energy in the U.S.    He also called for a modernization of the nation’s electric grid, and proposed market-sustainable incentives for solar energy.
    Gaetz stressed his plan would actually generate revenue as opposed to the costly ‘Green New Deal.’
    “Those Democrats who would use climate change as a basis to regulate out of existence the American experience will face the harsh reality that their ideas will fail,” stated the Florida congressman.    “The question for America is pretty simple: either we want a bunch of bureaucrats in Washington telling us what we can’t do or we empower American innovators to unlock things that we can do.”
    Gaetz said he doesn’t think the EPA has done a good job of protecting the environment, which is why he is calling on Republicans to lead the charge.

4/4/2019 VP Pence slams Germany over defense spending, ties to Russia by OAN Newsroom
    Vice President Mike Pence recently slammed Germany for not upholding its deal with NATO to increase defense spending, and for its ongoing economic ties with Russia.
    At a NATO conference on Wednesday, Pence criticized Germany’s decision to decrease spending to 1.25-percent of GDP instead of increasing it to two-percent as it promised.
    “Germany is Europe’s largest and healthiest economy, it’s a leading global exporter, and has benefited from U.S. protection of Europe for generations,” state the vice president.    “And yet as we stand here today, Germany refuses to make the necessary investment of two-percent of its GDP to our common defense.”
Vice President Mike Pence addresses the Atlantic Council’s “NATO Engages The Alliance at 70”
conference, in Washington, Wednesday, April 3, 2019. (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
    Pence also criticized Germany for building a natural gas pipeline that connects its country to Russia, saying the move would turn Germany into a “captive of Moscow.”
    The vice president went on to ensure NATO members the U.S. will always be an ally of Europe.

4/4/2019 House Democrats condemn anti-Obamacare push, pass non-binding resolution by OAN Newsroom
    House Democrats are attempting to put more pressure on Republicans as the debate over health care reform resurfaces.
    On Wednesday, the lower chamber passed a non-binding resolution, condemning the Trump administration’s push to roll back Obamacare in the courts.    Lawmakers approved the measure along a 240-to-186 vote, with eight Republicans voting with Democrats.
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of California, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer of New York;
Rep. Colin Allred, D-Texas; House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland; Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee, D-Texas; and other
Democrat leaders, speaks outside the U.S. Supreme Court in Washington, Tuesday, April 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Manuel Balce Ceneta)
    The move comes after the Justice Department signaled support for a lawsuit, which argues the health care law is unconstitutional.    However, the measure is not expected to be taken up for a vote by the Republican-controlled Senate.
    “So, I made it clear to him (President Trump) we were not going to be doing that in the Senate.    He did say, as he later tweeted, he accepted that, and that he would be developing a plan that he would take to the American people during the 2020 campaign and suggested that would be what he would be advocating in a second term if there were a Republican Congress.    So, we don’t have a misunderstanding about that.    We’ll not be doing comprehensive in the Senate.” — Mitch McConnell, Senate Majority Leader.
    On Wednesday, the president said he never intended to hold a vote on health care before 2020, and plans to campaign on the issue during his reelection bid.

4/4/2019 Setback for Macron as court vetoes key plank of anti-protest law
FILE PHOTO - French President Emmanuel Macron attends a joint statement with Irish Prime Minister (Taoiseach)
Leo Varadkar at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, April 2, 2019. REUTERS/Philippe Wojazer
    PARIS (Reuters) – French President Emmanuel Macron’s crackdown on anti-government protests with tougher police tactics hit a fresh snag on Thursday as France’s Constitutional Court canned one of the central elements of the new rules.
    The measures, ushered in to respond to “yellow vest” demonstrations that have descended off and on into violent riots over the past four months, had already caused unease even within Macron’s party and were decried as heavy-handed by opponents.
    They include giving police the power to search demonstrators and ban them from covering their faces, two of the more controversial parts of the legislation which have now been approved by the Constitutional Court.
    But the court struck down another article, which would have given police the right to ban anyone pre-emptively identified as a troublemaker from demonstrating.
    The court said in a statement that the measure had been drafted too loosely, and did not specify that a person would have had to have been especially violent or destructive in a previous protest to be deemed a threat to public order.
    Macron himself had joined opposition politicians in asking the court to examine the legislation, in an attempt to placate the left-leaning wing of his parliamentary majority – and highlighting the sensitivity of the new bill and unease in his party ranks over a lurch to the right on issues like security.
    The rules were passed by France’s senate and the lower house of parliament, where Macron’s party has a comfortable majority, but an unprecedented number of his lawmakers abstained.
    One MP, Matthieu Orphelin, left the ruling party as a result.    He welcomed the court’s decision on Thursday, saying that it showed “that our doubts were justified.”
    France’s human rights watchdog had also warned in March of a steady erosion of civil liberties, reflected in the police tactics used during the “yellow vest” protests, which erupted last November as a backlash over the high cost of living.
    Thousands of protesters have since been arrested and many wounded, drawing scrutiny over the use of crowd control weapons like dispersal “sting-ball” grenades.
    Yet the government has also felt the heat for failing to prevent rioting on Paris’ Champs Elysee in mid-March, when stores were ransacked and restaurants were damaged.
    One police union said on Thursday it regretted the Constitutional Court’s decision, adding it would hamper the work of security forces.
    Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said he would examine whether and how to follow up on the scrapped measure, but welcomed the court’s green light for the rest of the new rules.
    Macron’s approval ratings fell by three percentage points to 28 percent at the start of April, an Elabe poll for Les Echos and Radio Classique found on Thursday.
    That followed three back-to-back months where his popularity gradually recovered from record lows.
(Reporting by Elizabeth Pineau, Writing by Sarah White, Editing by William Maclean)

4/4/2019 Trump laments military spending by U.S., China and Russia, floats deal idea
FILE PHOTO - U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a meeting of the White House Opportunity and Revitalization
Council in the Cabinet room at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 4, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
    WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President Donald Trump on Thursday lamented the amount of money that the United States, China and Russia spend on weapons production, including nuclear weapons, and suggested that such money could be better spent elsewhere.
    Trump, during a meeting with Chinese vice premier Liu He in the Oval Office, floated the idea of following up on a potential trade deal with China with a second phase deal that addressed the issue of military spending and arms production.
    “As you know China is spending a lot of money on military, so are we, so is Russia and those three countries I think can come together and stop the spending and spend on things that maybe are more productive toward long-term peace,” Trump said.
    “It think it’s much better if we all got together and we didn’t make these weapons,” he said.
    Asked by the president to weigh in on the suggestion, the vice premier said he thought it would be a good idea.
(Reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Phil Berlowitz and Grant McCool)
.
4/5/2019 Oil down $0.36 to $62.10, DOW up 167 to 26,385.

4/5/2019 Israeli spacecraft enters lunar orbit ahead of moon landing
    YEHUD, Israel – The first privately funded spacecraft to journey to the moon passed its most crucial test yet Thursday when it dropped into lunar orbit one week ahead of landing.    After traveling more than 3.4 million miles around the Earth and drawing ever closer to the moon, the spacecraft finally swung into the moon’s orbit – keeping it on track for touchdown April 11.    The lander, dubbed “Beresheet,” Hebrew for “Genesis,” or “In the Beginning,” is among the smallest spacecraft in history to have entered the moon’s orbit.

4/5/2019 House votes to end support for Yemen war, rebuffing Trump
    WASHINGTON – The House on Thursday voted to end American involvement in the Yemen war, rebuffing the Trump administration’s support for the military campaign led by Saudi Arabia as Congress for the first time invoked the War Powers Resolution to try to stop a foreign conflict.    The measure now heads to President Donald Trump, who is expected to veto it, with the White House citing “serious constitutional concerns.”    House approval came on a 247-175 vote.    The Senate vote was 54-46 on March 13.

4/5/2019 Greek minister urges migrants to leave border, return to camps
Migrants and refugees stand next to a camp in the town of Diavata in northern Greece, April 4, 2019.REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis
    ATHENS/DIAVATA, Greece (Reuters) – Greece on Friday urged hundreds of migrants and refugees who have gathered in a field close to the country’s northern border to return to their housing settlements, otherwise they could face sanctions.
    Small groups of people including children arrived at a field next to the migrant camp of Diavata near the border with North Macedonia on Thursday.
    By Friday morning there were more than 100 tents pitched in the field, prompted by reports on social media of plans for an organized movement to cross Greece’s northwest land border with Albania in early April.
    In Athens, a group of about 50 migrants squatted on the tracks of the capital’s main railway station shouting “Germany!” and “Open the borders.”    Several more were at the station under heavy police presence.
    Services from the station were suspended.
    “We want to go to Thessaloniki and then to the borders,” said Amin Omar, a 27-year-old Iraqi Kurd sitting on the tracks.    “We don’t know if they are open.”
    Greek Migration Minister Dimitris Vitsas appealed to the migrants at the border to return to the accommodation centers.
    “It’s a lie that the borders will open,” he told Greek state television ERT.    “In international treaties, there are obligations but there are also sanctions.”
    Police parked buses across a road in the area to block an access route.
    Tens of thousands of refugees and migrants, mainly from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, are stuck in Greece from when Balkan countries shut their borders in 2016.    That route was the main passage way to northern Europe.
    Vitsas said he hoped those in the field would leave by night.
(Reporting by Angeliki Koutantou and Lefteris Papadimas in ATHENS and Alexandros Avramidis in DIAVATA)
[DOESN’T THE ABOVE PICTURE REMIND YOU OF THE ZOMBIE MOVIES AS THIS EUROPEAN UNION COUNTRY DEFENDS ITS BORDERS JUST LIKE POLAND DID BY BUILDING A WALL TO STOP IT.].

4/5/2019 France hosts wary G7 in shadow of Trump snub, Brexit and yellow vests by Richard Lough and John Irish
A man looks at the slogan which reads "Revolution - The people are rising up" written
on a wall in Dinard, France, April 5, 2019. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe
    DINARD, France (Reuters) – France offered a wary welcome to foreign ministers from the Group of Seven on Friday for a meeting overshadowed by a snub from Donald Trump’s U.S. administration, a meltdown in Britain over Brexit and months of anti-government protests at home.
    Protesters spray-painted slogans attacking President Emmanuel Macron in the sleepy coastal resort of Dinard where the ministers were due to gather to set the agenda for their leaders at the annual big power summit in August.
    Workers at dawn scrubbed furiously at walls daubed with “Thieving banks,” “Revolution” and “No to the G7,” slogans which mirrored the anger vented across France in more than five months of anti-government “yellow vest” protests.
    French diplomats say they have scaled back their ambitions for their presidency of the club of big rich countries, after Trump backed out of a joint communique at last year’s summit in Canada and criticized Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
    U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will not attend and is sending a deputy.    One seasoned diplomat in Paris said Pompeo had sent a message that he had “better things to do.”
    Still, the agenda includes important issues from cyber security and foreign interference in democracies, to countering trafficking in the Sahel and inequality.
    British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said he would call on his European counterparts to support his government’s request for a further delay to Britain’s exit from the EU, scheduled to take place in a week unless EU countries agree an extension.
    Prime Minister Theresa May has been unable to pass her withdrawal agreement in parliament.    Hunt said the G7 was proof Britain was not pulling back from a leading international role.
    “The UK’s involvement in the G7 is vital for our collective security and prosperity as we seek to protect the rules-based international system,” he said.    “Be in no doubt that once Brexit has happened, the UK will remain a global power.”
    Along with the United States, France and Britain, the group includes Japan, Germany, Italy, Canada and the European Union.    The ministerial meeting is meant to ensure that when the leaders convene in Biarritz in August, they are largely in agreement.
    But tensions between the United States and its European allies, particularly over trade, climate change and the nuclear deal with Iran, have meant that where they were once largely in accord, they now seek the lowest common denominator.
(Reporting by Richard Lough and John Irish in Dinard, additional reporting by William James in London; Editing by Peter Graff)

4/5/2019 Britain’s May asks EU for Brexit extension to June 30; EU could offer a year by Alistair Smout and Gabriela Baczynska
A combination photo shows a copy of a letter from Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May, to European Council President,
Donald Tusk, regarding Brexit in London, Britain April 5, 2019. Downing Street/Handout via REUTERS
    LONDON/BRUSSELS (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Theresa May wrote to European Council President Donald Tusk on Friday asking for a delay of Brexit until up to June 30, but said she aims to get Britain out of the EU earlier to avoid it participating in European elections.
    An EU official signaled that Donald Tusk, the chairman of EU leaders, could be willing to offer even longer: up to a year for Britain’s feuding politicians to agree and ratify a plan.
    France, however, indicated it was not yet ready to accept an extension unless the British presented a clear plan which would justify such a delay.
    “We’re not there today,” a source close to French President Emmanuel Macron told Reuters.
    Britain is now due to leave the EU in a week, but May has been forced to seek more time after Britain’s parliament failed to approve a withdrawal agreement.
    Her Conservative Party is deeply divided, as is the main opposition Labour Party, leading to an extraordinary series of inconclusive votes in parliament that have stretched Britain’s centuries-old unwritten constitution to its limits.
    Scenarios that run the gamut from abandoning the EU abruptly with no exit deal to cancelling Brexit altogether have all gone down to defeat.
    Obscure parliamentary procedures have been resurrected from the rulebooks providing daily drama from the House of Commons, but the future of Britain’s biggest change in generations has become no clearer.
    After finally recognizing that her minority Conservative government could not push through a Brexit deal on its own, May started talks this week with Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn in the hope of coming up with a cross-party solution.
    But that means accepting the need for more time, including the prospect that Britain might have to hold European Parliament elections on May 23, which May has long said she hoped to avoid at all cost.
    “The United Kingdom proposes that this period should end on 30 June 2019,” May said in the letter.
    “The government will want to agree a timetable for ratification that allows the United Kingdom to withdraw from the European Union before 23 May 2019 and therefore cancel the European Parliament elections, but will continue to make responsible preparations to hold the elections should this not prove possible.”
    Tusk, who convenes a summit of EU leaders next week, is likely to offer Britain a flexible extension of up to a year, with the possibility of leaving sooner, a senior EU official said.
    “The only reasonable way out would be a long but flexible extension.    I would call it a ‘flextension’,” the official said.
    As in May’s proposal, the extension could be terminated early if Britain ratifies the withdrawal agreement.
    “It seems to be a good scenario for both sides, as it gives the UK all the necessary flexibility, while avoiding the need to meet every few weeks to further discuss Brexit extensions,” the official said.
PREMATURE?
    Any extension must be agreed by all 27 of the other EU countries.    France in particular has signaled that it would not automatically give Britain whatever May sought.
    “If we are not able to understand the reason why the UK is asking for an extension, we cannot give a positive answer,” Finance Minister Bruno Le Maire told reporters in Bucharest.
    The French diplomatic source called the extension idea premature and “clumsy.”
    However, other European politicians have signaled they would be happy to give Britain time to rethink.
    Armin Laschet, the premier of Germany’s biggest regional state, North Rhine-Westphalia, tweeted: “If Britain asks for an extension to avoid a chaotic exit from the EU with incalculable risks for hundreds of thousands of jobs, we should agree.”
    He added: “The longer the better.    That means the Brits take part in the European elections too.”
BRITISH PARTIES DIVIDED
    May offered to quit last week to get her deal passed but it was defeated for a third time last Friday, the day Britain was originally due to leave the EU.    The EU had given her an extension until April 12 and said it could be extended to May 22, but only if parliament agreed the withdrawal deal.
    Her latest gamble on talks with the Labour Party has infuriated the pro-Brexit wing of her Conservatives and divided her cabinet.
    Labour too is divided.    It is officially committed to leaving the EU but with closer ties than May has sought, including a customs union, which May has so far ruled out.
    Many Labour members and lawmakers also want to put any agreement to a second public vote – potentially opening a path for Brexit to be rejected altogether.    Party leader Corbyn has been difficult to pin down on whether this would still be necessary if May agrees to a customs union.
    Corbyn’s deputy Tom Watson, who supports a second referendum, said it would be difficult for Labour to back any agreement without it.
    “We’re genuinely going in with an open mind, but if it comes out of that process without the idea of a confirmatory ballot, I think we would have a bit of difficulty with our parliamentary party,” Watson told BBC radio.
(This version was refiled to remove extraneous word in paragraph four)
(Reporting By Jan Strupczewski, Gabriela Baczynska, Francesco Guarascio, Alistair Smout and Michael Holden, Writing by Peter Graff, Editing by Angus MacSwan)

4/5/2019 WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange may face arrest after years of fleeing by OAN Newsroom
    People have continued to gather outside London’s Ecuadorian Embassy, where Julian Assange was originally granted asylum seven-years ago.    However, what was once a safe haven has turned into a place of protest now that the Australian computer programmer has kicked up trouble with Ecuador.
    According to high-level sources, Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno ordered the expulsion of Assange Tuesday as well as an arrest warrant in the case of his resistance.    The threats drifted in the wake of an INA paper leak, which links Moreno to money laundering and offshore accounts.    The timing of the scandal leads many to believe Assange is a ploy to distract the public from Moreno’s new reputation.
    “We know and it is public knowledge that president Moreno has lost control, all he does is attack and denigrate,” stated Ecuadorian Congressman Ronny Aleaga.
FILE – In this Friday May 19, 2017 file photo, WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange gestures as he speaks on the balcony of the Ecuadorian
embassy, in London. A senior Ecuadorian official said no decision has been made to expel Julian Assange from the country’s London embassy
despite tweets from Wikileaks that sources had told it he could be kicked out within “hours to days.” A small group of
protesters and supporters gathered Thursday April 4, 2019 outside the embassy in London where Assange has resided for 12 years. (AP Photo/Matt Dunham, File)
    In the months leading up to the legal action, Assange was ordered to follow a “protocol” which forbid him from expressing his opinions, seeing visitors and accessing the internet.    Assange argued the strict rules were designed to coerce him out of asylum.
    “It’s not that he can’t speak his mind, it’s not that he can’t express himself freely, but he cannot lie, or worse, hack private accounts or private phones,” stated President Moreno.    “He cannot intervene in the politics of other countries, or worse, those of friendly countries.”
    Ecuador reportedly secured one billion dollars in loans as part of an agreement with the U.S. to resolve matters with the hacker.    If extradited to the U.S., Assange could face charges relating to his website’s publication of classified documents regarding the war in Afghanistan.

4/5/2019 U.N. torture expert urges Ecuador not to expel Assange from embassy
FILE PHOTO: A truck carrying a poster relating to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is driven away from the Ecuadorian embassy,
where Julian Assange is staying, in London, Britain April 5, 2019. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls
    GENEVA (Reuters) – The United Nations torture investigator called on Ecuador on Friday not to expel Wikileaks founder Julian Assange from its London embassy, voicing concern that he could be extradited to the United States and possibly face mistreatment.
    A British friend said Assange was “prepared” for expulsion from the building he has lived in for nearly seven years, after Ecuador’s President Lenin Moreno said he had “repeatedly violated” the terms of his asylum.
    Moreno told radio stations on Tuesday that Assange did not have the right to “hack private accounts or phones” and could not intervene in the politics of other countries, especially those with friendly relations with Ecuador.
.     Moreno made the comments after private photographs of him and his family were circulated on social media.    Although Moreno stopped short of explicitly blaming Assange for the leak, the government said it believed the photos were shared by WikiLeaks.
    Nils Melzer, U.N. special rapporteur on torture, voiced concern that Assange’s health was in “serious decline” and that, if he were expelled, he was likely to be arrested by British authorities and extradited to the United States.
    “Such a response could expose him to a real risk of serious violations of his human rights, including his freedom of expression, his right to a fair trial and the prohibition of cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment,” he said.
    “I therefore urge the Government of Ecuador to abstain from …ceasing or suspending his political asylum until such time as the full protection of his human rights can be guaranteed.”
    Vaughan Smith, who hosted Assange at his country mansion for a year during his failed legal battle against extradition, said after visiting the Australian inside the embassy that the situation was “very tense.”
    “Julian doesn’t know for sure but he’s pretty convinced that at any moment he could be thrown out and he’s prepared for it,” Smith told reporters.
INVESTIGATIONS
    Assange took refuge in Ecuador’s London embassy in 2012 to avoid being extradited to Sweden, where authorities wanted to question him as part of a sexual assault investigation.
    That investigation was later dropped, but Assange fears he could be extradited to face charges in the United States, where federal prosecutors are investigating WikiLeaks.
    In a separate statement also issued in Geneva on Friday, the U.N. special rapporteur on the right to privacy, Joe Cannataci, said that he planned to meet Assange on April 25 “after receiving assurances from the Government of Ecuador that it will facilitate his visit to the country’s embassy in London.”
    Cannataci said the meeting would help determine “if there exists a prima facie case of violation of privacy that warrants further investigation.”
    He was requesting further information from the Ecuadorean government on a complaint lodged by Moreno that his privacy had been violated by publication of illegally obtained personal data.
(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; additional reporting by Helena Williams in London; Editing by Andrew Heavens and John Stonestreet)
[Assange may have to go to Russia with Snowden to be safe until Trump can get an investigation going to find out where the corruption was that started all of this and resolve it and give them freedom from the "DEEPSTATE".].

4/5/2019 Grassley: Democrats are using IRS for political purposes, ‘Nixonian’ tactics by OAN Newsroom
    Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley is blasting House Democrats for trying to use the IRS for political purposes.
    During a lengthy speech on Thursday, Grassley said Democrats “dislike President Trump with a passion,” and they want his tax returns to “destroy him.”    He called their plan “Nixonian” at its core in reference to former President Richard Nixon misusing the agency.
    Grassley went on to say Democrats have not offered any evidence, which would suggest the IRS hasn’t done its job auditing the president’s tax returns.
    The Democrat-led House Ways and Means Committee formally requested six-years worth of the president’s filings on Wednesday.
Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) chairs the Senate Judiciary Committee. (Andrew Harnik/AP/Photo)
    Meanwhile, House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy is accusing Democrats of “weaponizing” the IRS by seeking President Trump’s tax returns.    During his weekly briefing Thursday, he questioned what lawmakers across the aisle think they can uncover that the Mueller team did not.    McCarthy criticized Democrats for launching a politically-motivated attack against the president.
    House Democrats are asking the IRS to comply with their request for the president’s financial documents by April 10, 2019.    President Trump has said he’s unable to comply, because he remains under audit.

4/5/2019 U.S.-China closer to trade agreement by OAN Newsroom
    Chinese leader Xi Jinping is calling for an early conclusion in trade negotiations with the U.S. Chinese officials met with President Trump at the White House Thursday to relay a message from President Xi.    The Chinese president’s statement claimed Xi hopes to come to an agreement as soon as possible, and for the two countries to build a foundation of mutual respect.
    The two countries are engaged in a trade battle after President Trump announced the U.S. would add 25-percent tariffs on Chinese imports in order to fix the U.S.-Chinese trade deficit.    The U.S. and China agreed on a 90-day truce, which was extended as the trade talks progressed.
    During the meeting, President Trump was seemingly optimistic about getting closer to a deal.
    “We are rounding the turn and we’ll see what happens,” stated the president.    “We have a ways to go, but not very far — we’ve made a lot of progress.”
    Chinese officials praised the president for his direct involvement with the trade talks, echoing the president’s optimism for the rapid progress.
    “We helped make great progress,” said China’s Vice Premier Liu He.    “I do think that, because we got direct guidance by two great presidents — President Xi and President Trump.”
    The president said a trade agreement should be made within four-weeks, and he intends to meet with China after a deal is made.
A delivery worker pushes a cart loaded with goods past by a booth bearing a percent sign at the capital city’s popular shopping mall in
Beijing, Thursday, April 4, 2019. The U.S. and China opened a ninth round of talks on Wednesday, aiming to further narrow differences
in an ongoing trade war that has deepened uncertainty for businesses and investors and cast a pall over the outlook for the global economy. (AP Photo/Andy Wong)

4/5/2019 Report: Younger Americans more open to socialism because they did not face USSR by OAN Newsroom
    Younger generations are more likely to be open to socialism, because they did not grow up under the threat of the Soviet Union.    That’s according to Washington Post data analyst David Byler on Thursday.
    Byler said younger voters today are more likely to associate socialism with Sweden than with the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR).    His statement is backed up by a recent Gallup Poll, which found 51-percent of people between the ages of 18 and 29 have a positive view about socialism.
A supporter wears a t-shirt promoting Democratic Socialism during a gathering of the Southern Maine
Democratic Socialists of America at City Hall in Portland, Maine. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
    Republicans plan to run against the socialist agenda in 2020 despite this, because the ideology is not popular with the rest of America.
    “And socialist goes badly…that label just doesn’t work well for the broader swath of Americans,” Byler stated.    “I think that the socialist label, is something that Republicans are going to use to their advantage, because it is not a popular label.”
    President Trump has made running against socialism a fundamental part of his reelection campaign.

4/5/2019 Researchers urge the UN to declare a public health crisis in Venezuela by OAN Newsroom
    The Senate Foreign Relations Committee proposed a bill to provide millions of dollars in aid to Venezuela.    The bipartisan group proposed the ‘VERDAD Act’ Wednesday, which would provide $200 million in aid to Venezuela and $200 million to countries accepting Venezuelan refugees.    The bill will also support opposition leader Juan Guaido by removing sanctions from officials who recognize his legitimacy.
    As millions of Venezuelans struggle to find food and proper medical services, human rights activists and researchers are imploring the UN to lead a full-scale emergency response within the country.
        A report published Thursday by Human Rights Watch and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health said Venezuela’s government has proven it is unable to handle the ongoing public health crisis within its borders.
    Researchers specifically asked UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to issue a “complex humanitarian crisis” in the country in order to officially allow UN organizations to try and increase their aid response in the South American nation.
    “If the Secretary General declares that Venezuela is a complex humanitarian emergency, the rest of the organizations that are part of the humanitarian aid must then initiate priority work to attend to this humanitarian aid.    It will then depend on diplomacy and the pressure exercised at a universal level on the dictatorial regime of (Nicolas) Maduro, that this is the proposal of aid, that the offer of the United Nations will finally reach the most in need in Venezuela.” — José Miguel Vivanco, executive director of Human Rights Watch – Americas division.
A Venezuelan migrant, cradling a baby, walks along an avenue where she asks drivers for their spare change,
in Bogota, Colombia, Thursday, April 4, 2019. According to U.N. children’s agency UNICEF, as a result of the Venezuela
migrant crisis, 1.1 million children will need help across Latin America and the Caribbean in 2019. (AP Photo/Fernando Vergara)
    Maduro’s regime has attempted to suppress the publication of health and nutritional statistics for Venezuela. Nonetheless, statistics from the Venezuelan Health Ministry in 2016 show maternal mortality rose 65-percent from 2015 and infant mortality rose 30-percent at the same time.    This comes as hospitals in the country severely lack the materials necessary to treat curable diseases.
    “We have seen extremely tragic cases.    Patients with malign cancers and metastasis, HIV and advanced tuberculosis, who did not receive the treatment they should in Venezuela.” — Kathleen Page, Associate Professor of Medicine at the Johns Hopkins University.
    The World Health Organization has reported diseases which were once thought to be almost completely eradicated from the country, such as measles and diphtheria, are now being contracted by thousands of people annually.
    Furthermore, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization published a report which found that between 2015 and 2017 approximately 3.7 million Venezuelans were undernourished.    This represents 12-percent of the population, which is a massive increase from the 2005 to 2013 statistics.
    While international aid increased in Venezuela in 2018, the report claimed the Venezuelan government has significantly impeded the ability of humanitarian organizations to provide adequate care for the Venezuelan people.    Until Maduro’s regime accepts international support, food and health care shortages will likely continue to plague Venezuela.

4/5/2019 FBI Director Wray: Violent extremism, white supremacy pervasive threat to national security by OAN Newsroom
    According to FBI Director Christopher Wray, hate crimes and extremist groups are posing a security threat to the U.S.
    During an FBI budget request hearing in Congress Thursday, Wray warned of the rising threat of “violent extremism” and so-called “white supremacy.”    He said the FBI’s anti-terror task force has to deal with the increased number of hate groups across the U.S.
    His statement comes after Democrats called hearings on — what they call — “white nationalism,” which are slated for next week.
FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies before a House Appropriations subcommittee hearing on the
bureau’s budget, Thursday, April 4, 2019, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
    Wray suggested the FBI needs additional funding to counter those mounting security challenges.
    “It’s not clear whether the increase is due to the number agencies that are now reporting who weren’t before,” he stated.    “The FBI is doing a lot to raise awareness in the community, so there will be more reporting…I think it’s a good thing that there is more reporting, but we are concerned…we have brought a number of hate crimes cases recently.”
    Wray has requested a $65 million increase in the FBI’s salary and expenses request for fiscal year 2020.    Some congressmen claim this may be not enough to cover the bureau’s rising operational costs.

4/6/2019 Oil up $0.98 to $63.08, DOW up 40 to 26,425.

4/6/2019 U.S. ratchets up pressure on Venezuela, Cuban backers by Collin Eaton
FILE PHOTO: U.S. Vice President Mike Pence speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC)
annual meeting at National Harbor near Washington, U.S., March 1, 2019. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas
    HOUSTON (Reuters) – U.S. Vice President Mike Pence on Friday stepped up efforts to force Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro from office by imposing new sanctions on its oil shipments, and promising “stronger action” against Cuba for helping to keep the regime afloat.
    Greater efforts to prevent oil revenues from reaching Maduro, including sanctions on Venezuela’s finance and oil sectors, were coming, Pence said in Houston before a hand-picked audience of 300 people, many from the local Venezuelan community who support Maduro’s ouster.
    “The United States will continue to exert all diplomatic and economic pressure to bring about a peaceful transition to democracy” in Venezuela, Pence said at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy, calling oil shipments “the lifeblood of that corrupt regime.”
    The United States and leaders of most nations in the Western Hemisphere consider Maduro’s 2018 reelection illegitimate and have recognized opposition leader Juan Guaido as the company’s interim president.    Maduro dismisses Guaido as a U.S. puppet.
    After Pence’s speech, the U.S. Treasury announced sanctions on 34 vessels owned or operated by Venezuelan state-run oil company PDVSA that carry oil to customers outside the region.    It also sanctioned two shipping operators and a vessel that delivered oil to Cuba in February and March.
    Pence bashed the island nation’s leaders as the “real imperialists” in the Western Hemisphere, adding: “The time has come to liberate Venezuela from Cuba.”
    An estimated 50,000 Venezuelans, the second-largest expatriate community outside of south Florida, live in Houston.    Many of them support U.S. efforts to rid Venezuela of Maduro, having fled the socialist politics of former leader Hugo Chavez for a home in Houston’s energy industry.
    However, some Venezuelan expatriates in Houston believe tougher actions than Pence’s proposals on Friday were needed to replace the government.
    “It’s going to take more than economic sanctions,” said Andres Carvallo, a former Venezuelan lawyer and journalist who attended the speech.    In addition to sanctions, the United States should organize a military coalition of countries to remove the current government, he said.
    Francisco Monaldi, a Venezuelan native and Latin American energy expert at Rice, said many expatriates had hoped that Pence would deliver a plan to get the Venezuelan military to stop supporting Maduro.
    “It doesn’t seem the military is willing to remove support from Maduro,” which has proven more difficult than opposition leaders had expected.
    “We want to see more than barking. We want to see action,” said Miguel Eljuri, a Venezuelan living in Houston who also once worked for PDVSA.
    Maria Gonzalez, an economist who listened to the speech, welcomed tougher action, adding her mother in Venezuela lacks water, power and basic supplies.    As for the Trump administration’s reversal of the U.S. opening to Cuba, she said: “they do not deserve our help.” (Reporting by Collin Eaton in Houston; editing by Gary McWilliams and Marguerita Choy)

4/6/2019 Pres. Trump met with support during visit to border town Calexico, Calif. by OAN Newsroom
    President Trump is met with support during his visit to the California border town of Calexico.    The president toured a 2.25-mile stretch of newly constructed border fencing on Friday, which features 30-feet high steel slats.
President Donald Trump visits a new section of the border wall with Mexico in Calexico, Calif., Friday April 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
    After listening to concerns from border agents about the strain illegal immigration places on the nation’s resources, President Trump declared that the country is full.    His visit comes just one week after he threatened to close down the border.
    He has since pulled back on the statement, but many residents in Calexico, which relies on cross-border traffic, are worried about the president’s next steps.    However, others are supportive of his hardline approach.
    This comes after the president pulled the nomination of Ron Vitiello to lead ICE.    He said Vitiello is a good man, but that the administration needs to go in a tougher direction at the border.
Calexico, Calif., now has a wall to control what can come in from Mexacali, Mexico
[AT LEAST HE GOES TO LOOK AT THE NEW WALL RECENTLY BUILT THERE TO STOP ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS, DRUGS, HUMAN TRAFFICKING, AND MS-13 GANGS FROM COMING INTO THE U.S.    THE DEMOCRATS ARE BLIND TO THIS SINCE THEY GO HOME TO THEIR WALLED HOMES TO IGNORE IT AND FILE LAWSUITS TO KEEP HIM FROM BUILDING MORE.]

4/6/2019 Pres. Trump to deliver remarks at Republican Jewish coalition in Vegas by OAN Newsroom
    President Trump prepares to take the stage at the Republican Jewish Coalition conference in Las Vegas.
    The president will arrive at the Venetian Resort Saturday to hold a roundtable with supporters.    Following this meeting, he will deliver remarks on the conference’s main stage.
President Donald Trump disembarks from Air Force One after arriving at McCarran International Airport,
Friday, April 5, 2019, in Las Vegas. Trump is scheduled to speak at the Republican Jewish Coalition
National Leadership Meeting in Las Vegas Saturday. (AP Photo/John Locher)
    The RJC national chairman said, President Trump has proven himself to be a great friend of the Jewish community, by using his time in office to strengthen ties with Israel.
    This comes just weeks after several Democrat presidential candidates broke with tradition to skip AIPAC.
    “The Democrats have very much proven to be anti-Israel, said There’s no question about that.    And it’s a disgrace.    I mean, I don’t know what’s happened to them.    But they are totally anti-Israel.    Frankly, I think they’re anti-Jewish.”
[I think Donald Trump knows that God is blessing him and helping him because his making all known of God and Jerusalem and the Jewish people in Israel to the world.].

4/6/2019 House sues members of Trump admin. over emergency declaration by OAN Newsroom
    The Democrat-led House representatives files a lawsuit against members of President Trump’s administration over his national emergency declaration.
    The lawsuit claims the president’s act violates the constitution’s appropriations clause, by taking money from funds reserved for other purposes.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., insists that Attorney General William Barr send to Congress the
full report by special counsel Robert Mueller on the Russia probe with all its underlying evidence, during a news conference
on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, April 4, 2019. She also defended the move by House Ways and Means Committee Chairman
Richard Neal, D-Mass., to demand President Donald Trump’s tax returns for six years. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
    Reports said the lawsuit includes top secretaries and their departments, but does not name President Trump.
    The national emergency was declared after Democrats denied the president’s request for border wall funding, causing the recent government shutdown.
    Congress later passed legislation to block the act, prompting President Trump to issue his first veto.

4/6/2019 U.S. intelligence warns of potential Chinese infiltration at universities by OAN Newsroom
    The U.S. intelligence community is placing increased political pressure on American universities with Chinese-government funded partnerships.
    On Wednesday, MIT pulled out of collaborations with Chinese technology companies Huawei and ZTE, and Indiana university permanently shut down their university’s Confucius Institute.
    FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies before the Senate Intelligence Committee, arguing that China is being ‘creative’ in finding new ways to spy and gather information about the US.
    More than 100 U.S. educational facilities have Confucius Institute, which are Chinese government-sponsored language and culture schools that aim to promote the spread of Chinese teaching internationally.
    But last year alone, at least 10 universities pulled out of their agreements with the Confucius Institute over concerns the programs could be used by the communist party of China to spy on the United States.
    Earlier this year, the Senate released a report on China’s impact on U.S. educational institutions.    It warned universities of the potential for Chinese infiltration to influence American’s opinions on china’s economic growth and international security threat.
    Since the start of 2019, three universities have already closed their Confucius Institute, and several more have pushed for their campuses to consider pulling out of their partnerships with the institutions moving forward.
[The Obama administration sold land to and let the Chinese government infiltrate with their concepts and it is now being reversed by the Trump administration.].

4/6/2019 Top 2020 Dems talk reparations at nat’l action network conference by OAN Newsroom
    Democrat 2020 candidates tout their progressive platforms during the National Action Network conference in New York.
    Day three of the event kicked off Friday, and included top Democrats including Kirsten Gillibrand, Cory Booker, and Bernie Sanders.
U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, a candidate for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination,
addresses labor leaders at the California Labor Federal and State Building and Construction Trades Council Legislative
Conference Dinner, Monday, April 1, 2019, in Sacramento, Calif. (AP Photo/Rich Pedroncelli)
    Many spoke out on their support for a bill sponsored by Texas Rep. Sheila Jackson, which would form a commission to look into whether black Americans could receive reparations for slavery.
    “I firmly support Congresswoman Jackson Lee’s bill to create a commission to study reparations," said Gillibrand.    “As president, I would advocate to Congress to pass that bill and I would sign that commission into law.”
    This as 2020 candidates like Kamala Harris continue to push further Left, in an apparent effort to win votes from progressive members of the party.
[Why did the Democrat party wait until now, which is they have nothing else to run on.    Reparations for slavery is the idea that some form of compensatory payment needs to be made to the descendants of Africans who had been enslaved as part of the Atlantic slave trade.    The most notable demands for reparations have been made in the United Kingdom and in the United States.    Caribbean and African states from which slaves were taken have also made reparation demands.    These reparations are speculative; that is, they have never been paid.    They can be contrasted with compensated emancipation, the money paid by governments to slave owners when slavery was abolished, as compensation for the loss of the property.    Prior to the Durban Review Conference, President of Senegal Abdoulaye Wade stated that the idea of reparations was "insulting" because it insinuated that providing compensation for slavery would make it "cease to exist."    Social scientist Rhoda Howard-Hassmann argues that the logic behind the resolution drafted at the Durban Conference is based on modern laws governing crimes against humanity being applied retroactively to the slave trade, asserting that Western nations are not liable for reparations since the slave trade was not considered a war crime.    Since the Eastern northern states freed them, and the Eastern southern states bought the slaves then they should pay as well as the African nations whom allowed slaves to be sold to whomever.].

4/6/2019 Attorney for Pres. Trump: IRS cannot release president’s tax returns by OAN Newsroom
    A lawyer for President Trump has bad news for congressional Democrats crusading to release the president’s tax returns.
In this April 2, 2019, photo, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal, D-Mass., arrives for a
Democratic Caucus meeting at the Capitol in Washington. Neal, whose committee has jurisdiction over all tax issues,
has formally requested President Donald Trump’s tax returns from the Internal Revenue Service. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
    In a letter Friday, William Consovoy said the IRS is forbidden from divulging tax information without a “legitimate legislative purpose.”    He also maintained that doing so would set a “dangerous legal precedent.”
    This, after House Ways and Means chair Richard Neal petitioned the IRS for six years worth of the president’s tax returns.    Consovoy called the move a “transparent effort” to harass a sitting president, simply out of dislike for his politics.
[Mr. Neal soon realized that would allow Trump to have the IRS send all of Congress members their tax returns so he can have the DOJ scan them for criminal activity.    So I bet they backed off of that idea then.    The bottom line is the IRS cannot send Trump's tax return to the Democrats under the guise of political harassment agenda.]

4/6/2019 Ecuador denies it will imminently expel Assange from embassy
Supporters of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange hold placards as they stand
outside Ecuador's embassy in London, Britain April 6, 2019. REUTERS/Simon Dawson
    QUITO (Reuters) – Ecuador’s government said late on Friday that it rejected reports that it would imminently expel Wikileaks founder Julian Assange from its London embassy, where he has lived in asylum for nearly seven years.
    Assange was “prepared” for expulsion from the building, a British friend of his said on Tuesday, after Ecuador’s President Lenin Moreno said he had “repeatedly violated/i>” the terms of his asylum.hack private accounts or phones.”    WikiLeaks said Moreno’s remarks were in retribution for WikiLeaks having reported on corruption accusations against Moreno, who denies wrongdoing.
    In a statement, Ecuador’s foreign ministry denied it had reached an agreement with the British government to jail Assange if he left the embassy.
    Ecuador “categorically rejects the fake news that have circulated recently on social networks, many spread by an organization linked to Mr Julian Assange, about an imminent termination of the diplomatic asylum granted to him since 2012,” it said.
    The ministry said it reserved the right to terminate asylum when it considered it justified.
    “By releasing information that distorts the truth, (Assange) and his associates express once again their ingratitude and disrespect to Ecuador,” it said.
    Assange took refuge in the embassy in 2012 to avoid being extradited to Sweden, where authorities wanted to question him as part of a sexual assault investigation.
    That probe was later dropped, but Assange fears he could be extradited to face charges in the United States, where federal prosecutors are investigating WikiLeaks.
    Ecuador last year established new rules for Assange’s behavior while in the embassy, which required him to pay his medical bills and clean up after his pet cat.    He challenged the rules in local and international tribunals, arguing they violated his human rights.    Both courts ruled against him.
    Last month, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which is linked to the Organization of American States, rejected Assange’s request that Ecuador ease the conditions it has imposed on his residence in the London embassy.
    Assange says Ecuador is seeking to end his asylum and is putting pressure on him by isolating him from visitors and spying on him.    Ecuador has said its treatment of Assange was in line with international law, but that his situation “cannot be extended indefinitely.”
(Reporting by Alexandra Valencia; Writing by Angus Berwick; Editing by David Gregorio)

4/6/2019 Venezuelans march to demand power, water and end to Maduro by Vivian Sequera and Mariela Nava
Supporters of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who many nations have recognized as the country's rightful interim ruler,
take part in a rally against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government in Caracas, Venezuela, April 6, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins
    CARACAS/MARACAIBO, Venezuela (Reuters) – After weeks of power cuts and limited access to water, tens of thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets on Saturday to back opposition leader Juan Guaido and protest against President Nicolas Maduro, who they accuse of wrecking the economy.
    Venezuelans, already suffering from hyperinflation and widespread shortages of food and medicine, say the crisis in the chaotic country has worsened over the past month.    That is when crippling nationwide power outages began to leave vast swaths of territory in the dark for days at a time, cutting off water supplies and cell phone service.
    Guaido, head of the opposition-controlled National Assembly and recognized as Venezuela’s legitimate head of state by most Western nations, called for Saturday’s marches to mark the start of what he has billed as a new wave of “definitive” protests to oust Maduro.
    Guaido invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency in January, denouncing Maduro as a “usurper” after he began a second term following a 2018 national election widely considered fraudulent.
    Maduro, who retains the support of the military and allies including Russia and China, has derided Guaido as a U.S. puppet and said he will face justice.
    In Caracas, thousands of opposition supporters assembled at a main rally point in the eastern El Marques district.
    Protesters there said their homes had been without water for days and many had taken to drawing it from unsanitary pipes or streams running off the Avila mountain overlooking Caracas.
    “We have to get rid of this usurper, and we can’t think about anything else,” said Claudia Rueda, a 53-year-old homemaker at the Caracas protest.
    At one point, the crowd chanted, “The water has gone, power has gone, and now Maduro what’s missing is that you go too.”
    Two massive power outages since February have led Maduro’s government to cancel school classes and work and left many businesses shuttered.    The resumption of services has been uneven, with cities such as San Cristobal, Valencia and Maracay still reporting intermittent blackouts.
    “We haven’t just come to demand water and power.    We’ve come to demand freedom and democracy,” Guaido said at the Caracas rally, surrounded by a cheering crowd.    “We can’t let ourselves become used to this, we can’t put up with it, we aren’t going to let these crooks keep hold of our country.”
    While no immediate protest-related violence was reported in Caracas, witnesses reported clashes between protesters and police in the steamy oil hub of Maracaibo.
    Protesters in the city, in the western state of Zulia, told Reuters police had fired rubber bullet rounds and tear gas to disperse them.
    “I’m fed up.    They hurt me, and though I was frightened, what it makes me most is angry,” said Denis Fernandez, a 25-year-old who said he had been injured by a rubber bullet.
    Fernandez said his daughter had almost died from hepatitis a month ago, as hospitals had no supplies to treat her.
    When there is no electricity for air conditioning, he said he and his wife had taken to fanning their children at night to keep them cool.
    The National Assembly, on its Twitter account, said two of its lawmakers had been arrested by authorities at the Maracaibo protest and demanded their immediate release.    Venezuela’s Information Ministry did not respond to a request to comment.
    The ruling Socialist Party staged a rival march in Caracas on Saturday but turnout was sparse, with just a few hundred people clad in red shirts and red baseball caps banging drums and dancing salsa.
    Venezuela’s Constituent Assembly, an all-powerful legislature controlled by the Socialist Party, on Tuesday approved a measure allowing for the possible prosecution of Guaido by stripping him of his parliamentary immunity.
    The chief prosecutor’s office has opened an investigation of Guaido and his alleged links to “incidents of violence” in January, but it has not yet ordered his arrest or officially charged him with any crime.
    The U.S. government on Friday took another step in its efforts to force Maduro out, by imposing new sanctions on Venezuelan oil shipments, and promising “stronger action” against key ally Cuba for helping to keep his government afloat.
(Additional reporting by Mayela Armas and Shay Valderrama in Caracas, Anggy Polanco in San Cristobal, and Mircely Guanipa in Punto Fijo; Writing by Angus Berwick; Editing by Tom Brown)

4/6/2019 French ‘yellow vest’ protests largely peaceful as Macron wraps up debate by Dominique Vidalon and Simon Carraud
Protesters wearing yellow vests attend a demonstration during the Act XXI (the 21st consecutive national protest on Saturday)
of the "yellow vests" movement in front of the Moulin Rouge in Paris, France, April 6, 2019. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier
    PARIS (Reuters) – Thousands of demonstrators took to the streets of Paris and other French cities on Saturday for a 21st straight weekend of anti-government “yellow vest” protests, but turnout was sharply lower than last week and the marches were largely peaceful.
    The quieter nature of the demonstrations should be a relief to President Emmanuel Macron, who this week wrapped up two months of nationwide town hall meetings as part of his “grand debate” initiative.
    Prime Minister Edouard Philippe is due on Monday to outline the initial findings that emerged from hours of discussions with local mayors and officials, high-school students, workers, intellectuals as well as 1.9 million online contributions.
    Macron, who launched the debate in a bid to calm the protests and determine which policies people want the government to focus on, is due to announce proposals based on the results later this month.
    By early evening on Saturday, there were 43 arrests in Paris and also a few clashes with police in Rouen on the margins of otherwise peaceful demonstrations.
    Protesters carrying French flags and holding signs calling for referendums tabled by citizens also marched largely without violence in Bordeaux and Lille.
    The protests, named after the high-visibility safety jackets worn by demonstrators, began in November as an expression of public anger against fuel tax increases.
    The movement soon morphed into a broader backlash against Macron’s government, despite a swift reversal of the tax increases and other hurried measures worth more than 10 billion euros to boost purchasing power for less affluent voters.
    Turnout on Saturday was down sharply with 22,300 demonstrators nationwide, according to government estimates, compared with 33,700 a week earlier.
    In mid-November nearly 300,000 people had demonstrated across France.
    In Paris, two rallies had been authorized, including one from Place de la Republique in the east to La Defense business district in the west.    Turnout was 3,500 compared with 4,000 last week.
    As in recent weeks, authorities banned protests in potential trouble spots, including the French capital’s Champs Elysees, fearing a repetition of the vandalism seen three weeks earlier.
(Editing by Helen Popper and Alexandra Hudson)

4/6/2019 Clashes erupt as Greek police stop migrants from reaching border by Lefteris Papadimas
Migrant children hold flowers as they stand in front of riot police officers next to a camp in the
town of Diavata in northern Greece, April 6, 2019. REUTERS/Alexandros Avramidis
    DIAVATA, Greece (Reuters) – Greek police fired teargas on Saturday as angry migrants hoping to travel to northern Europe hurled stones and bottles after being barred from reaching a nearby border crossing, witnesses said.
    Spurred by a false rumor about border openings that spread on social media, hundreds of migrants and refugees arrived and pitched tents on Thursday in a field next to the Diavata migrant camp near Greece’s border with North Macedonia.
    There were dozens of tents in the field on Saturday and riot police formed a cordon to block an access route, parking 20 buses to stop the migrants from leaving the field.    Authorities also sent buses to take people back to housing settlements.
    At about midday, riot police fired teargas at dozens of people — some carrying children — who hurled stones and bottles as they tried to break through the police cordon and reach the main road leading to the border.
    “We don’t want to fight with the Greek police,” said 36-year old Yaser, a Syrian refugee, sitting on a blanket with his baby son in his arms.    “We want to go to Europe, we don’t want to stay in Greece,” he told Reuters through an interpreter.
    His 26-year old wife Fatemeh, who was carrying their six-month old baby, said the family was determined to stay at the makeshift camp.
    “We will stay here until the borders open, we don’t have any other choice,” she said, standing close to where the clashes took place.
‘FEEDING THEM LIES’
    The scuffles lasted for several hours and thick plumes of smoke rose over the fields as police fired flares to disperse the crowds and angry migrants started small fires.
    Most people refused to leave the site despite calls by ministers to return to accommodation centres and warnings that onward travel would be impossible.    A few were persuaded to board the buses and officials said they hoped everyone would leave voluntarily by Sunday.
    Migration Ministry coordinator for northern Greece Nikos Ragkos said two buses for migrants had already left Diavata.
    They had traveled to the area due to false reports of plans for an organized movement to cross Greece’s border with Albania in early April.    The rumors quickly went viral on social media.
    In neighboring Turkey, nearly 1,200 migrants heading toward the border with Greece following false rumors that Ankara had opened its frontier were detained on Friday, Turkish media said.
    Jana Frey, country director for the International Rescue Committee Greece, said the unrest highlighted “the amount of false information being presented to asylum seekers and refugees.”
    “IRC staff have received reports of refugees who are being lured to the border by smugglers, who are feeding them lies about the border to Europe opening up,” she said.
    Tens of thousands of refugees and migrants, mainly from Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan, are stuck in Greece from when Balkan countries shut their borders in 2016, closing the main passage towards northern Europe.
    In 2016, thousands of people had camped for months in another field in Idomeni, on the border with Macedonia.    Greek authorities eventually cleared that makeshift camp out.
(Additional reporting Alexandros Avramidis; Writing by Renee Maltezou; Editing by Helen Popper)

4/6/2019 France says G7 mostly agreed except on Iran, Israeli-Palestinian issue
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian attends a working session during the Foreign ministers
of G7 nations meeting in Dinard, France, April 6, 2019. REUTERS/Stephane Mahe/Pool
    DINARD, France (Reuters) – Foreign ministers of the Group of Seven nations broadly agreed on issues during a two-day meeting, but were unable to bridge differences on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and how to deal with Iran, France’s top diplomat said on Saturday.
    “Despite the crisp air of Dinard, we couldn’t overcome some of our differences,” Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said at the end of a two-day meeting in western France.    “I think the talks were constructive and pleasant both in tone and in the fundamentals.”
    Le Drian, whose country has been criticized for supporting Libyan eastern commander Khalifa Haftar, said rival factions in Libya needed to hold back and that Haftar should accept a U.N.-backed peace effort.
(Reporting by John Irish; editing by Richard Lough)

4/6/2019 Pres. Trump says he hasn’t read Mueller report despite the right to do so by OAN Newsroom
    President Trump said he has yet to review Robert Mueller’s report, although he has a right to do so.
.     In a tweet Saturday, he said the investigation didn’t find any collusion or obstruction, but Democrats are still not satisfied with the results and never will be.
In this March 24, 2019, photo, Special counsel Robert Mueller departs St. John’s Episcopal Church,
across from the White House in Washington. Democrats say they want “all of the underlying evidence”
in Mueller’s investigation. But what is all of that evidence? (AP Photo/Cliff Owen)
    His comment comes as House Democrats have repeatedly called on Attorney General William Barr to release a full report to the public.
    Last month Mueller finished his investigation into Russia’s alleged cooperation with the Trump campaign during the 2016 election.
    Two days later, Barr submitted his four page summary of the report to Congress, which said the probe found no collusion.
[I am sure that Trump will have his attorneys to read the redacted version of the report also so they can be prepared to defend him from the false accusations and made up threats from what the Democrats will try to assume from it.].

4/7/2019 New NAFTA deal ‘in trouble’, bruised by elections, tariff rows by Dave Graham and David Ljunggren
FILE PHOTO: Flags of the U.S., Canada and Mexico fly next to each other
in Detroit, Michigan, U.S. August 29, 2018. REUTERS/Rebecca Cook
    MEXICO CITY/OTTAWA (Reuters) – More than six months after the United States, Mexico and Canada agreed a new deal to govern more than $1 trillion in regional trade, the chances of the countries ratifying the pact this year are receding.
    The three countries struck the United States-Mexico-Canada agreement (USMCA) on Sept. 30, ending a year of difficult negotiations after U.S. President Donald Trump demanded the preceding trade pact be renegotiated or scrapped.
    But the deal has not ended trade tensions in North America.    If ratification is delayed much longer, it could become hostage to electoral politics.
    The United States has its next presidential contest in 2020, and Canada holds a federal election in October.
    The delay means businesses are still uncertain about the framework that will govern future investments in the region.
    “The USMCA is in trouble,” said Andres Rozental, a former Mexican deputy foreign minister for North America.
    Though he believed the deal would ultimately be approved, Rozental said opposition from U.S. Democrats and unions to labor provisions in the deal, as well as bickering over tariffs, made its passage in the next few months highly unlikely.
    Canada’s Parliament must also ratify the treaty and officials say the timetable is very tight.    Current legislators only have a few weeks work left before the start of the summer recess in June, and members of the new Parliament would have little chance to address ratification until 2020.
    Trump, a Republican, has shown frustration with the Democratic-led U.S. House of Representatives for failing to sign off on the USMCA.    He has threatened to pull out of the old pact, the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), if Congress does not hurry up.
    If Trump did dump NAFTA, the three nations would revert to trade rules in place before it came into effect in 1994.
TARIFFS
    Canada and Mexico are seeking exemption from U.S. tariffs on global metal imports imposed last year.
    The metals tariffs were not included in the USMCA and Mexico and Canada are impatient to resolve the issue.    Mexico has repeatedly threatened to target new U.S. products by the end of April in retribution if tariffs are imposed.
    Meanwhile, Trump on Thursday threatened to slap tariffs on Mexican auto exports unless Mexico does more to stop drug traffickers and illegal immigration.
    Mexico’s government is in the final stages of completing a new list of potential U.S. imports to be targeted, said Luz Maria de la Mora, a Mexican deputy economy minister.
    “There’s going to be a bit of everything,” she told Reuters, declining to give details of how the list – originally encompassing products such as bourbon, cheese, motor boats, pork legs, steel and apples – could be modified.
    De la Mora would not be drawn on whether Mexico could refuse to ratify USMCA if steel tariffs are not withdrawn, saying only: “All options are on the table.”
    In Ottawa, Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland said this week her government was “constantly” looking at its own retaliation list, noting that Trump’s tariffs left the country over C$16 billion worth of space to strike back.
    Freeland did not say when that list could change, and a government source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said it might not be necessary.    Still, Freeland said Canada was coordinating with Mexico about its options.
    Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who faces a tough re-election battle, on Thursday rejected accepting quotas on Canadian steel and aluminum in exchange for U.S. tariffs being dropped.
    Trudeau was criticized during the USMCA negotiations for giving ground to Trump on access to Canada’s dairy sector.
WORKERS
    U.S. Democrats have threatened to block the USMCA unless Mexico passes legislation to improve workers’ rights, a demand shared by the Canadian government.
    A bill already in Mexico’s Congress to strengthen trade unions should be approved this month, the government says.
    Trump blamed NAFTA for millions of job losses in the United States as companies moved south to employ cheaper Mexican labor.    Trump is running for re-election in 2020, and his ‘America First’ policy will likely feature prominently in the campaign.
    Forcing Mexico and Canada to rework NAFTA was one of Trump’s signature pledges during his shock win in 2016, and Democrats are pulling out the stops to avoid losing again.
    “The closer the election gets, the harder it will be for Democrats to grant Trump a victory” by ratifying the USMCA, said Sergio Alcocer, a former deputy Mexican foreign minister.
    Some Democrats are pushing to change the deal – an idea that both Canadian and Mexican officials resist.
    “People need to be very careful around opening up what could really be a Pandora’s box,” Freeland said on Thursday.
    Canadian officials say they fear that if one part of the treaty were reopened, it could spark clamor for other sections to be renegotiated as well.
(Reporting by Dave Graham in Mexico City and David Ljunggren in Ottawa; Additional reporting by Chris Prentice in Washington; Editing by Simon Webb and Sonya Hepinstall)

4/7/2019 Kirstjen Nielsen resigns as DHS Secretary by OAN Newsroom
    Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen announces her resignation from the administration, following a meeting with President Trump on Sunday.
    The President confirmed the news in a tweet later the same evening, and thanked her for her 16 months of service.
    Trump tweet: “Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen will be leaving her position, and I would like to thank her for her service....”
    Nielsen has spearheaded the administration’s efforts to crack down on illegal immigration, and joined President Trump in a visit to California to inspect the newly built sections of the U.S.-Mexico border fence over the weekend.
    In a subsequent follow-up tweet, President Trump named U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan as Nielsen’s replacement as acting secretary.
    Trump tweet: “I am pleased to announce that Kevin McAleenan, the current U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner, will become Acting Secretary for @DHSgov.    I have confidence that Kevin will do a great job!”

    I found this at http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/nunes-to-send-eight-criminal-referrals-to-doj-concerning-leaks-conspiracy-amid-russia-probe/ar-BBVHG6G?li=BBnb7Kz&ocid=mailsignout
4/8/2019 Nunes to send eight criminal referrals to DOJ concerning leaks, conspiracy amid Russia probe by Gregg Re, Fox News
© Provided by Fox News Network LLC
     House Intelligence Committee ranking member Devin Nunes exclusively told Fox News' "Sunday Morning Futures" that he is preparing to send eight criminal referrals to the Department of Justice this week concerning alleged misconduct from "Watergate wannabes" during the Trump-Russia investigation, including the leaks of "highly classified material" and conspiracies to lie to Congress and the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA) court.
    The bombshell move comes as Republicans have pushed for the release of key documents to uncover the origins of the now-discredited narrative that the Trump campaign colluded improperly with the Russian government.    President Trump recently told Fox News he would release the entirety of FBI FISA applications to surveil one of his top aides, and other related documents.
    Nunes said he has been working on the referrals for more than two years, and wanted to wait until the confirmation of Attorney General Bill Barr.
    "We're prepared this week to notify the attorney general that we're prepared to send those referrals over," Nunes said.    "First of all, all of these are classified or sensitive. ... Five of them are what I would call straight up referrals -- so just referrals that name someone and name the specific crimes," Nunes told Maria Bartiromo.    "Those crimes are lying to Congress, misleading Congress, leaking classified information.    So five of them are those types."
    It was not immediately clear whom Nunes would specifically refer. Both Democrats and Republicans have said former Trump fixer Michael Cohen is likely to face new charges of lying to Congress in the wake of his recent explosive testimony, which seemed to contradict his previous statements on a variety of matters, including whether he had sought a job in the Trump White House.
    And House Freedom Caucus Chairman Mark Meadows, R-N.C., touched off a firestorm last August after claiming on Twitter that his office had "hard evidence" suggesting the FBI leaked information to the press and used the resulting articles to help obtain surveillance warrants.    The claim stemmed in part from FBI intelligence analyst Jonathan Moffa’s Friday testimony behind closed doors before the House Judiciary and Oversight committees.
© Yuri Gripas/REUTERSRep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) speaks at the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC)
at National Harbor in Oxon Hill, Maryland, U.S., March 1, 2019. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas
     Nunes added: "There are three [referrals] that I think are more complicated. ... So on the first one, is FISA abuse and other matters.    We believe there was a conspiracy to lie to the FISA court, mislead the FISA court by numerous individuals that all need to be investigated and looked at that, and we believe the [relevant] statute is the conspiracy statute.    The second conspiracy one is involving manipulation of intelligence that also could ensnarl many Americans."
    Nunes asserted that "we've had a lot of concerns with the way intelligence was used" during the Trump-Russia probe.
    Just nine days before the FBI applied for a FISA warrant to surveil Carter Page, then a Trump campaign aide, bureau officials were battling with a senior Justice Department official who had "continued concerns" about the "possible bias" of a source pivotal to the application, according to internal text messages obtained by Fox News in March.
    Redacted versions of FISA documents already released have revealed that the FBI extensively relied on documents produced by Christopher Steele, an anti-Trump British ex-spy working for a firm funded by the Hillary Clinton campaign and Democratic National Committee (DNC), to surveil Trump aide Carter Page.    The FISA application did not clearly state that the firm was funded by the Clinton team and DNC.
    The leaked dossier, and related FBI surveillance, kickstarted a media frenzy on alleged Russia-Trump collusion that ended with a whimper last month, when it was revealed Special Counsel Robert Mueller's probe concluded finding no evidence of such a conspiracy, despite several offers by Russians to help the Trump campaign.    Page was never charged with wrongdoing, and he is currently suing the DNC for defamation.
    DOJ guidelines preclude the FBI from omitting exculpatory evidence, or misrepresenting sources, in FISA applications.
    "The third is what I would call a global leak referral," Nunes said.    "So there are about a dozen highly sensitive classified information leaks that were given to only a few reporters over the last two-and-a-half-plus years.    So you know, we don't know if there's actually been any leak investigations that have been opened, but we do believe that we've got pretty good information and a pretty good idea of who could be behind these leaks."
    Nunes specifically named a series of known "horrific" leaks, including the leak of conversations between Trump and the leaders of Australia and Mexico, and the transcripts of former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn's calls.
    Nunes noted that the eight criminal referrals could involve more than eight people, and that a conspiracy referral could involve "a dozen, two dozen people."    He added that more referrals could be coming.
    "I think it's impossible to ignore," Nunes said.    "If the Mueller team was busting people for lying to the FBI -- there are some pretty simple times when people lied to Congress for the sole purpose of obstructing our investigation."
    News that the FBI had been secretly monitoring Flynn's communications with Russians broke in January in The Washington Post, and was sourced to anonymous "U.S. officials."    Flynn met with FBI officials shortly after the publication of that article, and eventually pleaded guilty to one charge of lying to investigators about whether he had spoken to Russia's ambassador concerning an upcoming U.N. resolution on Israel and the Obama administration's sanctions against Russia.
    Meanwhile, Donald Trump Jr. told Fox News in January that "there’s a 99.9 percent chance [House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff is] the guy” who leaked private testimony that he gave in 2017 before the House Intelligence Committee to discuss the Trump Tower meeting with a Russian who offered dirt on Hillary Clinton.
    “I came out of testimony 8 at night and CNN is running quotes from noon on about my testimony, you know, in the House Intelligence Committee,” Trump Jr. said.    “I mean, that has to say something about what is going on and who they are.    Since [Schiff has] never met a camera he didn’t love, I would bet a lot of money that it was him.”
    Federal prosecutors have impaneled a grand jury to investigate former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe following the IG's report alleging that McCabe approved a media disclosure to advance his personal interests.    McCabe was later fired for lying to investigators and former FBI Director James Comey about the leaks.
    And last year, text messages between FBI lovers Peter Strzok and Lisa Page surfaced that referred to government employees "leaking like mad" in the runup to the Russia collusion probe.
    Strzok and Page exchanged numerous anti-Trump text messages when Strzok was a high-level investigator looking into both Clinton and the Trump campaign.    The DOJ Inspector General (IG) found that the texts violated policy and compromised the bureau's appearance of impartiality.
    “I want to believe the path you threw out for consideration in Andy’s office – that there’s no way he gets elected – but I’m afraid we can’t take the risk.    It’s like an insurance policy in the unlikely event you die before you’re 40,” Strzok texted Page prior to Election Day.    Strzok also assured Page that Trump won't become president, because "we'll stop" it.
    "The American people have only seen the pieces that have been declassified so far," Nunes said.    "There's still more information.    This was their insurance policy.    A lot of people think the insurance policy was just the overall investigation of the Trump campaign.    It's actually much more conspiratorial than that.    There was exculpatory information."
[GO GET THEM NUNES AS ITS ABOUT TIME THAT HAPPENS SINCE YOU WERE THE ONE THAT BROUGHT THIS TO LIGHT IN THE FIRST PLACE.
    Although I fear that the DEEP STATE may still have their fingers on the information and may destroy all the evidence since they thought they would still be in power if their crime suceeded.    And I am glad you are going after Adam Schiff who has had his fingers in this all along to assist the cover up.].

4/8/2019 AG Barr to testify at House budget hearing by OAN Newsroom
    Attorney General William Barr is set to testify before Congress about the Justice Department’s fiscal 2020 budget request.
    Barr will be pressed by members of the House Appropriations Committee Tuesday.    He’s also expected to answer questions about his summary of the Mueller investigation, which found no collusion between President Trump’s campaign and Russia.
Attorney General William Barr arrives at the 2019 Prison Reform Summit and First Step Act Celebration in the
East Room of the White House in Washington, Monday, April 1, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
    Also on Tuesday, the House Judiciary Committee will be holding a hearing on nationalism in America.        Turning Point USA’s Candace Owens is scheduled to testify.    Owens has gained notoriety through her social media presence and her ‘Blexit’ movement, which looks to liberate African American voters from the Democrat Party.

4/8/2019 Judge lifts N.Y. county ban on unvaccinated children by OAN Newsroom
    A ban preventing unvaccinated children from going to public places in one New York county has been overturned.
    On Friday, a judge ruled that children in Rockland County who had not received their measles, mumps and rubella vaccine could go out in public again.    This was part of a countywide effort to tackle a measles outbreak that has spread to at least 150 people.
    Rockland County had planned on banning any unvaccinated person under 18 from going to public spaces for a month or until they received a vaccine.    Parents could have also been prosecuted for not vaccinating their children.
FILE – In this March 27, 2019 file photo, signs advertising free measles vaccines and information about measles
are displayed at the Rockland County Health Department, in Pomona, N.Y. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig, File)
    “We owe this to the residents of this great county, so we never ever have to go through this again,” said Rockland County executive Ed Day.    “We must do everything in our power to end this outbreak and protect the health of those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons and that of children too young to be vaccinated.”
    New York is one of several states that allows parents to opt out of vaccinating their children for personal or religious reasons, but lawmakers recently proposed a bill to close this loophole.

4/8/2019 O’Rourke: Netanyahu a ‘racist’ prime minister, defies prospects of peace by OAN Newsroom
    Democrat presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke had harsh words for Israel’s prime minister at a recent rally.    While speaking in Iowa City Sunday, O’Rourke slammed Benjamin Netanyahu’s policies in Israel by saying the prime minister defies the prospects of peace in the region.
    Netanyahu is up for reelection and Israeli voters are set to head to the polls Tuesday.
    O’Rourke called America’s relationship with Israel “one of the most important on the planet,” which must transcend a “racist” prime minister.
    “That relationship, if it is to be successful, must transcend partisanship in the United States and it must be able to transcend a prime minister who is racist as he warns of Arabs coming to the polls,” he stated.
Democratic presidential candidate and former Texas congressman Beto O’Rourke speaks during a campaign event
in Sioux City, Iowa, on Thursday, April 4, 2019. (Justin Wan/Sioux City Journal via AP)
    O’Rourke went on to claim Netanyahu has aligned himself with his far-right party in order to maintain his hold on power. His comments come as members of the Democrat Party have come under increased scrutiny amid claims of anti-Semitism in the party.
[WELL, WELL, WE HAVE ANOTHER DEMOCRAT WHO IS AN ANTI-SEMITE.].

4/8/2019 GOP to spend $10M to attract Jewish voters in 2020 by OAN Newsroom
    The Republican Party is ramping-up efforts to win support among Jewish voters.    According to reports Sunday, the Republican Jewish Coalition plans to spend more than $10 million attract Jewish voters’ in the 2020 election.
    The effort is focusing on Jewish communities in Florida, Pennsylvania and Michigan that have traditionally voted Democrat.
    This comes after some members of the Democrat Party drew criticism over anti-Semitic statements and the endorsement of radical Islam by some of its top officials.
    For his part, President Trump touted the GOP’s commitment to strong ties with Israel.
President Donald Trump waves as he leaves the stage after speaking at the Republican Jewish Coalition’s
annual leadership meeting, Saturday April 6, 2019, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)[/caption]
    “And a special thanks to Representative Omar of Minnesota,” the president stated.    “The Democrats radical agenda would destroy our economy, cripple our country and very well could leave Israel out there all by yourselves — can’t do that.”
    The Republican Jewish Coalition praised President Trump’s recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel as well as the Golan Heights as part of the Jewish state.

4/8/2019 Macron’s Great Debate shows need to cut taxes faster, says French PM by Jean-Baptiste Vey
French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe leaves after his speech during the presentation of the "Great National Debate" findings, called to
quell the anger of French "yellow vests" movement, at the Grand Palais in Paris, France, April 8, 2019. REUTERS/Charles Platiau
    PARIS (Reuters) – French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said that after three months of public debate it was that clear tax cuts must be speeded up to quell the widespread anger over high living costs that has fueled anti-government protests.
    In an act of political theater on Monday, Philippe was presenting the findings from two million online contributions and 10,000 hours of town hall debates that President Emmanuel Macron must now digest and respond to with policy moves.
    Four broad needs emerged, the prime minister said: renewing ties between Paris and the regions, making the political process more relevant for citizens, responding better to climate change, and easing the tax burden.
    “The debate clearly shows us in which direction we need to go: we need to lower taxes and lower them faster,” Philippe said in a speech in the Grand Palace in Paris.
    Planned increases to a fuel tax prompted five months of “yellow vest” protests nationwide and the worst rioting Paris has witnessed since the 1968 student uprising, though the discontent swiftly turned into a broader backlash against inequality and an aloof political elite.
    More violence in mid-March reminded Macron that putting his reform agenda back on track would not be easy and the unrest could damage his party’s European election campaign.
    The “yellow vests” remain an amorphous group with varied demands, including higher salaries, better public services, and more power for voters on policy decisions.
    Tight public finances mean Macron has limited wriggle room.
    “The French have understood … that we cannot lower taxes if we don’t lower public spending,” Philippe said.
    The debates reinvigorated Macron, who rolled up his sleeves and held forth for up to seven hours at a time with high-school students, mayors and working mothers, as well as intellectuals and philosophers.
    Polls showed only a tentative recovery in Macron’s weak popularity, so the stakes are high for him and his prime minister.
    New policy measures are yet to be decided and could be put to a plebiscite.    The option of a referendum – which has the advantage of responding to the yellow vests’ demand for more people’s votes – remains on the table.
    Nonetheless, Ingrid Levavasseur, who pulled out of leading a “yellow vest” list for the European elections because of internal divisions within the movement, doubted the debates would produce meaningful reform.
    “I count myself among the skeptics,” she told Reuters (Additional reporting and writing by Richard Lough; Editing by Giles Elgood)

4/8/2019 Trump admin. designates Iranian Revolutionary Guard as terror group by OAN Newsroom
    The Trump administration officially classifies Iran’s Revolutionary Guard as a terrorist organization.    The White House finalized the decision early Monday, and it’s set to take effect in one week.
    The U.S. has branded other foreign organizations as terrorists in the past, but this latest decision marks the first time the U.S. has directly targeted a state-run military group ring a press conference at the State Department, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the decision comes in response to the country’s ongoing sponsorship of terrorist groups.    He went on to say the move should not come as a surprise.
    “This designation is a direct response to an outlawed regime and should surprise no one has already sanctioned,” stated Pompeo.    “For 40-years the Islamic Republic’s Revolutionary Guard Corps has actively engaged in terrorism and created, supported and directed other terrorist groups…none of us should be fooled.”
Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks at a news conference to announce the Trump administration’s plan to designate Iran’s Revolutionary
Guard a “foreign terrorist organization,” Monday, April 8, 2019, at the U.S. State Department in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
    President Trump called the move unprecedented and said the U.S. now not only recognizes Iran as a state sponsor of terrorism, but also recognizes that the IRGC actively participates in finances and promotes terrorism as a tool of government.
    In response, Iran’s national security council put U.S. Central Command on it’s list of terror groups.

4/8/2019 Trump, Egypt’s Sisi to discuss security during White House visit
FILE PHOTO: Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi gives an address after the gunmen attack in Minya, accompanied by leaders of the
Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and the Supreme Council for Police (unseen), at the Ittihadiya presidential palace in Cairo, Egypt
May 26, 2017 in this handout picture courtesy of the Egyptian Presidency. The Egyptian Presidency/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo.
    WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump will discuss tensions in the Middle East, security, economic reform and human rights in Egypt during a meeting with Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi at the White House on Tuesday, a senior administration official said.
    The U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity ahead of the visit, said the two leaders would also discuss the development of civil society in Egypt and, in a nod to concerns of Vice President Mike Pence, its treatment of religious minorities, including Christians.
    Egypt’s parliament has moved to pave the way for Sisi to stay in power until 2034 with constitutional reforms.
    Asked whether Trump supported such a move, the official said the administration was encouraging Egypt to develop democratic institutions while being mindful of U.S. security interests.
    “The president views the relationship with Egypt, as he does all of our … relationships with foreign countries … through the lens of America First and what serves our interest,” the official said.
    Military issues also may be on the agenda.    Egypt has reportedly signed a $2 billion deal with Russia to buy more than 20 Sukhoi SU-35 fighter jets, as well as weapons for the aircraft.
    Asked if the White House would discuss the purchase with the visiting Egyptian leader and whether it could possibly trigger U.S. sanctions, the official cautioned that U.S. law gives the president very little flexibility over sanctions imposed on those who do business with Russian defense sectors.
    “Countries that engage in those purchases need to know that we are extremely limited in what we can do to mitigate,” the official said, noting that the United States had already faced similar situations with China, India and Turkey.
    The U.S. Countering America’s Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, or CAATSA, authorizes sanctions on those who engage in significant transactions with the Russian defense or intelligence sectors.    It also deals with sanctions on Iran and North Korea.
    “We really would urge countries that wish to maintain and expand their military relationship with the United States to take that legislation very seriously,” the official said.
(Reporting by Jeff Mason and David Alexander; Editing by Tom Brown)

4/8/219 Brazil’s Bolsonaro says working with U.S. to sow ‘dissent’ in Venezuela army
FILE PHOTO - Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro speaks during a promotion ceremony for generals of the
armed forces, at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia, Brazil April 5, 2019. REUTERS/Adriano Machado
    SAO PAULO (Reuters) – Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Monday he is working with the U.S. government to sow dissent within the Venezuelan Army.
    Bolsonaro, during an interview with Jovem Pan radio, said that if there is a military invasion in Venezuela, he would ask seek the counsel of Brazil’s National Defense Council and Congress on what, if any, action his country should take.
    “We cannot allow Venezuela to become a new Cuba or North Korea,” the right-wing president said.
    Bolsonaro said that if any military intervention actually deposed Venezuela’s president, Nicolas Maduro, it is quite likely that the country would see guerrilla warfare waged by Maduro’s diehard backers and whomever took power.
(Reporting by Eduardo Simoes)

4/8/2019 Venezuela pledges to honor oil commitments to Cuba despite sanctions
FILE PHOTO - Venezuela's Foreign Affairs Minister Jorge Arreaza talks to the media during
a news conference in Caracas, Venezuela April 8, 2019. REUTERS/Manaure Quintero
    CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuela will “fulfill its commitments” to Cuba despite United States sanctions targeting oil shipments from the South American country to its ideological ally, Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza said on Monday.
    Washington on Friday imposed sanctions on 34 vessels owned or operated by state-run oil company Petroleos de Venezuela as well as on two companies and a vessel that have previously delivered oil to Cuba, aiming to choke off a crucial supply of crude to the Communist-run island.
    Venezuela has long sent subsidized crude to Cuba.    The United States describes the arrangement as an “oil-for-repression” scheme in which Havana helps socialist President Nicolas Maduro weather an economic crisis and power struggle with the opposition in exchange for fuel.
    Arreaza said he would not reveal Venezuela’s “strategy,” but that the sanctions would not stop the shipments.
    “When the conventional power of capitalism attacks you, you have to know how to respond through non-conventional means, always respecting international law,” Arreaza told reporters.
    Friday’s measure came after broader sanctions Washington had slapped on PDVSA in January as part of its bid to oust Maduro.
    The United States, along with most Western nations, recognizes Juan Guaido, the leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly, as Venezuela’s rightful leader.    Guaido invoked the country’s constitution to assume an interim presidency in January, arguing Maduro’s May 2018 re-election was a sham.
    The opposition last month ordered an end to oil shipments to Cuba, but PDVSA – controlled by military officers loyal to Maduro – has continued the exports.
    The most recent fuel shipment to Cuba left Venezuela’s Jose port on April 4, carrying liquefied petroleum gas, according to Refinitiv Eikon data.    In the second half of March, two tankers carrying crude and two tankers carrying refined products left for Cuba.
    The only tanker sanctioned on Friday, the Despina Andrianna, is currently returning to Jose after unloading crude at Cuba’s Cienfuegos refinery in March.    Another three vessels are waiting off Venezuela to load with shipments destined for Cuba.
(Reporting by Vivian Sequera; Additional reporting by Marianna Parraga in Mexico City; Writing by Luc Cohen; editing by Bill Berkrot)

4/8/2019 Ecuador reserves the right to investigate Assange: foreign minister
FILE PHOTO - WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is seen on the balcony of the
Ecuadorian Embassy in London, Britain, May 19, 2017. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls
    QUITO (Reuters) – Ecuador reserves the right to conduct an investigation of Wikileaks founder Julian Assange for allegedly leaking information about President Lenin Moreno’s personal life, the foreign minister said on Monday.
    Assange, an Ecuadorian citizen, has lived in the country’s London embassy for nearly seven years.    Moreno has said Assange has violated the terms of his asylum, but that the country has no imminent plan to expel him from the embassy.
    The Ecuadorian government told the United Nations’ special rapporteur on the right to privacy last week that Wikileaks could be involved in the posting on social media of communications and photographs of Moreno and his family.
    “Ecuador reserves the right to conduct investigations,” foreign minister Jose Valencia told reporters.    “The state has the ability to assign and revise this diplomatic asylum; therefore we can conduct some investigations.”
    “We have reports that he possibly has access (to the internet).    This specifically determines the investigations that we will take forward,” Valencia said.
    The investigation will be independent from the one conducted by the UN’s rapporteur, who is set to visit Assange in London on April 25, according to Valencia.
    Assange says Ecuador is seeking to end his asylum, which began in 2012, by implicating him and Wikileaks in accusations of corruption leveled against Moreno and his family that have been shared on social media.
    Assange’s lawyer in Ecuador, Carlos Poveda, has asked Ecuador to clarify if it is planning to terminate Assange’s asylum.
    “That decision will be made between two options: continue asylum or revise the situation depending on the merits that may or may not exist,” Valencia said.
    Assange took refuge in the embassy in 2012 to avoid being extradited to Sweden, where authorities wanted to question him as part of a sexual assault investigation.
    That probe was later dropped, but Assange fears he could be extradited to face charges in the United States, where federal prosecutors are investigating WikiLeaks.
    Ecuador last year established new rules for Assange’s behavior while in the embassy, requiring he pay his medical bills and clean up after his pet cat. He challenged the rules in local and international tribunals, arguing they violated his human rights. Both courts ruled against him.
    Last month, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which is linked to the Organization of American States, rejected Assange’s request that Ecuador ease the conditions it has imposed on his residence in the London embassy.
(Reporting by Alexandra Valencia; Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Dan Grebler)

4/9/2019 Oil up $1.32 to $64.40, DOW down 84 to 26,341.

WELL THE CDC STILL WILL NOT ADMIT THAT THE MEASLE OUTBREAK IS FROM EXCESSIVE ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARE BRINGING IT INTO THE U.S.
NOTICE THE STATES NOT ON THE SOUTHERN BORDER AND SPECIFICALLY NEW MEXICO HAS A WALL TO KEEP THEM OUT ARE DISEASE FREE
WHERE ARE THE SANCTUARY CITIES: California, Colorado, Illinois, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Iowa so I rest my case.
4/9/2019 Measles cases rocket toward record levels by John Bacon, USA TODAY
Sanctuary Cities in the U.S.A. and notice how close it matches up to measle outbreaks
    The number of measles cases recorded across the U.S. rose by almost 100 last week as the annual total continued its march toward record levels, federal health officials reported Monday.
    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 465 cases have been confirmed in 19 states so far this year, the second-highest total since measles was declared eliminated in the U.S. almost two decades ago.    The numbers are up sharply from even a week ago, when the total number of cases stood at 387 in 15 states. There were 372 cases last year. The highest total since 2000 was 667 in 2014.     The surge has been fueled in part by the anti-vaccination movement; most people who contract measles have not been vaccinated, the CDC said.
    Most of the U.S. cases this year involve 17 “outbreaks” – defined as three or more localized cases – including some underway now in New York, New Jersey, Washington, California and Michigan, the CDC said.
    The outbreaks are linked to travelers who brought measles back from other countries, the CDC said.

4/9/2019 Measles cases swell by nearly 100 - Increase over just 1 week is a ‘kick in the butt’ by John Bacon, USA TODAY
    The number of measles cases recorded across the USA rose by almost 100 last week as the annual total continued its march toward record levels, federal health officials reported Monday.
    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 465 cases have been confirmed in 19 states this year, the second-highest total since measles was declared eliminated in the USA almost two decades ago.
    The numbers are up sharply from just a week ago, when the total number of cases stood at 387 in 15 states.    There were 372 cases last year; the highest to- tal since 2000 was 667 in 2014.
    The surge has been fueled in part by the anti-vaccination movement – most people who contract measles have not been vaccinated, the CDC said.    If one person has the disease, up to 90% of the people close to that person will become infected if they are not immune, the CDC warned.
    Ogbonnaya Omenka, an assistant professor at Butler University who has a doctorate in public health, said the increase is alarming but won’t necessarily continue.    “The numbers serve as a kick in the butt that says, hey, we probably should start paying attention to vaccination again,” he told USA TODAY.    “One of the most challenging aspects of public health is balancing between individual liberty, for people who don’t want the vaccine for whatever reason, and what is best for everyone.”    Most of the cases this year involve 17 outbreaks – defined as three or more localized cases – including some now happening in New York, New Jersey, Washington, California and Michigan, the CDC said.    The outbreaks are linked to travelers who brought measles back from countries including Israel, Ukraine and the Philippines, the CDC said.
    Three outbreaks in New York state, New York City and New Jersey contributed to most of the cases.    They occurred primarily among unvaccinated people in Orthodox Jewish communities, the CDC said.    New York legislators have proposed a bill that would end religious and all other nonmedical exemptions to vaccinations for school-age children.
    “The religious communities that I’ve spoken to in no way prevent people from getting vaccinated,” New York state Sen. David Carlucci said.    “This (bill) would take any of that misconception out of the puzzle.”
    Only California, Mississippi and West Virginia have such laws.
    Common measles symptoms include fever, runny nose, cough and a rash that can spread across the body.    A very small number of those infected develop pneumonia, swelling of the brain or other serious symptoms.    Measles also can cause pregnant women to deliver prematurely.
    The World Health Organization described the disease as a prominent cause of death among children, despite the availability of a vaccine.    More than 110,000 people, most of them children, died of measles worldwide in 2017.
    The last measles death on record in the USA was in 2015.
Contributing: Rochel Leah Goldblatt, Robert Brum and Deena Yellin, Rockland/ Westchester Journal News.

4/9/2019 President Trump to introduce some dramatic changes to immigration policies by OAN Newsroom
    President Trump is preparing to make some dramatic changes to immigration policies.    He has reportedly directed top White House officials to take a more aggressive stance on immigration.    This comes as record-high numbers of immigrants are reaching the southern border, pushing Customs and Border Protection to its breaking point.
    Some of the changes include a new way of analyzing asylum claims by comparing the person’s fears to the actual conditions of their home country.
    Regulatory changes will also make it harder for “difficult or low-skilled” immigrants to enter the country, while making it easier for high-skilled immigrants who will likely be self sufficient.
    Additionally, the government will also be allowed to hold migrant children longer than the current 20-day limit.
FILE – In this March 5, 2019, file photo, Ruth Aracely Monroy walks with her sons in Tijuana, Mexico. After requesting asylum
in the United States, the family was returned to Tijuana to wait for their hearing in San Diego. A U.S. judge
on Monday, April 8, 2019, blocked the Trump administration’s policy of returning asylum seekers to Mexico as they
wait for an immigration court to hear their cases but the order won’t immediately go into effect. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)
    The massive overhaul of policies come after Kirstjen Nielson resigned from her position as Department of Homeland Security secretary on Monday.
    “I just want to thank the president again for the tremendous opportunity to serve this country,” she stated.    “I’m forever grateful and proud of the men and women of DHS, who work so hard every day to execute their missions and to protect the homeland — I really look forward to continuing to support them from the outside.”
    As the president is trying to crack down on illegal immigration, his administration is also expanding legal immigration into the U.S.
    Jared Kushner, the president’s senior advisor, has reportedly been working on a proposal, which aims to increase the number of skilled workers being admitted into the U.S. This is something the president has long-supported.
    “Legal immigrants enrich our nation and strengthen our society in countless ways,” stated President Trump.    “I want people to come into our country, but they have to come in legally.”
    Kushner’s plan is expected to be presented to Congress sometime this summer.
White House senior adviser Jared Kushner listens as President Donald Trump participates in a roundtable on immigration and
border security at the U.S. Border Patrol Calexico Station in Calexico, Calif., Friday April 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)

4/9/2019 AG William Barr testifies to House Appropriations subcommittee by OAN Newsroom
    Attorney General William Barr recently testified before the House Appropriations subcommittee regarding the Department of Justice’s 2020 budget.
    On Tuesday, Barr laid out what the Justice Department needs for law enforcement across the country, but he was mostly grilled on the Mueller report and his summary of the special counsel’s findings.
    The attorney general said a redacted Mueller report would be released within a week, and the special counsel team did not play a role in drafting his letter to Congress.
    “And so, I think that from my standpoint, within a week I will be in a position to release the report to the public, and then I will engage with the chairman of both Judiciary Committees about that report and about any further requests that they have,” he stated.
In his first appearance on Capitol Hill since taking office, and amid intense speculation over his review
of special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia report, Attorney General William Barr appears before a
House Appropriations subcommittee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, April 9, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)
    Barr said he gave the Mueller team a chance to review his summary of the Mueller report, but they declined.     He added, he is also looking into “conduct of the investigation,” and said the inspector general is investigating the FISA process.
[The only one who asked Appropriations was Rep Sen. Graham as the Democrats tried to push their question agenda on the Mueller report only in their obsession.].

4/9/2019 Nunes files $150M suit on McClatchy, claims conspiracy by reporter & operative by OAN Newsroom
    Republican Congressman Devin Nunes is filing a $150 million lawsuit against The McClatchy Company, alleging a massive political conspiracy.
    The filing in a Virginia state court Monday claims one of the news agency’s reporters — Mackenzie Mays — conspired with political operative Liz Mair.
FILE – In this Feb. 27, 2018 file photo, House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., a close ally
of President Donald Trump, arrives at the Capitol in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)
    Nunes claims their goal was to derail his oversight work into the Clinton campaign and alleged Russian interference.
    The duo reportedly conspired to spread a variety of misleading smear campaigns, including one saying Nunes was involved with cocaine and underage prostitutes.
    Nunes said the defendants abandoned their role as journalists for political and financial gain.

4/9/2019 FBI: Comey considered witness by Mueller, memos were of interest to special counsel by OAN Newsroom
    New documents are shedding light on former FBI Director James Comey’s role in the Mueller probe.
    According to information turned over by the FBI on Monday, Comey was considered a witness in the special counsel’s investigation and his memos were of interest to Mueller.
    Despite several FOIA requests, the FBI is refusing to make the Comey memos public.    Those notes detail Comey’s meetings with President Trump before he was fired.
    The Department of Justice has said the memos contain sensitive information that may hurt the department if made public.
James Comey is pictured. | AP Photo

4/9/2019 Efforts to pass slavery reparations continue despite past failed attempts by OAN Newsroom
    The issue of reparations for the descendants of slaves brought into the U.S. from abroad has returned to Congress.
    On Monday, Democrat Senator and presidential candidate Cory Booker announced his plans to introduce a Senate proposal to study the topic.    However, similar congressional efforts failed to gain traction in past years by other Democrat lawmakers.
U.S. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., addresses an audience during a 2020 presidential campaign stop,
Sunday, April 7, 2019, in Londonderry, N.H. (AP Photo/Steven Senne)
    The former chairman of the Congressional Black Congress — then-Representative John Coyer — for years made strides to address reparations, but he failed to gain bipartisan support even under the Obama administration.
    Back in 2006, the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals also took up a case known as Farmer-Paellmann v. Brown & Williamson.    The court ultimately ruled against the plaintiff, who sued a number of major banks that allowed slaves to be used as collateral during the Civil Ear when slave owners applied for loans.
    “The average sale price of an adult slave was $2,500.    The 12,000 slaves owned outright by J.P. Morgan Chase would of had a present value today of a minimum of $850 million based on the actual market value, I hate to use that phrase, of $1.7 million in 1865.” –Bruce Afran, lawyer representing plaintiffs.
    It wasn’t until January that a House bill was brought before legislators, echoing the latest demands in Booker’s bill.    It has finally made headway in Congress.    The resolution, which was reintroduced last year by Texas congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, currently has 35 cosponsors.
    However, not all Democrat presidential candidates agree with either measure.
    “I believe we have to invest in those communities that have been so hurt by racism,” stated Senator Amy Klocuchar.    “It doesn’t have to be a direct pay for each person, but what we can do is invest in those communities, acknowledge what’s happened.”
    The issue of reparations is likely to become a major talking point for 2020 presidential hopefuls, who have only vaguely produced proposals on the campaign trail.
[I am confused we have February Black month, so I think we ought to have January white month, March red month for Indians, April yellow month for Asians, and May brown month you know cinco de mayo, etc. etc. for identity politics instead of take money from those who did not do anything to give to someone whose not even alive or supposed generations who were never slaves.].

4/9/2019 HHS may relocate migrant children due to overcrowding at border by OAN Newsroom
    The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) is reportedly looking to relocate migrant children in Texas as a result of overcrowding in shelters.
    In a letter to Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins Monday, the HHS requested assistance in opening new shelters in vacant locations throughout Dallas, Fort Worth, San Antonio and Houston.    Other cities being considered are Phoenix, Arizona as well as Atlanta in an effort to avoid temporary shelters and replace them with state-licensed permanent shelters.
    This comes after reports of shelters and non-profit housing becoming overwhelmed with the number of asylum seekers at the U.S.-Mexico border.
A U.S. Customs and Border Protection vehicle sits near the wall as President Donald Trump visits a new section
of the border wall with Mexico in Calexico, Calif., Friday April 5, 2019. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
    Meanwhile, officials with U.S. Customs and Border Protections (CBP) have officially began construction on improvements to the border in Texas’s Rio Grande Valley.
    On Monday, CBP announced the agency is working with the Army Corps of Engineers to improve at least 13-miles of wall system in the sector.    The sections expected to undergo construction are described as “high priority” areas.
    This comes as sources say nearly half of all apprehensions of illegal migrant crossings happen in the Rio Grande Valley.

4/9/2019 Rep. Collins: Talk of ‘white nationalism’ is attempt to smear conservatives by OAN Newsroom
    The House Judiciary Committee recently held a hearing on the alleged rise of so-called ‘white nationalism’ in the U.S.
    During Tuesday’s hearing, GOP congressman Doug Collins criticized ‘white nationalism,’ but slammed Democrats for appearing to play identity politics.    Collins called the hearing a “thinly veiled partisan attempt” to paint Republicans as supporters of hate groups.
House Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Doug Collins (R) speaks next to Chairman Jerrold Nadler (L). (J. Scott Applewhite/AP Photo)
    The meeting also included political commentator Candace Owens, and members of the Anti-Defamation League.
    Earlier this year, lawmakers signed an anti-hate resolution condemning attacks against minority groups.
    “We’re not talking enough about political hatred in this country, we aren’t talking enough about Conservative activists being attacked, like myself. We had a student whose dorm was set on fire for being a member of a Turning Point chapter.    And all we preach is for free markets and capitalism as a means to lift the most people out of poverty — that is my belief — and, of course, my main thesis is that black people don’t have to be Democrat, we aren’t owned by the left and I understand that causes some people trouble.” — Candace Owens, political commentator, activist.
    Democrat lawmakers also failed to address the questions of Islamic and anti-white hate groups in the U.S.
[Democrats are the party of anti-semite, Islamist lovers, and anti-white hate groups.].

4/10/2019 Oil down $0.42 to $63.98, DOW down 190 to 26,151.

4/10/2019 Mueller report coming within week, Barr says - Congress told sensitive info is being redacted by Kevin Johnson and Bart Jansen, USA TODAY
    WASHINGTON – Attorney General William Barr told Congress on Tuesday that he would release a redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report “within a week.”
    Barr used his first appearance before a House committee since the end of Mueller’s investigation to offer a scattering of details about how he and other lawyers in his office were reviewing the nearly 400-page report summarizing the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.    Barr told lawmakers that some parts of the report must remain secret because they contain grand-jury information or national security secrets, then pointedly declined to say more.
    Barr declined to answer questions about the details of the special counsel’s investigations or whether any of its findings had been shared with the White House.
    “I’m not going to say anything more about it until the report is out,” Barr said.
    The attorney general said Mueller and his staff were working to assist in the process of removing sensitive information from the report so that it could be released to Congress and the public.    And he defended the summary conclusions he delivered to Congress last month and the speed in which those conclusions were made public.
    “The work of the special counsel was not a mystery to the people at the Department of Justice. … There was some inkling into the thinking of the special counsel,” Barr said, referring to a March 5 meeting with Mueller at the Justice Department where the special counsel discussed his preliminary conclusions.
    Lawmakers used the hearing to question Barr on his decision to release a bare-bones summary of the special counsel’s report last month in which the attorney general said Mueller had not found a conspiracy involving President Donald Trump’s campaign and the Russian government.
    The special counsel did not make a determination about whether the president’s actions during the investigation amounted to obstruction.    Instead, Barr and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, separately determined that Trump’s conduct did not constitute a crime.
    “The American people have ... many unanswered questions; serious concerns about the process by which you formulated your letter; and uncertainty about when we can expect to see the full report,” said Rep. Jose Serrano, DN. Y., chairman of the appropriations subcommittee on justice.
    Appropriations Chairman Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., also called on Barr to release the report, asserting that the attorney general’s abbreviated summary was “cherry-picked from the report to draw the most favorable conclusion possible for the president.”
    “Even for someone who has done this job before, I would argue that it is more suspicious than impressive,” Lowey said of Barr’s summary delivered.
Attorney General William Barr says parts of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report
have national security secrets. JACK GRUBER/USA TODAY NETWORK

4/10/2019 Barr fends off demands for Mueller information - He promises a redacted report ‘within a week’ by Kevin Johnson and Bart Jansen, USA TODAY
    WASHINGTON – Attorney General William Barr told Congress on Tuesday that he would release a redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report “within a week.”
    In his first appearance before a House committee since the end of Mueller’s investigation, Barr offered a smattering of details about how he and other lawyers in his office were reviewing the nearly 400 page report summarizing the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election. Barr told lawmakers parts of the report must remain secret because they contain grand jury information or national security secrets, then he declined to say more.
    Barr would not answer questions about the details of the special counsel’s investigations or whether any of its findings had been shared with the White House.
    “I’m not going to say anything more about it until the report is out,” he said.
    The attorney general said Mueller and his staff worked to help remove sensitive information from the report, so it could be released to Congress and the public.    He defended the summary conclusions he delivered to Congress in March and the speed with which they were made public.
    “The work of the special counsel was not a mystery to the people at the Department of Justice. … There was some inkling into the thinking of the special counsel,” Barr said, referring to a meeting March 5 with Mueller at the Justice Department where the special counsel discussed his preliminary conclusions.
    Lawmakers questioned Barr on his decision to release a bare-bones summary of the report last month in which the attorney general said Mueller had not found a conspiracy involving Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and the Russian government.
    The special counsel did not make a determination about whether the president’s actions during the investigation amounted to obstruction.    Barr and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, separately determined that Trump’s conduct did not constitute a crime.
    “The American people have been left with many unanswered questions; serious concerns about the process by which you formulated your letter; and uncertainty about when we can expect to see the full report,” said Rep. Jose Serrano, D-N.Y., chairman of the appropriations subcommittee on Justice.    “It would strike a serious blow to our democracy if this report is not fully seen.”
    Appropriations Chairman Nita Lowey, D-N.Y., also called on Barr to release the report, asserting that the attorney general’s abbreviated summary “cherry-picked from the report to draw the most favorable conclusion possible for the president.”
    “Even for someone who has done this job before, I would argue that it is more suspicious than impressive,” Lowey said.    Barr’s summary was delivered to Congress two days after Mueller sent the report to the Justice Department.
    Barr’s testimony was meant to be about the Justice Department’s $29 billion budget request, and he drew some questions from Republicans about the agency’s border security efforts and from Democrats about its new move to ask a federal court to overturn the Affordable Care Act, commonly called Obamacare.
    But much of the questioning focused on the still-secret details of the special counsel’s work.
    Democratic lawmakers spent much of the hearing pressing Barr for additional details about his handling of the report, which he largely declined to provide.    He said he understood “the importance of releasing as much of the report as I can within the law.”
    Barr said he had no plans to ask for a court’s permission to disclose grand jury material, but he would consult with Congress after he released the report to determine whether he could provide additional information.    Rep. Robert Aderholt, R-Ala., dismissed the Democrats’ queries related to the Mueller report and suggested members sought to support a “grassyknoll conspiracy theory,” a reference to the cottage industry of conspiracy that emerged after President John F. Kennedy’s assassination in 1963.
    The attorney general’s intervention at the end of Mueller’s investigation set off a politically charged battle for access to the entire text of the special counsel’s report, the fruit of a 22-month investigation that shadowed the Trump administration since its first days.
    House Democrats vowed last week that they would seek Mueller’s testimony in addition to that of Barr, who is likely to address the matter for congressional committees in early May.
    The Justice Department defended Barr’s handling of the report, suggesting that the full document was so packed with secret grand jury information that revealing even portions of it immediately would be impossible.
    Spokeswoman Kerri Kupec said last week that “every page” of Mueller’s report was marked with a written warning that it could contain protected grand jury information.    Federal law generally prohibits the government from revealing that information.
    Barr said he would not disclose parts of the report that involved national security secrets, touched on ongoing investigations or would implicate “the privacy and reputational interests of peripheral players.”
    He said officials would color-code the version of the report he released to Congress, so lawmakers would know his reason for keeping specific parts secret.
    “I’m not going to say anything more about it until the report is out.” William Barr, Attorney general, in response to questions about Mueller investigation.

4/10/2019 ‘The breaking point’: Border apprehensions hit 12-year high - More than 92,000 captured last month by Michael Collins, USA TODAY
    WASHINGTON – U.S. Border Patrol agents apprehended more than 92,000 immigrants trying to cross the border illegally in March, a 12-year high announced Tuesday as President Donald Trump moved to replace top leadership at the Department of Homeland Security and vowed tougher immigration policies.
    In March, 92,607 immigrants were apprehended at the border – the highest monthly total since April 2007, when 104,465 people were stopped trying to enter the country illegally.
    Of those apprehended in March, 30,555 were single adults, 8,975 were unaccompanied children and 53,077 were family units, primarily from Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador, U.S. Customs and Border Protection said. The number of family units apprehended is an all-time high.
    “The Border Patrol is facing an unprecedented humanitarian and border security crisis,” said Brian Hastings, the Border Patrol’s chief of law enforcement operations.    “We’ve arrived at the breaking point.”
    The 92,607 apprehensions in March are a 35% increase over February, according to Customs and Border Protection.    In the past six months, 361,087 people have been apprehended along the southwest border – more than double the number during the same period last year.    Family apprehensions have jumped 375% over the same time last year.
    “As more and more adults with children are released into the U.S. pending immigration proceedings, word of mouth and social media have spread news,” Hastings said.    “And more immigrants are emboldened to make the dangerous journey.”
    Despite the jump, the overall number of illegal border crossings remains lower than in the 1990s and 2000s, when Border Patrol agents routinely apprehended more than 100,000 people a month and topped 200,000 apprehensions during two separate months in 2000.
    “As more and more adults with children are released into the U.S. ... word of mouth and social media have spread news.    And more immigrants are emboldened to make the dangerous journey.” Brian Hastings, Border Patrol chief of law enforcement.
    The difference is that the majority of illegal border crossings back then were Mexican males trying to avoid Border Patrol agents, and now the majority are Central American families seeking out Border Patrol agents to request asylum.
    Promising to take a “tougher direction” on illegal immigration, Trump purged top leaders at the Department of Homeland Security.
    Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen resigned Sunday after facing pressure from Trump and some of his aides to do more to stop border crossings.    Last week, Trump withdrew his nomination of Ronald Vitiello to head Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
    Friday, Trump traveled to Calexico, California, near the Mexican border, where he toured a new section of border wall and issued a blunt message to migrants heading to the USA.
    “Our country is full,” Trump said.    “Can’t take you anymore.    I’m sorry.    Turn around.    That’s the way it is.”
    Trump threatened two weeks ago to seal the border to stop immigrants and drugs from flowing into the USA.    He retreated and said Mexico had taken a more aggressive stance on apprehending Central American migrants.
    But Trump threatened to impose a 25% tariff on all cars made in Mexico and shipped into the USA if the Mexican government stopped detaining immigrants who cross its own borders illegally.    If that doesn’t work, he said, he would close the U.S. border.
Contributing: Alan Gomez.
According to Customs and Border Protection, 92,607 immigrants were caught. NICK OZA/USA TODAY NETWORK

4/10/2019 ‘Fake science’ blamed for outbreak - Measles emergency declared in Brooklyn by John Bacon, USA TODAY
    New York Mayor Bill de Blasio declared a public health emergency Tuesday for parts of Brooklyn’s Williamsburg section following a measles outbreak affecting the Orthodox Jewish community fueled by a growing movement against vaccinations.
    Unvaccinated people living in designated ZIP codes who may have been exposed to measles will be required to receive the vaccine to protect others from the outbreak, the mayor said.
    Measles is highly contagious, but the vaccination is considered 97% effective, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
    “There’s no question that vaccines are safe, effective and life-saving,” de Blasio said.    “The bottom line is to recognize that this is something that has become even more urgent.”
    Health Commissioner Oxiris Barbot said the outbreak was being “driven by a small group of anti-vaxxers” in the targeted neighborhoods.
    “They have been spreading dangerous misinformation based on fake science,” he said.
    The outbreak began in October, but many of these new cases were confirmed in the past two months.    The vast majority of cases are children under 18 – and most of these measles cases were unvaccinated or incompletely vaccinated people, health officials said.
    Members of the City’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene will check the vaccination records of people who may have been in contact with infected patients.    Those who have not received the vaccine or do not have evidence of immunity may be given a violation and could be fined $1,000, the mayor said.
    Barbot is concerned about measles outbreaks spreading as people travel for Passover, which begins in less than two weeks.
    “We’ve seen a large increase in the number of people vaccinated in these neighborhoods, but as Passover approaches, we need to do all we can to ensure more people get the vaccine,” Barbot said.    Measles was introduced into the community by someone who picked up the disease in Israel, which is dealing with its own outbreak, health officials said.
    The primary symptoms from the disease include fever, runny nose, cough and a rash that can spread across the entire body. People who are immunocompromised can develop pneumonia, swelling of the brain or other serious symptoms.    Measles can cause men to become sterile and pregnant women to deliver prematurely.
    Ogbonnaya Omenka, an assistant professor at Butler University who has a doctorate in public health, says the New York outbreak shows that people shouldn’t believe they are safe without a vaccination because almost everyone else around them was vaccinated.
    “Herd immunity can only carry a community so far,” he said.
    The CDC said Monday that 465 cases have been confirmed in 19 states in 2019, the second-highest total since measles was declared eliminated in the USA almost two decades ago.
    “Herd immunity can only carry a community so far.” Ogbonnaya Omenka, Assistant professor at Butler University.
Steve Sierzega receives a measles, mumps and rubella vaccine in Pomona, N.Y. SETH WENIG/AP

4/10/2019 WikiLeaks says Julian Assange is being spied on in Ecuadorean embassy by Andrew MacAskill
FILE PHOTO: Supporters of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange demonstrate in front of presidential palace regarding
his Ecuadorian citizenship, in Quito, Ecuador, October 31, 2018, REUTERS/Daniel Tapia/File Photo
    LONDON (Reuters) – WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has been the subject of a sophisticated spying operation in the Ecuadorean embassy where he has been holed up since 2012, the group said on Wednesday.
    “Wikileaks has uncovered an extensive spying operation against Julian Assange within the Ecuadorean embassy,” Kristinn Hrafnsson, WikiLeaks editor-in-chief said, adding that Assange’s “eviction” from the embassy could happen at any time.
    Hrafnsson did not immediately give evidence for his claims.    Reuters was unable to independently verify the allegations.
    Assange’s relations with his hosts have chilled since Ecuador accused him of leaking information about President Lenin Moreno’s personal life.    Moreno has said Assange has violated the terms of his asylum.
    To some, Assange is a hero for exposing what supporters cast as abuse of power by modern states and for championing free speech.    But to others, he is a dangerous rebel who has undermined the security of the United States.
    “We know that there was a request to hand over visitors’ logs from the embassy and video recordings from within the security cameras in the embassy,” Hrafnsson told reporters, adding that he assumed the information had been handed over to the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump.
    Assange took refuge in the embassy to avoid being extradited to Sweden where authorities wanted to question him as part of a sexual assault investigation.    That probe was later dropped but WikiLeaks fears the United States wants to prosecute him.
    WikiLeaks angered Washington by publishing hundreds of thousands of secret U.S. diplomatic cables that laid bare often highly critical U.S. appraisals of world leaders from Russian President Vladimir Putin to members of the Saudi royal family.
    Assange made international headlines in early 2010 when WikiLeaks published a classified U.S. military video showing a 2007 attack by Apache helicopters that killed a dozen people in Baghdad, including two Reuters news staff.
    Later that year, the group released over 90,000 secret documents detailing the U.S.-led military campaign in Afghanistan, followed by almost 400,000 internal U.S. military reports detailing operations in Iraq.
    More than 250,000 classified cables from U.S. embassies followed, then almost 3 million dating back to 1973.
(Writing by Kate Holton and Guy Faulconbridge; editing by Stephen Addison)

4/10/2019 New World Bank boss vows to keep climate goals, evolve China relationship by David Lawder
FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump introduces the U.S. candidate in election for the next President of the World Bank
David Malpass at the White House in Washington, U.S., February 6, 2019. REUTERS/Jim Young/File Photo
    WASHINGTON (Reuters) – New World Bank President David Malpass said on Tuesday he would not alter the lender’s commitment to fight climate change, but pledged to step up its anti-poverty mission and to evolve the bank’s relationship with China.
    Malpass, who started at the Bank on Tuesday, was nominated by U.S. President Donald Trump.    Some development professionals feared that he would pursue Trump’s “America First” agenda at the bank by resuming financing for coal power projects and pressuring China.
    But Malpass told reporters that he will pursue the World Bank’s climate change goals, including its previous decision to withdraw from coal power funding.    He called climate change a “key problem” facing many of the world’s developing countries.
    “The board and the governors have established a policy on that.    I don’t expect a change in that policy,” Malpass said, a long-time finance executive, economist and government development official, Malpass most recently served as the U.S. Treasury’s undersecretary for international affairs.    He helped negotiate a $13 billion capital increase for the World Bank last year.
    That refunding included requirements that the bank shift lending away from middle-income countries including China toward lower-income countries.
    Malpass at the time was highly critical of China’s continued borrowing from the World Bank and of Beijing’s Belt and Road initiative.    But he said on Tuesday that new lending to Chinese projects was already declining and the relationship would shift toward one of increased contributions to the bank and sharing of expertise.
    “That means an evolution where they are much less of a borrower, and they have more to offer in terms of their participation in capital increases, their participation in IDA, where China has been ramping up its contributions,” he said, referring to the International Development Association, the World Bank’s fund for the poorest countries.
    He said he would work with China to boost the standards of its development projects with more debt transparency and open procurement standards.
    His view on China contrasted those of U.S. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, who told lawmakers that Malpass’ presence at the World Bank would help the United States compete with China’s Belt and Road initiative.    That program entails hundreds of billions of dollars in infrastructure development and investment by China in about 65 countries with an emphasis on transportation routes.
    Asked at a House Financial Services Committee hearing on Tuesday what the United States could do to “push back” on China’s growing presence in international development, Mnuchin replied, “I think the single best thing is that David Malpass, who was my undersecretary, is now head of the World Bank.”
    The World Bank, combined with a new U.S. development agency created by Congress last year, “can be a serious competitor to their Belt and Road,” Mnuchin added.
    The United States remains the World Bank’s largest shareholder, and the Treasury oversees the U.S. interests at the institution.
    Malpass said he saw no need for a restructuring of the World Bank’s operations, but he would seek to make lending more effective at lifting people out of poverty.
(Reporting by David Lawder; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

4/10/2019 Trump discussed Iran, human rights with Saudi crown prince: White House
FILE PHOTO: U.S. President Donald Trump reaches out to shake hands with Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, U.S. March 20, 2018. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File Photo
    WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman by phone on Tuesday, discussing Riyadh’s role in Middle East stability, maintaining pressure on Iran and the importance of human rights issues, the White House said.
    Washington’s Middle East ally faces rising pressure over its handling of the war in Yemen and moves to stifle internal dissent, including the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and prosecution of women’s rights activists.
    A bipartisan chorus of U.S. lawmakers has called on the White House to harden its stance toward Saudi Arabia after Khashoggi was killed at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.
    U.S. intelligence believes the crown prince ordered the killing, which Saudi officials deny.
    Trump has said the U.S. partnership with Saudi Arabia is important for the U.S. economy and maintaining stability in the region.
    The U.S. State Department on Monday publicly designated 16 people for their role in Khashoggi’s death and said they and their families would be barred from entering the United States.
    The United States on Monday also designated Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist organization, drawing an angry reaction from Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Tuesday.
    The White House said Trump used the call with the crown prince to discuss ways of “maintaining maximum pressure against Iran.”    Saudi Arabia is leading a coalition battling Iranian-backed Houthi insurgents in Yemen.
(Reporting by Makini Brice; Editing by Peter Cooney)

4/10/2019 Trump praises Egypt’s Sisi despite concerns about human rights, Russian arms by Jeff Mason and Roberta Rampton
U.S. President Donald Trump meets with Egypt's President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi in the Oval Office
at the White House in Washington, U.S., April 9, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
    WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump praised his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, as a “great president” on Tuesday, even as a bipartisan group of U.S. lawmakers raised concerns about Sisi’s record on human rights, efforts to keep him in office for many years and planned Russian arms purchases.
    Egypt’s parliament has proposed constitutional reforms aimed at allowing Sisi to remain in power until 2034, which senior U.S. lawmakers and advocacy groups have criticized, along with Egypt’s repression of human rights.
    Asked if he backed the efforts to allow Sisi to potentially stay in power for 15 more years, Trump told reporters: “I think he’s doing a great job.    I don’t know about the effort, I can just tell you he is doing a great job … great president.”
    Sisi is a former general who came to power after the military overthrew Islamist President Mohamed Mursi in 2013 following mass protests against his rule.    Sisi was elected the following year.
    He has since overseen a sweeping crackdown on both Islamist and liberal opposition.    Activists consider it the worst repression in Egypt’s modern history.
    Trump, who referred to Sisi as “my friend,” made no mention of human rights as the two spoke to reporters.
    In a later statement stressing Trump’s commitment to Egypt, the White House mentioned the issue in its fifth bullet point, saying: “The United States encourages the Egyptian government to preserve space for civil society and to protect human rights.”
PRAISING RELATIONSHIP WITH EGYPT
    Egypt, the Arab world’s most populous nation, is of strategic importance to the United States because of its peace treaty with Israel and control of the Suez Canal, a vital waterway for global commerce as well as the U.S. military.    The U.S. Congress has set aside $1.4 billion in aid to Egypt in recent years.
    While there continues to be support for such aid, U.S. lawmakers have voiced deep concerns about Egypt’s reported signing of a $2 billion deal with Russia to buy more than 20 Sukhoi SU-35 fighter jets and weapons for the aircraft.
    Trump did not answer a question about Egypt’s planned Russian arms purchase, which could expose the country to U.S. sanctions.    He said “a lot of progress has been made … in terms of terrorism and other things with Egypt.”
    “We’ve never had a better relationship, Egypt and the United States, than we do right now,” Trump added as the two men spoke to reporters before meeting in the White House Oval Office.
    “All the credit goes to you, Mister President,” Sisi responded through an interpreter.    “Thank you very much for your support on all fronts.”
    In a letter released on Monday, leading senators said Egypt had “unjustly detained” more than a dozen Americans, and called for their release.    They also raised “serious concerns about the erosion of political and human rights.”
    The letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was signed by the influential Senate Foreign Relations Committee’s Republican chairman, Jim Risch, the panel’s senior Democrat, Bob Menendez, and 15 other senators.
    During a congressional hearing, Patrick Leahy, the Senate Appropriations Committee’s top Democrat, asked Pompeo to explain Trump’s praise for authoritarian leaders.
    “Maybe you can explain why a dictator like Egypt’s President al-Sisi is feted at the White House, Russia’s President (Vladimir) Putin, North Korea’s Kim Jong Un and Turkey’s President (Tayyip) Erdogan are praised as strong leaders and the Saudi Crown Prince is treated as an indispensable friend and ally,” he said.
    Pompeo disputed that the Trump administration was treading lightly on human rights and he praised Egypt’s actions in support of Israel.    “We have not been remotely bashful,” he said.
    The Egyptian embassy was not immediately available for comment.
    The White House said in a statement that Trump and Sisi discussed water issues.    “These complex issues must be addressed through negotiations and with respect for international best practices,” the statement said.
    The statement did not refer to a specific water issue, but Egypt has criticized a dam Ethiopia is building on the River Nile, saying it could restrict waters coming from Ethiopia’s highlands, through the deserts of Sudan, to Egyptian fields and reservoirs.
(Reporting by Jeff Mason and Roberta Rampton; Additional reporting by Mohammad Zargham, Patricia Zengerle and Arshad Mohammed; Writing by Arshad Mohammed and Mohammad Zargham; Editing by Bill Berkrot, Leslie Adler and Peter Cooney)

4/10/2019 WikiLeaks: Ecuadorian Embassy spied on Julian Assange by OAN Newsroom
    According to WikiLeaks, the organization’s founder — Julian Assange — has been the target of intense surveillance during his time at the Ecuadorian Embassy in London.
    During a press conference Wednesday, WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson said the spying included audio, video and voice recordings.    He compared the situation to a “Truman Show”-type of existence, and said it was part of an effort to pressure Assange into leaving the embassy.
From left, Fidel Narvaez, former consul of Ecuador to London and Kristinn Hrafnsson, Editor-in-chief of WikiLeaks and
and barrister Jennifer Robinson take part in a press briefing for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange at Doughty Street Chambers,
in London, Wednesday, April 10, 2019. Assange hasn’t left the Ecuadorian embassy since August 2012. (Nick Ansell/PA via AP)
    “It entails a total invasion of privacy of Mr. Assange and what we have established is that security cameras were used to monitor his every move, his every meeting with visitors,” stated Hrafnsson.
    Some of the surveillance equipment is said to have been installed in the past year, following the election of a new government in Ecuador.
    Spanish authorities are continuing to investigate the situation.

4/10/2019 Trump admin. to appeal federal judge’s ruling striking down asylum policy by OAN Newsroom
    The White House is expected to appeal a federal judge’s ruling, which struck-down the policy to keep asylum-seekers waiting in Mexico during the application process.
    Press Secretary Sarah Sanders slammed the move Tuesday, saying District Judge Richard Seeborg is “gravely undermining the president’s ability to address the crisis at the border.”    She added, the administration intends to appeal and will take all necessary action to defend the executive branch’s efforts.
    Sanders goes on to say the flow of illegal aliens is crashing America’s immigration system and overwhelming the country.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders turns to go back into the White House in Washington
after speaking to reporters, Tuesday, April 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
    President Trump also blasted the Ninth Circuit Court early Tuesday:
    “We have a lot of great people over there.    We have bad laws.    We have a judge that just ruled incredibly that he doesn’t want people staying in Mexico.    Figure that one out.    Nobody can believe these decisions we’re getting from the Ninth Circuit.    It’s a disgrace.    We’re fighting the bad laws; the bad things that are coming out of Congress.    You have a Democrat Congress that’s obstructing; you talk about obstruction, the greatest obstruction anyone’s ever seen.”     The judge’s ruling is set to take effect Friday.

4/10/2019 President Trump slams court ruling on asylum ban as Dems prepare own border proposals by OAN Newsroom
    President Trump recently took a shot at the federal courts for blocking his ‘wait in Mexico’ policy for migrants seeking asylum at the southern border.
    Before leaving the White House Wednesday, the president spoke to reporters and said the ruling makes our country less safe.    He then said the asylum laws are being taken advantage of by cartels and smugglers.
    The president called on House Democrats to change the loopholes, which allow dangerous people to get into the U.S.
President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, before
boarding Marine One helicopter, Wednesday, April 10, 2019. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
    In the meantime, Democrats critical of President Trump’s immigration policies are working on legislation to address the surge of families entering the southern border.
    According to reports, the proposal will likely call for more resources at the border for those in need of medical attention, counseling for children as well as refugee processing.
    A draft bill has not been completed yet, but House Democrats plan to introduce a proposal soon to address the recent wave of Central American migrants reaching the border.    However, the president said Democrats are “obstructing” him by refusing to pass tougher immigration restrictions.

4/10/2019 New caravan of at least 1K migrants forming in Honduras, bound for U.S. by OAN Newsroom
    Yet another migrant caravan bound for the U.S. is forming in Honduras.    According to reports Wednesday, at least 1,000 migrants have joined the new caravan as it prepares to depart for the United States-Mexico border.
    The caravan is the fourth large group of migrants to leave Honduras since last October, and it includes families and young children.    It reportedly formed as a result of a “mobilization campaign” on social media.
    Members of the caravan are citing rampant crime and unemployment in Honduras as the reason to leave their country and request asylum in the U.S.
Migrants walk along a highway as a new caravan of several hundred people sets off in hopes of reaching the
distant United States, in San Pedro Sula, Honduras, shortly after dawn Wednesday, April 10, 2019. Parents who
gathered at the bus station with their children to join the caravan say they can’t support their families with
what they can earn in Honduras and are seeking better opportunities. (AP Photo/Delmer Martinez)
    “The economic situation is really difficult.    The wages are not enough.    I don’t have a house.    I have five children, and the government here doesn’t do anything for the people.    We are afraid, but I believe it’s good to try to make it to the United States.” — Nohemy Reyes, Honduran migrant.
    Department of Homeland Security officials have stressed economic hardship and crime in the migrants’ home country does not qualify them for asylum in the U.S.

4/10/2019 Texas state Senate passes ‘Born Alive’ bill in third, final round of voting by OAN Newsroom
    Texas state senators sent a ‘born alive’ bill to the state House, which passed a similar measure out of committee Monday.    The senators passed the bill in its third and final vote Tuesday.
    The measure adds penalties if doctors or health care providers do not provide care to survivors of an attempted or failed abortion.    They could face a third degree felony, which carries a sentence of two to 10-years in prison.    They could be sued by the state’s attorney general for a minimum of $100,000.
    As one of the bill’s author’s stated during debate on the floor Monday, the measure clarifies and strengthens what Texas law already requires.
    “This bill adds teeth to the current law that was passed in 1979 in the 66th legislature,” said state Senator Lois Kolkhorst.
    The single Democrat to support the measure gave emotional testimony during floor proceedings in the third and final reading.
    “Children are a gift from God and they are a reward to the world, and it is for every child that I pray daily,” stated state Senator Eddie Lucio Jr.    “Every baby should be given the opportunity to live, it is our duty as human beings to show them no harm.”
Sen. Eddie Lucio Jr., D-Brownsville, listens before speaking during a joint meeting of the
Senate Finance subcommittee in Austin, Texas. (AP Photo/Harry Cabluck)
    Some opponents argued the bill is pointless, because Texas allows abortions before 20-weeks when health experts claim the fetus cannot survive on its own.
    A separate Senate bill is on Wednesday’s calendar, requiring providers to give informational materials to a woman 24-hours before the scheduled abortion or two-hours before if the woman lives more than 100-miles away.
    The state House is also considering a bill to ban abortion altogether, and it is still working on a bill passed by the state Senate to stop cities and local governments from signing contracts with abortion providers like Planned Parenthood.

4/10/2019 President Trump: I have not seen or read the Mueller report by OAN Newsroom
    President Trump said he has not seen or read the full version of the Mueller report.    He made the comments Wednesday before departing the White House for Texas.
    The president said he doesn’t care about the Mueller report, because “he won” and Attorney General William Barr’s summary “completely exonerates him.”
President Donald Trump speaks to members of the media on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington,
before boarding Marine One helicopter, Wednesday, April 10, 2019. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
    President Trump continued to blast the investigation as an “attempted coup” and an act of treason.
    “It was an illegal investigation, it was started illegally…everything about it was crooked, every single thing about it,” he stated.    “You look at Mccabe and Comey, and you look at Lisa and Peter Strzok — these were bad people and this was an attempted coup, this was an attempted take-down of a president, and we beat them, we beat them.”
    This comes as House Democrats continue to cry out for Attorney General William Barr to release an unredacted Mueller report to Congress.

4/10/2019 VP Pence demands UN recognize Juan Guaido as Venezuela’s president by OAN Newsroom
    Vice President Mike Pence is urging the United Nations to recognize Juan Guaido as the legitimate president of Venezuela.    While speaking to the UN Security Council Wednesday, Pence said Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro must go.
    Pence spoke directly to Venezuela’s ambassador to the UN, saying he should return to Venezuela and tell Maduro his time is up.
    He added, the people of Venezuela are suffering and their economy has been destroyed under Maduro’s regime.    The vice president warned the crisis will get worse if the UN does not take action.
United States Vice President Mike Pence holds a news briefing after addressing the United Nations Security Council
on Venezuela, Wednesday April 10, 2019 at U.N. headquarters. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)
    “This body should revoke the credentials of Venezuela’s representative to the United Nations, recognize interim President Juan Guaido, and seat the representative of the free Venezuelan government in this body without delay,” he stated.
    Pence went on to say the U.S is working on a resolution in support of Guaido, and he’s calling on all UN member states to support it.

4/10/2019 RNC chairwoman slams Rep. Omar over her description of 9/11 terror attacks by OAN Newsroom
Minnesota Rep. Ilhan Omar. (Jim Mone/AP Photo)
    Republican National Committee (RNC) chairwoman Ronna McDaniel is blasting Democrat lawmaker Ilhan Omar in the wake of her recent comments on the 9/11 terrorists attacks.
    In a tweet Wednesday, McDaniel referred to Omar as a “terrorist sympathizing anti-Semite,” and said she is “loved by” Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.     McDaniel also criticized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for giving her a spot on the Foreign Affairs Committee, and urged her removal.     Ronna McDaniel @GOPChairwoman “What does Nancy Pelosi do with a terrorist sympathizing anti-Semite who’s loved by Louis Farrakhan? Gives her a spot on the Foreign Affairs Committee. If it weren’t clear *before* her unbelievable comments about 9/11, Ilhan Omar needs to go.”
    This comes after Omar spoke at a fundraiser in Los Angeles last month, and casually described the terrorists as “some people who did something.”

4/10/2019 In leaky White House, Trump team keeps Middle East peace plan secret by Steve Holland
FILE PHOTO - U.S. United Nations ambassador Nikki Haley (C) White House senior adviser Jared Kushner (L)
and Jason Greenblatt (R), U.S. President Donald Trump's Middle East envoy wait for a meeting of the
UN Security Council at UN headquarters in New York, U.S., February 20, 2018. REUTERS/Lucas Jackson
    WASHINGTON (Reuters) – In a White House where no secret is safe for long, one development has remained stubbornly confidential – the contents of a Middle East peace plan authored by President Donald Trump’s advisers Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt.
    With Trump having delighted Israelis and angered Palestinians by recognizing Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 2017 and moving the American Embassy to the holy city last May, a U.S.-brokered peace deal may seem farther away now than when talks collapsed five years ago.
    Then on Wednesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu secured a clear path to re-election, only days after proposing to annex Jewish West Bank settlements, traditionally viewed as illegal by much of the world.    The Trump administration has yet to comment on the election-eve remarks.
    Aides expect Trump to release the plan once Netanyahu forms a government coalition, and officials say that despite criticism of the administration’s moves to date, the plan will demand compromises from both sides.
    That the peace plan has remained a secret is remarkable in a White House where drafts of executive orders, confidential conversations and internal deliberations all find their way to the front pages.
    Kushner and Greenblatt have limited the plan’s distribution over the two years they have been crafting it.    It has been kept secret “to ensure people approach it with an open mind” when it is released, a senior administration official
    Only four people have regular access – Kushner, Greenblatt, U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman and Kushner aide Avi Berkowitz, the official said.
    Trump is briefed regularly on the contents but is not believed to have read the entire document of dozens of pages. “He is briefed if something interesting is happening or there is an idea they want to run by him,” the official said.     Kushner, a New York real estate developer and husband of Trump’s daughter Ivanka, and Greenblatt, a former lawyer for Trump, joined the process knowing little about the tortured, decades-long path in search of Arab-Israeli peace.
    Their proposal addresses such core political issues as the status of Jerusalem, and separately aims at helping the Palestinians strengthen their economy.
    Cloaked in secrecy is whether the plan will propose outright the creation of a Palestinian state, the Palestinians’ core demand.
    On Wednesday, Trump’s secretary of state Mike Pompeo said the plan would be presented before too long but, when asked, declined to say whether the administration favored a two-state solution, long the basis of Middle East peacemaking.
    Not even Trump, who is known to blurt out news whenever he feels like it, has dribbled out details of the peace plan because of the sensitivity.
    He tells his Middle East envoys, “If you guys can get this done you’re going to be the greatest negotiators in history,” said a senior White House official.
‘YOUR CHILDREN’S FUTURE’
    When Kushner and Greenblatt began developing their plan in 2017, they asked the parties to look to the future and describe an outcome on each issue that they could accept rather than get locked into historical stances, two officials said.
    “You can’t let your grandfather’s conflict hold back your children’s future” was their message to both sides, one official said.
    Palestinians reject Trump’s pro-Israel policies.
    “The extremist and militaristic agenda, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, has been emboldened by the Trump administration’s reckless policies and blind support,” said PLO Executive Committee Member Hanan Ashrawi.
    U.S. Vice President Mike Pence, Pompeo and White House national security adviser John Bolton are all kept up to date on the peace plan, but have kept a hands-off approach to it, deferring to Kushner, two other officials said.
    The secrecy maintained by Kushner and Greenblatt, even as they refine and polish the plan, has posed something of a challenge for Gulf governments, who want to know the details before committing resources to a Palestinian fund.
    Kushner and Greenblatt toured Gulf states in February to promote the economic part of the plan and get opinions about it, without providing a detailed view of the contents of the more crucial political section.
    One of their stops was in Qatar.
    Qatari Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Lolwah Al Khater, speaking to a small group of reporters in Washington recently, gave no indication that Kushner and Greenblatt provided much in the way of details on the political plan when they visited.
    “I don’t think it’s still set in stone,” she said.
    Dennis Ross, a longtime Middle East envoy and now a distinguished fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, said the U.S. team still has “a lot of work to do to make sure that Arab leaders aren’t surprised by what’s going to be presented, and they need to see it in writing, not verbally.”     But he said secrecy at this point is understandable.     “Holding something very close makes sense and it’s not taken as a negative by the parties, because in the end, if the content isn’t leaking out, it also makes sure that what would be controversial doesn’t create an immediate firestorm.    There’s a logic to that,” Ross said.
(Additional reporting by Matt Spetalnick and Arshad Mohammed; Editing by Mary Milliken and Howard Goller)

4/10/2019 U.S. wants U.N. to revoke credentials of Maduro’s government by Michelle Nichols
Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro gives a speech during a rally in support of his
government in Caracas, Venezuela April 6, 2019. REUTERS/Manaure Quintero
    UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) – U.S. Vice President Mike Pence called on the United Nations on Wednesday to revoke the U.N. credentials of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s government and recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as the country’s legitimate leader.
    He said the United States had drafted a U.N. resolution and called on all states to support it.
    “The time has come for the United Nations to recognize interim president Juan Guaido as the legitimate president of Venezuela and seat his representative in this body,” Pence told the U.N. Security Council.
    Diplomats said it is unlikely Washington will get the support needed to adopt such a measure in the 193-member U.N. General Assembly.    The United States and Russia both failed in rival bids to get the 15-member Security Council to adopt resolutions on Venezuela in February.
    More than 50 countries have recognized Guaido as Venezuela’s leader.    When asked if the United States thought it had enough backing to oust Maduro’s government at the United Nations, Pence said: “I think the momentum is on the side of freedom.”
    Russian U.N. Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia accused the United States of provoking an artificial crisis to oust Maduro and replace him “with their own pawn,” actions he described as a “lawless, thuggish violation of international law.”
    “i>We call on the United States to once again recognize that the Venezuelan people and other peoples have the right to determine their own future,” Nebenzia said.    “If you want to make America great again, and we are all sincerely interested in seeing that, stop interfering in the affairs of other states.”
    The U.N. has previously had to address competing claims from other countries for representation at the world body.
    Venezuelan U.N. Ambassador Samuel Moncada said he had been expecting such a move from the United States and Venezuela had been campaigning for months to ensure support for Maduro.     “I sound a warning bell … there is a clear move here again to undermine our rights and if they can undermine our rights, they can undermine the rights of all members of this organization,” he told the Security Council.
‘RELIEVE THE SUFFERING’
    The United States called Wednesday’s meeting of the Security Council to discuss the humanitarian situation in Venezuela.    U.N. aid chief Mark Lowcock told the council that there is a “very real humanitarian problem” in the country.
    “The scale of need is significant and growing,” Lowcock said.    “We can do more to relieve the suffering of the people of Venezuela, if we get more help and support from all stakeholders.”
    He briefed the council on a recent U.N. report on the situation that estimates about a quarter of Venezuelans are in need of humanitarian assistance, and painted a dire picture of millions of people lacking food and basic services.
    Some 3.4 million Venezuelans have left the country and the United Nations predicts that will rise to some 5 million by the end of the year.
    Maduro, who has denied that Venezuela was experiencing a humanitarian crisis, said in an address on state television on Wednesday that the country had reached “an agreement” with the International Red Cross to work with the United Nations to bring in aid.
    He said Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza was “negotiating a formal document” on the aid with the Red Cross.
    Maduro blames U.S. sanctions for the country’s economic problems, but has accepted aid from ally Russia.    In February, Venezuelan troops blocked U.S.-backed aid convoys trying to enter from Colombia and Brazil.
(Reporting by Michelle Nichols at the United Nations; Additional reporting by Shaylim Valderrama in Caracas; Editing by Steve Orlofsky, James Dalgleish and Sonya Hepinstall)

4/11/2019 Oil up $0.63 to $64.81, DOW up 7 to 26,157.

4/11/2019 House passes bill to restore ‘net neutrality’ rules
    The House passed a bill Wednesday to restore Obama-era “net neutrality” rules, but the legislation faces slim odds of making it through the GOP-controlled Senate.    The Save the Internet Act passed the Democrat-controlled House 232-190, with only one Republican vote in favor.    But top Senate Republican Mitch McConnell said Tuesday that net neutrality is “dead on arrival in the Senate.”    The Trump administration also opposes the bill.    Still, the effort to restore net neutrality could give Democrats political points on consumer protections.
[The Democrats want to tax the internet raising my costs for it, so vote it down Senate.].

4/11/2019 Trump says he will have to call up more military at U.S.-Mexico border by Jeff Mason
FILE PHOTO - People stand on the other side of the fence in Mexico as President Donald Trump visits
the U.S.-Mexico border in Calexico, California, U.S., April 5, 2019. REUTERS/Kevin Lamarque
    SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) – U.S. President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would have to mobilize more of the military at the U.S. border with Mexico after listening to stories about migrants crossing the border from people attending a Republican fundraiser.
    “I’m going to have to call up more military,” Trump said.
    The president said some of the people crossing the border were ending up dead from the journey on Americans’ ranches.    He interrupted his discussion with Republican donors to bring in reporters to listen to the stories about the border.
    “Many, many dead people,” Trump said, referring to migrants who he said had perished after making the journey.    “Also they come in and raid their houses, and it’s very dangerous,” Trump said, referring to locals affected by the influx of migrants.
    There are currently about 5,000 active-duty and National Guard troops near the border, though that number fluctuates.
    “We support our federal partners,” Pentagon spokesman Army Lieutenant Colonel Jamie Davis said when asked about Trump’s comments.
    Trump in February had deployed an additional 3,750 U.S. troops to the country’s southwestern border to support Customs and Border Protection agents.
    Later that month, Democratic governors of states including Wisconsin, New Mexico and California withdrew their National Guard troops, saying there was not enough evidence of a security crisis to justify keeping them there.
    Trump, who drew sharp criticism for saying during the 2016 presidential campaign that Mexico was sending rapists and drug runners to the United States, said on Wednesday that those comments were tame compared to the stories he had heard since.
    “People are dying.    Great people are dying. Bad people are coming up.    You have both,” he said.    “From the time I made my first speech at Trump Tower, when I mentioned the word ‘rape’ and everybody went crazy – because that turned out to be nothing compared to what happens on those journeys up.    Nothing.    My speech was so tame, as it turned out.”
    Trump has made immigration a signature issue of his presidency and of his re-election campaign.    He declared a national emergency over the issue earlier this year in an effort to redirect funding from Congress to build a wall along the U.S. southern border.
    Earlier this week he announced that Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was stepping down.    White House officials said he wanted new leadership at the department to focus more closely on what he has called a border crisis.
    Trump is in Texas for fundraising stops that Republican National Committee Chair Ronna McDaniel said would raise some $6 million.
    Trump and the other participants at the San Antonio fundraiser emphasized the toll that the trips across the border were taking.
    “Let me tell you, we can document well over a thousand dead bodies over the last five to six to seven years.    That’s the ones that we find,” said Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick.
    Trump said his proposed wall would help.
    “If you had a wall, they wouldn’t be able to get through … You know, … you can take them to some place where they can be taken care of.    And they won’t come; you won’t have so many – because if they know they can’t get through, they’re not going to come,” he said.
(Reporting by Jeff Mason; additional reporting by Idrees Ali; Editing by James Dalgleish)

4/11/2019 Barr thinks FBI ‘spying did occur’ on campaign - AG tells Congress he will review legality of probe by Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY
    WASHINGTON – Attorney General William Barr told a Senate panel Wednesday that he is reviewing whether federal authorities improperly spied on President Donald Trump’s campaign during the early stages of their investigation into whether any of his aides participated in Russian efforts to sway the 2016 election in his favor.
    “Spying on a campaign is a big deal,” Barr told a Senate panel Wednesday.    “I think spying did occur.    The question is whether it was adequately predicated.”
    The attorney general said he planned to examine the “genesis and the conduct” of the FBI’s investigation into possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, launched in the midst of the 2016 presidential run.    The inquiry was ultimately turned over to special counsel Robert Mueller to complete, and Barr has said it concluded that Trump’s campaign did not conspire with the Russian government.
    “I am not saying that improper surveillance occurred,” Barr told the Senate Appropriations subcommittee.    “I am concerned about it.    There is a basis for my concern.”
    Barr, however, declined to say what specific concern prompted his review or to describe the parts of the investigation he considered to be spying.
    Earlier Wednesday, Trump characterized the Mueller investigation as both “illegal” and an “attempted coup,” while expressing support for a review by Barr.
    The department’s inspector general is conducting a review of surveillance warrants authorities used to eavesdrop on a former campaign aide, Carter Page, in October 2016.    Barr has said that effort should be completed by June.    Republicans in Congress have complained repeatedly that the FBI targeted Trump’s campaign for political reasons, revealing text messages between two senior officials involved in the probe who expressed their personal contempt for Trump.
    So far, however, investigations in Congress have not produced evidence that the extraordinary inquiry into whether Trump’s campaign cooperated with Russian efforts to sway the 2016 election that put him in office was politi- cally motivated or meant to sabotage his campaign.
    Among the questions Barr said he would seek to answer is why the Trump campaign was not notified in advance by federal authorities of its examination of Russian election interference.
    “I don’t understand why the campaign was not advised,” Barr said.
    Barr told lawmakers Wednesday that he planned to ask other Justice Department officials to examine whether the department abused its surveillance powers.    He said he had not formed a view of whether the department or other intelligence agencies acted improperly, but the sensitivity of using national security tools to investigate the conduct of a political campaign required scrutiny.
Attorney General William Barr says he plans to examine the FBI’s investigation into
possible ties between Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and Russia. AP

4/11/2019 Justice chief: ‘Spying did occur’ on Trump campaign by Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY
    WASHINGTON — Attorney General William Barr told a Senate panel Wednesday that he is reviewing whether federal authorities improperly spied on President Donald Trump’s campaign during the early stages of its investigation into whether any of his aides participated in Russian efforts to sway the 2016 election in his favor.
    “Spying on a campaign is a big deal,” Barr told a Senate panel Wednesday.    “I think spying did occur.    The question is whether it was adequately predicated.”
    The attorney general said he planned to examine the “genesis and the conduct” of the FBI’s investigation into possible ties between the Trump campaign and Russia, launched in the midst of the 2016 presidential run.    The inquiry ultimately was turned over to special counsel Robert Mueller to complete, and Barr has said it concluded that Trump’s campaign did not conspire with the Russian government.
    “I am not saying that improper surveillance occurred,” Barr told the Senate Appropriations subcommittee.    “I am concerned about it. There is a basis for my concern.”
    Barr, however, declined to say what specific concern prompted his review or to describe the parts of the investigation he considered to be spying.
    Earlier Wednesday, Trump characterized the Mueller inquiry as both “illegal” and an “attempted coup,” while expressing support for a review by Barr.
    “There is a hunger for this to happen,” Trump told reporters.
    The department’s inspector general is conducting a review of surveillance warrants authorities used to eavesdrop on a former campaign aide, Carter Page, in October 2016.    Barr has said that effort should be completed by June.    Republicans in Congress have complained repeatedly that the FBI targeted Trump’s campaign for political reasons, revealing text messages between two officials involved in the probe who expressed their personal contempt for Trump.
    So far, however, investigations in Congress have not produced evidence that the extraordinary inquiry into whether Trump’s campaign cooperated with Russian efforts to sway the 2016 election that put him in office were politically motivated or meant to sabotage his campaign.
    Among the questions Barr said he would seek to answer is why the Trump campaign was not notified in advance by federal authorities of its examination of Russian election interference.
    “I don’t understand why the campaign was not advised,” Barr said.
    Building on his testimony a day earlier before a House committee, Barr told lawmakers Wednesday that he planned to ask other Justice Department officials to examine whether the department abused its surveillance powers.    He said he had not formed a view of whether the department or other intelligence agencies acted improperly, but the sensitivity of using national security tools to investigate the conduct of a political campaign required scrutiny.
    Barr said that he did not view surveillance abuse as “a problem endemic to the FBI,” but suggested that there was likely “a failure among a group of leaders there.”
    The questions came as Barr prepared to release a redacted version of Mueller’s final report on the Russia investigation “next week.”
    Barr asserted that some parts of the report must remain secret because they contain grand jury information, sensitive national security material, may interfere with ongoing inquiries or contain information that could be damaging to the reputations of those who were not charged in the special counsel’s investigation.
    Barr said Mueller and his staff were working to help remove sensitive information from the report so it could be released to Congress and the public.    And he defended the summary conclusions he delivered to Congress last month and the speed with which those conclusions were made public.
    The special counsel did not make a determination about whether the president’s actions during the investigation amounted to obstruction.    Instead, Barr and his deputy, Rod Rosenstein, separately determined that Trump’s conduct did not constitute a crime.
Contributing: David Jackson.
“Spying on a campaign is a big deal,” Attorney General William Barr told a Senate panel. JACK GRUBER/USA TODAY

4/11/2019 Trump won’t release his taxes by David Jackson, USA TODAY
    WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said Wednesday he will not authorize the release of his tax returns, likely setting up a major legal battle over whether Congress can review his financial records.
    “I’m not gonna do it while I’m under audit,” Trump told reporters at the White House, though congressional Democrats said the law entitles them to review tax records.
    The Internal Revenue Service faced a congressional deadline Wednesday on whether to comply with a request for Trump’s records from the House Ways and Means Committee.
    In an April 3 letter to the IRS, Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass, the committee chairman, cited a law allowing Congress to review individual tax returns for legislative purposes.
    Trump said Democrats are digging for dirt, even though “my finances are very clean.”    The president has said for years he would not release his taxes because they are under audit, but that is not a legal requirement.
    If the IRS follows through and refuses Congress’ request for Trump’s tax returns, the House Ways and Means Committee may consider a subpoena for them.    Trump aides, meanwhile, have indicated they are willing to go to court to test whether lawmakers have the constitutional right to review individual returns.

4/11/2019 Frail-looking Assange arrested by British police after seven years in Ecuador embassy by Costas Pitas and Kate Holton
FILE PHOTO: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is seen on the balcony of the Ecuadorian Embassy
in London, Britain, May 19, 2017. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls/File Photo
    LONDON (Reuters) – WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was arrested by British police and carried out of the Ecuadorean embassy on Thursday after his South American hosts abruptly revoked his seven-year asylum in a move his supporters said was illegal.
    An agitated, frail-looking Assange with white hair and a white beard was carried out of the embassy by at least seven men to a waiting police van.
    “Julian Assange, 47, has today, Thursday 11 April, been arrested by officers from the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) at the Embassy of Ecuador,” police said.
    Police said they arrested Assange after being “invited into the embassy by the Ambassador, following the Ecuadorean government’s withdrawal of asylum.”
    The arrest marks the end of one of the most peculiar turns of Assange’s tumultuous life, though his supporters said Ecuador’s termination of his asylum was illegal and feared that Assange would end up in the United States.
    To some, Assange is a hero for exposing what supporters cast as abuse of power by modern states and for championing free speech.    But to others, he is a dangerous rebel who has undermined the security of the United States.
    WikiLeaks angered Washington by publishing hundreds of thousands of secret U.S. diplomatic cables that laid bare often highly critical U.S. appraisals of world leaders, from Russian President Vladimir Putin to members of the Saudi royal family.
    Assange made international headlines in early 2010 when WikiLeaks published a classified U.S. military video showing a 2007 attack by Apache helicopters in Baghdad that killed a dozen people, including two Reuters news staff.
    In 2012 he took refuge in Ecuador’s London embassy, behind the luxury department store Harrods, to avoid being extradited to Sweden, where authorities wanted to question him as part of a sexual assault investigation.
    Sweden dropped that investigation in 2017, but Assange was arrested on Thursday for breaking the rules of his original bail in London.    A Swedish lawyer representing the alleged rape victim said on Thursday she would push to have prosecutors reopen the investigation.
HERO OR VILLAIN?
    Assange’s relationship with his hosts collapsed after Ecuador accused him of leaking information about President Lenin Moreno’s personal life.    Moreno had previously said Assange had violated the terms of his asylum.
    Moreno said on Thursday that Assange’s diplomatic asylum status had been canceled for repeated violation of conventions.
    He said he had asked Britain to guarantee that Assange would not be extradited to a country where he could face torture or the death penalty.
    “The British government has confirmed it in writing, in accordance with its own rules,” Moreno said.    “The asylum of Mr Assange is unsustainable and no longer viable.”
    Britain said no man was above the law.
    “Julian Assange is no hero, he has hidden from the truth for years and years,” British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said.
    “It’s not so much Julian Assange being held hostage in the Ecuadorean embassy, it’s actually Julian Assange holding the Ecuadorean embassy hostage in a situation that was absolutely intolerable for them.”
    Assange was taken into custody at a central London police station and will be brought before Westminster Magistrates’ Court later.
    Junior foreign minister Alan Duncan confirmed that Britain would not extradite Assange to the United States if he were to face the possibility of the death penalty there.
    WikiLeaks said Ecuador had illegally terminated Assange’s political asylum in violation of international law.
    Supporters of Assange had argued that living in the cramped conditions without access to sunlight had damaged his health.
    Sweden closed its preliminary investigation into a suspected rape in 2017 as there was “no reason to believe that the decision to hand him (Assange) over to Sweden could be implemented within a reasonable time frame."
    But then Chief Prosecutor Marianne Ny said at the time that the probe could be reopened should the situation change.
    “If he at a later time were to make himself available, I can decide to immediately resume the preliminary investigation,” Ny, who has since retired, said in a 2017 statement.
    The statute of limitations for rape in Sweden is 10 years, unless it is deemed to be aggravated, in which case the ability to prosecute runs for longer.
    The Swedish Prosecution Authority had no immediate comment on Thursday regarding the news of Assange’s arrest or whether a probe could be reopened.
(Writing by Guy Faulconbridge and Kate Holton; Editing by Hugh Lawson)

4/11/2019 President Trump touts attorney general’s claim of spying on 2016 Trump campaign by OAN Newsroom
    President Trump is supporting the attorney general’s belief of spying on the Trump campaign from the highest levels of the Obama administration.
    In the Oval Office on Thursday, the president was asked about William Barr’s congressional testimony this week on whether there was unlawful surveillance of his presidential campaign.
    President Trump said he was pleased with Barr’s statement, saying it was absolutely true.
President Donald Trump walks out of the White House to greet South Korean President Moon Jae-in
and his wife Kim Jung-sook, Thursday, April 11, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
    “There was absolutely spying into my campaign — I’ll go a step further, in my opinion it was illegal spying, unprecedented spying, and something that should never be allowed to happen in our country again,” stated the president.    “And I think his answer was actually a very accurate one, and a lot of people saw that…hard to believe it could have happened, but it did.”
    According to reports, Barr is currently looking into the Department of Justice’s motivation into why it began the Russia investigation in the first place.

4/11/2019 President Trump: Violent crime, sexual assault up in border regions amid migrant crisis by OAN Newsroom
    According to President Trump, the mass-migration crisis at the border has sparked a wave of violent crime and sexual assaults.
    During an immigration roundtable in San Antonio, Texas Wednesday, the president said the mainstream media does not report on the crimes committed against migrants and residents of the border region.    He said that Texan citizens don’t leave their homes at night and have to carry guns at all times, while hundreds of migrants are killed by criminal gangs each day.
President Donald Trump speaks with reporters about border policy during a
fundraising event, Wednesday, April 10, 2019, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
    The president also said migrants are facing a threat of sexual assault, while traveling with caravans.
    “From the time I made my first speech at Trump Tower, when I mentioned the word rape and everybody went crazy, that turned out to be nothing compared to what happens on those journeys up, nothing,” said President Trump.    “My speech was so tame, as it turned out.”
    The president went on to say everyone he has talked to wants a border wall to prevent illegal crossings and deaths in the region.

4/11/2019 WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange arrested by OAN Newsroom
    WikiLeaks co-founder Julian Assange has been arrested in London.    He was taken into custody Thursday from the Ecuadorian Embassy, where he has sought asylum for the past seven-years.
    Authorities were invited into the building by the Ecuadorian ambassador after the government decided to revoke Assange’s asylum, following weeks of speculation.
    The Department of Justice is now slapping Assange with computer conspiracy charges.    A federal court issued the charges after Assange was hauled out of the Ecuadorian Embassy by British authorities on behalf of the U.S.
Police carry WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange from the Ecuadorian embassy in London after he was arrested by officers
from the Metropolitan Police and taken into custody Thursday April 11, 2019. . (@DailyDOOH/PA via AP)
    He is facing one charge of “conspiracy” for allegedly hacking a classified U.S. government computer in 2010 with accomplice Chelsea Manning, who already spent seven-years in prison for her crimes.
    The indictment makes no mention of Russian interference in the 2016 election.
Julian Assange gestures as he arrives at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London, after the WikiLeaks founder was arrested by
officers from the Metropolitan Police and taken into custody Thursday April 11, 2019. (Victoria Jones/PA via AP)

4/11/2019 Julian Assange’s arrest draws fierce international reaction by OAN Newsroom
    News of Julian Assange’s arrest has drawn responses from numerous people around the globe.
    This includes Edward Snowden.    The former National Security Agency (NSA) contractor, charged with leaking highly classified information, said Assange’s arrest is a “dark moment for press freedom” that will end up in the history books.
    Edward Snowden: “Images of Ecuador's ambassador inviting the UK's secret police into the embassy to drag a publisher of--like it or not--award-winning journalism out of the building are going to end up in the history books.    Assange's critics may cheer, but this is a dark moment for press freedom.”
    On the other side, British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt thanked the Ecuadorian government for their cooperation with the arrest of Assange.
    “No one is above the law, Julian Assange is no hero,” stated Hunt.    “He has hidden from the truth for years and years, and it is right that his future should be decided in the British judicial system.”
    Back in Washington, West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin celebrated the arrest, and said he wants Assange extradited back to the U.S.
    “It will be really good to get him back on United States soil,” said the West Virginia lawmaker.    “He is our property, and we can get the facts and the truth from him.”
    Meanwhile, WikiLeaks editor-in-chief Kristinn Hrafnsson called the arrest political persecution for doing journalism.
Kristinn Hrafnsson, editor of WikiLeaks, center right, and barrister Jennifer Robinson speak to the media outside
Westminster magistrates court where WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was appearing in London, Thursday, April 11, 2019.
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange was forcibly bundled out of the Ecuadorian Embassy in London and into a waiting British
police van on Thursday, setting up a potential court battle over attempts to extradite him to the U.S. (AP Photo/Alastair Grant)
    “The U.K. government must declare that they will never, ever extradite a journalist from the United Kingdom to the United States for doing journalism,” he stated.    “If this goes forward, no journalist anywhere in the world will be safe from extradition to the United States from doing his job or even to another country, so this must stop.”
    Assange has been in the Ecuadorian Embassy in London since 2012.

4/11/2019 GOP senators reintroduce RAISE Act to reform immigration laws by OAN Newsroom
    Republican senators are taking action on immigration reform by reintroducing the RAISE (Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment) Act.    Senator Tom Cotton, who first introduced the measure in 2017, along with Senator David Perdue and Senator Josh Hawley are leading the effort this time around.
    The bill promotes President Trump’s idea of ending chain migration by granting visas based on skills and education not extended family connections.    Immediate family members would be the exception.
Ark. Sen. Tom Cotton is pictured. (Photo/Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call via AP)
    It is a topic the president touched on in early April:
    “Which is the dumbest? Is it chain migration or is it visa lottery? Pick’em out of the hat, let’s go. You think they’re giving us they’re finest? I don’t think so — right? I don’t think so it’s just crazy.”
    The merit-based program would also give an advantage to applicants who can speak English and those who are potential job creators.
    This is something Minority Leader Chuck Schumer supported a decade ago, during a 2009 speech at an annual Immigration and Policy Conference.
    “We must encourage the world’s best and brightest individuals to come to the United States, and create the new technologies and businesses that will employ countless American workers,” stated Schumer.
    The reintroduced RAISE Act would end the visa lottery based on diversity, which Republicans say is prone to fraud and fails to do what it promises.    Additionally, the legislation would reportedly cap refugee numbers at 50,000 each year.

4/11/2019 Attorney Michael Avenatti faces new criminal charges in Calif. by OAN Newsroom
    Federal prosecutors are set to file new criminal charges against Michael Avenatti in California, marking yet another legal blow for the embattled attorney.
    During a press conference Thursday, officials announced a 36-count indictment reportedly filed by the Department of Justice and the Internal Revenue Service.
    Following the announcement, Avenatti tweeted that he remains “confident that justice will be done.”For 20 years, I have represented Davids vs. Goliaths and relied on due process and our system of justice.    Along the way, I have made many powerful enemies.    I am entitled to a FULL presumption of innocence and am confident that justice will be done once ALL of the facts are known.” — Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) April 11, 2019.
    This comes after the 48-year-old was charged this week for filing false tax returns to secure four million dollars loans and withholding millions from a client.
    Avenatti has waived his right to a preliminary hearing.    He is set to be arraigned at the end of this month.
FILE – In this April 1, 2019 file photo, attorney Michael Avenatti arrives at federal court in
Santa Ana, Calif. An indictment filed against Avenatti, Wednesday, April 10, alleges he stole millions of dollars from
clients, didn’t pay his taxes, committed bank fraud and lied in bankruptcy proceedings. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
[This is hilarious since it is true that what goes around comes around in that this lawyer was all over the news claiming Kavanaugh and Trump were guilty of crimes without due process so he is getting the same back from the same "fake news" media that he exploited.].

4/11/2019 U.S. House Democrats blame Trump for worsening border crisis by Susan Cornwell
FILE PHOTO - U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) speaks at her weekly news conference
on Capitol Hill in Washington, U.S., April 4, 2019. REUTERS/Yuri Gripas
    LEESBURG, Va. (Reuters) – U.S. House of Representatives Democrats are accusing Republican President Donald Trump of aggravating a crisis situation at the southern U.S. border, saying he has not used funds available to help deal with a surge of migrants and exacerbated the problem with his attempts to crack down.
    House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said Thursday that bipartisan immigration reform, which has eluded Congress and the White House for years, is still the solution.    It is in fact “inevitable,” Pelosi said on the sidelines of a Democratic party meeting in Leesburg, Virginia.
    In Washington, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, a Republican, also called for bipartisan discussions on immigration.    But he focused on toughening U.S. asylum law, a move that Democrats likely would oppose.
    Democrats have not proposed a comprehensive immigration bill since taking the majority in the House this year. Republicans still hold the Senate.
    Instead, Democrats last month proposed legislation offering a pathway to citizenship for more than 2 million undocumented immigrants who were brought illegally to the United States as children.    Known as Dreamers, they face possible deportation.
    The House Democratic bill would also help immigrants from countries hit by civil conflicts or natural disasters who have temporary protected status, known as TPS.
    U.S. officers arrested or denied entry to over 103,000 people along the border with Mexico in March, a 35 percent increase over the prior month and more than twice as many as the same period last year, according to data released by U.S. Customs and Border Protection this week.
    The steady increase in migrant arrivals, which has been building over the past several months, is driven by a growing number of children and families, especially from Central America.
    Trump has threatened to close the border, saying the United States is “full.”    He has urged the building of a wall on the southern border since before he became president in 2016.    Recently his ire has been directed at his own officials, Congress, and Latin American countries, who he says have not done enough to stop their citizens from traveling to the United States.
    Pelosi, asked Thursday what should be done at the border, said the bipartisan legislation Trump signed to end a government shutdown in February included money for judges and humanitarian aid “to bring order to the border,” but Trump has not used the funds.
    Although a bipartisan effort at comprehensive immigration reform by Democrats and Trump last year failed, Pelosi said such an overhaul still had a chance.
    “I’m not giving up on the president on this,” Pelosi said.    “I still say to him, ‘We’ve got to have comprehensive immigration reform’.”
    Representative Pramila Jayapal, speaking to reporters later, said the Trump administration had manufactured a crisis at the border in part by “stripping away” legal routes to immigration, such as by stopping asylum seekers at legal ports of entry.
    Trying to curb the flow of Central American asylum seekers, the administration has been sending more people back to Mexico to wait for their asylum claims to be heard by U.S. courts.
    Representative David Cicilline said the Trump administration had exacerbated a challenging border situation by not spending money that was appropriated for border facilities and personnel, as well as by cutting off aid to Central American countries for sending migrants to the United States.
    Cicilline, who runs the House Democrats’ policy and communications committee, denied Democrats were simply “looking on helplessly” at the problems.
    “But the administration has responsibility in all these areas.    And we can appropriate funding and we can pass legislation but ultimately they are responsible for executing the immigration laws in this country,” he said.
(Reporting by Susan Cornwell; Editing by James Dalgleish)

4/11/2019 Assange hacking charge limits free speech defense: legal experts by Jan Wolfe and Nathan Layne
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is seen as he leaves a police station in London, Britain April 11, 2019. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls
    (Reuters) – WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange has portrayed himself as a champion of a free press, but the U.S. Department of Justice’s decision to charge him with conspiring to hack government computers limits his ability to mount a vigorous free speech defense, some legal experts said.
    The charge unsealed in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia on Thursday said that in 2010 Assange agreed to help Chelsea Manning, a former U.S. Army intelligence analyst then known as Bradley Manning, crack a password to a U.S. government network.
    At the time, Manning had already given WikiLeaks classified information about U.S. war activities in both Afghanistan and Iraq, as well as Guantanamo Bay detainees, prosecutors said.    The scheme would have allowed Manning to log in to the network anonymously and avoid detection, the indictment said.
    Robert Chesney, a professor of national security law at the University of Texas, said that the case did not implicate free speech rights because it turned on the idea that Assange tried to hack a password.
    “The charge is extremely narrow and that’s by design,” said Chesney.
    U.S. prosecutors could still add charges against Assange, legal experts said.
    The indictment, which was made secretly last year and released on Thursday, does not charge Assange for publishing classified material.    WikiLeaks released the classified war information on its website in 2010 and 2011.
    There is no mention in the indictment of WikiLeaks’ publication of emails damaging to 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton that U.S. intelligence agencies have said were stolen by Russia in a bid to boost Republican Donald Trump’s candidacy.
    British police carried Assange out of Ecuador’s embassy in London on Thursday after his seven-year asylum there was revoked.    The U.S. Department of Justice said Assange, 47, was arrested under an extradition treaty between the United States and Britain.
    Barry Pollack, a lawyer for Assange, suggested in a statement that the indictment could chill press freedom, saying journalists should be “deeply troubled” by the “unprecedented” charges.
    “While the indictment against Julian Assange disclosed today charges a conspiracy to commit computer crimes, the factual allegations against Mr. Assange boil down to encouraging a source to provide him information and taking efforts to protect the identity of that source,” Pollack said.
    Assange has long said WikiLeaks is a journalistic endeavor protected by freedom of the press laws.    In 2017, a U.K. tribunal recognized WikiLeaks as a “media organization.”
The Justice Department debated for years whether prosecuting Assange and WikiLeaks would encroach on First Amendment protections, according to former officials.
    The department under President Barack Obama made a conscious decision not to bring charges against Assange on the grounds that WikiLeaks’ activities were too similar to what conventional journalists do, the former officials said.
    The charge against Assange of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion minimized concerns that freedom of the press would be undermined and made it more difficult for him to argue that his free speech rights were at stake, some legal experts said.
    “A lot of the broader legal and policy implications have been alleviated by how narrowly tailored this indictment is,” said Bradley Moss, a national security lawyer in Washington who represents whistleblowers and journalists.
    Free speech advocates had worried that Assange would be prosecuted for publishing classified information he obtained from Manning in violation of the Espionage Act.
    It is not unusual for journalists to publish classified material they obtain from sources and such a prosecution against Assange would have raised concerns that reporters could face similar charges, according to Steve Vladeck, a professor of national security law at the University of Texas.
    Assange is likely to argue that the conspiracy charge was a pretext and the government really is prosecuting him for the publication of classified documents, lawyers not involved in the case said.
    David Miller, a former federal prosecutor in New York and Virginia, said Assange’s defense would likely face “an uphill battle” assuming the government’s proof of communications and contacts with Manning is strong.
    Prosecutors will emphasize that cracking a password is far outside the realm of what respectable journalists do, Chesney at the University of Texas said.
    “All of this turns on the idea that Assange tries to hack a password,” Chesney said.    “That’s not journalism, that’s theft.”
    Manning was convicted by court martial in 2013 of espionage and other offenses for furnishing more than 700,000 documents, videos, diplomatic cables and battlefield accounts to WikiLeaks.    Obama, in his last days in office, commuted the final 28 years of Manning’s 35-year sentence.
(Reporting by Jan Wolfe and Nathan Layne; additional reporting by Mark Hosenball and Sarah N. Lynch; Editing by Noeleen Walder and Grant McCool)

4/12/2019 Oil down $1.03 to $63.58, DOW down 14 to 26,143.

4/12/2019 From skateboards to spying, Assange arrest followed drawn-out dispute with Ecuador by Alexandra Valencia and Mark Hosenball
Ecuador's President Lenin Moreno explains in a tweeted video why his country revoked WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange's
asylum, in Quito, Ecuador April 11, 2019 in this still image taken from video. @lenin/via REUTERS
    QUITO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Ecuador’s decision to abruptly end Julian Assange’s seven-year asylum in its London embassy on Thursday followed a long deterioration in relations, driven in part by suspicions he was secretly fuelling corruption allegations against President Lenin Moreno.
    British police on Thursday arrested the WikiLeaks founder, who sought asylum in the Andean nation’s diplomatic mission during the government of former Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa – who saw Assange as a hero for leaking secret U.S. documents.
    By contrast, Moreno took a dim view of Assange when he took office in 2017, ordering the Australian hacker to cut back his online political commentary, stop riding his skateboard in the halls of the embassy and clean up after his pet cat.
    Moreno’s government accused WikiLeaks of being behind an anonymous website that said Moreno’s brother had created offshore companies that his family used to fund a luxurious lifestyle in Europe while Moreno was a delegate to a U.N. agency.
    Moreno denies wrongdoing.
    The leaked materials, dubbed the “INA Papers,” contained private photographs of Moreno and his family.    After the release of the materials, Moreno said that Assange had no right to “hack private accounts and phones,” without directly accusing him.
    WikiLeaks tweeted about the reports but, in messages and statements to Reuters, strongly denied that Assange was responsible for the leaks or had anything to do with their initial publication.
EMBASSY BEHAVIOR
    Ecuadorean government figures on Thursday publicly described what they called Assange’s unacceptable and ungrateful behavior in the embassy.    The government said it had spent $6.2 million on his upkeep and security between 2012 and 2018.
    Foreign Minister Jose Valencia said Assange had been using a mobile phone that was not registered with the embassy and had warned the ambassador in January that he had installed panic buttons that he would activate if he considered his life at risk.
    “It’s strange that Mr. Assange has insisted on being the victim,” Valencia told Ecuador’s National Assembly.
    The interior minister, Maria Paula Romo, told reporters on Thursday that Assange had been “allowed to do things like put feces on the walls of the embassy and other behaviors of that nature.”
    Valencia told the congress that embassy cleaning staff described “improper hygienic conduct” throughout Assange’s stay, adding that a lawyer representing Assange had attributed the issue to “stomach problems.”
    Lawyers for Assange did not respond to requests for comment.    Vaughan Smith, a friend and founder of London’s press Frontline Club who visited Assange late last week, told Reuters he believed the feces allegation was false.
    “Julian has been under stress but seemed in a balanced frame of mind every time I have seen him.    It doesn’t seem in character,” Smith said.
STAFFING CHANGE
    Friends of Assange who visited him inside the embassy over the last several months say that since Moreno became president, almost the entire embassy staff was replaced.
    The foreign ministry named a new ambassador after Moreno took office and fired one official, Fidel Narvaez, seen as close to Assange.
    While embassy staffers were friendly to Assange during Correa’s presidency, Moreno’s new diplomats were polite to visitors but hostile to Assange, his friends said.
    In early February, according to Ecuadorean government memos released by Assange’s supporters, Ecuador complained to Assange that he had deliberately pointed a studio lamp at a security camera the embassy had installed in a room where Assange was receiving visitors.
    Later that month, the ambassador sent Assange a memo complaining that he had “shown once again an unacceptable behavior” by playing a radio loudly while meeting visitors.    “This action disturbed the work being carried out by the embassy,” the ambassador said.
    Assange had taken refuge in the embassy in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden over a sexual assault investigation that was later dropped.
    U.S. officials announced after his arrest on Thursday that he had been charged with conspiracy to commit computer intrusion, paving the way for his extradition.
    Correa, in an interview with Reuters in Brussels, said Moreno had given Assange “to his executioners.”
    Asked whether he had worked with Wikileaks to leak the INA documents, he did not directly respond.    He said the documents showed the “rottenness” within Moreno’s family.
    “I apologize on behalf of the Ecuadorean people.    A government like that – such a treacherous, treacherous president – does not represent us,” Correa said.
    Valencia declined to comment on criticisms of Moreno.
    Correa is embroiled in a legal battle with prosecutors pursuing a case involving the kidnapping in 2012 of an opposition lawmaker.    An court in Ecuador last year ordered him to be imprisoned pending a trial and issued an international arrest warrant.    Correa denies the charge.
(Reporting by Alexandria Valencia in Quito and Mark Hosenball in Washington, Additional reporting by Bart Biesemans in Brussels and Carlos Vargas and Helen Murphy in Bogota; Writing by Angus Berwick and Brian Ellsworth; Editing by Daniel Flynn and Rosalba O’Brien)

4/12/2019 After years of giving refuge, Ecuador suspends Assange’s citizenship by Alexandra Valencia
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is seen after was arrested by British police, outside
Westminster Magistrates Court in London, Britain April 11, 2019. REUTERS/Peter Nicholls
    QUITO (Reuters) – Ecuador has suspended Julian Assange’s citizenship and accused him and people connected to his WikiLeaks group of collaborating in attempts to destabilize the Andean nation’s government, after years of offering him shelter.
    A bearded and frail-looking Assange was arrested by British police on Thursday after Ecuador terminated his asylum at its London embassy, where he had lived since 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden over a sexual assault investigation.
    Assange’s Ecuadorean citizenship was suspended on Wednesday, Foreign Minister Jose Valencia told reporters.
    To some, Australian-born Assange is a hero for exposing what supporters cast as abuse of power and for championing free speech.    To others, he is a dangerous figure who has undermined the security of the United States and has too many ties to Russia.
    WikiLeaks angered Washington by publishing hundreds of thousands of secret U.S. diplomatic cables that laid bare often highly critical U.S. appraisals of world leaders, from Russian President Vladimir Putin to members of the Saudi royal family.
    Assange’s lawyer in Quito, Carlos Poveda, told reporters asylum was terminated in reprisal for corruption allegations against President Lenin Moreno and that his life will be in danger if he is extradited to the United States.
    Assange was offered refuge in 2012 by Ecuador’s then-president Rafael Correa, but his relationship with Ecuador has soured under Moreno, who has said Assange violated the terms of his asylum.
    Assange received Ecuadorean citizenship in January 2018.
    Moreno was angered after years-old private photographs of him and his family taken when they lived in Europe circulated on social media.    His government said it believed the photos were shared by WikiLeaks.
    Ecuador was not aware of any active extradition requests for Assange before it terminated his asylum, Valencia told the national assembly.
    “At the time the decision to finalize his asylum was made, there was only a case in the United Kingdom for violating the conditions of his bail in 2012,” Valencia told lawmakers.
    U.S. prosecutors unsealed an indictment against Assange on Thursday, accusing him of conspiring with former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to gain access to a government computer as part of one of the largest compromises of classified information in U.S. history.
    Assange faces up to five years in prison on the American charge, the U.S. Justice Department said in a statement.
    Assange and WikiLeaks have intervened in Ecuadorean affairs, Interior Minister Maria Paula Romo told reporters in Quito, and at least one Russian hacker involved with the organization is living in the country.
    She would not confirm whether the hacker was involved in the creation of web pages that accuse Moreno of corruption, but said they had participated in the creation of a page later spread by WikiLeaks.
    “We hope it will be the Ecuadorean justice system which will confirm the exact relationship,” Romo said.
    Romo on Thursday night said Ecuador had detained a person “very close” to WikiLeaks who is associated with former Ecuadorean foreign minister Ricardo Patino.
    “(The person) was detained this afternoon while attempting to travel to Japan,” said Romo, without providing the person’s name or nationality.
    Earlier she had said that Patino, who was serving under Correa when Assange was granted asylum, was seeking to destabilize the government.
    Patino denied the allegations.
    Romo “just invented a story about a supposed relationship of mine with Russian hackers,” Patino said on Twitter.    “The only thing left is for her to say where we left Red Riding Hood and Sleeping Beauty.”
(Reporting by Alexandra Valencia; Writing by Julia Symmes Cobb; Editing by Helen Murphy, Bill Rigby, Alistair Bell and Sandra Maler)

4/12/2019 Mueller inquiry snares ex-Obama counsel by Kevin Johnson, Brad Heath and Bart Jansen, USA TODAY
    WASHINGTON – Gregory Craig, who served as White House counsel to President Barack Obama, was charged with lying and concealing information from federal authorities in the first case against a prominent Democrat stemming from special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation of election interference by Russia.    The charges center on work Craig performed in 2012 on behalf of a pro-Russian political faction in Ukraine, part of an illicit lobbying effort by Paul Manafort, the former chairman of Donald Trump’s presidential campaign [Manafort nor Craig was not associates with Trump in 2012, but on Obama's watch when they commited their lobbying and as we have seen Manafort had worked with at least 4 presidents before Trump doing what he does.].
    Manafort was one of six top Trump associates charged in Mueller’s inquiry into Russian efforts to influence the 2016 election.    He was sentenced to a combined prison term of more than seven years last month after financial fraud convictions in Virginia and Washington, all related to his work in Ukraine.
    Craig, 74, is accused of making false statements and concealing information from the Justice Department’s Foreign Agents Registration Unit regarding his work for the Ukrainian government.    People who lobby on behalf of foreign governments in the USA are required to register with the department.    Craig was charged with repeating those lies to Mueller’s investigators in 2017.
    “Mr. Craig is not guilty of any charge and the government’s stubborn insistence on prosecuting Mr. Craig is a misguided abuse of prosecutorial discretion,” Craig’s attorneys, William Taylor and William Murphy, said in a joint statement.
    The lobbying happened after Craig left the Obama administration and before Trump sought the presidency.     The attorney’s former law firm, Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, agreed in January to pay $4.6 million to the Justice Department for its work on behalf of Ukraine’s government.    At that time, prosecutors did not identify Craig but said a senior partner at the firm lied to the department to avoid having to register with the government when working on behalf of a foreign power.
    Skadden was hired to write a report about the prosecution of former Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko, who was sentenced to seven years in prison for abusing the powers of her office.    The country’s new government, closely aligned with Russia, sought to portray the trial as fair and improve Ukraine’s public image, but Craig didn’t want to report the work under the Justice Department’s Foreign Agents Registration Act, the indictment says.
Gregory Craig was White House counsel under President Barack Obama. He went on to do work on behalf of the Ukrainian government. AP
[Craig is presently denying those charges, so if they free him of charges then they should do the same for Manafort and Flynn for the same thing.    But I have presented the following information to you before.
    The Ukrainian Ministry of Justice was his firm's client and central to the indictment, and in 2017, Skadden Arps refunded $567,000 billed by the firm to the Government of Ukraine.
    Van der Zwaan, who speaks Russian, was one of the eight attorneys who worked on Skadden Arps's 2012 report, commissioned by the government of Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych via Paul Manafort, that defended the prosecution, conviction and imprisonment of Yanukovych's rival, the country's former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko.    Van der Zwaan traveled to Ukraine to work on the report, and served as rule-of-law consultant to the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine.    Former United States ambassador to Ukraine John E. Herbst said in a 2017 interview that Skadden Arps "should have been ashamed" of the report, calling it "a nasty piece of work."
IF YOU STILL DO NOT BELIEVE THAT THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION AND CLINTON CAMPAIGN WAS NOT USING SURVEILLANCE SYSTEMS TO WIN ELECTIONS THE FOLLOWING WILL CHANGE YOUR MIND AND REALIZE WHO CREATED PAUL MANAFORT AND USED HIM BEFORE TRUMP CAME ALONG]
3/4/2019 Ukraine’s Tymoshenko: ‘gas princess’, prisoner, and next president? by Matthias Williams and Pavel Polityuk
FILE PHOTO: Leader of opposition Batkivshchyna party and presidential candidate Yulia Tymoshenko
attends a news conference in Kiev, Ukraine, February 22, 2019. REUTERS/Valentyn Ogirenko
    KIEV (Reuters) – Yulia Tymoshenko has been Ukraine’s prime minister twice, was the global face of a revolution, imprisoned by two different presidents, and the target of an operation to discredit her by President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager [SEE THE NOTE BELOW ABOUT THE REAL TRUTH OF THAT STATEMENT].
    Now the 58-year-old known for her fiery rhetoric and, once upon a time, for her peasant braid hairstyle, hopes to unseat her old rival Petro Poroshenko in a tightly fought presidential vote on March 31.
    Her campaign is a difficult balancing act, promising reforms and continued cooperation with the International Monetary Fund while pledging to reverse sharp increases in the price of gas used for home heating that the IMF set as a condition for more loans.
As seen on google: According to the September 2018 indictment in which Paul Manafort confessed as part of a plea bargain with U.S. special prosecutor Robert Mueller, Manafort helped former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych to conduct a media campaign in the West directed against Tymoshenko in order to undermine the support for her by the administration of then U.S. President Barack Obama.    The campaign was designed to make Tymoshenko look like a supporter of anti-Semitism.    The indictment also states that in July 2011, former U.S. journalist Alan Friedman sent Manafort a confidential six-page document entitled "Ukraine - the digital road map," which contained a plan for "destruction" of Tymoshenko using video, articles and social networks.    The plan included creating a website, posting on the Internet, and sending out e-mails to "the target audience in Europe and the U.S."    It was also proposed to edit the page of Yulia Tymoshenko in Wikipedia in order to emphasize the "corruption and legal proceedings" related to her.
    I want to remind everyone that during 2009-2017 Obama had the NSA, DNI, DOJ, FBI doing all his dirty work using the FISA corruption and using a massive surveillance system on all citizens and has not been prosecuted for his actions.    And isn't that amusing that the Clinton troops continued using Ukranian sources to do their dirty work probably using Manafort.].

4/11/2019 Report: Former Obama White House counsel may face prosecution in Mueller probe by OAN Newsroom
    According to reports, a former Obama-era White House counsel may soon be charged in an investigation related to the Mueller probe.    If charged, he would be the first prominent Democrat charged as a result of Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation.Gregory Craig, who served as an Obama administration White House counsel from 2009 to 2010.
    The Justice Department began looking into Craig in connection with its investigation into former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his work on behalf of a Ukrainian political party in 2012.
    Craig and the law firm he was senior partner of were allegedly hired by the Ukrainian government to compile a report on the corruption prosecution of a former Ukrainian prime minister.    The firm’s work got the attention of the Department of Justice, who questioned if the report should have been registered under the Foreign Agents Registration Act.
    In a settlement in January, the firm acknowledged it participated in a public relations campaign.    It admitted it was paid $4.6 million for the report, and not the $12,000 the Ukrainian government said at the time.
    The firm paid a fine of more than $4.6 million, admitting it misled the government about it’s role as a foreign agent during its time working for Ukraine.    The firm also blamed Craig for the misinformation as reports said investigators identified false statements between Craig and the the Department of Justice.
    Prosecutors said they believe he also tried to conceal a public relations firm’s involvement in the ordeal.
In this Oct. 17, 2016, photo, attorney Gregory Craig arrives at U.S. District Court in Washington. Lawyers for former Obama
administration White House counsel Craig say they expect their client to be charged in a foreign lobbying investigation
that grew out of the special counsel’s Russia probe. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
    Craig’s attorneys have denied wrongdoing, saying the charges are a “misguided abuse of prosecutorial discretion.”
    Over the last few years, the Department of Justice has filed several charges involving the Foreign Agents Act.    This includes the case against Paul Manafort, whose case ended with a sentence of more than seven-years in prison.
    A second attorney at the firm pleaded guilty last year to lying to the FBI about his role in the Ukraine report, saying he gave an early copy to Manafort and deleted related emails.    He was sentenced to 30-days in prison.
[Paul Manafort has become a pawn for presidential hatchet man and was probably a spy for the U.S.A. most likely.].

4/12/2019 Pence: WH is not bringing back family separation by OAN Newsroom
    “The President made it very clear this week, we’re not rethinking bringing back family separation.” – Vice President Mike Pence.
    Vice President Mike Pence confirms the Trump administration is not bringing back the controversial family separation policy.
    In a new interview airing on Friday, Pence said despite ending the deterrent measure, it is absolutely essential to fix the humanitarian crisis creating hardships on both sides of the border.
Vice President Mike Pence speaks along the border with Mexico while meeting with border
patrol agents, Thursday, April 11, 2019, in Nogales, Ariz. (AP Photo/Matt York)
    He added, Congress needs to act on comprehensive immigration reform.
    Pence’s comments come after President Trump denied the administration was discussing restarting the policy this week.

4/12/2019 Dozens of asylum seekers return from Mexico after judge puts hold on WH policy by OAN Newsroom
    Dozens of asylum seekers are returning to the U.S. after a federal judge ruled they no longer have to wait in Mexico.
    The DHS plans to appeal the ruling which goes into effect Friday, allowing at least 60 Central American migrants to await their court date in the U.S.
FILE – In this Tuesday, March 19, 2019, file photo, two men, both of Honduras, gather with attorneys to pray
before crossing into the United States to begin their asylum cases after being returned to Mexico in Tijuana, Mexico.
The Trump Administration appealed a San Francisco judge’s ruling Wednesday, April 10, 2019, that would block it
from returning asylum seekers to Mexico to await court hearings. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull, File)
    Close to 1,500 asylum seekers were told to wait in Mexican border towns, as part of an experimental white house policy to cut down on cases of catch and release.
    President Trump responded to the ruling by slamming it as unfair to the U.S.
    “You have people coming in claiming asylum.    They’re all reading exactly what the lawyer gives them," said President Trump.    “They have a piece of paper.    Read what that is, and all of a sudden you’re entitled to asylum.    And some of these people are not people you want in our country”
    The DHS had hoped to begin expanding the program to other ports of entry outside California.
    However the ruling means the administration can not implement or expand the policy.

4/12/2019 100 CBP agents redirected to southern border to help with traffic delays by OAN Newsroom
    The Trump administration is sending reinforcements to the southern border to help with traffic delays.
    100 CBP agents from the Canadian border and other parts of the country will arrive in El Paso, Texas as early as Monday.
    The agents will be assigned to ports of entry, to cut down delays on cross-border traffic.    Due to the surge of asylum seekers, there are less agents available to help with the daily flow of traffic.
    Transportation businesses have lost an estimated $15 million dollars over the past week.
Trucks wait to cross the border with the U.S. in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, Tuesday, April 9, 2019. Reassignments
of border inspectors at land crossings with Mexico have exacerbated wait times for truckers. (AP Photo/Christian Torres)

4/12/2019 Pres. Trump to discuss 5G, broadband deployment with FCC chairman Ajit Pai by OAN Newsroom
    President Trump is set to meet with the country’s top communications regulator, for an update about the deployment of a 5G wireless network.
President Donald Trump waves as he arrives at Ellington Joint Reserve Base, Wednesday, April 10, 2019, in Houston. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
    The president will host FCC chairman Ajit Pai at the White House Friday, where the two will discuss efforts to boost broadband internet access across the nation.
    According to reports, Pai is expected to announce additional funds to help rural areas gain access to high speed service.
    The president is also likely to warn other countries against jumping into business with Chinese tech companies, to avoid possible espionage and national security threats.

4/12/2019 Ecuador holding Swedish programmer linked to Assange in custody
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is seen in a police van, after he was arrested by
British police, in London, Britain April 11, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls
    CARACAS (Reuters) – Ecuador said on Friday it is holding a programmer linked to WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange in custody pending possible charges of interfering in private communications, a day after ending Assange’s seven-year asylum in its London embassy.
    Interior Minister Maria Paula Romo said prosecutors could file charges against Ola Bini, who she said lives in Ecuador and had visited Assange in the London embassy a dozen times.
    President Lenin Moreno in recent weeks had accused WikiLeaks and Assange of violating his privacy by publishing family photos of him.    WikiLeaks denies the accusation, and says Moreno was trying to stifle reporting of corruption allegations against him.
    “He is detained for the purposes of investigation.    This is a detention that took place in recent hours, ordered by judges of course, and requested by state prosecutors,” Romo said in televised comments.    “This person is very close to WikiLeaks.”
    Romo, who on Thursday had announced the detention of an unidentified individual, did not provide further details.
    On his website, Bini describes himself as a software developer who works for the Quito-based Center for Digital Autonomy, which focuses on digital privacy and security.    The site does not mention WikiLeaks.
    Bini and the Center for Digital Autonomy did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment.
    Romo said the government had information that Bini had traveled on several occasions with Ricardo Patino, who was Ecuador Foreign Minister when Assange was granted asylum in 2012 during the government of former President Rafael Correa.
    Patino via Twitter said he does not know Bini.
    Romo said two Russian citizens were also under investigation but had not been arrested.
    Moreno’s government accused WikiLeaks of being behind an anonymous website that said Moreno’s brother had created offshore companies that his family used to fund a luxurious lifestyle in Europe while Moreno was a delegate to a United Nations agency.
    Moreno, who was Correa’s vice president but fell out with him after taking office in 2017, denies wrongdoing.
(Reporting by Alexandra Valencia and Jose Llangari; Writing by Brian Ellsworth; Editing by Richard Chang)

4/12/2019 Pompeo slams China, Russia involvement in Venezuela
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo speaks during a joint news conference with Chile's Foreign Minister Roberto Ampuero
(not pictured) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Santiago, Chile April 12, 2019. REUTERS/Rodrigo Garrido
    SANTIAGO (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday accused China of aiding Venezuela’s economic collapse by bankrolling President Nicolas Maduro’s government and said Russian troop presence in the country was an “obvious provocation.”
    “China and others are being hypocritical in calling for ‘non-intervention’ in Venezuela’s affairs,” Pompeo said in a speech in Chile’s capital.    “Their own financial interventions have helped destroy the country.”
    He slammed the arrival of Russian troops in Venezuela, and said Russia’s investments in police training and a satellite compound in Nicaragua “to put it mildly aren’t good.”
    “We shouldn’t stand for Russia escalating an already precarious situation in these ways,” Pompeo added.
(Reporting by Lesley Wroughton; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama)

4/12/2019 Two Venezuela central bank employees arrested after meeting Guaido: lawyer, source
FILE PHOTO: Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who many nations have recognized as the
country's rightful interim ruler, speaks during a protest against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government
in Caracas, Venezuela, April 10, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins/File Photo
    CARACAS (Reuters) – Two workers at Venezuela’s central bank were arrested on Friday after meeting opposition leader Juan Guaido, who has called on public officials to disavow President Nicolas Maduro, according to the employees’ lawyer and a source familiar with the matter.
    The attorney, Alonso Medina Roa, said the two employees – Deny Albujar and Manuel Alberto Guisseppe – had also recently taken part in protests demanding better working conditions.
    According to Roa, they have not yet appeared in court and the charges against them are unknown.
    The arrests came as Maduro cracks down on the opposition amid a nearly three-month power struggle with Guaido, the leader of the opposition-controlled National Assembly who invoked the country’s constitution to assume an interim presidency in January.
    He has been recognized as the OPEC nation’s rightful leader by more than 50 countries, which agree with his claim that Maduro’s May 2018 re-election was illegitimate.    Maduro, a socialist, argues Guaido is a puppet of the United States attempting to oust him in a coup.
    Both Albujar and Guisseppe, whose job titles were unknown, were present at a public meeting on Monday that Guaido held at the National Assembly with a few dozen state employees, the source said. Guaido discussed a proposed law to improve benefits to public workers in a new government once Maduro leaves power, the source said.    None of the other participants has been arrested.
    Albujar and Guisseppe worked at the bank for more than five years, the source added.
    Neither the central bank nor Venezuela’s information ministry, which handles media for the government, responded to requests for comment.
    Public workers in Venezuela have been demanding better salaries and benefits for several months, as their wages and living standards have been eroded by hyperinflation.
(Reporting by Caracas Newsroom; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)

4/12/2019 Pompeo says U.S. won’t quit fight in Venezuela, defends sanctions by Natalia A. Ramos Miranda
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo attends a joint news conference with Chile's Foreign Minister Roberto Ampuero
at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in Santiago, Chile April 12, 2019. REUTERS/Rodrigo Garrido
    SANTIAGO (Reuters) – U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Friday defended sanctions on Venezuela and said the United States would not “quit the fight” in the socialist-run Latin American nation which is spiraling into deepening economic and political crisis.
    Pompeo is on a three-day trip to Chile, Paraguay and Peru, a clutch of fast-growing countries in a region where Washington’s concerns are focused on China’s growing presence as well as the Venezuelan crisis.
    “The United States and its allies will not quit this fight,” he said during an event in Chilean capital Santiago, adding that the country would keep supporting Venezuelans “courageously standing up for democracy in their home country.”
    Washington is pressuring President Nicolas Maduro to step down and urging more countries to join the coalition supporting opposition leader Juan Guaido.    South America has seen a political shift in recent years toward the right, and most nations have backed Guaido.
    “It’s a historic opportunity when you have all but a handful of countries that are truly market-driven, democratic in ways that you haven’t had in South America for decades,” Pompeo told reporters earlier en route to Santiago, where he met with Chilean President Sebastián Piñera.
    Pompeo will travel later on Friday to Paraguay, the first visit by a U.S. secretary of state to the country since 1965, a gesture experts say underscores U.S. commitment to the region.
    On Sunday he is set to visit Cucuta, a Colombian border city receiving significant numbers of Venezuelan migrants fleeing hunger and violence in their homeland.
U.S. ‘TRYING TO HELP’
    Washington has imposed a raft of sanctions against Maduro’s government in an attempt to dislodge him from power.
    On Friday, it added four firms and nine ships to its blacklist.
    Critics have warned that heavy sanctions could hurt ordinary Venezuelans, already suffering from hyperinflation and food and medicine shortages.    Pompeo said the people recognized the United States was not to blame for the country’s crisis.
    “I think they understand who the malign actor is here and I think they’ll see all the countries in the region, including the United States, as truly trying to help them,” he said.
    Maduro blames U.S. sanctions for the country’s economic problems and dismisses Guaido as a U.S. puppet.    While most Western nations have recognized Guaido as head of state, Russia, China and Cuba have stood by Maduro.
    Pompeo on Friday accused China of aiding Venezuela’s economic collapse by bankrolling Maduro’s government and said Russian troop presence in the country was an “obvious provocation.”
    Working under a U.S. warrant, police in Spain arrested on Friday a former general and close ally of Maduro’s predecessor Hugo Chavez.
    The former general, Hugo Carvajal, has thrown his support behind Guaido and is expected to be willing to cooperate with U.S. officials and share a “treasure trove” of information, a senior U.S. official told Reuters.
CHINA PIVOT
    Pompeo is also seeking to highlight the gains from economic and trade cooperation with the United States, whose regional influence has been increasingly challenged by China.
    Asked about China in Santiago, Pompeo warned about “predatory” lending practices and “malign or nefarious” actions, mirroring criticism previous U.S. officials have made about China during Latin America trips.
    “Make no mistake about it, China’s trade activities often are deeply connected to their national security mission, their technological goals, their desire to steal intellectual property, to have forced technology transfer, to engage in activity that is not economic,” he said.
    China, whose booming economy over the past two decades has driven up demand for raw materials, is already the top trade partner for nations from tiny Uruguay to Brazil, Latin America’s largest economy and the world’s top soybean exporter.
    The pivot by Latin American countries toward China for financing has alarmed Washington.
    U.S. President Donald Trump’s December 2017 national security strategy said China was seeking to “pull the region into its orbit through state-led investment and loans.”
    Chinese foreign direct investment (FDI) in the region has risen by $70 billion since 2012, according to the Adrienne Arsht Latin America Center.    While the United States remains the largest source of FDI, its share fell to 20 percent in 2016 from 24 percent in 2012, according to the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.
(Reporting by Natalia Ramos in Santiago, additional reporting by Lesley Wroughton in Washington; Writing by Adam Jourdan; Editing by James Dalgleish and Rosalba O’Brien)

4/12/2019 U.S. has two months to finalize extradition case against WikiLeaks’ Assange by Mark Hosenball
WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is seen in a police van after he was arrested by British police outside
the Ecuadorian embassy, in London, Britain April 11, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls
    WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. prosecutors have just under two months to present British authorities with a final and detailed criminal case to justify the possible extradition of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, a U.S. government official said on Friday.
    The official, who asked for anonymity when discussing the case, said U.S. authorities had already sent Britain a provisional arrest warrant regarding Assange’s extradition to the United States.
    But within 60 days from Thursday, when British police bundled Assange out of the Ecuadorean embassy in London where he had taken refuge seven years ago, U.S. authorities must submit a formal request outlining all the legal charges Assange would face if he is transferred into U.S. custody.
    According to a criminal indictment against Assange which prosecutors in Virginia secretly obtained more than a year ago but only unsealed after Assange’s arrest, Assange is charged with conspiring with former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to gain unauthorized access to a government computer.
    The U.S. indictment filed in March 2018 said Assange, in March 2010, engaged in a conspiracy to help Manning crack a password stored on Defense Department computers connected to the Secret Internet Protocol Network (SIPRNet), a U.S. government network used for classified documents and communications.
    Assange’s contacts with Manning led to one of the biggest ever leaks of classified information as WikiLeaks published hundreds of thousands of U.S. military reports and diplomatic communications.
    The U.S. official said that within the 60-day period, U.S. authorities could modify or add to the current charges they have filed against Assange.    The official declined to say whether further charges were likely, but legal experts have said they are certainly possible.
    A witness who prosecutors were seeking to interview and an associate of Assange based in Europe who also requested anonymity said that before his arrest Assange had expressed concern that U.S. prosecutors would also bring charges against him related to WikiLeaks’ publication of CIA computer hacking tools, which the website described as its “Vault 7” cache.
    U.S. officials have said that as far leaks go, the disclosure of details about the U.S. spy agency’s abilities to perform electronic surveillance and cyber warfare was potentially far more damaging to U.S. government activities than anything Manning made available to WikiLeaks.
    In a Friday interview with CNN, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence said the United States was “going to bring Julian Assange to justice.”
    Pence denied that statements by President Donald Trump, in which he praised WikiLeaks during the 2016 U.S. election campaign, were in any way “an endorsement of an organization that we now understand was involved in disseminating classified information.”
(Reporting by Mark Hosenball; editing by Mary Milliken and Tom Brown)
[What are the U.S. going to additional charge him with "lying to Mueller" or collusion with the Russians.].

4/12/2019 U.S. charges Assange after London arrest ends seven years in Ecuador embassy by Guy Faulconbridge, Kate Holton and Costas Pitas
Banners in support of arrested WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange are seen on the pavement in front
of Westminster Magistrates Court in London, Britain April 11, 2019. REUTERS/Hannah McKay
    LONDON (Reuters) – British police dragged WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange out of Ecuador’s embassy on Thursday after his seven-year asylum was revoked, paving the way for his extradition to the United States for one of the biggest ever leaks of classified information.
    Hours after the frail-looking Assange, with white hair and a long beard, was carried head-first by at least seven men out of the London embassy and into a waiting police van, U.S. officials announced he had been charged with a single count of conspiracy to commit computer intrusion.
    As he was being hauled out of the embassy in a dramatic scene shortly after 0900 GMT after Ecuador terminated his asylum, the Australian-born Assange was heard shouting, “This is unlawful, I’m not leaving.”
    British Prime Minister Theresa May hailed the news in parliament, to cheers and cries of “Hear, hear!” from lawmakers.
    But in Washington, President Donald Trump, who in 2016 said “I love WikiLeaks” after the website released emails that U.S. authorities have said were hacked by Russia to harm his election opponent Hillary Clinton, told reporters he had no opinion on the charges against Assange.
    “I know nothing about WikiLeaks.    It’s not my thing,” Trump said.
    Assange gave a thumbs up in handcuffs as he was taken from a police station to a London court, where he pronounced himself not guilty of failing to surrender in 2012.
    Judge Michael Snow called Assange, wearing a black jacket and black shirt, a “narcissist who cannot get beyond his own selfish interests” and convicted him of skipping bail.    Sentencing will be at a later date.
    Police said they arrested Assange, 47, after being invited into the embassy following Ecuador’s withdrawal of asylum.    He took refuge there in 2012 to avoid extradition to Sweden over a sexual assault investigation that was later dropped.
    Assange was carried out of the building – located behind the luxury department store Harrods – carrying a copy of Gore Vidal’s “History of The National Security State,” which he continued reading in court.
    In Washington, the U.S. Justice Department said Assange was charged with conspiring with former Army intelligence analyst Chelsea Manning to gain access to a government computer as part of a 2010 leak by WikiLeaks of hundreds of thousands of U.S. military reports about the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and American diplomatic communications.    Legal experts said more U.S. charges could be coming.
    The indictment was made secretly in March 2018 and unsealed on Thursday.    He faces up to five years in prison if convicted, with legal experts saying more charges were possible.
    Ecuador suspended Julian Assange’s citizenship and accused him and others at WikiLeaks of collaborating in attempts to destabilize the Andean nation’s government.
FRICTION WITH ECUADOR
    Assange was offered refuge in 2012 by Ecuador’s then-president Rafael Correa, but his relationship with Ecuador soured under Correa’s successor Lenin Moreno, who has said Assange violated the terms of his asylum. Ecuador accused Assange of leaking information about Moreno’s personal life.
    Lawyers for Assange said he may risk torture and his life would be in danger if he were to be extradited to the United States.
    The arrest, after years holed up in a few cramped rooms at the embassy, represented one of the most sensational turns in a tumultuous life that has transformed the computer programmer into a fugitive wanted by the United States.
    “The whole House will welcome the news this morning that the Metropolitan Police have arrested Julian Assange, arrested for breach of bail after nearly seven years in the Ecuadorean embassy,” May said.
    Ecuador’s foreign minister said his country was not aware of any active extradition requests for Assange before it terminated his asylum.    Supporters of Assange said Ecuador had betrayed him at the behest of Washington, illegally ended his asylum and engineered a dark moment for press freedom.
    “Journalists around the world should be deeply troubled by these unprecedented criminal charges,” Barry Pollack, a lawyer for Assange, said in a statement reacting to the U.S. indictment.
    His admirers have hailed Assange as a hero for exposing what they describe as abuse of power by modern states and for championing free speech.    His detractors have painted him as a dangerous figure complicit in Russian efforts to undermine the West and U.S. security, and dispute that he is a journalist.
    “Under the guise of transparency, Julian Assange and WikiLeaks have effectively acted as an arm of the Russian intelligence services for years,” U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee Chairman Richard Burr, a Republican, said.    “Hopefully, he will now face justice.”
    The Kremlin said it hoped Assange’s rights would not be violated.
    WikiLeaks angered Washington by publishing hundreds of thousands of secret U.S. diplomatic cables that laid bare critical U.S. appraisals of world leaders, from Russian President Vladimir Putin to members of the Saudi royal family.
    Assange made international headlines in 2010 when WikiLeaks published a classified U.S. military video showing a 2007 attack by Apache helicopters in Baghdad that killed a dozen people, including two Reuters news staff.
U.S. INVESTIGATION
    Assange’s U.S. indictment arose from a long-running criminal investigation dating back to the administration of former President Barack Obama.    It was triggered in part by WikiLeaks’ publication in 2010 of U.S. military reports about the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and the diplomatic communications – disclosures that embarrassed the United States and strained relations with allies.
    The Justice Department said Assange was arrested under an extradition treaty between the United States and Britain.
    The indictment said Assange in March 2010 engaged in a conspiracy to assist Manning, formerly named Bradley Manning, in cracking a password stored on U.S. Department of Defense computers connected to a U.S. government network used for classified documents and communications.
    Manning’s lawyers demanded the release of the former intelligence analyst, jailed last month after being held in contempt by a judge in Virginia for refusing to testify before a grand jury, and said “continued detention would be purely punitive.”
    A Swedish lawyer representing the alleged rape victim said she would push to have prosecutors reopen the case, but a retired senior prosecutor and chairman of NGO Victim Support Sweden said that may be difficult.
    Britain said no person was above the law.
    “Julian Assange is no hero, he has hidden from the truth for years and years,” British Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt said.
    “It’s not so much Julian Assange being held hostage in the Ecuadorean embassy, it’s actually Julian Assange holding the Ecuadorean embassy hostage in a situation that was absolutely intolerable for them.”
    Friends of Assange said his solitary existence in the embassy was tough on him.
    “It was a miserable existence and I could see it was a strain on him, but a strain he managed rather well,” said Vaughan Smith, a friend who had visited Assange.    “The thing that was most difficult for Julian was the solitude.”
    “He was very tough, but the last year in particular was very difficult.    He was constantly being surveilled and spied upon.    There was no privacy for him,” Smith said.
    Assange founded WikiLeaks in 2006.    The website published secret official information, infuriating the United States and other countries.    WikiLeaks said Ecuador had illegally terminated his political asylum in violation of international law.
    “Assange’s critics may cheer, but this is a dark moment for press freedom,” said Edward Snowden, a former U.S. National Security Agency contractor who fled to Moscow after revealing massive U.S. intelligence gathering.
(Reporting by Guy Faulconbridge, Kate Holton and Costas Pitas; Additional reporting by Alistair Smout, Andrew MacAskill, Henry Nicholls, Peter Nicholls, Dylan Martinez in London; Anna Ringstrom, Simon Johnson and Niklas Pollard in Stockholm; Mark Hosenball, Sarah N. Lynch and Makini Brice in Washington; Nathan Layne in New York; Sabela Ojea in Madrid; Alexandra Valencia in Quito; and Julia Cobb and Helen Murphy in Bogota; Writing by Guy Faulconbridge, Kate Holton and Will Dunham; Editing by Hugh Lawson,; Alistair Bell and Grant McCool)

4/12/2019 U.N. rights office says Assange must get fair trial
FILE PHOTO: WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is seen in a police van after was arrested by British police outside
the Ecuadorian embassy in London, Britain April 11, 2019. REUTERS/Henry Nicholls/File Photo
    GENEVA (Reuters) – The United Nations human rights office on Friday urged judicial authorities to ensure that Wikileaks founder Julian Assange, currently in British custody and the subject of an extradition request from United States, gets a fair trial.
    Assange was arrested on Thursday in London when Ecuador revoked his diplomatic asylum after seven years of being holed up its embassy.
    “We expect all the relevant authorities to ensure Mr Assange’s right to a fair trial is upheld by authorities, including in any extradition proceedings that may take place,” U.N. human rights spokeswoman Ravina Shamdasani told a Geneva news briefing.
(Reporting by Stephanie Nebehay; Editing by Kevin Liffey)

4/12/2019 Pres. Trump: we can give sanctuary cities ‘an unlimited supply’ of migrants by OAN Newsroom
    President Trump doubles down on the proposed measure to drop off detained migrants in sanctuary cities.
President Donald Trump gestures as he speaks about the deployment of 5G technology in the United States during
an event in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Friday, April 12, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
    On Friday at the White House, the president responded directly to reports the administration and Homeland Security were considering dumping illegal immigrants in Democrat districts, in retaliation for opposing the border wall.
    He said “we’ll bring them to sanctuary cities so they can take care of it, if that’s the way they want it.”
    This comes, after the president tweeted saying “due to the fact that democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong considerations to placing illegal immigrants in sanctuary cities only.”
    He added since the “radical left always seems to have an open borders, open arms policy,” the move “should make them very happy!”
    Trump tweet: “Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong considerations to placing Illegal Immigrants in Sanctuary Cities only....”
    Trump tweet: “....The Radical Left always seems to have an Open Borders, Open Arms policy – so this should make them very happy!”

4/13/2019 Oil up $0.05 to $63.76, DOW up 269 to 26,412.

4/13/2019 Trump still might use migrants against Dems - Detainees could be sent to ‘sanctuary cities’ only by Jill Colvin and Colleen Long, ASSOCIATED PRESS
    WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump said Friday he is considering sending “Illegal Immigrants” to Democratic strongholds to punish congressional foes for inaction on the border – just hours after White House and Homeland Security officials insisted the idea had been rejected as fast as it had been proposed.
    “Due to the fact that Democrats are unwilling to change our very dangerous immigration laws, we are indeed, as reported, giving strong considerations to placing Illegal Immigrants in Sanctuary Cities only,” Trump tweeted.    He added that, “The Radical Left always seems to have an Open Borders, Open Arms policy - so this should make them very happy!”
    The tweets, which appeared to catch officials at the Department of Homeland Security off guard, came as critics were blasting news that the White House had at least twice considered a plan to release detained immigrants into socalled sanctuary cities as an effort to use migrants as pawns to go after political opponents.
    “Sanctuary cities” are places where local authorities do not cooperate with Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, denying information or resources that would help ICE round up for deportation people living in the country illegally.
    They include New York City and San Francisco, home city of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who on Friday called the idea “unworthy of the presidency of the United States and disrespectful of the challenges that we face as a country, as a people, to address who we are – a nation of immigrants.”
    The idea of pressing immigration authorities to embrace the plan was discussed in November and then again in February as the Trump administration struggled with a surge of migrants at the border, according to three people who spoke on condition of anonymity to outline private conversations.    Homeland Security and ICE lawyers quickly rejected the proposal, according to the people, and it was dropped on the grounds that it was too expensive and a misuse of funds, two of the people said.
    Earlier Friday, both the Department of Homeland Security and a White House official had insisted, in nearly identical statements, that the plan was dead on arrival.
    “This was just a suggestion that was floated and rejected, which ended any further discussion,” the White House official said.
    But not, apparently, by the president, who revived the idea in his tweets.
    The plan is one of many ideas considered by an increasingly frustrated White House in recent months as Trump has railed against the growing number of Central American migrant families crossing the southern border and looked for new ways to increase leverage on congressional Democrats to change laws that Trump insists are making the problem worse.
President Donald Trump has been seeking new ideas on immigration and recycling old ones. JACQUELYN MARTIN/AP
Sanctuary Cities
[I THINK THIS WAS A GREAT IDEA PUT THEM IN AND EVENTUALLY WE MAY BUILD WALLS AROUND THOSE CITIES AS THEY BECOME LIKE THAT MOVIE "ESACPE FROM NEW YORK."].

4/12/2019 VP Pence urges Congress to act now to approve disaster relief funds by OAN Newsroom     Vice President Mike Pence, says it’s time to put politics aside, and Congress needs to act now to get disaster relief funds for the people of Nebraska and Iowa.
    Pence made the comments Friday, as he surveyed the severe flooding which has caused more than $1 billion in damages.
With floodwaters behind him, Vice President Mike Pence, second right, talks to Dennis Lincoln, owner of
Lincoln Ridgeview Farms, second left, with Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, right, and Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, left, during a
visit to the flood-damaged Lincoln Ridgeview Farms in Pacific Junction, Iowa, Friday, April 12, 2019. Vice President Pence met
with some of those affected by the recent severe flooding in the Iowa and Nebraska region. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik)
    He was joined by Iowa governor Kim Reynolds, and Senators Joni Ernst and Chuck Grassley.
    He met with Iowa farmers, and urged them to call out 2020 Democrat candidates, who he blames for opposing the disaster relief package.
    “In Iowa alone there are estimates according to the governor’s office, according to our great team at FEMA, there’s damages in excess of one point six billion dollars,” said Pence.    “Thanks to your two senators and Senator Richard Shelby on the appropriations committee those funds were actually added to a disaster assistance bill that was considered on April the first.”     Senators Ernst and Grassley, say Iowa and other Midwest states should be top priority to receive disaster aide.

4/13/2019 House Ways and Means chairman sets new deadline for Pres. Trump’s tax returns by OAN Newsroom
    House Ways and Means Chairman, Democrat Richard Neal, sets a new deadline for the IRS to turn over President Trump’s tax returns.
UNITED STATES – APRIL 4: Rep. Richard Neal, D-Mass., talks with reporters in the Capitol before entering the office of
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., in the Capitol on Thursday, April 4, 2019. (Photo By Tom Williams/CQ Roll Call)
    In a letter Saturday, Neil informed the IRS commissioner he now has until April 23rd, to provide six years worth of the president’s personal and business returns.
    Neil also dismissed concerns regarding the request, which were raised by Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin.
    The Democrat chairman warned that failure to comply, would be interpreted as a “denial” of the request.
    The president has long maintained he will not release his returns while under audit.
[THE DEMOCRATS ARE GETTING DESPERATE SINCE THE MUELLER REPORT IS NOT PANNING OUT LIKE THEY WANT IT TO BE, AND THE FISA WARRANT CORRUPTION IS GOING OT BE INVESTIGATED FOR SPYING THAT THEY THINK GETTING TRUMPS TAX RETURNS WILL COME WITH SOME SLIM HOPE OF DAMNING EVIDENCE.].

4/13/2019 Pres. Trump: go home, come back legally by OAN Newsroom
    President Trump is speaking out, on what he’s calling Democrat hypocrisy on the issue of immigration.
    Taking to Twitter Friday, the president said if Democrats do not want illegal immigrants in their cities, why should anyone else?
    Trump tweet: “If the Radical Left Democrats all of a sudden don’t want the Illegal Migrants in their Sanctuary Cities (no more open arms), why should others be expected to take them into their communities? Go home and come into our Country legally and through a system of Merit!”
    His comments come in response to reports, which say his administration had looked into sending detained migrants to sanctuary cities.
    “California certainly is always saying, ‘Oh we want more people,’ and they want more people in their sanctuary cities," said President Trump.    “Well, we’ll give them more people.    We can give them a lot.    We can give them an unlimited supply — and let’s see if they’re so happy.”
    In his tweet on Friday, the president also calls for illegal immigrants to go home and apply to return to the U.S. legally, through a system of merit.
A woman from Guatemala, who did not give her name, waits at a shelter of mostly Mexican and Central American
migrants to begin the process of applying for asylum Friday, April 12, 2019, in Tijuana, Mexico. The Trump administration
is asking an appeals court to let it continue returning asylum seekers to Mexico hours before a U.S. judge’s order was set to
go into effect Friday afternoon reversing the unprecedented change to the U.S. asylum process. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
    This comes after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi blasts the sanctuary city proposal put forth by the Trump administration.
    At a conference in Virginia Friday, Pelosi wasted no time in slamming the president for proposing to release immigrant detainees into sanctuary cities, like her district.
    “I don’t know anything about it,” said Pelosi.    “But again it’s not just another notion that is unworthy of the presidency of the United States.”

4/13/2019 Pres. Trump: MSM running fake story on Homeland Security pardons by OAN Newsroom
    The president calls out the mainstream media for accusing him of offering pardons to Homeland Security personnel to break the law.
    President Trump took aim at NBC for running the “fake news story” on Friday, asking how the mainstream media can get more corrupt each day.
In this April 5, 2019 photo, President Donald Trump participates in a roundtable on immigration and border
security at the U.S. Border Patrol Calexico Station in Calexico, Calif. Trump said Friday he is considering
sending “Illegal Immigrants” to Democratic strongholds to punish them for inaction— just hours after White House and
Homeland Security officials insisted the idea was dead on arrival. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin)
    The report, which originally appeared in the New York Times, claims the president pressured Acting DHS Secretary Kevin McAleenan to close the southern border.    It also said McAleenan would receive a pardon if he ran into any legal trouble.
    The DHS has since issued a statement, which says the president has never asked or pressured the acting secretary to do anything illegal.

4/13/2019 Pres. Trump slams Democrats for continued attempts to retry no collusion Mueller report by OAN Newsroom
    President Trump continues to defend his innocence in the Mueller probe, amid continued accusations of collusion from the Left.
    Trump tweet: “Why should Radical Left Democrats in Congress have a right to retry and examine the $35,000,000 (two years in the making) No Collusion Mueller Report, when the crime committed was by Crooked Hillary, the DNC and Dirty Cops? Attorney General Barr will make the decision!”
    Taking to twitter Saturday, the president questioned why radical Democrats in Congress are continuing to push a further investigation, after finding “no collusion.”
    He went on to say, the expensive two-year Mueller probe is centered around crimes committed by Hilary Clinton, the DNC, and dirty cops.
    Ultimately, President Trump said it is up to AG William Barr to decide, as a redacted version of the report is expected sometime this week.
President Donald Trump pauses during remarks on the deployment of 5G technology in the United States during an event
in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Friday, April 12, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
    Meanwhile, former Trump Campaign Adviser Roger Stone is also attempting to obtain a full copy of special counsel Robert Mueller’s final report.
    In a court filing Friday, Stone’s attorneys argued he is entitled to see the report, because it would help prove the defense’s allegation of constitutional issues with the probe.
    The attorneys also said the report contains quote, “the government’s evidence and conclusions on matters essential to Stone’s defense.”
    Stone is facing charges of lying to Congress, witness tampering, and obstructing congress.    His trial is set to begin in November.

4/13/2019 Clashes erupt in yellow vest protests as Macron prepares policy response by Johanna Decorse
FILE PHOTO: Protesters wearing yellow vests attend a demonstration at the financial district of
La Defense in Paris, France, April 6, 2019. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier/File Photo
    TOULOUSE (Reuters) – Yellow vest demonstrators clashed with riot police in the French city of Toulouse on Saturday, even as President Emmanuel Macron prepared a series of policy announcements aimed at quelling 22 consecutive weekends of anti-government protests.
    Police in the southeastern city fired teargas and arrested 23 people after several hundred demonstrators threw objects and set fire to cars, motorbikes, a construction cabin and rubbish bins.
    Protesters also tried to enter areas of the city from which they had been banned.
    Altogether between 5,000 and 6,000 protesters had gathered on the Allee Jean Jaures, a wide avenue in the city center, and on nearby side streets.     Activist groups had said on social media networks that Toulouse would be the focus for the 22nd round of demonstrations, prompting city mayor Jean-Claude Moudenc to express concern ahead of Saturday’s protests.
    Marches in Paris and elsewhere were largely peaceful by late afternoon, though police detained 27 in the French capital.    Minor clashes broke out near the port in Marseille.
    The interior minister estimated a total of 31,000 protesters demonstrated across France, 7,000 more than on the previous Saturday but fewer than the several hundred thousand who took to the street during the first weeks of demonstrations.
    The protests continue to put pressure on Macron, who has vowed to announce a series of measures aimed at easing discontent.
    The protests, named after the high-visibility safety jackets worn by demonstrators, began in November to oppose fuel tax increases.
    The movement quickly morphed into a broader backlash against Macron’s government, despite a swift reversal of the tax hikes and the introduction of other measures worth more than 10 billion euros ($11.3 billion) to boost the purchasing power of lower-income voters.
    In response to rioting that in December made parts of Paris resemble war zones, Macron launched a two-month consultation that included a series of town hall meetings across the country. He is due to introduce resulting policy measures early next week.
    Ahead of next week’s announcements, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe this week presented the conclusions of the consultation, saying it had highlighted demands such as quicker tax cuts, action to address climate change, and more balanced relations between Paris and the provinces.
    Yet given the array of sometimes contradictory yellow vest demands the government is unlikely to please all those who demonstrated on Saturday. Some are already preparing a 23rd round of protests next Saturday.
(Reporting by Johanna Decorse; Additional reporting by Inti Landauro and Emmanuel Jarry; Editing by Helen Popper and David Holmes)

4/13/2019 Treasury Secy Mnuchin calls new deadline on IRS for Pres. Trump’s tax returns ‘arbitrary’ by OAN Newsroom
    Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin calls House Ways and Means Committee Chair Richard Neal’s new deadline to provide the president’s tax returns “arbitrary.”
    Mncuhin made the comment earlier Saturday, and also said the “implications of this” go way beyond a congressional oversight issue.
    US Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin (left) and the chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, Richard Neal (right; both seen on Saturday before a Congress meeting about Trump’s 2020 budget proposal), are at loggerheads over whether Trump should release his tax returns.
    He also said he wants to keep the IRS from becoming “weaponized” for political gain.
    Additionally, Mnuchin did not say whether the Treasury Department would complete it’s legal review of the request by the April 23rd deadline.
    In his letter setting the new deadline, Neil warned that failure to comply would be interpreted as a “denial.”

4/13/2019 Rep. Liz Cheney: Speaker Pelosi is not in control of her caucus by OAN Newsroom
    Congresswoman Liz Cheney said House Speaker Nancy Pelosi is “not in control of her caucus.”
    Cheney made the comment in a recent interview, and suggested Pelosi has lost control in the first 100 days of the new Congress, “because the far-left radicals” have really set the agenda.
    In outlining how House Democrats have shifted further Left, Cheney cited their “embrace of socialism,” and refusal to bring the “born alive protection act to the floor” among other factors.    She also called on people to speak out against socialism.
Rep. Liz Cheney, R-Wyo., arrives for a House Armed Services Committee budget hearing for the Departments of the
Army and Air Force on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, April 2, 2019. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik)
    “When our colleagues and our political opponents are advocating socialism, it’s really incumbent upon all of us who recognize what that means to explain to people," said Cheney.    “There’s no way that the government can do all of these things that they say government should do without stripping power from the people.”
    Cheney also warned that totalitarianism follows socialism very quickly, and would mean the loss of things like freedom of religion, speech, and press.

4/13/2019 Power outages affecting ability to get water in Venezuela by OAN Newsroom
    Continuing blackouts in Venezuela have citizens scrambling for clean water.
    Reports Saturday detail the situation in Maracaibo, where rolling outages in Venezuela’s second largest city have forced people to seek water sources wherever they can.
People collect fresh water from broken pipelines near a shantytown in Maracaibo, Venezuela, Saturday,
April 13, 2019. Since a massive power failure struck on March 7, the nation has experienced near-daily blackouts and
a breakdown in critical services such as running water and public transportation. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
    After a nationwide blackout in March, the government started hiring tanker trucks to deliver water to neighborhoods, but community leaders say this isn’t reliable.
    While many get their water from these trucks, some still don’t trust the quality of the water for every use. Reports said many residents only have about four hours of electricity per day.
    The ongoing power crisis highlights the political struggle in the country, as self-declared Interim President Juan Guaido is slated to visit with supporters in Maracaibo Saturday.

4/14/2019 Stone seeks full Mueller report by Chad Day and Michael Balsamo, ASSOCIATED PRESS
    WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s longtime confidant, Roger Stone, asked a federal judge Friday to compel the Justice Department to turn over a full copy of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on the Russia investigation as part of discovery in his criminal case.
    Stone has pleaded not guilty to charges he lied to Congress, engaged in witness tampering and obstructed a congressional investigation into possible coordination between Russia and Donald Trump’s 2016 presidential campaign.    In a court filing late Friday, his attorneys said Stone is entitled to see the confidential report – which was submitted to the attorney general late last month – because it would help prove that there are constitutional issues with the investigation.
    Stone’s team also filed motions Friday night arguing he was selectively prosecuted, challenging the constitutionality of Mueller’s appointment and asserting the special counsel didn’t have the ability to prosecute him for lying to Congress.    They allege that Congress did not make a formal referral to the Justice Department about Stone’s testimony and because of that, Mueller’s investigation was “a violation of the separation of powers.”
    Stone, who is set to go on trial in November, blasted the special counsel’s investigation as politically motivated.

    I found the following at http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/politics/dems-rip-nunes-plan-for-private-huddle-with-barr-to-discuss-criminal-allegations/ar-BBVTPEW
4/14/2019 Dems rip Nunes' plan for private huddle with Barr to discuss criminal allegations by Kyle Cheney, Politoco
© Drew Angerer/Getty ImagesBefore seeing its contents, Rep. Devin Nunes labeled Robert Mueller's report a "partisan document."
    House Democrats are crying foul over a plan by the Intelligence Committee's top Republican, Rep. Devin Nunes, to meet privately with Attorney General William Barr to push the Justice Department to pursue criminal charges against officials involved in the investigation of President Donald Trump's 2016 campaign and Russia.
    Nunes’ accusations of misconduct are aimed at a slew of former FBI and Justice Department officials, who he alleges committed crimes in their pursuit of allegations that Trump's 2016 campaign conspired with Russians to influence the election.
    Nunes has in recent days foreshadowed plans to send eight "criminal referrals" — informal requests for the Justice Department to investigate — directly to Barr.    He said on Sean Hannity's Fox News show Thursday night that he intends to meet with Barr "when appropriate" to discuss the referrals, and plans to bring fellow GOP intelligence committee member John Ratcliffe, a former U.S. attorney, to the meeting.    Nunes said he wouldn't name the targeted officials publicly but would share his recommendations with Barr.
    Barr told lawmakers earlier this week that he was anticipating Nunes' information.
    "I haven’t seen the referrals yet from Congressman Nunes," Barr said during testimony to the House Appropriations Committee on Tuesday, "but obviously if there’s a predicate for an investigation it’ll be conducted.”
    Nunes' move is an escalation by Trump's allies in Congress to pivot from Mueller's still-unreleased findings to the conduct of the FBI and Justice Department investigators who initiated the Russia probe.    Before seeing its contents, Nunes labeled Mueller's report a "partisan document" and said "we can just burn it up," even as most of Trump's supporters were celebrating the news — as described publicly by Barr — that Mueller "did not establish" a conspiracy between the campaign and the Russian government.
    The Justice Department declined multiple inquiries about whether Barr intends to meet with Nunes and Ratcliffe.    Nunes and Ratcliffe also declined requests for comment.    Democrats says such a meeting would be a significant break from protocol unless they are also included.
    “We expect to learn more if and when the Department of Justice receives the referrals, assuming the Department follows appropriate protocol and Barr holds any such meeting only with representatives of the majority and minority present," said a Democratic aide to the House intelligence committee.
    A decision by Barr to meet alone with Nunes and Ratcliffe would further strain Barr's relationship with Capitol Hill Democrats, who have ripped the new attorney general in recent weeks for what they say is his efforts to shield Trump from potentially damaging findings in Mueller's report, which Barr has been reviewing for nearly a month.
    Their frustration was inflamed anew this week when Barr told the Senate Appropriations Committee that he believed federal authorities spied on Trump's campaign in 2016, a disputed premise that supported Trump's inflammatory rhetoric about the Russia probe.
    The intelligence committee aide emphasized that Nunes had yet to share any details of his referrals with Chairman Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) or other members of the Democratic majority.
    "[B]ut it is clear they believe they now have an ally in the attorney general to perpetuate their conspiracy theories of ‘spying’ and their determination to investigate the investigators, no matter how misguided and damaging their efforts are to our national institutions, or the dedicated public servants who work to keep us safe," the aide said.
    A senior House Democratic aide said Barr "must refuse the meeting and start down a path of redeeming his credibility," especially as he prepares to issue a redacted version of Mueller's final report.
    The issue also arises as House Republicans on another committee sent the Justice Department another criminal referral — this one for Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen.    Reps. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) and Mark Meadows (R-N.C.), two of Trump's closest allies in Congress, sent their own referral to the Justice Department for Cohen, who they accused of lying to the committee during testimony last month.
    Criminal referrals are ill-defined requests for investigation that don't carry any official weight with prosecutors, except in rare circumstances.    Officials on various House investigative committees described the process as a loose, informal request that prosecutors typically treat as glorified press releases.    They only matter, committee officials emphasized, if lawmakers have exclusive evidence to back it up — such as a confidential interview transcript or documents obtained during a congressional investigation.
    Apart from this unwritten process, the House has no formal mechanism to refer anyone for criminal investigation except through a contempt proceeding, which would require a vote of the full chamber.
    Nunes' referrals appear to rely on information already in the Justice Department's possession.    He told Hannity that five of his eight referrals will name individuals he says committed "serious misconduct in the Trump-Russia probe."    He said one referral would be for a "global leaks" investigation and would name "a few reporters" — though it's unclear if these reporters or only their sources would be the targets of such an investigation.
    "I don’t think it’s that many people because I think they only have a few sources within these agencies," Nunes hypothesized.
    Nunes said the other two referrals would allege conspiracies to manipulate intelligence and to abuse the FBI's sensitive FISA surveillance process to spy on a former Trump campaign adviser, Carter Page.
    Without providing details, Nunes alleged that the intelligence community began spying on the Trump campaign in late 2015 and early 2016. Then he suggested that former FBI Director James Comey committed the "ultimate spying" himself — by taking contemporaneous notes of his interactions with Trump and then after he was fired in May 2017, funneling them to The New York Times through an associate.    He then said Mueller was appointed "to spy on an acting president again," though there's no evidence to support the claim.
    After initially holding out for a productive relationship, Democrats have soured on Barr, accusing Trump's newly appointed attorney general of bottling up Mueller's final report last month and conveying his own views of Mueller's findings.    Barr issued a four-page summary of Mueller's bottom-line conclusions last month, emphasizing that Mueller "did not establish" a conspiracy between Americans and Russians and noting that Mueller did not reach a "traditional prosecutorial judgment" about whether Trump obstructed the investigation.
    Barr infuriated Democrats by issuing his own judgment on obstruction instead, absolving the president on the matter, even though he later told Congress that Mueller had not asked him to do so.    Democrats have also spent weeks demanding access to Mueller's entire report, even elements that may be classified or part of ongoing investigations.
    They've argued that Congress has long handled such sensitive material, even if it's never made public, to inform their own efforts to oversee the Trump administration and protect future elections from foreign interference.
[We will be able to know who are the 8 individuals because they will make the biggest complaints against Nunes and will start the fake news activated to demean his actions, and as you can see in the above article they are already claiming Nunes is not doing it the way they want it done, which if he did that it would never see the light of day.].

4/14/2019 Press Secy Sanders: Sending Illegal Immigrants to Sanctuary Cities is an Option on the Table by OAN Newsroom
    White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said sending illegal immigrants to “sanctuary cities” is an option on the table.
    Sanders made the comment in an interview on Sunday, but also said it certainly wouldn’t be the administration’s first choice.
White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders talks with reporters outside the White House,
Thursday, April 4, 2019, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
    Additionally, she said ideally the country wouldn’t be dealing with the massive influx of illegal immigrants coming across the border, and suggested the best way to solve the crisis would be for Democrats to step up and work with President Trump to fix immigration laws.
    Sanders added, the President’s top priority is to stop the flow of illegal immigration coming into the U.S.

4/14/2019 Kellyanne Conway: Democrats not Focused on Fixing Border Crisis by OAN Newsroom
    Counselor to President Trump Kellyanne Conway calls on congress to quit obstructing and come to the table to reform immigration laws.
    During an interview on Sunday, Conway said Democrats have been too focused on criticizing the President’s comments on Twitter.
President Donald Trump is seen reflected in the sunglasses of Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway as Trump speaks to members of the media on the South Lawn of the White House in Washington, before boarding Marine One helicopter, Wednesday, April 10, 2019. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
    She also said the left has a duty to address the growing number of false asylum claims.
    Conway maintained that increasing scrutiny over immigration laws will allow Homeland Security to focus on legitimate asylum claims.

4/15/2019 Trump checking sanctuary options by William Cummings, USA TODAY
    President Donald Trump “likes the idea” of busing migrants who cross the border illegally to so-called sanctuary cities, and the administration is looking into ways to put the plan into practice, White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said Sunday.
    Last week, administration officials said the idea of sending migrants to sanctuary cities – loosely defined as jurisdictions that refuse to cooperate fully with federal immigration enforcement – was rejected.    But in a series of tweets, the president said the administration is still “giving strong considerations” to the idea.
    When asked about the conflicting statements on ABC’s “This Week,” Sanders said it was initially determined that “logistically, there were a lot of challenges, and it probably didn’t make sense to move forward, and the idea did not go further.”
    “We’re looking to see if there are options that make it possible and doing a full and thorough and extensive review.    The president likes the idea, and Democrats have said they want these individuals into their communities, so let’s see if it works and everybody gets a win out of it,” Sanders said.
    Despite Sanders portrayal of the proposal as a “win” for both sides, Trump presented the plan as a consequence for Democrats in a tweet Saturday.
    “Democrats must change the Immigration Laws FAST.    If not, Sanctuary Cities must immediately ACT to take care of the Illegal Immigrants – and this includes Gang Members, Drug Dealers, Human Traffickers, and Criminals of all shapes, sizes and kinds.    CHANGE THE LAWS NOW!” the president said.
    Sanders said Sunday that if congressional Democrats don’t work with Trump on new legislation to stem the flow of migrants into the USA, they will have to “take on some of that burden in their communities.”    She said the plan was not the White House’s “first choice” in addressing illegal immigration, “probably not even our second or third choice, but we have to look at all options as long as Democrats refuse to do their jobs and fix the problem.”
    Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md., pushed back against the criticism that Democrats were unwilling to act on immigration in an interview on “Fox News Sunday.”
    “If the president would support comprehensive immigration reform and work with Democrats and Republicans, we have the consensus to pass comprehensive immigration reform,” Cardin said.    “But the president doesn’t want that to happen.”
    Cardin said it is important to address the reasons so many Central Americans migrate to the USA and said the president’s threat to cut off aid to the impoverished nations they are fleeing undermined that objective.
    The Washington Post reported last week that Immigration and Customs Enforcement counsel rejected the sanctuary city proposal after doing a legal review.    But the president tweeted Saturday, “The USA has the absolute legal right to have apprehended illegal immigrants transferred to Sanctuary Cities.    We hereby demand that they be taken care of at the highest level, especially by the State of California, which is well known or its poor management & high taxes!”
President Donald Trump is weighing options to send undocumented migrants to sanctuary cities. SAUL LOEB/AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Sanctuary Cities in the U.S. since you may be getting guest due to Democrat Congress policies
    Sanctuary city (French: ville sanctuaire; Spanish: ciudad santuario) refers to municipal jurisdictions, typically in North America and Western Europe, that limit their cooperation with the national government's effort to enforce immigration law.    Leaders of sanctuary cities say they want to reduce fear of deportation and possible family break-up among people who are in the country illegally, so that such people will be more willing to report crimes, use health and social services, and enroll their children in school.    In the United States, municipal policies include prohibiting police or city employees from questioning people about their immigration status and refusing requests by national immigration authorities to detain people beyond their release date, if they were jailed for breaking local law.    Such policies can be set expressly in law (de jure) or observed in practice (de facto), but the designation "sanctuary city" does not have a precise legal definition.    The Federation for American Immigration Reform estimated in 2018 that more than 500 U.S. jurisdictions, including states and municipalities, had adopted sanctuary policies.
    Studies on the relationship between sanctuary status and crime have found that sanctuary policies either have no effect on crime or that sanctuary cities have lower crime rates and stronger economies than comparable non-sanctuary cities.
    Opponents of sanctuary cities argue that cities should assist the national government in enforcing immigration law.    Supporters of sanctuary cities argue that enforcement of national law is not the duty of localities.    Legal opinions vary on whether immigration enforcement by local police is constitutional.
    European cities have been inspired by the same political currents of the sanctuary movement as American cities, but the term "sanctuary city" now has different meanings in Europe and North America.    In the United Kingdom and Ireland, and in continental Europe, sanctuary city refers to cities that are committed to welcoming refugees, asylum seekers and others who are seeking safety.    Such cities are now found in 80 towns, cities and local areas in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.    The emphasis is on building bridges of connection and understanding, which is done through raising awareness, befriending schemes and forming cultural connections in the arts, sport, health, education, faith groups and other sectors of society.    Glasgow and Swansea have become known as noted sanctuary cities.
[If the Democrats believe in their Sanctuary Cities they need to accept the incoming migrants with no judgment on who or what they are and accept them as it is stated above.    So give it to them Trump, and below is a better map so you can see where the cities are to bus them there.].

4/15/2019 DOJ: Mueller report to be released Thursday by OAN Newsroom
    Attorney General William Barr will publicly release a redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report on Thursday.
    According to an agency spokesperson Monday, the report is expected to released Thursday morning and will be made available to the public as well as Congress.
    The Department of Justice and special counsel’s team have reportedly been working on redacting information such as grand jury testimony, classified information, and materials related to ongoing investigations.
    Trump tweet: “The Mueller Report, which was written by 18 Angry Democrats who also happen to be Trump Haters (and Clinton Supporters), should have focused on the people who SPIED on my 2016 Campaign, and others who fabricated the whole Russia Hoax. That is, never forget, the crime.....”
    Despite the report’s imminent release, House Judiciary chairman Jerry Nadler has been authorized to subpoena Barr for the whole unredacted report.
[If Nadler continues with his subpoenas’ I think Attorney General Barr needs to send the FBI to arrest him for trying to force him to break the law or whomever authorized him to think he can do that.    LOCK NADLER UP!].

4/15/2019 Trump campaign raises $30M, more than Sanders ($18.2m) & O’Rourke ($9.4m) combined by OAN Newsroom
    As Democrat presidential candidates report their first-quarter fundraising numbers, the Trump campaign is providing its own.
    The president’s reelection campaign told the Associated Press Sunday it raised more than $30 million in the first-quarter of 2019.
FILE – In this June 20, 2018 file photo, U.S. President Donald Trump waves to the crowd after speaking at a campaign rally,
Wednesday, June 20, 2018, in Duluth, Minn. Trump heads back to Minnesota on the nation’s tax filing deadline, Monday, April 15, 2019,
eager to remind voters in a state he nearly carried in 2016 about the $1.5 trillion Republican tax cut. (AP Photo/Jim Mone File)
    The Republican National Committee also raised $45 million, bringing the total cash-on-hand for the reelection effort to $82 million.
    The number towers over the two million dollars the Obama campaign had at this same time during his 2012 campaign.
        As far as 2020 goes, the president’s quarter one earnings are more than the top two Democrat candidates — Bernie Sanders and Beto O’Rourke — combined.

4/15/2019 Trump admin. offers solutions to border crisis as Democrats continue to obstruct by OAN Newsroom
    Members of the Trump administration said they are looking at all options to solve the border crisis as Democrats refuse to address the issue.
    Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway called on Congress to stop obstructing and work with the administration to help reform immigration laws.    Conway maintained that increasing scrutiny over immigration laws will allow Homeland Security to focus on legitimate asylum claims.
    “So, many of the liberals want the illegal migrants to remain in America. Why not remain in Mexico while you’re claims of asylum are being processed?    This is something that our secretaries, our cabinet and the President brokered with Mexico.    It’s safe passage for those families and unaccompanied minors to remain in Mexico while their claims of asylum are being processed.” — Kellyanne Conway, Counselor to the President.
    After President Trump suggested sending illegal immigrants to sanctuary cities, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said that option still remains on the table.
    “If Democrats continue to be unwilling to do that than we’re going to look at all of our options and we don’t won’t to put all of the burden on one or two border communities,” she explained.    “Democrats have stated time and time again, they support open borders, they support sanctuary cities, so let’s spread out some of that burden and let’s put in some of those other locations, if that’s what they want to see happen, and are refusing to actually help fix the problem.”
CORRECTS LOCATION – Central American migrants, part of a caravan hoping to reach the U.S. border, walk on the shoulder of a road
in Frontera Hidalgo, Mexico, Friday, April 12, 2019. The group pushed past police guarding the bridge and joined a larger
group of about 2,000 migrants who are walking toward Tapachula, the latest caravan to enter Mexico. (AP Photo/Isabel Mateos)
    Their call for for bipartisanship comes as border cities are feeling the pressure. Officials in Las Cruces, New Mexico reported Border Patrol agents dropped off more than 170 migrants at a local homeless shelter citing immigration capacity issues.
    “We’ve been in contact with federal immigration authorities, and they’re telling us that this influx could continue for a while, and so we’re just preparing ourselves,” stated Udel Vigil, Las Cruces spokesperson.
    With no word on when the drop-offs will stop, those in Las Cruces are keeping potential future migrants in mind and are hoping for a resolution.

4/15/2019 Pompeo: Peru’s refugee crisis is direct result of Russia, Cuba, Nicolas Maduro by OAN Newsroom
    Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently addressed the refugee crisis in Peru, while speaking in the country’s capital. During a roundtable in Lima Monday, Pompeo said the climbing number of refugees in the country is “the direct result of the Russians, Cubans and Nicolas Maduro.”
    He specifically highlighted the crisis in Venezuela, pointing out 500,000 Venezuelans fled to Peru in 2018 alone to escape the worsening conditions in their country.    This comes after Peru was forced to cancel work permits for Venezuelan refugees in late 2018 to cope with the influx of migrant workers.
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, speaks during a press conference at government palace in Lima, Peru,
Saturday, April 13, 2019. Pompeo is in the third of four countries’ tour that includes Chile, Paraguay
and Colombia to address, mainly, the crisis in Venezuela. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)
    Secretary Pompeo also diffused concerns over President Trump’s immigration policies:
    “Our objective is to allow people to stay in their home countries, this is President Trump’s desire.    We want to create conditions in these countries, where they can stay in their own country and they don’t have the need to migrate somewhere else…it is our deep hope that we can achieve our objectives quickly, timely, so that these individuals will return to their home countries.”
    The U.S. secretary of state thanked Peru’s leadership for “graciously” opening their country to help Venezuelan refugees.
    This comes after he visited the Colombian and Venezuelan border amid the humanitarian crisis plaguing the region.

4/15/2019 UK PM May says no-deal Brexit planning continues – spokesman
British Prime Minister Theresa May leaves after holding a news conference following an extraordinary European Union leaders summit to discuss Brexit, in Brussels, Belgium April 11, 2019. REUTERS/Susana Vera? TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
    LONDON (Reuters) – British Prime Minister Theresa May has said the government will continue to plan for the possibility of a no-deal Brexit, her spokesman said on Monday.
    May made the comment in an internal note to staff.
    The European Union last week delayed Brexit until the end of October, averting, for now at least, the risk of an abrupt British departure from the bloc which investors fear would hurt the economy.
    May’s spokesman also told reporters on Monday that the prime minister was not thinking about calling an early national election as a way to break the Brexit impasse in parliament.
(Reporting by William James; Writing by William Schomberg; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)

4/15/2019 President Trump pushes sanctuary plan by OAN Newsroom
    President Trump is renewing his threat to release illegal immigrants into so-called sanctuary cities.
    In a tweet Monday, the president said he’s still considering the move to deal with migrants who can no longer be legally held in federal detention.    The plan would target cities that don’t fully cooperate with federal immigration law.
    Trump tweet: “Those Illegal Immigrants who can no longer be legally held (Congress must fix the laws and loopholes) will be, subject to Homeland Security, given to Sanctuary Cities and States!”
    Critics have accused the Trump administration of using illegal immigrants to retaliate against Democrats who oppose its hardline stance on immigration.
    However, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders clarified the president’s goal:
    “This isn’t the president’s plan, his top priority is to stop the flow of illegal immigration coming into our country to begin with.    Democrats courts, frankly, keep tying the president’s hands and stopping him from being able to do that.    We have a massive number of people who are already here, we need to take away some of that burden on all of the communities that are along the border, like San Diego and El Paso, and look at other options.”
    Last week, congressional leaders on both sides expressed a willingness to negotiate an immigration deal, but have yet to take action.
President Donald Trump listens during a discussion at Nuss Truck and Equipment in Burnsville, Minn.,
Monday, April 15, 2019, during an event to tout the 2017 tax law. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

4/15/2019 U.S. shale output forecast to hit record 8.46 million bpd in May: EIA by Devika Krishna Kumar and Scott DiSavino
FILE PHOTO: An oil pump is seen operating in the Permian Basin near Midland, Texas,
U.S. on May 3, 2017. REUTERS/Ernest Scheyder/File Photo
    NEW YORK (Reuters) – U.S. crude oil output from seven major shale formations is expected to rise by about 80,000 barrels per day (bpd) in May to a record 8.46 million bpd, the U.S. Energy Information Administration said in its monthly drilling productivity report on Monday.
    The largest change is forecast in the Permian Basin of Texas and New Mexico, where output is expected to climb by 42,000 bpd to a fresh peak of about 4.14 million bpd in May.
    In North Dakota’s Bakken region, shale production is estimated to rise by about 11,000 bpd to about 1.39 million bpd, easing from a record 1.41 million bpd hit in January.    In the Eagle Ford region, output is expected to edge higher by 7,000 bpd to about 1.43 million bpd, which would be the highest monthly output since January 2016.
    Production growth in the Permian and other key shale basins have slowed as oil prices fell in the fourth quarter and many shale companies cut spending in the face of investor pressure to focus on earnings growth instead of increased output.
    Prices have rebounded this year, but drillers are expected to remain cautious.    Some shale producers are turning to workforce cuts as investors step up demands for returns.
    However, major oil companies are boosting their presence, particularly in the Permian, the largest U.S. shale oil field.
    The U.S. rig count, an early indicator of future output, remains higher than a year ago.
    The EIA said producers drilled 1,388 wells and completed 1,392, the most since January 2015, in the biggest shale basins in March, leaving total drilled but uncompleted (DUC) wells down 4 at 8,500, according to data going back to December 2013.
    That was the first decline in DUCs since March 2018. The DUCs hit a record high 8,504 in February.
    Separately, U.S. natural gas output was projected to increase to a record 79.8 billion cubic feet per day in May, the EIA.    That would be up 0.9 bcfd over the April forecast and mark the 16th consecutive monthly increase.
    A year ago in May, output was 67.4 bcfd.
    The EIA projected gas output would increase in all the big shale basins in May, except Anadarko in Oklahoma and Texas.
    Output in the Appalachia region in Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia, the nation’s biggest shale gas play, was set to rise almost 0.4 bcfd to a record 32.2 bcfd in May.    Appalachia production was 27.1 bcfd in May a year ago.
(Reporting by Devika Krishna Kumar in New York; Editing by Chizu Nomiyama and Marguerita Choy)

4/15/2019 Trump on China trade spat: ‘We’re going to win either way’
U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a tour of Nuss Truck & Equipment in
Burnsville, Minnesota, U.S., April 15, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Barria
    BURNSVILLE, Minn. (Reuters) – President Donald Trump said on Monday he believed the United States would emerge from its trade dispute with China as a winner, no matter what happened.
    “We’re going to win either way.    We either win by getting a deal or we win by not getting a deal,” Trump said during a visit to a business roundtable in Burnsville, Minnesota.
    The world’s two biggest economies are nine months into a trade war that has cost billions of dollars, roiled financial markets and upended supply chains.
    Trump’s administration has slapped tariffs on $250 billion worth of imports of Chinese goods to press demands for an end to policies that Washington says hurt U.S. companies competing with Chinese firms.    China responded with its own tit-for-tat tariffs on U.S. goods.
    Trump’s Treasury secretary, Steven Mnuchin, said earlier on Monday that trade negotiators are making a lot of progress.    He told Fox Business Network there is more work to do, however, including enforcement.
(Reporting by Steve Holland; Writing by Doina Chiacu; Editing by Leslie Adler and Meredith Mazzilli)

4/16/2019 Oil down $0.49 to $63.40, DOW down 28 to 26,385.

4/16/2019 555 measles cases spread to 20 states by John Bacon, USA TODAY
    An additional 90 measles cases were reported across the nation last week, the biggest jump this year as the annual total continued its march toward record levels, federal health officials reported Monday.
    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said 555 cases have been confirmed in 20 states in 2019, the second- highest total in almost two decades.
    The numbers are up sharply from a week ago, when the total number of cases stood at 465 in 19 states.
    The highest total since 2000, when measles was declared eradicated in the U.S., was 667 in 2014.    There were 372 cases last year.
    Globally, the World Health Organization reported Monday that cases rose by 300% in the first three months of this year, compared with the same period in 2018 – after consecutive increases over the past two years.
    The U.S. surge has been fueled in part by the anti-vaccination movement – the majority of people who contract measles have not been vaccinated, the CDC said.
    Ogbonnaya Omenka, a public health expert and assistant professor at Butler University, said the fact that the last U.S. death to be recorded was in 2015 generated complacency toward vaccinations.
    “The impacts of misinformation and lack of trust have not been fully appreciated,” Omenka said.
    The states that have reported cases to the CDC are Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Texas and Washington.
    Most of the U.S. cases this year involve 17 outbreaks – defined as three or more localized cases – in New York, New Jersey, Washington, California and Michigan, the CDC said.    The outbreaks are linked to travelers who brought measles back from countries including Israel, Ukraine and the Philippines.
    Common measles symptoms include fever, runny nose, cough and a rash that can spread across the entire body. A “very small number of those infected” can develop pneumonia, swelling of the brain or other serious symptoms. Measles can cause pregnant women to deliver prematurely.     The WHO said that even in high-income countries, complications result in hospitalization in up to a quarter of cases and can lead to lifelong disability, from brain damage and blindness to hearing loss.    The disease is a prominent cause of death among young children worldwide, and most of the 110,000 deaths in 2017 were children.
    The WHO said in its statement that global data for the first three months of 2019 is provisional, but it cited a “clear trend.”    Outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Madagascar, Myanmar, Philippines, Sudan, Thailand and Ukraine are causing many deaths – mostly among young children, the agency said.
    “Over recent months, spikes in case numbers have also occurred in countries with high overall vaccination coverage, including the United States of America, as well as Israel, Thailand and Tunisia, as the disease has spread fast among clusters of unvaccinated people,” the WHO said.
Measles virus. CYNTHIA GOLDSMITH/CDC

4/16/2019 Judicial Watch seeking FBI dossier info by OAN Newsroom
    As the world awaits the highly-anticipated release of Robert Mueller’s report, critics of the investigations are looking to get to the bottom of its inception.
    Conservative watchdog group filed a lawsuit Tuesday against the FBI in an effort to pierce the veil of the resources used in the $25 million probe.
    Specifically, the organization is looking to obtain all communications and payments made to the author of the anti-Trump dossier — Christopher Steele.
    The former British intelligence officer was funded by the Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee in order to compile his 35 page document.
    Judicial Watch is now trying to determine the FBI’s involvement.
    It’s already known that the FBI made 11 payments to Steele, but the details behind those payments were heavily redacted.
    Conservatives suspect rogue actors at the bureau were looking to reverse the results of the 2016 election, which is something Attorney General William Barr said he’s looking into.
In his first appearance on Capitol Hill since taking office, and amid intense speculation over his
review of special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia report, Attorney General William Barr appears before a House Appropriations
subcommittee on Capitol Hill in Washington, Tuesday, April 9, 2019. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

4/16/2019 President Trump calls out Rep. Omar by OAN Newsroom
    President Trump continues to rail against Democrat Congresswoman Ilhan Omar amid the mainstream outcry over his tweet condemning her remarks on 9/11.
    In an interview in Minnesota Monday, the president was asked by a local news station about his message calling out Omar’s remark and whether it was wrong due to reported death threats to the lawmaker. The president was unapologetic and said Omar was being disrespectful to the United States.     His comments come after he tweeted a video titled “WE WILL NEVER FORGET!,” showing the congresswoman saying 9/11 was a day when “some people did something” laid over footage of the terror attacks.
Republicans have criticized Omar’s comments on the September 11th attacks as being dismissive of the one of the worst attacks on American soil.
FILE – In this March 6, 2019, file photo, Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., sits with fellow Democrats on the House Education
and Labor Committee during a bill markup, on Capitol Hill in Washington. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

4/16/2019 President Trump: U.S. will emerge as winner regardless of outcome of trade talks by OAN Newsroom
    As trade negotiations continue to drag on between the U.S. and China, President Trump is confident no matter the outcome the U.S. will come out on top.
    The president made the remark Monday, while speaking in Minnesota.    He reassured the nation that even if a deal can not be reached, the U.S. will still emerge as a winner because of the progress made so far with China.
    This comes as Beijing and Washington are nine-months deep into a trade war in which the president seeks to reduce the deficit with China.
President Donald Trump speaks at Nuss Truck and Equipment in Burnsville, Minn.,
Monday, April 15, 2019, during an event on taxes. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
    “We’re turning it around and we’re in the throes…we’ll see what happens,” stated President Trump.    “Look, we’re going to win either way, we’re either going to win by getting a deal, and we also win if we don’t get a deal because we do other things.”
    White House Economic Adviser Larry Kudlow said while progress is being made with Beijing, there’s still work to be done to make sure any deal reached can be properly enforced.

4/17/2019 Oil up $0.65 to $64.06, DOW up 68 to 26,453.

4/17/2019 President Trump references OAN story on FBI paying Christopher Steele for dossier by OAN Newsroom
    President Trump recently gave a shout-out to One America News after seeing a story on the lawsuit against the FBI for payments made to the author of the anti-Trump dossier — Christopher Steele.
    In a tweet Wednesday, the president noted that the FBI made 11 payments to the “fake dossier’s discredited author.”    He then tagged @OANN and @JudicialWatch, and commented that “the witch hunt has been a total fraud” on his presidency as well as the American people.
    Trump tweet: “Wow! FBI made 11 payments to Fake Dossier’s discredited author, Trump hater Christopher Steele. @OANN @JudicialWatch The Witch Hunt has been a total fraud on your President and the American people! It was brought to you by Dirty Cops, Crooked Hillary and the DNC.”
    His comments come as Judicial Watch’s lawsuit seeks communication and payment records linked to Steele’s work for the FBI, and the opposition research he compiled against the president.
FILE – In this April 15, 2019, file photo, President Donald Trump walks on the South Lawn as
he arrives at the White House in Washington. (AP Photo/Andrew Harnik, File)

4/17/2019 Attorney General Barr rules illegal immigrants must be detained during deportation by OAN Newsroom
    Attorney General William Barr has ruled that asylum seekers must be detained during the deportation process.
    The ruling, issued Tuesday, will go into effect in 90-days.    This means states illegal immigrants, who demonstrate a credible fear, are not eligible for bond while their cases are being heard.
    Barr’s decision overturns a 2005 ruling, which ruled aliens are eligible for bond if they have credible fear of persecution back at home.
FILE – Honduran asylum seekers are taken into custody by U.S. Border Patrol agents after the group crossed
the U.S. border wall into San Diego, Calif., seen from Tijuana, Mexico. Detained asylum seekers who have shown they have a
credible fear of returning to their country will no longer be able to ask a judge to grant them bond. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo, File)
    The U.S. attorney general said under the Immigration and Nationality Act, the Department of Homeland Security can detain all illegal immigrants who were initially placed in expedited deportation proceedings.
    Families and unaccompanied migrant children are exempt from Tuesday’s ruling.
    Find the detailed ruling here: U.S. Department of Justice Office of the Attorney General – Matter of M-S-, Respondent

4/17/2019 Yuma, Ariz. mayor declares state of emergency over migrant influx by OAN Newsroom
    This week, Mayor Douglas Nicholls declared a local emergency after a number of asylum seekers overwhelmed the southern border city of Yuma, Arizona.    Nearly 400 migrants slammed the local shelter system, exceeding its capacity in a matter of hours and forcing many families out onto the streets.
    “It’s with a heavy heart that I declare that we’re at this point, but it is something that I believe we need to do to make sure that our community is maintained,” stated Nicholls.    “And that the human rights of all the migrants are also maintained, and that we have a path forward that respects both.”
    In a video shared to Facebook, Nicholls blamed insufficient transportation and a lack of resources for the crisis currently unfolding.    He reiterated the declaration does not mean Yuma residents are in danger, rather it serves as a notice that the community needs outside assistance.
    “It is clear that we are in a position that needs to be rectified on a national level, not just within the resources of our Yuma community,” he explained.
    Yuma is the third busiest out of nine sectors.    According to reports, agents made 25,000 migrant family apprehensions in the first six-months of fiscal year 2019.
    The emergency declaration will now be sent to Arizona’s governor, who will ultimately decide whether to declare a statewide emergency.

4/18/2019 Oil down $0.29 to $63.76, DOW down 3 to 26,450.

4/18/2019 Trump team mobilizes for Mueller’s report - Plan: Read quickly, put out responses by David Jackson, USA TODAY
    WASHINGTON – On Thursday, at least a dozen attorneys and staff members for President Donald Trump will plunge into special counsel Robert Mueller’s 400-page report on Russian interference in the 2016 election.    Their mission?    Distill the document into a quick response for the waiting political world.
    The president and his advisers are getting ready for the release by the Department of Justice of the findings by the special counsel whose probe Trump has called a “hoax” and a “witch hunt.”    Staff and lawyers will be assigned sections of the report to digest as the team looks to develop official statements and talking points.
    The descriptions of the Trump team’s preparations are based on interviews with five sources familiar with the plans.
    A summary of the report released last month by Attorney General William Barr said Mueller did not find evidence of collusion between Trump or his campaign and Russia, but the document will give a much fuller picture of the investigation.
    As of last week, Trump said he had not read the Mueller report yet but that he and his aides are already predicting its main takeaways: There was no collusion with Russia, no obstruction of justice and no basis for the Mueller probe to have begun in the first place.
    Getting out that message in the chaotic world of social media and cable television will be a chief aim of Trump’s team and advisers.    They will be combing through the Mueller report on the same day that lawmakers, journalists and members of the public will see it for the first time.
    “We’re going to respond in a prompt and appropriate manner,” said Jay Sekulow, one of the president’s private attorneys.    “We’ll provide analysis throughout the course of the day.”
    It’s a process that will likely play out in stages, the Trump aides and advisers said.
    Sekulow has a team of a half-dozen lawyers and staff members who will split up the report, scan their assigned sections quickly, and issue summaries to help develop statements and talking points to be used by communicators throughout the day, officials said.
    Over at the White House, the immediate review of the report is being headed up by Emmet Flood, the lawyer who has been representing the White House in the special counsel investigation.
    Expect short written statements a half-hour or so after the Mueller report surfaces from both the White House and the Trump legal team, officials said.
    That’s how Trump’s team responded to Barr’s letter last month.
    Trump’s legal team will probably issue a longer and more detailed statement an hour or two after that, officials said, with the timing to depend on how much new information Mueller presents.
Staff and lawyers for President Donald Trump will be assigned sections of the Mueller report to digest as the team looks to develop official statements. AP

4/18/2019 Barr ends asylum bond hearings by Kristine Phillips, USA TODAY
    WASHINGTON — Migrants who have shown credible fear of persecution or torture if they return to their countries will be jailed indefinitely in the United States under the Trump administration’s latest effort to stem the surge of asylum seekers arriving at the border.
    Attorney General William Barr, who oversees immigration courts, on Tuesday directed judges to deny bond hearings for asylum seekers, guaranteeing migrants’ detention while they wait for months, even years, for their claims to be heard.
    The decision, a departure from a yearlong practice of allowing asylum seekers who have shown credible fear to seek bail, is all but assured to be challenged in court.
    Barr delayed the effective date of his ruling by 90 days, acknowledging that it will have “an immediate and significant impact” on already overcrowded detention centers.
    The Department of Homeland Security has requested for the delay so the agency “may conduct necessary operational planning,” Barr wrote in a footnote at the end of his 11-page ruling.
    Civil rights organizations promptly vowed to sue, saying the decision will result in unlawful and unnecessary detention of thousands of asylum seekers with valid claims.

4/18/2019 Redacted Mueller report released to public by OAN Newsroom
Special counsel Robert Mueller’s redacted report on Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election as
released on Thursday, April 18, 2019, is photographed in Washington. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)
    The Mueller report has been released to the public.    The report was delivered to lawmakers Thursday, and posted on the special counsel’s website.
    In addition to the initial redacted report, the Department of Justice is planning to make a less redacted version of the report available to certain members of Congress.
    During a press conference ahead of the release, Attorney General William Barr reiterated there was no collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia in the 2016 election.    Barr added, evidence developed by the special counsel was not sufficient to establish obstruction of justice.
    Barr released a summary of the investigation last month, where he also said there was no evidence of collusion.
    Attorney General William Barr speaks alongside Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein
about the release of a redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report during a news conference,
Thursday, April 18, 2019, at the Department of Justice in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
    President Trump took one last shot at the entire Russia investigation on Twitter Thursday morning before the release of the redacted report.    He called the probe “the greatest political hoax of all time.”
    Trump tweet: “No Collusion - No Obstruction!”
    One America News has several reporters reading through the report.    More details are to come.
    Read the full report here:
    The Mueller Report
    A look at a redacted version of the long anticipated investigative report.

4/18/2019 Rep. Jim Jordan says Democrats should read full Mueller report by OAN Newsroom
    Congressman Jim Jordan said Democrats should read the Mueller report before jumping to conclusions.
    In a series of tweets Thursday, the Ohio representative said the attorney general concludes what many had suspected — no evidence of collusion or obstruction.
    Jordan also warned about cherry-picking information from the report, saying it would lead to further divisiveness and conspiracies.
    The congressman then said “this sad chapter of American history is over,” but it’s clear that attacks against the president will continue by Democrats.
    Jordan's Tweet: “It would be a miscarriage of justice to use cherry-picked bits of information from the report to sow further divisiveness and spread conspiracies that serve only to undermine our democratic institutions.
    One thing, however, is clear with the release of the report today: this sad chapter of American history is behind us.
    It’s time to turn back to the people’s work of improving the efficiency, economy, and effectiveness of how their tax dollars are spent.”
Congressman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP Photo)

4/18/2019 At least 800K alien children to enroll in U.S. schools by late 2020 by OAN Newsroom
    One million alien children could reportedly enter the U.S. by the end of 2020.    According to a recent Princeton Policy Advisors report, immigration officials could detain up to 1.3 million illegal migrants this year.
    Out of these aliens at least 300,000 are children, who are expected to enroll in U.S. schools.    The study found California will have to enroll 50,000 migrant students this school year, while 36,000 will go to school in Texas.
FILE– Central American migrants wait for food in a placement area erected by U.S. Customs and Border Protection to process a surge
of migrant families and unaccompanied minors in El Paso, Texas. The U.S. government is working to open two new large tent facilities
to temporarily detain up to 1,000 migrant parents and children near the southern border. (AP Photo/Cedar Attanasio, File)
    Meanwhile, some say the rise in mass migration could hamper gains in U.S. wages achieved under the Trump administration.
    “We are seeing tens of thousands of unskilled, largely unskilled, being brought onto the market right off these caravans, and that is going to have a negative effect on wages.    We’re undercutting the progress that the president’s administration has made in wage growth.” — Kris Kobach, former Kansas Secretary of State.
    Researchers say if current trends in illegal immigration continue, at least 800,000 alien students will enroll in U.S. schools before the 2020 election.

4/18/2019 Pro-EU alliance heads for majority but eurosceptic vote to rise: EU election survey by Francesco Guarascio
FILE PHOTO: European Union flags flutter as uncertainty over Brexit continues, in London, Britain April 10, 2019. REUTERS/Gonzalo Fuentes
    BRUSSELS (Reuters) – An alliance of pro-EU conservative, socialist and liberal parties would win an absolute majority in next month’s European Parliament election, though eurosceptic groups will gain ground, a survey showed on Thursday.
    With Britain expected to participate after its departure from the European Union was delayed, the proportion of the assembly’s seats held by eurosceptics is seen rising to 14.3 percent from around 10 percent currently, according to the compilation of national polls commissioned by the European Parliament.
    The figure was 13.0 percent in the previous survey in March, which did not include British voters.
    Currently, a coalition of centre-right and centre-left groupings holds a majority.
    Under the new survey, which includes national polls published up to April 15 and assumes the number of seats will remain at 751, the centre-right European People’s Party (EPP) will remain the largest grouping with 180 seats, which represents 24.0 percent of the total, down from nearly 29 percent currently.
    The centre-left Socialists and Democrats will be the second biggest with 149 seats, equal to 19.8 percent, and the liberals are set to stay third with about 10 percent and 76 seats.
    Factoring in Britain’s participation in the May 23-26 vote, which might still be reversed if a Brexit deal is struck before then, the nationalist Europe of Nations and Freedom (ENF) would rise to 8.3 percent, or 62 seats, from less than 5 percent currently.
    Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy (EFDD), the other openly eurosceptic grouping which currently includes the United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP), would win 6 percent, or 45 seats.
    Under the survey, that grouping would include arch UK eurosceptic Nigel Farage’s new Brexit Party, which came top with 27 percent in a British YouGov survey published on Wednesday but not included in Thursday’s EU report.
    At the last EU election in 2014, UKIP, then led by Farage, was the leading UK party with 26.6 percent.
    After Britain’s formal exit from the EU, which the bloc’s leaders last week extended to Oct. 31, its elected deputies would leave the European Parliament and groupings may need to be reshaped.
    The European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) grouping, which includes the PiS party of Polish eurosceptic leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, would obtain 8.8 percent of the seats, up from 7.5 percent in the previous poll which did not include British Conservative voters.
    Among national parties, German Chancellor Angela Merkel’s centre-right Christian Democrats are expected to remain the largest, dropping to 30 seats from 33.
    Italy’s far-right League of Matteo Salvini, which is the leading party in the ENF, would be the second largest with 26 seats.
(Graphic showing seats projection: https://graphics.reuters.com/EU-ELECTION/010091HT27K/EU-PARLIAMENT-POLL.jpg)
(Additional reporting by Giulia Paravicini and Philip Blenkinsop; Writing by Francesco Guarascio; editing by John Stonestreet)

4/19/2019 Oil up $0.24 to $64.00, DOW up 110 to 26,560.

4/19/2019 UNEMPLOYMENT CLAIMS HIT NEARLY 50-YEAR LOW
    The number of Americans filing for unemployment benefits dropped to the lowest level in nearly half a century.    The Labor Department says claims for jobless aid fell by 5,000 last week to 192,000, the lowest since September 1969.

4/19/2019 Trump scrambled to shackle inquiry - But aides largely declined to carry out his orders by Bart Jansen, USA TODAY
    WASHINGTON – To thwart a federal investigation of Russian efforts to help him win the White House, President Donald Trump fired the FBI director, ordered an aide to fire special counsel Robert Mueller and urged associates to pressure the attorney general to curb the inquiry.
    From the first months of his administration, Trump pushed repeatedly to limit the inquiry into Russian interference with the 2016 election that began with the FBI and continued under Mueller.    His attempts to block or curb the inquiry that he worried could tarnish his presidency are detailed in Mueller’s final report on his 22-month investigation, released Thursday by the Justice Department.
    Four months into his term, Trump fired FBI Director James Comey.    The next day he told Russia’s foreign minister that he “faced great pressure because of Russia.    That’s taken off. ... I’m not under investigation.”
    When Mueller was appointed days later to take over that investigation, Trump feared it would end his presidency.    He told then-White House counsel Don McGahn to fire Mueller, but McGahn refused and later told another White House aide that the president asked him to “do crazy s - - - .”
    Trump also erupted at his first attorney general, Jeff Sessions, for removing himself from the Russia investigation because of his work for Trump’s campaign.    After Mueller was appointed in May 2017, Sessions handed Trump a resignation letter, but Trump pocketed it instead of ousting him.    Then-Chief of Staff Reince Priebus said it would be bad for Trump to keep the letter because it would act like a “shock collar” that would hold “DOJ by the throat.”
    Trump met in June 2017 with former campaign manager Corey Lewandowski and forced him to take dictation for a message to Sessions.    Trump said he felt “treated very unfairly” and told Sessions that the inquiry should be limited to “investigating election meddling for future elections/i>,” not the one that had put him in office.    Lewandowski never delivered the message.
    None of those was sufficient for prosecutors to conclude that Trump had committed a crime by obstructing the Russia investigation, in part because his aides largely refused to carry out his orders.    But Mueller’s office pointedly declined to say that it had cleared the president of wrongdoing, writing instead that the report “also does not exonerate him.”
    “The president’s efforts to influence the investigation were mostly unsuccessful, but that was largely because the persons who surrounded the president declined to carry out orders or accede to his requests,” the report said.    “Consistent with that pattern, the evidence we obtained would not support potential obstruction of justice charges against the president’s aides and associates beyond those already filed.”
    Trump’s personal lawyers said in a statement Thursday that the president’s actions were justified.    They said he acted correctly in firing Comey for launching a “biased, political attack,” though that is not the reason Trump gave at the time for ousting the FBI director.
    “Instead of protecting the time-honored principle that the president – as with any American – is innocent until proven guilty, they clearly set up a scheme to derail the President,” they said in the statement.
    Mueller also suggested Congress could make its own judgment about the president’s conduct with evidence from the report, one that is not necessarily tethered to criminal law.
    The redacted report was released in two volumes Thursday, one dedicated to answering whether the Trump campaign conspired with Russia to interfere in the 2016 election and the other to whether the president attempted to obstruct the investigation.
    In the report, Mueller laid out what investigators considered to be key events in which they believed Trump had sought to influence the investigation into his campaign.    Most had been revealed publicly already, but the special counsel’s report spelled them out in staggering detail:
  • Trump’s reaction to the inquiry.
  • Sessions announced his recusal from the investigation March 2, 2017, because he had worked on Trump’s campaign.    Trump expressed anger, and that weekend Trump took Sessions aside and urged him to “unrecuse."
  • Trump’s firing of Comey.    Trump had earlier asked Comey to go easy on his investigation of then-National Security Adviser Mike Flynn. On March 30, Trump asked Comey to “lift the cloud” of the Russia investigation.    The day after firing him, Trump told Russia’s foreign minister: “I just fired the head of the FBI.    He was crazy, a real nut job.”
  • The appointment of Mueller and efforts to remove him.    Trump reacted angrily to Mueller’s appointment.    “Oh my God,” Trump said, according to the report.    “This is terrible.    This is the end of my presidency.”
  • Efforts to prevent public disclosure of evidence.    When Trump heard of press inquiries about a June 9, 2016, meeting in Trump Tower between a Russian lawyer and members of his campaign, the president edited a press statement for his son Donald Trump Jr., who attended the meeting, by deleting a line that acknowledged the meeting was with “an individual who (Trump Jr.) was told might have information helpful to the campaign” and instead said only the meeting was about adoptions.
Contributing: John Kelly, Ledyard King, Gregory Korte, Kevin McCoy, Steve Reilly and Deirdre Shesgreen

4/19/2019 Rights group condemns U.S. ‘vigilante’ treatment of migrants on border
FILE PHOTO: A child looks through the border wall during the visit of U.S. President Donald Trump
to Calexico, California, as seen in Mexicali, Mexico April 5, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Jasso
    (Reuters) – The American Civil Liberties Union of New Mexico on Thursday called for state authorities to investigate a small group of armed U.S. citizens who they alleged are illegally detaining migrants entering the United States.
    The United Constitutional Patriots, who claim to be mainly military veterans, have been patrolling the U.S.-Mexico border near Sunland Park, New Mexico, since late February in search of illegal border crossers.
    They post near daily videos showing members dressed in camouflage and armed with semi-automatic rifles holding groups of migrants, many of them Central American families seeking asylum, until U.S. Border Patrol agents arrive to arrest them.
    The small volunteer group says it is helping Border Patrol deal with a surge in undocumented migrants but civil rights organizations like the ACLU say it is a “fascist militia organization” operating outside the law.
    “We cannot allow racist and armed vigilantes to kidnap and detain people seeking asylum,” the ACLU said in a letter to New Mexico Governor Michelle Lujan Grisham and Attorney General Hector Balderas.
    “We urge you to immediately investigate this atrocious and unlawful conduct.”
    The offices of Lujan Grisham and Balderas did not respond to requests for comment.
    On a March 27 visit to El Paso, Texas, next to Sunland Park, then U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Commissioner Kevin McAleenan said his agency, which runs U.S. Border Patrol, did not need the help of citizens to police the border.
    “We are not asking for civil society groups to provide border security assistance,” said McAleenan, who was recently appointed acting secretary of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
    U.S. CBP did not respond to a request for further comment.    UCP member John Horton did not immediately return calls.    Horton has previously told media that UCP members are armed for self defense, as is their right under U.S. law, and aware they cannot detain people entering the United States illegally.
    U.S. armed groups have long patrolled the U.S. border, their numbers rising during upticks in migrant apprehensions, such as during the mid 2000s when the Minuteman Project was established.
    The UCP says it is responding to a rise in migrant arrests to their highest monthly levels in more than a decade.
    The ACLU said the group was a product of the Trump administration’s “vile racism” that “has emboldened white nationalists and fascists to flagrantly violate the law.”
(This story adds dropped words in paragraph 8)
(Reporting By Andrew Hay in Taos New Mexico; Editing by Robert Birsel)

4/19/2019 Former CIA agent: FBI failed to follow law when it spied on Trump campaign by OAN Newsroom
    The Mueller report is out, but many are still asking questions about how the investigation began.    One America’s Jack Posobiec sat down with a veteran CIA officer to learn more.

4/19/2019 New Mexico County declares state of emergency amid immigration influx by OAN Newsroom
    A New Mexico county has declared a state of emergency amid an influx of migration. Otero County officials unanimously voted in favor of the declaration on Thursday, demanding the governor deploy National Guard troops to the area.
    Hundreds of migrants have been transported to shelters in the county, but those shelters are reportedly overflowing and the county’s resources are depleting.
    Otero officials are now giving the state a week to respond to their declaration, and plan on suing if they don’t help and provide resources.
Central American migrants, part of a caravan hoping to reach the U.S. border, walk on the shoulder of a road in
Frontera Hidalgo, Mexico, Friday, April 12, 2019. The group pushed past police guarding the bridge and joined a larger group
of about 2,000 migrants who are walking toward Tapachula, the latest caravan to enter Mexico. (AP Photo/Isabel Mateos)
    Meanwhile, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agents in New Mexico apprehended nearly 2,000 migrants in just one day.    Agents patrolling a remote port of entry in the state’s Bootheel region stopped several large groups of migrants on Tuesday — totaling more than 1,800 arrests.
    During the first six-months of 2018, authorities apprehended less than 11,000 migrants illegally crossing that section of the border, but in 2019 that number has already skyrocketed to more than 71,000.
    In response, the White House is considering tightening the standard for granting asylum to close the loopholes used by human traffickers.

4/19/2019 Secretary Pompeo, Secretary Shanahan hold talks with Japanese counterparts by OAN Newsroom
    Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently welcomed his Japanese counterpart to Washington. Pompeo and acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan met with Japan’s foreign minister and defense minister Friday amid stalled talks over dismantling North Korea’s nuclear weapons program.
    This comes after Pyongyang tested a new tactical weapon this week, and called for Pompeo to be removed as President Trump’s top negotiator.
Acting Secretary of Defense Patrick Shanahan, right, speaks as, from left, Japanese Defense
Minister Takeshi Iwaya, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo listen Friday,
April 19, 2019, at the Department of State in Washington. (AP Photo/Sait Serkan Gurbuz)
    U.S. officials have said they remain open to resuming denuclearization talks with the country.
    “Nothing’s changed, we’re continuing to work, to negotiate..Special Representative (Stephen) Biegum and I will continue to lead the U.S. efforts to achieve what Chairman Kim committed to do back in June of last year, which was to denuclearize.    As I’ve said before, he’s made that commitment to President Trump multiple times.    He’s made it to me personally half a dozen times, and I’m convinced we we still have still a real opportunity to achieve that outcome.    Our diplomatic team will continue to remain in the lead.” — Mike Pompeo, U.S. Secretary of State     The U.S.has no intention of easing major sanctions until North Korea completely dismantles its nuclear weapons and long-range ballistic missiles.

4/19/2019 Venezuela’s Guaido calls for ‘largest march in history’ to oust Maduro
Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido, who many nations have recognized as the country's
rightful interim ruler, greets his supporters
during a protest against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's
government in Caracas, Venezuela, April 10, 2019. REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado
    CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido on Friday called on supporters to take to the streets on May 1 for what he called “the largest march in the history” of the South American country to keep the pressure on President Nicolas Maduro to leave power.
    Guaido, the head of the opposition-controlled National Assembly who in January invoked the constitution to assume an interim presidency on the basis that Maduro’s 2018 re-election was illegitimate, reiterated his call for the country’s armed forces to take his side in the three-month power struggle.
    “They will need to listen to the people saying: enough,” Guaido told a crowd gathered at a plaza in eastern Caracas, setting the date for the march for May 1, International Workers’ Day.
    “We call on all the people to join in the largest march in the history of Venezuela to demand the end to the usurpation so this tragedy can end.”
    Guaido has been recognized by the United States and most Western nations as the South American country’s rightful leader.    The oil-rich country is in a sixth year of recession, marked by hyperinflation and shortages of basic goods that have prompted more than three million to emigrate.
    Maduro calls Guaido a U.S. puppet seeking to oust him in a coup and blames the country’s economic woes on a U.S.-led “economic war.”    His ruling socialist party has frequently responded to Guaido’s calls for protests over the past few months with simultaneous marches of their own.
    Guaido did not specify the final destination of the May 1 demonstration.    But some in attendance on Friday called out suggestions that they march on the Miraflores presidential palace.
    “He is not alone,” said Ileidi Vargas, a 58-year-old retired teacher who attended the opposition rally on Friday.    “Each day we are moving forward, and there is no turning back.    It might not happen tomorrow, but it will be soon.”
    Despite Guaido’s offers of amnesty to members of the military who facilitate a transition, Maduro remains in control of the armed forces and the day-to-day functions of government.
(Reporting by Mayela Armas and Deisy Buitrago; Writing by Luc Cohen; Editing by Marguerita Choy)

4/21/2019 Notre Dame gifts fuel French protests by Angela Charlton and Michel Euler, ASSOCIATED PRESS
    PARIS – French yellow vest protesters set fires Saturday along a march through Paris to drive home their message to a government they believe is ignoring the poor: that rebuilding the fireravaged Notre Dame Cathedral isn’t the only problem France needs to solve.
    Like the high-visibility vests the protesters wear, the scattered small fires in Paris appeared to be a collective plea to French President Emmanuel Macron’s government to “look at me – I need help, too!”
    Police fired water cannons and sprayed tear gas to try to control radical elements rampaging on the margins of the largely peaceful march, one of several actions across Paris and other French cities.
    The protests marked the 23rd straight weekend of yellow vest actions against Macron’s centrist government, which they see as favoring the wealthy and big business.    Protesters view themselves as standing up for beleaguered French workers, students and retirees who have been battered by high unemployment, high taxes and shrinking purchasing power.    But violence and divisions have marred the movement.
    Associated Press reporters saw a car, motorbikes and barricades set ablaze around the Place de la Republique plaza in eastern Paris.    The smell of tear gas mixed with the smoke in the air.
    Paris firefighters, who struggled earlier this week to prevent the 12th-century Notre Dame from collapsing, quickly responded to extinguish the flames at Saturday’s protest.
    Masked protesters hurled paving stones and flares.    Helmeted riot police repeatedly charged as they tried to contain the crowd.    AP reporters saw at least two journalists injured in the melee.    Troublemakers also ransacked at least two stores and one black-clad protester jumped on a parked Mercedes, smashing its windshields.
    Paris police said authorities detained more than 200 people by early afternoon and carried out spot checks on more than 20,000 trying to enter the capital for the protest.
    The violence contrasted sharply with the peaceful atmosphere at another march through Paris, where demonstrators mourned the Notre Dame blaze while trying to keep pressure on Macron.    They tried to march to Notre Dame itself, but were stopped by police a few hundred yards away.
    Young women at that march skipped down a street along the Seine River, accompanied by drummers and singers.    One protester carried a huge wooden cross resembling those carried in Good Friday processions.
    Many protesters were deeply saddened by the fire at Notre Dame.    But at the same time, they are angry at the $1 billion in donations for Notre Dame renovations that poured in from French tycoons while their own economic demands remain largely unmet and they struggle to make ends meet.
    “I think what happened at Notre Dame is a great tragedy but humans should be more important than stones,” said protester Jose Fraile.
    Some 60,000 police officers mobilized for Saturday’s protests across France, and the heavy security thwarted some tourists trying to enjoy the French capital on a warm spring day.
The yellow vest movement was reenergized when huge donations came in
to rebuild the Notre Dame Cathedral. FRANCISCO SECO/AP

4/22/2019 High court taking up 2020 census addition by Mark Sherman, ASSOCIATED PRESS
    WASHINGTON – Justice Elena Kagan’s father was 3 when the census taker came to the family’s apartment on Ocean Parkway in Brooklyn, New York, on April 10, 1930.
    Robert Kagan initially was listed wrongly as an “alien,” though he was a native-born New Yorker.    The entry about his citizenship appears to have been crossed out on the census form.
    Vast changes in America and technology have altered the way the census is conducted.    But the accuracy of the once-a-decade population count is at the heart of the Supreme Court case over the Trump administration’s effort to restore a citizenship question to the 2020 census.
    The Census Bureau dropped the citizenship section after the 1950 count, asserting since then that asking everyone about citizenship “would produce a less accurate population count,” five former agency directors who served in Democratic and Republic administrations wrote in a Supreme Court brief.
    The justices will hear arguments in the case Tuesday, with a decision due by late June to allow for printing forms in time for the count in April 2020.
    The fight over the census question is the latest over immigration-related issues between Democratic-led states and advocates for immigrants, on one side, and the administration, on the other.
    The Supreme Court last year upheld President Donald Trump’s ban on visitors to the U.S. from several mostly Muslim countries.    The court also has temporarily blocked administration plans to make it harder for people to claim asylum and is considering an administration appeal that would allow Trump to end protections for immigrants who were brought to the U.S. as children.
    Federal judges in California, Maryland and New York blocked the administration from adding the question after crediting the analysis of Census Bureau experts, who found that a question would damage the accuracy of the census and cause millions of Hispanics and immigrants to go uncounted.    That would cost several states seats in the U.S. House and billions of dollars in federal dollars that are determined by census results.
Accuracy in the 2020 census is the issue in a Supreme Court case on the Trump
administration’s effort to add a citizenship question. J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE/AP

[WARNING, WARNING FAKE NEWS ALERT ON THE NEXT TWO ARTICLES]
4/22/2019 Democrats eye Trump impeachment by David Jackson, USA TODAY
    WASHINGTON – Top House Democrats said Sunday they will decide soon whether to pursue impeachment against President Donald Trump, while Trump attorney Rudy Giuliani argued that it would have been acceptable for the president to have accepted Russia’s help during the 2016 election.
    “Obstruction of justice, if proven, would be impeachable,” said Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, adding that he wants to see all the facts.
    Giuliani, meanwhile, said there would not have been anything necessarily wrong with the president and campaign aides taking information from the Russians about Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton.    Giuliani also said Trump would have been within his rights to have Mueller fired, a key event behind claims that Trump tried to obstruct justice.
    “There’s nothing wrong with taking information from Russians,” Giuliani said on CNN’s “State of the Union.”    “It depends on where it came from.”
    Trump aides and Democratic leaders took to the Sunday interview shows to debate the Mueller report, which said that there was no evidence of coordination between the Trump campaign and Russians who sought to interfere in the 2016 presidential election.
    The report also said Trump and his campaign welcomed help from the Russians, including the release of emails from Democrats and the use of social media to push fake news about Clinton.
    The report listed 10 episodes in which Trump tried to interfere in the investigation, including his demands to aides that Mueller be removed from his post.    Mueller’s team said it did not determine whether Trump’s actions amounted to obstruction of justice in a legal sense, and suggested Congress might want to take up the issue.
    Describing parts of the Mueller report as “warped” and “biased,” Giuliani said there was no collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia – not that there would necessarily be anything wrong with that.
    “It depends on the stolen material,” Giuliani said on NBC’s “Meet The Press.”    He compared it to the 1971 publication of the Pentagon Papers, Vietnam- era documents stolen from the government by a third party.
    House Democrats disputed Giuliani’s analysis, and said they would hold hearings on the Mueller report, including one featuring the special counsel himself.    Nadler, who wants to see material blacked out by Attorney General William Barr, said Democrats will be meeting soon to plan their next steps.
    “We have to hear from Barr, we have to hear from Mueller,” Nadler said on “Meet The Press.”    “We have to get the entire report.”
    Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, told ABC’s “This Week” that impeachment is a difficult decision.    He explained that even if the Democratic run House votes to impeach the president, it is highly unlikely the Republican-run Senate would not vote to convict and remove from office; it may not even take up the matter.
    “I think what we are going to have to decide as a (Democratic) caucus is, what is the best thing for the country?” Schiff said.
Rudy Giuliani asserts President Donald Trump had the right to fire the special counsel,
who he said produced a “warped” report. CHARLES KRUPA/AP

4/23/2019 Trump wants business records blocked - Suit against subpoena of accounting firm by Bart Jensen,USA TODAY
WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump and his private business filed a federal lawsuit Monday to block the House from obtaining financial records from the company’s longtime accountant.
    The 14-page complaint, which reads like a cross between a campaign ad and a traditional lawsuit, accuses House Democrats of having “declared all-out political war” with “subpoenas are their weapon on choice.”    It asks a federal court to prevent the Trump Organization’s accounting firm, Mazars USA, from being forced to turn over financial records to congressional investigators.
    The lawsuit is the latest salvo in a series of investigations that are continuing into Trump and his businesses in the aftermath of special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.    That probe ended without a finding that Trump had committed a crime, but federal prosecutors and a half-dozen congressional committees are conducting separate investigations of the president and his business.
    Trump’s lawsuit Monday came in response to a subpoena issued last week by the House Oversight and Reform Committee for Mazars, the longtime accountant for Trump and his businesses, seeking eight years of financial documents.
    Trump lawyers argued that the subpoena was invalid because it lacked “a legitimate legislative purpose.”    The lawyers asked for the subpoena to be ruled invalid and for an order to block Mazars from producing the requested information.
    “We will not allow congressional presidential harassment to go unanswered,” said Jay Sekulow, counsel to the president.
    Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings, D-Md., has said the committee sought Trump’s financial documents to determine whether Trump has accurately reported his own finances.    Trump’s former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, who heads to prison in May for crimes including lying to Congress, told the committee in February that Trump routinely inflated his holdings to obtain loans.
    “The president has a long history of trying to use baseless lawsuits to attack his adversaries, but there is simply no valid legal basis to interfere with this duly authorized subpoena from Congress,” Cummings said on Monday.    “The White House is engaged in unprecedented stonewalling on all fronts, and they have refused to produce a single document or witness to the Oversight Committee during this entire year.”
    The case was assigned to Judge Amit Mehta.
    The subpoena coincided with a request from the House Ways and Means Committee to the Internal Revenue Service for Trump’s tax returns.    In both cases, lawmakers have said they are searching for possible wrongdoing by the president.
Contributing: David Jackson
House Oversight and Reform Committee Chair Elijah Cummings says the committee wants
to determine whether the president has accurately reported finances. J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE/AP

4/24/2019 Biden expected to enter 2020 race by Brian Slodysko, Thomas Beaumont and Steve Peoples, ASSOCIATED PRESS
    WASHINGTON – Answering perhaps the most significant question of the early 2020 election season, former Vice President Joe Biden will launch his presidential campaign on Thursday.
    The move, confirmed by a person familiar with his plans, sets up the 76year-old lifelong politician as a frontrunner in the crowded Democratic contest as the party fights to determine who’s best positioned to defeat President Donald Trump next year.
    Biden, who spent the last five decades in Washington but never lost touch with his working-class background, is scheduled to face union workers in Pittsburgh on Monday as part of the rollout tour, the person said, speaking on the condition of anonymity to disclose private conversations.
    His decision largely settles the Democratic presidential field at 20 candidates, including six women, five people of color and one member of the LGBTQ community.
    A handful of lesser-known Democrats, including Montana Gov. Steve Bullock, could join the race in the coming weeks or months, but Biden’s decision is considered the final major piece.
    Biden, who has run for president twice before with little success, will look to organized labor for support.

4/24/2019 Justices likely to OK citizenship question - Ruling expected by June, in time to print census by Richard Wolf, USA TODAY
    WASHINGTON – A divided Supreme Court appeared almost certain Tuesday to allow the Trump administration to ask about citizenship in the 2020 census.
    The court’s conservatives seemed unlikely to declare Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross’s plan illegal or unconstitutional, refusing during an 80-minute oral argument to question his motives or reasoning.
    Their ruling, expected by late June, would clear the way for all households to be asked about citizenship for the first time since 1950.    A reduced response rate among noncitizens would alter the allocation of House seats and hundreds of billions of federal dollars.
    “Citizen voting age population is a critical element in voting rights enforcement, and this is getting citizenship information,” Chief Justice John Roberts said.
    The court’s four liberal justices appeared to be opposed to adding the question to the short form that goes to every household.    They cited Census Bureau estimates that it would reduce response rates among households with noncitizens by more than 5%.
    “The secretary needs reasons to do that,” Associate Justice Elena Kagan said.    “I searched the record, and I don’t see any reason.”
    U.S. Solicitor General Noel Francisco argued that the citizenship question should make a census comeback after 70 years because the data will help it enforce the Voting Rights Act, which plays a key role in the drawing of congressional districts.
    As for the expected reduction in response rates, Francisco said, “You’re always trading off information and accuracy.”
    Attorneys for New York, immigrant rights groups and the House of Representatives contended that the question would scare some noncitizens into avoiding the census altogether.    That could harm localities with large immigrant populations, both politically and financially.
    The high court, which has called the census “the linchpin of the federal statistical system,” must decide if Ross had ample reason to ask about citizenship, followed acceptable procedures and acted within the bounds of the Constitution.    A decision is expected by the end of June, in time for the Census Bureau to print the 2020 questionnaire.
    Ross has lost at district courts in California, New York and Maryland.    Three judges named by President Barack Obama have described acts of subterfuge and misleading statements they say were intended to obscure the real reasons for asking the citizenship question.
    On Tuesday, it appeared most of the justices had their minds made up.    Liberals asked nearly all the questions of Francisco, the government’s lawyer.    Conservatives dominated the questioning of three lawyers for New York, immigrant rights groups and the Democratic- run House.
Immigration activists rally outside the Supreme Court Tuesday as the justices
hear arguments about citizenship on the 2020 census. J. SCOTT APPLEWHITE/AP

4/24/2019 Kushner plays down Russia’s interference in 2016 election
    NEW YORK – White House senior adviser Jared Kushner said Tuesday the investigations into Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election “had a much harder impact on our democracy” than what Russia actually did.    Kushner minimized Russia’s involvement by describing it as “buying some Facebook ads to try to sow dissent.”    “Quite frankly, the whole thing’s just a big distraction for the country,” Kushner, the president’s son-in-law, said at the Time 100 Summit.    President Donald Trump soon afterward praised Kushner on Twitter.

4/25/2019 Fla. House passes sanctuary cities ban by OAN Newsroom
    Florida’s House passed a bill banning sanctuary cities by a vote of 69-to-47 on Wednesday.    The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is now threatening to launch a travel boycott to the Sunshine State, while the Southern Poverty Law Center is claiming the measure is unconstitutional.
    The bill, sponsored by Republican state representative Cord Byrd, requires all local law enforcement agencies to work with federal immigration officials by informing them about any illegal immigrants in their custody.
Rep. Cord Byrd, R- Neptune Beach, makes his closing statement on an immigration bill
during session Wednesday April 24, 2019, in Tallahassee, Fla. The Florida House has passed a high-profile Republican
bill requiring local law enforcement agencies to cooperate with federal immigration authorities and banning so-called
“sanctuary city” policies that shield immigrants who are arrested. (AP Photo/Steve Cannon)
    President Trump emphasized the need for this type of cooperation is about keeping America safe in a speech:
    “Every day, our brave ICE officers are on the front lines protecting our communities.    We must always support the heroes of law enforcement, and we all support law enforcement in every way.    Sanctuary cities that release known criminal aliens put all Americans at risk.”
    Florida lawmakers were already taking action by introducing bills in the state House and Senate two months before the president gave this speech in March.    Both the House and Senate versions include a fine between $1,000 and $5,000 per day against local governments that enact a sanctuary policy.
    Governor Ron DeSantis said he will sign the measure into law to take effect in October.

4/26/2019 Rosenstein defends himself, DOJ on Russia investigation, Mueller report by OAN Newsroom
    Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein summed up the Mueller investigation by saying he did it by the book.    On Thursday, he appeared in New York City and said he knows “not everyone is happy with his decisions.”
    Rosenstein defended his appointment of Robert Mueller as special counsel, and said he believes Attorney General William Barr conducted himself honorably during the final stages of the probe.
    The deputy attorney general then placed blame on the Obama administration for not doing more to prevent election meddling, and subtlety slammed former FBI Director James Comey.
Attorney General William Barr speaks alongside Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein
about the release of a redacted version of special counsel Robert Mueller’s report during a news conference,
Thursday, April 18, 2019, at the Department of Justice in Washington. (AP Photo/Patrick Semansky)
    “Some critical decisions about that Russia investigation were made before I got there.    The previous administration chose not to publicize the full story about Russian computer hackers and social media trolls, and how they relate to Russia’s broader strategy to undermine America.    The FBI disclosed classified information about an investigation to selected lawmakers and their staffers.    Someone selectively leaked information to the news media.    The FBI director disclosed at a congressional hearing that there was a counterintelligence investigation that might result in criminal charges.    Then the former FBI director alleged that the president had pressured him to close the investigation and the president denied that that conversation occurred.    So, that happened.” — Rod Rosenstein, Deputy Attorney General
    Rosenstein also said he believes the “nation is safer, elections are more secure, and citizens are better informed about foreign influence operations.”

4/26/2019 Migrant escapes; judge charged by Kevin Johnson, USA TODAY
    WASHINGTON – Federal prosecutors charged a Massachusetts judge with obstruction of justice and perjury on Thursday, saying she prevented immigration agents from arresting an immigrant who was in the country illegally after a state court hearing by allowing him to leave the courthouse through a back door.
    The indictment marked an unusual escalation in the federal government’s strict immigration enforcement policy, and its battles with states and local governments that shelter migrants.    The indictment accuses District Judge Shelley Richmond Joseph and a court officer, Wesley MacGregor, of allowing the immigrant to leave the courthouse by a back door, and lying about it later.
    “This case is about the rule of law,” said U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling.    “We cannot pick and choose the federal laws we follow.”
    The charges drew swift criticism.    Matthew Segal, the legal director for the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, called the indictment “completely outrageous.”
    Prosecutors alleged that during a April 2018 court hearing in Newtown, Massachusetts, Joseph and MacGregor allowed the migrant, detained on drug and outstanding warrant charges, to leave from a downstairs back door after the judge instructed an immigration agent to wait in a hallway.

4/26/2019 Biden enters ‘battle’ for nation’s soul by Karl Baker, Delaware News Journal USA TODAY NETWORK
    WILMINGTON, Del. – Joe Biden gave his long-awaited answer to the biggest political question in the country Thursday and joined the field of 20 Democrats vying to become the party’s 2020 presidential nominee. “The core values of this nation, our standing in the world, our very democracy, everything that has made America America is at stake,” he said in a video posted to Facebook and Twitter on Thursday morning.    “That’s why today I’m announcing my candidacy for president of the United States.”
    The announcement from the 76year-old former vice president comes three years after he declined to seek the country’s highest political office – a time in which he and his family were grieving the death of his oldest son, former Delaware Attorney General Beau Biden.
    In his announcement, Biden went after President Donald Trump and the statements he made after violent clashes between activists and white supremacists in Charlottesville, Virginia, in 2017.
    In the wake of the demonstrations, which killed one person, Trump said there were fine people on “both sides,” a remark that drew wide condemnation.
    “With those words, the president of the United States assigned a moral equivalence to those spreading hate and those with the courage to stand against it,” Biden said in the video.    “In that moment, I knew the threat to this nation was unlike any I had ever seen in my lifetime.”
    The former vice president continued, speaking directly into the camera.
    “We are in the battle for the soul of this nation,” he said.    “I believe history will look back on four years of this president and all he embraces as an aberrant moment in time.”
    “But if we give Donald Trump eight years in the White House, he will forever and fundamentally alter the character of this nation, who we are, and I cannot stand by and watch that happen,” he said.
    Thanks to the name recognition that comes with holding national office, Biden has been among the frontrunners in Democratic polling for months, even as he waited along the sidelines.
    Several candidates have pulled their party to the left, calling for Medicare for all and tighter regulations on fossil fuels.    It remains unclear whether a similar a progressive tilt will come from the Biden camp in the months before the first state primaries early next year.
    Jeffrey A. Sonnenfeld, president of the Chief Executive Leadership Institute, said Biden today has a built-in base in the political center as many socially liberal and economically conservative business leaders are excited about his candidacy.
    Businesses are craving an experienced politician who can avert the economic uncertainty that has surrounded the Trump Administration, he said.
    They will support Biden, a lifelong Democrat, even though he may not favor all of their preferred, “parochial” tax cuts, said Sonnenfeld, who also is a professor of management at Yale University.
Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden speaks Thursday in Wilmington, Del.,
after his launch. JESSICA GRIFFIN/ THE PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER VIA AP

4/26/2019 President Trump praises Q1 GDP growth by OAN Newsroom
    President Trump is praising the latest GDP numbers, which show the U.S. economy grew 3.2-percent in the first quarter.    The numbers smashed analyst expectations of 2.5-percent growth.    The Commerce Department released the figures Friday, marking the first time since 2015 first quarter GDP topped three-percent.
    The strong economic numbers come amid January’s partial government shutdown, and the Trump administration’s ongoing trade negotiations with China.
    President Trump took to Twitter to applaud the numbers, while also emphasizing low inflation.
    Trump tweet: "Just out: Real GDP for First Quarter grew 3.2% at an annual rate. This is far above expectations or projections. Importantly, inflation VERY LOW. MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!”
    According to experts, higher exports and inventory investment helped offset slower demand in the consumer and business sectors.
    President Trump has made strengthening the economy a forefront during his presidency, even making this statement in July of last year:
    “During each of the two previous administrations, we averaged just over 1.8-percent GDP growth.    By contrast, we are now on track to hit an average GDP annual growth of over three-percent, and it could be substantially over three-percent.”
    The first quarter numbers are a win for the president, and Americans can expect him to continue touting the economic growth under his presidency as part of his 2020 reelection campaign.
President Donald Trump speaks at the National Rifle Association Institute for Legislative Action
Leadership Forum in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis, Friday, April 26, 2019. (AP Photo/Michael Conroy)

4/30/2019 Oil up $0.20 to $63.50, DOW up 39 to 26,593.

4/30/2019 Deputy attorney general steps down by Bart Jansen, Kevin Johnson and Kristine Phillips, USA TODAY
    WASHINGTON – Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein announced his departure Monday after two years in which he was often the target of President Donald Trump’s scorn.
    Rosenstein sent a resignation letter to the president in which he offered gratitude to Trump while indirectly referring to the extraordinary challenges posed by the sprawling investigation into Russian election interference that he helped bring to a conclusion.
    “I am grateful to you for the opportunity to serve; for the courtesy and humor you often display in our personal conversations; and for the goals you set in your inaugural address: patriotism, unity, safety, education and prosperity,” Rosenstein wrote Monday.    His resignation is set to take effect May 11.
    Less than two weeks ago, Russia special counsel Robert Mueller delivered a scathing account of Trump repeatedly seeking to limit or derail the investigation.    Though Mueller did not resolve whether Trump’s actions were criminal, Rosenstein and Attorney General William Barr determined that there was insufficient evidence to charge the president with obstruction of justice.    On the question of whether Trump conspired with the Russian government to tilt the 2016 election in his favor, Mueller concluded that the evidence did not support such a finding.
    Democrats accused the two Justice officials of trying to cover for the president.
    “We enforce the law without fear or favor because credible evidence is not partisan and truth is not determined by opinion polls,” Rosenstein said in his letter.    “We ignore fleeting distractions and focus our attention on the things that matter, because a republic that endures is not governed by the news cycle.”
    A career federal prosecutor, Rosenstein was thrust into an unusually public role for the agency’s second-in-command almost immediately after taking office when then-Attorney General Jeff Sessions recused himself in the midst of the Russia inquiry.
    Sessions ceded authority to his 54-year-old deputy.
    Among his first actions as deputy attorney general, Rosenstein wrote a memorandum Trump used as the basis for firing FBI Director James Comey.    Trump’s action became part of Mueller’s examination of whether the president sought to obstruct the inquiry.

4/30/2019 President Trump considers designating Muslim Brotherhood as a terror group by OAN Newsroom
    The Trump administration is reportedly looking to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terror organization.
    According to the New York Times, President Trump was urged to make the push by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi during their meeting in early April.     Press Secretary Sarah Sanders commented on the move, saying:     “The president consulted with his national security team and leaders in the region, who share his concern, and this designation is working its way through the internal process.”     If implemented the designation would open the door to sanctions for companies or individuals who do business with the brotherhood.     This isn’t the first time the president has tried to rein in the group. The administration was reportedly mulling a similar designation for the group in 2017, but it was put on the back-burner in order for officials to focus more on domestic threats such as the border crisis.     However, some officials are critical of the move. They say it could potentially stoke tensions in the Middle East and with governments that support the brotherhood, including Turkey. The White House said its exploring other possible avenues, including limiting its designation to just the Egyptian branch of the brotherhood.     In recent months the administration has appeared to take a more aggressive stance against global sponsors of terrorism.    This comes after Trump administration took a similar action against Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps earlier this year, denouncing it as a terrorist organization.
President Donald Trump speaks as he welcomes members of the Baylor women’s basketball team,
who are the 2019 NCAA Division I Women’s Basketball National Champions, to the Oval Office of the White House
in Washington, Monday, April 29, 2019. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

4/30/2019 Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido calls for military uprising against Maduro regime by OAN Newsroom
    The White House is fully backing Venezuela’s opposition leader Juan Guaido as he calls for a military uprising against the Maduro regime.
    In a message to the public Tuesday, Guaido said he has gained support from the Venezuelan military.    He claimed to be in the final phase of his plan to remove socialist dictator Nicolas Maduro from power.
    Guaido is calling on the people to join him in the streets Tuesday, where thousands are expected to protest the Maduro regime.
    “Now, I call on the civil servants who are a fundamental component, not only for the transition, but also for the reconstruction of Venezuela to recover national sovereignty,” stated Guaido.    “Our armed forces today — courageous soldiers, courageous patriots, courageous men who follow the constitution — have responded to our call.”
    This comes after the opposition figure Leopoldo Lopez, who is supposed to be under house arrest, was freed by the military.    He now joins Guaido in his efforts to remove Maduro from office.
Venezuela’s opposition leader and self-proclaimed president Juan Guaido talks to an Army officer
outside La Carlota air base in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. Guaido took to the streets with a
small contingent of armed soldiers and detained activist Leopoldo Lopez calling for a military uprising. (AP Photo/Boris Vergara)
    Meanwhile, several members of the Trump administration are voicing their support for the uprising in Venezuela.    On Twitter Monday, Vice President Mike Pence said America stands with opposition leader Juan Guaido and all the freedom-loving people of Venezuela.”    Likewise, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said the U.S. “fully supports the Venezuelan people in their quest for freedom,” adding, “Democracy cannot be defeated.”
    National Security Adviser John Bolton also chimed in, saying Venezuela’s military has a choice to “embrace democracy” and protect citizens, or “face more man-made suffering.”
    On Tuesday morning, Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway spoke to reporters about the issue:
    “We support the people of Venezuela.    We’re sad that they have been starved by Maduro.    They’ve been denied food and medicine, and basic humanitarian needs having been met.    The United States has gotten supplies there to them.    Sometimes those have been obstructed or burned, but we stand with the people of Venezuela and we stand with Juan Guaido.    Maduro has to go.”
    The State Department said Americans in Venezuela should leave the country immediately or shelter in place.    This comes as opposition leader Juan Guaido called for Venezuelans to take the streets in protest against the Maduro regime.
Opponents to Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro confront loyalist Bolivarian National Guard troops firing
tear gas at them outside La Carlota military airbase in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, April 30, 2019.
Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó took to the streets with activist Leopoldo Lopez and a small contingent of heavily armed troops early
Tuesday in a bold and risky call for the military to rise up and oust socialist leader Nicolas Maduro. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)


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