{"id":21500,"date":"2018-06-03T00:30:55","date_gmt":"2018-06-03T08:30:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/?p=21500"},"modified":"2018-06-03T00:30:55","modified_gmt":"2018-06-03T08:30:55","slug":"rouge-forum-dispatch-direct-action-gets-the-goods","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/rouge-forum-dispatch-direct-action-gets-the-goods\/","title":{"rendered":"Rouge Forum Dispatch: Direct Action Gets the Goods!"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong>We Say Fight Back!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"spotlight\" src=\"https:\/\/scontent.fsan1-1.fna.fbcdn.net\/v\/t1.0-9\/13266089_847350588741678_4263630098649554722_n.png?_nc_cat=0&amp;oh=944bb967c46d2bd8b95f20579609ab8c&amp;oe=5BBC9ABF\" alt=\"Image may contain: crowd\" aria-busy=\"true\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"article-title\"><span class=\"ezstring-field\">Rail strikes and other walkouts in France in June<\/span><\/h1>\n<article class=\"article-container\">\n<header class=\"article-header\">\n<h1 class=\"article-title\"><span class=\"ezstring-field\">Rail strikes and other walkouts in France in June<\/span><\/h1>\n<\/header>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"ezxmltext_field clearfix\">\n<p><strong>\u00a0List of dates of strikes across France in June<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"ezxmltext_field clearfix\">\n<p><strong>June 2-3<\/strong> Rail Strike<\/p>\n<p><strong>June 7-8\u00a0<\/strong>Rail Strike<\/p>\n<p><strong>June 12-13<\/strong> Rail Strike<\/p>\n<p><strong>June 17-18<\/strong> Rail Strike<\/p>\n<p><strong>June 22-23<\/strong> Rail Strike<\/p>\n<p><strong>June 27-28<\/strong> Rail Strike<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile, the CGT has filed notice of strikes among public sector workers at local and national level from <strong>until June 17<\/strong>. This does not mean that civil servants will be on strike every day, just that walkouts could take place at short notice at local and national level.<\/p>\n<p>Municipal workers in Beauvais will stage a four-day strike from <strong>May 29 to June 1<\/strong> in protest over work patterns.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.connexionfrance.com\/French-news\/Rail-strikes-and-other-walkouts-in-France-in-June\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.connexionfrance.com\/French-news\/Rail-strikes-and-other-walkouts-in-France-in-June<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"spotlight\" src=\"https:\/\/scontent.fsan1-1.fna.fbcdn.net\/v\/t1.0-9\/34268563_10156392020914655_4582540331702026240_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&amp;oh=30c6d15797376eee3507c32fdefc93b8&amp;oe=5BBCCDBC\" alt=\"Image may contain: text\" aria-busy=\"true\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 id=\"single_title\">Predicting the Next Wave of Teacher Strikes: Experts See a Whole New Round of Walkouts Come Fall, and a Possible Key Wedge Issue Come Election Night<\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Strike-collage.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span data-offset-key=\"2hjqk-0-0\">The summer sets the stage for the opportunity to call a national school worker strike for the first week of school in the fall. But the union bosses will want to tamp down and halt job actions in order to pander to the likes of Pelosi and Feinstein. Whether rank and file committees are organized in the coming summer months will determine whether winning strikes will happen, or once again educators will be herded into voting booths to choose who will oppress us best. I thought this was an interesting article. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span data-offset-key=\"2hjqk-0-0\">&#8220;\u201cMy sense is that the early school year is the classic time for most teachers unions to go on strike,\u201d he said. \u201cIf anything, we\u2019re entering a prime time for strike season in September.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/article\/predicting-the-next-wave-of-teacher-strikes-experts-see-a-whole-new-round-of-walkouts-come-fall-and-a-possible-key-wedge-issue-come-election-night\/?utm_source=The+74+Million+Newsletter&#038;utm_campaign=ec558fe950-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_05_29_09_20&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_term=0_077b986842-ec558fe950-176109065\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.the74million.org\/article\/predicting-the-next-wave-of-teacher-strikes-experts-see-a-whole-new-round-of-walkouts-come-fall-and-a-possible-key-wedge-issue-come-election-night\/?utm_source=The+74+Million+Newsletter&#038;utm_campaign=ec558fe950-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2018_05_29_09_20&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_term=0_077b986842-ec558fe950-176109065<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/721174541353330\/videos\/824244614379655\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.facebook.com\/721174541353330\/videos\/824244614379655\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h1 id=\"page-title\" class=\"title\">Yanquis crowd loudly boos Giuliani on his birthday<\/h1>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Rudy Giuliani booed by thousands of New York Yankees fans on his birthday.\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/s_ViD1dxP3g?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/WXA8shxjVr_3abxPEqYRQerIe_0=\/0x0:3000x2082\/1200x800\/filters:focal(1299x920:1779x1400)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/59876427\/963348126.jpg.0.jpg\" sizes=\"(min-width: 1221px) 846px, (min-width: 880px) calc(100vw - 334px), 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/F6SEQP15w9VRD7ocX7T0v-h8akA=\/0x0:3000x2082\/320x213\/filters:focal(1299x920:1779x1400)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/59876427\/963348126.jpg.0.jpg 320w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/udqSdc3jRJI8mh_bCs6Ih6FVHXg=\/0x0:3000x2082\/620x413\/filters:focal(1299x920:1779x1400)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/59876427\/963348126.jpg.0.jpg 620w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/-2W5KbQaRa1SkRbK_uPPRRhvGYM=\/0x0:3000x2082\/920x613\/filters:focal(1299x920:1779x1400)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/59876427\/963348126.jpg.0.jpg 920w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/DTgOuLXWxV3uvOi3wpcVHs56D98=\/0x0:3000x2082\/1220x813\/filters:focal(1299x920:1779x1400)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/59876427\/963348126.jpg.0.jpg 1220w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/lyu5_T1wFgFTv1cd3wCffKXfTqo=\/0x0:3000x2082\/1520x1013\/filters:focal(1299x920:1779x1400)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/59876427\/963348126.jpg.0.jpg 1520w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/WRzIKieIOFiwQX4bf_Pbs8NUKPE=\/0x0:3000x2082\/1820x1213\/filters:focal(1299x920:1779x1400)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/59876427\/963348126.jpg.0.jpg 1820w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/3w6kc5jHquLrWxAQ8wVOzXTHFog=\/0x0:3000x2082\/2120x1413\/filters:focal(1299x920:1779x1400)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/59876427\/963348126.jpg.0.jpg 2120w, https:\/\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/thumbor\/gmXeIYKit3c9m5WsPauCkpHYBG0=\/0x0:3000x2082\/2420x1613\/filters:focal(1299x920:1779x1400)\/cdn.vox-cdn.com\/uploads\/chorus_image\/image\/59876427\/963348126.jpg.0.jpg 2420w\" \/><\/p>\n<h1>World Closely Watching Anti-Government Protests In Jordan<\/h1>\n<p>There have been antigovernment protests in the Middle East kingdom of Jordan. It&#8217;s one of the most stable countries in the region and a key U.S. ally, so any unrest there, which has been relatively rare, is watched closely. These protests are over the economy. NPR&#8217;s Jane Arraf joins us from the Jordanian capital Amman. And, Jane, how did these protests begin? What are people upset about?<\/p>\n<p>JANE ARRAF, BYLINE: Well, they were initially started as a strike by trade unions. And then they just sort of carried on from there. And for the last two nights, people have been out in the streets &#8211; now, not in huge numbers, just a few hundred at a time in some places. But the thing is this is such a tightly controlled country that demonstrations not approved by the government are really rare.<\/p>\n<p>And here&#8217;s the problem. Jordan is a really poor country that in many ways acts like a rich one. The Jordanian capital is routinely ranked as one of the most expensive in the Middle East, and the city is full of luxury building projects. But people are really suffering. They&#8217;re having a very hard time getting by.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2018\/06\/01\/616257719\/world-closely-watching-anti-government-protests-in-jordan\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.npr.org\/2018\/06\/01\/616257719\/world-closely-watching-anti-government-protests-in-jordan<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"post-title\">Brazil oil company Petrobras boss resigns amid truckers&#8217; strike<\/h1>\n<p class=\"article-heading-des\">Pedro Parente&#8217;s resignation was one of the demands of striking workers due to worries that he was going to privatise Brazil&#8217;s share of the Latin American oil company.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.ttnews.com\/sites\/default\/files\/images\/articles\/truck-driver-strike-brazil-4.jpg\" width=\"1200\" height=\"667\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Where has Hersh been?<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" id=\"imgBlkFront\" class=\"a-dynamic-image image-stretch-vertical frontImage aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/51sgQip78JL._SX340_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-a-dynamic-image=\"{&quot;https:\/\/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/51sgQip78JL._SX340_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg&quot;:[342,499],&quot;https:\/\/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/51sgQip78JL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg&quot;:[237,346]}\" \/><\/p>\n<header class=\"content-head site-container article-head\">\n<h1 class=\"content-title\">Seymour Hersh&#8217;s Memoir Is Full of Useful Reporting Secrets<\/h1>\n<p class=\"content-description\">The best of his generation writes a how-to that undermines the industry of Access Journalism&#8211;<\/p>\n<p>he great test is being able to get information powerful people <i>don&#8217;t<\/i> want you to have. A journalist who is handed something, even a very sensational something, should feel nervous, sick, ambivalent. Hersh never stopped feeling that way, remaining an iconoclast and a thorn in the side of officialdom to this day.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/politics\/features\/seymour-hersh-reporter-w520927\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.rollingstone.com\/politics\/features\/seymour-hersh-reporter-w520927<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" id=\"imgBlkFront\" class=\"a-dynamic-image image-stretch-vertical frontImage aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/51qRZDEmj0L._SX326_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-a-dynamic-image=\"{&quot;https:\/\/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/51qRZDEmj0L._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg&quot;:[228,346],&quot;https:\/\/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/51qRZDEmj0L._SX326_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg&quot;:[328,499]}\" \/><\/p>\n<\/header>\n<p><em><strong>The strategy Americans can no longer grasp:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" id=\"imgBlkFront\" class=\"a-dynamic-image image-stretch-vertical frontImage aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/51iEjz6xSuL._SX329_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-a-dynamic-image=\"{&quot;https:\/\/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/51iEjz6xSuL._SY344_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg&quot;:[230,346],&quot;https:\/\/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/51iEjz6xSuL._SX329_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg&quot;:[331,499]}\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In <strong class=\"css-8qgvsz euv7paa0\">THE STRATEGY OF VICTORY: How General George Washington Won the American Revolution (Da Capo, $28),<\/strong> the veteran historian Thomas Fleming tells the story well, albeit with a regrettable bias in favor of the role played by the regular Army. He emphasizes that Washington was an instinctively aggressive commander, and had to learn the hard way how to pursue an \u201cindirect\u201d strategy. Even then, Washington was not a pure \u201cFabian,\u201d a reference to the style of <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/100falcons.wordpress.com\/2008\/09\/14\/hannibal-and-fabius\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the Roman general who wore out the invading Hannibal<\/a> by avoiding battle. Fleming shows that Washington knew it was important for the morale of Americans \u2014 both military and civilian \u2014 to strike a blow when he could, and he indeed did so at Trenton, Princeton, Monmouth and Stony Point. Like all effective strategies in war, this hybrid approach addressed military and political problems at the same time, and enabled the new United States, though deeply divided, to achieve a surprising triumph over the world\u2019s most powerful military. Fleming died last year, not long before this book was published. He will be missed.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/05\/25\/books\/review\/army-of-none-paul-scharre.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.nytimes.com\/2018\/05\/25\/books\/review\/army-of-none-paul-scharre.html<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"spotlight\" src=\"https:\/\/scontent.fsan1-1.fna.fbcdn.net\/v\/t1.0-9\/34388176_10210259644681705_2343106510546010112_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&amp;oh=3a15d067dbd668db5e772d9518e28ea8&amp;oe=5BBB21FE\" alt=\"Image may contain: one or more people and text\" aria-busy=\"true\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong>The Little Red Schoolhouse<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h1 class=\"asset-headline speakable-headline\">Detroit schools chief&#8211;and flimflam man Vitti: Detroit children treated &#8216;second class&#8217;\u00a0 He Discovers RACISM!<\/h1>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Kerner-1.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-21514\" src=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Kerner-1.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"246\" height=\"151\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Kerner-1.jpg 246w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Kerner-1-150x92.jpg 150w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 246px) 100vw, 246px\" \/><\/a><em>above, summary of the Kerner Commission, 1968, written in part re: 1967 Detroit uprising<\/em><\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-1 p-text\">Detroit children have been treated as political pawns amid years of continued low performance and a lack of growth and opportunities, according to Detroit schools superintendent Nikolai Vitti, who said during a panel discussion Thursday\u00a0that it has been driven partially by racism.<\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-2 p-text\">&#8220;There is a racist element to what has happened,&#8221; said\u00a0Vitti, who participated in a panel, Detroit&#8217;s New Era of Collaboration on Education, moderated by Free Press columnist Rochelle Riley, during the Mackinac Policy Conference. &#8220;Children in Detroit have been treated like second-class citizens.\u00a0When a system is allowed to be run over a decade by individuals\u00a0that had no track record of education reform &#8230;\u00a0no governance structure, years and years of low performance, a lack of growth, drop in enrollment, that would never, ever happen in any white suburban district in this country.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Vitti said race has continued to be an underlying factor in the educational sphere, in terms of what opportunities are afforded.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.freep.com\/story\/news\/local\/michigan\/detroit\/2018\/05\/31\/detroit-schools-second-class\/660428002\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.freep.com\/story\/news\/local\/michigan\/detroit\/2018\/05\/31\/detroit-schools-second-class\/660428002\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/www.blogcdn.com\/www.thebvx.com\/media\/2010\/03\/detroit-illiterate-school-board-president-otis-mathis-590x332.jpg\" alt=\"Image result for otis mathis detroit schools\" width=\"304\" height=\"171\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>above, the semi-literate, habitual fondler, Otis Mathis, former chief of DPS<\/em><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"trb_ar_hl_t\">San Diego State University&#8217;s new president will take office amid faculty uproar<\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/newscenter.sdsu.edu\/sdsu_newscenter\/images\/stories\/dailyshow589.jpg\" alt=\"Image result for joanna brooks sdsu\" width=\"304\" height=\"172\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Was she fired? Placed on leave? Simply not retained?<\/p>\n<p>Did he resign? Or was he pushed out? Or put on leave?<\/p>\n<p>There\u2019s deep confusion, anger and mystery among faculty at San Diego State University, where two influential executives \u2014 Joanna Brooks and Chukuka Enwemeka \u2014 have left, or been told to leave, their jobs with little or no public explanation.<\/p>\n<p>In an extraordinary move, some of the faculty are asking Adela de la Torre to deal with the uproar a full month before she becomes SDSU\u2019s next permanent president.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"trb_ar_sponsoredmod\" data-v-ntidd=\"1069627\" data-adloader-networktype=\"nativo\" data-withinviewport-options=\"bottomOffset=100\" data-load-method=\"trb.vendor.nativo.init\" data-load-type=\"method\">\n<div class=\"trb_ar_nt\">\n<p>The controversy erupted early last summer when Brooks was notified that she would not be allowed to keep her position as associate vice president of faculty advancement.<\/p>\n<p>She was essentially a liason between faculty and management.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s unclear whether Brooks, who is 46, was sidelined by President Elliot Hirshman shortly before he left office, or by Enwemeka, or by both. None of the principles are talking.<\/p>\n<p>The decision infuriated much of the faculty, who say Brooks is a rare example of a teacher who moved into management and continued to strongly represent the views of educators.<\/p>\n<p>She also is deeply admired for her scholarship, candor and tenacity. While serving as an English professor, she has written influential books about race, faith and human justice, and has appeared as a commentator on<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<p>A May 8th email distributed among faculty summarizes the problems, saying there\u2019s little trust between faculty and administrators, particularly when it comes to a historic principle in academia \u2014 shared governance.<\/p>\n<p>The email, written by Mark Wheeler, the chair of the philosophy department, also says there have been \u201cadministrative threats to faculty.\u201d He didn\u2019t specify who made the threats, or what they were.<\/p>\n<p>NPR, MSNBC and the Daily Show.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Brooks also is a Mormon<\/strong> who has chronicled her disagreements with church policy. As noted in a 2012 Union-Tribune profile, she returned her diploma shortly after she graduated from <a id=\"OREDU0000451\" title=\"Brigham Young University \" href=\"http:\/\/www.sandiegouniontribune.com\/topic\/education\/colleges-universities\/brigham-young-university--OREDU0000451-topic.html\">Brigham Young University<\/a>, and exiled herself from the Mormon faith for nearly a decade.<\/p>\n<p>She also earned praise for writing Ask Mormon Girl, a blog in which she urged people with different viewpoints to consider the views of others.<\/p>\n<p>When word of her apparent dismissal began to circulate last summer, faculty pressed interim President Sally Roush to reinstate her. Their demand wasn\u2019t met.<\/p>\n<p>So some faculty members changed tactics in August and September and sought an early job performance review of Enwemeka, who some believed played a major role in her departure.<\/p>\n<p>Early reviews are rare in academia, especially when it involves a provost, the chief academic officer.<\/p>\n<p>The idea didn\u2019t go over well with Enwemeka.<\/p>\n<p>He came to suspect that Douglas Deutschman, a biology professor, was part of a movement to have him removed. So he sent Deutschman an email that has come to be known across campus as the \u201cSamuel L. <a id=\"PESPTF00935\" title=\"Lamar Jackson\" href=\"http:\/\/www.sandiegouniontribune.com\/topic\/sports\/football\/lamar-jackson-PESPTF00935-topic.html\">Jackson<\/a>\u201d message because it reflects the biblical tone that Jackson used in a scene in the movie, \u201cPulp Fiction.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/www.nigeriaphysio.net\/images\/content\/people\/Enwemeka_Dean_300x642.jpg\" alt=\"Image result for Chukuka Enwemeka\" width=\"165\" height=\"353\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Enwemeka wrote, in part, &#8220;All said, if in the course of our time and interactions, I willfully sought to harm or perpetrate evil against you,<strong> may my Lord Jesus Christ, to whom I have given my entire life, see your action as well deserved by me &#8230;&#8221;<\/strong> Enwemeka says the Sept. 11, 2017 email to Deutschman.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;On the other hand, if all I have ever done was to promote your well-being and progress as previously detailed, and in return you willfully sought to harm or hurt me, <strong>may my Lord Jesus Christ ensure that you reap what you sowed. So that instead of blessings, you are showered with unending curse and harmed, hurt and visited by evil a million fold in everything you do throughout the rest of your life.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><strong>&#8220;Please note that in stating the foregoing, I am not necessarily cursing or wishing you evil. I am simply invoking the natural Law of Karma; the Law of Retributive Justice.&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>Deutschman declined to comment about the incident.<\/p>\n<p>The letter surfaced publicly last week, after Enwemaka resigned his position. Or appeared to resign. He couldn\u2019t be reached for comment about what actually happened.<\/p>\n<p>His departure was announced by interim President Sally Roush, who won\u2019t talk about it. Several key faculty also won\u2019t publicly talk about it either, even though they\u2019re protected by tenure.<\/p>\n<p>The controversy threatens to overshadow concerns about equally serious problems, notably the graduation rate. In recent years, only one-third of SDSU\u2019s bachelor degree students have earned their degree within four years.<\/p>\n<p>The campus also has been struggling to increase graduate student enrollment \u2014 something that needs to improve if the university is to ever achieve its goal of becoming a top 50 public university in research.<\/p>\n<h1 class=\"header\">New SDSU president withheld email from investigators<\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.sandiegoreader.com\/img\/photos\/2018\/01\/31\/San_Diego_State_University_president_Adela_de_la_Torre_t658.jpg?ff95ca2b4c25d2d6ff3bfb257febf11d604414e5\" alt=\"San Diego State University president-designate Adela de la Torre\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"vote_box\">\n<p id=\"h900279-p1\" class=\"permalinkable\">Newly designated San Diego State University president Adela de la Torre, a key focus of the 2016 investigation into improper influence at the University of California Davis, denied investigators access to her email accounts, according to an August 1, 2016, report prepared for university regents.<\/p>\n<p id=\"h900279-p2\" class=\"permalinkable\">The independent review by the Orrick law firm of allegations related to then-Davis-chancellor Linda Katehi cleared Katehi of wrong-doing in engineering a 22.6 percent salary boost for her friend De la Torre, currently vice chancellor of student affairs and campus diversity at UC Davis, where she was paid $313,875 in 2016.<\/p>\n<p id=\"h900279-p3\" class=\"permalinkable\">\u201cThe investigation team uncovered no evidence suggesting that Chancellor Katehi proposed the pay increase and title change for Dr. de la Torre because Dr. de la Torre employed Chancellor Katehi\u2019s daughter-in-law, or because Dr. de la Torre advised and employed Chancellor Katehi\u2019s son,\u201d says the report.<\/p>\n<p id=\"h900279-p4\" class=\"permalinkable\">But the conclusion of the carefully worded document, heavily redacted for public consumption, was accompanied by significant caveats, including the possibility of concealment of evidence.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.sandiegoreader.com\/news\/2018\/jan\/31\/ticker-new-sdsu-president-withheld-email\/#\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.sandiegoreader.com\/news\/2018\/jan\/31\/ticker-new-sdsu-president-withheld-email\/#<\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><em>The racist Aztec symbol remains at SDSU, by presidential decree<\/em><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.pinimg.com\/originals\/0d\/32\/d4\/0d32d4e02a1d5cf94f916a97c0604691.jpg\" alt=\"Image result for sdsu monty montezuma\" width=\"300\" height=\"278\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"vote_box\">\n<div id=\"contentleft\">\n<div class=\"postarea\">\n<h1 class=\"storyheadline\">SDSU releases top 10 majors for class of 2018<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p id=\"graph1\">With commencement around the corner for thousands of San Diego State seniors, the university this week announced the top 10 majors for the class of 2018.<\/p>\n<p id=\"graph2\"><strong>First on the list is psychology<\/strong>, with 437 graduates entering the workforce into various sectors such as <strong>law enforcement<\/strong> and health care.<\/p>\n<p id=\"graph3\"><strong>Criminal justice<\/strong> is second on the list, with 368 graduates who have been prepared for careers in every level of <strong>law enforcement<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<p id=\"graph4\">Degrees in business administration with an emphasis in<strong> finance<\/strong> will be given to 315 graduates.<\/p>\n<p id=\"graph5\">Following closely behind in fourth place is<strong> business administration<\/strong> with an emphasis in marketing, with 314 graduates.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/thedailyaztec.com\/89881\/news\/sdsu-releases-top-10-majors-for-class-of-2018\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">thedailyaztec.com\/89881\/news\/sdsu-releases-top-10-majors-for-class-of-2018\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"spaced spaced-xl spaced-top spaced-bottom\">Former USC medical school dean used hard drugs while employed at university, attorney says<\/h1>\n<p><strong>\u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"full-width\" src=\"http:\/\/www.latimes.com\/resizer\/yG0OLG4tvtcCijha5NExqxIHYOw=\/1400x0\/www.trbimg.com\/img-5b0f0d9e\/turbine\/la-1527713177-tgl9g80b7h-snap-image\" alt=\"Former USC medical school dean used hard drugs while employed at university, attorney says\" \/><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"card collection-item\" data-type=\"text\">\n<div class=\" card-content \">\n<p data-page=\"1\">An attorney representing former USC medical school dean Carmen Puliafito acknowledged at a state medical board hearing Wednesday that the physician used hard drugs while employed by the university, but argued that the doctor has been in recovery for months and should be allowed to practice medicine.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"card collection-item\" data-type=\"text\">\n<div class=\" card-content \">\n<p>The hearing marked the first time Puliafito\u2019s version of events has been aired publicly since The Times <a href=\"http:\/\/www.latimes.com\/local\/california\/la-me-usc-doctor-20170717-htmlstory.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">detailed his double life<\/a> of using drugs and partying with criminals, causing upheaval at USC and prompting the medical board to investigate the Harvard-trained ophthalmologist.<\/p>\n<div class=\"card collection-item\" data-type=\"text\">\n<div class=\" card-content \">\n<p>Attorney Peter Osinoff also argued that the 67-year-old physician suffers from a mental illness that makes him brilliant and leaves him with \u201cimmense energy,\u201d but instills an \u201cugly side\u201d in Puliafito that drove him to be infatuated with a young prostitute. That woman, Sarah Warren, introduced the doctor to \u201cstreet drugs\u201d and ultimately caused his downfall, Osinoff said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"card collection-item\" data-type=\"text\">\n<div class=\" card-content \">\n<p>Osinoff insisted at the hearing that Puliafito was \u201caddicted\u201d to his former companion \u201cand to a lesser degree the drugs,\u201d but that the former dean has since been able to manage his diagnosed bipolar disorder.<\/p>\n<div class=\"card collection-item\" data-type=\"text\">\n<div class=\" card-content \">\n<p>\u201cCompared to [Sarah Warren\u2019s] use of drugs and alcohol, his use was light. She was a hardcore addict. He used drugs so he could be close to her,\u201d Osinoff said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"card collection-item\" data-type=\"text\">\n<div class=\" card-content \">\n<p>The medical board alleged that Puliafito \u201cwould return to his medical office to see patients within hours of using methamphetamine\u201d and supplied drugs to Warren and her then-minor brother Charles Warren, among others. Puliafito provided Charles Warren with methamphetamine and pipes for smoking the drug when he was only 17, the filing said.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.latimes.com\/local\/lanow\/la-me-usc-puliafito-medical-board-trial-20180530-story.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.latimes.com\/local\/lanow\/la-me-usc-puliafito-medical-board-trial-20180530-story.html<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"spotlight\" src=\"https:\/\/scontent.fsan1-1.fna.fbcdn.net\/v\/t1.0-9\/34140862_10103190979234077_766200922698153984_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&amp;oh=1ad1bfc5b8300453b4049f0cff9f2ca3&amp;oe=5B857482\" alt=\"Image may contain: text\" aria-busy=\"true\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"asset-headline speakable-headline\">Court finds teacher evaluation system flawed (shocker!)<\/h1>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-1 p-text\">A boom resonated a few days ago from the Houston area stemming from the felling of the much-flawed EVAAS, the state\u2019s system of teacher evaluation. Judge Stephen Smith of the Texas Southern District Court agreed with HISD teacher and union plaintiffs that the district\u2019s use of the system to make employment decisions is a violation of the plaintiffs\u2019 rights to due process. The decision is likely to affect the outcome of similar suits levied in other states, including New Mexico.<\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-2 p-text\">Houston\u2019s EVAAS is one form of several existing systems of evaluation known as a VAM or Value-Added Model. As statistical models go, VAM is a sound system for what it was originally designed for: agriculture. So, if you are interested in increasing plant growth or seek to optimize levels of dairy production, get yourself a VAM. As a measure of teacher effectiveness in the classroom however, VAMs have been troubled from the start.<\/p>\n<p>Like all statistical models, VAMs come with several underlying assumptions which many in the educational arena appear to be very willing to overlook. The first major assumption is that all conditions that can affect the outcome of what you\u2019re measuring are readily identifiable, and more importantly, quantifiable. On a farm you can easily monitor soil composition, water levels, types and amounts of fertilizer and seed and other information that might affect the growth rate of plants. Similarly, a cow\u2019s food and water intake and output at milking time are not challenging to compute.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.lcsun-news.com\/story\/opinion\/2017\/05\/26\/court-finds-teacher-evaluation-system-flawed\/102219102\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.lcsun-news.com\/story\/opinion\/2017\/05\/26\/court-finds-teacher-evaluation-system-flawed\/102219102\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/si.wsj.net\/public\/resources\/images\/NA-CS428_EDUKOC_16U_20171115142704.jpg\" alt=\"Image result for koch foundation universities\" width=\"210\" height=\"353\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"internal-hero__title\">List of Supported Colleges: Koch Foundation (too long for the RFD)<\/h1>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.charleskochfoundation.org\/our-giving-and-support\/higher-education\/list-of-supported-colleges\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.charleskochfoundation.org\/our-giving-and-support\/higher-education\/list-of-supported-colleges\/<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"ArticleHeader__hed___GPB7e\">New Yorker raises a bourgie eyebrow to A Teachers\u2019 Strike<\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/en\/thumb\/4\/4d\/Original_New_Yorker_cover.png\/220px-Original_New_Yorker_cover.png\" alt=\"Image result for traditional cover new yorker\" width=\"220\" height=\"309\" \/><\/p>\n<p>n February, teachers in West Virginia went on strike to protest low wages and underfunding of schools. Since then, teachers have gone on strike in Arizona, Colorado, Kentucky, North Carolina and Oklahoma. The <em>New Yorker<\/em> contributor and Oklahoman <a class=\"ArticleBody__link___1FS03\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/contributors\/rivka-galchen\">Rivka Galchen<\/a> recently talked with the <a class=\"ArticleBody__link___1FS03\" href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/magazine\/2018\/06\/04\/the-teachers-strike-and-the-democratic-revival-in-oklahoma\">striking teachers in Oklahoma<\/a> and joins Dorothy Wickenden to discuss how the teacher protest movement is contributing to grassroots political change across the country.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/podcast\/political-scene\/a-teachers-strike-and-a-democratic-movement-in-oklahoma\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.newyorker.com\/podcast\/political-scene\/a-teachers-strike-and-a-democratic-movement-in-oklahoma<\/a><\/p>\n<p>A venture capitalist on schooling in America<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"EdScoop interview with Ted Dintersmith (Part 1 of 3)\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/k6xCEHM_syc?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"node__title managed-node-title\">As Advocates See Hundreds of Civil Rights Cases Dismissed by Trump&#8217;s Education Dept, National Groups Take on DeVos<\/h1>\n<div class=\"field field--name-field-subtitle field--type-text-long field--label-hidden\">\n<div class=\"field__items\">\n<div class=\"field__item even\">\n<div>\n<p>&#8220;These were all complaints that were legitimate. I guess we have selective civil rights in the United States now.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Weeks after civil rights advocates began receiving notifications from the Department of Education that their cases regarding discrimination in schools were being dismissed, three national groups filed a lawsuit Thursday arguing that the department&#8217;s new complaint guidelines are undermining its own obligation to investigate civil rights violations.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;You don&#8217;t have be an attorney to know these revisions are unlawful,&#8221; Marcie Lipsitt, a disability rights advocate,<a href=\"http:\/\/blogs.edweek.org\/edweek\/speced\/2018\/05\/education_department_sued_over.html\">\u00a0told\u00a0<\/a>Education Week. &#8220;They go against the [Office for Civil Rights&#8217;] mission statement. &#8220;These provisions strip every American of their civil rights and their ability to file civil rights complaints. And the beauty of civil rights complaints has been that everyone has been able to file one.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Claiming that civil rights complaints can place an &#8220;unreasonable burden&#8221; on its Office for Civil Rights (OCR), Education Secretary Betsy DeVos as revised the department&#8217;s procedures. The new guidelines allow officials to dismiss hundreds of complaints regarding unfair treatment of students of color, inadequate resources for students with disabilities, and other forms of systemic discrimination. The appeals process for resolutions has also being eliminated.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/news\/2018\/06\/01\/advocates-see-hundreds-civil-rights-cases-dismissed-trumps-education-dept-national\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.commondreams.org\/news\/2018\/06\/01\/advocates-see-hundreds-civil-rights-cases-dismissed-trumps-education-dept-national<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/s18670.pcdn.co\/wp-content\/uploads\/teacher_meme_end_of_year_extra_credit.jpg\" alt=\"Image result for yo teachers end of school\" width=\"304\" height=\"304\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong>.<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/boredteachers\/videos\/1722150841136101\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.facebook.com\/boredteachers\/videos\/1722150841136101\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong>The International Hot War of the Rich on the Poor<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"spotlight\" src=\"https:\/\/scontent.fsan1-1.fna.fbcdn.net\/v\/t1.0-9\/33751461_1715464191874252_2871258565920686080_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&amp;oh=5cd1d0f85065a4d5f4ce8c4409847d99&amp;oe=5BBE26B6\" alt=\"Image may contain: one or more people\" aria-busy=\"true\" \/><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"header-label\"><\/h2>\n<h1>\u2018What the hell was he thinking?\u2019: Families of McCain sailors tear into former CO at court-martial<\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"image-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/resizer\/dP-Xzj7O4AcPHpvWcIpmrZFwInU=\/1200x0\/filters:quality(100)\/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-mco.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/SYHMKTWN3ZGQRBOELRP7DUTSIU.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<header>\n<figure><figcaption class=\"publish\">\n<h4 class=\"caption credit \">Families of five of the fallen McCain sailors attended the court-martial of the ship&#8217;s former commanding officer. Top row (L to R): Chief Electronics Technician Charles N. Findley; Electronics Technician 2nd Class John H. Hoagland III; Electronics Technician 2nd Class Kenneth A. Smith; Electronics Technician 2nd Class Dustin L. Doyon; Chief Interior Communications Electrician Abraham Lopez. Bottom row, Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Timothy T. Eckels Jr.; Information Systems Technician 1st Class Corey G. Ingram; Electronics Technician 1st Class Kevin S. Bushell; Electronics Technician 2nd Class Jacob D. Drake; Interior Communications Electrician 2nd Class Logan S. Palmer. (Navy)<\/h4>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/header>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"thinline\">One-by-one, 15 gut-wrenching statements were read while the destroyer\u2019s crestfallen former commanding officer, Cmdr. Alfredo J. Sanchez, sat only feet away, listening intently. The statements came during the sentencing phase of the court-martial following <a class=\"\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/05\/25\/former-mccain-co-sentenced-at-court-martial-for-fatal-collision\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Sanchez\u2019s guilty plea<\/a> for dereliction of duty&#8230;<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">On the stand, the brother of another sailor, Abraham Lopez, read a statement from the sailor\u2019s wife, who had the colossal charge of comforting the couple\u2019s daughter during the turmoil.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">\u201cDon\u2019t worry, he&#8217;s safe,\u201d the brother, Richard Lopez, read. \u201cDaddy is a strong man.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">Lopez, 39, needed just over three more months of Navy service to reach his 20-year mark and retire. But because he died only months before his December 2017 end-of-service date, his brother said his family will receive none of the benefits afforded to a retired sailor&#8230;<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">It only takes about 60 seconds to rouse sailors when an alarm is sounded, Doyon continued, but there was no alarm. Five short blasts were never sounded. The \u201cCO had over 120 seconds to do something. What the hell was he thinking?\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">Without an alarm or warning, Logan Palmer, 23, became trapped in Berthing 5. Palmer had only been on the ship for a few months and enlisted in the Navy just over a year before the collision&#8230;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">After the final family member in attendance was seated, Sanchez was offered the opportunity to issue a statement of his own.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">\u201cThey were under my charge and I failed,\u201d he said to the families. \u201cI willingly accept accountability and responsibility. Nothing in Navy training can prepare you for the deaths of your sailors.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">The former commanding officer then asked the families to find some solace in the notion that their loved ones \u201cwere with family\u201d when they died.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">As part of a pretrial agreement, Sanchez pleaded guilty to dereliction of duty for his role in the collision. He was sentenced by Navy judge advocate Capt. Charles Purnell to a letter of reprimand and a forfeiture of $2,000 per month for three months. He currently has a base pay of $9,009 per month.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">Also as part of the plea deal, Sanchez will submit a retirement request.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/05\/30\/what-the-hell-was-he-thinking-families-of-mccain-sailors-tear-into-former-co-at-court-martial\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/05\/30\/what-the-hell-was-he-thinking-families-of-mccain-sailors-tear-into-former-co-at-court-martial\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<header class=\"site-header header-alt-layout\">\n<div class=\"header-alt-layout__title\">\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p class=\"header-alt-title\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong><span class=\"department-title\">VOICE:\u00a0<\/span><span class=\"header-alt-title__desktop\">Regime Change for Dummies<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"header-social-shares\"><a data-endpoint=\"twitter\" data-title=\"A brief global history of a tactic that's back in style: toppling other countries' governments.\" data-text=\"A brief global history of a tactic that's back in style: toppling other countries' governments.\" data-url=\"http:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2018\/05\/14\/regime-change-for-dummies\/\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"twitter-button\" src=\"https:\/\/s2.wp.com\/wp-content\/themes\/vip\/foreign-policy-2017\/assets\/src\/images\/icons\/twitter_blue.svg\" alt=\"Share on Twitter\" \/><\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div id=\"main\" data-context=\"article\">\n<div class=\"post-content\" data-post-id=\"940731\" data-whitelist=\"\">\n<article class=\"article\" data-post-id=\"940731\" data-post-url=\"http:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2018\/05\/14\/regime-change-for-dummies\/\" data-lfcollectionmeta=\"eyJ0eXAiOiJqd3QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJ0aXRsZSI6IlJlZ2ltZSBDaGFuZ2UgZm9yIER1bW1pZXMiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwOlwvXC9mb3JlaWducG9saWN5LmNvbVwvMjAxOFwvMDVcLzE0XC9yZWdpbWUtY2hhbmdlLWZvci1kdW1taWVzXC8iLCJzdHJlYW1fdHlwZSI6ImxpdmVjb21tZW50cyIsImNoZWNrc3VtIjoiY2VkZTBlODlkMGQ0YmMzZmI1MzIzYThmYjQ5Zjk5ZTkiLCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJmb3JlaWducG9saWN5X3dwXzk0MDczMSJ9.HyejpfqoQ2T9lPPYBaQDfuSktPpy7BCVmY7dDZonOWU\" data-lfchecksum=\"cede0e89d0d4bc3fb5323a8fb49f99e9\" data-lfarticleid=\"foreignpolicy_wp_940731\">\n<h3 class=\"department\"><\/h3>\n<h1 class=\"hed\"><\/h1>\n<h2 class=\"dek-heading\">A brief global history of a tactic that&#8217;s back in style: toppling other countries&#8217; governments.<\/h2>\n<div class=\"meta-data \">\n<address class=\"author-list\"><span class=\"pre\">BY<\/span>\u00a0<a class=\"author\" href=\"http:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/author\/stephen-m-walt\/\" rel=\"author\">STEPHEN M. WALT<\/a><\/address>\n<p>\u00a0<span class=\"separator\">|<\/span>\u00a0<time class=\"date-time\" title=\"May 14th, 2018\" datetime=\"2018-05-14\">MAY 14, 2018, 11:47 AM<\/time><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<figure class=\"figure-image \"><a class=\"image-attachment -ratioscale \" href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicymag.files.wordpress.com\/2018\/05\/gettyimages-91060724.jpg?w=1603&amp;h=1024&amp;crop=0,0,67,0\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"image -fit -loaded\" src=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicymag.files.wordpress.com\/2018\/05\/gettyimages-91060724.jpg?w=1603&amp;h=1024&amp;crop=0,0,67,0\" srcset=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicymag.files.wordpress.com\/2018\/05\/gettyimages-91060724.jpg?w=1603&amp;h=1024&amp;crop=0,0,67,0 1603w, https:\/\/foreignpolicymag.files.wordpress.com\/2018\/05\/gettyimages-91060724.jpg?w=1202&amp;h=768&amp;crop=0,0,50,0 1202w, https:\/\/foreignpolicymag.files.wordpress.com\/2018\/05\/gettyimages-91060724.jpg?w=802&amp;h=512&amp;crop=0,0,34,0 802w, https:\/\/foreignpolicymag.files.wordpress.com\/2018\/05\/gettyimages-91060724.jpg?w=401&amp;h=256&amp;crop=0,0,17,0 401w\" alt=\"Col. Muammar Gaddafi arrives at the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters Sept. 23, 2009 in New York City. (Mario Tama\/Getty Images)\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicymag.files.wordpress.com\/2018\/05\/gettyimages-91060724.jpg?w=1603&amp;h=1024&amp;crop=0,0,67,0 1603w, https:\/\/foreignpolicymag.files.wordpress.com\/2018\/05\/gettyimages-91060724.jpg?w=1202&amp;h=768&amp;crop=0,0,50,0 1202w, https:\/\/foreignpolicymag.files.wordpress.com\/2018\/05\/gettyimages-91060724.jpg?w=802&amp;h=512&amp;crop=0,0,34,0 802w, https:\/\/foreignpolicymag.files.wordpress.com\/2018\/05\/gettyimages-91060724.jpg?w=401&amp;h=256&amp;crop=0,0,17,0 401w\" data-src=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicymag.files.wordpress.com\/2018\/05\/gettyimages-91060724.jpg?w=1603&amp;h=1024&amp;crop=0,0,67,0\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"caption\">Col. Muammar Gaddafi arrives at the United Nations General Assembly at U.N. headquarters Sept. 23, 2009 in New York City. (Mario Tama\/Getty Images)<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div class=\"post-content-main shares-position\">\n<p>In my\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2018\/05\/08\/the-art-of-the-regime-change\/\">last column<\/a>, I argued that U.S. President Donald Trump\u2019s rash decision to violate the Iran nuclear deal was the first step in a new round of regime change in the Middle East. If his goal was stopping an Iranian bomb and preventing a regional arms race, the existing agreement was working just fine, and he should have been trying to make it permanent instead of gutting it. If his goal was stopping Iran\u2019s \u201cregional activities,\u201d the smart strategy would have been to keep the country from going nuclear while working with others to bring Iran to heel through pressure and additional diplomacy. <em><strong>Instead, Trump, National Security Advisor John Bolton, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo are hoping that violating the Iran deal will let them re-impose sanctions on Iran. They hope this pressure will topple the Islamic Republic, or lead Iran\u2019s own hard-liners to restart its nuclear enrichment program and provide a pretext for the preventive war that Bolton has long advocated.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p>More sensible strategists might have first considered whether this goal even makes sense. What does history teach us? Did\u00a0<em>previous\u00a0<\/em>efforts at regime change (by the United States and by others) produce the expected benefits, or did they end up making things worse? Does regime change produce real benefits at relatively low cost, or is the price tag usually much higher than expected, while the benefits tend to be disappointing?\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2018\/05\/14\/regime-change-for-dummies\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">foreignpolicy.com\/2018\/05\/14\/regime-change-for-dummies\/<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"css-ouykvn ejekc6u0\"><span class=\"balancedHeadline\">U.S. Strikes Killed Nearly 500 Civilians in 2017, Pentagon Says<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"Image-image--2zb04\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/06\/02\/us\/politics\/02dc-casualties-1\/merlin_138973089_4ee4bf2b-634e-4542-b973-147a831a37fd-articleLarge.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale\" sizes=\"((min-width: 600px) and (max-width: 1004px)) 84vw, (min-width: 1005px) 60vw, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/06\/02\/us\/politics\/02dc-casualties-1\/merlin_138973089_4ee4bf2b-634e-4542-b973-147a831a37fd-articleLarge.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 600w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/06\/02\/us\/politics\/02dc-casualties-1\/merlin_138973089_4ee4bf2b-634e-4542-b973-147a831a37fd-jumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 1024w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/06\/02\/us\/politics\/02dc-casualties-1\/merlin_138973089_4ee4bf2b-634e-4542-b973-147a831a37fd-superJumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 2048w\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"css-1tyen8a e2kc3sl0\">United States military actions killed 499 civilians in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan and Yemen last year, the Pentagon said on Friday in a report that was a month overdue.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1tyen8a e2kc3sl0\">The report, which covers counterterrorism airstrikes and ground operations around the world, added that \u201cmore than 450 reports of civilian casualties from 2017 remained to be assessed,\u201d which means that the number of acknowledged deaths could increase. It also said that 169 civilians were injured in American strikes.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1tyen8a e2kc3sl0\">The report does not list any civilian casualties in Somalia, where<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1tyen8a e2kc3sl0\">nongovernmental organizations and local officials have pinned scores of civilian deaths on American or American-backed military actions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1tyen8a e2kc3sl0\">The Defense Department \u201chas no credible reports of civilian casualties resulting from U.S. strikes in Somalia in 2017,\u201d the report said. \u201cOne 2017 report of civilian casualties in Somalia remains under investigation.\u201d\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/06\/01\/us\/politics\/pentagon-civilian-casualties.html?hp&#038;action=click&#038;pgtype=Homepage&#038;clickSource=story-heading&#038;module=first-column-region&#038;region=top-news&#038;WT.nav=top-news\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.nytimes.com\/2018\/06\/01\/us\/politics\/pentagon-civilian-casualties.html?hp&#038;action=click&#038;pgtype=Homepage&#038;clickSource=story-heading&#038;module=first-column-region&#038;region=top-news&#038;WT.nav=top-news<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"post-content-main shares-position\">\n<h1><a title=\"Permanent Link to Taliban says negotiations are \u2018pointless\u2019 as long as coalition forces occupy Afghanistan\" href=\"https:\/\/www.longwarjournal.org\/archives\/2018\/06\/taliban-says-negotiations-are-pointless-as-long-as-coalition-forces-occupy-afghansitan.php\" rel=\"bookmark\">Taliban says negotiations are \u2018pointless\u2019 as long as coalition forces occupy Afghanistan<\/a><\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.pinimg.com\/originals\/59\/1b\/af\/591bafbc3abd1d2243282176b6631db0.jpg\" alt=\"Image result for last british soldier\" width=\"277\" height=\"353\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Taliban again stated that it refused to negotiate with the Afghan government, which it has said numerous times is illegitimate, and will not conduct peace talks while coalition forces are occupying the country. The Taliban has consistently held this position over the years, and its actions have matched its words.<\/p>\n<p>Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid responded to\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.defense.gov\/News\/Transcripts\/Transcript-View\/Article\/1535817\/department-of-defense-press-briefing-by-general-nicholson-via-teleconference-fr\/\">remarks made by General John Nicholson<\/a>, the Commander of Resolute Support and US Forces-Afghanistan, on May 30. In the Pentagon briefing, Nicholson argued that \u201cthe elements of a peace proposal [were] outlined by the Taliban in an open letter to America.\u201d Also, Nicholson claimed that since the Taliban never offered \u201ca formal response to President Ghani\u2019s peace offer,\u201d that this proved there is a \u201ca robust dialogue going on inside the Taliban\u201d about peace.<\/p>\n<p>Mujahideed\u2019s response smacked down Nicholson\u2019s second claim, and issued a formal response to Ghani\u2019s peace offer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTalking to impotent parties [the Afghan government] during the presence of occupying forces is pointless,\u201d Mujahid said in a statement published on Voice of Jihad only one day after Nicholson\u2019s briefing.<\/p>\n<p>Mujahid denied that the Taliban\u2019s leadership is secretly conducting peace talks with the Afghan government and coalition forces, and said the Taliban\u2019s position on negotiations has been clear.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe categorically reject this baseless claim,\u201d Mujahidid said about secret talks.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.longwarjournal.org\/archives\/2018\/06\/taliban-says-negotiations-are-pointless-as-long-as-coalition-forces-occupy-afghansitan.php?utm_source=feedburner&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LongWarJournalSiteWide+%28FDD%27s+Long+War+Journal+Update%29\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.longwarjournal.org\/archives\/2018\/06\/taliban-says-negotiations-are-pointless-as-long-as-coalition-forces-occupy-afghansitan.php?utm_source=feedburner&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_campaign=Feed%3A+LongWarJournalSiteWide+%28FDD%27s+Long+War+Journal+Update%29<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"asset-headline speakable-headline\">If we&#8217;re headed for regime change in Iran, get ready for a military draft. We&#8217;ll need one.<\/h1>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Footage: The Catonsville Nine, &#039;The Burning of Draft Cards in Catonsville, Maryland&quot;.\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/mSJiNq1heMY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-1 p-text\">With U.S. withdrawal from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.brookings.edu\/blog\/markaz\/2017\/10\/26\/saving-the-joint-comprehensive-plan-of-action\/\" data-track-label=\"story pages|opinion|inline|intext|n\/a\">Iran nuclear deal,<\/a>\u00a0the installation of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/who-is-john-bolton-42a7e2e4-238d-47bc-afb6-b8afa42d35bf.html\" data-track-label=\"story pages|opinion|inline|intext|n\/a\">John Bolton<\/a> as national security adviser, new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.npr.org\/2018\/05\/21\/613117506\/secretary-of-state-mike-pompeo-has-12-demands-for-a-new-deal-to-counter-iran\" data-track-label=\"story pages|opinion|inline|intext|n\/a\">sanctions and demands<\/a> on Iran and a White House that appears committed to doing the heavy lifting for our friends and allies, regime change in Iran may well be back on the menu.<\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-2 p-text\">Should a serious public relations campaign for regime change begin, we will assuredly hear some familiar songs: the mullahs\u2019 theocracy is weak and will swiftly collapse; our \u201cman in Tehran\u201d will be embraced by the people; the war will practically pay for itself; and most important, we won\u2019t need to put any American \u201cboots on the ground.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">All of these claims should be treated with enormous skepticism, but the last one is the most dubious.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Any serious effort to end the Iranian theocracy will not only require American troops, but will also almost certainly break our vaunted <a href=\"https:\/\/www.army.mil\/article\/106813\/July_marks_40th_anniversary_of_all_volunteer_Army\" data-track-label=\"story pages|opinion|inline|intext|n\/a\">All-Volunteer Force<\/a> If you like the idea of regime change in Iran, you had better love the idea of a new American draft.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.usatoday.com\/story\/opinion\/2018\/05\/31\/iran-regime-change-american-troops-military-draft-column\/656240002\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.usatoday.com\/story\/opinion\/2018\/05\/31\/iran-regime-change-american-troops-military-draft-column\/656240002\/<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"trb_ar_hl_t\">Mattis and Vietnamese counterpart hold talks amid growing alignment, shared interests (Tip toeing to WWIII)<\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/foreignpolicymag.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/09\/giap-ho.jpg?w=960\" alt=\"Image result for giap ho\" width=\"304\" height=\"157\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Shortly before starting closed door talks with his Vietnamese counterpart, Defense Secretary <a id=\"PEGPF00210\" title=\"James Mattis\" href=\"http:\/\/www.sandiegouniontribune.com\/topic\/unrest-conflicts-war\/defense\/james-mattis-PEGPF00210-topic.html\">James Mattis<\/a> told him that the United States is \u201ccompletely aligned\u201d with Hanoi on key strategic goals.<\/p>\n<p>The glowing remarks, broad smiles and warm handshakes between Gen. Ngo Xuan Lich and the retired four-star Marine general underlined the increasingly close relationship between former enemies as they face a rising China.<\/p>\n<h1>Why Poland wants a permanent US military base, and is willing to pay $2 billion for it<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">Poland\u2019s government is interested in establishing a permanent U.S. military presence in their country and they\u2019re willing to pay for it.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">The <a class=\"\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2017\/03\/28\/poland-s-defense-minister-welcomes-nato-troops\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Polish defense ministry<\/a> said there is a \u201cclear and present need for a permanent <a class=\"\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/flashpoints\/2018\/03\/19\/armys-10th-mountain-division-takes-reins-in-anti-isis-fight\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">U.S. armored division<\/a> deployed in Poland,\u201d and is willing to provide financial backing to host the soldiers that could reach $2 billion, according to a copy of the <a class=\"\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/g8fip1kplyr33r3krz5b97d1-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/Proposal-for-a-U.S.-Permanent-Presence-in-Poland-2018.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">proposal <\/a>obtained by Polish news outlet <a class=\"selected-link\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.politico.eu\/article\/nato-poland-offers-us-up-to-2-billion-for-permanent-american-military-base\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Onet<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">The \u201dclear and present need\u201d outlined in the document appeared to be sparked by Russia.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">\u201cEstablishing such a force is necessary to present an unequivocal challenge and deterrence to Russia\u2019s increasingly emboldened and dangerous posture that threatens Europe,\u201d the proposal reads.<\/p>\n<p>The document references the Trump administration\u2019s 2017 <a class=\"\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/pentagon-congress\/2017\/07\/03\/poland-wants-trump-s-vow-of-protection-from-russian-activity\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">National Security Strategy<\/a>, which identified <a class=\"\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/2017\/09\/13\/whats-putin-up-to-the-russian-military-buildup-on-europes-border-raises-tension\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Russian aggression<\/a> in Georgia in 2008 and in Ukraine in 2014 as a key threat to the United States and global stability. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/news\/2018\/05\/29\/why-poland-wants-a-permanent-us-military-base-and-is-willing-to-pay-2-billion-for-it\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.armytimes.com\/news\/2018\/05\/29\/why-poland-wants-a-permanent-us-military-base-and-is-willing-to-pay-2-billion-for-it\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"main\" data-context=\"article\">\n<div class=\"post-content\" data-post-id=\"940731\" data-whitelist=\"\">\n<article class=\"article\" data-post-id=\"940731\" data-post-url=\"http:\/\/foreignpolicy.com\/2018\/05\/14\/regime-change-for-dummies\/\" data-lfcollectionmeta=\"eyJ0eXAiOiJqd3QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJ0aXRsZSI6IlJlZ2ltZSBDaGFuZ2UgZm9yIER1bW1pZXMiLCJ1cmwiOiJodHRwOlwvXC9mb3JlaWducG9saWN5LmNvbVwvMjAxOFwvMDVcLzE0XC9yZWdpbWUtY2hhbmdlLWZvci1kdW1taWVzXC8iLCJzdHJlYW1fdHlwZSI6ImxpdmVjb21tZW50cyIsImNoZWNrc3VtIjoiY2VkZTBlODlkMGQ0YmMzZmI1MzIzYThmYjQ5Zjk5ZTkiLCJhcnRpY2xlSWQiOiJmb3JlaWducG9saWN5X3dwXzk0MDczMSJ9.HyejpfqoQ2T9lPPYBaQDfuSktPpy7BCVmY7dDZonOWU\" data-lfchecksum=\"cede0e89d0d4bc3fb5323a8fb49f99e9\" data-lfarticleid=\"foreignpolicy_wp_940731\">\n<div class=\"post-content-main shares-position\">\n<h1 class=\"Post-title\"><a class=\"Post-title-link\" href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2018\/05\/31\/google-leaked-emails-drone-ai-pentagon-lucrative\/\">Leaked Emails Show Google Expected Lucrative Military Drone AI Work to Grow Exponentially<\/a><\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"ResponsiveImage-image\" src=\"https:\/\/theintercept.imgix.net\/wp-uploads\/sites\/1\/2018\/05\/us-air-force-drone-feat-1527805746.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&amp;q=90&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=1440&amp;h=720\" alt=\"A U.S. Air Force MQ-1B Predator unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), carrying a Hellfire missile flies over an air base after flying a mission in the Persian Gulf region on January 7, 2016. The U.S. military and coalition forces use the base, located in an undisclosed location, to launch airstrikes against ISIL in Iraq and Syria, as well as to distribute cargo and transport troops supporting Operation Inherent Resolve. The Predators at the base are operated and maintained by the 46th Expeditionary Reconnaissance Squadron, currently attached to the 386th Air Expeditionary Wing. (Photo by John Moore\/Getty Images)\" width=\"1440\" height=\"720\" \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p><u>Following the revelation<\/u>\u00a0in March that Google had\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2018\/03\/06\/google-is-quietly-providing-ai-technology-for-drone-strike-targeting-project\/\">secretly signed<\/a>\u00a0an agreement with the Pentagon to provide cutting edge artificial intelligence technology for drone warfare, the company faced an internal revolt. About a dozen Google employees have resigned in protest and thousands have\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.businessinsider.com\/lilly-irani-former-googler-professor-google-must-stop-ai-weapons-2018-5\">signed<\/a>\u00a0a petition calling for an end to the contract. The endeavor, code-named\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2018\/03\/06\/google-is-quietly-providing-ai-technology-for-drone-strike-targeting-project\/\">Project Maven<\/a>\u00a0by the military, is designed to help drone operators recognize images captured on the battlefield.<\/p>\n<p>Google has sought to\u00a0quash the internal dissent in conversations with employees.\u00a0Diane Greene, the chief executive of Google\u2019s cloud business unit,\u00a0speaking\u00a0at a company town hall meeting following the\u00a0revelations,\u00a0claimed that the contract\u00a0was \u201conly\u201d for $9 million, according to the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/05\/30\/technology\/google-project-maven-pentagon.html\">New York Times<\/a>, a relatively minor project for\u00a0such a large company.<\/p>\n<p>Internal company emails obtained by The Intercept\u00a0tell a different story. The September emails show that Google\u2019s business development\u00a0arm expected the military drone artificial intelligence\u00a0revenue\u00a0to ramp up from an initial $15 million to an eventual $250 million per year.<\/p>\n<p>In fact, one month after news of the contract broke, the Pentagon\u00a0allocated an additional\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/webcache.googleusercontent.com\/search?q=cache:vWYxxiYp2rEJ:https:\/\/www.bloomberg.com\/news\/articles\/2018-05-14\/inside-google-a-debate-rages-should-it-sell-artificial-intelligence-to-the-military+&amp;cd=5&amp;hl=en&amp;ct=clnk&amp;gl=us\">$100 million<\/a>\u00a0to Project Maven.<\/p>\n<p>The internal Google email chain also notes that\u00a0several big tech players\u00a0competed to win the Project Maven contract. Other tech firms such as Amazon were in the running, one Google executive involved in negotiations wrote.\u00a0<span class=\"s1\">(<\/span>Amazon\u00a0did not respond to a request for comment.) Rather than serving solely as a minor experiment for the military, Google executives on the thread\u00a0stated that Project Maven\u00a0was \u201cdirectly related\u201d to a\u00a0major cloud computing contract worth billions of dollars that other\u00a0Silicon Valley firms are competing to win.<\/p>\n<p>The emails further note that Amazon Web Services, the cloud computing arm of Amazon, \u201chas some work loads\u201d related to Project Maven.<\/p>\n<p>Jane Hynes, a spokesperson for Google Cloud, emailed The Intercept to say that the company stands by the statement given to the New York Times this week that \u201c<span class=\"s1\">the new artificial intelligence principles under development precluded the use of A.I. in weaponry.\u201d Hynes declined to comment further on the emails obtained by The Intercept.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2018\/05\/31\/google-leaked-emails-drone-ai-pentagon-lucrative\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">theintercept.com\/2018\/05\/31\/google-leaked-emails-drone-ai-pentagon-lucrative\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cI don\u2019t know what would happen if the media starts picking up a theme that Google is secretly building AI weapons or AI technologies to enable weapons for the Defense industry.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong>The International Economic War of the Rich on the Poor<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/cdn.equitablegrowth.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/25164231\/wage-growth-puzzle-column.jpg\" alt=\"The unemployment rate is below its Great Recession levels, but wage growth hasn\u00e2\u0080\u0099t picked up in recent years. The prime employment rate may be a better predictor of wage growth than unemployment rates.\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"spaced spaced-xl spaced-top spaced-bottom\">Puzzling over U.S. wage growth<\/h1>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">The state of U.S. wage growth these days is puzzling. The unemployment rate is below where it was before the Great Recession back in 2007, but nominal wage growth is below its level that year and hasn\u2019t picked up in recent years (according to some data series). For economists and analysts who believe that a tighter labor market should lead to higher wages, this disconnect is confusing.<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">But some analysts, myself included, suggest that the seemingly very tight labor market might not be that tight. The unemployment rate may be low (3.9 percent in April), but the share of workers in their prime years (ages 25 to 54) with a job (79.2 percent) is still below its 2007 level. The prime employment rate can predict wage and compensation growth quite well. Such a continued strong relationship between these variables would suggest that slack remains in the labor market. Stronger wage growth will show up, according to this line of thinking, if the prime employment rate further increases.<\/p>\n<p class=\"selectionShareable\">Jason Furman, the former chair of the Council of Economic Advisers,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jasonfurman\/status\/992530615588261889\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">isn\u2019t sold<\/a>\u00a0on this narrative. Furman (now at Harvard University and a senior fellow at the Peterson Institute of International Economics and a member of Equitable Growth\u2019s Steering Committee) lays out his concerns in a series of tweets to which Evercore ISI economist\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/ernietedeschi\/status\/994244140601892864\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ernie Tedeschi<\/a>\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/nick_bunker\/status\/996006320871497728\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">and I<\/a>\u00a0have responded. While this might be a\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/jasonfurman\/status\/994347489984761856\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">quick way<\/a>\u00a0to engage on this topic, Paul Krugman\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/05\/20\/opinion\/monopsony-rigidity-and-the-wage-puzzle-wonkish.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">has a point<\/a>\u00a0that the arguments can be hard to follow. So, let\u2019s lay out some of Furman\u2019s concerns here, as well as some of Krugman\u2019s substantive thoughts, and then turn to a \u201cstatement of principles\u201d about this question.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/cdn.equitablegrowth.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/29085614\/wage-growth.png\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Furman\u2019s critiques of the prime employment rate\u2019s \u201canswer\u201d to the wage growth puzzle can be separated into two parts. The first has to do with the measures of wage growth. Furman notes the differences among the main metrics of wage growth. The commonly cited average hourly earnings, or AHE, data series shows that wage growth is stuck at around 2.5 percent. It hasn\u2019t accelerated much, as the unemployment rate has dropped and the prime employment rate has increased. In contrast, the growth in wages and salaries according to the Employment Cost Index, or ECI, is moving slowly but steadily upward. (See Figure 1.)<\/p>\n<h1 class=\"spaced spaced-xl spaced-top spaced-bottom\">Tom Dispatch on the Fake Healthy Economy<\/h1>\n<p>&#8220;In a healthy economy in which one job can provide for a family and meet basic living expenses, a 3.8 percent unemployment rate would certainly be fantastic economic news. As Reuters reported, the unemployment rate hasn\u2019t been this low in 18 years. ABC News reported that the current unemployment rate is &#8216;tantalizingly close&#8217; to the 3.5 percent unemployment rate in 1969, when the American auto industry was at its peak.<\/p>\n<div class=\"text_exposed_show\">\n<p>&#8220;However, simply taking the Bureau of Labor Statistics\u2019 (BLS) jobs numbers at face value without adding in the proper context of stagnant wages and rising costs of living is ignorant at best, and intentionally deceptive at worst. For example, while the federal minimum wage remains a paltry $7.25\/hour, the minimum wage would actually be $16\/hour today had it risen at the same rate as the cost of living from 1968 to 2018, according to Andrew Pacitti, an assistant professor of economics at Siena College.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;In late May, the United Way\u2019s ALICE Project (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) project found that approximately 43 percent of the U.S. population \u2014 or 51 million Americans \u2014 are unable to afford basic necessities like housing, food, healthcare, transportation, communications, and child care with their current monthly income. And last year, 44 percent of Americans say they would be unable to cover an unexpected $400 expense \u2014 say, an emergency room visit or a broken alternator \u2014 without having to borrow from someone or sell their possessions.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This leads many Americans to work multiple jobs out of necessity. BLS data shows that in May of 2018, more than 7.4 million Americans, or 4.8 percent of the workforce, maintained at least two jobs. Of that 7.4 million, more than four million are having to work a part-time second job in addition to a primary full-time job. Approximately 294,000 Americans worked two full-time jobs last month. BLS figures show that even though the unemployment rate has hit an 18-year-low, workers\u2019 share of corporate profits is still lower than it was during the Great Recession.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mut i7a52nnkh9IQ-HwpH6ZlgJaI aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com\/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQpuAOeA0Ak4iS9ZbG03z69JQznrFmFtq3eABJ8cLG5UKzfsWYgeQ\" alt=\"Image result for uber driver ssd\" width=\"304\" height=\"158\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"spaced spaced-xl spaced-top spaced-bottom\">Most Uber and Lyft drivers in L.A. work full time and still struggle to make ends meet, study says<\/h1>\n<div class=\"card collection-item\" data-type=\"text\">\n<div class=\" card-content \">\n<p data-page=\"1\">When ride-hailing services Uber and Lyft arrived in Los Angeles six years ago, they sold Angelenos on the narrative that driving for their companies was little more than a side-hustle \u2014 a flexible way to make money while being your own boss.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"card collection-item\" data-type=\"text\">\n<div class=\" card-content \">\n<p>That narrative is no longer true in 2018, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.labor.ucla.edu\/publication\/more-than-a-gig\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">research<\/a> released Wednesday from UCLA\u2019s Institute for Research on Labor and Employment, which found that more than half of Uber and Lyft drivers in Los Angeles drive full time. Many also struggle to pay for expenses such as gas, insurance and vehicle maintenance costs, and around a third either purchased or leased their car specifically to drive for the companies and must now continue driving to pay off those loans.<\/p>\n<div class=\"card collection-item\" data-type=\"text\">\n<div class=\" card-content \">\n<p>\u201cWe knew from seeing the news coverage that conditions for Uber and Lyft drivers were bad, but it was shocking to see how bad it was,\u201d said Lucero Herrera, a coauthor of the report.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"card collection-item\" data-type=\"text\">\n<div class=\" card-content \">\n<p>Around half of Uber and Lyft drivers surveyed said it\u2019s their only job, and roughly the same percentage said they work more than 35 hours a week and struggle to pay for gas, insurance and car maintenance costs. <a href=\"\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\"><\/a> said they drive extra hours, borrow money, or use a credit card to pay those expenses.<\/p>\n<h1 class=\"css-1nbqnum ejekc6u0\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"balancedHeadline\">Grifters Gone Wild<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.kinja-img.com\/gawker-media\/image\/upload\/s--xPlDPZfW--\/c_scale,f_auto,fl_progressive,q_80,w_800\/dmkm2pfidehj5s86ojh5.jpg\" alt=\"Image result for holmes kissinger mattis\" width=\"304\" height=\"200\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"css-1tyen8a e2kc3sl0\">Trump voters allowed themselves to believe they had a successful billionaire who knew the art of the deal when he only knew the art of the con. They bought his seductive campaign narrative, that the system was rigged and corrupt and only he could fix it. After winning by warning voters they were being suckered, he\u2019s made them all suckers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1tyen8a e2kc3sl0\">Those who ignored whispers about Weinstein\u2019s grotesque behavior burned to believe that Hollywood was more than juvenile comic-book movies, that it could still make classy, sophisticated films with great roles for mature actresses like Meryl Streep and Judi Dench. And despite tales of misogyny and sickening transgressions, they wanted to buy Harvey\u2019s grand narrative, that he was a liberal feminist who could raise enough money to help elect the first woman president.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1tyen8a e2kc3sl0\">With Holmes, people were longing for a young woman to break into the club of boy geniuses conjuring unicorns. She played to that, <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/03\/16\/fashion\/elizabeth-holmes-black-turtleneck-theranos.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">imitating Steve Jobs by wearing a black turtleneck<\/a> and driving a car with no license plate. She pitched a Jobs-like mythic story about her company, that it was not merely about making money, it was designed to be \u201cthe most important thing humanity has ever built.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1tyen8a e2kc3sl0\">High-minded elites like to scornfully say that Trump voters fell for his scam because they were ignorant and racist. But the high-minded elites fell for Holmes\u2019s scam, even the fake deep authoritative voice she put on. Her board had George Shultz, Henry Kissinger, Jim Mattis and David Boies; Rupert Murdoch and Robert Kraft were investors.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1tyen8a e2kc3sl0\">\u201cIt\u2019s a controversial thing to say now, but Holmes wowed all these older men and wrapped them around her finger with her charm and youth and good looks and cool vision,\u201d says John Carreyrou, The Wall Street Journal reporter who broke the scam story and <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/05\/21\/books\/review\/bad-blood-john-carreyrou.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">who wrote a book, \u201cBad Blood\u201d<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/05\/26\/opinion\/sunday\/grifters-gone-wild.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.nytimes.com\/2018\/05\/26\/opinion\/sunday\/grifters-gone-wild.html<\/a><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"entry-title\"><a href=\"https:\/\/theconservativetreehouse.com\/2018\/06\/02\/uniparty-activates-koch-brothers-defend-democrat-senator-heidi-heitkamp\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">UniParty Activates \u2013 Koch Brothers Defend Democrat Senator Heidi\u00a0Heitkamp\u2026<\/a><\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft wp-image-113948\" src=\"https:\/\/theconservativetreehouse.files.wordpress.com\/2016\/03\/uniparty.jpg?w=305&amp;h=305\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 305px) 100vw, 305px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/theconservativetreehouse.files.wordpress.com\/2016\/03\/uniparty.jpg?w=305&amp;h=305 305w, https:\/\/theconservativetreehouse.files.wordpress.com\/2016\/03\/uniparty.jpg?w=610&amp;h=610 610w, https:\/\/theconservativetreehouse.files.wordpress.com\/2016\/03\/uniparty.jpg?w=150&amp;h=150 150w, https:\/\/theconservativetreehouse.files.wordpress.com\/2016\/03\/uniparty.jpg?w=300&amp;h=300 300w\" alt=\"\" width=\"305\" height=\"305\" data-attachment-id=\"113948\" data-permalink=\"https:\/\/theconservativetreehouse.com\/2016\/03\/17\/lindsey-graham-endorses-ted-cruz-begins-fundraising-effort-the-uniparty-unifies\/uniparty\/\" data-orig-file=\"https:\/\/theconservativetreehouse.files.wordpress.com\/2016\/03\/uniparty.jpg?w=305&amp;h=305\" data-orig-size=\"640,640\" data-comments-opened=\"1\" data-image-meta=\"{&quot;aperture&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;credit&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;camera&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;caption&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;created_timestamp&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;copyright&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;focal_length&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;iso&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;shutter_speed&quot;:&quot;0&quot;,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;&quot;,&quot;orientation&quot;:&quot;0&quot;}\" data-image-title=\"uniparty\" data-image-description=\"\" data-medium-file=\"https:\/\/theconservativetreehouse.files.wordpress.com\/2016\/03\/uniparty.jpg?w=305&amp;h=305?w=300\" data-large-file=\"https:\/\/theconservativetreehouse.files.wordpress.com\/2016\/03\/uniparty.jpg?w=305&amp;h=305?w=640\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The North Dakota senate seat currently held by Democrat Senator Heidi Heitkamp is one of the targeted seats Republicans are looking to take in the 2018 mid-terms.\u00a0 To flip the seat the White House helped convince Republican Kevin Cramer to challenge Heitkamp.<\/p>\n<p>With the North Dakota election considered a \u2018<em>toss up<\/em>\u2018, between Heitkamp and challenger Cramer; and with election outcome looking positive toward republicans; the UniParty quickly jumps into action.<\/p>\n<p>Notorious UniParty control agents David and Charles Koch, aka <em>\u2018The Koch Brothers\u2019<\/em>, now begin spending money to help Heitkamp retain her seat.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2018\/06\/02\/politics\/koch-brothers-heitkamp-north-dakota\/index.html?sr=fbCNNp060218koch-brothers-heitkamp-north-dakota1257PMVODtop&amp;CNNPolitics=Tw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Washington (CNN)<\/a> \u2013 Americans for Prosperity, a Koch brothers-backed political advocacy group, is running a digital ad thanking a vulnerable Democratic senator for her support of bank deregulation legislation ahead of the midterm elections.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote><p>The ad, which launched Friday, thanks North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, who is fighting to hold onto her seat in a state that Trump carried by 36 points in 2016, for cosponsoring a rollback of some Dodd-Frank Act regulations.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/theconservativetreehouse.com\/2018\/06\/02\/uniparty-activates-koch-brothers-defend-democrat-senator-heidi-heitkamp\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">theconservativetreehouse.com\/2018\/06\/02\/uniparty-activates-koch-brothers-defend-democrat-senator-heidi-heitkamp\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/upload.wikimedia.org\/wikipedia\/commons\/thumb\/d\/dd\/Fascist_Eagle.svg\/200px-Fascist_Eagle.svg.png\" alt=\"Image result for italian fascist symbol\" width=\"200\" height=\"200\" \/><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<h1 class=\"css-3psg0t ejekc6u0\"><span class=\"balancedHeadline\">Italy\u2019s Political Crisis: The Danger It Poses for the Global Economy<\/span><\/h1>\n<p class=\"css-odhuth ewc5vgb0\">One thing that has become clear over the last decade is how effects can spread unpredictably across countries in times of financial disruption.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"css-a69cfq eqpy7av0\">The New Political Risk in Italy<\/h2>\n<p class=\"css-1tyen8a e2kc3sl0\">The Italian president, Sergio Mattarella, rejected an anti-E.U. nominee for economy minister, setting the stage for elections later in the year that, if a recent pattern repeats, could put in place a parliamentary majority that is hostile to European institutions.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1tyen8a e2kc3sl0\">In effect, those events have made it more likely that there will be a showdown between authorities in Rome and officials in Brussels, Berlin and Frankfurt over deficit spending, with an unraveling of the European Union one potential outcome, even if not the most likely one.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1tyen8a e2kc3sl0\">New Italian elections would help decide whether that is the case. In the last elections, in March, populist parties skeptical of European institutions won a comfortable majority of seats in parliament, but included both right-wing and left-wing parties that have struggled since then to form a coalition.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1tyen8a e2kc3sl0\">If the populists maintain or expand their advantages in elections, it raises the prospect of serious friction between Italian politicians looking to increase spending and a European Commission, European Central Bank and German government that insist upon fiscal austerity as a condition for, among other things, continued E.C.B. purchases of Italian bonds.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/05\/30\/upshot\/italy-political-crisis-global-economy.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.nytimes.com\/2018\/05\/30\/upshot\/italy-political-crisis-global-economy.html<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"story-body__h1\">Inequality in India can be seen from outer space<\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"js-image-replace\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/660\/cpsprodpb\/6394\/production\/_101729452_mediaitem101729447.jpg\" alt=\"India night lights\" width=\"976\" height=\"750\" data-highest-encountered-width=\"660\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"story-body__introduction\">Are night lights on earth captured by satellites from outer space a good way to measure inequality?<\/p>\n<p>Economists Praveen Chakravarty and Vivek Dehejia certainly believe so. They acquired images grabbed by satellites from the US Air Force Defence Meteorological Satellite Programme. These satellites circle the earth 14 times a day and record lights from the earth&#8217;s surface at night with sensors. They superimposed a map depicting India&#8217;s districts on their images, allowing them to develop a unique data set of luminosity values, by district and over time.\u00a0\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-asia-india-44193144\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.bbc.com\/news\/world-asia-india-44193144<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong>The Emergence of Fascism as a Popular Mass Movement and <\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong>The War on Reason<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/KPk6VinYG-k\/maxresdefault.jpg\" alt=\"Image result for sackler family purdue\" width=\"304\" height=\"171\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"css-ua6igs ejekc6u0\"><span class=\"balancedHeadline\">Origins of an Epidemic: Purdue Pharma Knew Its Opioids Were Widely Abused<\/span><\/h1>\n<p class=\"css-yzeg4d ewc5vgb0\">A confidential Justice Department report found the company was aware early on that OxyContin was being crushed and snorted for its powerful narcotic, but continued to promote it as less addictive.<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-87430e emamhsk2\">\n<p class=\"css-c65vdd e2kc3sl0\">Purdue Pharma, the company that planted the seeds of the opioid epidemic through its aggressive marketing of OxyContin, has long claimed it was unaware of the powerful opioid painkiller\u2019s growing abuse until years after it went on the market.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-c65vdd e2kc3sl0\">But a copy of a confidential Justice Department report shows that federal prosecutors investigating the company found that Purdue Pharma knew about \u201csignificant\u201d abuse of OxyContin in the first years after the drug\u2019s introduction in 1996 and concealed that information.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-c65vdd e2kc3sl0\">Company officials had received reports that the pills were being crushed and snorted; stolen from pharmacies; and that some doctors were being charged with selling prescriptions, according to dozens of previously undisclosed documents that offer a detailed look inside Purdue Pharma. But the drug maker continued \u201cin the face of this knowledge\u201d to market OxyContin as less prone to abuse and addiction than other prescription opioids, prosecutors wrote in 2006.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-c65vdd e2kc3sl0\">Based on their findings after a four-year investigation, the prosecutors recommended that three top Purdue Pharma executives be indicted on felony charges, including conspiracy to defraud the United States, that could have sent the men to prison if convicted.<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-87430e emamhsk2\">\n<p class=\"css-c65vdd e2kc3sl0\">But top Justice Department officials in the George W. Bush administration did not support the move, said four lawyers who took part in those discussions or were briefed about them. Instead, the government settled the case in 2007.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-c65vdd e2kc3sl0\">Prosecutors found that the company\u2019s sales representatives used the words \u201cstreet value,\u201d \u201ccrush,\u201d or \u201csnort\u201d in 117 internal notes recording their visits to doctors or other medical professionals from 1997 through 1999.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-c65vdd e2kc3sl0\">The 120-page report also cited emails showing that Purdue Pharma\u2019s owners, members of the wealthy Sackler family, were sent reports about abuse of OxyContin and another company opioid, MS Contin.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/05\/29\/health\/purdue-opioids-oxycontin.html?hp&#038;action=click&#038;pgtype=Homepage&#038;clickSource=story-heading&#038;module=first-column-region&#038;region=top-news&#038;WT.nav=top-news\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.nytimes.com\/2018\/05\/29\/health\/purdue-opioids-oxycontin.html?hp&#038;action=click&#038;pgtype=Homepage&#038;clickSource=story-heading&#038;module=first-column-region&#038;region=top-news&#038;WT.nav=top-news<\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Rise of Big Pharma: Sackler Family, Valium, OxyContin, Advertising\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/m7tCul-delI?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"Post-title\"><a class=\"Post-title-link\" href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2018\/05\/31\/university-of-puerto-rico-protests\/\">Student Protesters in Puerto Rico Face Trial as Government Criminalizes Dissent<\/a><\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"ResponsiveImage-image\" src=\"https:\/\/theintercept.imgix.net\/wp-uploads\/sites\/1\/2018\/05\/20170511_INTERCPT_student_strike_upr_EPR_008-1527722127-e1527772601565.jpg?auto=compress%2Cformat&amp;q=90&amp;fit=crop&amp;w=1440&amp;h=720\" alt=\"Students chant protests slogans during a picket line in front of the main entrance to the University of Puerto Rico, Rio Piedras Campus in San Juan, P.R., on Thursday, May 11, 2017. The university has been on strike for over a month to protest a proposed over $500 million cut in the institutions\u00d5 budget, and to demand the audit of the public debt. After a small group law students sued the dean and the administration of the campus to gain access to their classes, the court ordered the opening of the school\u00d5s gates by 6:00AM today. Students, professors and citizens gathered from dawn at the U.P.R.\u00d5s main gate in fears that the police would forcibly remove the students. Last week the governor of Puerto Rico announced the American territory would declare a type bankruptcy, as allowed under the Puerto Rico Oversight, Management, Economic Stability Act (PROMESA) to deal with its over $70 billion in public debt. (Photo by Erika P. Rodriguez)\" width=\"1440\" height=\"720\" \/><\/p>\n<p><u>With the second<\/u> round of trials underway in Washington, D.C., for protesters charged in connection with the J20 demonstrations against Donald Trump\u2019s presidential inauguration, another legal battle over the right to dissent is unfolding hundreds of miles away in Puerto Rico, where seven students are facing charges in connection to a protest over tuition hikes at the island\u2019s public university.<\/p>\n<p>In April 2017, leaders of the University of Puerto Rico\u2019s student body demanded\u00a0a meeting with the school\u2019s governing board to discuss alternatives to a program of sharp disinvestment from the university, one in a slew of public service cuts in Puerto Rico in recent years. When their requests were ignored, a few dozen protesters <a href=\"https:\/\/www.elnuevodia.com\/noticias\/locales\/nota\/estudiantesdetienenreuniondelajuntadegobiernodelaupr-2315517\/\">stormed the building<\/a> where the university board was meeting. There were no serious injuries or damage, and nobody was arrested.<\/p>\n<p>In the following days, however, several students who had assumed leadership roles in the protest movement received citations ordering them to appear in court. When they did, they were handcuffed and paraded <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MColonCruz\/status\/862161334888214528?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw&amp;ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.primerahora.com%2Fnoticias%2Fpolicia-tribunales%2Fnota%2Facusanavariosestudiantesporirrumpirenreuniondelajuntadegobiernoupr-1223077%2F&amp;tfw_site=p\">before TV cameras<\/a> in the middle of the night, then booked and, finally, released on bail.<\/p>\n<p>While students at UPR continue to fight the new measures \u2014 the university board ultimately approved the tuition hikes last month, a year after the students stormed the meeting \u2014 they are also rallying around students arrested after the 2017 protest. As with the unfolding prosecutions in Washington, officials in Puerto Rico are throwing the book at protesters with unprecedented zeal.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2018\/05\/31\/university-of-puerto-rico-protests\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">theintercept.com\/2018\/05\/31\/university-of-puerto-rico-protests\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/yahoonews\/videos\/10157165888181037\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.facebook.com\/yahoonews\/videos\/10157165888181037\/<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"content__headline-standfirst-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"content__header tonal__header\">\n<div class=\"u-cf\">\n<h1 class=\"content__headline \">Ecuador&#8217;s Lying president says Julian Assange can stay in embassy &#8216;with conditions&#8217;<\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"maxed responsive-img aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/0426afd25c24c2e0d865a14e2e3c293da8db2d92\/0_39_3000_1800\/master\/3000.jpg?w=300&amp;q=55&amp;auto=format&amp;usm=12&amp;fit=max&amp;s=937f7def400309d919e7c7a4152ee952\" alt=\"Moreno has repeatedly hinted that he wants to remove Julian Assange from the country\u2019s London embassy.\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tonal__standfirst u-cf\">\n<div class=\"content__standfirst\" data-link-name=\"standfirst\" data-component=\"standfirst\">\n<p>Assange must follow rules and avoid talking politics on Twitter \u2013 otherwise Len\u00edn Moreno says he will \u2018take a decision\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Len\u00edn Moreno, the president of <a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/ecuador\" data-link-name=\"auto-linked-tag\" data-component=\"auto-linked-tag\">Ecuador<\/a>, has said Julian Assange\u2019s asylum status in the country\u2019s London embassy is not under threat \u2013 provided he complies with the conditions of his stay and avoids voicing his political opinions on Twitter.<\/p>\n<p>However, in an interview with <a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"http:\/\/www.dw.com\/es\/len%C3%ADn-moreno-assange-puede-seguir-gozando-del-asilo-mientras-cumpla\/a-43988539\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">Deutsche Welle<\/a> on Wednesday, Moreno said his government would \u201ctake a decision\u201d if Assange didn\u2019t comply with the restrictions.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLet\u2019s not forget the conditions of his asylum prevent him from speaking about politics or intervening in the politics of other countries. That\u2019s why we cut his communication,\u201d he said. Ecuador suspended Assange\u2019s <a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/media\/2018\/mar\/28\/julian-assange-internet-connection-ecuador-embassy-cut-off-wikileaks\" data-link-name=\"in body link\">communication\u2019s system in March<\/a>&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Moreno has previously described Assange\u2019s situation as \u201ca stone in his shoe\u201d and repeatedly hinted that he wants to remove the Australian from the country\u2019s London embassy.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/media\/2018\/may\/31\/julian-assange-ecuador-president-lenin-moreno\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.theguardian.com\/media\/2018\/may\/31\/julian-assange-ecuador-president-lenin-moreno<\/a><\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Reminder: June 3, 1943<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Zoot Suit Riots:  Causes and Riots\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/xckD780EYOY?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"article__rubric\"><\/div>\n<h1 class=\"article__hed\" data-editable=\"overrideHeadline\">D\u2019Souza\u2019s Reward<\/h1>\n<h2 class=\"article__dek\" data-editable=\"dek\">The pardon of Dinesh D\u2019Souza shows how far the racist fringe has risen under Donald Trump.<\/h2>\n<p class=\"slate-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"slate.com\/components\/slate-paragraph\/instances\/cjhwkcnlz0013abkz2xw86nk1@published\" data-word-count=\"142\">President Trump\u2019s recent pardons don\u2019t even pretend to address actual injustice in the criminal justice system. They are borne entirely and transparently out of Trump\u2019s self-interest. The pardon of former Arizona Sheriff Joe Arpaio, convicted of criminal contempt of court, was a reward for a close supporter who shares the president\u2019s hostility to immigration. The pardon of Scooter Libby, convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice, was a reminder to Trump\u2019s associates, who are under investigation by the FBI. And this week\u2019s pardon of Dinesh D\u2019Souza, convicted for a felony violation of campaign finance law, marks both a strike against a political foe\u2014former U.S Attorney Preet Bharara, a vocal Trump critic whose office <a href=\"https:\/\/www.axios.com\/dinesh-dsouza-preet-bharara-mock-tweet-pardon-e0d183dd-ede5-4c61-a0ce-ab7b2bb1a71f.html\">pursued<\/a> the case\u2014and a show of solidarity with a figure who built his career on the same prejudice and conspiracy theorizing that fueled Trump\u2019s rise through the Republican Party.<\/p>\n<p class=\"slate-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"slate.com\/components\/slate-paragraph\/instances\/cjhwkgeil00193g5tmhsbrnhh@published\" data-word-count=\"82\">In a healthier political system, D\u2019Souza would be a fringe figure, whose open bigotry and shoddy intellectualism would leave him on the outside looking in. Instead, he is a conservative in good standing\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/slate.com\/news-and-politics\/2018\/06\/dinesh-dsouzas-pardon-shows-how-far-the-racist-fringe-has-risen-under-donald-trump.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">slate.com\/news-and-politics\/2018\/06\/dinesh-dsouzas-pardon-shows-how-far-the-racist-fringe-has-risen-under-donald-trump.html<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/victoria.ayovaughan\/videos\/10212128733196496\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.facebook.com\/victoria.ayovaughan\/videos\/10212128733196496\/<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"article__hed\" data-editable=\"overrideHeadline\">New Study Finds Hurricane Maria\u2019s Death Toll in Puerto Rico Likely More Than 4,600<\/h1>\n<p><img class=\"image__src aligncenter\" srcset=\"https:\/\/compote.slate.com\/images\/81979ab9-e562-4272-bae6-4917f39a1af7.jpeg?width=780&amp;height=520&amp;rect=4920x3280&amp;offset=8x0 1x, https:\/\/compote.slate.com\/images\/81979ab9-e562-4272-bae6-4917f39a1af7.jpeg?width=780&amp;height=520&amp;rect=4920x3280&amp;offset=8x0 2x\" alt=\"A man walks past a house laying in flood water \" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"slate-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"slate.com\/components\/slate-paragraph\/instances\/cjhrtrbtk001bq3m5kh8os091@published\" data-word-count=\"33\">A new Harvard study estimates that <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/national\/harvard-study-estimates-thousands-died-in-puerto-rico-due-to-hurricane-maria\/2018\/05\/29\/1a82503a-6070-11e8-a4a4-c070ef53f315_story.html?utm_term=.1b2048fbe2c6\">at least 4,600 people<\/a> in Puerto Rico have died from causes related to Hurricane Maria, a far larger number than the official government death toll of 64.<\/p>\n<p class=\"slate-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"slate.com\/components\/slate-paragraph\/instances\/cjhrtrf58000p3i5zw2z08o2t@published\" data-word-count=\"65\">According to the new study, which was conducted by a group of independent researchers from Puerto Rico and the U.S. mainland and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, these deaths could often be attributed to delayed and limited health care in the aftermath of the storm, which shuttered several hospitals, crippled the power grid, knocked out cell service, and made many roads impassable.<\/p>\n<p class=\"slate-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"slate.com\/components\/slate-paragraph\/instances\/cjhrtrf52000n3i5z77lnxgxw@published\" data-word-count=\"100\">The study, released Tuesday, is based on researchers\u2019 visits to more than 3,000 homes on the island. The residents reported that 38 people in those homes had died between the day of the storm and the end of the year, and that mortality rate allowed researchers to extrapolate a larger death toll from the overall population. They then could figure out how much higher that number was from the number of deaths during those three months the year before, giving them the number of \u201cexcess\u201d deaths. The research leaves room for a more precise, exhaustive study of the death toll.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/slate.com\/news-and-politics\/2018\/05\/harvard-study-finds-high-hurricane-maria-death-toll.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">slate.com\/news-and-politics\/2018\/05\/harvard-study-finds-high-hurricane-maria-death-toll.html<\/a><\/p>\n<h3>Egypt\u2019s el-Sissi begins 2nd term amid crackdown on dissent<\/h3>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/timedotcom.files.wordpress.com\/2016\/09\/gettyimages-455955242.jpg?quality=85\" alt=\"Image result for egypt sisi clinton\" width=\"304\" height=\"205\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi was sworn in for a second four-year term on Saturday after being re-elected in a vote earlier this year in which he faced no serious challengers<\/p>\n<p>El-Sissi took the oath of office before parliament amid tight security across much of Cairo. Police sealed off roads leading to parliament in central Cairo for more than three hours. After the oath, artillery fired a celebratory 21-gun salute.<\/p>\n<p>In an address to the packed chamber, el-Sissi vowed to continue working to restore stability, revive the economy and combat an insurgency by Islamic militants centered in the northern Sinai Peninsula. He said in his second term he would focus on education and health care.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cEgypt can include all of us, with all our diversity and richness&#8230; except those who choose violence and terror to impose their will and power. Egypt is for all and I am a president of all those who agree with me or disagree,\u201d he said at the ceremony, also attended by his Cabinet and religious leaders.<\/p>\n<p>Since el-Sissi\u2019s re-election in March, authorities have intensified a crackdown on dissent with a wave of arrests of high-well-known activists and human rights campaigners. Among those arrested are blogger Wael Abbas, pro-democracy activist Shady el-Ghazaly Harb, young comedian Shady Abu Zeid and activist Amal Fathy. They all face an array of charges including disseminating false news and belonging to an outlawed group.<\/p>\n<p>The European Union and human rights groups have voiced concern over the latest wave of arrests and called for the detainees to be released.<\/p>\n<p>El-Sissi won more than 97 percent of the vote in the March election,\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/apnews.com\/30269d6316484d59a6227d893d49e1f9\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">apnews.com\/30269d6316484d59a6227d893d49e1f9<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong>Solidarity for Never<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"spotlight\" src=\"https:\/\/scontent.fsan1-1.fna.fbcdn.net\/v\/t1.0-9\/33663769_1749265731830855_7478247264515784704_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&amp;oh=bba904cb98cb1bacd5bd160eef9e5179&amp;oe=5B8CB61C\" alt=\"No automatic alt text available.\" aria-busy=\"true\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"headline\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/2018\/06\/01\/democrats-are-from-hell-republicans-are-from-hells-lowest-circle-and-trump-is-from-somewhere-else-altogether\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Democrats are From Hell; Republicans are From Hell\u2019s Lowest Circle, and Trump is From Somewhere Else Altogether<\/a><\/h1>\n<p>For nearly three decades, the right has been going after the Clintons \u2013 first mainly Bill, then mainly Hillary \u2013 for all the wrong reasons.<\/p>\n<p>The right reasons are the many ways that the Clintons and those who think like them \u2014 that would be most Democrats \u2014 are like Republicans.<\/p>\n<p>Democrats are more decent, more socially liberal, more civil (right-wingers would say \u201cpolitically correct\u201d), and less wedded to retrograde causes and notions. This can and often does matter around the margins.<\/p>\n<p>But the respects in which Democrats are better are of little or no consequence for the fundamental economic and political problems faced by Americans, and peoples around the world who live under the sway of the American hegemon. On those problems, Democrats and Republicans are as alike as peas in a pod.<\/p>\n<p>The Republican Party is a party of the center right and the far right, but contrary to the conventional wisdom, the Democratic Party is not a party of the left or even the center left.<\/p>\n<p>There is no politically significant left in the United States today; there are only remnants and individuals, vast numbers of them, yearning for left alternatives. What is called a left is actually, to use Tariq Ali\u2019s apt expression, an \u201cextreme center.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The extreme center is now going after Donald Trump with fervor equal to or greater than that of the right and far right towards the Clintons and likeminded Democrats.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/2018\/06\/01\/democrats-are-from-hell-republicans-are-from-hells-lowest-circle-and-trump-is-from-somewhere-else-altogether\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.counterpunch.org\/2018\/06\/01\/democrats-are-from-hell-republicans-are-from-hells-lowest-circle-and-trump-is-from-somewhere-else-altogether\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Hillary Clinton Laughing for 10 hours\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/orYcAiFqknU?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lprtS0XCj20\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.youtube.com\/watch?v=lprtS0XCj20<\/a><\/p>\n<h1><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"image__src\" src=\"https:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/574dda691200002500894eb9.jpeg?ops=scalefit_720_noupscale\" alt=\"\" \/><\/h1>\n<h1>Ex-FCA employee pleads guilty to charge in UAW training center scandal<\/h1>\n<p>A former Fiat Chrysler Automobiles employee pleaded guilty Friday for his role in $4.5 million-plus corruption scandal at the UAW-Chrysler National Training Center &#8212; where he was a co-director.<\/p>\n<p>Michael Brown, 60, pleaded guilty to one count of lying to a federal grand jury about the scope of the conspiracy, as part of a plea deal with federal investigators. Brown was a director in FCA&#8217;s employee relations department from 2009 to 2016. Before a grand jury on Dec. 16, 2015, he first denied knowing about the FCA executives&#8217; conspiracy to violate the Labor Relations Act. Brown has since left the company.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.crainsdetroit.com\/article\/20180405\/news\/657176\/another-charge-plea-deal-in-uaw-fca-federal-corruption-investigation\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Brown<\/a>\u00a0is the seventh person charged in the corruption scandal and the sixth to plead guilty. Prosecutors contend that FCA employees and executives paid UAW representatives to influence union business, such as collective bargaining negotiations in 2011 and 2015, siphoned money and used false charitable donations and credit cards to pay for items not related to business.<\/p>\n<p>Brown was charged in April, one day before UAW official Keith Mickens, who oversaw training center operations, became the fifth person to plead guilty as part of the criminal probe.<\/p>\n<p>Plea deal<\/p>\n<p>Brown knew the goal of the conspiracy was &#8220;to provide prohibited payments to UAW officials, was to grease the skids in order to obtain benefits, advantages, and concessions in the negotiation, implementation, and administration of the collective bargaining agreements between FCA and the UAW,&#8221; according to a 14-page plea deal he signed on March 29.<\/p>\n<p>According to the plea deal Brown and other officials authorized hundreds of thousands of dollars in payments to the UAW, in the guise of reimbursements for the salaries and benefits the union paid to members of its staff, knowing many of the individuals had done no work on behalf of the center. He also authorized further prohibited payments to the UAW in the form of a 7 percent administrative fee that was added to the monthly demand by the union for reimbursement of salaries and benefits, according to the plea deal.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.autonews.com\/article\/20180525\/OEM01\/180529789\/fiat-chrysler-uaw-training-center-michael-brown-guilty-plea\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.autonews.com\/article\/20180525\/OEM01\/180529789\/fiat-chrysler-uaw-training-center-michael-brown-guilty-plea<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\" \">Trump lashes out as Obama-era photos of immigrant children in steel cages linked to current administration<\/h1>\n<div class=\"intro\">\n<p>&#8216;Democrats mistakenly tweet 2014 pictures from Obama\u2019s term showing children from the Border in steel cages,&#8217; says US president<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" slide-image wp-image-12578880\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"Immigrant Children Schools Arizona\" data-default-src=\"https:\/\/thenypost.files.wordpress.com\/2018\/05\/180529-immigrant-children-photos-02.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=568\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" slide-image wp-image-12578880\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"Immigrant Children Schools Arizona\" data-default-src=\"https:\/\/thenypost.files.wordpress.com\/2018\/05\/180529-immigrant-children-photos-02.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=568\" \/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\" slide-image wp-image-12578880\" src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAIAAAAAAAP\/\/\/yH5BAEAAAAALAAAAAABAAEAAAIBRAA7\" alt=\"Immigrant Children Schools Arizona\" data-default-src=\"https:\/\/thenypost.files.wordpress.com\/2018\/05\/180529-immigrant-children-photos-02.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=568\" \/><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/a57.foxnews.com\/media2.foxnews.com\/BrightCove\/694940094001\/2018\/05\/29\/0\/0\/694940094001_5790975714001_5790967281001-vs.jpg?ve=1\" alt=\"Image result for democrats photos immigrant children obama\" width=\"304\" height=\"170\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h1 class=\"post-title\">The Sunshine Economy: State of Teachers&#8217; Unions<\/h1>\n<p>Florida teachers\u2019 unions are planning to sue the state over a new law that threatens their long-term survival.<\/p>\n<p>Unions\u2019 right to collectively bargain for their members has been enshrined in the state constitution since 1968 and state law since 1974. The legislation followed a massive teacher walkout in 1968 \u2014 the first statewide teacher strike in U.S. history.<\/p>\n<p>But lawmakers put new restrictions on collective bargaining in this year\u2019s controversial House Bill 7055 \u2014 affecting only teachers\u2019 unions. The law says if at least half of eligible teachers aren&#8217;t dues-paying members of a union, the group could lose its state certification.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/wlrn.org\/post\/sunshine-economy-state-teachers-unions\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">wlrn.org\/post\/sunshine-economy-state-teachers-unions<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong>Spy versus Spy<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"js-image-replace\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/660\/cpsprodpb\/B60A\/production\/_101820664_guantholdingafp26aug04.jpg\" alt=\"A detainee at Guantanamo Bay US naval base, 26 Aug 04\" width=\"976\" height=\"549\" data-highest-encountered-width=\"660\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"media-caption__text\"><em>The US holds terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay without charging them<\/em> <\/span><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"story-body__h1\">Lithuania and Romania complicit in CIA torture &#8211; European court<\/h1>\n<p class=\"story-body__introduction\">European judges have ruled that Lithuania and Romania violated the rights of two al-Qaeda terror suspects by allowing the CIA to torture them.<\/p>\n<p>The US captured Abu Zubaydah and Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri after the September 2001 attacks in the US and they are now at the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba.<\/p>\n<p>The CIA operated secret prisons, including in Lithuania and Romania.<\/p>\n<p>The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) said both countries had violated the European prohibition of torture.<\/p>\n<p>The ECHR <a class=\"story-body__link\" href=\"http:\/\/www.bbc.co.uk\/news\/world-europe-28460628\">issued a similar ruling against Poland in 2014.<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"responsive-image__img js-image-replace\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/624\/cpsprodpb\/7D34\/production\/_101825023_alqguantreut2oct15.jpg\" alt=\"Guantanamo prison, 2 Oct 15\" width=\"976\" height=\"549\" data-highest-encountered-width=\"624\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"media-caption__text\">The US military allows very little access to prisoners at Guantanamo <\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-europe-44313905\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.bbc.com\/news\/world-europe-44313905<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"story-body__h1\">CIA interrogation report: The 20 key findings<\/h1>\n<h2 class=\"story-body__crosshead\">What did the Senate committee find out?<\/h2>\n<p>1) The CIA&#8217;s use of &#8220;enhanced interrogation techniques&#8221; was not an effective means of acquiring intelligence or gaining co-operation from detainees.<\/p>\n<p>2)The CIA&#8217;s justification for the use of its enhanced interrogation techniques rested on inaccurate claims of their effectiveness.<\/p>\n<p>3) The interrogations of CIA detainees were brutal and far worse than the CIA represented to policymakers and others.<\/p>\n<p>4) The conditions of confinement for CIA detainees were harsher than the CIA had represented to policymakers and others.<\/p>\n<p>5) The CIA repeatedly provided inaccurate information to the Department of Justice, impeding a proper legal analysis of the CIA&#8217;s Detention and Interrogation Program.<\/p>\n<p>6) The CIA has actively avoided or impeded congressional oversight of the programme.<\/p>\n<p>7) The CIA impeded effective White House oversight and decision-making.<\/p>\n<p>8) The CIA&#8217;s operation and management of the programme complicated, and in some cases impeded, the national security missions of other executive branch agencies.<\/p>\n<p>9) The CIA impeded oversight by the CIA&#8217;s Office of Inspector General.<\/p>\n<p>10) The CIA co-ordinated the release of classified information to the media, including inaccurate information concerning the effectiveness of the CIA&#8217;s enhanced interrogation techniques.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-us-canada-30401025\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.bbc.com\/news\/world-us-canada-30401025<\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Christopher Hitchens Get Waterboarded | Vanity Fair\" width=\"500\" height=\"375\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4LPubUCJv58?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"Post-title\" data-reactid=\"144\"><a class=\"Post-title-link\" href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2018\/05\/17\/gina-haspel-cia-director-torture\/\" data-reactid=\"145\">U.S. Navy Reserve Doctor on Gina Haspel Torture Victim: \u201cOne of the Most Severely Traumatized Individuals I Have Ever Seen\u201d<\/a><\/h1>\n<p><u>An American doctor<\/u> and Naval reserve officer who has done extensive medical evaluation of a high-profile prisoner who was tortured under the supervision of Gina Haspel privately urged Sen. Mark Warner, the vice chair of the Senate Intelligence Committee, to oppose Haspel\u2019s confirmation as CIA director, according to an email obtained by The Intercept.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have evaluated Mr. Abdal Rahim al-Nashiri, as well as close to 20 other men who were tortured\u201d in U.S. custody, including several who were tortured \u201cas part of the CIA\u2019s RDI [Rendition, Detention, and Interrogation] program. I am one of the only health professionals he has ever talked to about his torture, its effects, and his ongoing suffering,\u201d Dr. Sondra Crosby, a professor of public health at Boston University, wrote to Warner\u2019s legislative director on Monday. \u201cHe is irreversibly damaged by torture that was unusually cruel and designed to break him. In my over 20 years of experience treating torture victims from around the world, including Syria, Iraq, and the Democratic Republic of Congo, Mr. al-Nashiri presents as one of the most severely traumatized individuals I have ever seen.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/theintercept.com\/2018\/05\/17\/gina-haspel-cia-director-torture\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">theintercept.com\/2018\/05\/17\/gina-haspel-cia-director-torture\/<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"article__hed\" data-editable=\"overrideHeadline\">Senate Democrats Provide Key Votes to Confirm Gina Haspel as CIA Director<\/h1>\n<p>Gina Haspel, the CIA veteran who <a href=\"https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/article\/gina-haspel-black-site-cia-nashiri-interrogation-cable\">supervised the torture of a War on Terror detainee<\/a> and helped <a href=\"https:\/\/www.propublica.org\/article\/haspel-spies-and-videotape\">order the destruction<\/a> of videotapes depicting torture, has been approved by the Senate as the agency\u2019s director. Two of the Senate\u2019s 51 Republicans\u2014Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake and Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul\u2014voted against Haspel. Arizona Sen. John McCain was absent for medical reasons but said previously that Haspel should not be confirmed. Six Democrats\u2014Indiana Sen. Joe Donnelly, North Dakota Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, West Virginia Sen. Joe Manchin, Florida Sen. Bill Nelson, New Hampshire Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, and Virginia Sen. Mark Warner\u2014voted to confirm her.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/slate.com\/news-and-politics\/2018\/05\/gina-haspel-cia-torture-nominee-confirmed-six-democrats-provide-key-votes-in-senate.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">slate.com\/news-and-politics\/2018\/05\/gina-haspel-cia-torture-nominee-confirmed-six-democrats-provide-key-votes-in-senate.html<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"Image-image--2zb04\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/05\/31\/obituaries\/30KOVALESKI3\/30KOVALESKI3-articleLarge-v2.jpg?quality=75&amp;auto=webp&amp;disable=upscale\" sizes=\"((min-width: 600px) and (max-width: 1004px)) 84vw, (min-width: 1005px) 60vw, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/05\/31\/obituaries\/30KOVALESKI3\/30KOVALESKI3-articleLarge-v2.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 600w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/05\/31\/obituaries\/30KOVALESKI3\/30KOVALESKI3-jumbo-v2.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 705w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/05\/31\/obituaries\/30KOVALESKI3\/30KOVALESKI3-superJumbo-v2.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 1410w\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"css-95fsgo ejekc6u0\"><span class=\"balancedHeadline\">Fred Kovaleski, Once a Spy in a Tennis Disguise, Dies at 93<\/span><\/h1>\n<p class=\"css-c65vdd e2kc3sl0\">Within three years, his ability to play tennis and his Russian-language training with the C.I.A. became essential when Yuri Rastvorov, a K.G.B. lieutenant colonel and avid tennis player, defected to the United States.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-c65vdd e2kc3sl0\">Mr. Rastvorov \u2014 a major espionage asset who revealed important information about the K.G.B. and the Soviet government \u2014 defected in Tokyo and was taken to a C.I.A. safe house in Potomac, Md., where agents interrogated him for hours every day for months. Mr. Kovaleski, his handler, did not participate in the interrogations; at night, they talked, and the information he gleaned went into his reports&#8230;.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-c65vdd e2kc3sl0\">Fred Thomas Kovaleski was born on Oct. 8, 1924, in Maynard, Mass., and grew up in a Polish enclave in <strong>Hamtramck, Mich<\/strong>. Like his mother, Mr. Kovaleski\u2019s father, Frank, an automotive assembly line worker, had immigrated from Poland. As a boy, Fred played handball well, which prompted a gym teacher, Jean Hoxie, to suggest that he play tennis. When his father declined to buy him a $10 racket, Ms. Hoxie did, and she taught him to play. By 17, he was a member of the U.S. Junior Davis Cup team.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-c65vdd e2kc3sl0\">\u201cHoxie says to me, \u2018Fred, I want you to get out of this town,\u2019 \u201d he told the William &amp; Mary magazine. She helped arrange for him to attend William &amp; Mary on a tennis scholarship.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/05\/29\/obituaries\/fred-kovaleski-once-a-spy-in-a-tennis-disguise-dies-at-93.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.nytimes.com\/2018\/05\/29\/obituaries\/fred-kovaleski-once-a-spy-in-a-tennis-disguise-dies-at-93.html<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.madmagazine.com\/sites\/default\/files\/imce\/2014\/04-APR\/Spy-Sunday-Comic-2_533b22396f12f5.15539289.jpg\" alt=\"Classic MAD, Spy, Prohias, Edwing, Manak, Kuper, Joke and Dagger, Gray Spy, Sunday Comic, Strip, Newspaper, Greek Omelette Tragedy\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"title\">Pakistan military summons ex-spy chief over book controversy<\/h1>\n<p><span class=\"location\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Pakistan&#8217;s army has summoned the ex-head of the intelligence agency, accusing him of violating the military code of conduct over a book he co-authored with the former spy chief of arch rival India.<\/p>\n<p>Retired Lieutenant General Asad Durrani, who headed Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) from 1990 to 1992, also came under fire from former prime minister Nawaz Sharif for allegedly disclosing national secrets in the book.<\/p>\n<p>In a surprise move, Durrani co-authored &#8220;The Spy Chronicles: RAW, ISI and the Illusion of peace&#8221; with A.S. Dulat, the ex-chief of India&#8217;s Research and Analysis Wing intelligence agency.<\/p>\n<p>The book is based on a series of discussion between Durrani and Dulat with Indian journalist Aditya Sinha on various topics including Afghanistan, Kashmir and the tense relations between Pakistan and India.<\/p>\n<p>Military spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor said Durrani had been called to the general headquarters on May 28 &#8212; and &#8220;will be asked to explain his position on views attributed to him in book &#8216;Spy Chronicles'&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Attribution taken as violation of Military Code of Conduct applicable on all serving and retired military personnel,&#8221; the spokesman added.<\/p>\n<p>Durrani was summoned after Sharif Friday criticised him for disclosing secrets in the book.<\/p>\n<p>Sharif apparently tried to draw a parallel between Durrani&#8217;s revelations and his own statement suggesting Pakistani militants were behind the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which sparked a firestorm at home and in India and was later slammed by Pakistan&#8217;s National Security Council.<\/p>\n<p>The former prime minister had approached what is seen as a red line by touching on criticism of Pakistan&#8217;s powerful armed forces, especially their alleged use of proxies in India, in his interview with Dawn newspap\u00a0 er published last week.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Militant organisations are active. Call them non-state actors, should we allow them to cross the border and kill 150 people in Mumbai? Explain it to me. Why can&#8217;t we complete the trial?&#8221; Sharif told Pakistan&#8217;s leading English daily, referring to stalled court cases against several suspects.<\/p>\n<p>The Mumbai attacks left 166 people dead and brought India and Pakistan to the brink of war.<\/p>\n<p>Media reports said Durrani had admitted Pakistan&#8217;s role in the unrest in Indian-administered Kashmir in the book.<\/p>\n<p>Sharif had called for the National Security Council to convene over Durrani&#8217;s views in the book and accused the general of disclosing classified information.<\/p>\n<p>Sharif was ousted from the premiership by the Supreme Court last July but his party remains in power.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.france24.com\/en\/20180526-pakistan-military-summons-ex-spy-chief-over-book-controversy\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.france24.com\/en\/20180526-pakistan-military-summons-ex-spy-chief-over-book-controversy<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong>The Magical Mystery Tour<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/bokbluster.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/180221billy-graham.jpg\" alt=\"Image result for billy graham cartoon\" width=\"304\" height=\"225\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"headline heading-content margin-8-top margin-16-bottom\">Billy Graham Was One of America&#8217;s Richest Pastors. Here&#8217;s What We Know About His Money<\/h1>\n<p>Much is unknown about the famous evangelist\u2019s wealth. According to the wealth-tracking site\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.therichest.com\/celebnetworth\/celeb\/televangelists\/billy-graham-net-worth\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">TheRichest.com<\/a>, Billy Graham\u2019s net worth was an estimated $25 million at the time of his death.<\/p>\n<p>That would rank Graham as one of America\u2019s eight richest pastors,\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.beliefnet.com\/faiths\/christianity\/8-richest-pastors-in-america.aspx?p=7\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Beliefnet.com<\/a>\u00a0reported. Graham\u2019s estimated $25 million net worth is equal to that of Rick Warren, but lower than pastors such as Joel Osteen ($40 million) and Kenneth Copeland ($760 million).<\/p>\n<p>Forbes has reported that two nonprofits associated with Billy Graham are among the biggest charities in the U.S.\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/companies\/samaritans-purse\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Samaritan\u2019s Purse<\/a>\u00a0posted revenues of $635 million in 2016, while the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.forbes.com\/lists\/2011\/14\/charities-11_Billy-Graham-Evangelistic-Association_CH0022.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Billy Graham Evangelistic Association<\/a>\u00a0had $101 million in revenues in 2010. Both organizations are now run by Billy Graham\u2019s son William Franklin Graham III, who is paid well for his leadership roles. Better known as Franklin Graham, he received a whopping total of $1.2 million in 2008 and $880,000 in compensation in 2014 for running the two charities,\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 &#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Billy Graham lived for decades at a mountaintop compound in Montreat, N.C., near Black Mountain. Graham has famously met and prayed with every U.S. president since Harry Truman, and among the visitors to Graham\u2019s North Carolina home was\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/content.time.com\/time\/nation\/article\/0,8599,1984421,00.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">President Barack Obama<\/a>, who stopped by in 2010.<\/p>\n<p>Graham and the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association have purchased vast acres for various museums, libraries, and religious training centers, and spent tens of millions in their construction.<\/p>\n<p>The Billy Graham Library, opened in Charlotte in 2007, was built at a reported cost of\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2007\/11\/10\/arts\/design\/10grah.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">$27 million<\/a> <a href=\"http:\/\/time.com\/money\/5168865\/billy-graham-net-worth-quotes-money-greed\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">time.com\/money\/5168865\/billy-graham-net-worth-quotes-money-greed\/<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"article__hed\" data-editable=\"overrideHeadline\">Prosperity Gospel Preacher Asks For Donations to Buy $54 Million Jet \u201cFor the Lord\u201d<\/h1>\n<p><img class=\"image__src aligncenter\" srcset=\"https:\/\/compote.slate.com\/images\/7f63f33f-46a6-49e1-ac9f-7ef7438b6912.png?width=780&amp;height=520&amp;rect=667x445&amp;offset=41x30 1x, https:\/\/compote.slate.com\/images\/7f63f33f-46a6-49e1-ac9f-7ef7438b6912.png?width=780&amp;height=520&amp;rect=667x445&amp;offset=41x30 2x\" alt=\"Jesse Duplantis\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"slate-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"slate.com\/components\/slate-paragraph\/instances\/cjhs2t38o001jq3m96z8vjsz4@published\" data-word-count=\"31\">A New Orleans televangelist known for preaching the \u201cprosperity gospel\u201d has asked his followers from all over the world to send him donations for him to <a href=\"http:\/\/www.nola.com\/religion\/index.ssf\/2018\/05\/jesse_duplantis_private_jet.html\">buy a $54 million jet<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p class=\"slate-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"slate.com\/components\/slate-paragraph\/instances\/cjhs2tc5t000o3i5zho77cg5g@published\" data-word-count=\"52\">Jesse Duplantis, the leader of Jesse Duplantis Ministries, is asking for a new <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dassaultfalcon.com\/en\/Aircraft\/Models\/7X\/Pages\/overview.aspx\">Dassault Falcon 7X<\/a>, a three-engine jet he justified in a five-minute <a href=\"http:\/\/www.jdm.org\/wp_thisweekwithjesse.aspx\">video<\/a> posted last week on his website by saying it could go farther, therefore saving on airplane fuel. \u201cPray about becoming a partner to it,\u201d he tells viewers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"slate-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"slate.com\/components\/slate-paragraph\/instances\/cjhs2tc5p000n3i5zt9kl02aa@published\" data-word-count=\"36\">\u201cI really believe that if Jesus was physically on the Earth today, he wouldn\u2019t be riding a donkey,\u201d he says in the video \u201cHe\u2019d be in an airplane preaching the gospel flying all over the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"slate-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"slate.com\/components\/slate-paragraph\/instances\/cjhs2tc5y000r3i5ztv4kxc0e@published\" data-word-count=\"44\">Duplantis also said that God specifically told him, \u201cI want you to believe in me for a Falcon 7X.\u201d When Duplantis worried about the price, God told him, \u201cJesse, I didn\u2019t ask you to pay for it, I asked you to believe for it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"slate-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"slate.com\/components\/slate-paragraph\/instances\/cjhs2tc5w000q3i5zm4tt9o63@published\" data-word-count=\"32\">The jet would actually be the fourth private aircraft for Duplantis, according to the video. He bought an airplane \u201cfor the Lord\u201d in 1994, then again in 2004, and again in 2006:<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"slate-blockquote\" data-uri=\"slate.com\/components\/slate-blockquote\/instances\/cjhs2tqsu000z3i5ztvmec86y@published\" data-word-count=\"44\">\n<div data-editable=\"text\">\n<p>I used them\u2014and just burning them up for the Lord Jesus Christ. You know, some people believe that preachers shouldn\u2019t have jets. I really believe preachers ought to go on every available voice, every available outlet to get this gospel preached to the world.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"slate-paragraph\" data-editable=\"text\" data-uri=\"slate.com\/components\/slate-paragraph\/instances\/cjhs2u42i00173i5zdruff8u5@published\" data-word-count=\"95\">Duplantis preaches a \u201cprosperity gospel,\u201d in which God blesses people who please him with material wealth, to an audience on Trinity Broadcasting Network, which claims to be the largest Christian TV network in the world.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/slate.com\/news-and-politics\/2018\/05\/televangelist-jesse-duplantis-asks-for-donations-for-private-jet.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">slate.com\/news-and-politics\/2018\/05\/televangelist-jesse-duplantis-asks-for-donations-for-private-jet.html<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=SZyoAtcw9Wk\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.youtube.com\/watch?v=SZyoAtcw9Wk<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"asset-headline speakable-headline\">Covington Diocese bans Holy Cross gay valedictorian graduation speech<\/h1>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-2 p-text\"><span class=\"exclude-from-newsgate\"><em>Scroll to the bottom of this story to read the valedictorian&#8217;s banned speech.<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The Diocese of Covington last weekend banned the graduation speeches from the valedictorian and student council president of Holy Cross High School, with officials saying they contained &#8220;elements that were political and inconsistent with the teaching of the Catholic Church.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The school&#8217;s graduation was Friday night at Thomas More College, and valedictorian Christian Bales was told earlier that day that he would not be allowed to give his speech.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Bales, 18, later gave it outside the graduation using a megaphone, he told the Enquirer in an interview Tuesday.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Bales, who is openly gay, said he had already agreed to conform to a dress code for the event.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">&#8220;I have been on their radar as a rather non-gender conforming individual,&#8221; said Bales who lives in Cold Spring. &#8220;I have worn makeup and bobby pins in my hair to school before. So it seems too much of a coincidence for my critical thinking to think this was just about the speech itself.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cincinnati.com\/story\/news\/education\/2018\/05\/29\/covington-diocese-bans-holy-cross-graduation-speeches\/650848002\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.cincinnati.com\/story\/news\/education\/2018\/05\/29\/covington-diocese-bans-holy-cross-graduation-speeches\/650848002\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"image__src\" src=\"https:\/\/img.huffingtonpost.com\/asset\/574ddb24130000fb07383273.jpeg?ops=scalefit_720_noupscale\" alt=\"Text by Desmond Devlin, and art by&amp;nbsp;Ward Sutton.&amp;nbsp;\" \/><\/p>\n<h1>Minnesota Archdiocese Reaches $210 Million Settlement With 450 Clergy Abuse (that would be rape&#8211;again)Victims<\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"img\" src=\"https:\/\/media.npr.org\/assets\/img\/2018\/06\/01\/ap_17003771059500-c858f0eee5c0a081803bc28a426c1a7f2825b504-s1700-c85.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<div id=\"res616330923\" class=\"bucketwrap image large\">\n<div class=\"credit-caption\">\n<div class=\"caption-wrap\">\n<div class=\"caption\" aria-label=\"Image caption\">\n<p>Archbishop Bernard Hebda, pictured last year, announced on Thursday the Saint Paul and Minneapolis Archdiocese reached a $210 million settlement with victims of clergy sexual abuse.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span class=\"credit\" aria-label=\"Image credit\"> Jim Mone\/AP <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis has reached a $210 million settlement agreement with 450 victims of clergy sexual abuse as part of a bankruptcy reorganization, officials <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheCatholicSpirit\/videos\/10156386708860097\/\">announced <\/a>Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>At $210,290,724, it is estimated to be the second-largest payout by the Catholic church in the U.S., according to the Associated Press. It comes after nearly four years of bankruptcy proceedings and negotiations.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;I recognize that the abuse stole so much from you. Your childhood, your safety, your ability to trust and in many cases your faith. Relationships with family and friend relationships in your parishes and communities were harmed. Lives were forever changed. The church let you down. I am very sorry,&#8221; Archbishop Bernard Hebda said to survivors at a news conference Thursday.<\/p>\n<p>He added that the deal brings &#8220;definitive resolution in a way that avoids further litigation and expense and that allows the local to church to carry on with its mission.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Minn. Archdiocese Reaches $210M Sex Abuse Deal\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/Tg-_Tszisq8?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong>The Best and Worst Things in the History of the World<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">The Most infamous snake bite (AG)<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Snake-Bite-AG.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-21535\" src=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Snake-Bite-AG.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"750\" height=\"1000\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Snake-Bite-AG.jpg 750w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Snake-Bite-AG-113x150.jpg 113w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Snake-Bite-AG-375x500.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/06\/Snake-Bite-AG-500x667.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 750px) 100vw, 750px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/1a11dc7307e45f3a8cbbbdd73f96652de7dda963\/1138_1099_3661_2197\/master\/3661.jpg?w=300&amp;q=55&amp;auto=format&amp;usm=12&amp;fit=max&amp;s=017c32e2c23a497f3e8647478aab6d33\" alt=\"\u00e2\u0080\u0098Eventually I will write something that\u00e2\u0080\u0099s unforgettable\u00e2\u0080\u0099 \u00e2\u0080\u00a6 Meena Kandasamy.\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h1 class=\"content__headline \">Meena Kandasamy: \u2018The book I give as a gift? The Communist Manifesto\u2019<\/h1>\n<p><strong>The book I give as a gift<\/strong><br \/>\nUsed to be\u00a0<a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.guardianbookshop.com\/autobiography-of-malcolm-x-2.html\" data-link-name=\"in body link\"><em>The Autobiography of Malcolm X<\/em><\/a>. When I moved here, I found\u00a0<em>The<\/em>\u00a0<em>Communist Manifesto<\/em>\u00a0in the form of a Penguin Little Black Classic an excellent choice \u2013 it only cost 80p, looks cute and is always worth a (re)read.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/books\/2018\/jun\/01\/books-that-made-me-meena-kandasamy\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.theguardian.com\/books\/2018\/jun\/01\/books-that-made-me-meena-kandasamy<\/a><\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"500\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Wild goose chase \ud83d\ude02\ud83d\ude02<\/p>\n<p>wait for the end&#8230; (via <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/FoxSportsWest?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@FoxSportsWest<\/a>) <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/o3iBgUOeWE\">pic.twitter.com\/o3iBgUOeWE<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MLBONFOX\/status\/1002008913309384704?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">May 31, 2018<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"spotlight aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/scontent.fsan1-1.fna.fbcdn.net\/v\/t1.0-9\/34066355_10155389123986891_8611417185190936576_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&amp;oh=95d669d8593013501b99d5993dc4e3c9&amp;oe=5B761C0E\" alt=\"No automatic alt text available.\" aria-busy=\"true\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"\">Student puts high school for sale on Craigslist, gets banned from graduation<\/h3>\n<p>One high school student&#8217;s senior prank did not go as planned.<\/p>\n<p>As a joke, Kylan Scheele listed his school, Truman High School in Independence, Missouri, for sale on Craigslist. Scheele posted the list price as $12,725.<\/p>\n<p>He wrote in the listing things like &#8220;Huge 20+ room facility&#8221; and &#8220;Has centralized air, heating, plumbling.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Scheele also wrote, &#8220;Reason for sale is due to loss of students coming up.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>Scheele said he was referring to the school&#8217;s loss of seniors as they graduate and head to college. Unfortunately for Scheele, the prank landed him suspended and banned from graduation.<\/p>\n<p>Some people interpreted the line &#8220;Reason for sale is due to loss of students coming up&#8221; as a threat to the school. The Craigslist posting was then reported to the school as a possible threat.\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.wsmv.com\/story\/38332369\/student-puts-high-school-for-sale-on-craigslist-gets-banned-from-graduation\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.wsmv.com\/story\/38332369\/student-puts-high-school-for-sale-on-craigslist-gets-banned-from-graduation<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-18140 size-large no-display appear\" src=\"http:\/\/www.theswcsun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/MentalHealthViewpointArtISSUE5PrintReady-1024x1024.jpg\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 702px) 100vw, 702px\" srcset=\"http:\/\/www.theswcsun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/MentalHealthViewpointArtISSUE5PrintReady-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, http:\/\/www.theswcsun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/MentalHealthViewpointArtISSUE5PrintReady-50x50.jpg 50w, http:\/\/www.theswcsun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/MentalHealthViewpointArtISSUE5PrintReady-300x300.jpg 300w, http:\/\/www.theswcsun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/MentalHealthViewpointArtISSUE5PrintReady-50x50@2x.jpg 100w, http:\/\/www.theswcsun.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/MentalHealthViewpointArtISSUE5PrintReady-300x300@2x.jpg 600w\" alt=\"\" width=\"702\" height=\"702\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Siobhan Eagen \/ Staff Southwestern Sun<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"spotlight aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/scontent.fsan1-1.fna.fbcdn.net\/v\/t1.0-9\/34135104_1687350804713563_8173879761416749056_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&amp;oh=73a0c55e26c2f77ca2726c3e71afb852&amp;oe=5BBC4DC5\" alt=\"No automatic alt text available.\" aria-busy=\"true\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Donald Trump wants a war with China, while he&#8217;s fighting Iran. Bad plan<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"2014 1st China National Wushu Games \u7b2c\u4e00\u5c4a\u5168\u56fd\u6b66\u672f\u8fd0\u52a8\u5927\u4f1a Women Duilian Jiangsu Team \u6c5f\u82cf \u6c88\u6e05 \u5f20\u6d0b\u6d0b 9.62\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4WxphPKKzAc?start=96&#038;feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"ArticleHeader__hed___GPB7e\">Trump Makes Pence Watch Him Issue Pardons to See How It\u2019s Done<\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/media.newyorker.com\/photos\/5b11c6052258c02fbc7d7a17\/master\/w_727,c_limit\/Borowitz-Trump-Pence-Watch-Pardons.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.newyorker.com\/humor\/borowitz-report\/trump-makes-pence-watch-him-issue-pardons-to-see-how-its-done?mbid=nl_060218%20Borowitz%20(1)&#038;CNDID=39165830&#038;spMailingID=13627003&#038;spUserID=MTMzMTg0NTgzNzgzS0&#038;spJobID=1420160020&#038;spReportId=MTQyMDE2MDAyMAS2\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.newyorker.com\/humor\/borowitz-report\/trump-makes-pence-watch-him-issue-pardons-to-see-how-its-done?mbid=nl_060218%20Borowitz%20(1)&#038;CNDID=39165830&#038;spMailingID=13627003&#038;spUserID=MTMzMTg0NTgzNzgzS0&#038;spJobID=1420160020&#038;spReportId=MTQyMDE2MDAyMAS2<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #3366ff;\"><strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We Say Fight Back! Rail strikes and other walkouts in France in June Rail strikes and other walkouts in France in June \u00a0List of dates of strikes across France in June June 2-3 Rail Strike June 7-8\u00a0Rail Strike June 12-13 Rail Strike June 17-18 Rail Strike June 22-23 Rail Strike June 27-28 Rail Strike Meanwhile, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21500","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21500","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21500"}],"version-history":[{"count":34,"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21500\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21536,"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21500\/revisions\/21536"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21500"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21500"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21500"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}