{"id":21766,"date":"2018-07-29T00:23:03","date_gmt":"2018-07-29T08:23:03","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/?p=21766"},"modified":"2018-07-29T00:46:17","modified_gmt":"2018-07-29T08:46:17","slug":"rouge-forum-dispatch-wheres-quisling","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/rouge-forum-dispatch-wheres-quisling\/","title":{"rendered":"Rouge Forum Dispatch: Where&#8217;s Quisling?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>We Say Fight Back!<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mut aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com\/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcRFzSz80qaGREUyeaW_L9Ce714kmipSHYuqIWsD_Qb96MXNIk_C\" alt=\"Image result for enduring voices fifth estate\" width=\"304\" height=\"171\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 data-pb-field=\"custom.topperDisplayName\">Enduring Voices, the Story of Detroit&#8217;s Fifth Estate Underground paper is introduced here on video:<\/h1>\n<h1 data-pb-field=\"custom.topperDisplayName\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.joelsilvers.com\/film-and-video\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.joelsilvers.com\/film-and-video\/<\/a><\/span><\/h1>\n<h1 class=\"css-ifnb0o ejekc6u0\"><span class=\"balancedHeadline\">Microsoft Employees Question C.E.O. Over Company\u2019s Contract With ICE<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"css-1m50asq\" src=\"https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/07\/27\/business\/27MSOFT-2\/merlin_127320419_711f87cf-fad4-44c4-8a94-b3f90252cf4b-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\/07\/27\/business\/27MSOFT-2\/merlin_127320419_711f87cf-fad4-44c4-8a94-b3f90252cf4b-articleLarge.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 600w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/07\/27\/business\/27MSOFT-2\/merlin_127320419_711f87cf-fad4-44c4-8a94-b3f90252cf4b-jumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 1024w,https:\/\/static01.nyt.com\/images\/2018\/07\/27\/business\/27MSOFT-2\/merlin_127320419_711f87cf-fad4-44c4-8a94-b3f90252cf4b-superJumbo.jpg?quality=90&amp;auto=webp 2048w\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Microsoft employees questioned the company\u2019s chief executive, Satya Nadella, on Thursday, presenting him with a petition signed by more than 300,000 people that called on the software maker to cancel its contract with the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, according to two people who attended the event.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Mr. Nadella was attending an annual gathering with interns at Microsoft\u2019s headquarters in Redmond, Wash., when the employees used the question-and-answer session to ask about the company\u2019s government contracts, said the people, who declined to be identified for fear of retaliation. One employee presented Mr. Nadella with a USB stick that contained the petition, along with the signatures, including 500 from Microsoft employees, they said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe demand Microsoft stop enabling ICE\u2019s mission to punish families seeking safety,\u201d read <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/act.colorofchange.org\/sign\/Microsoft_ICE\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">the petition<\/a>, a copy of which was obtained by The New York Times. The petition also called for all tech companies that support the operations of ICE and the Customs and Border Protection agency to \u201ccancel their contracts.\u201d\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/07\/26\/technology\/microsoft-ice-immigration.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.nytimes.com\/2018\/07\/26\/technology\/microsoft-ice-immigration.html<\/a><\/p>\n<section id=\"top-content\" class=\"col-xs-12 layout\">\n<div id=\"fCRzx21WjpwEWq\" class=\"moat-trackable pb-f-theme-normal pb-f-dehydrate-false pb-f-async-false full pb-feature pb-layout-item pb-f-article-article-topper\" data-chain-name=\"no-name\" data-feature-name=\"no-name\" data-feature-id=\"article\/article-topper\" data-pb-fingerprint=\"0fXYXb3NKqr\">\n<div class=\"border-bottom-off border-bottom-100-pct\">\n<div id=\"article-topper\" class=\"article-topper \">\n<div id=\"topper-headline-wrapper\">\n<div class=\"topper-headline\">\n<h1 data-pb-field=\"custom.topperDisplayName\">\u2018I\u2019ve been a hostage for nine years\u2019: Fired teacher wins battle with D.C. schools<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"clear\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/resizer\/KanEAHC0xoq_dUV3a6qB9IB_eGo=\/480x0\/arc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/JC75EQUMJEI6RHKZ3TGCYDFLZ4.jpg\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pb-container\">\n<p data-elm-loc=\"1\">For nine years, Jeff Canady lived in a cash-strapped limbo. The D.C. Public Schools teacher was fired in 2009 after 18 years in city classrooms, the school system deeming him ineffective.<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"2\">Canady, 53, contested his dismissal, arguing that he was wrongly fired and that the city was punishing him for being a union activist and for publicly criticizing the school system.<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"3\">For nearly a decade, Canady, jobless and penniless, waited for a decision in his case \u2014 until now.<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"4\">Earlier this month, an arbitrator ruled in favor of the fired teacher, a decision that could entitle him to hundreds of thousands of dollars in back pay and the opportunity to be a District teacher again. The school system can appeal the ruling, which was made by an arbitrator from the American Arbitration Association, a nonprofit organization that settles disputes outside of court.<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"5\">\u201cI\u2019ve been a hostage for nine years,\u201d Canady said. \u201cAnd the District wants to keep it that way.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"6\">School system spokesman Shayne Wells said DCPS \u201cjust received the arbitrator\u2019s decision and is in the process of reviewing it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"7\">Elizabeth Davis, president of the Washington Teachers\u2019 Union, said Canady isn\u2019t the only one fighting to get his job back. Other educators who were fired years ago and allege unjust dismissals are waiting for their cases to be settled with the school system.<\/p>\n<p data-elm-loc=\"8\"><em><strong>Canady was one of nearly 1,000 educators\u00a0<a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/wp-dyn\/content\/article\/2010\/07\/23\/AR2010072303093.html\">fired\u00a0<\/a>during the 3\u00bd -year tenure of Michelle Rhee<\/strong> <\/em>\u2014 the controversial former D.C. schools chancellor who clashed with the union and instituted a teacher evaluation system that dictated teachers\u2019 job security and \u00adbonuses. About 200 of those teachers lost their jobs because of poor performance, 266 were laid off amid a 2009 budget squeeze and the rest failed to complete new-employee probation or did not have licensing required under the federal No Child Left Behind law.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonpost.com\/local\/education\/ive-been-a-hostage-for-nine-years-fired-teachers-wins-battle-with-dc-schools\/2018\/07\/22\/ac352722-8c27-11e8-a345-a1bf7847b375_story.html?utm_term=.c90935c536d2\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.washingtonpost.com\/local\/education\/ive-been-a-hostage-for-nine-years-fired-teachers-wins-battle-with-dc-schools\/2018\/07\/22\/ac352722-8c27-11e8-a345-a1bf7847b375_story.html?utm_term=.c90935c536d2<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"main-content\" class=\"col-xl-9 col-lg-8 col-md-8 col-sm-12 col-xs-12 col-xs-offset-0 col-sm-offset-0 col-md-offset-0 col-lg-offset-0 layout\">\n<div id=\"fryfl22WjpwEWq\" class=\"moat-trackable pb-f-theme-normal pb-f-dehydrate-false pb-f-async-false full pb-feature pb-layout-item pb-f-article-article-deck\" data-chain-name=\"no-name\" data-feature-name=\"no-name\" data-feature-id=\"article\/article-deck\" data-pb-fingerprint=\"0fmMWN3NKqC\">\n<div id=\"article-deck\" class=\"article-deck\">\n<div class=\"clear\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mercurynews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/ap_16324773986499.jpg?w=507\" alt=\"Image result for michelle rhee appointed DC\" width=\"304\" height=\"210\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"f0k2mJrWjpwEWq\" class=\"moat-trackable pb-f-theme-normal pb-f-dehydrate-false pb-f-async-false full pb-feature pb-layout-item pb-f-article-article-body\" data-chain-name=\"no-name\" data-feature-name=\"no-name\" data-feature-id=\"article\/article-body\" data-pb-fingerprint=\"0fZ9wD4NKqi\">\n<div id=\"pb-article-body-author-modals\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"article-body\" class=\"article-body content-format-ans \"><em><strong>Rhode Island Union Members Announce: The Strike is On.<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n<div><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/UNAPRI\/videos\/1971424446221949\/?t=23\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.facebook.com\/UNAPRI\/videos\/1971424446221949\/?t=23<\/a><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"(Elin Ersson)\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn-02.independent.ie\/world-news\/and-finally\/article37154359.ece\/8fe79\/AUTOCROP\/w620\/ipanews_a03aa290-1898-426e-840d-172a58b5e89a_1\" alt=\"(Elin Ersson)\" width=\"620\" height=\"349\" \/><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<div>\n<h1>Swedish student stops man\u2019s deportation with protest on plane<\/h1>\n<h2>Elin Ersson refused to sit down until the 52-year-old Afghan man was taken off the plane from Sweden.<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"p402_hide\">\n<p>A student stopped the deportation of a man to Afghanistan by boarding his flight and refusing to sit down until he was let off the plane.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"p402_hide\">\n<p>Elin Ersson, 21, took direct action and bought a ticket when she learned the flight from Sweden would carry someone being deported.<\/p>\n<p>Ersson, a student at the University of Gothenburg, streamed her one-person protest via Facebook where it amassed thousands of likes and shares and has been viewed more than two million times.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/elin.k.ersson\/videos\/10155723956991274\/?t=0\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.facebook.com\/elin.k.ersson\/videos\/10155723956991274\/?t=0<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>In the video, she refuses to hand over her phone, to stop filming or to take her seat on the flight to Turkey, despite repeated requests, calmly explaining she will follow the rules if the man is removed. She won!<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.ie\/world-news\/and-finally\/swedish-student-stops-mans-deportation-with-protest-on-plane-37154362.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.independent.ie\/world-news\/and-finally\/swedish-student-stops-mans-deportation-with-protest-on-plane-37154362.html<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"headline\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/2018\/07\/27\/sorry-bernie-we-need-radical-change\/\" rel=\"bookmark\">Sorry, Bernie, We Need Radical Change<\/a><\/h1>\n<p><span class=\"post_author_intro\">by<\/span>\u00a0<span class=\"post_author\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/author\/paul-street\/\" rel=\"nofollow\">PAUL STREET<\/a><\/span> (Rouge Keynoter)<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/americanlookout.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/10\/Hillary-pic-and-Bernie.jpg\" alt=\"Image result for bernie sanders hillary\" width=\"304\" height=\"189\" \/><\/p>\n<p>One of the more darkly amusing narratives in current establishment Democratic Party positioning for the 2018 mid-term elections and the 2020 presidential contest is the claim that the Bernie Sanders tendency represents a radical \u201csocialist\u201d threat that will tip the races to the Republicans and Trump.<\/p>\n<p>Never mind that the progressive and mildly social-democratic policies Sanders and his cadre of Democrats back \u2013 Medicare for All, progressive taxation, free college tuition, a significant increase n the federal minimum wage, the re-legalization of union organizing \u2013 have longstanding majority support from the U.S. populace.<\/p>\n<p>Never mind that it precisely the centrist neoliberal nothingness of the dollar-drenched dumpster- fire that is the current corporate Democratic Party (aptly described by Sheldon Wolin as \u201cthe Inauthentic Opposition\u201d in early 2008) that has delivered state and federal government over to the widely hated, radically regressive and arch-reactionary (racist, sexist, white-nationalist, and eco-fascist) Republicans.<\/p>\n<p>Never mind that Sanders goes out of his way again and again to proclaim that the changes he advances \u201care NOT radical ideas\u201d but are instead moderate reforms.<\/p>\n<p>And never mind that Bernie continues to function as an electoralist get-out-the-major party-vote \u201csheep dog\u201d for the aforementioned dumpster-fire and inauthentic opposition \u2013 the dismal demobilizing Dems.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cDon\u2019t Be Rude to White Nationalists, Do What Alexandria Did\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>A few weeks ago, Sanders said he did not support being rude to \u201cpeople\u201d when he was asked about incidents in which Trump administration officials were publicly harassed because of their vicious policy of kidnapping migrant children at the southern U.S. border.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.counterpunch.org\/2018\/07\/27\/sorry-bernie-we-need-radical-change\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.counterpunch.org\/2018\/07\/27\/sorry-bernie-we-need-radical-change\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>The Little Red Schoolhouse<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/wesh2news\/videos\/10156576793003748\/?t=41\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.facebook.com\/wesh2news\/videos\/10156576793003748\/?t=41<\/a><\/p>\n<h1>Opportunist Anti-Test Movement that refused to address capital and empire, Slows to a Crawl Having taught nothing significant &#8230;<\/h1>\n<p>Just a few short years ago, there were real questions about whether Congress would ditch annual, standardized assessments as part of a makeover of\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.edweek.org\/topics\/every-student-succeeds-act\/index.html\">the nation\u2019s main K-12 education law<\/a>. At the same time, parents were increasingly choosing to opt their children out of standardized tests.<\/p>\n<p>But the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.edweek.org\/ew\/issues\/every-student-succeeds-act\/index.html\">Every Student Succeeds Act<\/a>\u00a0ultimately kept the tests in place. And since then, at least some of the steam has gone out of the opt-out movement in states such as New Jersey and New York, considered hotbeds of anti-testing fervor.<\/p>\n<p>Some of the biggest skeptics of annual, standardized testing have taken a break from what was a big push to reduce the number of federally required tests. And they don\u2019t expect there will be another opportunity to roll back federal testing mandates for quite awhile.<\/p>\n<p><strong>\u201cNobody is fighting on it now<\/strong>,\u201d said Monty Neill, the executive director of the National Center for Fair and Open Testing, or FairTest, who has spent decades engaged in the national fight to pare back assessments and has recently announced his retirement. \u201cIt\u2019s too early for the next round. On the consequences of the tests, the lengths of the tests, the nature of the tests, [the debate\u2019s] continuing. It\u2019s not on any state table now because there\u2019s nothing they can do about it.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Neill is grateful that some states took opportunities in ESSA to broaden accountability beyond test scores and shift teacher evaluation away from test results, although most state ESSA plans don\u2019t go as far as he\u2019d like.<\/p>\n<p>On the other side of the coin, organizations that see annual standardized testing as a key equity principle are also taking note of a break in the anti-test action.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI think it is much quieter, whether that\u2019s because ESSA plans [are mostly approved] and [the] federal law is not going to be opened up for awhile,\u201d said Patricia Levesque, the chief executive officer of the Foundation for Excellence in Education, a think tank started by former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush. But, she said, she doesn\u2019t expect that the debate is dead forever. \u201cA lot of things are cyclical. That\u2019s just the way that policy is.\u201d<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Teachers-supplies-x.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-21793\" src=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Teachers-supplies-x.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"960\" height=\"900\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Teachers-supplies-x.jpg 960w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Teachers-supplies-x-150x141.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Teachers-supplies-x-500x469.jpg 500w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Teachers-supplies-x-768x720.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 960px) 100vw, 960px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p>ESSA, like its predecessor, the No Child Left Behind Act, requires states to test students in reading and math in grades 3 through 8 and once in high school. But the new law says states must use other factors\u2014such as chronic absenteeism\u2014in identifying schools for extra support. And it gives states wide latitude to figure out how to intervene in struggling schools and evaluate teachers.<\/p>\n<p>NCLB required states to test all their students. Schools that assessed fewer than 95 percent of their students were considered automatic failures.<\/p>\n<p>Under ESSA, states must somehow account for low test participation, but just how to do that is up to them. And states can continue to have laws affirming parents\u2019 right to opt their students out of tests, as Oregon does. ESSA also requires states to mark non-test-takers as not proficient.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.edweek.org\/ew\/articles\/2018\/07\/23\/anti-test-movement-slows-to-a-crawl.html?cmp=eml-enl-eu-news1&#038;M=58556396&#038;U=1666178\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.edweek.org\/ew\/articles\/2018\/07\/23\/anti-test-movement-slows-to-a-crawl.html?cmp=eml-enl-eu-news1&#038;M=58556396&#038;U=1666178<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"title\">Detroit schools&#8217; outdated curriculum sets students up to fail, audit finds<\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.bridgemi.com\/sites\/default\/files\/hero_images\/classroom.jpg\" width=\"1200\" height=\"600\" data-action=\"zoom\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The auditors\u2019 findings were unsettling.<\/p>\n<p>Middle schoolers in Detroit\u2019s main school district have been taking pre-algebra classes that have \u201cvirtually no relationship\u201d to the state\u2019s mathematics standards.<\/p>\n<p>Students in kindergarten through third grade have been taught with an English curriculum so packed with unnecessary lessons that they don\u2019t have time to get a firm grasp of foundational reading skills.<\/p>\n<p>That \u201csets students up for a school career of frustration with anything that requires reading,\u201d auditors found.<\/p>\n<p>And an entire district of more than 50,000 students has been using textbooks that are so old and out of date that it\u2019s likely that most students, for years, have been taking the state\u2019s annual high-stakes exam without having seen much of the material they\u2019re being tested on.<\/p>\n<p>The test results can nonetheless be used to make potentially devastating decisions, like whether schools <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chalkbeat.org\/posts\/detroit\/2017\/01\/20\/these-38-michigan-schools-could-be-shut-down-for-poor-perrformance-in-june\/\">should be forced to close<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>In short, the auditors who came to Detroit last fall to review the district\u2019s curriculum found that students here have been set up to fail.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s an injustice to the children of Detroit,\u201d said Superintendent Nikolai Vitti.<\/p>\n<p>But while this might sound like just another example of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.chalkbeat.org\/posts\/detroit\/2017\/09\/11\/possible-but-daunting-inside-nikolai-vittis-early-effort-to-transform-detroits-battered-public-schools\/\">dysfunction<\/a> in a long-troubled district, curriculum experts say that Detroit is among hundreds \u2014 possibly thousands \u2014 of districts across the country that are using textbooks and educational materials that are not aligned to state standards.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bridgemi.com\/detroit-journalism-cooperative\/detroit-schools-outdated-curriculum-sets-students-fail-audit-finds\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.bridgemi.com\/detroit-journalism-cooperative\/detroit-schools-outdated-curriculum-sets-students-fail-audit-finds<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"css-ifnb0o ejekc6u0\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"balancedHeadline\">DeVos Proposes to Curtail Debt Relief for Defrauded Students<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/normal2016.files.wordpress.com\/2017\/02\/betsy-schools-out-devos.jpg?w=600&amp;h=397\" alt=\"Image result for betsy devos is a skank\" width=\"304\" height=\"201\" \/><\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">WASHINGTON \u2014 Education Secretary Betsy DeVos proposed on Wednesday to curtail Obama administration loan forgiveness rules for students defrauded by for-profit colleges, requiring that student borrowers show they have fallen into hopeless financial straits or prove that their colleges knowingly deceived them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">The DeVos proposal, set to go in force a year from now, would replace Obama-era policies that sought to ease access to loan forgiveness for students who were left saddled with debt after two for-profit college chains, Corinthian Colleges and ITT Technical Institute, imploded in 2015 and 2016. The schools were found to have misled their students with false advertisements and misleading claims for years.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Afterward, the Obama administration forgave hundreds of millions of dollars in student loans and began rewriting regulations to crack down on predatory institutions and bolster borrowers\u2019 ability to seek debt relief from the federal government. But higher education institutions, including historically black colleges and universities and for-profit educators, maintained the new rules were far too broad and subjected them to frivolous claims that carried significant financial risks.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">In June 2017, just one month before the Obama rules were to take effect, Ms. DeVos announced that she would block and rewrite them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Now the Trump administration is proposing new rules that would require borrowers to prove that they have fallen into deep financial distress to file a claim for debt relief, or to prove that the higher education institutions they attended had intentionally misled them. The department would also require that relief applicants divulge personal information that could have impacted their job prospects beyond their college experiences, including drug test results, health concerns and performance evaluations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">The proposal would establish a federal standard for what constitutes \u201cmisrepresentation\u201d on the part of institutions, requiring that claims show \u201creckless disregard\u201d through false or deceptive claims. It would also impose penalties on institutions that show signs of poor financial health, such as a high number of loan defaults or court judgments.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/07\/25\/us\/politics\/betsy-devos-debt-relief-for-profit-colleges.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\/07\/25\/us\/politics\/betsy-devos-debt-relief-for-profit-colleges.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<h1 class=\"wsj-article-headline\">Success Academy High School Sees Wave of Teacher Departures<\/h1>\n<h2 class=\"sub-head\">Some teachers who left complained of harsh policies like forcing students to repeat a grade and a lack of respect for staff viewpoints<\/h2>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/DEyDhXuXUAATTC0.jpg\" alt=\"Image result for success academy high school\" width=\"304\" height=\"171\" \/><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.wsj.com\/articles\/success-academy-high-school-sees-wave-of-teacher-departures-1532473339\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.wsj.com\/articles\/success-academy-high-school-sees-wave-of-teacher-departures-1532473339<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h1>Ref Rodriguez resigns: 3 things to know about the Los Angeles Unified school board member\u2019s departure<\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mut aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com\/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcTSOa6YlqAS_-Ezsbsa523JD_W5G82q9ulRjXmY9Xv-NvLRxBCBxg\" alt=\"Image result for ref rodriguez\" width=\"304\" height=\"204\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Early Monday, the embattled school board member <a href=\"http:\/\/da.co.la.ca.us\/media\/news\/ex-lausd-board-president-cousin-plead-guilty-improperly-identifying-campaign-donors\">pleaded guilty<\/a> to a felony count of conspiracy and four misdemeanor counts for making campaign contributions in another person\u2019s name. As part of a deal with prosecutors, he agreed to immediately resign from office. Rodriguez won\u2019t serve any jail time but instead will serve three years\u2019 probation and work 60 days of community service.<\/p>\n<p>The departure leaves a hole on the seven-member school board that remaining board members will have to decide how to fill. Yet to be determined is who, if anyone, they will appoint to represent Rodriguez\u2019s District 5 until voters can select the next permanent board member.<\/p>\n<p>Rodriguez\u2019s departure puts into question the power dynamics of the board that oversees the nation\u2019s second-largest school district. In 2017, charter school-backed board members <a href=\"http:\/\/laschoolreport.com\/respect-parents-choices-new-board-member-nick-melvoin-lays-out-his-priorities-for-los-angeles-schools\/\">won a majority<\/a> on the board in the <a href=\"http:\/\/laschoolreport.com\/heres-whats-really-fueling-the-nations-most-expensive-school-board-race-ever\/\">most expensive<\/a> school board race in the nation\u2019s history.\u00a0 Here are three things to know about how we got here \u2014 and what happens next:\u00a0 <a href=\"http:\/\/laschoolreport.com\/ref-rodriguez-resigns-3-things-to-know-about-the-los-angeles-unified-school-board-members-departure\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">laschoolreport.com\/ref-rodriguez-resigns-3-things-to-know-about-the-los-angeles-unified-school-board-members-departure\/<\/a><\/p>\n<h1>Sexual Abuse Victim Says School Board Knew Miami Teacher Had History of &#8220;Grooming&#8221; Students<\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/media.nbcmiami.com\/images\/652*367\/020317+bernardo+osorio+mug.jpg\" alt=\"Image result for bernardo osorio miami dade\" width=\"304\" height=\"171\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"story-body\">\n<p>In February 2017, Miami-Dade Police <a href=\"https:\/\/www.miamiherald.com\/news\/local\/community\/miami-dade\/cutler-bay\/article131133374.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">arrested Bernardo Osorio<\/a>, a decorated math teacher at Cutler Bay Senior High, and charged him with sexually abusing an underage student. The school district quickly fired Osorio and issued a statement condemning his behavior.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The allegations made against the employee are unacceptable and inexcusable, and the school district will not tolerate such behavior,&#8221; spokeswoman Daisy Gonzalez-Diego said at the time.<\/p>\n<p>But a new lawsuit from Osorio&#8217;s victim says the district failed to discipline the teacher after another student made similar abuse allegations years earlier. The complaint, filed earlier this month in Miami-Dade circuit court, accuses the school board of failing to protect students from Osorio&#8217;s abuse.<\/p>\n<div class=\"mobile-fold ex-fold\">\n<p>&#8220;We cannot have these types of incidents occurring in our schools,&#8221; the victim&#8217;s lawyer, Phillip Mitchell, tells <i>New Times<\/i>. &#8220;The school board has a duty to protect our children, and whenever there&#8217;s a breach of that duty, they&#8217;re going to have to be held accountable.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>John Schuster, a spokesman for the school district, declined to comment on the earlier accusations against the teacher or the claims the school board failed to prevent further abuse.\u00a0But Schuster condemned Osorio&#8217;s behavior.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The allegations against this former employee are abhorrent and reprehensible, and run contrary to the professional manner we expect of all our employees,&#8221; he wrote in a statement.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.miaminewtimes.com\/news\/victim-said-school-board-knew-cutler-bay-math-teacher-bernardo-osorio-had-history-of-grooming-students-10562759\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.miaminewtimes.com\/news\/victim-said-school-board-knew-cutler-bay-math-teacher-bernardo-osorio-had-history-of-grooming-students-10562759<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"stream-item-header\">\n<div class=\"Tweet-header\">\n<div class=\"TweetAuthor js-inViewportScribingTarget\" data-scribe=\"component:author\">\n<div class=\"TweetAuthor-nameScreenNameContainer\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong><span class=\"TweetAuthor-decoratedName\"> <span class=\"TweetAuthor-name Identity-name customisable-highlight\" title=\"Mark J. Westpfahl\" data-scribe=\"element:name\">Mark J. Westpfahl<\/span> <\/span> <span class=\"TweetAuthor-screenName Identity-screenName\" dir=\"ltr\" title=\"@MarkJWestpfahl\" data-scribe=\"element:screen_name\">@MarkJWestpfahl<\/span><\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"Tweet-body e-entry-content\" data-scribe=\"component:tweet\">\n<p class=\"Tweet-text e-entry-title\" dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><em><strong>We did it! We topped 100\u00b0 in my <a class=\"PrettyLink hashtag customisable\" dir=\"ltr\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/CHCougars?src=hash\" rel=\"tag\" data-query-source=\"hashtag_click\" data-scribe=\"element:hashtag\"><span class=\"PrettyLink-prefix\">#<\/span><span class=\"PrettyLink-value\">CHCougars<\/span><\/a> classroom. <\/strong><\/em><br \/>\n<em><strong>I&#8217;m not sweating anymore.<\/strong><\/em><br \/>\n<em><strong>I&#8217;m light headed.<\/strong><\/em><br \/>\n<em><strong>I have a headache.<\/strong><\/em><br \/>\n<em><strong>All the classic signs of heat exhaustion.<\/strong><\/em><br \/>\n<em><strong>Imagine what my my pregnan &amp; nursing colleagues are going through &amp; of course my students, esp, those observing <a class=\"PrettyLink hashtag customisable\" dir=\"ltr\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/Ramadan?src=hash\" rel=\"tag\" data-query-source=\"hashtag_click\" data-scribe=\"element:hashtag\"><span class=\"PrettyLink-prefix\">#<\/span><span class=\"PrettyLink-value\">Ramadan<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<div class=\"Tweet-metadata dateline\"><em><strong><a class=\"u-linkBlend u-url customisable-highlight long-permalink\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/MarkJWestpfahl\/status\/1001560953241075713\" data-datetime=\"2018-05-29T20:28:34+0000\" data-scribe=\"element:full_timestamp\"> <time class=\"dt-updated\" title=\"Time posted: May 29, 2018 20:28:34 (UTC)\" datetime=\"2018-05-29T20:28:34+0000\">1:28 PM &#8211; May 29, 2018<\/time><\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"js-tweet-text-container\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/DeZCXudXkAUMOcI.jpg\" alt=\"\" data-aria-label-part=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>The International Hot War of the Rich on the Poor<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/wcgeary\/videos\/10211234231911651\/?t=11\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.facebook.com\/wcgeary\/videos\/10211234231911651\/?t=11<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"css-ifnb0o ejekc6u0\"><span class=\"balancedHeadline\">Accused of Rape and Torture, Exiled Afghan Vice President Returns (US approves)<br \/>\n<\/span><\/h1>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">After more than a year in exile, Gen. Abdul Rashid Dostum returned to his native Afghanistan on Sunday facing criminal charges of rape and kidnapping, as well as accusations of brutality, human rights abuses and killing his first wife.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">General Dostum also remains the country\u2019s first vice president.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Waiting to greet him on Sunday at Kabul\u2019s international airport was a government delegation and, apparently, a suicide bomber.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">An array of top officials met his plane and, despite the criminal charges against him, they gave him safe passage \u2014 not to jail, but to his office and home, in a deal that Afghan officials have said was negotiated by President Ashraf Ghani in the wake of widespread protests and unrest among his fellow Uzbeks.<\/p>\n<p>Moments after he left the airport, however, a suicide bomber detonated explosives at the traffic circle at the exit, killing 20 people, including nine members of a security detail assigned to General Dostum, and wounding 90 others, according to police and health officials.,,<\/p>\n<p>General Dostum\u2019s return from exile is the latest episode in the tumultuous career of the Uzbek leader, an illiterate former Communist enforcer turned warlord who at one time or another was allied with every side in Afghanistan\u2019s long war \u2014 including the Taliban \u2014 and turned on most of them.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">He is accused of war crimes, including allowing his men to <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.newsweek.com\/death-convoy-afghanistan-144273\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">suffocate thousands<\/a> of Taliban prisoners in locked truck containers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Long a prot\u00e9g\u00e9 of the Central Intelligence Agency, which mentored and armed him, General Dostum has proved a powerful political player in Afghan elections in recent years, able to deliver his small but united Uzbek minority as a four-million-strong bloc, giving him outsize influence. Mr. Ghani took him on as his running mate in 2014, despite previously calling him a \u201c<a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2014\/02\/27\/world\/asia\/warlords-with-dark-pasts-battle-in-afghan-election.html\">known killer<\/a>.\u201d\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/07\/22\/world\/asia\/afghanistan-general-abdul-rashid-dostum-rape.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.nytimes.com\/2018\/07\/22\/world\/asia\/afghanistan-general-abdul-rashid-dostum-rape.html<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 style=\"text-align: center;\"><a title=\"Permanent Link to Taliban overruns 2 districts in eastern Afghanistan\" href=\"https:\/\/www.longwarjournal.org\/archives\/2018\/07\/taliban-overruns-2-districts-in-eastern-afghanistan.php\" rel=\"bookmark\">Taliban overruns 2 districts in eastern Afghanistan<\/a><\/h1>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"blkBorder b-loaded aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/i\/pix\/2013\/03\/25\/article-2299043-18EBCBA6000005DC-824_634x441.jpg\" alt=\"As the British forces retreated and were massacred only Dr William Brydon, illustrated in this picture, survived\" width=\"634\" height=\"441\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">Above, the last British Soldier, Afghan War, 1842<\/p>\n<p>The Taliban overran the district centers of Omna and Gayan in the eastern province of Paktika today after several days of heavy fighting. The Taliban takeover of the two districts occurred as US generals attempted to put a positive spin on the Afghan military\u2019s capabilities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAfter almost two days of heavy fighting, Taliban captured both district centres,\u201d a member of Paktika\u2019s provincial council\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/in.reuters.com\/article\/afghanistan-taliban\/two-districts-in-southeastern-afghanistan-fall-to-taliban-idINKBN1KE26W\">told Reuters<\/a>. At least three Afghan security personnel were killed, the council member said.<\/p>\n<p>The Taliban confirmed that it took control of Gayan. In\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/alemarah-english.com\/?p=32085\">a statement<\/a>\u00a0released on its official website, Voice of Jihad, the Taliban said that it prevented security forces from reaching the beleaguered district center for five days and Afghan personnel fled due to the lack of reinforcements.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWith escape of enemy the said district completely came under the control of Mujahideen as all other areas of the district were already overtaken by Mujahideen,\u201d the Taliban claimed.<\/p>\n<p>Both Omna and Gayan districts have been highly contested over the past year. Omna changed hands between the Taliban and the Afghan government multiple times in 2017. The Taliban overran Gayan in Sept. 2017 but lost control of the district center shortly thereafter. The Taliban controlled most of the area outside of both district centers.<\/p>\n<p>Paktika province remains highly contested. Of the 19 districts, three are controlled by the Taliban, four by the Afghan government, and the remaining 12 are contested, according to an ongoing study by\u00a0<em>FDD\u2019s Long War Journal<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>The loss of Gayan and Omna occurred just four days after US Army Major General Andrew Poppas, Resolute Support\u2019s deputy chief of staff for operations, touted the prowess of the Afghan military since the government\u2019s unilateral ceasefire ended more than three weeks ago. After citing an Afghan-supplied (and likely highly inflated) body count of 1,700 insurgents killed and wounded during a three week period, Poppas said the Afghan military is taking the fight to the Taliban. [See\u00a0<em>LWJ<\/em>\u00a0report,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.longwarjournal.org\/archives\/2018\/07\/nato-command-touts-body-count-of-taliban-irreconcilables.php\">NATO command touts body count of \u2018Taliban irreconcilables\u2019<\/a>.]\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.longwarjournal.org\/archives\/2018\/07\/taliban-overruns-2-districts-in-eastern-afghanistan.php?utm_source=Sailthru&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_campaign=ebb%2026.07.18&#038;utm_term=Editorial%20-%20Military%20-%20Early%20Bird%20Brief\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.longwarjournal.org\/archives\/2018\/07\/taliban-overruns-2-districts-in-eastern-afghanistan.php?utm_source=Sailthru&#038;utm_medium=email&#038;utm_campaign=ebb%2026.07.18&#038;utm_term=Editorial%20-%20Military%20-%20Early%20Bird%20Brief<\/a><\/p>\n<h1>The Afghan Army Will Never Defeat the Taliban. It has no grand strategy, like the US, and cannot say: Hey let us do equality, and by the way, people make gods, gods don&#8217;t make people. Stop it.<\/h1>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/MarineCorpsTimes\/videos\/10156460493417383\/?t=9\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.facebook.com\/MarineCorpsTimes\/videos\/10156460493417383\/?t=9<\/a><\/p>\n<h1>US defense policy bill clears House, rockets to Senate<\/h1>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=_TMq3m_Oli4\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.youtube.com\/watch?v=_TMq3m_Oli4<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">U.S. Senate lawmakers are expected to finalize Congress\u2019 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/congress\/2018\/07\/23\/hardware-end-strength-russia-and-china-sanctions-heres-the-deal-lawmakers-reached-on-the-huge-defense-policy-bill\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">annual defense authorization bill<\/a> early next week following the House\u2019s passage of the measure Thursday.<\/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 House easily adopted the compromise draft of the annual military policy bill by a vote of 359-54. The $716 billion, 1,800-page legislation includes a 2.6 percent pay raise for troops next January, a boost in military end strength of 15,600 service members, more aircraft and ships than the Pentagon requested and an overhaul of the<a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2018\/07\/25\/how-officers-are-promoted-will-get-its-biggest-overhaul-in-decades-heres-what-that-means-for-the-military\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> military\u2019s officer promotion system<\/a>&#8230;.<\/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 defense authorization bill is <em><strong>one of the few remaining reliable, bipartisan efforts<\/strong> <\/em>in an increasingly polarized Congress. It has been adopted by lawmakers for 57 consecutive years, but the last time it was passed by Congress before the start of the new fiscal year was 2009.<\/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\">This year, the measure could be signed into law as early as the first full week of August. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, earlier this week noted if that is the case, it will be quickest the military authorization process has finished in 41 years.<\/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\">\u201cThis bill continues to make readiness a key focus for if we send our men and women out on missions, they deserve to have the best equipment, the best training, and the best support that this country can provide,\u201d Thornberry said on the House floor before the vote, adding the bill better <em><strong>prepares the nation to counter Russia and China.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2018\/07\/26\/us-defense-policy-bill-clears-house-rockets-to-senate\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.defensenews.com\/congress\/2018\/07\/26\/us-defense-policy-bill-clears-house-rockets-to-senate\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h1>US Soldier Killed in \u2018Green-on-Blue\u2019 Insider Attack at Afghanistan Airport (still in 2018, despite dozens of &#8220;investigations&#8221; but &#8220;heart and minds&#8230;&#8221;)<\/h1>\n<p><img title=\"US Soldier Killed in \u2018Green-on-Blue\u2019 Insider Attack at Afghanistan Airport\" srcset=\"https:\/\/images.news18.com\/ibnlive\/uploads\/2018\/07\/RTS12EUA.jpg\" alt=\"US Soldier Killed in \u2018Green-on-Blue\u2019 Insider Attack at Afghanistan Airport\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><strong>Kabul:<\/strong> A US soldier was killed and two others wounded in an &#8220;apparent insider attack&#8221; in southern Afghanistan on Saturday, NATO said, the first such killing in nearly a year.<\/p>\n<p>The so-called &#8220;green-on-blue&#8221; attack is the latest in a series of incidents in which Afghan forces have turned their weapons on international troops with whom they are working.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The wounded service members, who are in stable condition, are currently being treated,&#8221; NATO&#8217;s Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan said in a statement.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The incident is under investigation.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>NATO did not release the identity of the American soldier killed or provide further details about where the incident took place.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.news18.com\/news\/world\/us-soldier-killed-in-green-on-blue-insider-attack-at-afghanistan-airport-1804751.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.news18.com\/news\/world\/us-soldier-killed-in-green-on-blue-insider-attack-at-afghanistan-airport-1804751.html<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"css-ifnb0o ejekc6u0\"><span class=\"balancedHeadline\">Newest U.S. Strategy in Afghanistan Mirrors Past Plans for Retreat (14,000 US troops and Uncounted Mercs remain in Afghanistan)<br \/>\n<\/span><\/h1>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Special Programming - Obama: War in Afghanistan over by end of 2014\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/9NE628FiQd8?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 class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">The Trump administration is urging American-backed Afghan troops to retreat from sparsely populated areas of the country, officials said, all but ensuring the Taliban will remain in control of vast stretches of the country.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">The approach is outlined in a previously undisclosed part of the war strategy that President Trump announced last year, according to three officials who described the documents to The New York Times on the condition of anonymity. It is meant to protect military forces from attacks at isolated and vulnerable outposts, and focuses on protecting cities such as Kabul, the capital, and other population centers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">The withdrawal resembles strategies embraced by both the Bush and Obama administrations that have started and stuttered over the nearly 17-year war. It will effectively ensure that the Taliban and other insurgent groups will hold on to territory that they have already seized, leaving the government in Kabul to safeguard the capital and cities such as Kandahar, Kunduz, Mazar-i-Sharif and Jalalabad.<\/p>\n<p>The retreat to the cities is a searing acknowledgment that the American-installed government in Afghanistan remains unable to lead and protect the country\u2019s sprawling rural population. Over the years, as waves of American and NATO troops have come and left in repeated cycles, the government has slowly retrenched and ceded chunks of territory to the Taliban, cleaving Afghanistan into disparate parts and ensuring a conflict with no end in sight.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">When he announced his <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2017\/08\/22\/world\/asia\/afghan-victory-trump-plan.html\">new war strategy last year<\/a>, Mr. Trump declared that Taliban and Islamic State insurgents in Afghanistan \u201cneed to know they have nowhere to hide, that no place is beyond the reach of American might and American arms.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">After the declared end of combat operations in 2014, most American troops withdrew to major population areas in the country, leaving Afghan forces to defend remote outposts. Many of those bases fell in the following months.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">During a news conference last month in Brussels, Gen. John W. Nicholson Jr., the commander of the American-led coalition in Afghanistan, said remote outposts were being overrun by the Taliban, which was seizing local forces\u2019 vehicles and equipment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">\u201cThere is a tension there between what is the best tactic militarily and what are the needs of the society,\u201d General Nicholson said.<\/p>\n<p>The strategy depends on the Afghan government\u2019s willingness to pull back its own forces. A Defense Department official said some Afghan commanders have resisted the American effort to do so, fearing local populations would feel betrayed.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/07\/28\/world\/asia\/trump-afghanistan-strategy-retreat.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\/07\/28\/world\/asia\/trump-afghanistan-strategy-retreat.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<h1 class=\"headline\">Even the White Helmets have been rescued from Syria \u2013 so are we about to see the final battle of the war? (Fisk)<\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"i-amphtml-fill-content i-amphtml-replaced-content\" title=\"Quneitra in Syria viewed from the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights \u2013 smoke rises as rebels destroy their arms stocks prior to their departure\" src=\"https:\/\/static.independent.co.uk\/s3fs-public\/thumbnails\/image\/2018\/07\/22\/12\/Israel-Explosion.jpg?w968h681\" sizes=\"(min-width: 900px) 900px, 100vw\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.independent.co.uk\/s3fs-public\/thumbnails\/image\/2018\/07\/22\/12\/Israel-Explosion.jpg?w968h681 968w, https:\/\/static.independent.co.uk\/s3fs-public\/thumbnails\/image\/2018\/07\/22\/12\/Israel-Explosion.jpg?w375h264 375w, https:\/\/static.independent.co.uk\/s3fs-public\/thumbnails\/image\/2018\/07\/22\/12\/Israel-Explosion.jpg?w768h540 768w\" alt=\"Quneitra in Syria viewed from the Israeli-annexed Golan Heights \u2013 smoke rises as rebels destroy their arms stocks prior to their departure\" \/><\/p>\n<p>Will it be the Last Battle? For three years, Idlib has been the dumping ground for all of Syria\u2019s retreating Islamist militias, the final redoubt of every combatant who has chosen to fight on, rather than surrender to the Syrian army and the Russian air force \u2013 and to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/topic\/Hezbollah\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Hezbollah<\/a> and, to a far smaller degree, the Iranians.<\/p>\n<p>Brigadier general <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/voices\/comment\/an-audience-with-the-tiger-bashar-al-assad-s-favourite-soldier-9508736.html\">Suheil al-Hassan<\/a>, the \u201cTiger\u201d of Syrian military legend and myth \u2013 who can quote the poet Mutanabi by heart but prefers to be compared to Erwin Rommel rather than Bernard Montgomery \u2013 will surely take his \u201cTiger Forces\u201d with him for the final reckoning between the Damascus regime and the Salafist-inspired and western-armed Islamists who dared to try,\u00a0and very definitely failed,\u00a0to destroy <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/topic\/BasharAl-assad\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Bashar al-Assad<\/a>\u2019s rule.<\/p>\n<div id=\"mpu0ArticleBody\" class=\"ad-wrapper\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"maxed responsive-img aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.guim.co.uk\/img\/media\/18e3d453744b80e7205bd82e36624658b4a1e3d4\/0_175_3337_2002\/master\/3337.jpg?w=300&amp;q=55&amp;auto=format&amp;usm=12&amp;fit=max&amp;s=05d033a92c0eb602aa8dbc9ac789c97d\" alt=\"Putin and Trump at their summit in Helsinki last week.\" \/><\/div>\n<p>Thanks to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/topic\/DonaldTrump\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Donald Trump<\/a>, it\u2019s all over for the \u201crebels\u201d of Syria because they have been betrayed by the Americans \u2013 surely and finally by Trump himself in those <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/news\/world\/europe\/putin-trump-meeting-super-russia-us-election-interference-helsinki-a8450836.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">secret discussions with Vladimir Putin<\/a> in Helsinki, perhaps the most important of the \u201cunknowns\u201d of that translators-only chat \u2013 as they have by the Gulf Arabs.<\/p>\n<p>Three weeks earlier, the Americans had told the rebels of southwestern Syria below the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights that they were on their own, and could expect no more military assistance. Even the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.independent.co.uk\/topic\/white-helmets\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">White Helmets<\/a>, the first-responder heroes or propagandists of the rebel war (take your pick, but be sure they will soon be described as \u201ccontroversial\u201d) have been rescued with their families from the rebel lines by the Israelis and dispatched to safety in Jordan.<\/p>\n<div id=\"teads-amp-ad\" class=\"ad-wrapper\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.atlapedia.com\/online\/map_images\/political\/Saudi_etc_pol.jpg\" width=\"600\" height=\"615\" align=\"BOTTOM\" \/><\/div>\n<p>The Israelis are a bit miffed that they weren\u2019t thanked by the White Helmets\u2019 civil defence units for their humanitarian assistance \u2013 but what do they expect when they spent their time attacking Iranian, Hezbollah and Syrian forces during the war, supplying medical aid to the Nusrah Islamist fighters who came to their lines and never \u2013 ever \u2013 bombed Isis? Do the White Helmets want to be associated with Israel right now?<\/p>\n<p>But the Israelis got what they really wanted: a Russian promise that the Iranians will stay far away from the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan plateau. It\u2019s all a bit odd, since there are precious few Iranian troops in Syria \u2013 and you can forget the humbug from the Washington \u201cexperts\u201d \u2013 but it fits in with Benjamin Netanyahu\u2019s morbid and theatrical conviction that Iran is \u201ca noose of terror\u201d round Israel\u2019s neck. In any event, Putin knows a thing or two about the Syrian war: bombs talk, but so does cash.<\/p>\n<p>For why else has Putin just announced a $50bn (\u00a338bn) dollar Russian investment in Iran\u2019s oil and gas industry? Isn\u2019t this simply a downpayment for Iran\u2019s past investment in Syria\u2019s war? A \u201cthank you but you can go now\u201d gift from Moscow in return for a, no doubt, triumphal march-past in Tehran of Iran\u2019s returning \u201cvictorious\u201d forces, back from their Islamic revolutionary duties in Syria?<\/p>\n<p>After meeting Putin in the Kremlin less than two weeks ago, Ali Akbar Velayati, \u201cSupreme Leader\u201d Khamenei\u2019s senior adviser on foreign affairs, agreed that their talks \u201cfocused on Russian-Iranian cooperation \u2026 as well as the situation in the region, including developments in Syria\u201d. And there you have it. Iran\u2019s economy is propped up, but it\u2019s got its Syrian marching orders from Putin.<\/p>\n<h1>You\u2019ve lost that lovin&#8217; feeling: Marriage and family hampered by military life, survey results say (Jody lives)<\/h1>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"image-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/resizer\/5exkC7wrap8wfP4rLMNJehVaLFc=\/1200x0\/filters:quality(100)\/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-mco.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/5JVBL2NRM5DDXH626R3JGYGDBE.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">The plethora of viral homecoming videos adored by millions of Americans paint a romanticized picture of what family life is like for military personnel.<\/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\">But surprise! Romance is dead! Alright, maybe not entirely, but Frank Sinatra\u2019s \u201clove and marriage \u2014 they go together like a horse and carriage\u201d lyrics don\u2019t necessarily apply to the majority of today\u2019s service members, at least according to the results of the 2018 Personal and Professional Choices Survey, completed by almost 13,000 Navy respondents.<\/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 survey, one which will live in relationship infamy, suggests that the allure of marriage and family has been significantly disparaged due to the unique demands military culture imposes.<\/p>\n<div id=\"f0FTILBKbjUEYq\" class=\"wrapper clearfix col-lg-12 col-md-12 col-sm-12 col-xs-12 pb-feature pb-layout-item pb-f-article-mco-body\">\n<div id=\"article-body\" class=\"article-body article-body-elements\">\n<article>\n<div id=\"article-content\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">Long work days, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/03\/06\/the-busiest-ships-subs-and-squadrons-whos-really-away-from-home-the-most\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">frequent deployments<\/a> and the ever-present threat of the patron saint of chicanery \u2014 the one they call Jody \u2014 have knocked the state of harmonious matrimony down a few notches on the priority pole of service members.<\/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\">Completed every other year, the survey helps the Navy \u201ctrack the trends and impact of personnel policies, not only on individual Sailors and their families, but also on Navy readiness,\u201d the release said.<\/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\">Of the survey\u2019s participants, 45 percent of unmarried men and 52 percent of unmarried women reported that life as a sailor diminished the likelihood that they would tie the knot.<\/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\">And for personnel with no kids, 41 percent of men and 49 percent of women reported that years of being forged by the sea decreased their likelihood of forging a family by having or adopting children.<\/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\">In the category of those who have already repopulated the planet, results show that 55 percent of women believe that having a child has adversely effected their careers, while 26 percent of men maintain that belief.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/07\/26\/youve-lost-that-lovin-feeling-marriage-and-family-hampered-by-military-life-survey-results-say\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.navytimes.com\/news\/your-navy\/2018\/07\/26\/youve-lost-that-lovin-feeling-marriage-and-family-hampered-by-military-life-survey-results-say\/<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"pb-ad-container\">\n<div id=\"300x250-1-in-story\" class=\"pb-ad-container 300x250-1-in-story pb-ad pb-ad-prod ad-300X250\" data-slot-name=\"300x250-1-in-story\" data-mobile-display=\"true\" data-desktop-display=\"true\" data-google-query-id=\"CNzIuKD2vtwCFTULrQYd9uUCXA\">\n<div id=\"google_ads_iframe_\/114235265\/NavyTimes\/your-navy\/rectangle_1__container__\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"border-bottom-\">\n<h1>Milo Minderbender Lives! Company to pay $9 million after allegedly selling defective combat earplugs to US military<\/h1>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div id=\"f00wNd5KbjUEYq\" class=\"wrapper clearfix pb-feature pb-layout-item pb-f-global-mco-recommend\">\n<div id=\"recommendations\">\n<div class=\"recommendation col-xs-6 col-md-3\">\n<div class=\"picture\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"image-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/resizer\/7h5-uHdzMpgjnVpheKvk5LQwaOo=\/1200x0\/filters:quality(100)\/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-mco.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/O65QTFPQWZG3ZIOUBWSL2EAHAM.jpg\" alt=\"\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"headline\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"recommendation col-xs-6 col-md-3\">\n<div class=\"headline\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">A contracting company agreed to pay $9.1 million to resolve allegations that it<em><strong> knowingly sold the U.S. military defective earplugs.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"recommendation col-xs-6 col-md-3\">\n<div class=\"headline\">\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"col-md-12 col-xs-12 col-print-12\">\n<p class=\"element element-paragraph\">The Minnesota-based 3M Company allegedly sold its dual-ended Combat Arms Earplugs, Version 2, to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2018\/04\/26\/dod-126-bases-report-water-contaminants-harmful-to-infant-development-tied-to-cancers\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Defense Logistics Agency<\/a> without disclosing defects that decreased the actual effectiveness of the hearing protection the device offered.<\/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\">\u201cGovernment contractors who seek to profit at the expense of our military will face appropriate consequences,&#8221; said Acting Assistant Attorney General Chad Readler of the Justice Department\u2019s Civil Division in a Thursday <a href=\"https:\/\/www.justice.gov\/opa\/pr\/3m-company-agrees-pay-91-million-resolve-allegations-it-supplied-united-states-defective-dual\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">press release<\/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 allegations were brought against 3M through the enforcement of the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2015\/10\/14\/no-free-lunch-boeing-pays-government-18m-for-breaks-workers-charged-the-air-force-for-the-c-17\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">False Claims Act<\/a>, according to the release. Although the case has been resolved, all claims within the settlement are allegations only, and there has been no determination of liability.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"recommendation col-xs-6 col-md-3\">\n<div class=\"headline\">\n<h5>\u00a0<img decoding=\"async\" id=\"4I2HZKJAHRHOFOHFCHB4XAN3EU\" class=\"image-lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/resizer\/Yrzm2amqoYxRgHRSSq3wldvTlGw=\/600x0\/filters:quality(100)\/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-mco.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/4I2HZKJAHRHOFOHFCHB4XAN3EU.JPG\" alt=\"Dual-ended CAE earplugs sold by 3M. (3M Company)\" width=\"600\" height=\"307.3710073710074\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2018\/07\/26\/company-to-pay-9-million-after-allegedly-selling-defective-combat-earplugs-to-us-military\/#4I2HZKJAHRHOFOHFCHB4XAN3EU\" data-original=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/resizer\/Yrzm2amqoYxRgHRSSq3wldvTlGw=\/600x0\/filters:quality(100)\/arc-anglerfish-arc2-prod-mco.s3.amazonaws.com\/public\/4I2HZKJAHRHOFOHFCHB4XAN3EU.JPG\" \/><\/h5>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"clearfix visible-xs-block visible-md-block\">\u00a0https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/news\/your-military\/2018\/07\/26\/company-to-pay-9-million-after-allegedly-selling-defective-combat-earplugs-to-us-military\/<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>The International Economic 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\/37655388_2152276678120270_3910308422947438592_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&amp;oh=8c55e86c2713a3632c37fb8d71dd86a9&amp;oe=5BE1B76C\" alt=\"Image may contain: text\" aria-busy=\"true\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"css-ifnb0o ejekc6u0\" style=\"text-align: center;\"><span class=\"balancedHeadline\">U.S. Businesses Are Bullish Amid Worldwide Instability<\/span><\/h1>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Potential perils are in plain sight: An intense and unpredictable <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/07\/05\/business\/china-us-trade-war-trump-tariffs.html\">tariff battle<\/a> is alarming businesses across the country. The annual federal deficit is <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/07\/25\/business\/trump-corporate-tax-cut-deficit.html\">heading toward $1 trillion<\/a>. Credit card debt is soaring. And the <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/01\/27\/business\/its-not-a-roar-but-the-global-economy-is-finally-making-noise.html\">synchronous wave that lifted every world economy<\/a> at the year\u2019s start has dissipated.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">So what?<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Such risks have done little to puncture the exuberant optimism that is encouraging American businesses to ramp up hiring and consider new investment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">The confidence is rooted only partly in hard-nosed data, like the <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.frbatlanta.org\/cqer\/research\/gdpnow.aspx\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">rapid pace of growth<\/a> expected for the second quarter and <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/07\/06\/business\/economy\/jobs-report.html\">record low jobless rates<\/a>. It is also a sign of harder-to-measure sentiment. \u201cAnimal spirits are high,\u201d said Tim Ryan, United States chairman of the global accounting and consulting firm PwC, referring to the gut feelings and impulses that can drive economies to elation or despair.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Business leaders who complained that they sometimes felt vilified as engineers of inequality \u2014 or greedy exploiters \u2014 now say they are pleased to be viewed as part of the solution, creating jobs and wealth. \u201cThey feel good about themselves, like they are the good guys,\u201d Mr. Ryan said, describing comments from hundreds of chief executives to his firm over the past quarter. \u201cThey are sitting up a little straighter in the chair.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"css-1h6whtw\">\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">The <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nfib.com\/surveys\/small-business-economic-trends\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">optimism index<\/a> of the National Federation of Independent Business is in the 99th percentile, an \u201castounding\u201d number, according to the group\u2019s president, Juanita Duggan. At the start of this week, nearly nine out of 10 companies in the Standard &amp; Poor\u2019s 500-stock index reporting earnings so far had beat expectations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">\u201cI\u2019m bullish,\u201d Mike Ferretti, chief executive of Great Harvest Bread Company in Dillon, Mont., declared. At the beginning of 2016, sales were so slow that the company sharply discounted the initial franchise fee for its bakery cafes, from $35,000 to $20,000. This month, Mr. Ferretti restored the $35,000 price. \u201cWe\u2019re confident that the economy is strong enough to not need the discount.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/07\/24\/business\/economy\/business-confidence-economy-private-sector.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.nytimes.com\/2018\/07\/24\/business\/economy\/business-confidence-economy-private-sector.html<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheOther98\/videos\/2085845251426442\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.facebook.com\/TheOther98\/videos\/2085845251426442\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/9QqzBU5grog\/hqdefault.jpg\" alt=\"Image result for facebook stock collapse\" width=\"304\" height=\"228\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"header1\">Why The Facebook, Netflix Stock Collapse Could Signal A Big Market Change<\/h1>\n<p>Some of the best performing stocks of recent times have been breaking down, a hint that the market may be gearing up for a rotation. <strong>Facebook<\/strong> (<a class=\"ticker\" href=\"https:\/\/www.investors.com\/research\/facebook-stock-netflix-stock-market-signal\/\" data-ticker-symbol=\"FB\">FB<\/a>), <strong>Netflix<\/strong> (<a class=\"ticker\" href=\"https:\/\/www.investors.com\/research\/facebook-stock-netflix-stock-market-signal\/\" data-ticker-symbol=\"NFLX\">NFLX<\/a>), <strong>Twitter<\/strong> (<a class=\"ticker\" href=\"https:\/\/www.investors.com\/research\/facebook-stock-netflix-stock-market-signal\/\" data-ticker-symbol=\"TWTR\">TWTR<\/a>) and <strong>Intel<\/strong> (<a class=\"ticker\" href=\"https:\/\/www.investors.com\/research\/facebook-stock-netflix-stock-market-signal\/\" data-ticker-symbol=\"INTC\">INTC<\/a>) have all flashed signs their bullish outperformance may be over. There are fears that their disappointing results could mean the huge revenue and profit growth of recent times may not be sustainable.<\/p>\n<p>The negative action from these big-cap leaders could herald a broad stock market retreat, or simply a rotation into different sectors. Either way, investors should pay close attention.<\/p>\n<h2>Facebook Stock<\/h2>\n<p>Facebook stock crashed 19% on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.investors.com\/market-trend\/stock-market-today\/stock-market-today-market-trends-best-stocks-buy-watch\/\">the stock market<\/a> Thursday, plunging below its 50-day and 200-day moving averages as well as a recent buy point in massive volume, triggering multiple sell signals. It also suffered the biggest ever single-day decline in market cap after losing $100 billion in value. Facebook earnings topped. But revenue and some user metrics <a href=\"https:\/\/www.investors.com\/news\/technology\/facebook-second-quarter-results\/\">slightly missed views<\/a>, while the social media giant warned of decelerating growth going forward.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.investors.com\/research\/facebook-stock-netflix-stock-market-signal\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.investors.com\/research\/facebook-stock-netflix-stock-market-signal\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/pbs.twimg.com\/media\/DjMS-fMXoAAIz8h.jpg\" \/><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>The Emergence of Fascism as a Popular Mass Movement and <\/strong><\/span><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>The War on Reason<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"spotlight\" src=\"https:\/\/scontent.fsan1-1.fna.fbcdn.net\/v\/t1.0-9\/37627622_10156411658440930_2521815542772269056_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&amp;oh=8352b99abb51af1e6974247426dfa2c7&amp;oe=5BDB1EBA\" alt=\"Image may contain: 1 person, text\" aria-busy=\"true\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"css-ifnb0o ejekc6u0\"><span class=\"balancedHeadline\">Israel Picks Identity Over Democracy. More Nations May Follow.<\/span><\/h1>\n<div class=\"css-1h6whtw\">\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Amid a moment of national euphoria, Israel\u2019s founding prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, emerged from retirement in July 1967 to warn Israelis they had sown the seeds of self-destruction.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Israel had just won a stunning military victory against its neighbors, elating Israelis with a sense that the grand experiment of a Jewish state might really work.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">But Ben-Gurion <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nybooks.com\/articles\/1987\/05\/28\/israel-the-tragedy-of-victory\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">insisted<\/a> that Israel give up the territories it had conquered. If it did not, he said, occupation would distort the young state, which had been founded to protect not just the Jewish people but their ideals of democracy and pluralism.<\/p>\n<p class=\"css-1i0edl6 e2kc3sl0\">Now, a half century and one year later, Israel has <a class=\"css-1g7m0tk\" title=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/07\/19\/world\/middleeast\/israel-law-jews-arabic.html\">formally declared<\/a> the right of national self-determination, once envisioned to include all within its borders, as \u201cunique to the Jewish people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>&#8230;Polls suggest that Israelis have come to agree: Growing numbers see their country as facing a choice between being Jewish first or democratic first. And for many on the political right, the choice is identity first.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/07\/22\/world\/middleeast\/israel-jewish-state-nationality-law.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\/07\/22\/world\/middleeast\/israel-jewish-state-nationality-law.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><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"spotlight\" src=\"https:\/\/scontent.fsan1-1.fna.fbcdn.net\/v\/t1.0-9\/37691962_1383218715156414_6879181837340508160_n.jpg?_nc_cat=0&amp;oh=4726e0096734feb00b5bd81a2ebe8bc8&amp;oe=5BD98863\" alt=\"No automatic alt text available.\" aria-busy=\"true\" \/><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<h1 id=\"page-title\" class=\"title\">Breaking News: Judge Lets Secret Service Hide White House Visitor Logs<\/h1>\n<p><strong>Washington, D.C., July 27, 2018 &#8211;\u00a0<\/strong>Federal Judge Katherine Failla <a href=\"https:\/\/nsarchive2.gwu.edu\/\/dc.html?doc=4619504-Visitor-Logs-Op\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">agreed with government lawyers<\/a> and is allowing the Secret Service to hide the White House visitor logs in a FOIA lawsuit brought by the National Security Archive, together with the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University and the Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW). The visitor logs &#8211; 5.99 million\u00a0records worth &#8211; were routinely released by the Obama administration, with no harm to national security or personal privacy.<\/p>\n<p>Judge Failla, of the Southern District of New York, relied on a 2013 D.C. Circuit ruling in finding that the visitor logs for core White House offices are not subject to the Freedom of Information Act, although she agreed that certain other parts of the Executive Office of the President are covered.<\/p>\n<p>The Secret Service has already admitted during the course of the lawsuit that it maintains no records system for tracking the president&#8217;s visitors at Mar-a-Lago and other Trump properties, meaning anyone &#8211; foreign lobbyists and otherwise &#8211; can pay for access to the president without being vetted or recorded.<\/p>\n<p>The only record the government has released so far in response to the FOIA suit is <a href=\"https:\/\/nsarchive2.gwu.edu\/dc.html?doc=4044968-Document-01-Complaint-for-Injunctive-and\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">one document, totaling two pages<\/a>, concerning the visit of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe &#8211; this after telling Judge Failla and the plaintiffs that DHS would produce all the visitor logs.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/nsarchive.gwu.edu\/news\/foia\/2018-07-27\/breaking-news-judge-lets-secret-service-hide-white-house-visitor-logs\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">nsarchive.gwu.edu\/news\/foia\/2018-07-27\/breaking-news-judge-lets-secret-service-hide-white-house-visitor-logs<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/TheOther98\/videos\/2517399884937641\/?t=47\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.facebook.com\/TheOther98\/videos\/2517399884937641\/?t=47<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"content__headline\">Imran Khan addresses vote rigging allegations in Pakistan election victory \u2013 video (Pakistan ISI runs the Taliban&#8211;he likes ISI)<\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/www.pakimag.com\/files\/2014\/05\/Imran-Khan-address-in-Faisalabad-Jalsa.jpg\" alt=\"Image result for imran khan paki\" width=\"304\" height=\"202\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The former international cricket star\u00a0<a class=\"u-underline\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/world\/imran-khan\" data-link-name=\"in standfirst link\">Imran Khan<\/a>\u00a0has declared victory in Pakistan\u2019s general election, hailing what he described as \u201cthe fairest\u201d vote in the country\u2019s history, despite widespread allegations it was rigged in favour of his Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party.<\/p>\n<p>In a televised address to the nation from his house in Bani Gala, a wealthy suburb of Islamabad, Khan struck a unifying tone, pledging to rise above personal attacks and lift up the poor.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Solidarity for Never<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/dd-res.s3.amazonaws.com\/photos\/0_30030.jpg\" alt=\"Image result for nancy johnson uaw\" width=\"304\" height=\"304\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"asset-headline speakable-headline\">Ex-UAW official pleads guilty, agrees to cooperate in corruption scandal<\/h1>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-1 p-text\">Nancy Johnson, the onetime senior official in the UAW Chrysler Department,\u00a0pleaded guilty Monday\u00a0in a wide-ranging corruption scandal involving Fiat Chrysler Automobiles.<\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-2 p-text\">As part of the agreement, the 57-year-old acknolwedged before U.S. District Judge Paul Borman in Detroit that she violated labor laws, and agreed to\u00a0cooperate with the prosecution&#8217;s case against other union and FCA officials.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">&#8220;I didn&#8217;t have a right,&#8221; she said in court, referring to her use of credit cards for personal items.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">The governement said Johnson spent thousands of dollars meant for autoworker training on personal items, including first-class airline tickets, expensive luggage, $1,160 Christian Louboutin shoes, $4,587 at LG&#8217;s Prime Steak House and\u00a0$6,900 at Renaissance Resort &amp; Spa.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Her actions, the prosecution has alleged, were part of a wider corruption conspiracy among UAW and FCA that <strong><em>involves<\/em> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.freep.com\/story\/news\/local\/michigan\/detroit\/2018\/01\/29\/uaw-fiat-chrysler-union-officials-screw-over-autoworkers-and-worked-chrysler-scandal-perver\/1063930001\/\" data-track-label=\"inline|intext|n\/a\">bribes for favorable contracts<\/a>.<\/strong> The UAW and FCA have denied that allegation, saying a few corrupt individuals stole the money, and their actions did not affect labor agreements.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Johnson&#8217;s agreement to cooperate suggests that the feds are investigating whether the alleged conspiracy goes any deeper into both organizations.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Sergio\u00a0Marchionne, who was replaced Saturday after becoming gravely ill following shoulder surgery, had been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.freep.com\/story\/money\/cars\/chrysler\/2017\/11\/05\/fiat-chrysler-ceo-sergio-marchionne-uaw\/834750001\/\" data-track-label=\"inline|intext|n\/a\">questioned in 2016<\/a> about the scheme by investigators with the U.S. Attorney&#8217;s Office, according to a source familiar with the investigation.\u00a0He had previously announced he planned to retire next year.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Johnson&#8217;s plea also comes less than two weeks after Monica Morgan, the widow of a former UAW vice president, who is also a metro Detroit photographer, was sentenced in the wide-ranging scandal in which the prosecution alleges<em><strong> the misuse of millions of dollars.\u00a0 <\/strong><\/em><a href=\"https:\/\/www.freep.com\/story\/news\/local\/michigan\/detroit\/2018\/07\/23\/uaw-official-guilty-corruption-scandal\/818989002\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.freep.com\/story\/news\/local\/michigan\/detroit\/2018\/07\/23\/uaw-official-guilty-corruption-scandal\/818989002\/<\/a><\/p>\n<section id=\"module-position-RDU9LdsOsGM\" class=\"longformcovertop-bucket longform-headline-module longform-longform-headline-module\">\n<h1 class=\"longform-intro-headline speakable-headline\" style=\"text-align: center;\">Ex-UAW boss Dennis Williams OK&#8217;d using training center funds, aide says<\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/uaw.org\/app\/uploads\/2016\/02\/DW_roundtable_v3-1-1024x464.jpg\" alt=\"Image result for UAW dennis williams\" width=\"304\" height=\"138\" \/><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<section id=\"module-position-RDU9LdsaPnA\" class=\"longformcovertop-bucket longform-subheadline-module longform-longform-subheadline-module\">\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em><strong>Here&#8217;s Quisling! <\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p class=\"longform-intro-text\"><em><strong>UAW President Dennis Williams told senior officials to use automakers&#8217; funds to pay for union costs, including lavish meals, travel, key witness says.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/section>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-1 p-text\">A former labor official told federal prosecutors that United Auto Workers President Dennis Williams directed subordinates to use funds from Detroit\u2019s automakers, funneled through training centers, to pay for union travel, meals and entertainment.<\/p>\n<p class=\"speakable-p-2 p-text\">As part of a plea agreement filed Monday, Nancy Adams Johnson told investigators Williams made the directive to relieve pressure on the union\u2019s budget. Williams,\u00a0the union&#8217;s president from 2014 until\u00a0mid-June, and the UAW had no comment on the allegations made by Adams Johnson, the second-highest ranking official in the union\u2019s Fiat Chrysler department.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Money filtered through the training centers for the benefit of UAW officials is at the center of a widening scandal that has led to seven convictions,\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/story\/business\/autos\/general-motors\/2017\/12\/13\/ex-uaw-vp-ashton-resigns-gm-board\/108582808\/\" data-track-label=\"inline|intext|n\/a\">a shakeup<\/a> at the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/story\/business\/autos\/chrysler\/2018\/02\/01\/feds-eye-pricey-party-honoring-embattled-uaw-leader\/110026950\/\" data-track-label=\"inline|intext|n\/a\">highest levels<\/a> of the auto industry and raised questions about the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/story\/business\/autos\/2018\/06\/12\/feds-label-fiat-chrysler-uaw-co-conspirators\/695076002\/\" data-track-label=\"inline|intext|n\/a\">sanctity of labor negotiations<\/a> between the union and Detroit&#8217;s automakers.<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">&#8220;Maybe this is what the senior levels\u00a0of the UAW were used to,\u00a0but at its core, this is a significant betrayal of trust,&#8221; said Peter Henning, a\u00a0Wayne State University law professor and former federal prosecutor. &#8220;This is how a small fraud becomes a much bigger one.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p class=\"p-text\">Adams Johnson&#8217;s plea agreement does not identify the &#8220;high-level UAW official&#8221; who made the directive. Sources familiar with the investigation told The Detroit News that she identified that\u00a0official as Williams.\u00a0They spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak about the investigation.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.detroitnews.com\/story\/business\/autos\/2018\/07\/26\/uaw-president-dennis-williams-conspiracy-directed-use-automaker-funds-through-training-centers\/822741002\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.detroitnews.com\/story\/business\/autos\/2018\/07\/26\/uaw-president-dennis-williams-conspiracy-directed-use-automaker-funds-through-training-centers\/822741002\/<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 id=\"single_title\">Why the American Federation of Teachers Is Uniquely Vulnerable to the Supreme Court\u2019s Janus Verdict on Mandatory Union Fees<\/h1>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/www.commondreams.org\/sites\/default\/files\/styles\/cd_large\/public\/views-article\/clinton_weingarten.jpg?itok=ZMmw2CnM\" alt=\"Image result for randi weingarten clinton\" width=\"304\" height=\"159\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><em><strong>Here&#8217;s Quisling II and III<\/strong><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n<p>The American Federation of Teachers held its biennial convention in Pittsburgh this month. Fresh off the Supreme Court ruling in <em>Janus v. AFSCME<\/em> that public unions can\u2019t charge fees to non-members \u2014 a break from long-held practice that will cost labor millions in revenues and untold membership losses \u2014 conventioneers were defiant.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is our moment. This is our movement,\u201d said AFT President Randi Weingarten in her keynote address to delegates.<\/p>\n<p>She supported her optimism by announcing that membership levels were at an all-time high. AFT claims 1,755,015 members, with growth that has been uninterrupted even by the 2008 recession.<\/p>\n<p>But AFT\u2019s membership numbers require a lot more scrutiny and interpretation than do those of the National Education Association.<\/p>\n<p>NEA has affiliates in all 50 states. Its smallest state affiliate, in Mississippi, has almost 4,800 working members. It does have some members in the private sector and in other professions, but even its non-teachers mostly work in the field of public education.<\/p>\n<p>AFT has affiliates in only 34 states. Only 21 have memberships larger than that of NEA\u2019s Mississippi affiliate. Counting the AFT\u2019s branch in the District of Columbia, a total of 22 affiliates are home to the overwhelming bulk of AFT members. Fifteen of those are in former agency fee states, making AFT a lot more vulnerable to the effects of <em>Janus<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>AFT has maintained membership growth because it has no presence in most of the states where NEA has lost members over the past 10 years. In fact, more than one-third of AFT\u2019s membership works in one state, New York. One of every six AFT members works in New York City.<\/p>\n<p>Six percent of AFT members are state and municipal government employees in fields unrelated to education. Seven percent are nurses and health professionals. Fifteen percent work in higher education.<\/p>\n<p>That leaves 72 percent who work in K-12 public education. Since, on average, there is one education support employee for every teacher in the U.S. public school system, it is very likely that K-12 public school teachers are a minority in AFT. By contrast, about 70 percent of NEA members are certified K-12 public school teachers.<\/p>\n<p>The composition of AFT\u2019s membership is an important factor for the union\u2019s future because reduced resources will force the union to prioritize its recruitment and retention efforts. NEA has a simpler task. Most of its members are K-12 public school teachers and most of its money comes from K-12 public school teachers.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.the74million.org\/article\/analysis-why-the-american-federation-of-teachers-is-uniquely-vulnerable-to-the-supreme-courts-janus-verdict-on-mandatory-union-fees\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.the74million.org\/article\/analysis-why-the-american-federation-of-teachers-is-uniquely-vulnerable-to-the-supreme-courts-janus-verdict-on-mandatory-union-fees\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>Spy versus Spy<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"kp-book-image-container\"><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"kp-book-panel-image aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com\/images\/I\/41tlVKfxfJL._SL500_.jpg\" alt=\"Perfect Spy: The Incredible Double Life of Pham Xuan An, Time Magazine Reporter and Vietnamese Communist Agent\" \/><\/div>\n<div class=\"kp-book-panel-frame\">\n<p class=\"kp-title\">Perfect Spy: The Incredible Double Life of Pham Xuan An, Time Magazine Reporter and Vietnamese Communist Agent<\/p>\n<p class=\"kp-author\">by Larry Berman<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>During the Vietnam War, Time reporter Pham Xuan An befriended everyone who was anyone in Saigon, including American journalists such as David Halberstam and Neil Sheehan, the CIA&#8217;s William Colby, and the legendary Colonel Edward Lansdale\u2014not to mention the most influential members of the South Vietnamese government and army. None of them ever guessed that he was also providing strategic intelligence to Hanoi, smuggling invisible ink messages into the jungle inside egg rolls. His early reports were so accurate that General Giap joked, &#8220;We are now in the U.S. war room.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/thenypost.files.wordpress.com\/2018\/03\/megyn-kelly.jpg?quality=90&amp;strip=all&amp;w=618&amp;h=410&amp;crop=1\" alt=\"Image result for megyn kelly\" width=\"304\" height=\"202\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Cut\/paste this link to hear and see the answers Putin offered to NBC, that were not aired.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/inthenow\/videos\/987590074724695\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.facebook.com\/inthenow\/videos\/987590074724695\/<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"title\" style=\"text-align: center;\">The CIA is hunting for its next generation of talent<\/h1>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Boris-Natasha-Trump-Spy-Section.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-21790\" src=\"http:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Boris-Natasha-Trump-Spy-Section.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"720\" height=\"960\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Boris-Natasha-Trump-Spy-Section.jpg 720w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Boris-Natasha-Trump-Spy-Section-113x150.jpg 113w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Boris-Natasha-Trump-Spy-Section-375x500.jpg 375w, https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/Boris-Natasha-Trump-Spy-Section-500x667.jpg 500w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<div id=\"article_deck\" class=\"content\">\n<div class=\"group-container last\">\n<div class=\"group\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"\">Zachary Wyatt, formerly a CIA operations officer tasked with recruiting foreign sources, is now putting his recruitment efforts toward new talent.<\/li>\n<li>The CIA is looking to fill more than 100 jobs.<\/li>\n<li>Applicants can come from nearly any background, but having an interest in foreign affairs and current events is essential.<\/li>\n<li>Stupid helps. Hubris too.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"unit col1\">\n<article>\n<div class=\"story\">\n<div id=\"article_body\" class=\"content\">\n<div class=\"group-container last\">\n<div class=\"inline-player dyother dyMonitor\" data-adid=\"1009204||522|||\">\n<div class=\"pro-video-chapters fall dyperf dyMonitor\" data-adid=\"535383||522|||\"><\/div>\n<div id=\"player_0_105111866_0\" class=\"asset cnbcvideo imgasset desc_size600_400 featuredPromo theplatform-video__docked\" data-autoplay=\"1\" data-dockable=\"1\">\n<p><span class=\"video-icon\"> <a class=\"\" href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/video\/2018\/04\/06\/want-to-be-a-cia-agent-heres-how-to-become-a-spy.html\" data-videoid=\"7000011768\" data-videotype=\"\"> <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"Want to be a CIA agent? Here\u2019s how to become a spy\" src=\"https:\/\/fm.cnbc.com\/applications\/cnbc.com\/resources\/img\/editorial\/2018\/04\/06\/105114147-6ED1-SB-Wherejobs-040618.600x400.jpg?v=1523017764\" alt=\"Want to be a CIA agent? Here\u2019s how to become a spy\" width=\"600\" height=\"400\" \/> <\/a> <\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"headline\">Want to be a CIA agent? Here\u2019s how to become a spy\u00a0\u00a0 <time>10:04 AM ET Fri, 6 April 2018 | 02:50<\/time><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"group\">\n<p>For 25 years, Zachary Wyatt worked as a CIA operations officer tasked with acquiring foreign sources around the world to gather information essential to U.S. national security and foreign policy objectives.<\/p>\n<p>Today, Wyatt, who is now retired from the CIA, works to help the agency find its next generation of talent.<\/p>\n<p>From analysts to accountants to lawyers and foreign language instructors, the CIA is looking to fill 100 professional positions across its five directorates \u2014 operations, analysis, science &amp; technology, support and digital innovation. Wyatt says the most proactive recruitment efforts are in operations, which handles the clandestine work.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;We&#8217;re fortunate to get a steady stream of applicants, but that&#8217;s not to say we&#8217;re not constantly looking for more,&#8221; Wyatt said. &#8220;When you look at the national security challenges we have and combine that with the challenges that face any country today \u2014 regional instability, cyberattacks, economic interdependence \u2014 finding individuals who can address any of them is not easy.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>To apply, one must be at least 18 years old and a U.S. citizen, born or naturalized.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnbc.com\/2018\/04\/05\/the-cia-is-hunting-for-its-next-generation-of-talent.html\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.cnbc.com\/2018\/04\/05\/the-cia-is-hunting-for-its-next-generation-of-talent.html<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n<\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>The Magical Mystery Tour<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"js-image-replace\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/660\/cpsprodpb\/6DE5\/production\/_102733182_mediaitem102733181.jpg\" alt=\"McCarrick\" width=\"976\" height=\"549\" data-highest-encountered-width=\"660\" \/><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"story-body__h1\">Cardinal McCarrick, prominent US Catholic, resigns over abuse claims<\/h1>\n<p class=\"story-body__introduction\">Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of a prominent US cardinal accused of sexually assaulting a teenager nearly 50 years ago.<\/p>\n<p>Theodore McCarrick, 88, a former Archbishop of Washington, must also carry out &#8220;penance and prayer&#8221; pending a canonical trial, the Vatican said.<\/p>\n<p>Last month US Church officials said the allegations were credible.<\/p>\n<p>Mr McCarrick has said he has &#8220;no recollection&#8221; of the alleged abuse. Further allegations have since emerged.<\/p>\n<p>Mr McCarrick was one of the most prominent US cardinals and is one of the most high-profile Catholic leaders to face abuse claims.<\/p>\n<p>In a statement, the Vatican said Pope Francis had accepted Mr McCarrick&#8217;s resignation from the cardinalate and had ordered his suspension from the exercise of any public ministry.<\/p>\n<p>The statement also said he would be placed in seclusion &#8220;for a life of prayer and penance until the accusations made against him are examined in a regular canonical trial&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>His resignation means <a class=\"story-body__link-external\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/JamesMartinSJ\/status\/1023152842645950468\">the titles of Cardinal and &#8220;your eminence&#8221; are removed<\/a>, America Magazine editor and Jesuit priest James Martin said on Twitter.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"responsive-image__img js-image-replace\" src=\"https:\/\/ichef.bbci.co.uk\/news\/624\/cpsprodpb\/10895\/production\/_102733776_mediaitem102733775.jpg\" alt=\"George W Bush and McCarrick\" width=\"976\" height=\"549\" data-highest-encountered-width=\"624\" \/><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"story-body__crosshead\">How unusual is this?<\/h2>\n<p>Mr McCarrick&#8217;s resignation from the cardinalate is the first since 1927, when <a class=\"story-body__link-external\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2018\/07\/28\/world\/europe\/cardinal-theodore-mccarrick-resigns.html\">Father Louis Billot resigned because of political tensions with the Holy See<\/a>, according to the New York Times newspaper.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-us-canada-44993221\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.bbc.com\/news\/world-us-canada-44993221<\/a><\/p>\n<h1 class=\"story-body__h1\">Child sexual abuse and the Catholic Church: What you need to know<\/h1>\n<p class=\"story-body__introduction\">From Australian country towns, to schools in Ireland and cities across the US, the Catholic Church has faced an avalanche of child sexual abuse accusations in the last few decades.<\/p>\n<p>Recent high-profile cases and harrowing testimony given to public inquiries have kept the issue in the headlines.<\/p>\n<p>Meanwhile alleged cover-ups continue to dog the Church, and victims groups say the Vatican has not done nearly enough to right its wrongs.<\/p>\n<p>Here&#8217;s what you need to know.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"story-body__crosshead\">How did this all come to light?<\/h2>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Spotlight Official Trailer #1 (2015) - Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton Movie HD\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/56jw6tasomc?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>Although some accusations date back to the 1950s, molestation by priests was first given significant media attention in the 1980s, in the US and Canada.<\/p>\n<p>In the 1990s, the issue began to grow, with stories emerging in Argentina, Australia and elsewhere. In 1995, the Archbishop of Vienna, Austria, stepped down amid sexual abuse allegations, rocking the church there.<\/p>\n<p>Also in that decade, revelations began of widespread historical abuse in Ireland. By the early 2000s, Church sexual abuse was a major global story.<\/p>\n<p>In the US, <a class=\"story-body__link-external\" href=\"http:\/\/www.bostonglobe.com\/news\/special-reports\/2002\/01\/31\/scores-priests-involved-sex-abuse-cases\/kmRm7JtqBdEZ8UF0ucR16L\/story.html\">determined reporting by the Boston Globe newspaper<\/a> (as captured in the 2015 film Spotlight) exposed widespread abuse and how paedophile priests were moved around by Church leaders instead of being held accountable. It prompted people to come forward across the US and around the world.<\/p>\n<p>A Church-commissioned report in 2004 said more than 4,000 US Roman Catholic priests had faced sexual abuse allegations in the last 50 years, in cases involving more than 10,000 children &#8211; mostly boys.<\/p>\n<p>A 2009 report found that sexual and psychological abuse was &#8220;endemic&#8221; in Catholic-run industrial schools and orphanages in Ireland for most of the 20th Century.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bbc.com\/news\/world-44209971\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.bbc.com\/news\/world-44209971<\/a><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"story-body__crosshead\">CBS News Video: Pregnancy from rape a gift from god.<\/h2>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/video\/gop-senate-candidate-pregnancy-from-rape-a-gift-from-god\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.cbsnews.com\/video\/gop-senate-candidate-pregnancy-from-rape-a-gift-from-god\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #0000ff;\"><strong>The Best and Worst Things in the History of the World<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Official Clip ft. Jason Spencer | Ep.2 | Who Is America? | SHOWTIME\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/4k4pMTsa1Kw?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=\"l-article-header__row l-article-header__row--title t-bold t-bold--condensed\">A Neoliberal Nightmare at OZY Fest 2018<\/h1>\n<p>Amid a split in the Democratic Party, Hillary Clinton headlined an event that was part music festival, part TED Talk. We went with two hosts from Chapo Trap House to check it out.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"c-crop__img wp-post-image visible\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/GettyImages-1003453176.jpg?crop=900:600&amp;width=440\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 480px) 440px, (max-width: 959px) 910px, 860px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/GettyImages-1003453176.jpg?crop=900:600&amp;width=440 440w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/GettyImages-1003453176.jpg?crop=900:600&amp;width=860 860w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/GettyImages-1003453176.jpg?crop=900:600&amp;width=910 910w\" alt=\"NEW YORK, NY - JULY 21: Hillary Clinton speaks onstage during OZY Fest 2018 at Rumsey Playfield, Central Park on July 21, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Brad Barket\/Getty Images for Ozy Media)\" width=\"900\" height=\"600\" data-src=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/GettyImages-1003453176.jpg?crop=900:600&amp;width=440\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/GettyImages-1003453176.jpg?crop=900:600&amp;width=440 440w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/GettyImages-1003453176.jpg?crop=900:600&amp;width=860 860w, https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/07\/GettyImages-1003453176.jpg?crop=900:600&amp;width=910 910w\" \/><\/p>\n<p>On August 11th, 1999, the Dalai Lama brought thousands of New Yorkers to Central Park to hear him preach the gospel of nothingness. About 20 years later, a tech start-up called OZY Media updated His Holiness\u2019 concept as a bipartisan bacchanal of surrender complete with false prophets, matching accessories and the pacifying sense that everything will be fine \u2013 if only we embrace our fate as steerage passengers on the SpaceX\u2122 Titanic.<\/p>\n<p>Fueled by Silicon Valley venture capital, the third annual OZY Fest brought together the brightest minds of neoliberalism for an extended sermon on the importance of staying the course. It was sponsored by Volvo, and combined TED talk-like panels during the day with bland indie music into the night. CNBC called it \u201cNew York\u2019s answer to SXSW.\u201d Featured names included Chelsea Handler, Malcolm Gladwell, Common and Grouplove. The undisputed headliner: Hillary Clinton. As a critical chronicler of Hillary in particular and late capitalist decline in general, I had to see it for myself.<\/p>\n<p>&#8230;We arrived to a gaggle of wilting professional types in motivational T-shirts (clear winner: \u201cDance like Russia isn\u2019t watching\u201d) sitting cross-legged on the ground while Alex Rodriguez and some likeminded folks testified from the main stage (or as the fest calls it, \u201cthe platform\u201d) as to how each became an entrepreneur in terms Christman likened to a religious conversion. \u201cIt\u2019s like being a born-again Christian,\u201d he observed. \u201c\u2018When did <em>you<\/em> become an entrepreneur?\u2019\u201d If A-Rod mentioned the entrepreneurial benefits of being a rich and famous baseball player, he did so only in passing&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Much of the panel focused on education. \u201cEducational entrepreneur\u201d Mi spoke about children in the language of the market: parents must \u201cinvest\u201d in them. She spun her business model of contracting down-on-their luck Americans to instruct Chinese students in English via webcam for $14-$18\/hour, plus incentives, as a positive for everyone involved. When she used the phrase \u201ccurriculum product,\u201d I thought Christman might have an aneurysm&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>And then, just like that, we were ready for<em><strong> Chillary, queen diva, lover of hot sauce, OG abuelita, the screen onto which so many foot soldiers of #theresistance project their hopes and fears to this day. \u201cI\u2019m with her! I\u2019m with her!\u201d chanted an excited group of women from the stands<\/strong><\/em>. Dressed in the flowing robes of a cult leader newly beatified by a year-long silent retreat, s<em><strong>he appeared from on high to deliver her underwhelming gospel \u2013 in conversation, of course, with OZY investor Laurene Powell Jobs, widow of Steve.<\/strong><\/em><\/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><em><strong>The theme of the sermon was Russia. Specifically: How Russia staged a coup against our rightful Queen<\/strong> <\/em>in favor of a crude (and legitimately worse) interloper. \u201cIt was a very broad and a very successful cyber attack on our electoral system,\u201d Clinton said. \u201cThe attack goes to the heart of our democracy. The great mystery is why the president has not spoken up for our country.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere are some tech experts in Silicon Valley whom I have met who say that maybe what they will do this time is really disrupt the actual election,\u201d she continued. \u201cWe are still very vulnerable.\u201d Her repeating leitmotif of a solution: \u201cThe best way to deal with them is to vote in November.\u201d Perhaps starting to wrap their minds around the catch-22 presented, the cheering women began to slouch.<\/p>\n<p>Folks perked up again when the sermon culminated in a dramatic cutaway to an inspirational video montage of grassroots resistance by activists around the nation: Charlottesville, Standing Rock, Black Lives Matter, the ICE airport protests. \u201cIt\u2019s exhausting, but we cannot stop,\u201d Clinton proclaimed, her blue robes growing to engulf the world. <em>Holy Abuelita, protect them by the power of your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one as we are one. <\/em>Guess this is what those crazy commies are on about when they say the Democratic Party is the graveyard of social movements. Capital and its faithful administrators have never met a movement they can\u2019t absorb.\u00a0 <a href=\"https:\/\/www.rollingstone.com\/culture\/culture-features\/a-neoliberal-nightmare-at-ozy-fest-2018-702600\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.rollingstone.com\/culture\/culture-features\/a-neoliberal-nightmare-at-ozy-fest-2018-702600\/<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/verkeersregelaargilde\/videos\/631578753881469\/?t=102\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.facebook.com\/verkeersregelaargilde\/videos\/631578753881469\/?t=102<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/dogsarefamily.tv\/videos\/223013888335434\/?t=6\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.facebook.com\/dogsarefamily.tv\/videos\/223013888335434\/?t=6<\/a><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/JohnnyyRambo\/videos\/2128615297211612\/?t=75\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.facebook.com\/JohnnyyRambo\/videos\/2128615297211612\/?t=75<\/a><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Ferguson Fire Covers Yosemite National Park With Haze Of Smoke\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/pjOc-z6IF58?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: #0000ff;\"><strong>So Long<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n<p><strong>Dead Rat Costcutter Marchionne of Fiat Chrysler, bailout hack, layoff and two tier wage expert, corrupter of the corrupt UAW. <\/strong><\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"irc_mi aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/www.toledoblade.com\/image\/2015\/09\/16\/UAW-Contract-Talks.JPG\" alt=\"Image result for marchionne chrysler UAW OFFICER\" width=\"304\" height=\"215\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>We Say Fight Back! Enduring Voices, the Story of Detroit&#8217;s Fifth Estate Underground paper is introduced here on video: <a href=\"http:\/\/www.joelsilvers.com\/film-and-video\/\" class=\"autohyperlink\" target=\"_blank\">www.joelsilvers.com\/film-and-video\/<\/a> Microsoft Employees Question C.E.O. Over Company\u2019s Contract With ICE Microsoft employees questioned the company\u2019s chief executive, Satya Nadella, on Thursday, presenting him with a petition signed by more than 300,000 people that called on the [&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-21766","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21766","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=21766"}],"version-history":[{"count":30,"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21766\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21799,"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21766\/revisions\/21799"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21766"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21766"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.richgibson.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21766"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}