Turkey has increased scrutiny of Russian-speaking Muslim communities in the past few months following a series of attacks blamed on Islamic State, a concrete example of the renewed relationship between the two countries. Turkish police have raided the homes of Russian-speaking immigrants in Istanbul, detained many and expelled others, according to interviews with Russian Muslims living in the city.
Category: Barack Obama
Fake News vs Facts: Here’s how President Trump’s press conference claims measure up
President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference in the East Room of the White House in Washington, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017. The facts: By almost every economic measure, Barack Obama inherited a far worse situation when he became president in 2009 than he left for Mr Trump.
Trump, fond of signing executive orders, awaits more pens
It didn’t take long for President Donald Trump to start running out of the custom-made Cross pens he uses to sign executive orders. “I think we’re going to need some more pens, by the way,” he said on Inauguration Day four weeks ago.
Photo credit: NEWSCOM
Donald Trump has promised a foreign policy of muscular retrenchment, in which a better-resourced U.S. military intimidates our enemies without serving as a global cop. More than any president since Richard Nixon, our new commander in chief sees virtue in brutal authoritarians, especially if they are fighting radical Islam.
The Better-than-Monroe Doctrine
Up to now, The Scrapbook has looked skeptically at rankings of presidents by historians. They tend to be biased, trendy, superficial, and based on no little myth.
Watchdog: No way to measure US-Mexico border wall success
The United States does not have a way to measure how well fencing works to deter… . A section of the border fence is shown, Thursday, Feb. 16, 2017, along the U.S.-Mexico border in Brownsville, Texas.
Donald Trump Doesn’t Care if Israel and the Palestinians Make Peace
With an off-hand remark, the president indicates the status quo of U.S.-supported Israeli occupation is fine with him. We’ve long known that President Donald Trump has no filter, yet his every utterance now carries the weight of U.S. policy behind it.
Netanyahu and Trump push reset of US-Israel relationship
President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made their debut Wednesday as chummy partners preparing to tackle the Middle East’s toughest challenges side by side. Netanyahu beamed at his new American counterpart and declared him the best friend Israel could possibly wish for, while Trump offered lofty praise for Israel, denounced the Iranian nuclear deal and declined to back a two-state solution – a longstanding, bipartisan US policy that the Israeli Prime Minister has questioned.
Ap Fact Check: Trump piles up the questionable assertions
President Donald Trump made a messy case that he “inherited a mess” from his predecessor. Economic stats and territorial losses of Islamic State insurgents don’t support his assertions about the problems handed to him on those fronts.
As crisis swirls, Trump faces mounting pressure in party
Donald Trump and his White House have come in for intense criticism in the president’s dizzying first weeks in office, and the rising sound of discord is not just coming from opposition Democrats. Republicans on Capitol Hill and outside the Washington Beltway are increasingly venting their frustration and worry — sometimes publicly but more often among themselves — about the new administration’s missteps, speedy policy rollouts, abrasive tone and often tenuous relation to facts.
WHO declares end to yellow fever outbreak in Congo, Angola
Kate Upton is once again Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit queen, gracing the magazine’s special issue with not one, but three different covers. As some cities reaffirm support for sanctuary policies that protect immigrants, Phoenix, with the 10th-largest population of immigrants living in the country illegally, is subjected to a 2010 state law that bars… As some cities reaffirm support for sanctuary policies that protect immigrants, Phoenix, with the 10th-largest population of immigrants living in the country illegally, is subjected to a 2010 state law that bars any Arizona city from becoming a sanctuary.
5 things for Wednesday, February 15, 2017: Trump and Russia, Kim Jong Un, Netanyahu
High-level advisers close to then-presidential nominee Donald Trump were in constant communication during the campaign with Russians known to US intelligence, multiple current and former intelligence, law enforcement and administration officials tell CNN. President-elect Trump and then-President Barack Obama were both briefed on details of the extensive communications between suspected Russian operatives and people associated with the Trump campaign and the Trump business, according to US officials familiar with the matter.
Why Trump’s Iran Policy Will Be Much Like Obama’s
The first public pronouncements by President Donald Trump’s administration on Iran have created the widespread impression that the US will adopt a much more aggressive posture towards the Islamic Republic than under Barack Obama’s presidency. But despite the rather crude warnings to Tehran by now ex-national security adviser Michael Flynn and by Trump himself, the Iran policy that has begun to take shape in the administration’s first weeks looks quite similar to Obama’s.
How a Russian Steel Oligarch and Putin Ally Is Profiting from Keystone XL
Believe it or not, there’s a key connection to Russia and its president, Vladimir Putin, in the fight over North America’s controversial Keystone One of President Donald Trump’s first actions in office was to sign an executive order on January 24 expediting the approval of the Keystone . Owned by TransCanada, this tar sands oil pipeline was halted by former President Barack Obama in November 2015.
Hoisted on His Own Petard: Flynn Was Brought Down by the Very Spying Machine He Helped to Build
There’s a delicious irony in the downfall of Michael Flynn, President Trump’s National Security Advisor, who resigned his post just 24 days after his appointment. A retired three-star Lt.
Michael T. Flynn: A timeline of his brief tenure
Michael T. Flynn resigned as national security adviser on Monday night following the revelation that he had misled White House officials about conversations he had with the Russian ambassador to the United States. President-elect Donald Trump offered Flynn the post of national security adviser, elevating the retired general and intelligence officer who saw Islamist militancy as a global existential threat.
Trump aides spoke to Russians during campaign
High-level advisers close to then-presidential nominee Donald Trump were in constant communication during the campaign with Russians known to US intelligence, multiple current and former intelligence, law enforcement and administration officials tell CNN. President-elect Trump and then-President Barack Obama were both briefed on details of the extensive communications between suspected Russian operatives and people associated with the Trump campaign and the Trump business, according to US officials familiar with the matter.
President Trump Is Angry About Leaks That Led to Michael Flynn’s Resignation
On Tuesday White House spokesman Sean Spicer confirmed that President Trump requested Michael Flynn’s resignation over “eroding trust”. “By what authority did Flynn act and to whom did he report? ” she asked.
Utah tourism promotes Bears Ears despite state opposition
Republican Gov. Gary Herbert signed a resolution earlier this month from the Legislature calling on President Donald Trump to repeal the designation by President Barack Obama during his final weeks in office. Herbert and others say they want to ensure the lands in southeastern Utah are used for a mix of purposes, including development, drilling and mining.
Congress quietly working to undo Obama-era regulations Updated at
While President Donald Trump’s daily activities continue to consume much of the nation’s attention, Congress has quietly launched a legislating spree at the other end of Pennsylvania Avenue.
Trump’s visits to Florida costing sheriff $1.5 million in OT
The Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Department has racked up $1.5 million in overtime costs while assisting the Secret Service since President Donald Trump was elected in November. The county sent letters to federal officials in December seeking reimbursement for the overtime security costs from Trump’s five-day visit to his South Florida estate called Mar-a-lago in November, the Palm Beach Post reported Tuesday.
AIRSHOW-Foreign jet makers need their govt’s nod to make in India – minister
Feb 14 Foreign aircraft manufacturers offering to make combat jets in India will have to win approval from their governments, Indian Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar said, in a measure aimed at ensuring projects are not affected due to policy flip-flops. These comments come at a time when U.S. firm Lockheed Martin has said the new administration under President Donald Trump may want to take a “fresh look” at its proposal to move production of its F-16 combat jets to India.
Russian Hackers Get Burned in Deal
For several years, a group of Russian hackers have been posting letters and documents stolen from senior Russian officials with impunity. And then the nation’s spy agency tracked them down and offered them a deal.
Top Trump aide Flynn resigns over Russia contacts
This file photo taken on February 01, 2017 shows US National Security Adviser Mike Flynn walking past Press Secretary Sean Spicer as he makes his way to the lectern during the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, DC. Washington: Donald Trump’s national security adviser Michael Flynn resigned amid controversy over his contacts with the Russian government, a first stunning departure from the president’s inner circle less than a month after his inauguration.
AP Interview: Trump yet to call UN atomic chief on Iran deal
The head of the United Nations’ atomic agency said Tuesday the administration of U.S. President Donald Trump has yet to be in touch with him or others about their criticism of the Iran nuclear deal. Yukiya Amano, the director-general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, told The Associated Press that his organization was “in constant touch” with the U.S., but had yet to hear from the new administration on their concerns.
Flynn, fired once by a president, now resigns to another
In this Jan. 28, 2017, file photo, President Donald Trump accompanied by, from second from left, Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, Vice President Mike Pence, White House press secretary Sean Spicer and National Security Adviser Michael Flynn speaks on the phone with Russian President Vladimir Putin in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington.
Where Are People Crossing Illegally Into the U.S.?
President Donald Trump has directed the Department of Homeland Security to move forward with one of his more prominent campaign promises: to build a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico. But he hasn’t provided many details about the project, including when and how the wall would be built, or how much it would cost.
UNC to reveal FATCA position
The Opposition United National Congress intends to meet in caucus to take a final decision on its position on the Foreign Accounts Tax Compliance Act ahead to today’s meeting of the Lower House of Parliament to discuss the report of the Joint Select Committee on FATCA. Political leader of the United National Congress, Opposition leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar told the T&T Guardian that the party had taken no final decision on what its position would be regarding the Tax Information Exchange Agreements Bill.
Immigrants wait in fear after raids; Trump takes credit
Pastor Fred Morris looked out over his congregation Sunday as news ricocheted around the world that American authorities were rounding up immigrants in an enforcement surge that President Donald Trump promised on the campaign trail. Parishioners did not smile as on any other Sunday morning.
Nation-Now 57 mins ago 3:37 p.m.Army to spend $300 million on bonuses …
The Army plans to spend $300 million in a blitz of bonuses and advertising over the next eight months to recruit 6,000 additional soldiers it needs to fill out its ranks. Legislation approved by Congress and signed late last year by former president Barack Obama halted a years-long drawdown of U.S. troops.
Back in Florida, Craig Fugate is happy to leave the next disaster to a new FEMA chief
Craig Fugate, FEMA administrator, appears with President Barack Obama in the Oval Office on Oct. 7 after briefing the president on Hurricane Matthew. [Manuel Balce Ceneta Naturally, disaster threatened North Florida as Craig Fugate returned home after seven years in Washington running the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Washington’s top lawyer uses strategic streak to fight Trump
The legal challenge that would launch Washington state Attorney General Bob Ferguson into the vanguard of resistance against President Donald Trump’s travel ban was already in the works as Ferguson flew home from Florida the morning after Trump issued his executive order. “We were having internal conversations about a potential action by the president along those lines,” Ferguson recalled in an interview.
Neil Gorsuch, Bishop Edward J. Burns, the Constitution, President Trump, U.S. Congress
The headline of a front-page report stated “High court pick rebukes Trump.” The words Judge Neil Gorsuch used were “disheartening” and “demoralizing,” which most would not classify as strong a condemnation as the word rebuke implies, but perhaps that could be viewed as nitpicking.
Netanyahu pledges to promote ‘responsible policies’ at Trump meeting
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday he would present “responsible policies” in talks with U.S. President Donald Trump, signaling to the Israeli far-right to curb its territorial demands in the occupied West Bank. Netanyahu leaves for Washington on Monday and will see Trump at the White House on Wednesday for their first meeting since the Republican’s inauguration last month, with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and policy toward Iran on the agenda.
17 artists you won’t believe have won a Grammy
From puppets and presidents to cartoon characters and comedians, a whole host of unlikely suspects have got their hands on that coveted golden gramophone trophy over the past six decades. Ahead of the 2017 ceremony on February 12, here’s a look at 17 of the most utterly baffling winners.
The Trump-shake: A look at Donald Trump and Shinzo Abe’s awkward handshake
This handshake between Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. President Donald Trump has been lampooned on social media. Source: Reuters/Jim Bourg In his own words , he has called the act a “barbaric” one that puts both giver and receiver at risk of contracting some kind of medical ailment.
[Other View] A Republican carbon tax
Some Republicans have grown tired of fighting the rest of the world on climate change. As economists, religious and military leaders, ordinary Americans and even oil companies have joined the push to lower greenhouse gas emissions, Republicans have, for the most part, resisted.
The trouble with Trump hysteria
Tom Nichols is a professor at the Naval War College and the Harvard Extension School and the author of “The Death of Expertise” . The views expressed are entirely his own.
Trump’s Florida Estate Stirs Protests, Spurs Ethics Debate
He has described the sprawling Mar-a-Lago property as the Winter White House and has spent two weekends there so far this month. But it’s also become a magnet for anti-Trump protesters and the subject of an ethics debate over his invitation to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to join him this weekend – with Trump pledging to pay for the accommodations.
Justice Department no longer fighting injunction on transgender school guidance
The Justice Department on Friday signaled it stopped fighting to overturn a national injunction blocking the federal government from giving guidance to schools and transgender students, another sign President Donald Trump’s administration is taking a different approach than former President Barack Obama’s. A hearing was set for next Tuesday in the 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in which the Justice Department was fighting Texas and 11 other states, which had filed a lawsuit to prevent the Education Department from being able to give that guidance to transgender students that they are allowed to use restrooms that match their gender identity.