Reader’s links, May 2, 2018

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In order to preserve the flow of conversation about various posted items, and also in order to make it easier for visitors to find the list of related links being shared by other readers, regulars and interested parties in one place, each day a post is automatically created at a minute past midnight ET.

This way, under the various posts of the day, conversation can take place without as much ‘noise’ on the various links and articles and ideas in the main posts and all the news links being submitted can be seen under these auto-posts by clicking on the comments-link right below these ones.

Thank you all for those that take the effort to assist this site in keeping the public informed. Below, typically people can find the latest enemy propaganda, news items of related materials from multiple countries and languages, op-eds from many excellent sites who write on our topics, geopolitics and immigration issues and so on.

About Eeyore

Canadian artist and counter-jihad and freedom of speech activist as well as devout Schrödinger's catholic

159 Replies to “Reader’s links, May 2, 2018”

  1. Hospital That Yanked Alfie Evans’ Life Support Caught Selling Children’s Organs

    “According to a 2001 news report in the Guardian newspaper, the hospital was also in the news because it sold body parts from babies to pharmaceutical companies in return for financial compensation.”

    “The mother of a baby boy whose organs were removed and stored by Alder Hey without her consent said she was appalled at the latest disclosure.

    The exchange of organs for cash is the latest twist in the Alder Hey organs scandal – and the first time body parts from *living children* have been involved.”

    “The news comes as some people are defending Alder Hey Children’s Hospital. In new comments today, British prime minister Theresa May defended the hospital. **She argued that medical experts ought to be the ones to make decisions in such cases as opposed to parents and family.**”

    http://www.lifenews.com/2018/04/30/hospital-that-yanked-alfie-evans-life-support-was-once-caught-selling-childrens-organs/

    • Why do people always assume that all medical practitioners are always honest better people? They are humans susceptible to our frailties.

  2. Mueller raised possibility of presidential subpoena in meeting with Trump’s legal team

    Carol D. Leonnig and Robert Costa, The Washington Post Published 7:20 pm, Tuesday, May 1, 2018

    WASHINGTON – In a tense meeting in early March with the special counsel, President Donald Trump’s lawyers insisted he had no obligation to talk with federal investigators probing Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential campaign.

    But Special Counsel Robert Mueller responded that he had another option if Trump declined: He could issue a subpoena for the president to appear before a grand jury, according to four people familiar with the encounter.

    Mueller’s warning – the first time he is known to have mentioned a possible subpoena to Trump’s legal team – spurred a sharp retort from John Dowd, then the president’s lead lawyer.

    “This isn’t some game,” Dowd said, according to two people with knowledge of his comments. “You are screwing with the work of the president of the United States.”

    The flare-up set in motion weeks of turmoil among Trump’s attorneys as they debated how to deal with the special counsel’s request for an interview, a dispute that ultimately led to Dowd’s resignation.

    https://www.lmtonline.com/news/article/Mueller-raised-possibility-of-presidential-12879676.php

  3. No collusion? Leak shows Mueller wants to ask Trump about it

    By MARY CLARE JALONICK

    WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is angrily protesting a leaked list of questions that the Justice Department’s special counsel may want to ask him, while at the same time contending the list shows anew there was no crime or collusion with the Russians by his presidential campaign. But the questions suggest that investigators want to focus on collusion and obstruction of justice.

    The questions, some 49 in all, were published by The New York Times, which said they were compiled by Trump’s lawyers during negotiations with special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigators over a possible interview with the president himself. The Times said it got the list from someone “outside Mr. Trump’s legal team.”

    A person familiar with the matter, who insisted on anonymity to discuss ongoing negotiations, told The Associated Press that the Trump lawyers extrapolated a list of expected questions based off conversations with Mueller’s team. The questions contained in a document posted online by the Times on Monday night reflected questions that defense lawyers anticipated rather than verbatim queries that Mueller’s team provided, the person said.

    The leak was “so disgraceful,” Trump tweeted on Tuesday. “No questions on Collusion,” he said, “collusion that never existed.” That’s the idea that his presidential campaign collaborated with Russians who were trying to help him to the Oval Office. As for obstruction of the investigation after he took office, he scoffed, “It would be very hard to obstruct justice for a crime that never happened!”

    There’s still no word from the White House as to whether Trump will sit down to answer these questions or others for the investigation.

    Some takeaways from the list:

    http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/US_TRUMP_RUSSIA_PROBE_TAKEAWAYS?SITE=TXMCA&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2018-05-01-18-53-53

  4. Facebook Has Begun To Rank News Organizations By Trust, Zuckerberg Says

    A responsibility “to find common ground.”

    Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said Tuesday that the company has already begun to implement a system that ranks news organizations based on trustworthiness, and promotes or suppresses its content based on that metric.

    Zuckerberg said the company has gathered data on how consumers perceive news brands by asking them to identify whether they have heard of various publications and if they trust them.

    “We put [that data] into the system, and it is acting as a boost or a suppression, and we’re going to dial up the intensity of that over time,” he said. “We feel like we have a responsibility to further [break] down polarization and find common ground.”

    Zuckerberg met with a group of news media executives at the Rosewood Sand Hill hotel in Menlo Park after delivering his keynote speech at Facebook’s annual F8 developer conference Tuesday.

    https://www.buzzfeed.com/bensmith/facebook-has-begun-to-rank-news-organizations-by-trust?utm_term=.hsMvNE1wg#.bk8WA5l8J

      • I heard some one say that the news sources being labeled fake news have been shared more since the labeling then before the labeling.

  5. Facebook Asks on Every Post: ‘Is This Hate Speech?’

    On Tuesday, Facebook launched an initiative enabling users to identify “hate speech.”

    On virtually every single public post, an option has emerged. “Does this post contain hate speech?” the site asks, giving two options: “Yes” or “No.” Each post also gives the option to dismiss the question with a tiny “x” box to the right of the answers.

    The “hate speech” question even appears on a user’s own posts.

    https://pjmedia.com/trending/facebook-asks-on-every-post-is-this-hate-speech/

  6. Billionaire girds for stock-market crash by investing half his net worth in gold

    Egyptian billionaire Naguib Sawiris isn’t your typical gold bug.

    The chairman of Orascom Telecom Media and Technology Holding S.A.E. told Bloomberg in an interview from Cairo this week that he sees gold GCM8, +0.15% surging up to $1,800 an ounce while the “overvalued” stock market hits the skids.

    At last check, gold was down almost 1% at $1,307 an ounce while the Dow DJIA, -0.27% and S&P SPX, +0.25% were getting hit hard in Tuesday’s session.

    Sawiris, Egypt’s second-richest man behind his younger brother, is putting his money where his mouth is, investing half his $5.7 billion net worth in gold.

    “In the end you have China and they will not stop consuming,” he said. “And people also tend to go to gold during crises and we are full of crises right now. Look at the Middle East and the rest of the world and Mr. Trump doesn’t help.”

    Watch the full interview:

  7. French government under fire after May Day chaos

    Paris (AFP) – France’s interior minister promised Wednesday to boost security at protests after hooded youths ran amok at a May Day rally in Paris, torching cars and a McDonald’s restaurant.

    Police said 109 people were in custody after the violence, which has sparked criticism that the government was unprepared for the 1,200 black-clad troublemakers who joined the traditional May 1 march for workers’ rights.

    “The authority of the state, reduced to statements of ‘strong condemnation’, has been tarnished once again,” read a column in the right-leaning Figaro newspaper.

    Regional daily L’Est Republicain deplored “the sight of these 1,200 thugs dressed in black on the Austerlitz bridge”, while the L’Alsace newspaper declared: “Governing means planning ahead.”

    https://www.yahoo.com/news/french-government-under-fire-may-day-chaos-080848538.html

  8. PARIS IS BURNING Paris May Day riots see far-left anarchists smash windows and loot a McDonalds as thousands of mask-wearing protesters bring chaos to the French capital

    Protesters hurled bricks and cops And torched cars as they descended on the French capital as the marches to mark International Workers’ Day turned violent

    MASKED anarchists have smashed windows and looted a McDonald’s as thousands brought carnage to Paris in May Day protests.

    The far-Left agitators chucked petrol bombs through windows and torched cars while others clashed with police.

    https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/6187929/paris-may-day-riots-far-left-anarchists-smash-windows-loot-mcdonalds-thousands-protesters-chaos/

  9. May day! Protesters marking International Workers’ Day hold rally in London’s Trafalgar Square – with some marchers holding banners of STALIN

    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5679069/International-Workers-Day-rally-Trafalgar-Square-features-banners-Stalin.html#ixzz5ELicwQkh
    Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

    Protesters marked International Workers’ Day with a rally in London’s Trafalgar Square today, with some marchers holding up pictures of Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin.

    The demonstration was organised by United Voices of the World and the Independent Workers Union of Great Britain, and included industrial disputes over pay, hours, union recognition and outsourcing.

    It included workers involved in a long-running pay dispute at cinema chain Picturehouse, cleaners at the Ministry of Justice campaigning for the London living wage, and cleaners from King’s College pressing for work to be brought in-house.

    Millions of people died in Stalin’s Russia, many of them transported to labour camps to work in extreme temperatures or executed in mass killings of political prisoners, while others died in disastrous famines.

    Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5679069/International-Workers-Day-rally-Trafalgar-Square-features-banners-Stalin.html#ixzz5ELijPYkL
    Follow us: @MailOnline on Twitter | DailyMail on Facebook

  10. In show of continuity, Castro flanks new Cuban leader at May Day rally

    HAVANA (Reuters) – At Cuba’s first major political rally since Raul Castro handed the presidency over to his protege Miguel Diaz-Canel, the two men stood side-by-side overseeing Havana’s May Day march on Tuesday in a show of continuity and unity on the Communist-run island.

    Cuba’s government has been at pains to stress that the historic transition that took place on April 19 does not herald change to one of the world’s last state-run economies and one-party systems, to the frustration of some and relief of others.

    While Castro has retired from government, the 86-year-old remains head of the all-powerful Communist Party and speakers at the meticulously state-orchestrated rally referred to him before they did to Diaz-Canel.

    Hundreds of thousands paraded at the break of day through Revolution Square to the tune of marching bands, waving Cuban flags and banners reading “United for our Socialism” and “Viva Fidel” in reference to Castro’s late older brother, Fidel Castro.

    https://ca.news.yahoo.com/show-continuity-castro-flanks-cuban-leader-may-day-154040846.html

  11. Emmanuel Macron raises eyebrows after calling Australian Prime Minister’s wife ‘delicious’

    Emmanuel Macron, the French President, has raised eyebrows during his visit to Australia by calling prime minister Malcolm Turnbull’s wife Lucy “delicious”.

    At the end of a joint news conference between the two leaders, the 40-year old French president turned to thank Mr Turnbull for his hospitality.

    “I want to thank you for your welcome,” he said, before raising the Gallic charm a notch by adding: “Thank you and your delicious wife for your warm welcome.”

    Mr Macron’s interesting choice of English prompted instant mirth on social media, amid some confusion over his intent.

    The jury appears to be out over whether it was an odd, but deliberate play on words or a linguistic slip-up.

    https://www.yahoo.com/news/emmanuel-macron-raises-eyebrows-calling-085117347.html

  12. 65% of Public School 8th Graders Not Proficient in Reading; 67% Not Proficient in Math

    (CNSNews.com) – Sixty-five percent of the eighth graders in American public schools in 2017 were not proficient in reading and 67 percent were not proficient in mathematics, according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress test results released by the U.S. Department of Education.

    The results are far worse for students enrolled in some urban districts.

    Among the 27 large urban districts for which the Department of Education published 2017 NAEP test scores, the Detroit public schools had the lowest percentage of students who scored proficient or better in math and the lowest percentage who scored proficient or better in reading.

    Only 5 percent of Detroit public-school eighth graders were proficient or better in math. Only 7 percent were proficient or better in reading.

    In the Cleveland public schools, only 11 percent of eight graders were proficient or better in math and only 10 percent were proficient or better in reading.

    https://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/terence-p-jeffrey/65-public-school-8th-graders-not-proficient-reading-67-not-proficient

  13. ‘Stand for the Second’: Students across USA plan 16-minute walkout to back Second Amendment

    Students at schools across the nation plan to walk out of their classrooms Wednesday to show their support for the Second Amendment.

    The national event, called “Stand for the Second,” was started by New Mexico high schooler Will Riley. Students say they will walk out of classes for 16 minutes. Organizers say they expect students in more than 40 states to take part.

    The event comes just over a month after students around the country staged a walkout aimed at stopping gun violence and honoring the students killed at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., in February.

    Riley, 18, a senior at Carlsbad High School, told the Carlsbad Current-Argus last month that media reports on the student gun protests prompted him to organize “Stand for the Second.”

    https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/05/01/pro-second-amendment-students-plan-school-walkouts/571445002/

  14. China set to DOMINATE robot industry with MILLIONS of jobs wiped out

    CHINESE tech scientists are set to catch their rivals and dominate the robotics industry that could take millions of human jobs.

    The Asian powerhouse boosted robot research in the early 2010s, that led to a 20% year-on-year increase of robots being developed in 2016.

    Jye Su, an analyst and advisor at ABI Research said: “The top four Chinese industrial robotics vendors reported a toppling growth of 20% year-on-year in 2016 and and a similar figure is expected for the next few years.”

    China has surged ahead in terms of development, putting it in direct competition with Japan and Europe for the first time.

      • That should really make the average Chinese person very happy.

        Touché, Michelle! A country that specializes in manual labor swiftly migrating towards advanced robotics? Where’s the “happy ending” in that?

  15. Pentagon to Beat Uber, Tesla in Race Over Self-Driving Vehicles

    Forget Uber, Waymo and Tesla: the next big name in self-driving vehicles could be the Pentagon.

    “We’re going to have self-driving vehicles in theater for the Army before we’ll have self-driving cars on the streets,” Michael Griffin, the undersecretary of defense for research and engineering, told lawmakers at a hearing on Capitol Hill this month. “But the core technologies will be the same.”

    https://www.bloombergquint.com/politics/2018/04/30/pentagon-to-beat-uber-tesla-in-race-over-self-driving-vehicles

  16. Disguised women sneak into Iranian football match

    https://ichef-1.bbci.co.uk/news/660/cpsprodpb/DD55/production/_101116665_capture.jpg

    http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-43964178

    Several Iranian women have caught people’s attention by revealing the lengths they go to to attend a football match.

    Donning beards and wigs, they disguised themselves as men so they could watch their team, Persepolis, play rivals Sepidrood at the Azadi stadium in Tehran last Friday.

    Images of the women at the stadium have been widely shared on both Persian and English social media.

  17. Swedish County Finds Direct Link Between Mass Migration and Increased Drug Problems, Social Strain (breitbart, May 2, 2018)
    http://www.breitbart.com/london/2018/05/02/swedish-county-finds-direct-link-mass-migration-increased-drug-problems/

    “The Swedish county of Blekinge has released a report showing the effect of mass migration on the area which has stretched local resources and led to an increase in drug problems.

    The report by the county administrative board shows that Blekinge, located on the south-east coast of Sweden, has seen a strain on many areas due to the sudden influx of migrants since the height of the migrant crisis in 2015, Swedish broadcaster SVT reports.

    County Administrative Integration Counsellor Lena Ekroth cited three main areas which have been directly affected by mass migration including housing, the local school system, and the public healthcare system.

    “There are homes, a need to find shelter over the heads of those who come here. Then we have schooling, in the form of finding it difficult to find teachers and premises so that we have enough. Then there is health and especially dental care that has seen increased pressure,” Ekroth said.

    Blekinge administrative board also sent out questionnaires to the various municipalities within the county and found that a strain on social services was a common complaint. The questionnaires also revealed an increase in drug problems with asylum seekers, particularly those who came as unaccompanied minors.

    “The mental health of the lone children has deteriorated, and in the reports, it is said that there is a major drug problem in this group. That’s something we need to look at, whether that’s right or not,” Ekroth said.

    The report comes after some have suggested that the strain of mass migration in Sweden will likely force many municipalities to increase their tax rates and has seen the current government propose raising the retirement age to pay for the added costs.

    Another problem the Swedish government has been faced with is the massive unemployment rate of migrant-background Swedes as opposed to native-born Swedes. A report from last year claimed that native Swedes had an unemployment rate of just 3.9 per cent, while the migrant unemployment rate stood at 21.8 per cent.”

  18. Biohacker famous for injecting self with herpes treatment found dead in float therapy tank

    he 28-year-old CEO of a controversial biohacking company was found dead in a Washington D.C. spa on Sunday.

    The body of Aaron Traywick, CEO and founder of Ascendance Biomedical, was discovered in a spa room on Massachusetts Ave. shortly after 11:30 a.m. Sunday, the Metropolitan Police Department told SFGATE. The investigation remains ongoing. No evidence suggests foul play.

    Ascendance employees Andreas Stuermer and Tristan Roberts told Vice News that Traywick was found in a flotation therapy tank. The soundproof tanks are typically filled with body-temperature saltwater to promote “sensory deprivation,” which proponents say aids in the exploration of alternate states of consciousness. (Read more about the tanks here.)

    https://www.sfgate.com/news/article/aaron-traywick-dead-biohack-ascendance-tank-herpes-12878414.php

  19. Most Brits Still Support ‘Hostile Environment’ to Illegal Immigrants After Windrush Scandal (breitbart, May 2, 2018)
    http://www.breitbart.com/london/2018/05/02/71-per-cent-still-back-hostile-environment-illegals-windrush-scandal/

    “Most Brits think immigration has been too high over the last ten years, and 71 per cent back the government’s “hostile environment” to illegal migrants, despite the recent Windrush scandal which brought down the Home Secretary.

    “Overall public opinion towards immigration remains negative,” pollsters YouGov reported when presenting the survey, conducted last week during the height of the scandal.

    They found 63 per cent of people think the near-record levels of immigration into Britain over the past decade have been too high, and – by 32 per cent to 24 per cent – say it has been mostly bad for Britain.

    Support for slashing levels of migration includes 84 per cent of Conservative, 49 per cent of Labour, and 43 per cent of Liberal Democrat supporters. Yet, just four per cent said levels of migration have been too low.

    Furthermore, in principle, a massive 71 per cent backed the government’s “hostile environment” to illegal migration, with just 15 per cent opposed…”

  20. Comic Hero Popular in Sweden Mocked for Fighting ‘Polish Nationalists’ with Gay Pride Flag (breitbart, May 2, 2018)
    http://www.breitbart.com/london/2018/05/02/comic-hero-popular-sweden-mocked-fighting-polish-nationalists-gay-pride-flag/

    “The Swedish language version of the classic comic book hero ‘The Phantom’ has been mocked by a Polish broadcaster after an issue was released of the superhero beating up “Polish nationalists” with a gay pride flag.

    The story occurs in the latest issue of Sweden’s Fantomen magazine which sees the Phantom, a popular superhero in Sweden who was created by United States comic book artists in 1936, attend a gay pride parade in Warsaw and attack “Polish nationalists” who protest the event, Aftonbladet reports.

    Armed with a gay pride flag on a flagpole, the Phantom attacks the nationalists after declaring: “I have to act quickly before blood flows on the streets!”…”

  21. China reiterates call to continue upholding Iran nuclear deal

    BEIJING (Reuters) – China’s foreign ministry on Wednesday reiterated that all sides should continue to uphold the Iran nuclear agreement, and that the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said many times Iran is in compliance with the deal.

    Speaking at a daily news briefing, ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said China had noted reports about Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu unveiling what he called evidence of a secret Iranian nuclear weapons program as well as the reaction sparked by the disclosure.

    The IAEA is the only international body with the right to supervise the agreement and make judgments about it, and China has noted that the agency has said several times Iran is in compliance, Hua said.

    All sides need to continue upholding the pact, she added.

    Israel said on Tuesday it does not seek war with Iran and suggested U.S. President Donald Trump backed Israel’s latest attempt to kill the 2015 Iran nuclear deal by disclosing the purported evidence of past Iranian nuclear arms work.

    China, a permanent member of the U.N. Security Council, was one of the architects of the agreement, and has said many times it should continue to be upheld by all the signatories.

    http://www.oann.com/china-reiterates-call-to-continue-upholding-iran-nuclear-deal/

  22. US Court Obliges Iran to Pay Billions to Families of 9/11 Victims – Reports (sputniknews, May 2, 2018)
    https://sputniknews.com/world/201805021064081568-us-court-billions-iran/

    “A US court’s ruling on Iran is just a part of a larger case, the 9/11 families are pursuing against Saudi Arabia for its alleged role in the 2001 terrorist attacks.

    A federal judge in New York has ordered Iran to pay billions of dollars to the families of those who died in the 9/11 terrorist act, ABC News reported Tuesday, citing the court order.

    The court has found Iran, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and the Central Bank of Iran guilty of killing more than 1,000 people and ordered the payment of an indemnity to the victims’ parents, spouses, siblings and children.

    The amount of the money, ordered to pay, varies: $12.5 million per spouse, $8.5 million per parent, $8.5 million per child and $4.25 million per sibling.

    The broadcaster noted that the decision was rather symbolic, as Iran was unlikely to ever pay the money.

    However, the ruling, which is part of the larger case filed by the 9/11 families against Saudi Arabia, allows the former to request a certain amount of money from seized Iranian assets.

    Earlier, a US government commission investigating the 9/11 attacks had claimed that Iranian officials allegedly met al-Qaeda leaders in Sudan between 1991 and 1992, though providing no concrete proof of Iran’s involvement in the terrorist act.
    At the same time, the commission turned a blind eye to the fact that 15 of the 19 terrorists involved in the 9/11 attacks were Saudi nationals.

    The 9/11-related lawsuit filed under the Justice Against Sponsors of Terrorism Act (JASTA) became a law in September 2016 once the US Congress overturned President Barack Obama’s veto. JASTA allows the families of the victims of terrorist attacks committed on US soil to sue other countries and seek compensation from foreign governments.

    JASTA which among other things allows relatives of 9/11 victims to sue Saudi Arabia for its alleged role in the 2001 terrorist attacks has complicated the already tense relations between the US and one of its key allies in the Middle East. High-ranking Saudi officials have tried to convince the White House to abandon the law.”

  23. Austria’s President Has Sided With George Soros and Migrants – Hungarian FM (sputniknews, May 2, 2018)
    https://sputniknews.com/europe/201805021064079934-austrian-president-backs-soros/

    “The Hungarian government has locked horns with globalist billionaire George Soros on several occasions, with Budapest accusing him and his nongovernment organizations (NGOs) of interfering in the country’s internal affairs to push and serve his pro-migrant agenda.

    Hungarian Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Péter Szijjártó criticized Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen on Monday for supporting George Soros’ interests in Europe, according to a Hungarian government press release.

    He also took the opportunity to once again hit out at Soros’ pro-migrant stance.

    “George Soros doesn’t represent the people of Europe, but the migrants, and above all else his own interests. This is what speculators are like. The Hungarian government doesn’t want to build the country’s future on migrants, but on Hungarian families who live in peace and security,” Minister Szijjártó said on May 1.

    Minister Szijjártó vowed to defend Hungary from Soros, “because George Soros would leave migrants, chaos and destruction behind him.”

    His remarks come off the back of an interview by Austrian President Alexander Van der Bellen with the Profil magazine, in which the president expressed support for George Soros, immigration and called for closer ties with France.

    “Many agree with the billionaire [George Soros] that Europe is struggling with demographic problems and must rely on immigration,” the Austrian president said in an interview with Profil magazine.

    Although the president is a keen advocate of migration, other Austrian politicians, such as Chancellor Sebastian Kurz, are pushing for anti-immigrant policies to be implemented. Mr. Kurz represents the Austrian People’s Party (ÖVP), which currently has five members in the European Parliament…”

  24. Students at one university can now earn credit for ‘unmasking whiteness’
    By Howard Portnoy May 2, 2018

    Enough! How much more of this liberally sanctioned racist insanity are white people expected to endure?

    People of pallor have been told now for the better part of a decade that they are “privileged” despite the fact they are individuals from many different cultures with radically differing lives. Some of us grew up in working-class families where after-school and weekend jobs were expected of the children and where making ends was sometimes a challenge.

    When it came time to apply to college, none of us had an inside track by dint of his whiteness or access to a government sinecure called affirmative action.

    We are now reminded almost daily of something that is a readily available and immutable fact of life: that some individuals (including whites!) fare less well when afforded the same opportunities. But whites alone are supposed to bear the burden of guilt over the reality that some of those who lack either the smarts or the ambition to get ahead are people of color.

    Which brings us to the latest travesty, via Campus Reform:

    https://libertyunyielding.com/2018/05/02/students-one-university-can-now-earn-credit-unmasking-whiteness/

  25. Militants attack Libyan election commission, 12 Killed (abcnews, May 2, 2018)
    http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/militants-attack-libyan-election-commission-wounded-54874183

    “A suicide bomber and other militants attacked Libya’s election commission in the capital on Wednesday, killing at least 12 people, the Health Ministry said.

    The suicide bomber blew himself up inside the building in central Tripoli, and other militants set fire to it, Health Ministry spokeswoman Wedad Abu Niran told The Associated Press. Videos posted on social media showed thick black smoke billowing from the building.

    The ministry said in a statement that 12 people were killed and another seven were wounded.

    No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Islamic extremists are opposed to democratic elections and have targeted them in other countries…”

    • Libya: At least 12 dead after attack on Tripoli election HQ

      At least 12 people were reported killed and others injured after armed assailants, including at least one suicide bomber, attacked Libya’s electoral commission headquarters in Tripoli on Wednesday.

  26. Democrats, frustrated in smear campaign against Pruitt, take aim at Interior Secretary Zinke

    Scott Pruitt is wrapping up his worst month of press and scandal since agreeing to run the Environmental Protection Agency; and Democrats, unable to oust Pruitt, are now targeting another member of President Donald Trump’s cabinet, E&E News reported Monday.

    Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke, like Pruitt, is one of the most effective members of the Trump administration at enacting the president’s deregulatory agenda and, also like Pruitt, one of the most disliked by Democrats.

    “Secretary Zinke absolutely belongs in the same breath as Administrator Pruitt when it comes to wasting taxpayer money and the ethical troubles and conflicts of interest and the transactional approach to leadership,” Center for American Progress Senior Fellow Matt Lee-Ashley told E&E News.

    Lee-Ashley also served as deputy chief of staff in the Department of the Interior (DOI) under former-President Barack Obama.

    https://libertyunyielding.com/2018/05/01/democrats-frustrated-smear-campaign-pruitt-take-aim-interior-secretary-zinke/

  27. MIDDLE EAST CRISIS: ‘Matrix of risks’ to spark chaos across region (express, May 2, 2018)
    https://www.express.co.uk/finance/city/954253/middle-east-crisis-matrix-risks-oil-price-military-jobseekers

    “THE Middle East faces a “matrix of risks” as uncertainty over oil price, military conflicts and 25 million youngsters out of work threatens the region’s stability.

    The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said today that just under a quarter of the Middle East’s youth are unemployed and lead calls for the necessary economic reform to help the millions of new jobseekers each year find work.

    Jihad Azour, director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the IMF, told CNBC: “The matrix of risks has local or regional components as well as international components.

    “On the international side, the increased tension on trade could have an impact on the region, especially indirectly.

    “The tightening of global financial conditions, if interest rates will continue to go up and liquidity will be less available, this will affect countries with a high level of debt — mainly oil importing countries where the average debt exceeds 80 percent (of gross domestic product).

    “Last but not least, some countries have succeeded in implementing reforms but what is important is to keep the momentum there and to address some of the structural issues.

    “This region needs to create at least 25 million jobs for the young generation in the next five years.”

    With growth falling from five percent in 2016 to just 1.7 percent in 2017 the IMF is concerned that the the main grievances behind the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings are beginning to resurface.

    Mr Azour told the Washington Post: “This region is a very young region. Almost 60 percent of the population is below 30 and the level of unemployment at the youth level exceeds 30 percent.

    “This needs to be addressed.”

    The stats bear out his concern with Egypt burdened by a 30 percent youth unemployment rate and Algeria suffers from a Greece-like ‘lost generation’ of 46 percent of young people still unemployed…”

  28. MIDDLE EAST CRISIS: ‘Matrix of risks’ to spark chaos across region
    THE Middle East faces a “matrix of risks” as uncertainty over oil price, military conflicts and 25 million youngsters out of work threatens the region’s stability.

    The International Monetary Fund (IMF) said today that just under a quarter of the Middle East’s youth are unemployed and lead calls for the necessary economic reform to help the millions of new jobseekers each year find work.

    Jihad Azour, director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department at the IMF, told CNBC: “The matrix of risks has local or regional components as well as international components.

    “On the international side, the increased tension on trade could have an impact on the region, especially indirectly.

    “The tightening of global financial conditions, if interest rates will continue to go up and liquidity will be less available, this will affect countries with a high level of debt — mainly oil importing countries where the average debt exceeds 80 percent (of gross domestic product).

    “Last but not least, some countries have succeeded in implementing reforms but what is important is to keep the momentum there and to address some of the structural issues.

    “This region needs to create at least 25 million jobs for the young generation in the next five years.”

    https://www.express.co.uk/finance/city/954253/middle-east-crisis-matrix-risks-oil-price-military-jobseekers

  29. the rebel -Trudeau makes foreign meddling in Canadian elections easier

    Ezra Levant of TheRebel.media explains how Justin Trudeau’s Bill C-76 makes it easier for foreign entities to meddle in Canadian elections and for non-citizens to vote.

  30. EU-Turkey Migrant Deal Led to Overcrowding of Refugee Centers in Greece – UNHCR (sputniknews, May 2, 2018)
    https://sputniknews.com/europe/201805021064091203-greec-migrants-centers-overcrowded-unchr/

    “Even though the amount of migrants arriving in Greece has decreased since the conclusion of the EU-Turkey migrant deal, new procedures at borders caused overcrowding of accommodation centers on the Greek islands, Leo Dobbs, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) communication officer in Athens, told Sputnik.

    On May 1, media reported that Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras and several members of his cabinet would travel to the Greek island of Lesbos later in the week, in which many have seen an attempt to calm mounting tensions on the islands where the situation is much worse than on the mainland amid a fresh leap in migrants arrivals.

    “These new border arrival procedures… led to difficult conditions – overcrowding of the [reception] centers… The situation on the mainland is much better, the situation on the islands is much worse… People have to stay there for months. That’s where our concerns really are,” the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) communication officer in Athens explained.

    Dobbs emphasized that the agreement, nevertheless, did have a positive effect and resulted in the decrease of migration flows to Greece.

    “There are still people arriving in Greece, 8,000 since the beginning of the year… [However,] the figures are down tremendously comparing to ’emergency’ period in 2015 – early 2016, when there were about a million people coming to the Greek islands,” Dobbs stated.

    The UNHCR media officer also emphasized the importance of the establishment of additional legal routes for migrants to reach Europe apart from the existing one between Greece and Turkey, which alone hosts over 4 million migrants.

    The sea route between Turkey and Greece has been one of the major ways for migrants fleeing hostilities or instability in the Middle Eastern countries to get to Europe. In March 2016, the European Union and Turkey agreed that Syrian refugees arriving in Greece would be returned to Turkey if their claim for asylum was rejected, while Syrian asylum seekers in Turkey would be resettled in Europe on a one-for-one basis.”

  31. Reports: Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain Voice Support for Morocco Over Row With Iran (sputniknews, May 2, 2018)
    https://sputniknews.com/world/201805021064089700-saudis-uae-support-row/

    “Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain have expressed solidarity with Morocco after Rabat accused Tehran of cooperation with the Western Sahara independence movement Polisario Front, local media reported on Wednesday.

    “We stand with Morocco in its concern over its national causes and against Iranian interference in its domestic affairs. Our orientation in support of Morocco is a historical legacy which was established by Sheikh Zayed and King Hassan, may they rest in peace, and our stance is fixed for better or worse,” UAE Foreign Affairs Minister Anwar Gargash said, as quoted by the Al Arabiya broadcaster…”

  32. Major Reforms Needed to Stop Brits From ‘Dying on the Streets’ – UK Police Chief (sputniknews, May 2, 2018)
    https://sputniknews.com/europe/201805021064090927-uk-crime-police-reforms/

    “The British government’s cuts to the budgets of police forces across the UK have placed them under intense scrutiny in recent months, with many blaming these austerity measures for the increase in violent crime.

    Metropolitan Police Chief Superintendent Jeff Boothe warned on Tuesday that Brits “are dying on the streets” and police forces need additional funding to tackle violent crime in major cities across the UK, according to the Independent newspaper.

    “Yes, we need to lobby for more resources, but while we lobby for those resources people are still dying on the streets. Young people are crying out for services that have eroded after a number of years, so to expect something to be put in place and have an effect overnight – it’s not going to happen,” the senior Met police official told the Home Affairs Committee on May 2.

    “We need to be investing in this in the longer term to ensure we look at not just the current generation but the next ones coming along because they will just follow the same path.”

    The chief superintendent stated that most of the attacks are being carried out by youths and stressed the need for families, schools and wider communities to address the “root causes” of violent crime.

    “There are different ways of tackling this problem,” the Met police chief insisted, calling on local authorities and the police to work with businesses to employ and mentor youngsters who are deemed likely to join gangs and pursue a life of crime.

    Other police officers and officials who were questioned by the committee also underscored the importance of “neighborhood policing.”…”

  33. 5th Euro-African Ministerial Conference on Migration opens in Morocco

    RABAT, May 2 (Xinhua) — The 5th Euro-African Ministerial Conference on Migration and Development kicked off Wednesday in the Moroccan city of Marrakech.

    The conference brings together ministers and high-level representatives from 60 countries in Africa and Europe, as well as from the European Commission and the Commission of the Economic Community of West African States.

    This high-level conference discusses various issues related to migration and defines the priority actions for cooperation during the period 2018-2020.

    It is expected to adopt a multi-annual cooperation program as well as the Marrakech Declaration on migration and its action plan.

    The conference is part and parcel of the Euro-African Ministerial Dialogue on Migration and Development, also known as the Rabat Process.

    The dialogue has been a platform for political cooperation among the countries along the migration route between Central, West, North Africa and Europe since 2006.

    The latest Euro-African Conference on Migration and Development was held in Rome, Italy in November 2014, while the first conference took part in July 2006 in Rabat.

    http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-05/02/c_137151588.htm

    ====================================================
    UN Representative Recognizes Morocco’s Efforts to Address Migration Issues

    Rabat- United Nations Special Representative for International Migration, Louise Arbour, acknowledged Morocco’s role in addressing migration-related issues on Tuesday in Marrakech.

    The event convenes ministers and high-level representatives from the European Union and Africa, and will feature the official adoption of the Marrakech Declaration and the Marrakech Action Plan.

    Morocco’s role in intercontinental migration has grown, as it is increasingly viewed as a destination country, in addition to a transit nation.

    Arbour also welcomes the National Policy on Immigration and Asylum in 2013. This policy was launched in September 2013, under the instructions of King Mohammed VI.

    In addition, Marrakech will host the intergovernmental conference on international migration in December, which will see the adoption of the global compact for safe, orderly, and regular migration.

    The global compact seeks to address human rights-related and developmental aspects of international migration.

    The World Forum on Migration and Development will also take place in Marrakech prior to the intergovernmental conference on December 5-7, 2018.

    On Tuesday, Secretary of State to the Minister of Foreign Affairs Mounia Boucetta said in Marrakech that time has come to handle migration in the continent, calling on European partners to offer more support to African nations in their efforts to address the migration-related issues.

    https://theworldnews.net/ma-news/un-representative-recognizes-morocco-s-efforts-to-address-migration-issues

    =======================================================
    AFP -La Hongrie refuse de ratifier une déclaration euro-africaine sur la migration

    Marrakech (Maroc) – La Hongrie a refusé mercredi de ratifier une déclaration euro-africaine reconnaissant “les avantages des migrations en termes de développement” adoptée lors d’une conférence ministérielle au Maroc réunissant une soixantaine de pays d’Europe et d’Afrique.

    La “déclaration politique de Marrakech” a été signée par les représentants de 55 pays (27 européens et 28 africains).

    Ce texte “dépeint la migration comme un phénomène nécessairement positif qui contribue au développement global, nous pensons que c’est une approche déséquilibrée et nous la désapprouvons”, a déclaré le ministre hongrois des Affaires étrangères Peter Szijarto.

    “Notre position est que nous devons nous concentrer sur les moyens de stopper l’immigration illégale et non l’encourager”, a-t-il dit lors de cette conférence organisée à Marrakech.

    “Nous ne pouvons pas nier que la migration a un aspect sécuritaire crucial: il est inacceptable que ce soit laissé de côté dans ce document”, a-t-il dit en évoquant notamment les attentats qui ont ensanglanté l’Europe ces dernières années.

    La Hongrie rejette “l’approche internationale actuelle (qui) se concentre sur la façon de gérer la migration”, alors qu’il faudrait “stopper le flux illégal en Europe”, a-t-il encore insisté.

    La déclaration de Marrakech plaide pour une “approche fondée sur les droits de l’Homme”, sur la “protection des migrants en situation vulnérable” et sur le développement d’une communication permettant de lutter contre “la xénophobie, le racisme et les discriminations”.

    Le texte comprend aussi un volet consacré à la lutte contre l’immigration clandestine et l’aide au retour des migrants, points cruciaux pour les Européens qui affrontent une crise migratoire sans précédent.

    “Nous devons ensemble sortir de cet engrenage de la mobilité sauvage et inorganisée pour rétablir la confiance dans une migration positive pour nous tous”, a souligné le commissaire européen à la Migration Dimitri Avramopoulos.

    “Seule une coopération effective (….) peut décourager l’utilisation des routes clandestines et dangereuses”, a-t-il dit.

    La Hongrie, où le Premier ministre souverainiste Viktor Orban vient d’être réélu, s’est illustrée depuis 2015 par sa politique hostile à l’accueil de migrants extra-européens, position qui l’a exposée aux critiques de ses partenaires européens.

    La décision hongroise “ne diminuera en rien la détermination des autres membres européens” de trouver des réponses communes, a déclaré Didier Reynders, le ministre belge des Affaires étrangères.

    Le dialogue mené à Marrakech repose sur une “idée partagée sur l’impact positif que la migration peut avoir sur le développement lorsque les politiques migratoires sont bien gérées”, a-t-il ajouté.

    “La migration est trop riche pour être ramenée à l’immigration irrégulière”, a pour sa part insisté le chef de la diplomatie marocaine Nasser Bourita en appelant les pays européens à aller “au delà du contrôle des frontières et de la lutte contre le trafic de migrants”.

    Le Maroc, qui pilote le dossier migration au sein de l’Union africaine, plaide pour que la “logique d’assistanat vertical cède le pas à un partenariat transversal” entre l’Europe et l’Afrique, selon lui.

    Le royaume doit accueillir en décembre une conférence internationale de l’ONU sur la migration qui devrait déboucher sur l’adoption d’un Pacte mondial en cours de discussion.

    https://www.romandie.com/news/La-Hongrie-refuse-de-ratifier-une-declaration-euro-africaine-sur-la-migration_RP/914187.rom

    =====================================================

    • Louise Arbour: Negative attitude towards migration ‘completely self-defeating’

      • “When a HUMAN BEING crosses a boarder” – illegally or legally?

        “Work that is awaiting them in Europe – washing dishes in restaurants”

        The UN needs to disband just like the international tribunal.

        • It will be disbanded, but not before it does a lot more damage to the world.

    • Video Message by Louise Arbour (Special Representative) on International Migrants Day (18 Dec 2017)

    • Louise Arbour on the role of the media and responsible reporting on international migration

      United Nations – The Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary-General Louise Arbour talks about the role of media and responsible reporting in shaping the narrative on international migration.

      This video message was shown at an event held today in Malta, organized by the International Center for Migration Policy Development (ICMPD), the European Asylum Support Office and Open Media Hub, where 35 journalists were rewarded for their responsible, fact-based reporting on migration.

      https://openmediahub.com/

      =====================================

  34. “Must Read=> Democrats, Psychiatrists Plot Medical Coup to Remove President Trump From Office” by Kristinn Taylor – January 7, 2018
    http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/01/democrats-psychiatrists-plotting-medical-coup-remove-president-trump-office/

    “The Weaponization of Psychiatry, Part One”
    USA Survival – Published in May 1, 2018

    Trump is driving the liberals literally crazy. Watch this video to understand their hatred of Trump. With Russia-gate diminishing, the claim Trump is crazy is about all they’re got. The National Press Club hosted these Trump-haters on May 1, 2018. It’s a replay of the Soviet persecution of dissidents. Will the “deplorables” be the next victims?

  35. “School’s Homework Details Underage Revenge Sex, ‘Baby Daddy’ Scenario”
    MRCTV – May 1, 2018

  36. “Joe diGenova: ‘If Mueller Issues Subpoena For an Interview With Trump We Are Headed to a Constitutional Crisis’ (VIDEO)” by Cristina Laila – May 1, 2018
    http://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/05/joe-digenova-if-mueller-issues-subpoena-for-an-interview-with-trump-we-are-headed-to-a-constitutional-crisis-video/

    “Lou Dobbs Tonight 5/1/2018 | Fox News Today May 1, 2018”
    OtisandBruceshow – Published on May 1, 2018
    17:38 – Victoria Toensing & Joe di Genova

  37. Freedom Caucus members draft Rosenstein impeachment articles

    Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz explains his opposition to the deputy attorney general

  38. Netherlands: Anti-Islam election video may be broadcast

    Public prosecution says video put out by PVV party not illegal because it is aimed at the religion of Islam, not adherents.

    The public prosecution department in the Netherlands has decided not to take legal action against the anti-Islamic party PVV for a propaganda video about Islam that it intends to broadcast ahead of local elections, the Dutch News website reported.

    The decision stated that the video does not incite to hatred, discrimination or violence because it is focused on the religion of Islam rather than on followers of Islam.

    PVV leader Geert Wilders welcomed the decision, noting that voters would be exposed to “the truth about Islam” again during election campaigning.

    The video in question is composed of a long series of words describing Islam as “discrimination,” “violence,” “terror,” “misogyny,” “homophobia,” “anti-Semitism,” “forced marriage,” “honor killing,” and “totalitarian,” among other epithets. The screen also drips blood as eerie music plays in the background.

    https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/245312

  39. UN will force an answer from South Africa | Dr. Dirk Hermann and Jonas Nilsson

  40. EU Poll: Majority of People Say Muslim Migration Has Failed

    n news that serves as a nasty rejection of their politically correct globalization scheme, the leaders of the European Union found this week that a huge majority of people in France, Germany, and Sweden believe that the integration of migrants into their communities has failed. Thanks to a new poll from the European Commission, we now know that most people across Europe are unhappy with the way their unelected political masters have handled the migrant crisis, a revelation that could ultimately bring sweeping changes to the way these countries choose their leaders in the future.

    http://totalconservative.com/eu-poll-majority-of-people-say-muslim-migration-has-failed/

  41. U.S. Official: James Clapper “Should be Prosecuted,” Not Pontificating on CNN

    Reporter Sara Carter published an interesting piece this week about CNN and their role in exposing the infamous Steele Dossier to the world. Carter noted that CNN took home a prestigious prize at the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner this weekend for their reporting on the dossier, but there was no talk at the dinner about the unethical means they used to get that reporting to the American people. Specifically, it went without mention that one of their sources – former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper – is now a paid analyst for the cable network.

    Was this an arrangement made before Clapper spoke to Jake Tapper about the content of the dossier? Was there a quid pro quo here?

    These questions are being ignored by the news media. Partially because they draw a much different story from the James Comey memos, which indicate that the reason Comey briefed President-elect Trump on the dossier was because he had heard that CNN was getting ready to run with the story.

    But that doesn’t make a lot of sense, because CNN USED the briefing as a pretense to run the story. They didn’t just find the dossier that day. They’d had it in their possession for weeks, if not longer. It was only because Comey briefed the president and Trump on its contents that they felt comfortable enough to report this piece of political propaganda as news.

    http://unfilteredpatriot.com/u-s-official-james-clapper-should-be-prosecuted-not-pontificating-on-cnn/

  42. https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/may/2/north-korea-releases-us-detainees-bows-another-tru/

    North Korea has freed three U.S. citizens detained for years in the communist country, bowing to another demand of President Trump ahead of his planned meeting with Kim Jong-un.

    The three Americans — Kim Dong Chul, Kim Hak-song and Kim Sang Duk, also known as Tony Kim — were released from a North Korean labor camp and sent to Pyongyang for medical treatment, the Financial Times reported.

    Though out of the brutal labor camp, the men remain in the grasp of Mr. Kim’s regime.

    They currently are believed to be convalescing in a hotel outside Pyongyang.

    “We believe that Mr. Trump can take them back on the day of the U.S.-North Korea summit, or he can send an envoy to take them back to the U.S. before the summit,” said Choi Sung-ryong, an activist pursuing release of North Korea’s political prisoners.

    The release of the three Americans marked another significant victory for the Trump administration, which also won North Korea’s agreement to discuss giving up its nuclear weapon program as a prerequisite for the talks.