President Trump is never going to find whatever magic fix he’s searching for in a new secretary of Homeland Security.

Kirstjen Nielsen, who resigned from the department Sunday after months of reports that the president was dissatisfied with her work, isn’t responsible for the chaos at the border. More than two years into his presidency, the blame is solely on Trump.

It’s Trump who promised to build a wall. It’s Trump who railed against the gang members, drug traffickers, and rapists taking advantage of lax border security to enter the country. It’s Trump who won a national election, against all odds, in large part for declaring that he could bring order to our jungle of an immigration system.

And it’s Trump who has squandered all of his political capital, plus two years of his party fully in control of Congress, on a lazy tax cut and an ill-fated attempt to repeal Obamacare. (And guess what he’s doing now? Still trying to repeal Obamacare!)

[Read more: Ann Coulter celebrates Kirstjen Nielsen’s resignation: ‘Hallelujah!’]

Average Americans are happy to have another $900 at the end of the year, thanks to the tax cut, but what difference does it make when their schools are being overrun by MS-13 gang members? What difference does it make when all of their country’s government resources aren’t going to making their lives better, but to the Guatemalans, Salvadorans, and Hondurans pouring across the border and now getting free healthcare and child services?

It’s true that nearly every action Trump has taken on immigration has been hamstrung by absurd court orders and a Democratic Party that supports a policy of open borders and zero deportations. But the excuse doesn’t work when you realize that Trump, rather than devoting every fiber of his being to halting the invasion he’s been warning about since 2015, instead chose to hand the keys of his presidency to Paul Ryan.

Fixing the border requires a wall, yes, but more pressing is the asylum law that’s turning our country into a waste dump for Central America’s problems. The only way to change that is through Congress, but Trump can only talk about “the wall,” “the wall,” “the wall.” It’s like banging your head against one.

He missed his little window (two years) to get it done when he and Republicans had a hold on Congress. Now it’s probably too late. It’s not Nielsen’s fault, and her successor won’t make any difference that she didn’t.

Source Article from https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/its-trumps-fault-that-the-border-is-a-mess-and-no-new-dhs-secretary-will-change-that

Responding to the Trump administration’s decision to list the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps as a terrorist group, Iran on Tuesday officially listed U.S. military personnel in the Middle East as terrorists.

Iran’s hardliner faction intends for that response to deter the U.S. from continuing its pressure campaign against Iran. It wants the U.S. to fear attacks on its forces in the Middle East. But while it is likely that the IRGC will lash out in some fashion, their fury is really a function of fear, not confidence.

The Iranian hardliners know that Trump’s action will hamper the IRGC’s ability to earn foreign capital. That’s because foreign companies, and European ones in particular, will fear doing business in Iran lest they face new U.S. sanctions. Considering that the IRGC controls critical industries in the Iranian economy, such as the telecommunications and energy sectors, Trump’s listing is a big problem for the organization.

IRGC commanding officer Mohammad Ali Jafari proved as much Sunday when he warned that “If (the Americans) make such a stupid move, the U.S. Army and American security forces stationed in West Asia will lose their current status of ease and serenity.” Trying to placate the hardliners, the more-moderate foreign minister Javad Zarif called for the U.S. military’s Central Command to be listed as a terrorist organization. Pro-hardliner media have also hinted at Iranian terrorist reprisals, warning that Trump’s action will mean more chaos in the Middle East.

Nevertheless, it’s clear the hardliners feel increasingly encircled. This situation is unstable.

Source Article from https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/why-iran-just-listed-us-military-personnel-as-terrorists

Bernie Sanders made waves as a presidential candidate in 2016 — with supporters backing the Vermont senator’s call for a “political revolution” and repeating the popular campaign phrase “Feel The Bern.”

And though Hillary Clinton ultimately defeated him to become the Democratic party’s nominee, the 77-year-old is making quite a comeback.

Sanders has already hauled in a whopping $18.2 million since launching his 2020 campaign in February, surpassing his 2016 numbers. He appears to be miles ahead of his competitors, making at least $6 million more than his closest fundraising opponent, California Sen. Kamala Harris, who has pulled in at least $12 million in donations.

Sanders will join Fox News Channel for a Town Hall co-anchored by Bret Baier and Martha MacCallum on Monday, April 15, at 6:30 p.m. ET in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.

WHO’S RUNNING FOR PRESIDENT IN 2020? GROWING FIELD OF CANDIDATES JOIN RACE FOR DEMOCRATIC NOD

Name recognition has apparently worked in Sanders’ favor this time around.

His name remains on the top of polls, typically behind former Vice President Joe Biden who has stayed silent about his 2020 plans thus far. In an early March Monmouth poll, Sanders sat just 3 percentage points behind Biden. Weeks later, in a Fox News poll, Democratic primary voters once again voted him as their second choice — with Biden at 31 percent and Sanders at 23 percent.

Before Sanders discusses his political record, economic policies and ideas on stage during Fox News’ Town Hall next Monday, take a look at five fast facts to know about the self-described Democratic socialist.

He’s the longest-serving Independent member of Congress in U.S. history

Sanders has served as Vermont’s senator since 2007. Before that, he spent 16 years as a lawmaker in the U.S. House of Representatives. His combined years of service in the government makes him the longest-serving Independent member of Congress ever, according to his official bio.

His political career kickstarted in 1981 when he was elected mayor of Burlington by just 10 votes. Sanders often points to his narrow mayoral victory as an example that every vote counts.

“In 1981, I won my first election to become Mayor of Burlington by 10 votes. Please remember that every vote matters and you can make a real difference in shaping our nation’s future,” tweeted Sanders in October 2018 ahead of the midterm elections.

He was mayor for roughly eight years before stepping down to gain a seat in the House in 1991.

He was the first non-Christian candidate to win a presidential primary

Though he didn’t publicly discuss this historic moment, many pointed out in 2016 that Sanders was the first non-Christian to win a presidential primary.

Sanders, who is Jewish, has said in the past that his spiritual nature has encouraged him to seek office.

“I believe that there is a connection between all living things and that my belief in God requires me to do all that I can to follow the ‘Golden Rule,’ to do unto others and as I would have them do unto me,” he once said, according to USA Today. “As a public servant, it requires me to do all that I can to ensure that every person lives with dignity and security.”

He once worked as a carpenter, writer

According to his Congressional biography, Sanders once worked as a carpenter and journalist before trying his hand at politics.

After spending time in Israel, the Brooklyn native moved to Vermont, taking on various jobs including carpentry, filmmaking and freelance writing.

“His carpentry was not going to support him, and didn’t,” Denny Morrisseau, a Liberty Union member in the early 1970s, told Politico in 2015.

He didn’t make a decent living off his writing either. He submitted articles to local newspapers including the Vermont Freeman and Vermont Life, among others, the publication states.

He was first to propose “Medicare for All”

The “Medicare for All” bill was first introduced in 2016 by Sanders, who said it would be another step toward achieving universal health care.

“Medicare for All” is a single-payer health insurance plan that would require all U.S. residents to be covered with no copays and deductibles for medical services. The insurance industry would be regulated to play a minor role in the system.

BERNIE SANDERS, IN IOWA, PROMISES ‘MEDICARE FOR ALL’; SAYS TRUMP ‘EMBARASSES US EVERY SINGLE DAY’

“[Sanders’] plan will cover the entire continuum of health care, from inpatient to outpatient care; preventive to emergency care; primary care to specialty care, including long-term and palliative care; vision, hearing and oral health care; mental health and substance abuse services; as well as prescription medications, medical equipment, supplies, diagnostics and treatments,” Sanders’ old campaign website explained. “Patients will be able to choose a health care provider without worrying about whether that provider is in-network and will be able to get the care they need without having to read any fine print or trying to figure out how they can afford the out-of-pocket costs.”

The phrase “for all” doesn’t mean the plan would instantly give every American insurance. It would be slowly extended to citizens (from older to younger) over a period of four years, NPR reports.

You can read more about the plan here.

He’s had several failed campaigns

His 2016 Democratic bid was perhaps his most notable campaign fail in recent history — but that’s not the only time Sanders has faced a political loss.

He also had unsuccessful Independent runs for U.S. Senate in 1972 and 1974, according to his Congressional bio. And he lost the election for governor of Vermont in 1972, 1976 and 1986.

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/politics/bernie-sanders-fast-facts-5-things-to-know-about-the-vermont-senator

“);var a = g[r.size_id].split(“x”).map((function(e) {return Number(e)})), s = u(a, 2);o.width = s[0],o.height = s[1]}o.rubiconTargeting = (Array.isArray(r.targeting) ? r.targeting : []).reduce((function(e, r) {return e[r.key] = r.values[0],e}), {rpfl_elemid: n.adUnitCode}),e.push(o)} else l.logError(“Rubicon bid adapter Error: bidRequest undefined at index position:” + t, c, d);return e}), []).sort((function(e, r) {return (r.cpm || 0) – (e.cpm || 0)}))},getUserSyncs: function(e, r, t) {if (!A && e.iframeEnabled) {var i = “”;return t && “string” == typeof t.consentString && (“boolean” == typeof t.gdprApplies ? i += “?gdpr=” + Number(t.gdprApplies) + “&gdpr_consent=” + t.consentString : i += “?gdpr_consent=” + t.consentString),A = !0,{type: “iframe”,url: n + i}}},transformBidParams: function(e, r) {return l.convertTypes({accountId: “number”,siteId: “number”,zoneId: “number”}, e)}};function m() {return [window.screen.width, window.screen.height].join(“x”)}function b(e, r) {var t = f.config.getConfig(“pageUrl”);return e.params.referrer ? t = e.params.referrer : t || (t = r.refererInfo.referer),e.params.secure ? t.replace(/^http:/i, “https:”) : t}function _(e, r) {var t = e.params;if (“video” === r) {var i = [];return t.video && t.video.playerWidth && t.video.playerHeight ? i = [t.video.playerWidth, t.video.playerHeight] : Array.isArray(l.deepAccess(e, “mediaTypes.video.playerSize”)) && 1 === e.mediaTypes.video.playerSize.length ? i = e.mediaTypes.video.playerSize[0] : Array.isArray(e.sizes) && 0

‘);$vidEndSlate.removeClass(‘video__end-slate–inactive’).addClass(‘video__end-slate–active’);}};CNN.autoPlayVideoExist = (CNN.autoPlayVideoExist === true) ? true : false;var configObj = {thumb: ‘none’,video: ‘politics/2019/04/03/fbi-investigating-security-breach-mar-a-lago-trump-not-concerns-sot-prokupecz-lklv-ebof-vpx.cnn’,width: ‘100%’,height: ‘100%’,section: ‘domestic’,profile: ‘expansion’,network: ‘cnn’,markupId: ‘large-media_0’,adsection: ‘const-article-pagetop’,frameWidth: ‘100%’,frameHeight: ‘100%’,posterImageOverride: {“mini”:{“width”:220,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190403074113-mar-a-lago-small-169.jpg”,”height”:124},”xsmall”:{“width”:307,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190403074113-mar-a-lago-medium-plus-169.jpg”,”height”:173},”small”:{“width”:460,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190403074113-mar-a-lago-large-169.jpg”,”height”:259},”medium”:{“width”:780,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”http://www.noticiasdodia.onlinenewsbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/190403074113-mar-a-lago-exlarge-169.jpg”,”height”:438},”large”:{“width”:1100,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190403074113-mar-a-lago-super-169.jpg”,”height”:619},”full16x9″:{“width”:1600,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190403074113-mar-a-lago-full-169.jpg”,”height”:900},”mini1x1″:{“width”:120,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190403074113-mar-a-lago-small-11.jpg”,”height”:120}}},autoStartVideo = false,isVideoReplayClicked = false,callbackObj,containerEl,currentVideoCollection = [],currentVideoCollectionId = ”,isLivePlayer = false,mediaMetadataCallbacks,mobilePinnedView = null,moveToNextTimeout,mutePlayerEnabled = false,nextVideoId = ”,nextVideoUrl = ”,turnOnFlashMessaging = false,videoPinner,videoEndSlateImpl;if (CNN.autoPlayVideoExist === false) {autoStartVideo = true;if (autoStartVideo === true) {if (turnOnFlashMessaging === true) {autoStartVideo = false;containerEl = jQuery(document.getElementById(configObj.markupId));CNN.VideoPlayer.showFlashSlate(containerEl);} else {CNN.autoPlayVideoExist = true;}}}configObj.autostart = CNN.Features.enableAutoplayBlock ? false : autoStartVideo;CNN.VideoPlayer.setPlayerProperties(configObj.markupId, autoStartVideo, isLivePlayer, isVideoReplayClicked, mutePlayerEnabled);CNN.VideoPlayer.setFirstVideoInCollection(currentVideoCollection, configObj.markupId);videoEndSlateImpl = new CNN.VideoEndSlate(‘large-media_0’);function findNextVideo(currentVideoId) {var i,vidObj;if (currentVideoId && jQuery.isArray(currentVideoCollection) && currentVideoCollection.length > 0) {for (i = 0; i 0) {videoEndSlateImpl.showEndSlateForContainer();if (mobilePinnedView) {mobilePinnedView.disable();}}}}callbackObj = {onPlayerReady: function (containerId) {var playerInstance,containerClassId = ‘#’ + containerId;CNN.VideoPlayer.handleInitialExpandableVideoState(containerId);CNN.VideoPlayer.handleAdOnCVPVisibilityChange(containerId, CNN.pageVis.isDocumentVisible());if (CNN.Features.enableMobileWebFloatingPlayer &&Modernizr &&(Modernizr.phone || Modernizr.mobile || Modernizr.tablet) &&CNN.VideoPlayer.getLibraryName(containerId) === ‘fave’ &&jQuery(containerClassId).parents(‘.js-pg-rail-tall__head’).length > 0 &&CNN.contentModel.pageType === ‘article’) {playerInstance = FAVE.player.getInstance(containerId);mobilePinnedView = new CNN.MobilePinnedView({element: jQuery(containerClassId),enabled: false,transition: CNN.MobileWebFloatingPlayer.transition,onPin: function () {playerInstance.hideUI();},onUnpin: function () {playerInstance.showUI();},onPlayerClick: function () {if (mobilePinnedView) {playerInstance.enterFullscreen();playerInstance.showUI();}},onDismiss: function() {CNN.Videx.mobile.pinnedPlayer.disable();playerInstance.pause();}});/* Storing pinned view on CNN.Videx.mobile.pinnedPlayer So that all players can see the single pinned player */CNN.Videx = CNN.Videx || {};CNN.Videx.mobile = CNN.Videx.mobile || {};CNN.Videx.mobile.pinnedPlayer = mobilePinnedView;}if (Modernizr && !Modernizr.phone && !Modernizr.mobile && !Modernizr.tablet) {if (jQuery(containerClassId).parents(‘.js-pg-rail-tall__head’).length) {videoPinner = new CNN.VideoPinner(containerClassId);videoPinner.init();} else {CNN.VideoPlayer.hideThumbnail(containerId);}}},onContentEntryLoad: function(containerId, playerId, contentid, isQueue) {CNN.VideoPlayer.showSpinner(containerId);},onContentPause: function (containerId, playerId, videoId, paused) {if (mobilePinnedView) {CNN.VideoPlayer.handleMobilePinnedPlayerStates(containerId, paused);}},onContentMetadata: function (containerId, playerId, metadata, contentId, duration, width, height) {var endSlateLen = jQuery(document.getElementById(containerId)).parent().find(‘.js-video__end-slate’).eq(0).length;CNN.VideoSourceUtils.updateSource(containerId, metadata);if (endSlateLen > 0) {videoEndSlateImpl.fetchAndShowRecommendedVideos(metadata);}},onAdPlay: function (containerId, cvpId, token, mode, id, duration, blockId, adType) {/* Dismissing the pinnedPlayer if another video players plays an Ad */CNN.VideoPlayer.dismissMobilePinnedPlayer(containerId);clearTimeout(moveToNextTimeout);CNN.VideoPlayer.hideSpinner(containerId);if (Modernizr && !Modernizr.phone && !Modernizr.mobile && !Modernizr.tablet) {if (typeof videoPinner !== ‘undefined’ && videoPinner !== null) {videoPinner.setIsPlaying(true);videoPinner.animateDown();}}},onAdPause: function (containerId, playerId, token, mode, id, duration, blockId, adType, instance, isAdPause) {if (mobilePinnedView) {CNN.VideoPlayer.handleMobilePinnedPlayerStates(containerId, isAdPause);}},onTrackingFullscreen: function (containerId, PlayerId, dataObj) {CNN.VideoPlayer.handleFullscreenChange(containerId, dataObj);if (mobilePinnedView &&typeof dataObj === ‘object’ &&FAVE.Utils.os === ‘iOS’ && !dataObj.fullscreen) {jQuery(document).scrollTop(mobilePinnedView.getScrollPosition());playerInstance.hideUI();}},onContentPlay: function (containerId, cvpId, event) {var playerInstance,prevVideoId;if (CNN.companion && typeof CNN.companion.updateCompanionLayout === ‘function’) {CNN.companion.updateCompanionLayout(‘restoreEpicAds’);}clearTimeout(moveToNextTimeout);CNN.VideoPlayer.hideSpinner(containerId);if (Modernizr && !Modernizr.phone && !Modernizr.mobile && !Modernizr.tablet) {if (typeof videoPinner !== ‘undefined’ && videoPinner !== null) {videoPinner.setIsPlaying(true);videoPinner.animateDown();}}},onContentReplayRequest: function (containerId, cvpId, contentId) {if (Modernizr && !Modernizr.phone && !Modernizr.mobile && !Modernizr.tablet) {if (typeof videoPinner !== ‘undefined’ && videoPinner !== null) {videoPinner.setIsPlaying(true);var $endSlate = jQuery(document.getElementById(containerId)).parent().find(‘.js-video__end-slate’).eq(0);if ($endSlate.length > 0) {$endSlate.removeClass(‘video__end-slate–active’).addClass(‘video__end-slate–inactive’);}}}},onContentBegin: function (containerId, cvpId, contentId) {if (mobilePinnedView) {mobilePinnedView.enable();}/* Dismissing the pinnedPlayer if another video players plays a video. */CNN.VideoPlayer.dismissMobilePinnedPlayer(containerId);CNN.VideoPlayer.mutePlayer(containerId);if (CNN.companion && typeof CNN.companion.updateCompanionLayout === ‘function’) {CNN.companion.updateCompanionLayout(‘removeEpicAds’);}CNN.VideoPlayer.hideSpinner(containerId);clearTimeout(moveToNextTimeout);CNN.VideoSourceUtils.clearSource(containerId);jQuery(document).triggerVideoContentStarted();},onContentComplete: function (containerId, cvpId, contentId) {if (CNN.companion && typeof CNN.companion.updateCompanionLayout === ‘function’) {CNN.companion.updateCompanionLayout(‘restoreFreewheel’);}navigateToNextVideo(contentId, containerId);},onContentEnd: function (containerId, cvpId, contentId) {if (Modernizr && !Modernizr.phone && !Modernizr.mobile && !Modernizr.tablet) {if (typeof videoPinner !== ‘undefined’ && videoPinner !== null) {videoPinner.setIsPlaying(false);}}},onCVPVisibilityChange: function (containerId, cvpId, visible) {CNN.VideoPlayer.handleAdOnCVPVisibilityChange(containerId, visible);}};if (typeof configObj.context !== ‘string’ || configObj.context.length 0) {configObj.adsection = window.ssid;}CNN.autoPlayVideoExist = (CNN.autoPlayVideoExist === true) ? true : false;CNN.VideoPlayer.getLibrary(configObj, callbackObj, isLivePlayer);});CNN.INJECTOR.scriptComplete(‘videodemanddust’);

Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/08/politics/mar-a-lago-yujing-zhang/index.html

Israeli settlers celebrate the Jewish Purim holiday at al-Shuhada street in the divided West Bank town of Hebron, on March 21.

Hazem Bader/AFP/Getty Images


hide caption

toggle caption

Hazem Bader/AFP/Getty Images

Israeli settlers celebrate the Jewish Purim holiday at al-Shuhada street in the divided West Bank town of Hebron, on March 21.

Hazem Bader/AFP/Getty Images

When it came down to a final issue for Israeli voters to ponder before Tuesday’s election, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made an extraordinary campaign pledge: If re-elected, he said on Saturday, he would annex Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Such a move would represent a dramatic, far-right policy change for Israel, staking a permanent claim over lands Palestinians demand for their own state.

Even if it is an election tactic to energize his nationalist base, Netanyahu’s annexation pledge is a fitting final chord to a decade of his administration, which began with a reluctant embrace of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and ended with the chances of such an outcome dwindling to a new low point.

Since Netanyahu returned to office in 2009, the Jewish settler movement has grown in size and influence. That evolution was apparent last month in the West Bank city of Hebron.

In one of the West Bank’s tensest cities — where several hundred Israeli settlers live in guarded enclaves among some 200,000 Palestinians — Israelis dressed up in costume and paraded down the main street. It was the Jewish carnival holiday of Purim, but the settlers were celebrating more than just the religious festivities.

In January, they had successfully lobbied Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to expel an international observer group, tasked with patrolling Hebron and making Palestinians in the city feel safe after an Israeli settler killed 29 Palestinian worshippers there on Purim in 1994.

Chicago native and Hebron settler Yisrael Zeev is in costume as a pipe-smoking farmer and driving a float in the Purim holiday parade. A red swath from the uniform of an international observer from the recently expelled Temporary International Presence in Hebron flutters on a pole.

Daniel Estrin/NPR


hide caption

toggle caption

Daniel Estrin/NPR

Chicago native and Hebron settler Yisrael Zeev is in costume as a pipe-smoking farmer and driving a float in the Purim holiday parade. A red swath from the uniform of an international observer from the recently expelled Temporary International Presence in Hebron flutters on a pole.

Daniel Estrin/NPR

“We will not allow the continuation of an international force that acts against us,” Netanyahu said in a statement about the Temporary International Presence in Hebron.

Settlers accused the organization of causing friction and undermining Israeli rule in the city. But member countries of the group criticized the closure of the mission, saying the observers “promoted conflict resolution between Israelis and Palestinians” and helped prevent violence.

It was Netanyahu, during his first term in office in 1996, who had allowed for the founding of the unarmed civilian group.

“Apparently they were very temporary, and we are the permanent Israeli presence in Hevron,” said Yisrael Zeev, an Israeli settler in the city, calling the city by its Hebrew name.

Zeev drove a float in the parade dressed as an American farmer, with a swath of an observer’s uniform flapping from a pole like the flag of a vanquished enemy. Some settlers, including a candidate for national elections, dressed in costume as the expelled international observers.

Israeli settlers celebrate the Jewish Purim holiday at al-Shuhada street in the divided West Bank town of Hebron.

Daniel Estrin/NPR


hide caption

toggle caption

Daniel Estrin/NPR

Israeli settlers celebrate the Jewish Purim holiday at al-Shuhada street in the divided West Bank town of Hebron.

Daniel Estrin/NPR

“Everything’s going in the right direction,” Zeev said.

Israel captured the West Bank in 1967, and has occupied it ever since. Both Israelis and Palestinians have historical ties there.

In 2009, a few months after entering office, Netanyahu gave a speech that has become famous: For the first time, he publicly called for the creation of Palestinian state. He was facing pressure from then-President Obama, who advocated for a Palestinian state alongside Israel: a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

But it didn’t stop Netanyahu from enlarging Jewish settlements in the occupied land. Apart from a 10-month settlement construction freeze at Obama’s request, Netanyahu’s government has continued to build homes for Israelis in the West Bank, leaving the map of what could be left for a Palestinian state looking like Swiss cheese.

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is depicted in a poster in Hebron, calling on him to restore Jewish settlements in the northern West Bank that were uprooted by a former prime minister in 2005.

Daniel Estrin/NPR


hide caption

toggle caption

Daniel Estrin/NPR

Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu is depicted in a poster in Hebron, calling on him to restore Jewish settlements in the northern West Bank that were uprooted by a former prime minister in 2005.

Daniel Estrin/NPR

About three-quarters of the construction has taken place in settlements deep in the West Bank “that Israel will probably need to evict in the framework of a two-state agreement,” said Hagit Ofran of Peace Now, a settlement watchdog group that examines aerial photos to count each settlement unit built. The homes range from spacious U.S. suburb-style homes to multifamily structures to trailers set up on a hill.

“Every year they build at least 2,000 units, which means thousands of new settlers every year in the West Bank,” Ofran said. “If we want to have peace, specifically where Netanyahu is building is in places that will be harder to compromise.”

The phenomenon of completely new settlements, which Israel previously stopped, was renewed during Netanyahu’s tenure. Settlers built a few dozen small outposts without government permission but with Israel largely turning a blind eye, Ofran said.

By the time Netanyahu ran for re-election in 2015, he vocally opposed a Palestinian state. Recently, according to Peace Now figures, Israel has advanced more plans for settlement construction, with little opposition from President Trump.

“The evolution isn’t just that [Netanyahu has] gone more to the right. It’s that the entire country has gone more to the right, because the Palestinians have killed a lot of their support in Israel,” said Israeli political analyst Reuven Hazan.

Most of the Israeli public doesn’t believe a peace deal is possible now, he said, with instability in the Middle East and a fractured Palestinian leadership divided between the militant Hamas in Gaza and a weakened Palestinian Authority in the West Bank.

“The prospects of a peace partner or a viable peace process is not something that you can sell to the man or woman on the street, nor can you win an election on today,” Hazan said.

Mufid Sharabati, a Palestinian, on his roof in Hebron.

Daniel Estrin/NPR


hide caption

toggle caption

Daniel Estrin/NPR

Mufid Sharabati, a Palestinian, on his roof in Hebron.

Daniel Estrin/NPR

In the runup to Tuesday’s elections, two dozen senior government ministers and lawmakers released video statements endorsing a policy once considered fringe. Instead of negotiating with Palestinians about the West Bank, they’re calling for Israel to unilaterally annex parts of it.

Netanyahu resisted that move for years. But last month, following Trump’s backing of Israel’s annexation of land it captured from Syria in 1967, Netanyahu argued Israel has the right to keep land it seized in war.

In a TV interview on Saturday, just days before the elections, he pledged to “impose Israeli sovereignty” over Jewish settlements if re-elected, including isolated ones deep in the West Bank. In a weekend meeting with settler leaders, Netanyahu said he would do so “immediately” after the vote, said settler leader Yossi Dagan. The U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem declined comment.

Palestinians see the chances of having their own state slipping away.

In Hebron, Palestinian resident Mufid Sharabati stands on his roof and counts the abandoned homes — about 10 that he can see. He says about 60 Palestinian families left the neighborhood in the last five years because life among Israeli settlers and soldiers has become too difficult.

There have been reports of settler harassment of Palestinians, as well as a recent wave of Palestinian stabbings against soldiers in the city. Sharabati says he must show Israeli soldiers his assigned number, 711, written in Sharpie on his ID cover, to enter the enclave he lives in alongside Israeli settlers. He is part of a civil society campaign called “Dismantle the Ghetto.”

Israelis dressed up in costume as Palestinian Muslim women, for the Jewish Purim holiday, in Hebron.

Daniel Estrin/NPR


hide caption

toggle caption

Daniel Estrin/NPR

Israelis dressed up in costume as Palestinian Muslim women, for the Jewish Purim holiday, in Hebron.

Daniel Estrin/NPR

Jewish settlers in Hebron say it is important they live in the city because of its biblical history — as the traditional site of the tomb of Abraham and other ancestors — and because it was home to an old Jewish community that ended when Arabs killed some 69 Hebron Jews in 1929.

Israelis often view Hebron as an extreme example of Israeli-Palestinian friction — the only place in the West Bank where Israeli settlers live under military guard in the heart of a city among Palestinians.

“There is nothing extreme about Hebron,” said Yehuda Shaul of Breaking the Silence, a left-wing Israeli veterans group shunned by Netanyahu’s government for its work collecting unflattering soldier testimonies about their service in the Israeli-occupied West Bank. “Restrictions of movement do you have only in Hebron? All over the West Bank. Settler violence in Hebron? You have all over the West Bank. Military presence only in Hebron? All over the West Bank.”

The Palestinian-only part of Hebron is accessible from the settler area through a military checkpoint. Palestinian politics professor Assad Aweiwei stands on the Palestinian side. He’s not allowed to cross through.

“This is apartheid politics,” he said. “We must change the condition. We must be equal in this land. We can live together.”

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas failed to deliver on his promise of an independent Palestinian state, and a growing number of Palestinians — including Aweiwei — advocate one shared state with Israelis. Aweiwei says Palestinians would likely become the majority, like apartheid South Africa became a black-majority democracy.

In the last decade under Netanyahu, Israel has approved more settlement housing in Hebron, and invested in tourism, archaeology and educational tours to normalize the tense city for average Israelis who tend to avoid it.

Daniel Estrin/NPR


hide caption

toggle caption

Daniel Estrin/NPR

In the last decade under Netanyahu, Israel has approved more settlement housing in Hebron, and invested in tourism, archaeology and educational tours to normalize the tense city for average Israelis who tend to avoid it.

Daniel Estrin/NPR

That would put an end to Israel as a Jewish state.

In the last decade under Netanyahu, Israel has approved more settlement housing in Hebron, and invested in tourism, archaeology and educational tours to normalize the tense city for average Israelis who tend to avoid it — Israelis like Ophir Solonikov.

In late March, he visited Hebron for the first time on his 50 birthday and on the Purim holiday. He’s not a Netanyahu voter, not a settler, and not religious. But he sees the West Bank city — where Jewish and Muslim traditions say Abraham is buried — as a part of Israel.

Solonikov thinks Israel should pay Palestinians to leave — a policy promoted by a far-right libertarian candidate he supports, Moshe Feiglin, who is shaping up to be an influential kingmaker in the close election race.

“I dunno,” Solonikov said as holiday music blared, “if you do it in good will, it’s a good idea.”

Source Article from https://www.npr.org/2019/04/08/709989737/after-a-decade-of-netanyahu-hopes-fade-for-a-palestinian-state

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen has resigned amid President Donald Trump’s growing frustration and bitterness over the number of Central American families crossing the southern border.

Trump announced on Sunday in a tweet that U.S. Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan would be taking over as acting head of the department. McAleenan is a longtime border official who is well respected by many members of Congress and within the administration. The decision to name a top immigration officer to the post reflects Trump’s priority for the sprawling department founded to combat terrorism following the Sept. 11 attacks.

“I have determined that it is the right time for me to step aside,” Nielsen wrote in her resignation letter . “I hope that the next secretary will have the support of Congress and the courts in fixing the laws which have impeded our ability to fully secure America’s borders and which have contributed to discord in our nation’s discourse.”

Though Trump aides were eyeing a staff shake-up at the Department of Homeland Security and had already withdrawn the nomination for another key immigration post, the development Sunday was unexpected.

Still, it was unclear how McAleenan would immediately assume the role. The agency’s undersecretary of management, Claire Grady, is technically next in line for the job.

Nielsen traveled to the U.S.-Mexico border on Friday with Trump to participate in a roundtable with border officers and local law enforcement. There she echoed Trump’s comments on the situation at the border, though she ducked out of the room while Trump spoke. As they toured a section of newly rebuilt barriers, Nielsen was at Trump’s side, introducing him to local officials. She returned to Washington afterward as Trump continued on a fundraising trip to California and Nevada.

Nielsen had grown increasingly frustrated by what she saw as a lack of support from other departments and increased meddling by Trump aides on difficult immigration issues, according to three people familiar with details of her resignation. They spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter.

She went into the White House on Sunday to meet with Trump not knowing whether she’d be fired or would resign. She ended up resigning, though she was not forced to do so, they said.

Nielsen, who says she’s staying on until Wednesday, is the latest person felled in the Trump administration’s unprecedented churn of top staff and Cabinet officials, brought about by the president’s mercurial management style, insistence on blind loyalty and rash policy announcements.

Nielsen was also the highest profile female Cabinet member, and her exit leaves DHS along with the Pentagon and the White House staff itself without permanent heads. Patrick Shanahan has held the post of acting defense secretary since the former secretary, Jim Mattis, was pushed out in December over criticism of the president’s Syria withdrawal plans. Acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney has held his post since January, following John Kelly’s resignation last year.

McAleenan has helped shape many of the administration’s policies to date and is considered highly competent by congressional leaders, the White House and Homeland Security officials. But it’s unclear if he can have much more of an effect on the issues at the border. The Trump administration has bumped up against legal restrictions and court rulings that have hamstrung many of its major efforts to remake border security.

Rep. Joaquin Castro, chairman of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, was critical of Nielsen, saying she spent her tenure “championing President Trump’s cruel anti-immigrant agenda,” and he called McAleenan’s appointment “deeply disturbing.”

“He cannot be trusted as Acting DHS Secretary based on his record of prioritizing Trump’s harmful policies that undermine national security and the economy, and hurt vulnerable families and children at the border,” Castro, a Texas Democrat, said in a statement.

Tensions between the White House and Nielsen have persisted almost from the moment she became secretary, after her predecessor, Kelly, became the White House chief of staff in 2017. Nielsen was viewed as resistant to some of the harshest immigration measures supported by the president and his aides, particularly senior adviser Stephen Miller, both on matters around the border and others like protected status for some refugees.

Once Kelly left the White House, Nielsen’s days appeared to be numbered, and she had expected to be pushed out last November.

During the government shutdown over Trump’s insistence for funding for a border wall, Nielsen’s standing inside the White House appeared to rise. But in recent weeks, as a new wave of migration has taxed resources along the border and as Trump sought to regain control of the issue for his 2020 re-election campaign, tensions flared anew.

The final straw came when Trump gave Nielsen no heads-up or opportunity to discuss his decision to pull the nomination of acting Immigration and Customs Enforcement Director Ron Vitiello — a move seen as part of a larger effort by Miller, an immigration hardliner, and his allies at the White House to clean house at the department and bring in more people who share their views, the people said.

Nielsen had wanted to discuss the move with Trump during their visit to the border Friday, but when there was no time, she asked for the meeting Sunday. She walked into it prepared to resign, depending on what she heard. The people described mounting frustrations on both sides, with Trump exasperated at the situation at the border and Nielsen frustrated by White House actions she felt were counterproductive.

Arrests along the southern border have skyrocketed recently. Border agents are on track to make 100,000 arrests and denials of entry at the southern border in March, more than half of which are families with children. A press conference to announce the most recent border numbers — scheduled to be held by McAleenan on Monday — was postponed.

Nielsen dutifully pushed Trump’s immigration policies, including funding for his border wall, and defended the administration’s practice of separating children from parents. She told a Senate committee that removing children from parents facing criminal charges happens “in the United States every day.” But she was also instrumental in ending the policy.

Under Nielsen, migrants seeking asylum are waiting in Mexico as their cases progress. She also moved to abandon longstanding regulations that dictate how long children are allowed to be held in immigration detention and requested bed space from the U.S. military for 12,000 people in an effort to detain all families who cross the border. Right now there is space for about 3,000 families, and facilities are at capacity.

Nielsen also advocated for strong cybersecurity defense and often said she believed the next major terror attack would occur online — not by planes or bombs. She was tasked with helping states secure elections following Russian interference during the 2018 election.

She led the federal agency since December 2017 and was this administration’s third Homeland Security secretary. A protege of Kelly’s, he brought her to the White House after Trump named him chief of staff.

Nielsen, 45, previously served as a special assistant to President George W. Bush and worked for the Transportation Security Administration.

She rose through the Trump ranks quickly — joining the transition team after the election to help guide Kelly through the confirmation process. She quickly became a trusted aide to Kelly, and the two worked together to impose order on a dysfunctional White House that lacked clear lines of command.

House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., said her tenure was “a disaster from the start.” The policies she helped create “have been an abysmal failure and have helped create the humanitarian crisis at the border.”

His Senate counterpart, Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., said the government needed “steady, informed and effective leadership in the administration and in Congress to have any hope of fixing our out-of-control border security and immigration problems.”

___

Associated Press writers Jill Colvin and Lisa Mascaro contributed to this report.

___

This story corrects the month in which border agents are on track to make 100,000 arrests and denials of entry to March, not this month.

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/us/nielsen-out-at-homeland-security-as-trump-focuses-on-border

“);var a = g[r.size_id].split(“x”).map((function(e) {return Number(e)})), s = u(a, 2);o.width = s[0],o.height = s[1]}o.rubiconTargeting = (Array.isArray(r.targeting) ? r.targeting : []).reduce((function(e, r) {return e[r.key] = r.values[0],e}), {rpfl_elemid: n.adUnitCode}),e.push(o)} else l.logError(“Rubicon bid adapter Error: bidRequest undefined at index position:” + t, c, d);return e}), []).sort((function(e, r) {return (r.cpm || 0) – (e.cpm || 0)}))},getUserSyncs: function(e, r, t) {if (!A && e.iframeEnabled) {var i = “”;return t && “string” == typeof t.consentString && (“boolean” == typeof t.gdprApplies ? i += “?gdpr=” + Number(t.gdprApplies) + “&gdpr_consent=” + t.consentString : i += “?gdpr_consent=” + t.consentString),A = !0,{type: “iframe”,url: n + i}}},transformBidParams: function(e, r) {return l.convertTypes({accountId: “number”,siteId: “number”,zoneId: “number”}, e)}};function m() {return [window.screen.width, window.screen.height].join(“x”)}function b(e, r) {var t = f.config.getConfig(“pageUrl”);return e.params.referrer ? t = e.params.referrer : t || (t = r.refererInfo.referer),e.params.secure ? t.replace(/^http:/i, “https:”) : t}function _(e, r) {var t = e.params;if (“video” === r) {var i = [];return t.video && t.video.playerWidth && t.video.playerHeight ? i = [t.video.playerWidth, t.video.playerHeight] : Array.isArray(l.deepAccess(e, “mediaTypes.video.playerSize”)) && 1 === e.mediaTypes.video.playerSize.length ? i = e.mediaTypes.video.playerSize[0] : Array.isArray(e.sizes) && 0

Washington (CNN)President Donald Trump announced Monday the US will formally designate Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a Foreign Terrorist Organization.

Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/08/politics/iran-us-irgc-designation/index.html

DAVENPORT, Iowa (AP) — Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders is quieting critics who questioned whether he could recapture the energy of his upstart 2016 campaign, surpassing his rivals in early fundraising and establishing himself as an indisputable front-runner for the Democratic presidential nomination.

Less than two months into his second White House bid , no other declared candidate in the crowded Democratic field currently has amassed so many advantages: a $28 million war chest, a loyal and enthusiastic voter base and a set of clearly defined policy objectives.

That puts Sanders on markedly different footing than during his first White House run, creating new challenges for a candidate whose supporters relish his role as an underdog and an outsider. He now carries the weight of high expectations and will face heightened scrutiny over everything from the cost and feasibility of his government-funded policy proposals to his tax returns, which he has not yet released. He initially blamed “mechanical issues” for the delay, and his campaign now says he wants to wait until after the April 15 tax filing deadline to fulfill his promise to release a decade worth of returns .

Sanders has largely embraced his new front-runner status. More than any other candidate, he draws explicit comparisons with President Donald Trump in his campaign remarks, previewing his approach to a general election faceoff with the incumbent Republican. Behind the scenes, Sanders is also building out a larger, more diverse campaign operation, responding to criticism that his 2016 organization skewed too heavily white and male. Campaign officials say the 2020 campaign staff — roughly 100 people and growing — is majority female and 40 percent people of color.

Still, Sanders’ message and style hasn’t changed from 2016, when he stunned many Democrats by mounting a formidable challenge to Hillary Clinton and besting her in more than 20 primary contests.

After briefly acquiescing to his advisers’ suggestions that he reveal more about his upbringing and personal history, Sanders has returned to his comfort zone: delivering lengthy campaign speeches chockablock with the same policy prescriptions he campaigned on during the 2016 campaign. In Davenport, Iowa, on Friday night, Sanders spent 63 minutes outlining his views on health care, criminal justice reform and economic inequality.

“With your help, we are going to complete what we started here,” Sanders told the 1,200-person crowd, referring to his virtual tie with Clinton in the 2016 Iowa caucuses.

Sanders’ approach underscores his belief that his success in 2016 was not a fluke or simply a function of being the next best alternative to Clinton. His advisers argue the populist economic message Sanders has espoused for years, often in obscurity, has now been embraced not only by a slew of his Democratic rivals, but also Trump.

“Donald Trump campaigned on economic terms as faux Bernie Sanders. It was taking his language and selling it to the American people,” said Faiz Shakir, Sanders’ campaign manager. “And now how do you defeat faux Bernie Sanders? You defeat him with real Bernie Sanders.”

Sanders owes some of his fast start to the fact that he never really stopped running for president after the 2016 campaign. Our Revolution, the political group Sanders launched after the campaign, has collected information on voters and held events in early voting states since the last election. Sanders was also active in the 2018 midterms, throwing his support behind progressive Democratic candidates across the country, though many were defeated.

“He spent 2018 lifting up progressives all over the country,” said Rebecca Katz, a progressive Democratic consultant. “Even though many of them did not win, it was appreciated, it was movement building and it was a different calculation than most politicians make.”

Despite his strong launch, Sanders’ current standing atop the Democratic field is not entirely enviable. Presidential primaries are long and turbulent, and past elections underscore how many early front-runners have been tossed aside before the first votes are cast. Former Vice President Joe Biden has signaled his expected presidential campaign would serve as a centrist check on Sanders’ brand of progressive politics.

And though Sanders’ $18 million first-quarter fundraising haul far outpaced the rest of the Democratic field, some rival campaigns breathed a sigh of relief, having anticipated the Vermont senator would clear $20 million or more.

“He did very well. He could have done better,” said Mo Elleithee, who advised Hillary Clinton’s 2008 presidential campaign and now runs the Georgetown University Institute of Politics and Public Service.

Sanders also still has to prove that he can overcome some of the same vulnerabilities that contributed to his defeat in 2016.

Chief among them will be bolstering his standing with black voters, one of the most important constituencies in Democratic politics. Black voters overwhelmingly sided with Clinton in 2016, halting Sanders’ momentum when the contest moved into more diverse states. He lost the South Carolina primary by a staggering 48 points.

Some of Sanders’ top advisers dismiss the notion that he’ll face similar problems in 2020, noting that he has spent time building relationships with black leaders in South Carolina and other Southern states. He’s also sharpened his campaign message on criminal justice issues and racial inequality.

“I understand that a lot of people took a lot of things out of the South Carolina results,” Shakir said. “We are going to continue to court and address these issues directly, but we are operating with a great deal of confidence that this is going to be a particular demographic that supports Bernie Sanders at the end of the day.”

Perhaps Sanders’ biggest challenge is overcoming skepticism among voters who may be partial to his focus on economic inequality but fear that nominating a 77-year-old self-described democratic socialist would put Democrats in a weak position against Trump in the general election.

“That’s a thing that scares me about him,” said Gwen Hobson, a 70-year-old Democratic voter, who attended Sanders’ rally on Friday in Davenport.

Yet some of Sanders’ longtime supporters say their enthusiasm for him is unshakable. In Davenport on Friday, several voters donned faded t-shirts from Sanders’ 2016 campaign. Melita Tunnicliff, 57, wore a button she bought during that campaign with Sanders’ photo and the phrase “Not For Sale.”

Asked if she was open to other Democratic candidates this time around, Tunnicliff shook her head no.

“I’ve been waiting for Bernie,” she said.

Source Article from https://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2019/04/08/bernie_sanders_finds_himself_in_a_new_role_as_front-runner_139989.html

<!– –>

Wall Street analysts downgraded shares of Boeing and Southwest Airlines on Monday as troubles worsen for the airplane maker’s popular 737 Max jets.

Boeing announced late Friday plans to cut production of the jet, which has been grounded following the March 10 crash of an Ethiopian Airlines flight that killed all 157 people aboard. It was the second fatal crash of the popular aircraft in less than five months and investigators suspect that faulty data feeding into the aircraft’s automated flight system played a major role in both accidents.

Shares of Boeing tumbled 4.1 percent while Southwest slid 2.7 percent in midday trading.

Bank of America Merrill Lynch cut its rating on Boeing to neutral from buy Monday, saying it expects production to be delayed by six to nine months.

Raymond James downgraded Southwest Airlines stock and lowered its earnings projections, citing concerns that the grounding could last through peak summer travel.

Southwest has 34 Max jets out of its fleet of about 750 aircraft, accounting for roughly 4 percent of its passenger capacity.

The airline, which reports earnings April 25, said it expects to lose $150 million in revenue in the first quarter of 2019 due to the Max groundings, among other factors like weather-related cancellations, maintenance issues and slowed travel demand. Raymond James said groundings were a “one time” situation, and it expects recuperation through maintenance credits or lower ownership costs of future aircraft.

American Airlines said it’s extending cancellations of 90 daily flights involving the 737 Max jet by more than a month to June 5.

Raymond James downgraded Southwest from the equivalent of a buy rating to a hold rating, and lowered its earnings-per-share estimate by 5 cents to $4.40.

“The reputational loss from these events could erode long-term market share and pricing power of the 737 MAX,” BofA analyst Ronald Epstein said in a note to clients. “A six-month delay also means lower margins due to penalties owed to customers, weaker negotiating position with airlines as airlines consider cancellations, and operational inefficiencies from the production disruption.”

Boeing is slashing 737 Max production by 20 percent as it tries to find a software fix to get the jets back in the air. The company’s shares have have fallen nearly 9 percent in the past month.

Despite the groundings, Raymond James said it’s confident in Southwest’s overall ability to maintain “longer term superior margins, FCF profile, and low leverage while capitalizing on technology catch-up and international growth opportunities.”

The groundings will likely have less impact for American and United since those airlines have fewer 737 Max jets than Southwest, the report noted.

Source Article from https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/08/southwest-stock-downgraded-to-market-perform-over-boeings-737-max-jet.html

Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke is once again taking aim at Benjamin Netanyahu, going so far as to label the conservative Israeli leader a “racist” who’s an obstacle to Mideast peace.

Asked about the peace process while campaigning in Iowa City, Iowa, the former three-term congressman from Texas said that “the U.S.-Israel relationship is one of the most important relationships we have on the planet.”

LIEBERMAN: NETANYAHU NOT A RACIST

But targeting Netanyahu, O’Rourke argued that if the U.S.-Israeli relation is to be successful going forward, “it must be able to transcend a prime minister who is racist as he warns of Arabs coming to the polls who want to defy any prospect for peace, as he threatens to annex the West Bank and who has sided with a far-right racist party in order to maintain his hold on power.”

O’Rourke’s criticism came just hours before Tuesday’s election in Israel, where the longtime leader is fighting to keep his right-wing government in power and keep his job as prime minister, all while staring down allegations of corruption.

If he wins, Netanyahu would become the longest-serving prime minister in Israeli history.

O’ROURKE SLAMS NETANYAHU

O’Rourke’s pointed comments weren’t the first time he’s slammed Netanyahu. Last month, campaigning in the first-in-the-nation primary state of New Hampshire, he charged that “we have a prime minister in Israel who has openly sided with racists.”

At the time, O’Rourke also jabbed at Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas.

“On the Palestinian side, we have an ineffectual leader. Mahmoud Abbas has not been very effective in bringing his side to the table,” he lamented.

He also criticized Abbas during Sunday’s stop in Iowa.

Former Sen. Joe Lieberman disagreed with O’Rourke’s take on Netanyahu.

Lieberman, who ran unsuccessfully for the 2004 Democratic presidential nomination before becoming an independent, claimed that while Netanyahu’s “opinionated” and “controversial,” he’s not intolerant.

“This is an ally in the midst of an election,” he said on Fox Business Network during an appearance on ‘Varney & Co.’ on Monday. “What I would say, and I know Prime Minister Netanyahu a long time, I agree with him a lot of the time, I sometimes disagree — he’s not a racist.”

O’Rourke’s comments were part of a larger debate within the Democratic Party over Netanyahu and his government’s treatment of Palestinians.

Netanyahu is close with Republican President Trump. In the weeks leading up to the Israeli contest, Trump hosted Netanyahu at the White House and signed a proclamation recognizing the Golan Heights as part of Israel, overturning longstanding U.S. policy.

The two moves appeared to give Netanyahu a foreign policy boost in the closing weeks before the election.

Source Article from https://www.foxnews.com/politics/beto-orourke-calls-israeli-leader-netanyahu-a-racist

For Mr. Rosselló, the funding fight is a question of fairness. For every long-term rebuilding project underway in Puerto Rico at this point after Hurricane Maria, there were 28 projects underway in Texas for damage from Hurricane Harvey, and 32 projects in Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina, the governor said. “Puerto Rico is getting much fewer and much lower resources than any comparable jurisdiction in the United States.”

A University of Michigan analysis published in the journal BMJ Global Health in January found it took twice as long — four months — for Hurricane Maria survivors in Puerto Rico to receive a comparable amount of individual aid (about $1 billion) as Hurricane Harvey survivors in Texas and Hurricane Irma survivors in Florida, though Maria was stronger and more devastating. Maria killed an estimated 2,975 people in Puerto Rico.

In addition to the slow disbursement of aid, a report last month from the Government Accountability Office found that the Department of Housing and Urban Development lacked a robust plan to monitor disaster relief grants, including $20 billion approved for Puerto Rico.

In Vieques, with the hospital out of commission, dialysis patients had to travel to the big island three times a week to get treatment for more than a year after the storm. Several patients died. Finally, in November, a mobile dialysis unit in a shiny trailer arrived at the temporary clinic, allowing local treatments to resume.

“It wasn’t easy,” said Edwin Alvarado Cordero, a 58-year-old diabetic. Standing across the street from the pharmacy in Isabel Segunda, the bigger of the island’s two towns, Mr. Alvarado recounted his thrice-weekly trips from Vieques to Humacao, which began at 4 a.m. and ended at 5:30 p.m.

Last year, on the ferry to the big island, Mr. Alvarado suffered a heart attack. He had open-heart surgery and survived. Though he can now receive dialysis in Vieques, he still travels to San Juan periodically to see his cardiologist. Specialists visit Vieques infrequently.

“It’s far, but it’s better there,” Mr. Alvarado said. “What’s left of the hospital here is grass and horses. They abandoned it.”

Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/07/us/puerto-rico-trump-vieques.html

It’s Monday, April 8, 2019. Let’s start here.

1. Homeland insecurity

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen stood next to President Donald Trump at the U.S.-Mexico border on Friday.

Two days later, she walked into the White House and quit.

Trump confirmed her resignation on Twitter after a meeting about border security turned into a discussion over her future, sources told ABC News.

However sudden the news felt, it was a long time coming, ABC News White House Correspondent Tara Palmeri tells us on “Start Here.”

“It was always known that President Trump was not happy with Nielsen,” Palmeri says. “It was a matter of not if it will happen, but when it will happen.”

2. Tourist trap?

An American tourist and her Congolese tour guide are safe and in “good health” after they were kidnapped in Uganda and a $500,000 ransom was demanded, police said.

A spokesperson for Wild Frontiers Uganda told ABC News a ransom was paid — it’s unclear exactly how much or by whom — raising concern over whether doing so may encourage more kidnappings, Senior Foreign Correspondent Ian Pannell reports from Queen Elizabeth National Park.

“They want tourists to come back, they want them to see that this is a safe place, that it’s an unprecedented event,” Pannell says on today’s podcast. “If money’s changing hands in exchange for foreign tourists, then that potentially endangers others.”

(Martin Zwick/Reda & Co/UIG via Getty Images, FILE) The Crater Area in Queen Elizabeth National Park with view of the Rwenzori Mountains in Uganda, East Africa in this Sept. 18, 2016.file photo.

3. Fungus among us

A deadly, drug-resistant fungus has broken out in healthcare facilities — and it’s spreading.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention described Candida auris as a “serious global health threat” that can cause bloodstream infections and is difficult to identify with standard technology. More than 587 cases have been confirmed in the U.S., mostly in New York City, New Jersey and Chicago, according to the CDC.

“What we’ve learned is, this microbe, Candida auris, is resistant to the typical cleaning agents that hospital and health care facilities often use,” says infectious disease specialist Dr. Todd Ellerin. “If we don’t change the way we clean rooms, then the Candida will hang out there. It could potentially infect the next person that enters the room.”

4. Tangled with weed

Some immigrants fear careers in the legal cannabis industry have hurt their chances for full citizenship.

“I was led down a path to confess in my [citizenship] interview that I broke the law, that I willingly had known that I had broken the law,” Oswaldo Barrientos, who worked at a marijuana dispensary in Colorado, tells ABC News.

Because marijuana remains illegal under federal law, a related job may disqualify someone from lawful residency, ABC News’ Clayton Sandell explains on “Start Here.”

“It’s legal on one level,” he says, “and illegal on another.”

(ABC News) Denver Mayor Michael Hancock listens during a meeting about immigration problems stemming with legal marijuana jobs.

“Start Here,” ABC News’ flagship podcast, offers a straightforward look at the day’s top stories in 20 minutes. Listen for free every weekday on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, iHeartRadio, Spotify, Stitcher, TuneIn or the ABC News app. Follow @StartHereABC on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram for exclusive content and show updates.

Elsewhere:

‘Leaving only a human skull and a pair of pants’: Lions feast on a suspected poacher killed by an elephant.

‘John asked co-workers to take pictures of him’: A man accused of murdering his elderly mother asks colleagues to help with his alibi.

‘We are pleased to be able to reach resolution in this matter’: Motel 6 agrees to pay $12 million after illegally sharing the personal information of 80,000 customers with U.S. immigration officials.

From our friends at FiveThirtyEight:

Willians Astudillo is a baseball enigma: While he looks something like Bartolo Colon, he’s hitting like Ty Cobb.

Doff your cap:

The U.S. Postal Service said it will honor George H.W. Bush by releasing a commemorative stamp on June 12, which would’ve been the former president’s 95th birthday.

The stamp features a portrait of Bush painted by Michael J. Deas from a 1997 photograph taken by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders.

Bush, the 41st president, died Nov. 30, 2018.

Source Article from https://abcnews.go.com/US/start-here-kirstjen-nielsen-quits-homeland-security-kidnapped-american/story?id=62142321

Mr. Netanyahu could be indicted. Israel’s attorney general announced last month that he planned to bring charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.

A final decision on charges is likely by year’s end. Under the current law, Mr. Netanyahu, if re-elected, would not have to resign until a final conviction, although new legislation or public pressure could force him to step down. Mr. Netanyahu has described the charges as a baseless partisan witch hunt. But with a first sitting prime minister to be charged, Israel would be entering uncharted legal and political terrain.

The uncertainty has worked against Mr. Netanyahu in the prelude to the vote.

“The attorney general’s report has done something that has never happened in Israel’s 70-year history, and that is that a prime minister is under a legal cloud,” said David Makovsky, an expert at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy.

The election also is the first time that three former heads of the army, the Israel Defense Forces, have united to run for office. The Blue and White alliance is led by Mr. Gantz and two other veteran generals, Gabi Ashkenazi and Moshe Yaalon.

They have teamed up with a well-known centrist party, Yesh Atid, led by Yair Lapid, a former journalist, television host and finance minister. Mr. Gantz has agreed to hand off the prime minister position to Mr. Lapid after two and a half years if their parties win.

While Mr. Netanyahu has a strong record of defending Israel, the Blue and White alliance’s military credentials have made it more difficult for him to attack Mr. Gantz and his colleagues as weak on security.

Source Article from https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/08/world/middleeast/israel-election-explainer.html

April 7 at 7:01 PM

British regulators on Sunday unveiled a landmark proposal to penalize Facebook, Google and other tech giants that fail to stop the spread of harmful content online, marking a major new regulatory threat for an industry that’s long dodged responsibility for what its users say or share.

The aggressive, new plan — drafted by the United Kingdom’s leading consumer-protection authorities and blessed by Prime Minister Theresa May — targets a wide array of web content, including child exploitation, false news, terrorist activity and extreme violence. If approved by Parliament, U.K. watchdogs would gain unprecedented powers to issue fines and other punishments if social-media sites don’t swiftly remove the most egregious posts, photos and videos from public view.

Top British officials said their blueprint would amount to “world leading laws to make the U.K. the safest place in the world to be online.” The document raises the possibility that the top executives of major tech companies could be held directly liable for failing to police their platforms. It even asks lawmakers to consider if regulators should have the ability to order internet service providers and others to limit access to some of the most harmful content on the web.

Experts said the idea potentially could limit the reach of sites including 8chan, an anonymous message board where graphic, violent content often thrives and that played an important role in spreading images of last month’s mosque attack in New Zealand.

“The Internet can be brilliant at connecting people across the world — but for too long these companies have not done enough to protect users, especially children and young people, from harmful content,” May said in a statement.

For Silicon Valley, the U.K.’s rules could amount to the most severe regulatory repercussion the tech industry has faced globally for failing to clean up a host of troubling content online. The sector’s continued struggles came into sharp relief last month, after videos of the deadly shooting in Christchurch, New Zealand, proliferated online, despite heightened investments by Facebook, Google and Twitter on more human reviewers — and more powerful tech tools — to stop such posts from going viral.

The March shooting prompted Australia to adopt a content-takedown law of its own, and it has emboldened others throughout Europe to consider similar new rules targeting the tech industry. The wave of global activity stands in stark contrast to the United States, where a decades-old federal law shields social-media companies from being held liable for the content posted by their users. U.S. lawmakers also have been reticent to regulate online speech out of concern that doing so would violate the First Amendment.

“The era of self-regulation for online companies is over,” U.K. Digital Secretary Jeremy Wright said in a statement Sunday.

In response, Facebook highlighted its recent investments to better spot and remove harmful content, adding the U.K.’s proposal “should protect society from harm while also supporting innovation, the digital economy and freedom of speech.” Twitter said it would work with government to “strike an appropriate balance between keeping users safe and preserving the internet’s open, free nature.” Google declined to comment.

The U.K.’s fresh call for regulation reflects a deepening skepticism of Silicon Valley in response to a range of recent controversies, including Facebook’s role in the country’s 2016 referendum to leave the European Union. British lawmakers learned after the vote that an organization created by Brexit supporters appeared to have links to Cambridge Analytica, a political consultancy that improperly accessed Facebook data on 87 million users in order to help clients better hone their political messages.

The revelation sparked a broad inquiry in Parliament, where lawmakers unsuccessfully demanded testimony from Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. In the aftermath, many there have called for strict new regulation of the social-networking giant and its peers.

“There is an urgent need for this new regulatory body to be established as soon as possible,” said Damian Collins, the chairman of the Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee in the House of Commons. He said the panel would hold hearings on the government’s proposal in the coming weeks.

For now, the U.K.’s plan comes in the form of a white paper that eventually will yield new legislation. Early details shared Sunday proposed that lawmakers set up a new, independent regulator tasked to ensure companies “take responsibility for the safety of their users.” That oversight — either through a new agency or part of an existing one — would be funded by tech companies, potentially through a new tax.

The agency’s mandate would be vast, from policing large social-media platforms such as Facebook to smaller web sites’ forums or comment sections. Much of its work would focus on content that could be harmful to children or pose a risk to national security. But regulators ultimately could play a role in scrutinizing a broader array of online harms, the U.K. said, including content “that may not be illegal but are nonetheless highly damaging to individuals or threaten our way of life in the U.K.” The document offers a litany of potential areas of concern, including hate speech, coercive behavior and underage exposure to illegal content such as dating apps that are meant for people over age 18.

Many details, such as how it defines harmful content, and how long companies have to take it down, have yet to be hammered out. U.K. regulators also said they would prod tech companies to be more transparent with users about the content they take down, and why.

“Despite our repeated calls to action, harmful and illegal content — including child abuse and terrorism — is still too readily available online,” said Sajid Javid, the U.K.’s home secretary. “That is why we are forcing these firms to clean up their act once and for all.”

Source Article from https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2019/04/07/uk-unveils-sweeping-plan-penalize-facebook-google-harmful-online-content/

<!– –>

Bank of America Merrill Lynch has cut its outlook on Boeing, saying the airline manufacturer’s recent troubles with its 737 are worse than expected. Boeing shares tumbled 4% on the move.

Two crashes of the Boeing 737 Max 8 forced the company to cut its production. BofA now estimates delays with the 737 will last six to nine months, longer than the three- to six-month delay originally forecast.

BofA cut its rating on the Dow component from buy to neutral and lowered its price objective to $420 from $480.

The company’s issues stem from crashes of Ethiopian Airlines Flight 302 and Lion Air Flight 610 over the past six months. Questions have been raised about the safety of the Max 8 and 9 jets as well as the general oversight being provided by the Federal Aviation Administration.

“The reputational loss from these events could erode long-term market share and pricing power of the 737 MAX,” BofA analyst Ronald Epstein said in a note to clients.

Though still up 21.5 percent year to date, Boeing’s shares have fallen nearly 9 percent in the past month.

In addition to the initial 737 Max delays, BofA estimates it will take Boeing through 2021 to catch up to delivery orders for its aircraft.

“A six month delay also means lower margins due to penalties owed to customers, weaker negotiating position with airlines as airlines consider cancellations, and operational inefficiencies from the production disruption,” Epstein wrote.

Boeing is reducing its production of the 737 Max to 42 per month, down 10 from its original target.

Correction: This story was revised to correct that BofA’s new rating of Boeing stock is neutral.

Source Article from https://www.cnbc.com/2019/04/08/boeing-shares-fall-4percent-after-bank-of-america-downgrades-stock-on-737-max-production-delays.html

It’s Monday, it’s a new week, and while we won’t pretend to know everything that’s going to happen over the next seven days, we have some sense of what’s coming up.

Here’s your briefing on some of the most important and interesting stories happening in the week ahead.

1) To delay or not to delay

What’s happening?

EU leaders will meet on Wednesday to discuss whether to grant a delay to the UK’s Brexit date.

Why does it matter?

In theory, the UK is still leaving the European Union on Friday: that is, unless EU leaders agree to a request from Theresa May to delay the date.

The emergency summit in Brussels will discuss the case she made last week for a delay until 30 June, with the British government unable to agree the terms on which to depart.

Mrs May believes a further postponement to the Brexit date is needed if the UK is to avoid leaving the EU without a deal, a scenario both EU leaders and many British MPs believe would create problems for businesses and cause difficulties at ports.

A no-deal Brexit on Friday seems highly unlikely. But then again, it’s not as though this process has proven predictable…

2) India votes…

What’s happening?

Media captionIndia’s elections are the world’s biggest democratic exercise

Voting in India’s general election begins on Thursday. Because it’s such a huge logistical challenge (in fact, with 900 million voters, it’s the world’s biggest democratic exercise) the election continues until 19 May.

Why does it matter?

While China is currently the world’s most populous country (with 1.39bn people), it will soon be overtaken by India (which has 1.34bn). So whoever wins is likely to lead the world’s biggest population.

Narendra Modi, the current prime minister, will hope it will be him again. But analysts are divided on whether he will be able to win a simple majority this time around, and he is facing a challenge from opposition leader Rahul Gandhi.

We’ll be bringing you detailed coverage on every day of the election.

3) … and Israel votes too…

What’s happening?

India isn’t the only country electing its leader: the same is happening in Israel on Tuesday, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hoping for a fifth term in office.

Why does it matter?

If he beats Benny Gantz, a former chief of staff for the Israeli military, Mr Netanyahu will become Israel’s longest-serving prime minister.

Polls seem to indicate this is likely to happen and that Mr Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition will come out on top.

It could also be worth keeping an eye on how one ultra-nationalist party performs, as our correspondent Yolande Knell points out. The Zehut party could well become kingmakers: they take a hardline stance on Palestinians and are calling for the legalisation of cannabis.

4) … just before it reaches the moon

Image copyright
AFP/SpaceX

What’s happening?

An Israeli spacecraft will attempt to land on the Moon on Thursday.

Why does it matter?

The mission heralds a new era in space exploration.

If the Israeli robot Beresheet is able to land on the Moon, it will be the first time a privately financed mission will have done so (up to now, only government space agencies from the US, Russia and China have managed soft touchdowns).

Beresheet has already taken one giant leap, ensuring last week that Israel became only the seventh nation to orbit the moon.

If it touches down successfully, it will take photos to send back to Earth and engage in some magnetic investigations.

Here’s why this space mission is unlike any other.

Source Article from https://www.bbc.com/news/world-47824936

“);var a = g[r.size_id].split(“x”).map((function(e) {return Number(e)})), s = u(a, 2);o.width = s[0],o.height = s[1]}o.rubiconTargeting = (Array.isArray(r.targeting) ? r.targeting : []).reduce((function(e, r) {return e[r.key] = r.values[0],e}), {rpfl_elemid: n.adUnitCode}),e.push(o)} else l.logError(“Rubicon bid adapter Error: bidRequest undefined at index position:” + t, c, d);return e}), []).sort((function(e, r) {return (r.cpm || 0) – (e.cpm || 0)}))},getUserSyncs: function(e, r, t) {if (!A && e.iframeEnabled) {var i = “”;return t && “string” == typeof t.consentString && (“boolean” == typeof t.gdprApplies ? i += “?gdpr=” + Number(t.gdprApplies) + “&gdpr_consent=” + t.consentString : i += “?gdpr_consent=” + t.consentString),A = !0,{type: “iframe”,url: n + i}}},transformBidParams: function(e, r) {return l.convertTypes({accountId: “number”,siteId: “number”,zoneId: “number”}, e)}};function m() {return [window.screen.width, window.screen.height].join(“x”)}function b(e, r) {var t = f.config.getConfig(“pageUrl”);return e.params.referrer ? t = e.params.referrer : t || (t = r.refererInfo.referer),e.params.secure ? t.replace(/^http:/i, “https:”) : t}function _(e, r) {var t = e.params;if (“video” === r) {var i = [];return t.video && t.video.playerWidth && t.video.playerHeight ? i = [t.video.playerWidth, t.video.playerHeight] : Array.isArray(l.deepAccess(e, “mediaTypes.video.playerSize”)) && 1 === e.mediaTypes.video.playerSize.length ? i = e.mediaTypes.video.playerSize[0] : Array.isArray(e.sizes) && 0

‘);$vidEndSlate.removeClass(‘video__end-slate–inactive’).addClass(‘video__end-slate–active’);}};CNN.autoPlayVideoExist = (CNN.autoPlayVideoExist === true) ? true : false;var configObj = {thumb: ‘none’,video: ‘tv/2019/04/05/lead-pam-brown-live-jake-tapper.cnn’,width: ‘100%’,height: ‘100%’,section: ‘domestic’,profile: ‘expansion’,network: ‘cnn’,markupId: ‘large-media_0’,adsection: ‘const-article-pagetop’,frameWidth: ‘100%’,frameHeight: ‘100%’,posterImageOverride: {“mini”:{“width”:220,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190405175304-lead-pam-brown-live-jake-tapper-00005104-small-169.jpg”,”height”:124},”xsmall”:{“width”:307,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190405175304-lead-pam-brown-live-jake-tapper-00005104-medium-plus-169.jpg”,”height”:173},”small”:{“width”:460,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190405175304-lead-pam-brown-live-jake-tapper-00005104-large-169.jpg”,”height”:259},”medium”:{“width”:780,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”http://www.noticiasdodia.onlinenewsbusiness.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/04/190405175304-lead-pam-brown-live-jake-tapper-00005104-exlarge-169.jpg”,”height”:438},”large”:{“width”:1100,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190405175304-lead-pam-brown-live-jake-tapper-00005104-super-169.jpg”,”height”:619},”full16x9″:{“width”:1600,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190405175304-lead-pam-brown-live-jake-tapper-00005104-full-169.jpg”,”height”:900},”mini1x1″:{“width”:120,”type”:”jpg”,”uri”:”//cdn.cnn.com/cnnnext/dam/assets/190405175304-lead-pam-brown-live-jake-tapper-00005104-small-11.jpg”,”height”:120}}},autoStartVideo = false,isVideoReplayClicked = false,callbackObj,containerEl,currentVideoCollection = [],currentVideoCollectionId = ”,isLivePlayer = false,mediaMetadataCallbacks,mobilePinnedView = null,moveToNextTimeout,mutePlayerEnabled = false,nextVideoId = ”,nextVideoUrl = ”,turnOnFlashMessaging = false,videoPinner,videoEndSlateImpl;if (CNN.autoPlayVideoExist === false) {autoStartVideo = true;if (autoStartVideo === true) {if (turnOnFlashMessaging === true) {autoStartVideo = false;containerEl = jQuery(document.getElementById(configObj.markupId));CNN.VideoPlayer.showFlashSlate(containerEl);} else {CNN.autoPlayVideoExist = true;}}}configObj.autostart = CNN.Features.enableAutoplayBlock ? false : autoStartVideo;CNN.VideoPlayer.setPlayerProperties(configObj.markupId, autoStartVideo, isLivePlayer, isVideoReplayClicked, mutePlayerEnabled);CNN.VideoPlayer.setFirstVideoInCollection(currentVideoCollection, configObj.markupId);videoEndSlateImpl = new CNN.VideoEndSlate(‘large-media_0’);function findNextVideo(currentVideoId) {var i,vidObj;if (currentVideoId && jQuery.isArray(currentVideoCollection) && currentVideoCollection.length > 0) {for (i = 0; i 0) {videoEndSlateImpl.showEndSlateForContainer();if (mobilePinnedView) {mobilePinnedView.disable();}}}}callbackObj = {onPlayerReady: function (containerId) {var playerInstance,containerClassId = ‘#’ + containerId;CNN.VideoPlayer.handleInitialExpandableVideoState(containerId);CNN.VideoPlayer.handleAdOnCVPVisibilityChange(containerId, CNN.pageVis.isDocumentVisible());if (CNN.Features.enableMobileWebFloatingPlayer &&Modernizr &&(Modernizr.phone || Modernizr.mobile || Modernizr.tablet) &&CNN.VideoPlayer.getLibraryName(containerId) === ‘fave’ &&jQuery(containerClassId).parents(‘.js-pg-rail-tall__head’).length > 0 &&CNN.contentModel.pageType === ‘article’) {playerInstance = FAVE.player.getInstance(containerId);mobilePinnedView = new CNN.MobilePinnedView({element: jQuery(containerClassId),enabled: false,transition: CNN.MobileWebFloatingPlayer.transition,onPin: function () {playerInstance.hideUI();},onUnpin: function () {playerInstance.showUI();},onPlayerClick: function () {if (mobilePinnedView) {playerInstance.enterFullscreen();playerInstance.showUI();}},onDismiss: function() {CNN.Videx.mobile.pinnedPlayer.disable();playerInstance.pause();}});/* Storing pinned view on CNN.Videx.mobile.pinnedPlayer So that all players can see the single pinned player */CNN.Videx = CNN.Videx || {};CNN.Videx.mobile = CNN.Videx.mobile || {};CNN.Videx.mobile.pinnedPlayer = mobilePinnedView;}if (Modernizr && !Modernizr.phone && !Modernizr.mobile && !Modernizr.tablet) {if (jQuery(containerClassId).parents(‘.js-pg-rail-tall__head’).length) {videoPinner = new CNN.VideoPinner(containerClassId);videoPinner.init();} else {CNN.VideoPlayer.hideThumbnail(containerId);}}},onContentEntryLoad: function(containerId, playerId, contentid, isQueue) {CNN.VideoPlayer.showSpinner(containerId);},onContentPause: function (containerId, playerId, videoId, paused) {if (mobilePinnedView) {CNN.VideoPlayer.handleMobilePinnedPlayerStates(containerId, paused);}},onContentMetadata: function (containerId, playerId, metadata, contentId, duration, width, height) {var endSlateLen = jQuery(document.getElementById(containerId)).parent().find(‘.js-video__end-slate’).eq(0).length;CNN.VideoSourceUtils.updateSource(containerId, metadata);if (endSlateLen > 0) {videoEndSlateImpl.fetchAndShowRecommendedVideos(metadata);}},onAdPlay: function (containerId, cvpId, token, mode, id, duration, blockId, adType) {/* Dismissing the pinnedPlayer if another video players plays an Ad */CNN.VideoPlayer.dismissMobilePinnedPlayer(containerId);clearTimeout(moveToNextTimeout);CNN.VideoPlayer.hideSpinner(containerId);if (Modernizr && !Modernizr.phone && !Modernizr.mobile && !Modernizr.tablet) {if (typeof videoPinner !== ‘undefined’ && videoPinner !== null) {videoPinner.setIsPlaying(true);videoPinner.animateDown();}}},onAdPause: function (containerId, playerId, token, mode, id, duration, blockId, adType, instance, isAdPause) {if (mobilePinnedView) {CNN.VideoPlayer.handleMobilePinnedPlayerStates(containerId, isAdPause);}},onTrackingFullscreen: function (containerId, PlayerId, dataObj) {CNN.VideoPlayer.handleFullscreenChange(containerId, dataObj);if (mobilePinnedView &&typeof dataObj === ‘object’ &&FAVE.Utils.os === ‘iOS’ && !dataObj.fullscreen) {jQuery(document).scrollTop(mobilePinnedView.getScrollPosition());playerInstance.hideUI();}},onContentPlay: function (containerId, cvpId, event) {var playerInstance,prevVideoId;if (CNN.companion && typeof CNN.companion.updateCompanionLayout === ‘function’) {CNN.companion.updateCompanionLayout(‘restoreEpicAds’);}clearTimeout(moveToNextTimeout);CNN.VideoPlayer.hideSpinner(containerId);if (Modernizr && !Modernizr.phone && !Modernizr.mobile && !Modernizr.tablet) {if (typeof videoPinner !== ‘undefined’ && videoPinner !== null) {videoPinner.setIsPlaying(true);videoPinner.animateDown();}}},onContentReplayRequest: function (containerId, cvpId, contentId) {if (Modernizr && !Modernizr.phone && !Modernizr.mobile && !Modernizr.tablet) {if (typeof videoPinner !== ‘undefined’ && videoPinner !== null) {videoPinner.setIsPlaying(true);var $endSlate = jQuery(document.getElementById(containerId)).parent().find(‘.js-video__end-slate’).eq(0);if ($endSlate.length > 0) {$endSlate.removeClass(‘video__end-slate–active’).addClass(‘video__end-slate–inactive’);}}}},onContentBegin: function (containerId, cvpId, contentId) {if (mobilePinnedView) {mobilePinnedView.enable();}/* Dismissing the pinnedPlayer if another video players plays a video. */CNN.VideoPlayer.dismissMobilePinnedPlayer(containerId);CNN.VideoPlayer.mutePlayer(containerId);if (CNN.companion && typeof CNN.companion.updateCompanionLayout === ‘function’) {CNN.companion.updateCompanionLayout(‘removeEpicAds’);}CNN.VideoPlayer.hideSpinner(containerId);clearTimeout(moveToNextTimeout);CNN.VideoSourceUtils.clearSource(containerId);jQuery(document).triggerVideoContentStarted();},onContentComplete: function (containerId, cvpId, contentId) {if (CNN.companion && typeof CNN.companion.updateCompanionLayout === ‘function’) {CNN.companion.updateCompanionLayout(‘restoreFreewheel’);}navigateToNextVideo(contentId, containerId);},onContentEnd: function (containerId, cvpId, contentId) {if (Modernizr && !Modernizr.phone && !Modernizr.mobile && !Modernizr.tablet) {if (typeof videoPinner !== ‘undefined’ && videoPinner !== null) {videoPinner.setIsPlaying(false);}}},onCVPVisibilityChange: function (containerId, cvpId, visible) {CNN.VideoPlayer.handleAdOnCVPVisibilityChange(containerId, visible);}};if (typeof configObj.context !== ‘string’ || configObj.context.length 0) {configObj.adsection = window.ssid;}CNN.autoPlayVideoExist = (CNN.autoPlayVideoExist === true) ? true : false;CNN.VideoPlayer.getLibrary(configObj, callbackObj, isLivePlayer);});CNN.INJECTOR.scriptComplete(‘videodemanddust’);

Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/08/politics/trump-tax-returns-congress-whats-next/index.html

“);var a = g[r.size_id].split(“x”).map((function(e) {return Number(e)})), s = u(a, 2);o.width = s[0],o.height = s[1]}o.rubiconTargeting = (Array.isArray(r.targeting) ? r.targeting : []).reduce((function(e, r) {return e[r.key] = r.values[0],e}), {rpfl_elemid: n.adUnitCode}),e.push(o)} else l.logError(“Rubicon bid adapter Error: bidRequest undefined at index position:” + t, c, d);return e}), []).sort((function(e, r) {return (r.cpm || 0) – (e.cpm || 0)}))},getUserSyncs: function(e, r, t) {if (!A && e.iframeEnabled) {var i = “”;return t && “string” == typeof t.consentString && (“boolean” == typeof t.gdprApplies ? i += “?gdpr=” + Number(t.gdprApplies) + “&gdpr_consent=” + t.consentString : i += “?gdpr_consent=” + t.consentString),A = !0,{type: “iframe”,url: n + i}}},transformBidParams: function(e, r) {return l.convertTypes({accountId: “number”,siteId: “number”,zoneId: “number”}, e)}};function m() {return [window.screen.width, window.screen.height].join(“x”)}function b(e, r) {var t = f.config.getConfig(“pageUrl”);return e.params.referrer ? t = e.params.referrer : t || (t = r.refererInfo.referer),e.params.secure ? t.replace(/^http:/i, “https:”) : t}function _(e, r) {var t = e.params;if (“video” === r) {var i = [];return t.video && t.video.playerWidth && t.video.playerHeight ? i = [t.video.playerWidth, t.video.playerHeight] : Array.isArray(l.deepAccess(e, “mediaTypes.video.playerSize”)) && 1 === e.mediaTypes.video.playerSize.length ? i = e.mediaTypes.video.playerSize[0] : Array.isArray(e.sizes) && 0

(CNN)Lori Lightfoot did something during her victory party last week that once would have been considered obscene.

    Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/07/us/chicago-gay-woman-mayor-black-church/index.html

    “);var a = g[r.size_id].split(“x”).map((function(e) {return Number(e)})), s = u(a, 2);o.width = s[0],o.height = s[1]}o.rubiconTargeting = (Array.isArray(r.targeting) ? r.targeting : []).reduce((function(e, r) {return e[r.key] = r.values[0],e}), {rpfl_elemid: n.adUnitCode}),e.push(o)} else l.logError(“Rubicon bid adapter Error: bidRequest undefined at index position:” + t, c, d);return e}), []).sort((function(e, r) {return (r.cpm || 0) – (e.cpm || 0)}))},getUserSyncs: function(e, r, t) {if (!A && e.iframeEnabled) {var i = “”;return t && “string” == typeof t.consentString && (“boolean” == typeof t.gdprApplies ? i += “?gdpr=” + Number(t.gdprApplies) + “&gdpr_consent=” + t.consentString : i += “?gdpr_consent=” + t.consentString),A = !0,{type: “iframe”,url: n + i}}},transformBidParams: function(e, r) {return l.convertTypes({accountId: “number”,siteId: “number”,zoneId: “number”}, e)}};function m() {return [window.screen.width, window.screen.height].join(“x”)}function b(e, r) {var t = f.config.getConfig(“pageUrl”);return e.params.referrer ? t = e.params.referrer : t || (t = r.refererInfo.referer),e.params.secure ? t.replace(/^http:/i, “https:”) : t}function _(e, r) {var t = e.params;if (“video” === r) {var i = [];return t.video && t.video.playerWidth && t.video.playerHeight ? i = [t.video.playerWidth, t.video.playerHeight] : Array.isArray(l.deepAccess(e, “mediaTypes.video.playerSize”)) && 1 === e.mediaTypes.video.playerSize.length ? i = e.mediaTypes.video.playerSize[0] : Array.isArray(e.sizes) && 0

    Washington (CNN)The forced resignation of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen is not just the usual story of an administration racked by chaos and the short shelf life of almost everyone who works for an imperious and grudge-bearing President.

      Source Article from https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/08/politics/donald-trump-kirstjen-nielsen-immigration/index.html

      Motel 6 has agreed to pay $12 million to settle a lawsuit that accused several Washington state locations of sharing personal guest information with U.S. immigration officials.

      The budget motel operator illegally shared the personal information of about 80,000 customers for more than two years, resulting in a “targeted” ICE investigation into guests with Latino-sounding names, the Washington state attorney general’s office announced Thursday.

      The office said operators at seven Washington locations had voluntarily shared their guest lists with ICE agents between February 2015 and September 2017, without requiring a warrant.

      “Each time Motel 6 released a guest list, it included the private information of every guest at the hotel without their knowledge or consent, violating their expectation of privacy,” Attorney General Bob Ferguson’s office said in a statement. “The Motel 6 guest information disclosures led to significant harmful consequences, including the detention and deportation of many guests and the suffering of their families.”

      (Julie Dermansky/Corbis via Getty Images) Soap on sink at a Motel 6, a low cost budget hotel chain located in cities across the United States.

      Some guests were approached by ICE agents and detained at Motel 6 properties, while others were detained a few days after their hotel stay, according to the office.

      One man was taken into custody at a Seattle location, where he was staying for one night to wrap Christmas presents for his four children, officials said.

      “ICE agents approached him in the hotel’s parking lot, detained him and deported him some days later. His wife had to retrieve the presents and his other belongings from the Motel 6 after his arrest,” the attorney general’s office said. “The man was the sole provider for the household, and his wife is currently struggling to support their toddler and four other children.”

      Motel 6, which has more than 1,400 U.S. locations, admitted that at least six had shared personal guest information with ICE. Investigators later discovered that a seventh location had shared guest lists with ICE.

      The personal information released included customers’ names, driver’s license numbers, passport or green card information, room numbers, guest identification numbers, dates of birth and license plate numbers.

      Motel 6 and parent company, G6 Hospitality, acknowledged the settlement in a statement to ABC News late Sunday.

      “The safety and security of our guests, which includes protecting guest information, is our top priority, and we are pleased to be able to reach resolution in this matter,” a company spokesperson said. “As part of the agreement, Motel 6 will continue to enforce its guest privacy policy, which prohibits the sharing of guest information except in cases where a judicially enforceable warrant or subpoena is present, or local law requires this information.”

      The company said it implemented a system to ensure corporate oversight and compliance in cases where law enforcement requests are made.

      ABC News’ Christopher Donato contributed to this report.

      Source Article from https://abcnews.go.com/US/motel-pay-12m-settle-lawsuit-sharing-guest-info/story?id=62239566