BLOOMBERG
The U.S. and its allies edged toward punitive measures against Syria as President Donald Trump met with his national security team to discuss a response to an apparent chemical weapons attack by the country and U.K. Prime Minister Theresa May’s cabinet said it is “vital” to react to the incident.
President Donald Trump ordered the creation of a task force to review business practices at the United States Postal Service, a move that could affect one of the president’s favorite corporate targets: Amazon.com Inc.
India is reducing its dependence on Russia for critical defense programs, with the joint venture BrahMos missile set to be guided by a locally-developed target tracking device in the next year.
Like much of the ex-communist region, the European Union’s poorest member has watched its citizens head west in droves to snag fatter salaries in countries including the U.K. Add to that already low fertility rates and a growing share of elderly people, and Bulgaria is among the most exposed to demographic threats. The population is on track to drop below 7 million.
Members of an 11-nation Asia-Pacific trade pact said Friday they opposed any renegotiation of the deal to accommodate the U.S. should it decide to rejoin at a later date.
Lucara Diamond Corp. has recovered yet another massive diamond in Botswana, at a site previously owned by giant De Beers. The 472-carat light brown stone is the third largest found by Vancouver-based Lucara at the Karowe mine. The site has proven a windfall for the Canadian miner which now produces some of the biggest and best diamonds in the world.
AP Top Stories
President Donald Trump is poised to pardon Scooter J. Libby, the former chief of staff to Vice President Dick Cheney, according to sources familiar with the president’s thinking.
The son of a disgraced former Michigan judge is accused of killing his father and dumping the body on an abandoned golf course near his Florida home. Investigators aren’t saying much about the death of James “Skip” Scandirito, 75, who resigned a judgeship in Macomb County, Michigan, in 2000 in the face of sexual misconduct charges. But they’ve arrested his only child, James Anthony “Jimmy” Scandirito, 49, and charged him with murder.
At a time when President Donald Trump tweets about potentially launching missile strikes against the Syrian government, House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) says the chief executive can do that without congressional approval. “The existing AUMF gives him the authority he needs to do what he may or may not do,” Ryan said Thursday at a press conference.
Taliban attacks overnight in Afghanistan killed at least 13 policemen and wounded several others, officials said Friday.
Chinese President Xi Jinping Thursday stressed the “urgent” need to build a powerful navy during a surprise visit to observe naval exercises in the disputed South China Sea, state media reported as the country prepares for live-fire drills in the Taiwan Strait.
The National Park Service decided Thursday that it will raise fees at 117 national park sites, but the increases are quite modest compared to the previous proposal. Facing a more than $11 billion backlog in the upkeep of national parks, Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke previously proposed raising fees to $70 in 17 of the most popular parks like Yellowstone, Yosemite, and the Grand Canyon. The government allowed the public to weigh in on the fee increases, and the responses showed overwhelming opposition to the dramatic increase.
President Donald Trump has nominated the first African-American woman for promotion to general. Marine Corps Col. Lorna M. Mahlock will be promoted to the rank of brigadier general, if confirmed, the U.S. Department of Defense announced on Tuesday.
The government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi expressed “serious concern” on Friday over a move by the International Criminal Court prosecutor seeking jurisdiction over alleged deportations of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar to Bangladesh.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to arrest an International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor if she conducts activities in his country, arguing it was no longer an ICC member so the court had no right to do any investigating.
Five U.S. military aircraft crashed over a period of less than a month beginning in mid-March 2018, killing 16 crew members and alarming military officials. Two of the crashes involved U.S. Navy and Marine Corps aircraft, underscoring concerns that the naval aviation fleet is overworked, undertrained and poorly-maintained.
Israelis stood still on Thursday for a nationwide moment of silence in remembrance of the 6 million Jewish victims of the Holocaust, as a two-minute siren wailed across the country and the nation paid respects to those systematically killed by Nazi Germany and its collaborators in World War II.
The number of civilians killed and wounded by suicide bombings and “complex attacks” in Afghanistan has more than doubled so far this year, the United Nations said on Thursday.
BBC
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said a reported chemical attack in Syria was staged by foreign agents. The US and France say they have proof it took place and, alongside the UK, are considering military retaliation.
Chinese police have used facial recognition technology to locate and arrest a man who was among a crowd of 60,000 concert goers.
Portugal’s parliament has approved a new law making it easier for people to change their legal gender. Citizens from the age of 16 will now be able to change their gender and name in documents without the need of a medical report.
WND
Goldman Sachs analysts attempted to address a touchy subject for biotech companies, especially those involved in the pioneering “gene therapy” treatment: cures could be bad for business in the long run. “Is curing patients a sustainable business model?” analysts ask.
The Briefing — Friday, April 13, 2018
1) Looking at the real legacy of Cecile Richards as influential media outlets celebrate her tenure leading Planned Parenthood
Time Magazine (Belinda Luscombe) –
Outgoing Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards Is Not Done Fighting
2) Why it’s essential to understand the categorical distinction between humans and animals
New York Times (Nicholas Kristof) –
Choosing Animals Over People?
3) Glory bearers vs. image bearers: Showing proper concern for animals without worshipping them
New York Times (Margaret Renkl) –
Pet Owners Gone Wild
RenewAmerica Newsletter
April 13, 2018
CHERYL K. CHUMLEY — Newt Gingrich, former speaker of the House, ripped into the FBI for its raid on President Donald Trump’s personal attorney, Michael Cohen, comparing the federal action to the Nazi regime. And insofar as the rather ridiculous raids on Cohen’s files go – – he’s got a bit of a point. These are moves that ring more of Gestapo, less of constitutional America – – more of police state, less of republic, land of the law….
(more)
April 12, 2018
WASHINGTON TIMES — House Speaker Paul D. Ryan said Wednesday that he will retire from the House at the end of this year, closing out a two-decade career in Congress and igniting soul-searching in a party bracing for a rough election season. Mr. Ryan rejected claims that he was fleeing a sinking ship. He predicted that Republicans will keep their House majority despite headwinds in November’s elections…. (more)
April 12, 2018
BOB UNRUH — A lawsuit has been filed against the departments of Justice and State to discover what influence Russia had on Hillary Clinton when she was U.S. secretary of state under Barack Obama and Russian interests gave her foundation $140 million….
(more)
April 12, 2018
‘Enough is enough! We will no longer tolerate legal abortion in our nation’
WORLDNETDAILY — High-school and college students at an estimated 350 schools across the U.S. are walking out of their classes to support life and protest Planned Parenthood on Wednesday. The walkout was coordinated by the Students for Life of America. The teenagers are leaving class for 17 minutes, which the organization says is the same amount of time it takes Planned Parenthood to perform as many as 10 abortions…. (more)
April 12, 2018
NEWSMAX — The New York Times grudgingly acknowledged Thursday what the book world has known for weeks: conservative author Jerome Corsi’s widely acclaimed “Killing the Deep State: The Fight to Save President Trump” is a bonafide bestseller….
(more)
April 11, 2018
NEWSMAX — Author Jerome Corsi told Newsmax TV on Tuesday that longtime Trump personal lawyer Michael Cohen “would have gladly cooperated” with Russia special counsel Robert Mueller – – and that would have staved off an FBI raid of his home and office….
(more)
April 11, 2018
Senator: ‘This is an enormous power used against anybody’
WASHINGTON TIMES — Kentucky Sen. Rand Paul says all Americans should be worried about civil liberties in the wake of the FBI’s raid on President Trump’s attorney Michael Cohen. The nebulous limits to special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russian investigation, coupled with his willingness to test them, had the Republican lawmaker ringing alarm bells Tuesday. Mr. Paul told a Fox News’ Bill Hemmer that the FBI’s legal tendrils have wandered far from their original target – – the truth about possible collusion between Russian state actors and Mr. Trump’s presidential campaign….
(more)
April 11, 2018
Lawsuit uncovers emails showing effort to undermine president-elect
BOB UNRUH — Former U.S. Ambassador Samantha Power kept up a steady flow of emails lashing out at then-President-elect Trump, strategizing on how to undermine his agenda and coordinating opposition to him during her last few months of Barack Obama’s tenure in the White House, a new report reveals….
(more)
April 11, 2018
Facebook CEO pressed on definition of ‘hate,’ feeling ‘unsafe’
ART MOORE — In much-anticipated testimony before a Senate committee amid anger over the sale of the personal data of 87 million users, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg admitted to lawmakers Tuesday he hasn’t done enough to prevent his global social-media platform from being used “for harm.”…
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April 11, 2018
WASHINGTON TIMES — Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg faced off against senators Tuesday, acknowledging growing pains as his company evolved from a dorm-room project to internet colossus that now faces a crisis of confidence after mishandling users’ data and seeing its platform abused by Russian operatives who meddled in the 2016 U.S. presidential election….
(more)
April 10, 2018
DAILY CALLER — Sen. Ted Cruz clearly rattled Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg Tuesday by grilling him about Facebook’s well-documented censorship of conservatives…. (more)
April 10, 2018
NEWSMAX — The biggest Black Lives Matter page on Facebook allegedly was fake, run by a white Australian man who used it to raise at least $100,000 for various causes, CNN reported. Titled Black Lives Matter, the page was suspended on Monday after CNN inquired about it. The reportedly fake account came to light as Facebook grapples with its public relations nightmare of allegedly failing to protect personal data of its users and for sharing fake news….
(more)
April 10, 2018
RICH LOWRY — Once again, Mark Zuckerberg is sorry. The founder of Facebook, who has apologized for privacy breaches throughout much of his company’s existence, is back at it, on a much larger stage than ever before….
(more)
April 10, 2018
‘They’ve already disarmed the wrong people by taking their guns away’
GREG COROMBOS — Officials in London are responding to 50 stabbing deaths this year by declaring war on knives and pleading with people never to carry one in public, decisions one Second Amendment expert calls “silly” and says is proof that taking away people’s guns doesn’t remove the desire of criminals to harm people….
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April 10, 2018
WASHINGTON TIMES — Florida lawmakers reacted to the deadly Parkland shooting by allowing certain teachers to carry firearms at school, but instructors at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School won’t be able to participate. The Broward County school board voted Tuesday against taking part in the newly enacted Coach Aaron Feis Guardian Program, named for a popular coach who died in the Feb. 14 massacre that killed 17 people….
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April 10, 2018
John Stossel: One can’t talk about how genes affect intelligence without being threatened
JOHN STOSSEL — We’ve been told conservatives don’t believe in science and that there’s a “Republican war on science.” Sponsored But John Tierney, who’s written about science for the New York Times for 25 years and now writes for the Manhattan Institute’s City Journal, told me in my latest online video, “The real war on science is the one from the left.”…
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April 10, 2018
WASHINGTON TIMES — President Trump signed an executive order Tuesday for a government-wide review of welfare programs, with a goal of putting more people back to work, White House officials said. The order directs all federal agencies involved in providing more than $700 billion in low-income assistance annually to study programs that are “failing Americans,” and to report back in 90 days with recommendations, said White House domestic policy council director Andrew Bremberg….
(more)
April 9, 2018
ALAN KEYES — In articles published earlier (read them here and here), I wrote about the strategic implications of Mexico’s involvement with the so-called refugee caravan that was making its way through Mexico toward the U.S. border. According to the latest reports available as I write this, President Trump’s firm, timely warnings to the Mexican government, along with the actions he has ordered to underline them, have had the desired effect….
(more)
April 9, 2018
Economy to surge, unemployment to hit record low under Trump
WASHINGTON TIMES — Republicans’ tax cuts and the new spending bill Congress approved last month will send the economy surging this year to 3.3 percent growth – – but will also send the deficit soaring back to the record levels of the early Obama years, the Congressional Budget Office said Monday….
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April 9, 2018
The police will now stop and frisk people believed to be carrying knives.
DAILY WIRE — An epidemic of stabbings and acid attacks in London has gotten so bad that London mayor Sadiq Khan is announcing broad new “knife control” policies designed to keep these weapons of war out of the hands of Londoners looking to cause others harm…. (more)
April 9, 2018
ONE NEWS NOW — Muslim London Mayor Sadiq Khan announced the addition of a knife control crusade to curb the endemic crime rate – after nearly 100 years of gun control enforcement in the city – but his recent move to lower searches he called “Islamophobic” could be responsible for the spike in violent crime….
(more)
April 9, 2018
Sense of vulnerability: ‘Unprecedented’ spike in firearm training courses after Parkland shooting
WASHINGTON TIMES — People are surging to sign up for training to carry concealed weapons in the wake of the Parkland school shooting, as experts say sustained media coverage and calls for more gun control encourage people to look for ways to protect themselves. Gun sales also appear to be on the rise, based on federal background checks….
(more)
April 9, 2018
NEWSMAX — Ripping FBI special counsel Robert Mueller as a political “zealot,” Harvard law professor emeritus Alan Dershowitz reminded staunch Mueller supporters about the former FBI director’s role in protecting “notorious mass murderer” Whitey Bulger as an FBI informant…. (more)
April 9, 2018
NEWSMAX — Late-night TV host Jimmy Kimmel on Sunday offered a truce to Sean Hannity after several days of trading barbs with the Fox News host and apologized for making fun of First Lady Melania Trump….
(more)
April 9, 2018
ROBERT KNIGHT — One of the most vexing aspects of daily life is the nonstop flow of anti-Trump propaganda masquerading as news analysis. That is, unless you hate Donald Trump, as most of the media clearly do. Fake news oozes from nearly every media pore, some of it more subtle than others….
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****This is a reprint of an article I wrote over a year ago. I will probably be put in FB jail again – the first time I shared this I was in jail after just 3 shares! 
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