June 8, 2017

Kasowitz claims Trump never asked for loyalty.

If that was simply Comey's perception again, but not what Trump actually said, that's going to be a problem for him.

June 8, 2017

Comey emphatically stated that no one including Trump asked him to stop investigating.

He also said he was aware of massive cyber-intrusion into the DNC and DCCC by the summer of 2015. But Hillary's email was obviously more important.

So basically a) he's mad about getting fired and b) let's talk about that Tarmac moment, baby!

June 7, 2017

Macron camp crushes competition as overseas French voters cast first legislative votes

Source: France24

2017-06-06

Over the weekend, French nationals living abroad cast their ballots in critical legislative elections, going to the polls a week earlier than their compatriots back home. First-round results from the 11 foreign districts races showed landslide support for Emmanuel Macrons La Rpublique en marche (LREM).

With some LREM candidates scoring more than 50 percent of votes cast -- some even upwards of 60 percent -- and well-known incumbents floundering well behind newcomer challengers, the fledgling LREMs impressive results reaffirm the massive support Macron received among French voters based abroad in Frances presidential elections just weeks ago. Then, Macron scored 40 percent among these same voters in the presidential first round on April 23 and 93 percent in his final run-off duel against Marine Le Pen on May 7.

Nationally, pollsters say Macron is on pace to win an absolute majority in the parliamentary elections this month. Voters on French soil will go to the ballot box for the first round on Sunday.

Low voter turnout over the weekend only 19.1 percent means no LREM candidate won a lawmakers seat outright in the lower-house National Assembly in the first round of these legislative election. Overseas voters will be called to the polls again on June 18 to decide the 11 contests. The first round vote for French nationals abroad was moved up by a week in order to give the finalists more time to campaign before the June 18 final vote in foreign districts that often span several countries. But Macrons massive first-round support abroad leaves little suspense as to the ultimate result.

Read more: http://www.france24.com/en/20170606-france-legislative-election-2017-macron-camp-crushes-competition-voters-abroad

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French President Emmanuel Macron takes a stroll in Traormina, Italy at the G7 summit

June 6, 2017

Two days from UK election, May's record on security in focus after attack

Source: Reuters

Tue Jun 6, 2017 | 3:30am EDT

(snip)

Police disclosed late on Monday that 27-year-old Khuram Butt, a British citizen born in Pakistan, was known to police and domestic spy agency MI5 but with resources scarce had not been deemed enough of a threat to warrant close monitoring.

Butt had appeared in a documentary called "The Jihadis Next Door", broadcast last year by Britain's Channel 4, as part of a group of men who unfurled an Islamic State flag in a park.

(snip)

As interior minister from 2010 to 2016, May oversaw a drop of 20,000 in the number of police officers in England and Wales, which her main opponent, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, said should never have happened and warranted her resignation.

May hit back that Corbyn himself was weak on the issue of terrorism. He has been criticized for voting against counter-terrorism legislation and expressing reservations about police responding to attacks with "shoot-to-kill" tactics.



Read more: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-britain-security-idUSKBN18X0JQ

June 4, 2017

London attack spawns political controversy as May and Corbyn trade barbs ahead of vote

Source: Washington Post

(snip)

“Things need to change,” May said in a speech outside the prime minister’s residence at 10 Downing Street. She blamed the attack on the “evil ideology of Islamist extremism,” called for a thorough review of the nation’s counterterrorism policies and suggested she will take a much tougher line if she wins Thursday’s vote.

The speech was criticized by the opposition Labour Party as a thinly veiled jab at their far-left leader, Jeremy Corbyn, whom May has often accused of coddling anti-Western militants. May, Corbyn’s backers said, had politicized the attack.

But by evening, Corbyn had hit back with his own political response to the killing, accusing May and her Conservative allies of weakening security services through years of austerity.

“You cannot protect the public on the cheap,” Corbyn said in a speech in the northern English city of Carlisle that ended a brief pause in formal campaigning. “The police and security services must get the resources they need, not 20,000 police cuts.”

Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/follow-up-on-london-bridge-attack/2017/06/04/5216bbb2-48c5-11e7-8de1-cec59a9bf4b1_story.html

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Looks like the campaigns have been un-suspended.

June 4, 2017

London attack: Macron and Turnbull lead world condemnation

Source: BBC

French President Emmanuel Macron has led the global condemnation of Saturday's terror attack in London which left seven people dead.

Four French citizens were among the dozens of people injured in the attack.

Mr Macron spoke by phone with UK Prime Minister Theresa May, and said France was "more than ever at Britain's side".

Meanwhile, Australian PM Malcolm Turnbull said his "prayers and resolute solidarity" were with the British. Two Australians were affected, he said. One was in hospital, while the authorities were working to determine the status of the second person, Mr Turnbull told a news conference.

Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-40148548

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Meanwhile official US condolences go out over Twitter from the guy who bashed Hillary 24/7 for using a private email server.

June 3, 2017

General election: May falters during challenge over record on public services

Source: The Guardian

Friday 2 June 2017 18.48 EDT

Theresa May came under sustained pressure over the Conservative party’s record on public sector pay, mental health services and social care in a combative election edition of BBC1’s Question Time broadcast less than a week before polling day.

The prime minister faced a string of awkward questions from members of the public, including a challenge from a nurse, Victoria Davey, who left May faltering after confronting her over the 1% pay increase received by NHS staff.

(snip)

One woman from the audience became emotional as she described emerging from a fitness-for-work test in tears after being asked about her suicide attempts. “I’m not going to make any excuses for the experience you’ve had,” said the prime minister.

Under pressure after refusing to turn up for a TV debate earlier in the week, May was animated at first and rejected an accusation that she had performed a U-turn by calling a snap general election. “No it’s not, sir … I had the balls to call an election,” she said.

Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2017/jun/02/general-election-may-falters-during-challenge-over-record-on-public-services

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"I had the balls to call an election,” she said.

Good thing she's not a biology teacher.

June 1, 2017

France's Macron Tells President Trump Paris Accord NOT Renegotiable (in English)

"Come here and work with us . . . Make the planet great again"

June 1, 2017

Accord de Paris : pour Macron, «Trump a commis une faute pour l'avenir de notre planete»

Le Parisien avec AFP|01 juin 2017, 22h39



De nombreux dirigeants politiques européens critiquent ce jeudi soir le président américain, selon qui ces accords en faveur du climat «désavantageaient» les Etats-Unis. Emmanuel Macron a regretté dans la nuit cette décision en français et en anglais.

Il a beau assurer que cela «n'aura pas beaucoup d'impact» sur le climat, Donald Trump ne s'est pas fait que des amis en annonçant le retrait des Etats-Unis de l'accord de Paris sur le climat. Loin de là. De nombreux dirigeants politiques européens ont critiqué ce jeudi soir le président américain, selon qui ces accords en faveur de l'environnement «désavantageaient» les Etats-Unis.

«Make our planet great again» («Rendons sa grandeur a notre planète»), a conclu, un peu avant minuit à Paris, le président Emmanuel Macron dans un inhabituel discours télévisé de réaction prononcé en français puis en anglais, paraphrasant pour le détourner le slogan électoral du président américain Trump «Make America great again» («Rendons sa grandeur à l'Amérique»).

Le président français avait précédemment regretté que son homologue américain ait commis une «faute pour l'avenir de notre planète» en retirant son pays de l'Accord de Paris sur le climat. Avant d'inviter les scientifiques et les entrepreneurs américains à venir travailler en France. «Nous ne renégocierons pas un accord moins ambitieux», a prévenu Emmanuel Macron en expliquant «qu'il n'y a pas de plan B parcequ'il n'y a pas de planète B». «Nous continuerons», a promis le président français en invitant les autres pays à respecter leurs engagements.

http://www.leparisien.fr/international/retrait-des-accords-de-paris-donald-trump-paria-en-europe-01-06-2017-7008009.php

June 1, 2017

French prosecutor probes Macron ally Ferrand over deal

Source: BBC

53 minutes ago

A French prosecutor is investigating alleged financial misconduct by Richard Ferrand, a minister in President Emmanuel Macron's new government.

Mr Ferrand's partner, Sandrine Doucen, allegedly profited from a property deal while he was head of a health insurance fund renting office space from her. He denies wrongdoing. Separately, one of Mr Macron's junior ministers is also suspected of financial impropriety.

The timing is awkward for Mr Macron, as he launches an ethical standards bill. He has made clean government a flagship policy, after financial misconduct allegations hit his main rivals in the presidential election - National Front (FN) leader Marine Le Pen and conservative Republicans candidate François Fillon. His new centrist party, La République en Marche (Republic on the move), wants to win convincingly in key parliamentary elections this month.

Polls suggest the party can win, but the well-established party machines of the Socialists and Republicans are formidable rivals.

Read more: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-40119288

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This is another legal-nepotism case, where a civil servant rained euros on a family member, or in this case partner, who made a real estate killing on a deal with a public health clinic. Macron defended him for about a week.