» President Obama: I’d love a constitutional amendment to reverse Citizens United 01/04/15 11:46 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks

President Obama: I’d love a constitutional amendment to reverse Citizens United

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Barack Obama has a radical idea for how to reform campaign finance: amend the Constitution.
The president told Vox in an exclusive interview that he wants to see such a drastic change, because he thinks the money-in-politics status quo is so damaging to our political system.
Arguing that "unlimited money" in politics is a key cause of polarization, Obama said, "I would love to see some constitutional process that would allow us to actually regulate campaign spending the way we used to, and maybe even improve it."
These comments — made in the midst of a long, big-picture response to a question on political polarization, during which several issues were discussed — go further than many of the president's past public statements. During a Q&A with Reddit in 2012, the president wrote that "over the long term, I think we need to seriously consider mobilizing a constitutional process to overturn Citizens United." But he's given little attention to the topic during his second term so far.
Clearly, though, the president's still not happy with the status quo, and would prefer a change. He's floating an aggressive idea that may sound implausible, considering the hurdles involved in a constitutional amendment. It's an idea, though, that most other top Democrats have already embraced.
So here's a look at where Obama is on the issue of campaign finance — and what such a constitutional amendment might actually look like.

Obama's past positions on election spending

The president's history on the campaign finance issue is somewhat fraught. As he was raising record sums during his 2008 presidential campaign, he became the first major-party presidential nominee to decline public funds since the public funding system was created. He did so because he didn't want to abide by the spending limits that came with those funds — and because he knew he could easily out-raise his rival, Sen. John McCain. But he faced heavy criticism for flip-flopping on a seeming campaign commitment, and for weakening the norm that all presidential nominees accept public funds.
Once Obama's presidency began, the issue of campaign finance reform got relatively little attention until the Supreme Court's Citizens United ruling came down in January 2010. Days later, in his State of the Union address, Obama condemned the ruling as several Supreme Court justices sat in front of him, and said it would allow "special interests — including foreign corporations — to spend without limit in our elections."
His focus on foreign corporations was criticized as misleading: in the audience, justice Sam Alito famously mouthed the words "not true," since the majority opinion didn't address the issue of foreign spending. But his concern about unlimited spending proved to be well-founded. Outside groups' spending on federal elections exploded in the years after the ruling, soaring from $338 million in 2008 to over $1 billion in 2012, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
The Supreme Court ruling couldn't be reversed by a new law, so Democrats decided instead to focus on increasing disclosure requirements. Obama urged the Senate to pass a bill to that effect in 2010, but it was blocked by a Republican filibuster. And once the GOP took the House that fall, further campaign finance legislation was clearly dead.
Publicly, Obama only infrequently mentioned campaign finance reform after that. But privately, he was promising something very different. At a February 2012 fundraiser in Seattle, Obama told a group of donors — including Bill Gates — that his reelection "may allow me to use the bully pulpit to argue forcefully for a constitutional amendment" on campaign finance, according to Ken Vogel's book Big Money.
Vogel quotes Obama saying "I taught constitutional law" and "I don't tinker with the Constitution lightly. But I think this is important enough that citizens have to get mobilized around this issue." Obama added, "After my reelection, my sense is that I may be in a very strong position to do it."

What such an amendment might look like

The proposal for a constitutional amendment the Senate considered last fall— which received the support of every Senate Democrat, but failed to gain the two-thirds support necessary for approval — is one example of what campaign finance reformers are looking to achieve. It doesn't merely reverse the Citizens United v. FEC ruling, but goes back decades further.
Reformers think the Supreme Court has defined corruption too narrowly
Since 1976, when the Supreme Court has considered whether certain restrictions on election spending are constitutional, it has taken two main things into account. On the one hand there's the First Amendment right to freedom of speech — which the Court believes includes the spending of money on elections — and on the other hand there's a governmental interest in preventing corruption or the appearance of corruption.
The problem, as campaign finance reformers see it, is that for decades, the Supreme Court has defined speech too broadly, and corruption too narrowly. It has ruled that laws capping how much an individual or group can donate to a particular candidate are acceptable, because they help prevent corruption. However, overall caps on the amount any candidate or corporation spends on elections are unconstitutional, because they muzzle speech without specifically preventing corruption. (The court's narrow definition of "corruption" has consistently been disputed by some justices in the minority.)
So the Democrats' proposed constitutional amendment specifically says that both Congress and state governments can limit the "raising and spending of money" meant "to influence elections." It lists several rationales for doing so — advancing "democratic self-government," "political equality," and protecting the "integrity" of the political process. However, it only says that "reasonable limits" are acceptable — so if the amendment is ever enacted, there would undoubtedly be court battles over which restrictions are reasonable or unreasonable.
Republicans have argued that this amendment would alter the Bill of Rights for the first time in history. However, the amendment itself wouldn't actually have altered any text in the First Amendment, or the Bill of Rights more generally. Instead, it would have shot down the current Supreme Court majority's interpretation that the First Amendment prevents caps on election spending. Much of this interpretation was laid out in the 1976 case Buckley v. Valeo, and it was expanded on by several more recent Roberts Court rulings. But the interpretation has always been controversial, even within the Court itself — the recent major campaign finance rulings have all been 5 to 4.

The challenges ahead for campaign finance reform

To pass even a law reforming campaign finance, like the 2002 McCain-Feingold law, some bipartisanship is necessary. A constitutional amendment is a much bigger lift — requiring two-thirds approval in the House and Senate, and further approval from 38 states.
And the biggest problem that has dogged campaign finance reform activists is just that topic Obama discussed in his interview with Vox: polarization. The issue has become completely polarized by party, with Republicans overwhelmingly opposed to more restrictions. Indeed, when the proposed constitutional amendment went before the Senate, every Democrat present voted yes and every Republican present voted no.
That's why activist Lawrence Lessig, hoping to boost a solitary GOP reformer to the Senate, backeda primary challenger to Scott Brown in New Hampshire's Senate race this year. But the issue clearly didn't resonate enough with the state's primary voters, and Brown won by a wide margin. "We lost. Badly," Lessig wrote afterward. "There's no spinning this." Brown went on to lose the general election, but the point was made — it's been really tough for campaign finance reformers to get even one Republican on their side.
So while Obama may believe that big money in politics causes polarization, he's also aware that the potential reforms addressing the issue are themselves polarizing. To Vox, he characterized the reform as one of several "structural things that I'd like to see that I think would improve this."
But, knowing it's unlikely to happen anytime soon, he went on to argue that things might not be so bad, historically. "You know there’ve been periods in the past where we've been pretty polarized. I think, there just wasn't polling around. As I recall there was a whole civil war," Obama said. "That was a good example of polarization that took place."

What is the Citizens United decision?

The Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United v. FEC essentially held that spending money on election ads is a form of free speech, and thus there's little Congress can do to limit it. In contrast, direct donations to political candidates could remain regulated and restricted. This created an incentive for moneyed groups and individuals to affect elections by spending on their own election ads rather than donating to candidates or parties.
At issue in Citizens United v. FEC was an existing law that restricted corporate and union spending on election season ads. They could not pay for ads with their general funds, but instead had to set up PACs that would be regulated by the FEC, and spend through those. In Citizens United v. FEC, the court ruled that this restriction was unconstitutional. The court held that corporations and unions have a First Amendment right to freedom of speech, and the prohibition on spending their own money on elections was effectively muzzling them.
The court did clarify that corporations are still banned from donating directly to candidates — because when money is handed over to politicians, that theoretically presents a greater danger of corruption. The court also stated that Congress could still require disclosure of outside groups' election spending. But no limits on the amount of outside spending are permissible.
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Michael Steele says Obama's claims hypocritical: that his presidential campaign was asked to disclose donors and refused

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False
Steele
"When President, then candidate, Obama was asked to disclose some of his donors because there was suspicion of their being the foreign source of money into his campaign, they refused to do it."
— Michael Steele on Sunday, October 24th, 2010 in an interview on NBC's "Meet the Press"
By Robert Farley on Tuesday, October 26th, 2010 at 1:26 p.m.
For weeks, Democratic leaders have been complaining about the tens of millions of dollars being poured into attack ads against the party's candidates. The ads have been funded by independent groups  -- like the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and Karl Rove's Crossroads GPS -- that have no legal requirement (or inclination) to disclose their donors. President Barack Obama and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi say those groups have allowed anonymous special interest groups, perhaps even foreign corporations, undo influence on this election, threatening our very democracy.
Asked about it on NBC's Meet the Press on Oct. 23, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Steele called the Democrats' charge hypocritical.
"When President, then candidate, Obama was asked to disclose some of his donors because there was suspicion of their being the foreign source of money into his campaign, they refused to do it. So don't give me this high-and-mighty, holier-than-thou attitude about special interests flooding the political marketplace."
We've fact-checked several Democrats' claims about attack ads aimed at their candidates being financed by secret foreign donors.
Here, we're checking the counter-claim from Steele, that during the 2008 presidential campaign, "Obama was asked to disclose some of his donors because there was suspicion of their being the foreign source of money into his campaign, they refused to do it."
Despite the context of the conversation, Steele was not contending that the Obama campaign was asked to disclose donors to independent groups funding attack ads. That's a somewhat new phenomenon this election cycle. Trade groups and other 501 (c) groups were always allowed to keep donors anonymous. But the Supreme Court's Citizen United case upped the stakes with a ruling that allows corporations to contribute unlimited amounts to independent efforts to support or oppose a candidate.
What Steele was talking about is different.
We contacted the RNC for details about Steele's claim and were pointed toward an Associated Press investigation that found the Obama campaign had not properly safeguarded against illegal foreign donations in the run-up to the 2008 presidential election. Candidates can, of course, accept foreign donations from American citizens living overseas, and they are supposed to return any money donated by foreign nationals. But the AP investigation found "clear evidence that the campaigns of both Obama and John McCain took money first and asked questions later. Shining a light on a weakness in the nation's campaign finance laws, the review turned up a smattering of illegal foreign donations to Obama as well as missing details in federal paperwork the law requires from Obama and McCain."
The issue was particularly striking, the story noted, as Obama was getting two-thirds of his contributions via the Internet. Online donors were asked to check a box certifying they were U.S. citizens. Although the Federal Elections Commission instructs campaigns to seek a donor's current U.S. passport when accepting money from an overseas address, many donors contacted by the AP said they were not asked to produce one before making their donation.
In one case highlighted in the story, the Obama campaign accepted a $500 donation from a Canadian man who wrote "I am not an American citizen!" on his contribution.
The Federal Elections Commission requires that "treasurers of political committees exercise best efforts to obtain, maintain and report the complete identification of each contributor whose contributions aggregate more than $200 per calendar year."
The Obama campaign maintained it was complying with the law and that it met the "best efforts" standard with extensive "back-end review" of donations. That means the campaign accepted money and later checked to make sure the donations were proper. And campaign officials say that when they discovered illegal contributions from foreign nationals, the money was returned.
The RNC raised another issue to underpin Steele's accusation. It cited an Oct. 29, 2008, story in theWashington Post that called out the Obama campaign for "allowing donors to use largely untraceable prepaid credit cards that could potentially be used to evade limits on how much an individual is legally allowed to give or to mask a contributor's identity."
According to the story, revelations about questionable donations from individuals using fake names "prompted conservative bloggers to further test Obama's finance vetting by giving money using the kind of prepaid cards that can be bought at a drugstore and cannot be traced to a donor."
The story did not quantify how much the Obama campaign received in prepaid credit cards.
The Washington Post claim, though, wasn't that the Obama campaign refused to disclose the donors. It's that the campaign, by accepting donations via prepaid credit cards, made it impossible to verify whether the person was an American citizen or had exceeded donation limits.
"You don't know," said Doug Heye, a spokesman for the Republican National Committee. "The rhetoric from the Obama campaign (about campaign finance disclosure) never matched the reality."
In October 2008, the RNC asked the Federal Election Commission to look into every donation, large and small, made to the Obama campaign.
According to the complaint, "The RNC believes that" the Obama campaign "has (1) accepted prohibited foreign national contributions and (2) knowingly done so through its failure to reasonably investigate questionable contributions originating abroad."
Heye said the FEC has not yet responded to the complaint.
Brad Woodhouse, a spokesman for the Democratic National Committee, said "the Obama campaign required donors to check a box confirming that they were U.S. citizens or green-card holders and refunded any contribution that came from any foreign national or other prohibited source." Woodhouse said the charge by Steele was "a lie – and is just smokescreen by the RNC to distract from the secret money being spent by its allies like the Chamber of Commerce and Karl Rove."
Contributions from foreign nationals and people using fake names inevitably slip into campaigns accepting donations from hundreds of thousands of people, said Dave Levinthal of the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. It's incumbent on campaigns to make a good faith effort to identify those bad donations and return them.
Levinthal said he didn't remember the issue of illegal contributions being a "a huge, overriding issue" in the 2008 presidential campaign.
In fact, an analysis of campaign contributions by the Center for Responsive Politics found that the Obama campaign scored slightly higher than McCain's when it came to full disclosure of donors. The center found the Obama campaign fully disclosed 90 percent of the donations to the campaign, as opposed to 87 percent for the McCain campaign. The report found no information about the donor's employer and/or occupation listed for 6 percent of the Obama campaign's contributions, as opposed to 9 percent for McCain.
We think Steele's comment is misleading in the context of responding to Democrats' complaints about tens of millions of dollars anonymously making their way into this election via independent groups like Crosssroads GPS. Steele's comments aren't directly related to that issue.
The RNC says Steele was referring to the fact that the Obama campaign accepted donations from prepaid credit cards, which makes it almost impossible to verify the donor. It may be a legitimate campaign finance issue, but it's not the same as saying that the Obama campaign was asked during the 2008 presidential campaign to reveal its donors and refused (as Steele alleged). The campaign readily provided the names of large donors as required by law. And there's no evidence that contributions from prepaid credit cards were anywhere near the huge sums being spent by independent groups in this election.
As for accepting money from foreign nationals, that's an issue all campaigns deal with (though more so for Obama, who got a lot of money from Americans overseas). Again, it's not that the Obama campaign was asked for names of foreign donors and refused. The campaign had names, and in most cases assurances from the donors, that they were American citizens. The allegation in theWashington Post story was that the campaign's vetting of foreign donations was not stringent enough up front. There was no issue of the Obama campaign willfully refusing to disclose the names of foreign donors. In fact, it was the disclosure of those names that allowed AP reporters to discover some of the donations were improper.
And so we rate Steele's comment False.
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How Foreign Money Can Find Its Way Into Political Campaigns

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WASHINGTON -- Every election cycle brings new concerns about foreign interests influencing U.S. elections and secretly funneling money to U.S. political campaigns.
Yet foreign governments and corporations are openly spending tens of millions of dollars a year buying influence in Washington by hiring well-connected lobbyists, according to research by the Sunlight Foundation and others who have examined the filings those lobbyists have to make to the Justice Department.
And some of that money may well be wending its way into politicians' election coffers through the generous campaign contributions those lobbyists routinely make to buy access and reward friends.
"There's pretty clear evidence that foreign money is being used, at least indirectly, to finance U.S. elections," says Benjamin J. Freeman, a post-doctoral fellow at the Project on Government Oversight, a nonprofit advocacy group that focuses on investigating waste, fraud and abuse in the federal government.
As part of the research for his book about foreign lobbying, "The Foreign Policy Auction," slated for publication in late 2011 or early 2012, Freeman says he has documented "dozens of instances where lobbyists meet with representatives to advocate for foreign clients, and then give the exact same representative a campaign contribution that very same day."
"These folks can't give directly, so what you're finding is these firms want to represent the interest of their clients the best they can," explains Jon Pevehouse, a political science professor at the University of Wisconsin who is in the process of creating a foreign lobbying database for his research.
Pevehouse estimates that foreign interests spent about $200 million on lobbying in 2008, the most recent year for which he has data. He has not yet calculated how much the lobbyists hired by those interests then turned around and gave to political campaigns.
But at the very least, campaign finance experts say, foreign interests are doing what a lot of other groups in Washington are doing: buying influence.
"Our influence system works with lobbyists using campaign contributions as a means of obtaining access and influence for their clients -- and the lobbying system in this country is available to anyone," says Fred Werthheimer, who runs Democracy 21, a group that promotes and defends campaign finance laws. "What foreign interests have learned is if they want to try to obtain influence in Washington, they ought to do it the same way that corporations do it."
"Generally speaking, what they are trying to do when they hire these lobbyists who make these contributions is get the access," says Bill Allison, editorial director of the pro-transparency Sunlight Foundation.
But foreign lobbying is distinct from domestic lobbying because of the possible divergence with U.S. interests. "If you're cynical," says Pevehouse, "then you think this stuff is dangerous, because it's really distracting Congress from what it should be doing in foreign affairs."
And while federal candidates are allowed to accept campaign donations from American citizens -- even lobbyists -- as long as there is no explicit quid pro quo, when it comes to foreign nationals, it's a different story entirely.
Federal election law forbids political candidates from knowingly soliciting, accepting or receiving donations from foreign nationals or foreign entities under any circumstances. A candidate need not have direct knowledge that the source is foreign to be in violation of the law. It suffices for the candidate to be "aware of facts that would lead a reasonable person to inquire whether the source of the funds solicited, accepted or received is a foreign national" and have "failed to conduct a reasonable inquiry."
But Pevehouse says nobody seems to be raising questions at all. "On all of this stuff, I think there's a lack of enforcement," he says. "You would think the attorney general and the Department of Justice would take an interest." (A spokesperson for the Department of Justice declined to comment.)
The federal government's Foreign Agent Registration Act (FARA) -- initially a response to Nazi propaganda -- imposes surprisingly rigorous disclosure requirements for anyone in the employ of foreign powers. As a result, foreign lobbyists must identify specifically which federal officials they meet with, and why and when -- and to whom they give money and when.
"They actually have to report who they're lobbying and you can actually see those contributions going to who they're directly lobbying," says Allison. That allows watchdogs to connect the dots in ways they can't with the less-detailed reports required of domestic lobbyists.
Consider the window FARA filings offer into the ongoing political battle over U.S. trade agreements with South Korea, Panama and Colombia. All three countries are lobbying ferociously to get those agreements ratified by Congress. South Korea alone has hired a number of top K Street firms.
One of the many lobbyists in the scrum is Kirsten Chadwick, a partner at the Republican boutique lobbying firm of Fierce, Isakowitz & Balock. Chadwick's latest FARA report shows that the Korean government paid her $300,000 in the four months between Nov. 29, 2010 and March 29, 2011.
Earlier this year, Bloomberg BusinessWeek named Chadwick one of its 15 Washington "power brokers." "What Kirsten Chadwick may soon have to show for her skills of persuasion is a U.S.-South Korea free-trade pact," the magazine wrote.
So what exactly did Korea get for its money? Chadwick's FARA report lists dozens of meetings with members of Congress and their staffs advocating on her client's behalf for passage of the U.S.-Korea Free Trade Agreement. The report also lists 14 campaign contributions. In some cases, their timing does not appear coincidental.
On Jan. 28, according to Chadwick's filing, she met with Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) -- and that very same day, she reported, contributed $2,400 to his campaign.
Chadwick also reported that on March 8 she met with then-Rep. Dean Heller (R-Nev.) -- now the junior senator from Nevada -- to talk about the trade pact. That very same day, she reported, she contributed $1,000 to his campaign.
And here's the sequence of events Chadwick reported in her courtship of Sen. Scott Brown (R-Mass.): On Feb. 8, 2011, she made a $1,000 contribution to his campaign. A week later, she spoke on the phone with Jeff Farrah, Brown's counsel for commerce, trade and judiciary. On March 29, she met with Brown himself -- and that very same day, contributed another $1,500 to the senator's war chest.
None of these senators' press offices were forthcoming when asked by HuffPost whether the senators might have been aware of any connection between Chadwick's visits and the contributions; whether they discussed the contributions with Chadwick, or inquired about them; whether they had any concerns now that the source her donations was foreign; and whether they intended to return the money.
Hatch's press secretary, Antonia Ferrier, said there was no record on Hatch's calendar of a meeting with Chadwick on Jan. 28 -- but wouldn't say whether such a meeting took place on another date.
"Senator Hatch follows the law to the letter -- all contributions are disclosed and can only be made by U.S. nationals," Ferrier wrote in an email.
"What Orrin Hatch does as a Senator and as Ranking Member of the Finance Committee is kept completely separate from what he does running for reelection," she wrote, adding, "he always has and always will fully comply with the law. And the law is very clear that no foreign national can make contributions."
Ferrier did not respond to follow-up questions.
Heller press secretary Stewart Bybee replied elliptically, in an email: "Mr. Heller did not have a meeting with the South Korean Government on March 8th. In fact, there has never been a meeting in Mr. Heller's House or Senate office with the South Korean government."
Bybee did note that "Ms. Chadwick has a long history of supporting Senator Heller and represents a number of interests important to the State of Nevada including the American Gaming Association." Bybee declined to respond to follow-up questions on the record.
Despite repeated attempts, HuffPost was unable to get a response from Brown's press office. Chadwick herself also did not respond to several detailed messages requesting comment.
One lobbyist willing to speak to HuffPost was William H. Nixon, chairman of the Washington firm Policy Impact Communications. His firm's name came up earlier this month when POGO asked the Justice Department to investigate allegations that the government of Kazakhstan had made illegal campaign contributions through its lobbyists.
The allegations emerged after a dispute between Rahkat Aliyev, the ex-son-in-law of Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev, and his former father-in-law spawned a lawsuit in D.C. federal court. Relatives of Aliyev, who are suing alleged agents of the Kazakh government for seizing their assets, entered as evidence a letter they say shows that the Kazakh government planned to financially reward members of a congressional caucus created by the embassy. The defendants say the letter was forged.
What is not in dispute is that both sides hired lobbyists for their causes; lobbyists working on behalf of the Kazakh president did help create two pro-Kazakh congressional caucuses; and some of those lobbyists made campaign contributions to some of the caucus members.
Nixon's firm helped create one of the pro-government groups, called the Central Asia Caucus, in late 2009, The New York Times reported. The group was ostensibly devoted to strengthening relations between the U.S. and Central Asia, and Kazakhstan in particular.
Federal Election Commission records also show that Nixon made campaign contributions to three of the co-chairs of the caucus, including $2,400 (a sum also matched by Nixon's wife, Tamera) to the reelection campaign of Eni F. H. Faleomavaega, the delegate from American Samoa.
But Nixon says none of this had anything to do with foreigners funding American elections or trying to buy off members of Congress. It's just a lobbyist doing his job, he says, which largely involves building relationships, which in turn involves making campaign donations.
"There's really no distinction between one client and another, when you engage in the political process here," Nixon says. "The relationships are built, frankly, independently -- with friends and ideological partners, often independently from the clients you're actually representing."
As for the delegate from Samoa: "The fact is Congressman Faleomavaega has been a dear friend of mine for years and years," Nixon says. "And the relationship he had -- independent of me -- with Kazakhstan had nothing to do with the donation I made to the campaign."
Nixon says that he had stopped representing Kazakhstan by the time of the donation.
"There's no question that when you are in this industry, that you support your friends and allies with whom you've had association for many years. But that support never comes -- at least from my perspective -- it never comes with any expectation of favoritism or quid pro quo," he says.
"Obviously, money is the mother's milk of politics and it's a constant effort these senators and congressmen need to make to support their political campaigns," Nixon says.
But he laughs off the notion that governments are trying to buy off members of Congress with the kinds of campaign contributions lobbyists are making. "The contribution to the elected officials frankly is de minimus," he says -- in other words, small change.
"The idea that you could own a politician for 2,000 bucks? Maybe they've got their price," he says, chuckling, "but it's not 2,000 bucks."
Concern about foreign influence on U.S. elections is hardly new, of course. The issue made headlines in 1997, when allegations emerged that the Chinese government had tried to funnel money to the Democratic National Committee during the 1996 election. In the 2008 race, Republican nominee John McCain's top foreign policy adviser was found to have lobbied McCain's own staff on behalf of the Republic of Georgia even while he was advising the campaign. In 2010, liberal groupsaccused the U.S. Chamber of Commerce of spending both domestic and foreign money in a $33-million anti-Democratic ad-buying spree. (The Chamber insisted it keeps foreign money segregated.)
When it comes to foreign lobbying and campaign donations, campaign finance reformers suspect that everyone involved is being careful not to cross certain lines.
"The client is likely not directing those contributions -- because they're relying on the lobbyist to know when the contributions help. But everyone knows the contributions help," says Sheila Krumholtz, executive director of the Center for Responsive Politics, a group that tracks the influence of money in politics.
As for lobbyists who make campaign contributions the same day they make requests of members of Congress, "when you have that kind of sequence of events, that's about as close to a quid pro quo as you can get," says Sunlight's Allison.
Adds Krumholtz: "I think the timing is, at a minimum, worth scrutiny and possibly suspect."
* * * * *
Dan Froomkin is senior Washington correspondent for The Huffington Post. You can send him an emailbookmark his page; subscribe to his RSS feed, follow him on Twitter, friend him on Facebook, and/or become a fan and get email alerts when he writes.
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Group Warns of Foreign, Fraudulent Donors to Obama Campaign

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A conservative political watchdog group is raising the prospect of an "illegal-donor loophole" in the nation's campaign finance system, and suggesting the grassroots-donor-heavy Obama Campaign may stand to benefit.
In a 109-page report published at a new website CampaignFundingRisks.com , the Government Accountability Institute alleges the current online campaign contribution system lacks accountability and transparency, making it highly susceptible to foreign and fraudulent gifts.
The report's focus is President Obama's re-election campaign, which has collected historic sums from online fundraising, relying predominantly on donors who give in small-dollar increments.
Obama and Democrats announced last week that they raised $181 million in September - more than any incumbent president has raised for his re-election in a single month. The funds poured in through more than 1.8 million transactions, 98 percent of which were in increments of $250 or less, officials said.
"Campaigns that aggressively raise money online are soliciting donations from people around the world-whether they intend to or not," writes GAI president Peter Schweizer and Newsweek reporter Peter J. Boyer in a post on the report at Newsweek/Daily Beast .
The report suggests the Obama campaign is uninhibited in its foreign solicitations, lacks rigorous screening for donors' citizenship and fails to impose basic e-commerce safeguards, such as requiring donors to provide the Card Verification Value (the security code on the back of a card) to prove a donor is in physical possession of the card.
Under U.S. federal election law, contributions from foreign nationals to presidential campaigns are forbidden.
"People around the world are being asked for donations by the campaigns themselves, simply because they signed up for information on campaign websites," Schweizer and Boyer write. "The problem: candidate webpages don't ask visitors from foreign IP addresses to enter a military ID or passport number. Instead, the websites use auto-responder email systems that simply gather up email addresses and automatically spit out solicitations."
The authors claim the current system is also subject to "robo-donoations"- computer-driven giving to a campaign through various aliases to evade contribution limits and avoid detection. The Federal Election Commission conducts little to no oversight of internet fundraising practices, leaving each campaign to police itself, the report claims.
Schweizer and Boyer present no hard data that show Obama's 2012 campaign has benefited from widespread foreign or fraudulent donations. They also acknowledge that Republican nominee Mitt Romney could theoretically take advantage of the "loopholes," as well. The report only purports to illustrate that the possibility for fraud exists.
Conservative blogger Erick Erickson of <a href="http://RedState.com" rel="nofollow">RedState.com</a>, however, tested out the Obama campaign's online contribution system and documented the apparent ease with which someone with a foreign mailing address and fraudulent passport number could make a gift via credit card. Erickson concedes, however, that his contribution was ultimately rejected by his bank.
In a post on its "Truth Team" blog , the Obama campaign called the GAI report and its insinuations politically-motivated, citing a history of right-leaning political activism by authors Schweizer and the Government Accountability Institute.
The blog states that "Obama for America" does not accept contributions from foreign nationals and takes voluntary steps to ensure that the campaign is in compliance with federal election law. At the campaign's Chicago headquarters, staff manually review each transaction flagged as potentially fraudulent by their third-party credit card processing service, officials wrote.
The president's campaign also requires a copy of a valid passport from any apparently eligible contributor with a foreign mailing address or from a contributor making a gift from a foreign IP address, according to the post. "If they do not offer one in a timely manner, the donation is returned," the campaign says.
"While no campaign can control who visits their websites, OFA is in no way directing solicitations to foreign nationals nor knowingly seeking foreign contributions-that is the legal standard," the Obama camp says on its blog.
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DOJ Investigates Fox News Reporter James Rosen in Leak Case

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Drawing fire from lawmakers, constitutionalists, and an array of journalists and other media types, it was reported Monday that the Department of Justice (DOJ) has been investigating a Fox News reporter for his allegedly “classified” newsgathering activities. The federal government has labeled James Rosen, the network’s chief Washington correspondent, for being a “co-conspirator” in a ploy to leak sensitive information that could have put the nation at risk.
The Obama administration’s DOJ moved forward with its investigation after FBI agent Reginald Reyes identified Rosen as an “aider and abettor” in the leaking of classified information. Reyes asserted his argument in a request for a warrant to probe Rosen’s personal e-mail account, among other communications. Ultimately, federal investigators confiscated Rosen’s security badge records, phone logs, and e-mails, while not going as far as to charge him with a crime.
The controversy centered on Stephen Jin-Woo Kim, a former arms expert for the State Department, who was accused of dispersing sensitive information to Rosen from a classified report within only hours of its release to an elite circle in the intelligence community. The June 2009 report revealed that North Korea would likely respond to a United Nations sanction with a nuclear missile test.
Reyes noted in his affidavit that Rosen “asked, solicited and encouraged Mr. Kim to disclose sensitive United States internal documents and intelligence information,” adding that “the reporter did so by employing flattery and playing to Mr. Kim’s vanity and ego.”
This detail attracted heated criticisms from media lawyers and transparency advocates, who blasted the DOJ for likening routine journalistic practices to criminal activity. Steven Aftergood, who directs the Federation of American Scientists’ Project on Government Secrecy, said “asking for information has never been deemed a crime,” and that “neither flattery nor an insistent tone rises to the level of a criminal offense.”
Meanwhile, the media bombarded White House Press Secretary Jay Carney on Monday with questions on whether President Obama supports the notion that soliciting information from a source is considered a crime. Carney backpedaled on the accusations, refusing to answer most questions regarding the case, but acknowledging that the president believes reporters should be able to practice investigative journalism. However, Carney added, Obama “also has to be mindful of the need to protect classified information because of our national security interests.”
Fox News has since defended its esteemed reporter, expressing outrage at the federal government’s unwarranted assault on journalism and free speech. "We are outraged to learn today that James Rosen was named a criminal co-conspirator for simply doing his job as a reporter," affirmed Michael Clemente, the network’s executive vice president for news. "In fact, it is downright chilling. We will unequivocally defend his right to operate as a member of what up until now has always been a free press."
Interviewed on Fox News’ “Studio B with Shepard Smith,” liberty-loving constitutionalist Judge Andrew Napolitano referenced the U.S. Constitution, noting that free speech is explicitly protected by the First Amendment, which states, in part, “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.” Napolitano explained:
There is simply no crime. For the FBI to tell a federal judge that James committed a crime by receiving classified information and offering to publish it, even by asking for classified information, is absolutely wrong.…
James, like all of us who are professionals in this business, has an absolute constitutionally protected right to seek news of material interest to the public wherever that news may be.
The unconstitutional exploitation of James Rosen only adds to a growing list of scandals that is plaguing the Obama administration’s credibility, including the alleged Benghazi coverup and contentious allegations of an IRS witch-hunt on conservative groups. But similar to the Rosen-DOJ debacle, another recent development involving infringements on the First Amendment was unveiled when the Associated Press was targeted after the U.S. attorney in Washington conducted an investigation into who may have offered intelligence for a May 7, 2012 story about a thwarted terrorist plot. The New American reported last week on the fiasco:
In what its top executive called a "massive and unprecedented intrusion" by the government into news gathering activities, the AP reported Monday that records were seized of calls from both office and personal phone numbers of individual reporters, and from general AP office numbers in New York, Washington, D.C., and Hartford, Connecticut, in addition to the main number for the AP in the House of Representatives press gallery. Records for more than 20 different phone lines assigned to the AP and its journalists were seized for the months of April and May, 2012, according to AP lawyers. More than 100 journalists work in the offices where the phone lines were targeted, the news agency said.
These blatant abuses of executive power to abridge the freedoms bound in the Constitution will only pile on to the president’s already scandal-ridden second term, critics note. Consequently, the mainstream media is finally speaking out against the administration.
As New Yorker reporter declared in in an article on Monday, “Rosen was not charged with any crime, but it is unprecedented for the government, in an official court document, to accuse a reporter of breaking the law for conducting the routine business of reporting on government secrets.”
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Impeachment Support Soars as Voters Say Feds “Out of Control”

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A recent Fox News poll shows more than two-thirds of American voters believe the federal government is “out of control” and a threat to their liberties. Meanwhile, a separate survey commissioned by WND revealed that more than half of the public supports impeaching President Obama for a series of explosive scandals: spying on journalistsIRS targeting of conservative and Tea Party groups, as well as what has become known as “Benghazigate.” Other major scandals such as the administration's Fast and Furious gun-running to cartels, executing Americans without trial, and unconstitutional wars were not addressed in the surveys.
According to the Fox News poll, released on May 21 and conducted under the guidance of two polling firms, a whopping 68 percent of likely voters “feel like the federal government has gotten out of control and is threatening the basic civil liberties of Americans.” Almost half of Democrats agree that Washington, D.C., is out of control as well — more than the number who disagreed. Just a quarter of respondents did not feel that way, while four percent said they had mixed feelings or it “depends.”
Some six in 10 likely voters, meanwhile, believe the Justice Department went “too far” in seizing records from journalists, while less than a third did not think so. Even among Democrats, only 50 percent approved of disgraced Attorney General Eric Holder, who is currently in criminal contempt of Congress for covering up the deadly Fast and Furious gun-running scandal.
However, among the three most recent and explosive scandals swirling around the embattled administration, more respondents felt the IRS targeting of conservative organizations was the most concerning. That was followed by the White House’s handling of the terrorist attack on a U.S. diplomatic post in Benghazi. Seizing phone records from reporters was viewed as the most concerning of the three issues by 21 percent of respondents.    
The Fox survey also found that disapproval of the president’s job performance had soared above 50 percent for the first time in a year, with 15 percent of Democrats disapproving. Obama’s credibility among the public, meanwhile, hit new lows, with less than half of respondents saying the president was honest and trustworthy. About the same number did think Obama was honest.    
Congress, however, was extraordinarily unpopular — far more unpopular than even the scandal-plagued president. According to the poll, more than three-fourths of likely voters disapproved of the job lawmakers were doing, with just 16 percent saying they approved. It was not immediately clear why Congress remains so unpopular among Republicans and Democrats. 
The WND survey, conducted by Wenzel Strategies and also released this week, found even more astounding sentiments among voters. According to the poll, half or nearly half of those surveyed said Obama should be impeached over the scandals currently swamping the administration. On Benghazi, slightly more than 50 percent said they thought Obama should be impeached — including more than a fourth of Democrats. 
The poll, which has a margin of error of 4.63 percent, also found that almost half of respondents — 49 percent — agreed that the president should be impeached over the IRS targeting of conservative and Tea Party groups. Almost one out of four Democrats thought the scandal merited impeachment as well, according to the survey. IRS Director of Exempt Organizations Lois Lerner pled the Fifth Amendment in congressional hearings this week, adding fuel to the fire as congressional investigations continue.
Finally, about 48 percent of respondents said impeaching the president would be appropriate in light of the Department of Justice’s controversial seizure of phone records belonging to AP reporters and editors. More than a fourth of Democrats also thought the media scandal, which has since extended to Fox News after one of its reporters was targeted, merited impeachment.      
“It may be early in the process for members of Congress to start planning for impeachment of Barack Obama, but the American public is building a serious appetite for it,” Fritz Wenzel of Wenzel Strategies, which did the telephone poll last week, was quoted as saying by WND. “Half or nearly half of those surveyed said they believed Obama should be impeached for the trifecta of scandals now consuming Washington.”
WND also cited numerous lawmakers who have openly discussed impeachment, along with commentators and experts who suggested that the time had come. Among those who have discussed impeaching the president was Democrat former Rep. Dennis Kucinich, who proposed impeachment over Obama’s unconstitutional war on Libya.
There was more bad news for the president in other polls, too. Another Fox News poll released on May 22, the day after the survey that found more than two thirds of Americans thought the government was “out of control,” revealed more trouble for the administration and its agenda on multiple fronts. On the economy, for example, about half of those surveyed said Obama’s ideas were “bad” and too many had been implemented. Only 41 percent said the president’s ideas were good but not enough had come to pass. 
Among the most important findings: 56 percent of respondents felt scrapping ObamaCare would be better than leaving it in place. Just one third thought the statute should be kept, and the trend is moving further against the administration’s controversial healthcare takeover. More than half of those surveyed said they would be worse off under ObamaCare — including a fourth of Democrats — while only 26 percent thought they would be better off.
Despite the survey findings published by Fox News and WND, polls from the liberal-minded establishment media released in recent days suggested that the administration’s public support had remained essentially unchanged amid the mounting tsunami of scandals. For instance, a survey commissioned by CNN, which has been losing credibility faster than other “mainstream” outlets in recent years amid a series of major mistakes, put the president’s approval rating at 53 percent. Still, more than seven out of ten said the IRS behavior was unacceptable, and 37 percent thought the IRS was acting on White House orders. 
Another poll by the Washington Post and ABC released this week found that about 51 percent approved of Obama, with 44 percent disapproving. However, that survey also found that more than 55 percent of respondents believed the IRS scandal was a deliberate attempt at harassment, and that the administration was trying to cover something up about the Benghazi attack.
The extremely liberal Huffington Post, however, noted that its polls put the president’s approval rating at closer to 47.5 percent — well below other liberal-leaning media outlets’ survey results. “HuffPost,” which has developed a reputation as a far-left defender of the president on par with MSNBC, also reported on other polls that showed Americans were more interested in news about the economy than the three major scandals swirling around Obama.
The varying results between different polls showed strong differences based on how questions were phrased, for example. However, the latest numbers still suggest that the establishment media’s oft-repeated claims that administration has remained relatively unscathed by the scandals are almost certainly not accurate.  
Numerous media outlets, including left-leaning establishment publications, have been openly speculating about where all of these scandals may lead. Some analysts, even among openly liberal sources, have suggested that the president will inevitably be impeached. Others speculated that Obama may try to offer Holder’s scalp in an effort to protect his presidency. How all of it will play out, however, remains to be seen.
Photo of President Barack Obama: AP Images
Alex Newman is a correspondent for The New American, covering economics, politics, and more. He can be reached at anewman@thenewamerican.com.
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Obama Homeland Security Aiding Criminal Conspiracies

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The Obama administration’s Department of Homeland Security is brazenly violating U.S. law and participating in criminal conspiracies to smuggle illegal immigrants into the United States, U.S. District Judge Andrew Hanen said in a December ruling. He also noted that the schemes were helping to fund Mexican drug cartels and jeopardizing the lives of children. According to Hanen, the apparent Obama administration policies in question are part of a trend and represent a “dangerous course of action,” costing taxpayers huge sums while enriching criminal syndicates.
The stinging criticism and exposure of Obama’s Homeland Security apparatus and its lawless actions focused on a wide array of problems with the controversial human-trafficking machinations. Among other concerns, the judge said the administration was breaking the law; encouraging and rewarding criminals who continue violating the law; ensuring a steady stream of funds for dangerous Mexican drug cartels involved in human smuggling; endangering the lives of children; and much more. The court, Hanen wrote, is “quite concerned with the apparent policy of the Department of Homeland Security of completing mission of individuals who are violating the border security of the United States.”
The judge’s comments, which have attracted headlines across the nation, focused on one case in particular — the subject of the order. The criminal conspiracy in question involved an illegal immigrant in the United States paying human smugglers to bring her 10-year-old child across the border. The hired trafficker was arrested during the operation. “Despite this setback, the goal of the conspiracy was successfully completed thanks to the actions of the United States Government,” the judge wrote, noting that the child was delivered to her mother in Virginia by Homeland Security. The administration did not arrest, prosecute, or deport the mother, despite the crimes, he added.
“This DHS policy is a dangerous course of action,” the judge warned, echoing criticism from border groups and critics of the administration’s policies. “The DHS, instead of enforcing our border security laws, actually assisted the criminal conspiracy in achieving its illegal goals.... In summary, instead of enforcing the laws of the United States, the Government took direct steps to help the individuals who violated it. A private citizen would, and should, be prosecuted for this conduct.”
Beyond the implications of the lawlessness, the judge also ripped the apparent “logic” behind the administration’s policy. Among other serious concerns, he said it would put many more children in serious danger by encouraging other actual or potential illegal immigrants to hire cartel-linked human smugglers. While he indicated his sympathy and understanding of prosecutorial discretion and keeping families together, the administration’s arguments to justify its actions, Hanen said, are “absurd and illogical.”
“The DHS could reunite the parent and child by apprehending the parent who has committed not one, but at least two different crimes,” Judge Hanen wrote in the order. “It would be more efficient for the Government to arrest the individuals who are not only in the country illegally, but while in the country illegally are also fostering illegal conspiracies.... It would also be much cheaper to apprehend those co-conspirators and reunite them at the children’s location,” he added. “Yet, it neither prosecutes nor deports the wrongdoer.” In other words, the administration is “rewarding criminal conduct instead of enforcing the current laws.”
Even more troubling, according to Hanen, is that the controversial and unlawful Homeland Security policies are encouraging other parents to “seriously jeopardize the safety of their children.” He argued that by facilitating and ensuring the success of the criminal conspiracies and human smugglers, many more illegal immigrants would see it as a win-win scenario. While the unaccompanied child in the case in question was transported in a car and ended up safe, the judge pointed out that many others smuggled across the border cross in far more dangerous ways — swimming across the Rio Grande River, for example. Deaths, he added, are not uncommon. In fact, as the court was waiting for the judgment before releasing the order, two drowned, two went missing, and a three-year-old toddler was abandoned in the same area.
The judge also suggested, citing other recent cases in his court, that the troubling case that prompted his now widely publicized opinion was part a pattern — and even administration policy. “This is the fourth case with the same factual situation this Court has had in as many weeks,” wrote Judge Hanen, who serves on the U.S. District Court of the Southern District of Texas. “In all of the cases, human traffickers who smuggled minor children were apprehended short of delivering the children to their ultimate destination. In all cases, a parent, if not both parents, of the children was in this country illegally.... In each case, the DHS completed the criminal conspiracy, instead of enforcing the laws of the United States, by delivering the minors to the custody of the parent illegally living in the United States.”
The court order, signed on December 13, emphasized that it should not be interpreted as commentary on the subject of “immigration reform,” which Obama and some members of Congress are pushing. However, Hanen said, the issues raised in the string of recent cases concern the court for several “unassailable reasons.” First, “and most importantly,” the illegal activities in question help fund drug cartels, which are a “very real danger for both citizens of this country and Mexico.” The government’s conduct, the judge wrote, is “inspiring” the cartels to continue funding “evil and illegal activities.” On top of that, Hanen continued, U.S. citizens are being forced by Homeland Security policy to “fund these evil ventures with their tax dollars.”
Second of all, Homeland Security's policy undermines the deterrent effect of U.S. law and inspires criminals to continue breaking it. “Even if their co-conspirators are unsuccessful, the Government will finish the job of the human traffickers — mission still accomplished,” he wrote. “It is no wonder these cases are proliferating.” In addition, the machinations are encouraging parents to turn over their children to strangers about whom “only one thing is truly known: they are criminals involved in a criminal conspiracy.”
Finally, Hanen said, the policy is eroding the morale of U.S. Border Patrol agents who risk their lives to enforce the law — only to have Homeland Security deliberately undermine their efforts. The controversial policy of facilitating criminal conspiracies and human smuggling is also making matters worse, Hanen observed. According to figures cited in the document, there has been an 81-percent increase in unaccompanied children picked up at the border over a two-year period. That should “tell the DHS that their policy is failing,” the judge said. “If they persist in this policy, more children are going to be harmed, and the DHS will be partly responsible because it encourages this kind of Russian roulette.”
Citing bogus justifications offered by authorities for their actions, Judge Hanen said there was “no explanation” for the unlawful behavior on the part of the administration. “The DHS has simply chosen not to enforce the United States' border security laws,” he said. Furthermore, the judge continued, there is not even a semblance of legal justification for Homeland Security to turn a “blind eye” to criminal conduct — not to mention “to participate in and complete the mission of a criminal conspiracy or to encourage parents to put their minor children in perilous situations subject to the whims of evil individuals.” The administration’s actions, he added, are “both dangerous and unconscionable.”
Alex Newman is a correspondent for The New American, covering economics, politics, and more. He can be reached at anewman@thenewamerican.com.
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U.S. Government and Top Mexican Drug Cartel Exposed as Partners

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For over a decade, under multiple administrations, the U.S. government had a secret agreement with the ruthless Mexican Sinaloa drug cartel that allowed it to operate with impunity, an in-depth investigation by a leading Mexican newspaper confirmed this week. In exchange for information and assistance in quashing competing criminal syndicates, the Bush and Obama administrations let the Sinaloa cartel import tons of drugs into the United States while wiping out Sinaloa competitors and ensuring that its leaders would not be prosecuted for their long list of major crimes. Other revelationsalso point strongly to massive but clandestine U.S. government involvement in drug trafficking.
Relying on over 100 interviews with current and former government functionaries on both sides of the border, as well as official documents from the U.S. and Mexican governments, Mexico’s El Universalconcluded that the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and the U.S. Justice Department had secretly worked with Mexican drug lords. The controversial conspiring led to increased violence across Mexico, where many tens of thousands have been murdered in recent years, the newspaper found after its year-long probe. The U.S. agents and their shady deals with Mexican drug lords even sparked what the paper called a “secret war” inside Mexico.
The newspaper’s investigation also confirmed long-held suspicions that U.S. authorities were signing secret agreements with Mexican drug cartels — especially Sinaloa, which CIA operatives have saidwas a favorite for use in achieving geo-political objectives. Supposedly without the knowledge or approval of officials in Mexico, ICE and DEA, with a green light from Washington, D.C., made deals with criminal bosses allowing them to avoid prosecution for a vast crime spree that has included mass murder, corruption, bribery, drug trafficking, extortion, and more. In exchange, cartel leaders simply had to help U.S. officials eliminate their competitors — certainly a win-win scenario for crime bosses who prefer to operate without competition or fear of prosecution.
As The New American first reported in early 2011, a high-ranking operative with the Sinaloa cartel had outlined elements of the criminal agreements with U.S. authorities in official court documents. “The government of the United States and its various agencies have a long history of providing benefits, permission, and immunity to criminals and their organizations to commit crimes, including murder, in exchange for receiving information against other criminals and other organizations,” trafficker Jesus Vicente “El Vicentillo” Zambada-Niebla argued in U.S. court filings cited by El UniversalThe New American has also reported extensively on the Zambada-Niebla case and what it reveals.
Experts quoted in the Mexican paper echoed other analysts who have spoken out in recent years, saying that the U.S. government scheming handed the Sinaloa cartel de facto status as the primary powerhouse. In fact, during the period when El Universal says the relationship between American officials and Sinaloa chieftains was most active — 2006 through 2012 — drug war-fueled violence in Mexico surged to unprecedented levels. There are numerous indications that despite official denials, top Mexican officials may have been aware of the schemes, or even involved in them.
Also part of the U.S. government deal with Sinaloa, analysts and Zambada-Niebla have said, was the Obama administration’s “Fast and Furious” gun-running program to arm Mexican cartels at U.S. taxpayer expense. Most recently, a whistleblower from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) said that U.S. Border Patrol agent Brian Terry, killed with a Fast and Furious gun, was murdered by criminals working for the FBI. “It is clear that some of the weapons were deliberately allowed by the FBI and other government representatives to end up in the hands of the Sinaloa Cartel,” stated a motion filed in U.S. court by Zambada-Niebla’s defense team, adding that the U.S. government has documents showing that the weapons were provided by authorities pursuant to the agreement with Sinaloa.
According to former officials and drug kingpins, the agreements between Sinaloa and Washington also allowed the criminal empire to ship multi-ton quantities of hard drugs across the border into the United States. In all, El Universal said there had been at least 50 meetings in Mexico between U.S. government agents and senior Sinaloa bosses, along with many more phone calls and e-mails. The criminal syndicate’s leaders “were given carte blanche to continue to smuggle tons of illicit drugs into Chicago and the rest of the United States and were also protected by the United States government from arrest and prosecution,” Zambada-Niebla’s court filings state, adding that the U.S. government has the documents proving it. “Indeed, United States government agents aided the leaders of the Sinaloa Cartel.”
Unsurprisingly, none of the American federal agencies implicated in the machinations would comment on the revelations. However, citing court documents and official records it published online — as well as numerous interviews with federal agents, convicts, and analysts — the paper was able to conclusively confirm what experts and even officials have been arguing for years: The U.S. government is deeply intertwined with the drug trade. It was not clear what statutory or constitutional authority Washington, D.C., believes would authorize its functionaries to participate in, protect, and facilitate wanton criminal activity.
Mexican authorities, meanwhile, were reportedly kept largely out of the loop surrounding DEA meetings and agreements with top leaders in Mexico’s most notorious criminal syndicates. Officials in Mexico also claimed to be in the dark about the Obama administration's program to arm the cartels with U.S. weapons. According to analysts quoted in the El Universal report, if it is true that Mexico City was unaware, that only adds to the troubling implications of the unlawful scheming between U.S. officials and criminal bosses from Mexico and Colombia to Afghanistan and Southeast Asia.
Among other concerns, experts highlighted violations of human rights, infringements on the sovereignty of other nations, and more. It also helped fuel the devastating violence that has plagued the nation and claimed the lives of between 50,000 and 100,000 people in less than a decade. If Mexican authorities in fact approved the U.S. government’s drug-running schemes in Mexico, they broke the law, too, legal experts told the paper, saying the Mexican Constitution could not be trumped by bilateral agreements or anything else.
The latest revelations in the El Universal report came just days after the emergence of more explosive information implicating the CIA in drug-trafficking yet again. In an investigative article forNarco News entitled “DEA Case Threatens to Expose US Government-Sanctioned Drug-Running,” veteran drug-war journalist Bill Conroy highlights another U.S. government investigation that, perhaps inadvertently, ended up implicating the infamous American intelligence agency in major cocaine trafficking operations once more. Citing official documents and numerous U.S. officials, the piece also notes that CIA-sponsored drug running has been a persistent and ongoing problem.  
In fact, it would not be the first time that the DEA has stumbled on major CIA drug-running operations. Even former DEA chief Robert Bonner, during an explosive interview with CBS, revealed that his agency had learned that the U.S. intelligence outfit unlawfully imported a ton of cocaine into the United States in cooperation with the Venezuelan government. According to the agency’s inspector general, the CIA was indeed working with traffickers but received a “waiver” from the Justice Department purporting to allow the government crime spree to remain secret. More recently, a Mexican official accused the CIA of “managing” the global drug trade.         
The Mexican investigation follows decades of explosive revelations and accusations, many documented by The New American, suggesting that Washington, D.C., plays a crucial role in facilitating the international drug trade. In fact, more than a few officials, drug lords, and analysts have even said that the CIA and other secretive U.S. and foreign agencies actually run the global trade in narcotics, laundering the profits, and more. The DEA was even investigated by Congress last year for helping to launder drug money, while the ATF was exposed supplying U.S. weapons to Mexican cartels. ICE has reportedly been allowing cartel hit men into the United States to murder. So far, none of the high-ranking officials responsible for the lawlessness have truly been held accountable.
Photo shows alleged hit men working for Sinaloa drug cartel along with grenades, automatic weapons, and body armor: AP Images 
Alex Newman, a foreign correspondent for The New American, is normally based in Europe after growing up in Latin America, including seven years in Mexico. He can be reached atanewman@thenewamerican.com.
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Transnational Organized Crime: A Growing Threat to National and International Security

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Transnational organized crime (TOC) poses a significant and growing threat to national and international security, with dire implications for public safety, public health, democratic institutions, and economic stability across the globe. Not only are criminal networks expanding, but they also are diversifying their activities, resulting in the convergence of threats that were once distinct and today have explosive and destabilizing effects. This Strategy organizes the United States to combat TOC networks that pose a strategic threat to Americans and to U.S. interests in key regions.
Penetration of State Institutions, Corruption, and Threats to Governance. Developing countries with weak rule of law can be particularly susceptible to TOC penetration. TOC penetration of states is deepening, leading to co-option in a few cases and further weakening of governance in many others. The apparent growing nexus in some states among TOC groups and elements of government—includ­ing intelligence services—and high-level business figures represents a significant threat to economic growth and democratic institutions. In countries with weak governance, there are corrupt officials who turn a blind eye to TOC activity. TOC networks insinuate themselves into the political process in a variety of ways. This is often accomplished through direct bribery (but also by having members run for office); setting up shadow economies; infiltrating financial and security sectors through coercion or corruption; and positioning themselves as alternate providers of governance, security, services, and livelihoods. As they expand, TOC networks may threaten stability and undermine free markets as they build alliances with political leaders, financial institutions, law enforcement, foreign intelligence, and security agen­cies. TOC penetration of governments is exacerbating corruption and undermining governance, rule of law, judicial systems, free press, democratic institution-building, and transparency. Further, events in Somalia have shown how criminal control of territory and piracy ransoms generate significant sums of illicit revenue and promote the spread of government instability.
Threats to the Economy, U.S. Competitiveness, and Strategic Markets. TOC threatens U.S. economic interests and can cause significant damage to the world financial system through its subversion, exploi­tation, and distortion of legitimate markets and economic activity. U.S. business leaders worry that U.S. firms are being put at a competitive disadvantage by TOC and corruption, particularly in emerging markets where many perceive that rule of law is less reliable. The World Bank estimates about $1 trillion is spent each year to bribe public officials, causing an array of economic distortions and damage to legitimate economic activity. The price of doing business in countries affected by TOC is also rising as companies budget for additional security costs, adversely impacting foreign direct investment in many parts of the world. TOC activities can lead to disruption of the global supply chain, which in turn dimin­ishes economic competitiveness and impacts the ability of U.S. industry and transportation sectors to be resilient in the face of such disruption. Further, transnational criminal organizations, leveraging their relationships with state-owned entities, industries, or state-allied actors, could gain influence over key commodities markets such as gas, oil, aluminum, and precious metals, along with potential exploitation of the transportation sector.
Crime-Terror-Insurgency Nexus. Terrorists and insurgents increasingly are turning to TOC to gener­ate funding and acquire logistical support to carry out their violent acts. The Department of Justice reports that 29 of the 63 organizations on its FY 2010 Consolidated Priority Organization Targets list, which includes the most significant international drug trafficking organizations (DTOs) threatening the United States, were associated with terrorist groups. Involvement in the drug trade by the Taliban and the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) is critical to the ability of these groups to fund terrorist activity. We are concerned about Hizballah’s drug and criminal activities, as well as indications of links between al-Qa`ida in the Lands of the Islamic Maghreb and the drug trade. Further, the terrorist organization al-Shabaab has engaged in criminal activities such as kidnapping for ransom and extortion, and may derive limited fees from extortion or protection of pirates to generate funding for its operations. While the crime-terror nexus is still mostly opportunistic, this nexus is critical nonetheless, especially if it were to involve the successful criminal transfer of WMD material to terrorists or their penetration of human smuggling networks as a means for terrorists to enter the United States.
Expansion of Drug Trafficking. Despite demonstrable counterdrug successes in recent years, particu­larly against the cocaine trade, illicit drugs remain a serious threat to the health, safety, security, and financial well-being of Americans. The demand for illicit drugs, both in the United States and abroad, fuels the power, impunity, and violence of criminal organizations around the globe. Mexican DTOs are escalating their violence to consolidate their market share within the Western Hemisphere, protect their operations in Mexico, and expand their reach into the United States. In West Africa, Latin American cartels are exploiting local criminal organizations to move cocaine to Western Europe and the Middle East. There have also been instances of Afghan DTOs operating with those in West Africa to smuggle heroin to Europe and the United States. Many of the well-established organized criminal groups that had not been involved in drug trafficking—including those in Russia, China, Italy, and the Balkans—are now establishing ties to drug producers to develop their own distribution networks and markets. The expansion of drug trafficking is often accompanied by dramatic increases in local crime and corruption, as the United Nations has detected in regions such as West Africa and Central America.
Human Smuggling. Human smuggling is the facilitation, transportation, attempted transportation, or illegal entry of a person or persons across an international border, in violation of one or more coun­tries’ laws, either clandestinely or through deception, whether with the use of fraudulent documents or through the evasion of legitimate border controls. It is a criminal commercial transaction between willing parties who go their separate ways once they have procured illegal entry into a country. The vast majority of people who are assisted in illegally entering the United States and other countries are smuggled, rather than trafficked. International human smuggling networks are linked to other trans­national crimes including drug trafficking and the corruption of government officials. They can move criminals, fugitives, terrorists, and trafficking victims, as well as economic migrants. They undermine the sovereignty of nations and often endanger the lives of those being smuggled. In its 2010 reportThe Globalization of Crime: A Transnational Organized Crime Threat Assessment, the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) estimated that the smuggling of persons from Latin America to the United States generated approximately $6.6 billion annually in illicit proceeds for human smuggling networks.
Trafficking in Persons. Trafficking in Persons (TIP), or human trafficking, refers to activities involved when one person obtains or holds another person in compelled service, such as involuntary servitude, slavery, debt bondage, and forced labor. TIP specifically targets the trafficked person as an object of criminal exploitation—often for labor exploitation or sexual exploitation purposes—and trafficking victims are frequently physically and emotionally abused. Although TIP is generally thought of as an international crime that involves the crossing of borders, TIP victims can also be trafficked within their own countries. Traffickers can move victims between locations within the same country and often sell them to other trafficking organizations.
Weapons Trafficking. Criminal networks and illicit arms dealers also play important roles in the black markets from which terrorists and drug traffickers procure some of their weapons. As detailed in the 2010 UNODC report The Globalization of Crime, “The value of the documented global authorized trade in firearms has been estimated at approximately $1.58 billion in 2006, with unrecorded but licit transac­tions making up another $100 million or so. The most commonly cited estimate for the size of the illicit market is 10% - 20% of the licit market.” According to the head of UNODC, these “illicit arms fuel the violence that undermines security, development and justice” worldwide. U.S. Federal law enforcement agencies have intercepted large numbers of weapons or related items being smuggled to China, Russia, Mexico, the Philippines, Somalia, Turkmenistan, and Yemen in the last year alone.
Intellectual Property Theft. TOC networks are engaged in the theft of critical U.S. intellectual property, including through intrusions into corporate and proprietary computer networks. Theft of intellectual property ranges from movies, music, and video games to imitations of popular and trusted brand names, to proprietary designs of high-tech devices and manufacturing processes. This intellectual property theft causes significant business losses, erodes U.S. competitiveness in the world marketplace, and in many cases threatens public health and safety. Between FY 2003 and FY 2010, the yearly domestic value of customs seizures at U.S. port and mail facilities related to intellectual property right (IPR) violations leaped from $94 million to $188 million. Products originating in China accounted for 66% of these IPR seizures in FY 2010.
Cybercrime. TOC networks are increasingly involved in cybercrime, which costs consumers billions of dollars annually, threatens sensitive corporate and government computer networks, and under­mines worldwide confidence in the international financial system. Through cybercrime, transnational criminal organizations pose a significant threat to financial and trust systems—banking, stock markets, e-currency, and value and credit card services—on which the world economy depends. For example, some estimates indicate that online frauds perpetrated by Central European cybercrime networks have defrauded U.S. citizens or entities of approximately $1 billion in a single year. According to the U.S. Secret Service, which investigates cybercrimes through its 31 Electronic Crimes Task Forces, financial crimes facilitated by anonymous online criminal fora result in billions of dollars in losses to the Nation’s financial infrastructure. The National Cyber Investigative Joint Task Force, led by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), functions as a domestic focal point for 18 federal departments or agencies to coordinate, integrate, and share information related to cyber threat investigations, as well as make the Internet safer by pursuing terrorists, spies, and criminals who seek to exploit U.S. systems. Pervasive criminal activity in cyberspace not only directly affects its victims, but can imperil citizens’ and businesses’ faith in these digital systems, which are critical to our society and economy. Computers and the Internet play a role in most transnational crimes today, either as the target or the weapon used in the crime. The use of the Internet, personal computers, and mobile devices all create a trail of digital evidence. Often the proper investigation of this evidence trail requires highly trained personnel. Crimes can occur more quickly, but investigations proceed more slowly due to the critical shortage of investigators with the knowledge and expertise to analyze ever increasing amounts of potential digital evidence.
The Critical Role of Facilitators. Connecting these converging threats are “facilitators,” semi- legitimate players such as accountants, attorneys, notaries, bankers, and real estate brokers, who cross both the licit and illicit worlds and provide services to legitimate customers, criminals, and terrorists alike. The range of licit-illicit relationships is broad. At one end, criminals draw on the public reputations of licit actors to maintain facades of propriety for their operations. At the other end are “specialists” with skills or resources who have been completely subsumed into the criminal networks. For example, TOC networks rely on industry experts, both witting and unwitting, to facilitate corrupt transactions and to create the neces­sary infrastructure to pursue their illicit schemes, such as creating shell corporations, opening offshore bank accounts in the shell corporation’s name, and creating front businesses for their illegal activity and money laundering. Business owners or bankers are enlisted to launder money, and employees of legitimate companies are used to conceal smuggling operations. Human smugglers, human traffick­ers, arms traffickers, drug traffickers, terrorists, and other criminals depend on secure transportation networks and safe locations from which to stage smuggling activity or to store bulk cash or narcotics for transport. They also depend on fraudulently created or fraudulently obtained documents, such as passports and visas, to move themselves or their clients into the United States and illegally reside here.
Transnational criminal networks such as organized crime groups, drug traffickers, and weapons dealers at times share convergence points—places, businesses, or people—to “launder” or convert their illicit profits into legitimate funds. Many of these disparate networks also appear to use the same casinos, financial intermediaries, and front companies to plan arms and narcotics deals because they view them as safe intermediaries for doing business. Cash-intensive and high-volume businesses such as casinos are especially attractive, particularly those in jurisdictions that lack the political will and oversight to regulate casino operations or fail to perform due diligence on casino licensees. Illicit networks similarly abuse some of the same financial intermediaries and front companies in regions where government or law enforcement corruption is prevalent, with officials receiving either revenues from the criminal businesses or ownership stakes in the legitimate-appearing commercial entity.

TOC—a global problem—manifests itself in various regions in different ways.

Western Hemisphere: TOC networks—including transnational gangs—have expanded and matured, threatening the security of citizens and the stability of governments throughout the region, with direct security implications for the United States. Central America is a key area of converging threats where illicit trafficking in drugs, people, and weapons—as well as other revenue streams—fuel increased instability. Transnational crime and its accompanying violence are threatening the prosperity of some Central American states and can cost up to eight percent of their gross domestic product, according to the World Bank. The Government of Mexico is waging an historic campaign against transnational criminal organizations, many of which are expanding beyond drug trafficking into human smuggling and trafficking, weapons smuggling, bulk cash smuggling, extortion, and kidnapping for ransom. TOC in Mexico makes the U.S. border more vulnerable because it creates and maintains illicit corridors for border crossings that can be employed by other secondary criminal or terrorist actors or organizations. Farther south, Colombia has achieved remarkable success in reducing cocaine production and countering illegal armed groups, such as the FARC, that engage in TOC. Yet, with the decline of these organizations, new groups are emerging such as criminal bands known in Spanish as Bandas Criminales, or Bacrims.

Colombia: From Recipient to Provider of Assistance

After years of intensive capacity building assistance in Colombia, the United States is working to transfer financial and operational responsibility for institutional development to the Government of Colombia. Colombia now is an exporter of law enforcement and justice sector capabilities, providing assistance and advice for police, prosecutors, protection programs, and judiciary, criminal law, and procedure develop­ment. This reality is the result of the success of U.S. assistance in Colombian capacity building, a success the United States aims to replicate with other partner states. On July 2, 2008, the world witnessed the extraor­dinary courage and capability of Colombian forces during their daring rescue of 15 hostages—including 3 Americans—who had been held captive for years in the jungles by FARC guerrillas. The rescue was accom­plished without firing a shot.
Afghanistan/Southwest Asia: Nowhere is the convergence of transnational threats more apparent than in Afghanistan and Southwest Asia. The Taliban and other drug-funded terrorist groups threaten the efforts of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, the United States, and other international partners to build a peace­ful and democratic future for that nation. The insurgency is seen in some areas of Afghanistan as criminally driven—as opposed to ideologically motivated—and in some areas, according to local Afghan officials and U.S. estimates, drug traffickers and the Taliban are becoming indistinguishable. In other instances, ideologically driven insurgent networks are either directly trafficking in narcotics or have linked up with DTOs to finance their criminal actions. The threatening crime-terror-insurgency nexus in this region is illustrated by cases such as that of INTERPOL fugitive Dawood Ibrahim, the reputed leader of South Asia’s power­ful “D Company.” He is wanted in connection with the 1993 Mumbai bombing and is sanctioned under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1267 (Taliban/al-Qa`ida).
Russia/Eurasia: Russian and Eurasian organized crime networks represent a significant threat to eco­nomic growth and democratic institutions. Russian organized crime syndicates and criminally linked oligarchs may attempt to collude with state or state-allied actors to undermine competition in strategic markets such as gas, oil, aluminum, and precious metals. At the same time, TOC networks in the region are establishing new ties to global drug trafficking networks. Nuclear material trafficking is an especially prominent concern in the former Soviet Union. The United States will continue to cooperate with Russia and the nations of the region to combat illicit drugs and TOC.
The Balkans: A traditional conduit for smuggling between east and west, the Balkans has become an ideal environment for the cultivation and expansion of TOC. Weak institutions in Albania, Kosovo, and Bosnia and Herzegovina have enabled Balkan-based TOC groups to seize control of key drug and human trafficking routes and Western European markets. The Balkans region has become a new entry point for Latin American cocaine, a source of synthetic drugs, and a transit region for heroin chemical precursors for use in the Caucasus and Afghanistan. Excess weapons are smuggled to countries of concern. Insufficient border controls and the ease of acquiring passports enable the transit of criminals and terrorist figures to Western Europe. Cooperation between the United States and the European Union, as well as bilateral cooperation with the countries in the region to foster legal institution building, economic progress, and good governance in the Balkans will be key to eliminating the environment supporting TOC.
West Africa: West Africa has become a major transit point for illegal drug ship­ments to Europe and for Southwest Asian heroin to the United States. It has also become both a source of—and transit point for—methamphetamine destined for the Far East. West Africa also serves as a transit route for illicit proceeds flowing back to source countries. TOC exacerbates corruption and undermines the rule of law, democratic processes, and transparent business practices in several African states that already suffer from weak institutions. Due to its lack of law enforcement capabilities, its susceptibility to corruption, its porous borders, and its strategic location, Guinea-Bissau remains a significant hub of narcotics trafficking on the verge of developing into a narco-state. While many officials within the Government of Guinea-Bissau recognize the extent of the drug problem and express a willingness to address it, a crippling lack of resources and capacity remains a hindrance to real progress in combating drug trafficking. The recent re-appointment of U.S. Treasury-designated drug kingpin Jose Americo Bubo Na Tchuto as Naval Chief of Staff is likely to further entrench drug cartels in the permissive operating conditions prevailing in Guinea-Bissau. In the Gulf of Guinea, maritime criminals operate in areas of weak governance, kidnapping oil workers, stealing oil from pipelines, and causing environmental damage that harms the citizenry. The United States will work with African governments, European partners, and multilateral institutions to counter this threat to development, democratic processes, and the rule of law in the region.
Asia/Pacific: TOC networks and DTOs are integrating their activities in the Asia/Pacific region. Due to the region’s global economic ties, these criminal activities have serious implications worldwide. The economic importance of the region also heightens the threat posed to intellectual property rights, as a large portion of intellectual property theft originates from China and Southeast Asia. Human trafficking and smuggling remain significant concerns in the Asia/Pacific region, as demonstrated by the case of convicted alien smuggler Cheng Chui Ping, who smuggled more than 1,000 aliens into the United States during the course of her criminal career, sometimes hundreds at a time. TOC networks in the region are also active in the illegal drug trade, trafficking precursor chemicals for use in illicit drug production. North Korean government entities have likely maintained ties with established crime networks, including those that produce counterfeit U.S. currency, threatening the global integrity of the U.S. dollar. It is unclear whether these links persist. The United States will continue to improve its understanding of the TOC threats in the Asia/Pacific region and will work with partner nations to develop a comprehensive response.
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did foreign interests money make their way into obama's campaign financing? - Google Search

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  1. Campaign finance in the United States - Wikipedia, the free ...

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Campaign_finance_in_the_United_States
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    At the federal level, campaign finance law is enacted by Congress and enforced by the .... had put more money into the presidential campaign than all the super PACs ... may make additional "coordinated expenditures," subject to limits, to help their ..... Obama again declined governmentfunds for the 2012 campaign, as did  ...
  2. Citizens United v. FEC - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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    The case did not involve the federal ban on direct contributions from .... nor the prohibition on foreigncorporate donations to American campaigns, nor did it ..... President Barack Obama stated that the decision "gives the special interests and their ... of union and corporate money that's going to go into political campaigns".
  3. RIP: Obama the Campaign-Finance Reformer - Bloomberg ...

    <a href="http://www.bloomberg.com/.../rip-" rel="nofollow">www.bloomberg.com/.../rip-</a>obama-the-campaignfinance...
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    Dec 15, 2014 - The president is overseeing a new era of big money politics, despite ... trend has gone the other way, with new laws tightening campaign finance rules ... "He did literally nothing in the whole of his administration to address either ... limits for special interest money to finance theirconventions to make up for  ...
  4. Campaign Finance News | SUN Center

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    McCord resigns, will plead guilty in campaign finance case ... “I essentially said that the potential contributors should not risk making an enemy .... If the court does not stay its ruling, the state'scampaign finance laws will be thrown into disarray. ... “We must be careful lest our political system be seen by foreign interests as a  ...
  5. Follow the Dark Money | Mother Jones

    <a href="http://www.mot" rel="nofollow">www.mot</a>herjones.com/.../history-money-american-election...
    Mother Jones
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    When it arrived, Liedtke (pronounced LIT-key) would stuff it into the suitcase with .... Political money,campaign finance watchers say, moves much like water, always ... "It's like holes in a dike: You block one hole, it's going to find its way out ..... with the billions that is coming form foreign interests set to buy our government.
  6. Group Warns of Foreign, Fraudulent Donors to Obama ...

    <a href="http://abcnews.go.com" rel="nofollow">abcnews.go.com</a> › ABC News Blogs › Politics › Political Punch
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    Oct 9, 2012 - Campaigns that aggressively raise money online are soliciting donations ... The report suggests the Obama campaign is uninhibited in its foreign ... The blog states that “Obama for America” does not accept contributions from foreign ... visits their websites, OFA is in no waydirecting solicitations to foreign  ...
  7. Campaign Finance News - (Super PACs) - Times Topics

    topics.nytimes.com/.../campaign_finance/index.htm...
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    Commentary and archival information about campaign finance from The New York Times. ...sentence after pleading guilty to making illegal campaign contributions; apologizes for trying to hide former Gov John G Rowland's role in her campaign. ... ways to raise money for possible 2016 presidential campaign, including  ...
  8. How Foreign Money Can Find Its Way Into Political ...

    <a href="http://www.huffingtonpost.com/.../" rel="nofollow">www.huffingtonpost.com/.../</a>foreign-money-campai...
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    Jul 18, 2011 - And some of that money may well be wending its way into politicians' election coffers through the generous campaign contributions those lobbyists routinely make to buy ... But at the very least, campaign finance experts say, foreign interests are ... In some cases, their timing does not appear coincidental.
  9. Michael Steele says Obama's claims hypocritical: that his ...

    <a href="http://www.politifact.com/.../michael-steele-says-" rel="nofollow">www.politifact.com/.../michael-steele-says-</a>obamas-claims-...
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    Oct 26, 2010 - Shining a light on a weakness in the nation's campaign finance laws, the ... That means the campaign accepted money and later checked to make sure the ... The story did not quantify how much the Obama campaign received in ... of millions of dollars anonymously making their way into this election via  ...
  10. President Obama: I'd love a constitutional amendment to ...

    <a href="http://www.vox.com/2015/2/.../" rel="nofollow">www.vox.com/2015/2/.../</a>obama-citizens-united-constitutional-amendme...
    Feb 9, 2015 - He did so because he didn't want to abide by the spending limits that ... Once Obama'spresidency began, the issue of campaign finance ... allow "special interests — including foreigncorporations — to spend without limit in our elections. ... spending of money on elections — and on the other hand there's a  ...
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did drug dealers profits make their way into obama's campaign financing? - Google Search

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  1. Pharmaceuticals / Health Products | OpenSecrets

    <a href="http://www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus.php?" rel="nofollow">www.opensecrets.org/industries/indus.php?</a>...
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    The pharmaceutical and health products industry -- it includes not only drug manufacturers but alsodealers of medical products and nutritional and dietary supplements -- is consistently one of the top industries for federal campaign contributions. (Pharmaceutical manufacturers ..... Count Cash &Make Change. Center for  ...
  2. War on Drugs - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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    War on Drugs is an American term commonly applied to a campaign of prohibition ... Drug Control Policy (ONDCP)—signaled that the Obama administration did not ... be successfully prevented and treated... making drugs more available will make it .... The U.S Government sees the policy as a "third way" approach to drug  ...
  3. Political positions of Joe Biden - Wikipedia, the free ...

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    Biden was announced as Democratic presidential nominee Barack Obama's running mate on August... Biden has supported campaign finance reform including the ... Put another way: I do not believe that the government should be involved in making ... Biden favors diverting drug offenders out of the nation's prison system.
  4. Drug cartels are causing a refugee crisis – Global Public ...

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    Jul 8, 2014 - And America's hardline prohibitionist drug war is only making things worse. ... making it easier for the drug lords to avoid having their products ... Since the drug trade is illegal, its practice in the black market is enormously profitable, and ... Next entry »Can other countries tap into Obama campaign success?
  5. The political economy of Mexico's drug war | International ...

    isreview.org/.../political-economy-mexicos-...
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    The super-profits to be made ensured not only the survival of the black market, ... He argued that Mexico could control the drug trade in three wayscreate a .... Not only did Sicilia Falcón pay massive bribes to the PRI elite, he was also a CIA ... Mexican officials requested that their drugagents be permitted to cross into the  ...
  6. McConnell's reign worries campaign finance reformers ...

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    Nov 10, 2014 - With a strong push from Mr. Obama, early in the new Congress, they might ... Civil forfeiture laws — originally meant to make assets unavailable to drug dealers, ... E, often concentrates its campaign spending in low-income, minority ..... Obama's own campaign organization was turned into a non-profit in  ...
  7. Obama drug clemency guidelines issued - POLITICO.com

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    Apr 23, 2014 - We do our best to make sure the re-entry process for those people puts them in a ...However, the Justice Department did declare last year that the ... Obama was a drug dealer, he understands their pain. ... will face new obstacles to trying to work their way out of their current situation! .... No profit left behind  ...
  8. Drug War Do-Over: Can the U.S. Push Trafficking Out of ...

    world.time.com/.../drug-war-do-over-can-the-u-s-push-trafficking-...
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    Apr 4, 2013 - (MORE: U.S. Insists Its Anti-Drug Agents Did Not Fire on Innocent ... All of these problems loom large as President Obama prepares to .... The war on drugs may have started as a war on drugs but it has evolved into a campaign finance ... into the drug cartels profits by 15% is going to make any difference?
  9. The Hidden Soros Agenda: Drugs, Money, the Media, and ...

    <a href="http://www.aim.org" rel="nofollow">www.aim.org</a> › Special Report
    Accuracy in Media
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    Oct 27, 2004 - Nobody in the press mentions that Soros profits from the Kosovo war, which he ...who share the view that legalization would make the drug problem far worse. ... <a href="http://CNSNews.com" rel="nofollow">CNSNews.com</a> reports that, “Not only did Soros donate to Obama's ... Because of a special provision campaign finance laws, the Soroses were  ...
  10. Barack Hussein Obama - Conservapedia

    <a href="http://www.conservapedia.com/Barack_Hussein_" rel="nofollow">www.conservapedia.com/Barack_Hussein_</a>Obama
    Conservapedia
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    3 days ago - During his campaigns Obama said that he intended to "spread the wealth around" ....Academy in Honolulu where he began substance abuse and illegal drugs. ... reference service,Financing Foreign Operations, and wrote for their ... them into making subprime mortgages to unqualified minority borrowers.
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The Obama Revolution - John F. Harris and Jim VandeHei

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Nov. 4, 2008, was the day when American politics shifted on its axis.
The ascent of an African-American to the presidency — a victory by a 47-year-old man who was born when segregation was still the law of the land across much of this nation — is a moment so powerful and so obvious that its symbolism needs no commentary.
But it was the reality of power, not the symbolism, that changed Tuesday night in ways more profound than meet the eye.
The rout of the Republican Party, and the accompanying gains by Democrats in Congress, mean that Barack Obama will assume office with vastly more influence in the nation’s capital than most of his recent predecessors have wielded.
The only exceptions suggest the magnitude of the moment. Power flowed in unprecedented ways to George W. Bush in the year after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. It flowed likewise to Lyndon B. Johnson after his landslide in 1964.
Beyond those fleeting moments, every president for more than two generations has confronted divided government or hobbling internal divisions within his own party.
The Democrats’ moment with Obama, as a brilliant campaigner confronts the challenges of governance, could also prove fleeting. For now, the results — in their breadth across a continent — suggest seismic change that goes far beyond Obama's 6 percent margin in the popular vote.
The evening recalled what activist Eldridge Cleaver observed of the instant when Rosa Parks refused to move to the back of the bus and a movement followed: “Somewhere in the universe a gear in the machinery shifted.”
Here are five big things about the machinery of national politics and Washington that will be different once Obama takes office on Jan. 20, 2009: 
The crash of the conservative wave
For most of the past 30 years, since the dawn of the Reagan Era, conservatives have held the momentum in American politics. Even the Clinton years were shaped — and constrained — by conservative ideas (work requirements for welfare, the Defense of Marriage Act) and conservative rhetoric (“the era of Big Government is over”). Republicans rode this wave to win the presidency five of seven times since 1980, and to dominate Congress for a dozen years after 1994.
Now the wave has crashed, breaking the back of the modern Republican Party in the process.
Obama’s victory and the second straight election to award big gains to congressional Democrats showed that the 2006 election was not, as Karl Rove and others argued at the time, a flukish result that reflected isolated scandals in the headlines at the time.
Republicans lost their reform mantle. Voters who wanted change voted for Obama 89 percent to 9 percent. They lost their decisive edge on national security. They even lost the battle over taxes.
Republicans lost support in every area of the country. Virginia went Democratic, and North Carolina at midnight hung in the balance. Republicans still hold a significant, if smaller, chunk of the South and a smattering of western states. The cities were lost long ago. The suburbs fell last night — and even the exurbs are shaky.
Republicans lost one of their most effective political tactics. Portraying Al Gore or John F. Kerry as exotic and untrustworthy characters with culturally elitist values proved brutally effective for the GOP in 2000 and 2004, as it had in numerous other races for years. In 2008, such tactics barely dented Obama — who because of his race and background looked at first like a more vulnerable target — and they backfired against such candidates as Sen. Elizabeth Dole in North Carolina, who was routed badly after trying to paint Democrat Kay Hagan as an atheist.
The movement that brought so many conservatives to great power over the past 20 years — Gingrich, DeLay, Bush, Cheney and Rove — is left without a clear leader, without a clear agenda and without a clear route back.
The crash of the conservative wave does not necessarily mean the rise of a liberal one. By stressing middle-class tax cuts and the rights of gun owners Obama showed he is sensitive to hot buttons. But he will take power with the opposition party diminished, demoralized and divided by a draining internal argument about the future.
A Democratic headlock
Many people find Obama’s post-partisan rhetoric soothing. But it’s doubtful that these sentiments, even if sincere, reflect the reality of the new Washington. 
This is a city that defines itself by partisanship. Politicians and the operatives they support play for the shirts or the skins and believe that one side’s gain is the other’s loss. 
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Americans see Putin as only slightly...

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Americans see Putin as only slightly more imminent threat than Obama, poll says

Reuters Blogs (blog) - ‎Mar 30, 2015‎
In fact, when asked about both U.S. President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin, it was a pretty darn close call — 20 percent saw Putin as an imminent threat compared to 18 percent who said the same about Obama. ... In a Gallup survey of people in 65 countries, about one quarter named the United States as the greatest threat to world peace. Maybe ... It's not clear from the questions whether people are more afraid of cyber snooping from overseas or by the National Security Agency here at home.

Americans pick the most imminent threats to the United States

Midland Reporter-Telegram - ‎5 hours ago‎
Republicans see Barack Obama as a bigger threat to the United States than notorious world leaders like Russian President Vladimir Putin and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, a new Reuters/Ipsos poll shows. The survey ... Terrorism (54.7 percent) was seen as the greatest conceptual overall, and terrorism figureheads in Al-Qaeda (43.4 percent) and ISIS (38.8) were considered the most threatening individuals. ... A Reuters analysis surmises that a “national security expert might not agree with the public's choices.”.

America, the home of the brave, is constantly scared

Irish Examiner - ‎Mar 30, 2015‎
In fact, when asked about both US President Barack Obama and Russian President Vladimir Putin, it was a pretty darn close call — 20% saw Putin as an imminent threat compared to 18% who said the same about Obama. A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll asked more than 3,000 Americans what they saw as some of the biggest threats to themselves and the country. You can slice and dice the ... meaning the threat is imminent. I think it's safe to say that a US national security expert might not agree with the public's choices.
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Barack Obama is the Greatest Threat to National Security

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At the signing ceremony for the Obamacare legislation, Vice President Biden memorably told the president, “This is a big f****** deal.” The foreign policy equivalent of Obamacare is about to be signed by Secretary of State Kerry. It’s an agreement that will ensure Iran develops nuclear weapons in secret and in safety.
The context of the deal is so clear that even the Washington Post got it right. In a Saturday editorial, the Post wrote that the agreement will reward Iran for more than a decade of ignoring UN Security Council resolutions that had the single purpose of preventing it from developing nuclear weapons. Iran has been lying and cheating so long, only those dedicated to ignoring the facts could believe they would live up to any deal that would prevent them from developing and deploying nuclear weapons.
There’s a lot more to the context than the Post wrote. Saudi Arabia didn’t notify us before it formed its own coalition of nations to attack Iran’s proxy forces in Yemen. The reason, according to NBC’s Richard Engel, is that they feared we would leak their plans to Iran. That is a precise measure of how much they dislike and distrust Obama.
Joined by several other Arab nations including Jordan and Egypt, Saudi aircraft have attacked the Shiites and are about to send in as many as 100,000 ground troops.
At the same time, a small part of American air forces are occasionally attacking Islamic State forces in Iraq. They’re in effect supporting the Iranian troops and Shiite militias trying – so far unsuccessfully – to throw ISIS forces out of key Iraqi cities such as Tikrit. The Iranians object to our involvement on their side, but it’s continuing nonetheless.
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» obama poll - Google Search
31/03/15 17:11 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story . Search Results Americans see Putin as only slightly more imminent threat than ... Reuters Blogs (blog) - Mar 30, 2015 ... who said the same about Obama . A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll asked more than 3,000 Amer...
» Республиканцы назвали Барака Обаму основной угрозой для США - Российская Газета
31/03/15 17:09 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from В мире – Новости Google. Российская Газета Республиканцы назвали Барака Обаму основной угрозой для США Российская Газета Сторонники республиканской партии США считают собственного президента-демократа Бара...
» Robert Lustyik Jr - Google Search
31/03/15 16:38 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story . Search Results Utah judge sentences former FBI agent to 10 years in federal fraud ... Salt Lake Tribune - 22 hours ago Prosecutors say Lustyik , a counterintelligence officer based in White ... Robert G. Lust...
» Ex-FBI Agent Sentenced to 10 Years in Afghan Kickback Scheme
31/03/15 16:28 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from ABC News: U.S.. A former FBI agent accused of trying to derail a Utah investigation into an alleged defense contractor kickback scheme was sentenced to 10 years in prison Monday. Prosecutors say that in ex...
» Former FBI Agent Sentenced To 10 Years In Afghan Corruption Case
31/03/15 16:25 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. A former FBI agent accused of trying to derail an investigation into alleged corruption by a U.S. defense contractor in Afghanistan has been sentenced to 10 years in prison.
» Freedom House Demands Campaign Against Baku Over Jailed Journalist
31/03/15 16:25 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. Democracy advocates at Freedom House, a U.S.-based nongovernmental organization, have called for an international campaign aimed at pressuring Azerbaijan to free jailed i...
» Вместе с Costa Concordia ушел на дно кокаин итальянских мафиози - НТВ.ru
31/03/15 16:25 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from В мире – Новости Google. НТВ.ru Вместе с Costa Concordia ушел на дно кокаин итальянских мафиози НТВ.ru На борту круизного лайнера Costa Concordia, затонувшего в 2012 году, находилась крупная партия кокаина...
» Путин готовится выступить на юбилейной сессии Генассамблеи ООН - Независимая газета
31/03/15 16:24 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from В мире – Новости Google. BBC Russian Путин готовится выступить на юбилейной сессии Генассамблеи ООН Независимая газета Как стало известно "Ъ", президент РФ Владимир Путин может выступить на откры...
» Бывшего начальника киевской милиции заподозрили в штурме Майдана - Lenta.ru
31/03/15 16:24 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from В мире – Новости Google. Forbes Ukraine Бывшего начальника киевской милиции заподозрили в штурме Майдана Lenta.ru Генеральная прокуратура Украины заподозрила бывшего начальника киевской милиции Валерия Маз...
» «Боец спецназа ДНР» рассказал о роли российских военных в боях в Донбассе - РБК
31/03/15 16:23 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from В мире – Новости Google. Gazeta.ua «Боец спецназа ДНР» рассказал о роли российских военных в боях в Донбассе РБК ​Россиянин Дмитрий Сапожников, который, как он сам говорит, в октябре 2014 года поехал в зон...
» Iran Denies Sending Arms to Yemen Rebels
31/03/15 16:23 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Voice of America. Iran's foreign ministry said Tuesday the government had sent aid to Yemen but denied shipping weapons to the country where a Saudi-led coalition is conducting airstrikes to try to stop Ir...
» На железнодорожной станции в Харькове прогремел взрыв - Российская Газета
31/03/15 16:23 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from В мире – Новости Google. Российская Газета На железнодорожной станции в Харькове прогремел взрыв Российская Газета На железнодорожной станции в Харькове сработало взрывное устройство. Эту информацию подтве...
» Why Russia suddenly wants to supply cheap gas to Ukraine - Business Insider
31/03/15 16:23 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Russia - Google News. Business Insider Why Russia suddenly wants to supply cheap gas to Ukraine Business Insider The Russian government is requesting that its state-owned gas giant Gazprom provide discount...
» Moscow’s Nervousness about Buryatia Highlights Transbaikal Republic’s Importance
31/03/15 16:22 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Window on Eurasia -- New Series. Paul Goble               Staunton, March 31 – Foreign intelligence services are seeking to drive a wedge between...
» Western Scholars Alarmed By Russian Deportations, Fines
31/03/15 16:21 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. At least four Western scholars in Russia have been deported, fined, or threatened with these penalties over the past year due to alleged visa violations, unnerving many U...
» Belarusian Spy Agencies’ Cooperation with Russian Ones in Lithuania Highlights Larger Problem
31/03/15 16:21 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Window on Eurasia -- New Series. Paul Goble               Staunton, March 31 – The security services of Belarus are closely cooperating with thei...
» NASA Denies It Will Build New Space Station With Russia
31/03/15 16:20 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from The Moscow Times Top Stories. The U.S. has not agreed to build a new space station with Russia, despite claims from the Russian space agency's chief that the two sides had agreed to such a project, NASA's ...
» Russia's Gazprom: Profits plunge 70% - CNNMoney
31/03/15 16:20 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Russia - Google News. CNNMoney Russia's Gazprom: Profits plunge 70% CNNMoney The state-run energy giant has been hit by Russia's conflict with Ukraine. Its gas supplies to Ukraine have been at the center o...
» Georgian Government Snubs President's Address
31/03/15 16:19 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. Senior Georgian government officials have snubbed President Giorgi Margvelashvili's state of the nation address for the second straight year, underscoring persistent rift...
» В Кремле опровергли присутствие российских войск на Украине - РБК
31/03/15 16:19 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from В мире – Новости Google. РБК В Кремле опровергли присутствие российских войск на Украине РБК Пресс-секретарь президента России Дмитрий Песков заявил об отсутствии российских военных на юго-востоке Украины....
» EU organised crime worth €110bn a year
31/03/15 16:18 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Europe News. Illicit markets, including drugs, arms and human trafficking, are equivalent to 1% of EU GDP
» Песков назвал причину демонизации Путина на Западе - Полит.ру
31/03/15 16:18 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from В мире – Новости Google. Песков назвал причину демонизации Путина на Западе Полит.ру Чем больше президент России Владимир Путин отстаивает интересы страны в мире, тем больше подвергается нападкам со сторон...
» Путинизм - уже не light-сталинизм?
31/03/15 16:17 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Uploads by Радио Свобода. Путинизм - уже не light-сталинизм? По данным Левада-центра 45% опрошенных россиян считают оправданными жертвы, которые понес народ в эпоху... From: Радио Свобода Views: 0 17 1 rat...
» Harvey Weinstein questioned over alleged groping of 22-year-old model
31/03/15 16:17 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from - Europe RSS Feed. Harvey Weinstein has been questioned over an alleged sexual assault claimed to have taken place in his New York City office.
» 'Dear Mom, Don't Cry,' Chechen IS Militant Writes, 'I'm Waging Jihad'
31/03/15 16:17 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. A Chechen militant who says he is fighting alongside the Islamic State (IS) group in Syria has posted a heartfelt open letter to his mother, confessing that he misses her...
» Nemtsov Allies Plan to Publish Report on Russian Soldiers in Ukraine
31/03/15 16:17 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from The Moscow Times Top Stories. A report being prepared by Nemtsov supporters claims supporters of slain opposition leader Boris Nemtsov claims that Moscow has started discharging its soldiers from the army ...
» Iran Demands Halt To Saudi-Led Strikes, Calls For Dialogue In Yemen
31/03/15 16:16 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. Iran has called for an “immediate halt” to the Saudi-led military operation against Shi’ite Huthi rebels in Yemen, warning that the "attack" endangered the whole region.
» За Крым и Донбасс: Порошенко пригрозил россиянам арестом счетов - НТВ.ru
31/03/15 16:16 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from В мире – Новости Google. Gazeta.ua За Крым и Донбасс: Порошенко пригрозил россиянам арестом счетов НТВ.ru Украинский президент пообещал ввести новые санкции против России. Речь идет об аресте активов и бан...
» Psychological Profiling, Doors Focus of French Germanwings Probe
31/03/15 16:16 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Voice of America. French air accident authority BEA said its probe into the Germanwings crash would study “systemic weaknesses” that might have led to the disaster, such as psychological profiling and cock...
» Azerbaijanis Accused Of Militancy Shouldn't Be Placed In Iron Cages, Lawyers Say
31/03/15 16:16 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. Lawyers for five Azerbaijani citizens accused of fighting alongside militants in Syria say the court is violating the rights of their clients by putting them in iron cage...
» Major Power Outage Leaves Turkey in Darkness
31/03/15 16:15 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Voice of America. A major power outage hit cities and provinces across Turkey on Tuesday, including the capital of Ankara and the biggest city, Istanbul, where parts of the subway and tram system shut down...
» Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras Criticizes Sanctions Against Russia - Wall Street Journal
31/03/15 16:14 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Russia - Google News. Wall Street Journal Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras Criticizes Sanctions Against Russia Wall Street Journal MOSCOW—Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said he didn't agree with We...
» Boehner's Trip to Middle East Focuses on Iran, Islamist Threat
31/03/15 16:08 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Voice of America. U.S. House Speaker, Republican John Boehner, traveling in the Middle East this week, warned that, should Iran nuclear program negotiations fail, new sanctions would be imposed, and quickl...
» Дмитрий Песков: Чем настойчивее лидер отстаивает права страны, тем больше его демонизируют в мире - Комсомольская правда
31/03/15 15:41 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from В мире – Новости Google. Комсомольская правда Дмитрий Песков: Чем настойчивее лидер отстаивает права страны, тем больше его демонизируют в мире Комсомольская правда ... - Срок представляется слишком важным...
» Кто сбил Боинг?
31/03/15 15:40 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Uploads by Радио Свобода. Кто сбил Боинг? Международная следственная группа, в состав которой вошли представители Австралии, Бельгии, Малайзии,... From: Радио Свобода Views: 0 6 0 ratings Time: 00:00 More ...
» Analyst: Joint-Arab Military Force Poses Perilous Challenge
31/03/15 15:40 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Voice of America. For months, members of the Arab League have been calling for a joint military force to quell the violence engulfing the region. Now that member states have largely agreed, analysts say ha...
» Separatist fighter admits Russian tanks, troops 'decisive in eastern Ukraine battles'
31/03/15 15:35 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Russian news, all the latest and breaking Russia news. Head of rebel special forces detachment says regular army units from Russia play key role in victories
» Poll: Majority of Americans Support Iran Nuclear Deal
31/03/15 15:34 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Voice of America. A new public opinion survey in the United States shows that Americans broadly support efforts to negotiate an agreement to restrict Iran's nuclear program even though they are skeptical t...
» Two Men Sentenced For 2009 Murder Of Daghestani Journalist
31/03/15 15:34 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. No fewer than 15 journalists have been murdered in Daghestan since 2000, 12 of them in the past decade alone. This week, for the first time, a court found two men guilty ...
» Proportion of Russians who respect Stalin is growing, poll suggests
31/03/15 15:32 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Russian news, all the latest and breaking Russia news. Survey finds near-doubling in last two and a half years of those who think leader's repressions were justified
» Georgian President Calls Russia Threat to Regional Security
31/03/15 15:32 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from The Moscow Times Top Stories. Georgian President Georgy Margvelashvili said on Tuesday that Russia poses a threat to regional security and that its action in Georgia and Ukraine is punishment for their pro...
» Лукашенко: мир на Украине невозможен без участия США - BFM.Ru
31/03/15 15:31 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from В мире – Новости Google. РБК Украина Лукашенко: мир на Украине невозможен без участия США BFM.Ru Президент Белоруссии Александр Лукашенко считает невозможным установления мира на Украине без участия США. О...
» Экс-глава ФСИН Реймер задержан по делу о браслетах - BBC Russian
31/03/15 14:51 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from В мире – Новости Google. BBC Russian Экс-глава ФСИН Реймер задержан по делу о браслетах BBC Russian Бывший руководитель Федеральной службы исполнения наказаний России Александр Реймер и его экс-заместитель...
» Turkish Extremists Abduct Prosecutor From Istanbul Courthouse
31/03/15 14:51 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from NYT > Europe. A militant leftist group prominent during the Cold War said it was seeking justice in the death of a teenager hurt during the 2013 Gezi Park protests.
» Report: State of Black America a 'Tale of Two Nations'
31/03/15 14:50 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Voice of America. The National Urban League has described this year's "State of Black America" report as a "tale of two nations." The group's annual report, released earlier this month (March), found that ...
» Alexis Tsipras calls western sanctions against Russia 'road to nowhere'
31/03/15 14:50 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Russia | The Guardian. Comments come a week ahead of Greek prime minister’s controversial visit to Moscow but Tsipras insists country can be ‘a bridge’ between Russia and west Setting the tone for a contro...
» 2,552,7532,552,753
31/03/15 06:22 from Mike Nova - Google+
2,552,753 2,552,753 This post has been generated by Page2RSS
» 2,552,7572,552,757
31/03/15 02:14 from Mike Nova - Google+
2,552,757 2,552,757 This post has been generated by Page2RSS
» 2,552,7592,552,7592015-03-30#Germanwings
30/03/15 17:53 from Mike Nova - Google+
2,552,759 2,552,759 2015-03-30 #Germanwings   #4U9525   #PlaneCrash Germanwings Crash Investigators Sorting Through Physical and Psychological Clues - NYT Germanwings Crash Investigators Sorting Through Physical and Psychological Clues M...
» Germanwings Crash Investigators Sorting Through Physical and Psychological Clues
30/03/15 16:40 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story . DÜSSELDORF, Germany — As aviation experts in the French Alps piece together the shattered fragments of the Germanwings jetliner that crashed there on Tuesday, investigators here are engaged in a ta...
» Germanwings crash: ‘Lubitz planned to marry pregnant girlfriend’, claims German report
30/03/15 16:39 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from - Europe RSS Feed. The partner of the Germanwings co-pilot who crashed Flight 9525 into the French Alps was pregnant and the couple were apparently planning to get married, according to reports.
» Review: A Present-Day ‘Parsifal’ With a Nod to the Past
30/03/15 16:39 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from NYT > Europe. Directed by Dmitri Tcherniakov, the production is respectful of the opera’s history and meanings, even when it diverges from the libretto’s particulars.
» Украина не вернула Индии пять самолетов после ремонта - Коммерсантъ
30/03/15 16:39 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from В мире – Новости Google. РИА Новости Украина Украина не вернула Индии пять самолетов после ремонта Коммерсантъ Украина не вернула Индии пять военно-транспортных самолетов Ан-32 после ремонта, сообщает 30 м...
» Contributing Op-Ed Writer: Moscow's Twisted History Lessons
30/03/15 16:38 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from NYT > Europe. Putin bends the narrative of Russia's past to justify his mission to reclaim the country's lost glory.
» Военные США и Украины проведут наблюдательный полет над территорией РФ - ИА REGNUM
30/03/15 16:38 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from В мире – Новости Google. РИА Новости Военные США и Украины проведут наблюдательный полет над территорией РФ ИА REGNUM С 30 марта по 4 апреля военные инструкторы США совместно с украинскими коллегами провед...
» Op-Ed Contributor: The Meaning of Fingergate
30/03/15 16:38 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from NYT > Europe. Two finance ministers are the perfect foils for the new German self-confidence as it emerges in the course of the European debt crisis.
» Is Admiral Kolchak, Russia’s ‘First Fascist Ruler,’ a Role Model for Putin?
30/03/15 16:38 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from The InterpreterThe Interpreter. Staunton, February 18 – As Vladimir Putin’s rule has taken on ever more features of fascism, analysts have focused on those fascist and proto-fascist writers he has ci...
» Germanwings Crash Settlements Are Likely to Vary by Passenger Nationality
30/03/15 16:37 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from NYT > Europe. The payout for an American aviation disaster victim averages $4.5 million versus $1.3 million for a German victim.
» Russian Theater Director Fired for Offending Christians
30/03/15 16:36 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from NYT > Europe. The Culture Ministry said Boris Mezdrich had failed to mitigate an outcry among the Russian Orthodox Church who were offended by various aspects of the production of “Tannhauser.”
» Летчик разбился, пытаясь облететь земной шар - Последние новости России и Украины, главные новости дня.
30/03/15 16:36 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from В мире – Новости Google. Последние новости России и Украины, главные новости дня. Летчик разбился, пытаясь облететь земной шар Последние новости России и Украины, главные новости дня. Внимание! Обнаружив о...
» An American Military Convoy in Europe Aims to Reassure Allies - New York Times
30/03/15 16:35 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Russia - Google News. New York Times An American Military Convoy in Europe Aims to Reassure Allies New York Times “I am very worried and afraid about what Russia might do next,” said Urszula Wronko, 69, a ...
» Greenaway offends Russia with film about Soviet director's gay affair
30/03/15 16:35 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Russia | The Guardian. British director speaks to The Calvert Journal about his latest work featuring Sergei Eisenstein’s hidden relationship with a Mexican man in 1931 Soviet director Sergei Eisenstein is...
» Следователи вышли на след возможного организатора убийства Немцова - Московский комсомолец
30/03/15 16:34 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from В мире – Новости Google. Московский комсомолец Следователи вышли на след возможного организатора убийства Немцова Московский комсомолец Следствию стало известно имя и фамилия человека по прозвищу Руслик: с...
» Five Reasons Why Russia Should Never Have Sold Alaska to the U.S.
30/03/15 16:34 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from The Moscow Times Top Stories. When a large swath of land changed hands from Russia to the United States 148 years ago, both sides in the Alaska Purchase felt it was a good bargain.
» 08:47 Русик «нарисовался». Следователи, занимающиеся делом об убийстве Немцова, сообщили о новом фигуранте - Ura.ru
30/03/15 16:32 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from В мире – Новости Google. Ura.ru 08:47 Русик «нарисовался». Следователи, занимающиеся делом об убийстве Немцова, сообщили о новом фигуранте Ura.ru Следователям СКР и оперативникам, расследующим дело об убий...
» Czech President To Visit Moscow For Victory Day Celebrations
30/03/15 16:32 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. Czech President Milos Zeman has confirmed his plans to visit Moscow to participate in the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the World War II victory over Nazi Germany.
» Российская журналистика умерла
30/03/15 16:31 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Uploads by Радио Свобода. Российская журналистика умерла Леонид Парфенов, Леся Рябцева, Роман Супер и Галина Тимченко - о том, смогут ли медиа в России выжить в услови... From: Радио Свобода Views: 301 62 ...
» Now might be the time to buy Russia. Yes, really. - CNNMoney
30/03/15 16:31 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Russia - Google News. CNNMoney Now might be the time to buy Russia . Yes, really. CNNMoney Is the worst over for Russia ? Some brave investors seem to think so and are piling back into its markets. The oil...
» U.S. Says Shipping Uranium Out of Iran Is Still Part of Possible Nuclear Deal
30/03/15 16:30 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from NYT > Europe. An Iranian official had seemed to rule out an accord under which the fuel would be sent abroad, but American negotiators said the issue had not yet been decided.
» Iran Says U.S. Drone Killed Two Advisers In Iraq
30/03/15 16:30 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. Tehran says a U.S. drone strike killed two Iranian advisers in Iraq last week, but the United States says it has only struck Islamic State (IS) militants in its campaign.
» Яшин обнародовал рукописную записку Немцова о погибших на Донбассе бойцах из РФ - NEWSru.com
30/03/15 16:30 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from В мире – Новости Google. NEWSru.com Яшин обнародовал рукописную записку Немцова о погибших на Донбассе бойцах из РФ NEWSru.com Оппозиционер Илья Яшин рассказал о том, как продвигается работа над докладом, ...
» 10 Charts That Explain Russia - Forbes
30/03/15 16:29 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Russia - Google News. Forbes 10 Charts That Explain Russia Forbes For reasons that are far beyond my ability to explain, Russia is a place that attracts clichés in much the same way that a bright flame att...
» Germanwings co-pilot Andreas Lubitz 'had been treated for suicidal thoughts years before crash'
30/03/15 16:29 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from - Europe RSS Feed. The co-pilot who killed 149 people when he plunged Germanwings flight 9525 into the French Alps had been treated for suicidal tendencies, it had emerged.
» For Putin, Russia’s Isolation is a Strategy Not a Misfortune, Lipsky Says
30/03/15 16:28 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from The InterpreterThe Interpreter. Staunton, March 30 – Most analysts have suggested that sanctions and international isolation were a cost Vladimir Putin was willing to pay in order to get his way in U...
» Border Disputes Spreading and Intensifying in Eastern Europe, Moscow Scholar Says
30/03/15 16:28 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from The InterpreterThe Interpreter. Staunton, March 30 – The announcement three weeks ago that Prague is prepared to transfer 360 hectares of territory to Poland in the Těšín Silesia area is the latest i...
» Минобороны сформировало в Крыму 96 частей и соединений - Российская Газета
30/03/15 15:44 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from В мире – Новости Google. Российская Газета Минобороны сформировало в Крыму 96 частей и соединений Российская Газета С апреля до середины июля на военную службу отправят около 1,5 тысяч молодых крымчан и се...
» В США водитель авто попытался протаранить ворота штаб-квартиры АНБ - Комсомольская правда
30/03/15 15:44 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from В мире – Новости Google. Комсомольская правда В США водитель авто попытался протаранить ворота штаб-квартиры АНБ Комсомольская правда В США неизвестный попытался протаранить ворота штаб-квартиры Агентства ...
» Islamic State Destruction Renews Debate Over Repatriation of Antiquities
30/03/15 15:42 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from NYT > Europe. As militants ravage artifacts, a debate has resumed over whether Western collectors should return disputed items to their countries of origin.
» Russian Officials Cite 'IS Threat' As Justification For Heightened Security
30/03/15 15:42 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. Although the security threat posed by radical Islamist groups is hardly a new concern in Russia, Kremlin officials in recent weeks have intensified their rhetoric, specif...
» Russian Museum Seeks a Warmer Adjective for Ivan the Terrible
30/03/15 15:42 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from NYT > Europe. The 16th-century czar’s reputation was scrubbed in one of several exhibitions that have presented a generous view of the country’s history.
» Новая жизнь «Анны Карениной»
30/03/15 15:41 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Uploads by Голос Америки. Новая жизнь «Анны Карениной» ...
» Obama-Netanyahu Rift Threatens US-Israel Bond
30/03/15 15:40 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Defense News - Home. With relations between US and Israeli leaders plunging to an all-time low, US President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appear to be employing a divide-and-c...
» Russia's Nuclear Capability
30/03/15 15:40 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Defense News - Home. Ambassador Alexander Vershbow, NATO deputy secretary general, on NATO's response to Russia's rising nuclear rhetoric.             
» NATO Cohesion & Russia
30/03/15 15:40 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Defense News - Home. Ambassador Alexander Vershbow, NATO deputy secretary general, on NATO's Russia deterrence.             
» Russia Sets Sights on High-Speed Development
30/03/15 15:39 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Defense News - Home. Russia's helicopter industry, shepherded by Russian Helicopters — last year the world's largest copter exporter — has its eyes set on competing in the emerging market of high-speed hel...
» Editorial: Invest in Nuclear Capability
30/03/15 15:39 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Defense News - Home. Over the past few years, Russia has increasingly been spouting nuclear rhetoric to scare America and Europe into getting its way. Vladimir Putin recently said he considered mobilizing ...
» Andreas Lubitz Germanwings co-pilot thought he was going blind but there was nothing wrong with him
30/03/15 15:36 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from RSS Feed for ministry127.com. Tormented killer co-pilot Andreas Lubitz thought he was going blind - when there was nothing wrong with his sight. In the months before the Airbus 320 tragedy, the Germanwings...
» Fort Mead NSA attack: One dead and two injured in shoot-out at spy agency after car rams security gate
30/03/15 15:33 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from RSS Feed for ministry127.com. Guards shot one man dead and seriously wounded a second when they tried to ram a vehicle into the entrance gate at the Fort Meade, Maryland, headquarters of the National Secur...
» Shots Fired as Driver Rams Gate at NSA Headquarters, At Least One Dead
30/03/15 15:33 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Comments on: Shots Fired as Driver Rams Gate at NSA Headquarters, At Least One Dead. “Helicopter footage showed two cars – one a police vehicle and the other a black vehicle with no insignia &#...
» Officials: 1 dead at Fort Meade gate crashing | Maryland News
30/03/15 15:18 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story . FORT MEADE, Md. — A firefight erupted Monday when two people in a car tried to ram a National Security Agency gate at Fort Meade, killing at least one person, according to preliminary reports cited by t...
» Men Dressed as Women Shot Outside NSA Gate, Officials Say
30/03/15 15:10 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from ABC News: U.S.. Copy One man is dead and another severely injured after a shootout at one of the main gates of the National Security Agency located at Fort Meade, Maryland . Two men dressed as women attemp...
» nsa accident - Google Search
30/03/15 14:13 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story . Search Results In the news 1 dead after trying to crash gate near NSA, officials say USA TODAY ‎ - 46 mins ago FORT MEADE, Md. — At least one person has died during a firefight that erupted after ...
» 2,552,7572,552,7572015-03-30 #Prague
30/03/15 13:46 from Mike Nova - Google+
2,552,757 2,552,757 2015-03-30   #Prague   #CzechRepublic Czech Crowds Welcome U.S. Military Convoy To Prague | » More than a Third of Newborns in France are Not European 30/03/15 12:32 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks Czech Crowds Welc...
» 2,504,2102,504,2102015-03-20#Suicide
30/03/15 13:10 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Mike Nova - Google+. 2,504,210 2,504,210 2015-03-20 #Suicide » Suicide Attacks at Mosques in Yemen Kill More Than 130 20/03/15 17:46 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks | One thing has become clear over the ...
» 2,508,6872,508,6872015-03-21#PuertoRico
30/03/15 13:09 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Mike Nova - Google+. 2,508,687 2,508,687 2015-03-21 #PuertoRico Was Luis Muñoz Marin A Drug Addict? | To take out Alejandro García-Padilla from the governorship of Puerto Rico: Now! | We the People: Your V...
» 2,513,5072,513,5072015-03-21 #Putin
30/03/15 13:09 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Mike Nova - Google+. 2,513,507 2,513,507 2015-03-21 #Putin #Russia Russia Hosting Europe’s Neo-Nazis, Nationalists and Anti-Semites, Putin Supporters All by Paul Goble | Putin’s Priorities – Propaganda ove...
» 2,513,5442,513,5442015-03-22Московская конференция по международной безопасности - Google Search
30/03/15 13:09 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Mike Nova - Google+. 2,513,544 2,513,544 2015-03-22 Московская конференция по международной безопасности - Google Search США не смогут завершить вывод войск из Афганистана к концу 2014 года «Возможные вари...
» 2,513,5452,513,5452015-03-22#War
30/03/15 13:09 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Mike Nova - Google+. 2,513,545 2,513,545 2015-03-22 #War #Warfare Permanent global hybrid warfare as russian military-political strategy - Google Search Russian hybrid warfare: what are effects-based netwo...
» 2,513,5442,513,5442015-03-22M.N.: I think that the term "multidimensional" is preferable to the
30/03/15 13:08 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Mike Nova - Google+. 2,513,544 2,513,544 2015-03-22 M.N.: I think that the term "multidimensional" is preferable to the term "hybrid", it is more accurate, scent-neutral (free from deceptive fruity flavor)...
» 2,518,5502,518,5502015-03-23Far-Right Flocks to Russia to Berate the West Monday March 23rd
30/03/15 13:08 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Mike Nova - Google+. 2,518,550 2,518,550 2015-03-23 Far-Right Flocks to Russia to Berate the West Monday March 23rd, 2015 at 11:34 AM WSJ.Com: World: Billed as the International Russian Conservative Forum,...
» 2,522,7752,522,7752015-03-23«Русский международный консервативный форум» — что это было? — Sputnik
30/03/15 13:08 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Mike Nova - Google+. 2,522,775 2,522,775 2015-03-23 «Русский международный консервативный форум» — что это было? — Sputnik & Pogrom: "...самым смешным стали выступления «консервативных еврейцев»: гражд...
» 2,526,6962,526,6962015-03-25The lengthy report, “The FBI: Protecting the Homeland in the 21st Century
30/03/15 13:08 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Mike Nova - Google+. 2,526,696 2,526,696 2015-03-25 The lengthy report, “The FBI: Protecting the Homeland in the 21st Century,” is perhaps the most detailed, public examination to date of the FBI’s post-9/...
» 2,526,7272,526,7272015-03-26» Russian president accuses Western security services of deliberately
30/03/15 13:08 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Mike Nova - Google+. 2,526,727 2,526,727 2015-03-26 » Russian president accuses Western security services of deliberately trying to destabilise the country before elections Mike Nova's Shared NewsLinks Rev...
» 2,526,7292,526,7292015-03-21#Putin
30/03/15 13:08 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Mike Nova - Google+. 2,526,729 2,526,729 2015-03-21 #Putin #Russia Russia Hosting Europe’s Neo-Nazis, Nationalists and Anti-Semites, Putin Supporters All by Paul Goble | Putin’s Priorities – Propaganda ove...
» 2,548,0462,548,0462015-03-29#Путин
30/03/15 13:07 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Mike Nova - Google+. 2,548,046 2,548,046 2015-03-29 #Путин #Немцов #Россия Panel finds FBI operations lagging on intelligence gathering | » Россия при Путине. Что о режиме рассказало убийство Б.Немцова? 29...
» 2,552,7612,552,7612015-03-29#Putin
30/03/15 13:07 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Mike Nova - Google+. 2,552,761 2,552,761 2015-03-29 #Putin #Russia #SocialMedia How Russia's 'troll factory' runs thousands of fake Twitter and Facebook accounts to flood social media with pro-Putin propag...
» Why Schumer is getting the big promotion - MSNBC
30/03/15 12:42 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Top Stories - Google News. MSNBC Why Schumer is getting the big promotion MSNBC Politics, like nature, abhors a vacuum, so when Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) announced his retirement on Friday...
» Russian foreign minister to leave Iran nuclear talks early
30/03/15 12:41 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Network Front | The Guardian. Officials say negotiations over Iran’s nuclear plans have stalled on the issue of lifting UN security council sanctions Sergei Lavrov, Russia’s foreign minister, The Russian f...
» Who are the Houthis?
30/03/15 12:41 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from CNN.com - World. A Shiite militia known as the Houthis, have swept into power in Yemen.
» Searchers Build Roadway to Remote Germanwings Crash Site
30/03/15 12:40 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Voice of America. French investigators hope to speed up identification of the 150 people killed in last week's Germanwings plane crash by digging a roadtrack that will allow direct access to the disaster z...
» One Ukrainian Soldier Killed, Three Wounded In East Ukraine
30/03/15 12:40 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. The Ukrainian military says that one soldier has been killed and three wounded over the previous 24 hours in the country's east despite a six-week-old cease-fire with Rus...
» Detained ISIS members speak from Iraqi jail
30/03/15 12:39 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from CNN.com - World. CNN's Arwa Damon talks with two men who are in Iraqi custody about the work they did for ISIS before their capture.
» Remains of Germanwings Co-Pilot Reportedly Identified in Wreckage
30/03/15 12:39 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from TIME. Authorities believe they have identified the remains of the Germanwings co-pilot who apparently crashed the plane into the French Alps and killed all 150 people aboard last week, according to a new r...
» More than a Third of Newborns in France are Not European
30/03/15 12:32 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from The European Union Times - World News, Breaking News. Geographically one finds France in Europe, but demographically the country is swiftly drifting towards Africa as recent data indicates. France, unlike ...
» Veteran Uzbek Leader Re-Elected in Vote Branded Undemocratic
30/03/15 12:31 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Voice of America. Uzbekistan's veteran leader Islam Karimov easily won another five years at the helm of Central Asia's most populous nation in an election that Europe's main security body criticized for l...
» Czech Crowds Welcome U.S. Military Convoy To Prague
30/03/15 12:29 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. Crowds of Czech citizens waved American flags to welcome a U.S. military convoy as it arrived on the outskirts of Prague on March 30. The 2nd Cavalry Regiment was en rout...
» Boston Marathon Bombing Trial: seven things to know - USA TODAY
30/03/15 12:28 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Top Stories - Google News. USA TODAY Boston Marathon Bombing Trial: seven things to know USA TODAY The trial of accused Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokar Tsarnaev continues today, with the defense expected to...
» Iran nuclear talks: Is Tehran backpedaling?
30/03/15 12:27 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from CNN.com - World. The world's most powerful diplomats sat down in Lausanne with Iranian nuclear negotiators on Monday for the first time since November. And uncomfortable rumblings made headlines.
» Prosecutors: Co-pilot treated for suicidal tendencies
30/03/15 12:26 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from AP Top Headlines At 11:22 a.m. EDT. MARSEILLE, France (AP) -- The co-pilot of Germanwings Flight 9525 that crashed into the French Alps last week had received treatment for suicidal tendencies several year...
» Church van crashes into canal, killing 8 and injuring 10
30/03/15 12:26 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from AP Top Headlines At 11:22 a.m. EDT. MOORE HAVEN, Fla. (AP) -- A church van ran through a stop sign, crossed all four lanes of a rural highway and crashed into in a canal, killing eight people and injuring ...
» Among Palestinians, Discontent With Abbas Grows
30/03/15 12:25 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from NYT > World. Some Palestinians are questioning whether their leader, who celebrated his 80th birthday last week, will be able to seize any opportunity for statehood.
» Germanwings Co-Pilot Had Been Treated for ‘Suicidal Tendencies,’ Authorities Say
30/03/15 12:25 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from NYT > World. The co-pilot of the Germanwings jetliner that crashed in the French Alps had been treated before receiving his pilot’s license, officials said Monday.
» Officials: co-pilot in German plane crash was treated for suicidal tendencies
30/03/15 11:28 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from World: World News, International News, Foreign Reporting - The Washington Post. DÜSSELDORF, Germany — The co-pilot suspected of crashing a Germanwings jetliner had been treated years earlier for suicidal t...
» Germanwings co-pilot was treated for suicidal tendencies
30/03/15 11:28 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Network Front | The Guardian. Andreas Lubitz had psychotherapy years before becoming a pilot, prosecutors in Düsseldorf reveal German prosecutors have said the co-pilot of the Germanwings plane that crashe...
» Black box reveals Lubitz badgered captain to leave cockpit of doomed plane - Irish Independent
30/03/15 06:37 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Top Stories - Google News. Irish Independent Black box reveals Lubitz badgered captain to leave cockpit of doomed plane Irish Independent Evidence has emerged that Andreas Lubitz, the co-pilot who last wee...
» Alps Crash Final Moments Revealed As DNA Found
30/03/15 06:31 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from World News - Breaking international news and headlines | Sky News. A transcript from the cockpit voice recorder emerges as rescuers keep battling treacherous terrain to recover the victims' bodies.
» US coding site under cyber attack - www.worldbulletin.net
30/03/15 06:30 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Top Stories - Google News. www.worldbulletin.net US coding site under cyber attack www.worldbulletin.net The Wall Street Journal reported that the flood of Internet traffic to GitHub came from Chinese sear...
» Inquiry Into Death of Litvinenko, a Putin Critic, Nears Conclusion
30/03/15 06:30 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from NYT > World. The judge is to hear evidence from witnesses including Craig Mascall, the detective inspector who led the investigation into the killing of Alexander V. Litvinenko, before final legal submi...
» How Russia's 'troll factory' runs thousands of fake Twitter and Facebook accounts to flood social media with pro-Putin propaganda
29/03/15 21:16 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from News | Mail Online. Hundreds of workers are paid £500 a month to work exhausting 12-hour shifts from a modern office building in St Petersburg, Russia, flooding the internet with pro-Krelim messages.
» Tennessee sterilisations in plea deals for women evoke dark time in America
29/03/15 21:15 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Network Front | The Guardian. Nashville district attorney bans staff from using the invasive surgery as a bargaining chip, but critics suggest the practice may not be as rare as people think Nashville pros...
» Saudi Arabia Pulled Diplomats From Yemen
29/03/15 21:15 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from WSJ.com: World News. Saudi Arabia’s navy evacuated diplomats from Aden in Yemen before Houthi rebels—who took control of the government in the capital last month—descended on the southern port city, the Sa...
» Bird flu kills 22,000 Minnesota turkeys and infects tens of thousands more
29/03/15 21:15 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Network Front | The Guardian. H5N2 strain, which has appeared in several states, prompts countries to ban Minnesota poultry imports as disease hits key bird migration route An outbreak of a bird flu strain...
» Don't ignore threat Iran poses to global security - U-T San Diego
29/03/15 21:13 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Top Stories - Google News. Don't ignore threat Iran poses to global security U-T San Diego For months, President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry have repeated a mantra about nuclear negotiat...
» Insurgents Seize Much of Key Syrian City - New York Times
29/03/15 21:13 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Top Stories - Google News. Fox News MiamiHerald.com Insurgents Seize Much of Key Syrian City New York Times BEIRUT, Lebanon — A coalition of Islamist insurgents, including a branch of Al Qaeda, seized most...
» 100,000 tweets A DAY from ISIS: How jihadist's social media terror network is the 'most significant challenge' to Europe's security
29/03/15 21:12 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from News | Mail Online. Rob Wainwright, the director of Europol and ex-MI5 officer, urged social media firms to help authorities stem the terrorist threat - revealing ISIS controls about 50,000 Twitter accounts.
» Iran Blamed For Yemen's Conflict As Saudi Arabia Targets Shi'ite Rebels
29/03/15 21:11 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. A Saudi-led coalition of 10 Sunni Arab states continued to launch air strikes early on March 29 against Shi’ite rebels in Yemen that allegedly are backed by Iran.
» 'Open the goddamn door!': Desperate final pleas of Germanwings captain emerge as black box transcript reveals Lubitz's repeated attempts to coax pilot into toilet
29/03/15 21:10 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from News | Mail Online. According to transcripts in German newspaper Bild, captain Patrick Sondheimer screamed ‘Open the goddamn door!’ as his co-pilot (pictured) deliberately flew the aircraft into the Alps.
» Plane Comes Off Runway At Canadian Airport
29/03/15 21:09 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from World News - Breaking international news and headlines | Sky News. Air Canada says a plane has come off the runway at Halifax airport after making an "abrupt" landing.
» Struggle to explain what motivated co-pilot in doomed flight
29/03/15 21:09 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from AP Top Headlines At 8 p.m. EDT. LONDON (AP) -- A disgruntled worker shoots up a workplace. A student opens fire at a high school. A pilot crashes a planeload of people into a mountainside....
» Crash pilot was psychiatric patient, planned big gesture: paper
29/03/15 21:08 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Reuters: World News. BERLIN (Reuters) - The co-pilot suspected of deliberately crashing an airliner, killing 150 people, had told his girlfriend he was planning a spectacular gesture so "everyone will know...
» Iran nuclear talks go down to wire as Israel lashes out - Daily Mail
29/03/15 21:07 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Top Stories - Google News. Daily Mail Iran nuclear talks go down to wire as Israel lashes out Daily Mail High-stakes negotiations to rein in Iran's suspect nuclear programme looked set to go down to the wi...
» Cowards who dodge Russian Army Drafting Bared from Politics and Justice
29/03/15 21:07 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from The European Union Times - World News, Breaking News. An Upper House lawmaker says very soon Russia will introduce a law banning draft dodgers from becoming government ministers, judges and prosecutors. Se...
» Expected Iranian nuclear deal worse than Israel feared - Netanyahu - Daily Mail
29/03/15 21:07 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Top Stories - Google News. Expected Iranian nuclear deal worse than Israel feared - Netanyahu Daily Mail JERUSALEM, March 29 (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned on Sunday the fr...
» LA light rail train hits car, partially derails; 21 hurt - seattlepi.com
29/03/15 21:06 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Top Stories - Google News. seattlepi.com LA light rail train hits car, partially derails; 21 hurt seattlepi.com LOS ANGELES (AP) — A light rail train slammed into a car at a crossing in front of the Univer...
» 'These images will never go out of my head' says forensics expert of the hellish job of identifying 600 body parts through scanning, photos and DNA: But Lubitz's body has already been found
29/03/15 21:06 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from News | Mail Online. French investigators talk together outside a Gendarmerie mobile forensic van in Seynes-les-Alpes near the crash site of a Germanwings Airbus A320, in French Alps March 27, 2015. A young...
» US Laser Test That Destroyed Germanwings, Next Plunges Holland Into Darkness
29/03/15 21:05 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from The European Union Times - World News, Breaking News. A new Ministry of Defense ( MoD ) (MoD) report circulating in the Kremlin today claims that the failed 24 March US Air Force test of its High Energy Li...
» Expected Iranian nuclear deal worse than Israel feared: Netanyahu
29/03/15 21:03 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Reuters: World News. JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned on Sunday the framework Iranian nuclear agreement being sought by international negotiators, saying it was eve...
» Putin letter to Arab summit triggers strong Saudi attack
29/03/15 21:02 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Reuters: World News. SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (Reuters) - Saudi Arabia accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of hypocrisy on Sunday, telling an Arab summit that he should not express support for the Middl...
» Arab Leaders Agree To Create Joint Military Force
29/03/15 21:01 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty. Egypt’s President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi says Arab leaders have agreed in principle to create a joint military force.
» Arab summit agrees on unified military force for crises
29/03/15 21:01 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Reuters: World News. SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt (Reuters) - Arab leaders at a summit in Egypt announced the formation of a unified military force to counter growing security threats from Yemen to Libya, and as...
» Binyamin Netanyahu denounces Iran nuclear negotiations - The Guardian
29/03/15 21:00 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from world - Google News. The Guardian Binyamin Netanyahu denounces Iran nuclear negotiations The Guardian US secretary of state, John Kerry, far left, at a meeting with Iranian officials in Lausanne. Photograp...
» Leading Suspect in Tunisia Museum Attack Is Killed
29/03/15 21:00 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from TIME. (TUNIS, Tunisia) — Tunisia’s prime minister said Sunday a leading suspect in a deadly museum attack on foreign tourists has been killed in anti-terrorist operations, as tens of thousands of Tunisians...
» Saudi Arabia hopeful for nuclear deal with Iran as tensions in region rise - Los Angeles Times
29/03/15 20:57 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Top Stories - Google News. Los Angeles Times Saudi Arabia hopeful for nuclear deal with Iran as tensions in region rise Los Angeles Times As U.S. negotiators raced to reach an agreement on Iran's nuclear p...
» Arab states plan joint military force to combat common Middle East threats
29/03/15 20:56 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Network Front | The Guardian. Egyptian president Abdul Fatah al-Sisi announces initiative at an Arab League summit, primarily aimed at countering the threat posed by Isis Arab states have said they will tr...
» Fiorina likely GOP presidential candidate, attacks Clinton - Washington Post
29/03/15 20:56 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Top Stories - Google News. Fox News Fiorina likely GOP presidential candidate, attacks Clinton Washington Post WASHINGTON — Former technology executive Carly Fiorina says she is more than 90 percent likely...
» Air Canada Accident Injures 23
29/03/15 20:55 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from WSJ.com: World News. Air Canada Flight 624 experienced “an incident upon landing” at the Nova Scotia provincial capital Halifax on Sunday. Twenty-three passengers and crew members of the 138 people aboard ...
» Plane crash reported in southeastern Pennsylvania - WHP Harrisburg
29/03/15 20:54 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Top Stories - Google News. Plane crash reported in southeastern Pennsylvania WHP Harrisburg WEST CHESTER, Pa. (AP) -- Authorities are investigating the reported crash of a small plane near a southeastern P...
» 2 dead after small plane crashes near Pennsylvania airport - Vallejo Times Herald
29/03/15 20:54 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Top Stories - Google News. 2 dead after small plane crashes near Pennsylvania airport Vallejo Times Herald WEST CHESTER, Pa. (AP) — Authorities say a small plane crash near a southeastern Pennsylvania airp...
» Saudi response to Swedish criticism tests Europe's reach
29/03/15 20:53 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from AP Top Headlines At 7 p.m. EDT. DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) -- Sweden's foreign minister is hardly the first diplomat to raise concerns about Saudi Arabia's human rights record, but when she used the ...
» Saudi response to Swedish criticism tests Europe's reach - Chron.com
29/03/15 20:32 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from World - Google News. Chron.com Saudi response to Swedish criticism tests Europe's reach Chron.com DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — Sweden's foreign minister is hardly the first diplomat to raise concerns...
» For Iran, boosting its economy is the real incentive to cut a nuclear deal - Washington Post
29/03/15 20:31 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Top Stories - Google News. USA TODAY For Iran, boosting its economy is the real incentive to cut a nuclear deal Washington Post The headlines in Tehran have been trumpeting some good news for Iran's econom...
» Middle East tensions heighten over Yemen
29/03/15 20:30 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from World News. Arab leaders announce joint military force as Tehran nuclear talks go down to wire
» So much for Iranian plans - Arab News
29/03/15 20:30 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Top Stories - Google News. Times LIVE So much for Iranian plans Arab News There is nothing strange in Iran and its allies being the only ones who are standing with the Houthis, while it is the rest of the ...
» Despite significant obstacles, Iran negotiations could see success (+video) - Christian Science Monitor
29/03/15 20:30 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Top Stories - Google News. Christian Science Monitor Despite significant obstacles, Iran negotiations could see success (+video) Christian Science Monitor Two officials involved in the nuclear negotiations...
» Islamic State beheads 8, led to death by teens - USA TODAY
29/03/15 20:29 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from World - Google News. USA TODAY Islamic State beheads 8, led to death by teens USA TODAY The Islamic State group released a new video Sunday showing its fighters cutting off the heads of eight men described...
» Coney Island's famed Cyclone strands riders on season's first run - CBS News
29/03/15 20:29 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Top Stories - Google News. CBS News Coney Island's famed Cyclone strands riders on season's first run CBS News NEW YORK -- Roller coaster season is underway at New York's Coney Island, but its most famous ...
» Czechs rally against US military convoy’s parade
29/03/15 20:28 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from The European Union Times - World News, Breaking News. Demonstrators march in the Czech capital of Prague in protest against a US military convoy passing through the country on March 28, 2015. Hundreds of d...
» operation jade helm - Google Search
29/03/15 20:28 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story . Search Results In the news Fears of martial law as special ops set to swarm Southwest and operate undetected among civilians who've been ... Daily Mail ‎ - 3 days ago Operation Jade Helm begins in July ...
» March to martial law? Undercover Special Forces to sweep US Southwest — RT USA
29/03/15 20:27 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from RT - Daily news. Operation Jade Helm
» Bodies pulled from site of East Village explosion - New York Daily News
29/03/15 20:26 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from Top Stories - Google News. New York Daily News Bodies pulled from site of East Village explosion New York Daily News Search crews have pulled one unidentified body from the site of the East Village explosi...
» Germanwings Flight’s Final Moments Heard on Cockpit Recordings
29/03/15 20:26 from Mike Nova's Shared Newslinks
mikenova shared this story from TIME. The pilot of the doomed Germanwings plane desperately struggled to get into the cockpit that the co-pilot had locked him out of before the plane crashed into the French Alps, killing all 150 on board...


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