Donald Trump Says He Has More Foreign Policy Experience Than 'Virtually Anyone' in Race - New York Times Monday May 2nd, 2016 at 7:57 PM

Donald Trump Says He Has More Foreign Policy Experience Than 'Virtually Anyone' in Race - New York Times

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New York Times

Donald Trump Says He Has More Foreign Policy Experience Than 'Virtually Anyone' in Race
New York Times
Donald J. Trump at the opening luncheon of the California state Republican Party convention in Burlingame on Friday.Credit Jim Wilson/The New York Times. As he inched closer to sewing up the needed delegates to clinch the Republican presidential ...
Donald Trump says he has more foreign policy experience than 'virtually anybody'Washington Post
If You Hate Trump's Foreign Policy, Wait Until You See Ted Cruz'sHuffington Post
Trump doesn't know what he doesn't know about foreign policyLos Angeles Times
Philly.com -Truthdig -People's World -Spartanburg Herald Journal
all 58 news articles »

Clinton outraises Sanders for first time in months - Washington Post

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Washington Post

NATO weighs four battalions in Eastern states to deter Russia: U.S.

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STUTTGART, Germany (Reuters) - The NATO alliance is weighing rotating four battalions of troops through Eastern member states, U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter said on Monday, in the latest proposal by allies to guard against aggressive behavior by Russia.
  

Painting Captures President Lincoln Assassination Aftermath

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A newly restored painting captures the moments following President Abraham Lincoln’s assassination in 1865. It was recently unveiled at Ford’s Theatre in Washington, where America’s 16th president was shot. It is the only known painting by an eyewitness that captures the horror of that fateful night. VOA’s Julie Taboh tells us more about the painting and what it took to restore it to its original condition.

Report: Iran Paying With Blood to Prop Up Syrian Regime

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Keeping Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in power has come with a deadly price tag for Iran, which has lost more troops in the war-torn country in the past six months than in the previous two years. More than 280 Iranian troops have been killed in Syria since September of last year, according to an analysis by the Levantine Group of casualties reported by Iranian media. The willingness to sustain such a heavy rate of losses is evidence of Tehran's commitment to the Assad regime,...

Puerto Rico’s Dire Financial Trouble Explained

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Puerto Rico missed a debt payment on Monday. The White House is calling on Congress to step in and help the U.S. territory avoid financial disaster. How did the island get into this situation? WSJ’s Jason Bellini has #TheShortAnswer. Photo: Erika P. Rodriguez/Bloomberg
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Турция: заседание парламентской комиссии снова закончилось массовой дракой 

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From: euronewsru
Duration: 00:58

Очередное заседание парламентской комиссии в Анкаре по спорному законопроекту о снятии депутатской неприкосновенности снова закончилось в понедельник массовой дракой.
На этот раз потасовка возникла после того, как министр юстиции Бекир Боздаг обвинил депутатов оппозиционной Партии демократии народов
в провоцировании насилия на предыдущих заседаниях.
Вопрос о снятии депутатской неприкосновенности - более, чем чувствительный в Турции. Депутаты от прокурдской партии убеждены, что власть с помо…
ЧИТАТЬ ДАЛЕЕ: http://ru.euronews.com/2016/05/02/incredible-scenes-in-the-turkish-parliament
euronews: самый популярный новостной канал в Европе.
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Mobius: Rising Demand Will Push Oil Prices to $60 

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From: Bloomberg
Duration: 02:06

May 2 -- Mark Mobius, executive chairman of Franklin Templeton's Emerging Markets Group, discusses the outlook for oil prices with Bloomberg's Manus Cranny on "Bloomberg Markets Middle East."

CIA chief Brennan calls for 28 pages to remain classified

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From: FoxNewsChannel
Duration: 02:41

9/11 report continues to cause political disruption for the White House; Kevin Corke provides insight on 'Special Report'

How al-Qaida has changed since bin Laden’s death

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From: PBSNewsHour
Duration: 09:22

Five years ago, U.S. special operations forces launched a daring mission to kill al-Qaida leader Osama Bin Laden. Special correspondent Nick Schifrin, who visited the scene shortly after the battle, describes what he observed, then former Secretary of Defense and CIA Director Leon Panetta joins Hari Sreenivasan to reflect on how international terrorism has changed over the past five years.

This is what it’s like to be arrested while mentally ill

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From: PBSNewsHour
Duration: 03:11

Paton Blough has two labels he will have to bear for the rest of his life: “bipolar” and “convicted felon.” Having been arrested during his delusional episodes, Blough uses his experiences to help train police officers in crisis management when dealing with the mentally ill.

Military tests unmanned ship designed to cross oceans - U.S. News & World Report

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Military tests unmanned ship designed to cross oceans
U.S. News & World Report
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The military is launching tests on the world's largest unmanned surface vessel — a self-driving, 132-foot ship designed to travel thousands of miles out at sea without a single crew member on board. The so-called "Sea Hunter" has the ...

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U.S. Defense Secretary Says NATO Debating Rotational Ground Force In Baltic 

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U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter says NATO is considering establishing a rotational ground force in the Baltic states and possibly Poland as a deterrent to Russian aggression.

First NATO-Russia Meeting In Years Goes As Badly As Expected | The Daily Caller 

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Meeting seems to have created more problems than it solved

Why Islamic State Is Down But Not Out 

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According to analysts, one key ingredient in fighting IS is missing as local tribes are not turning en masse against Islamic militants in either Syria or Iraq.  U.S. and anti-IS coalition allies have been seeking to replicate the Sunni Awakening of 2006, when a Washington-coaxed tribal uprising was a key element in assisting U.S. troops to drive al-Qaida jihadists from Iraq’s westernmost Anbar province.

U.S. Navy chief asks Russia to stop buzzing his ships – CBS News 

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The Defense Department said a Russian SU-27 conducted a barrel roll Friday over a U.S. Air Force RC-135 that was flying a reconnaissance mission above the Baltic Sea. In mid-April, a Russian jet flew about 50 feet from the wing tip of a U.S. aircraft. Also in April, two Russian jets flew close to the USS Donald Cook in the Baltic Sea.Richardson said the actions increase the chance of a “tactical miscalculation,” but that if an incident were to occur, the U.S. would tamp down any rise in tensions between the two countries.”We look for sort of a normalization there,” he said.Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov last week defended the actions of Russian warplanes that buzzed the USS Donald Cook, saying the pilots decided to take a look at the U.S. Navy destroyer “from a safe distance.” The planes were less than 100 feet away from the deck of the ship, traveling at hundreds of miles per hour.Secretary of State John Kerry condemned the Russian actions and said the Navy ship could have opened fire.
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UN Live United Nations Web TV – International Jazz Day 2016

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President Obama and Michelle Obama are hosting International Jazz Day 2016.All-Star Global Concert at the White House (Washington, D.C.).Featuring Herbie Hancock, Aretha Franklin, Diana Krall, Sting and More.Recorded on 29th April 2016.

Brain Drain: The False Lure of Multitasking

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More than a decade into the digital era, we know now that multitasking just doesn't work. Study after study has proven that texting, driving, scanning our Twitter feeds all at once makes us less productive—not more. In the United States many of my friends and colleagues and I begin our days this way: Upon waking, we “rollover,” that is, grab our cell phones off the nightstand or the floor or from under the pillow. Sometimes that’s because the alarm we set on our smartphones the night before is blaring. In my case, I’m wondering what time it is (I can’t see the clock across the room without my glasses and finding my iPhone is easier than blindly feeling around for my specs). Friends who are parents tell me they look for a text message to see if their teenager got home safely — or tap the snooze button for 10 more minutes of sleep. Thus begins a day dominated by digital devices; devices (iPads, smartphones, tablets, a laptop or personal computer at work) that many feel lost without; devices that promise to make us much more productive; devices that inevitably encourage multitasking, making us feel like we are getting a lot done and more quickly. But the fact remains: we don’t. Not multitasking, switching Why? “Your brain actually has a very limited capacity for simultaneous thought. We can only hold a little bit of information in mind at any single moment,” says Professor Earl K. Miller with the Picower Institute at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in Boston.  Miller says we may think we are multitasking, but we aren’t. We are switching back and forth between tasks, he said, but we don’t realize that. “But it happens, and it comes at a big cost…and every time there is a switch back to a task, your brain has to backtrack and figure out where it left off,” Miller said. “This takes time and causes errors. Miller’s research is backed up over and over again.   The title of a study released earlier this year by the University of California at Irvine captures its findings. In "Neurotics Can't Focus: An in situ Study of Online Multitasking in the Workplace," scientists studied 20 women and 20 men for 12 days in a large technology firm, all of whom used computers most of the day to complete their work. They discovered that while multitasking is ineffective for nearly all of us — it’s the recalibrating our brains must do when we switch from one task to the next that taxes our brains. Certain personalities are even more prone to distractions in the digital workplace. “We found that in information work, online focus is characterized by short durations, with only a median span of 40 seconds. Our results build on previous in situ descriptive studies of multitasking [5, 15] by suggesting that there may be an inherent trait of distractibility… Given all the potential distractions that digital media presents to information workers, our results suggest that inherent traits could make some people more susceptible to distractions.” That’s a wordy way of saying if you tend towards being impulsive or neurotic or unable to handle a high load of stress, best you drop the multitasking and turn to mono-tasking, which is always the most efficient way to get the best work from your brain. One task at a time “There is no question that you are better, faster, and more productive when you focus on one task at a time,” according to Miller. “We evolved in an environment where there was much less information available. And any information might be critical.  A rustling in the bush may mean a tiger is about to leap out.” Turns out, our brains evolved to crave information because our survival depends on it. Miller adds: “Our brains find new information rewarding. But they are ill-equipped to deal with our modern world where there is so much information. Another study by Stanford University found that constant interruptions are the main culprit.  Calling them “high-tech jugglers, researchers found that the constant bombardment with multiple streams of digital information do not pay attention or “switch from one job to another as well as those who prefer to complete one task at a time.” Focusing on a single task is by far the best way for us to do our jobs better and faster. So the next time you are hammering away at work and a text message appears on your phone or a Twitter notification pops up on the corner of your computer screen, you’re better off putting your phone away and logging off your social media accounts.

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Still No Will Found for Prince

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Lawyers charged with untangling the multimillion-dollar estate of music superstar Prince said on Monday they still have not located a will that could avert a years-long dispute over his fortune but have not stopped looking. Six siblings or half-siblings of Prince, who was found dead at age 57 at his home in suburban Minneapolis on April 21, were listed as heirs in court documents filed in Carver County District Court in Chaska, Minnesota, where a brief hearing was held before Judge Kevin Eide. The exact value of Prince's estate has not yet been disclosed but his music catalog alone has been estimated at more than $500 million. Bremer Trust, National Association, a bank where Prince conducted business for years, could play a key role as a special administrator to safeguard his fortune. The bank was appointed at the request of Prince's sister, Tyka Nelson, and Eide reconfirmed that appointment during the hearing. Natasha Robertson, an attorney for Bremer Trust, said the search for a will continues. Eide said the court would not find at this time that there is no will - only that one has not been found. Creditors and inheritors can file claims against the estate. Prince, whose full name was Prince Rogers Nelson, was married and divorced twice. He had no living children. Under Minnesota law, his assets are likely to be split evenly among the siblings, tax attorney Steve Hopkins said. Hopkins said the bigger the estate, the greater the likelihood there will be a dispute by claimants that could take years to settle. Prince's affairs seems destined for tax court, much like superstar Michael Jackson's estate, which is in a high-priced skirmish with the Internal Revenue Service over the value of Jackson's name and image, Forbes reported. Prince, whose hits included "Purple Rain" and "When Doves Cry," owned royalties from his more than 30 albums and had regained ownership of his master recordings. He was said to have a cache of unheard recordings, including an album cut with late jazz trumpet great Miles Davis. It could be weeks before results are released from an autopsy on Prince, whose body was found in an elevator at his home-studio complex called Paisley Park in a Minneapolis suburb. The cause of death remains undetermined. Prescription opioid medication was found on him, media reported, citing law enforcement sources. Police have said they found no signs of suicide or obvious trauma in Prince's death.

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US considering rotational ground force in Eastern Europe to deter Russia - Business Insider

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Business Insider

US considering rotational ground force in Eastern Europe to deter Russia
Business Insider
The NATO alliance is considering establishing a rotational ground force in the Baltic states and possibly Poland, reflecting deepening worry about Russian military assertiveness, US Defense Secretary Ash Carter said Monday. "That is one of the ideas ...
First NATO-Russia Meeting In Over 2 Years Goes HorriblyDaily Caller
Why Russia Resents UsVDARE.com
NATO to send 4000 troops to border with Russia - reportRT

all 35 news articles »

US Navy Chief Calls for Normalized Relations with Russia in Baltics 

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The head of the U.S. Navy says the United States and Russia need to normalize their relations in the Baltics to avoid possible dangerous encounters between Russian planes and U.S. ships. Admiral John Richardson told reporters Monday at the Pentagon that recent close encounters in the Baltic increase the chance for what he calls a "tactical miscalculation." He said he hopes this kind of activity will stop. "I don't think the Russians are trying to provoke an incident," Richardson said. "I think they're trying to send a signal. I think it's pretty clear that they are willing to let us know that they see that we are up there in the Baltics." A Russian warplane performed maneuvers above a U.S. jet flying over the Baltic Sea on Friday, weeks after Russian jets flew dangerously close to the warship USS Donald Cook off the coast of Kaliningrad. NATO has bolstered its military presence in Eastern Europe and the Baltics since Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea in 2014.

People are apparently upset that we're giving Russia money for rocket engines - Hot Air

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People are apparently upset that we're giving Russia money for rocket engines
Hot Air
Brian Sikma at The Resurgent has some less than cheerful news this week about US plans to continue purchasing rocket engines from Russia for America's space launch needs. In the short term we're talking about a dozen and a half engines with a price tag ...

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U.S., NATO Look to Combat an Aggressive Russia - U.S. News & World Report

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U.S. News & World Report

U.S., NATO Look to Combat an Aggressive Russia
U.S. News & World Report
The specter of Russia to the east will hang over a Tuesday ceremony in which Carter will oversee the change of command for U.S. European Command, based here in Germany. Army Gen. Curtis Scaparrotti will take over the post from Air Force Gen.

Today's Headlines and Commentary 

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Last week, fill-scale war essentially resumed in Aleppo, but Secretary of State John Kerry indicated today that participants are closer to extending the ceasefire in Syria to include Aleppo. Reutersreports that Secretary Kerry was in Geneva to attend negotiations with other foreign dignitaries in an effort to revive the first major ceasefire in the five-year Syrian conflict. Yesterday, Russia announcedthat the talks in Geneva were aiming to extend the temporary local truces announced last week to Aleppo, which has suffered an intense barrage of attacks that has left hundreds dead in a mere week.
Over the weekend, nearly 30 airstrikes hit rebel-controlled areas of Aleppo as government forces attempted to regain control of the war-torn city. The Washington Post tells us that, according to a monitoring group, “it was the ninth day of deadly bombardments in Aleppo, which has borne the brunt of increased fighting that has all but destroyed a February ceasefire and killed nearly 250 people since April 22.” Additionally, the violence in the city contributed to the breakup of peace talks in Geneva, when the High Negotiations Committee walked out last week. The New York Times’ Declan Walsh captures the merciless fighting in Aleppo. Check out his piece on the bloodshed, misery, and even hope on the ground in the city here.
Meanwhile, the Iraqi political system seems to have entered full meltdown mode, with protesters storming the Iraqi Parliament over the weekend. The Wall Street Journal reports that “dozens of supporters of radical Shiite cleric Moqtada al Sadr breached the walls of Iraq’s heavily guarded International Zone on Saturday, burst into the country’s parliament chambers and attacked a senior lawmaker.” Protesters were objecting to a decision by the Iraqi parliament speaker Salim al Jubouri to suspend parliament before it could finish voting on a new slate of ministers, according to theJournal.
After protesters stormed the halls of parliament, Iraqis were allowed in and out of Baghdad’s Green Zone for the first time since the United States invasion in 2003. The Washington Post shares that “the four-mile-square fortified areas, home to ministries, government buildings and embassies, has been closed to the public since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003. In it are some of the city’s most iconic landmarks, surrounded by manicured lawns and gardens.” For some Iraqis, it was their first glimpse of the center of their capital city.
However, the sightseeing came to an end on Sunday when the protesters streamed out of the Green Zone. The Washington Post reports that one of the protest organizers, Akhlas al Obaida, delivered a message from Moqtada al Sadr telling the crowd to “go home to give political decision-making a chance.” However, al Obaida indicated that if there was no progress, “protesters would be back on Friday to make a ‘major stand’ and vowed they would keep up the pressure.” Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al Abadi has called for the arrest and prosecution of those who broke into the Green Zone over the weekend.
Contributing to the political unrest is the fact that violence has not stopped in the capital. Reuters tells us that “three bombs went off in and around Baghdad on Monday, killing at least 14 people, including Shiite Muslim worshippers conducting an annual pilgrimage inside the capital.” The Islamic State claimed credit for the largest attack that came from a car bomb in the Saydiya district in the southern area of the city, killing 11 people and wounding 30 others. Reuters also shares that explosives in northern Baghdad killed two people and wounded an additional six, while a roadside bomb in the southern town of Khalisa left one dead and two wounded. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for those attacks.
Over the weekend, the Islamic State said that it had initially wanted to use a truck bomb packed with three tons of explosives to target Shiite pilgrims in Baghdad; however, the bomber was unable to reach the pilgrimage site and instead chose to detonate the truck bomb in a busy sheep market. The bombing killed at least 23 people. Read more on that attack from the Washington Post.
Over in Bangladesh, the string of Islamic State-inspired attacks have continued. TIME reports that“three men in Bangladesh have been arrested for allegedly hacking a Hindu man to death over the weekend, the latest in a series of murders by fundamentalists claiming to represent militant groups like the Islamic State.” Additionally, the news magazine tells us that “the three suspects in the murder of Nikhil Joarder include a leader from local Islamist group Jamaat e Islami and a member of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party.” Yet with violence rising, the Bangladeshi government continues to claim that the Islamic State has no presence within the country.
Turkey has stepped up its anti-Islamic State maneuvers. According to Reuters, the Turkish military said on Sunday that shelling by Turkish artillery and drones killed 34 Islamic State militants in Syria.The Turkish military said that the strikes were in response to Islamic State rocket attacks that hit the southern Turkish province of Kilis.
The Guardian tells us that two Turkish police officers were killed and 18 civilians were wounded when a car bomb exploded in the southeastern city of Gaziantep. According to a Turkish newspaper, “the attackers first opened fire on the police car before a second vehicle carrying explosives was detonated in front of the police headquarters building.” One of the attackers has been identified as an Islamic State member.
Stop me if you've heard this one before: Peace talks were suspended in Yemen on Sunday after the Houthis seized a military base north of Sanaa. Reuters reports that “the Houthi assault killed several of the soldiers defending the Umaliqa base. Unlike most of Yemen’s soldiers, those at Umaliqa had refused to take sides in the war between the Iran-allied Houthis and the Saudi-backed government.” A member of the government delegation to the Yemen peace talks in Kuwait stated, “we have suspended the sessions indefinitely to protest these military actions and continued violations of the truce.”
Yemen’s security chief survived another attack on his life. The Associated Press shares that “a suicide bomber attacked the security chief’s motorcade in Aden, killing five of his bodyguards.” Yemen’s security directorate said that “Shallal Shayei was unharmed in Sunday’s attack, as was Aden governor Aidroos al Zubaidi, who was travelling with him. A similar attack on the two was foiled on Monday, and on Thursday a suicide car bomber in women’s clothes detonated explosives near Shayei’s home, the third attack on his house since December.” The AP has more on the attack.
Meanwhile, Politico has the latest on the giant al Qaeda defeat in Yemen that no one seems to be talking about. Read the rest on al Qaeda’s defeat in their stronghold in Yemen here.
Israel, Egypt, and Hamas have formed an unlikely alliance against the Islamic State. With the Islamic State’s affiliate in Egypt staging increasingly sophisticated attacks, the Washington Post tells us that “Hamas deployed several hundred fighters last week to Gaza’s border with Egypt’s lawless northern Sinai as part of a deal with Egypt to keep militants of the Islamic State from entering the coastal enclave.” Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “praised his country’s decision to build a new barrier along the Israel-Egypt border, warning that ‘we could have been overflowed by thousands of ISIS fighters from Sinai.’” The Post also writes that “the growing concerns have given birth to the greatest cooperation between the militaries of Egypt and Israel since their 1979 peace deal.”
India and the United States are in talks to aid eachother in tracking submarines in the Indian Ocean. Reuters writes that the talks are “a move that could further tighten defense ties between New Delhi and Washington as China steps up its undersea activities.” Reuters also tells us that “both the United States and India are growing concerned at the reach and ambition of the Chinese navy, which is taking an increasingly assertive stance in the South China Sea and is challenging India’s domination in the Indian Ocean.” Both countries will hold talks on anti-submarine warfare amid recent sightings of Chinese submarines near India’s Andamans and Nicobar islands. For more on Sino-Indian competition in the Asia-Pacific, check out Lawfare editor Cody Poplin's recent piece in Foreign Affairs
Over in North Korea, the Hermit Kingdom is set to hold a “once-in-a-generation” congress of the ruling party in order to rally the nation behind Kim Jong Un. The Associated Press reports that the upcoming congress of the ruling party may “provide an important glimpse into Kim’s plans for the country’s economy and military.” The congress is the first in North Korea in 36 years and will follow with a 70-day “loyalty drive” in which everyone in the country is expected to work extra hours to increase productivity to show devotion to Kim and the Workers’ Party of Korea. The congress is set to begin this Friday.
European police officials want more access to American technology firm’s data. The Wall Street Journal tells us that “European counterterrorism officials say American laws and corporate policies are hampering their efforts to prevent the next attack, because legal procedures for getting international evidence from U.S.-backed social-media firms are dangerously outdated.” The European authorities are facing lengthy processes to obtain communications data from tech firms like Facebook and Twitter and want American technology firms to be more responsive to overseas requests. The Journal has more.
According to outgoing NATO Supreme Allied Commander Philip Breedlove, the United States does not have enough intelligence assets focused on the threat from Russia. The Wall Street Journalwrites that General Breedlove said the United States “needs more technical intelligence assets, the kind of spy satellites the United States uses to keep an eye on both troop movements and terrorist training camps, focused on the threat from Russia.” During an interview, General Breedlove said that “we see that Russia has not accepted the hand of partnership but has chosen a path of belligerence. We need to readdress where we’re heading.” General Breedlove will step down as Supreme Allied Commander of NATO later this month.
On Sunday, CIA Director John Brennan said that the missing 28-pages regarding potential Saudi complicity in 9/11 contain “inaccurate, unvetted information that could be used to tie Saudi Arabia to the September 11, 2001 terror attacks.” The Hill has the latest on the the missing pages from the report here.
Speaking of the CIA, yesterday marked the 5th anniversary of the raid that resulted in the death of Osama bin Laden. To celebrate, the Agency live-tweeted the raid as if it were occurring in real time. Check out the CIA’s Twitter page here.
In other news, the Senate confirmed the first female combatant commander last Thursday. Air Force General Lori Robinson was confirmed as the new head of U.S. Northern Command without opposition before Congress’ recess. General Robinson previously served as commander of Pacific Air Forces. Read more on the new NORTHCOM head from the Military Times.
Parting Shot: Agence France-Presse shares a story about a French journalist who actually infiltrated a jihadist cell and filmed them with a hidden camera as they plotted an attack for the Islamic State.The journalist even made a documentary about his close encounter called “Allah’s Soldiers,” which will premiere in France today. Read more here.
ICYMI: This Weekend, on Lawfare
Benjamin Wittes released the latest edition of the Lawfare Podcast, highlighting Intel Security’s Chris Young on cybersecurity and a debate on using data to protect privacy.
Alex McQuade wrote The Week That Was, rounding up all of Lawfare’s activity from last week.
In Sunday’s Foreign Policy Essay, Stephen Watts analyzed a competing risks approach to security sector assistance for fragile states.
Email the Roundup Team noteworthy law and security-related articles to include, and follow us onTwitter and Facebook for additional commentary on these issues. Sign up to receive Lawfare in your inbox. Visit our Events Calendar to learn about upcoming national security events, and check out relevant job openings on our Job Board
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Page 5

Rebound on Wall Street 

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From: ReutersVideo
Duration: 01:19

Stocks came back from losses last week to close higher on Monday, lifted by financial stocks including Berkshire Hathaway. Bobbi Rebell reports.
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Reuters tells the world's stories like no one else. As the largest international multimedia news provider, Reuters provides coverage around the globe and across topics including business, financial, national, and international news. For over 160 years, Reuters has maintained its reputation for speed, accuracy, and impact while providing exclusives, incisive commentary and forward-looking analysis.

Berlin: Exhibit casts light on monuments | DW News

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From: deutschewelleenglish
Duration: 01:23

An exhibit in the citadel in Berlin's Spandau district is spotlighting statues that once graced the so-called Victory Boulevard in the Tiergarten. The monuments, which glorify German and Prussian militarism, were meant to be destroyed after WWII.

Restoring Syria's ceasefire | DW News 

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From: deutschewelleenglish
Duration: 01:56

US Secretary of State John Kerry says progress is being made in Geneva toward an understanding on how to reduce the violence in Aleppo - which is not covered by the current truce - and revive a partial ceasefire that would cover the entire country.

Frenchman seeks £280,000 payout after claiming he was 'bored out' of his job 

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Frédéric Desnard claims he suffered a 'descent into hell' over his job

Clinton focuses on Trump, Republicans as Sanders vows to fight to the convention

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Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' refusal to cede any ground in the Democratic presidential race to all-but-certain nominee Hillary Clinton is being treated more as a distraction than a threat by a campaign trying to solidly focus on Donald Trump and the general election.
     

81-Year-Old Man Exonerated of Murdering Crown Heights Artist After 50 Years - DNAinfo

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DNAinfo

81-Year-Old Man Exonerated of Murdering Crown Heights Artist After 50 Years
DNAinfo
Brooklyn DA Ken Thompson's conviction review unit tossed out the case against Paul Gatling, 81. View Full Caption. DNAinfo/Kathleen Culliton. DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN — An 81-year-old man who pleaded guilty to the murder of a renowned Crown Heights ... 
Man, 81, who spent years imprisoned to be cleared in 1963 killingNew York's PIX11 / WPIX-TV

Brooklyn DA expected to vacate man's wrongful conviction in 1963 murderNew York Daily News

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Page 6

Default Set to Push Puerto Rico's Debt Crisis onto Dangerous Ground

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Puerto Rico’s debt crisis moved into a more treacherous phase for residents, lawmakers and bondholders Monday, with the expected default by the Government Development Bank on a $422 million payment.

Mass brawl in Turkish parliament

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Members of Turkey's ruling AK party and pro-Kurdish politicians trade blows in parliament over plans to strip MPs of their immunity from prosecution.

U.S. tells Pakistan it will have to fund F-16s itself

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WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has told Pakistan it will have to finance the purchase of U.S. F-16 fighter jets itself after members of the U.S. Congress objected to the use of government funds to pay for them.
  

Brazil attorney general requests probes into top politicians

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The Brazilian attorney general’s office says it has asked the country’s highest court to authorize corruption investigations into a prominent opposition figure and other top politicians.

AP Top Stories 2P 

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From: AssociatedPress
Duration: 01:09

Here are the top stories for Monday, May 2nd: First cruise ship docks in Cuba; Prince Harry talks Invictus Games with Trudeau; Solar Impulse 2 takes off for Arizona; American walks slackline over Jerusalem.
Stay up to date with daily round ups: http://smarturl.it/APTopStories
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Poll: Voters think Trump, Clinton will be nominees 

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From: CNN
Duration: 01:16

In a new CNN poll, most Americans think Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton will be the presidential nominees of their respective parties. CNN's Jake Tapper and David Chalian report.
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Excerpt: Leon Panetta on current terrorist threats against U.S.

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From: PBSNewsHour
Duration: 01:26

Former CIA Director Leon Panetta describes to PBS NewsHour Weekend anchor Hari Sreenivasan how the picture of terrorism has become more diverse -- and more challenging -- since the killing of Osama bin Laden in 2011.

Snowden Thinks the FBI Should Disclose Its Unlocking Method to Apple - AppAdvice

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AppAdvice

Snowden Thinks the FBI Should Disclose Its Unlocking Method to Apple
AppAdvice
Edward Snowden has weighed-in on the controversial Apple vs. FBI case, which, as I'm sure you remember, revolved around the company's refusal to unlock an iPhone handset that the FBIeventually managed to crack (with help, we might add, from friends).
FBI gets warrant to force woman to unlock iPhone with fingerprintRT
FBI Shows Fingerprints and Touch ID Aren't Warrant-proofThe Mac Observer
iPhone user forced to give FBI the Finger [updated]Computerworld
Macworld -AppleInsider (press release) (blog) -Pulse Headlines
all 54 news articles »

Deportations of Illegal Immigrants Sink as ICE Gets Cash Influx

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The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency is receiving more taxpayer funds even as it expels fewer illegal immigrants, according to statistics published by the Department of Homeland Security showing that 43 percent fewer aliens were removed from the United States from 2012 to 2015.
ICE deported nearly 410,000 aliens in 2012 when it received roughly $2.8 billion in taxpayer funds. In 2015, the agency expelled just 235,413 aliens but received around $3.5 billion to fund its deportation programs, according to the DHS statistics.
Deportations dropped by 174,436 over the past three years despite an increase in funding totaling more than $680 million, according to statistics highlighted Monday by the Senate subcommittee on immigration and the national interest.
In total, ICE was shown to have received around $3,901 more in funding for each illegal immigrant it failed to deport over the years.
“Deportations of aliens from the United States have decreased precipitously under the Obama administration—particularly of those aliens from the interior of the United States,” according to subcommittee sources that discussed the statistics in an email to reporters.
“ICE removed nearly 43 percent fewer total aliens from the United States in FY 2015 than it did in FY 2012—and nearly 62 percent fewer aliens from the interior of the United States,” according to the subcommittee, which attributed the decrease to policies put in place by the Obama administration.
“This dramatic decline in deportations is the direct result of policies implemented by the Obama administration to get around plain law passed by Congress,” according to the subcommittee.
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Senior Obama administration officials have warned that ICE only has the financial resources to deport around 400,000 aliens a year, which amounts to less than four percent of the total estimated illegal immigrant population residing in the United States.
However, ICE has received substantially more financial resources in recent years for its deportation programs. At least $113 million was shifted by the Obama administration from ICE’s budget and reallocated to programs aimed at detaining and removing illegals.
“While ICE’s detention and removal budget grew approximately 25 percent from FY 2012 to FY 2015, the total number of aliens it deported from the United States decreased by nearly 43 percent,” according to the subcommittee.
“ICE removed 235,390 criminal aliens from the United States in FY 2012, as compared with 139,368 in FY 2015—meaning that it deported nearly 41 percent fewer criminal aliens last year with 25 percent more resources than it had in FY 2012,” the subcommittee wrote.
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Russia is increasing its military presence in Luhansk region - Ukraine's officials - Ukraine Today

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Ukraine Today

Russia is increasing its military presence in Luhansk region - Ukraine's officials
Ukraine Today
Russia is increasing its military presence in Donbas, precisely in the militant-held Luhansk region, reports the Intelligence Chief Directorate at Ukraine's Defence Ministry. According to the latest information from Defence Intelligence, Kremlin is ...

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ISIS fight in Iraq not hindered by 'Green Zone' breach in Baghdad: Pentagon 

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Recent political turmoil in Iraq culminating in an unprecedented breach of the highly-fortified "Green Zone" by Shi'ite protesters in Baghdad over the weekend will not hinder U.S.-led military operations against the Islamic State, the Pentagon said Monday.
Military officials have found no indication that the protesters, followers of influential Shi'ite ...

Carter: NATO considering rotational ground force in Baltics

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STUTTGART, Germany (AP) - U.S. Defense Secretary Ash Carter says the NATO alliance is considering establishing a rotational ground force in the Baltic states and possibly Poland as a deterrent to Russian aggression.
Carter made the comment to reporters flying with him Monday to Stuttgart, Germany, home of the U.S. ...
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ISIS-linked hackers post target list of New Yorkers along with their address  | Daily Mail Online 

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Thousands of ordinary New Yorkers were boggled to discover their names were on an ISIS hit list posted by the Caliphate Cyber Army when the FBI contacted them in recent weeks.

Thugs beat teen in Queens hate crime | New York Post

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A 19-year-old man was beaten in broad daylight by three young thugs who called him “Arab” and shouted “ISIS” in a bias attack in Queens this week, authorities said Saturday.The violence broke

Puerto Rico faces default as governor plans to address island | Reuters 

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Puerto Rico, a tropical paradise in economic purgatory, faces a $70 billion debt bill it knows it cannot pay, a staggering 45 percent poverty rate and a shrinking population as its U.S. citizens flee to the mainland.Though island agencies have defaulted in the past, they have been small and isolated. A default by GDB, which acts as the government’s main depositary and source of liquidity, could reverberate through the local economy.

Washington DC chemical leak after CSX freight train derails – BBC News 

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A freight train derails in Washington DC, spilling hazardous liquid, but no injuries are reported and no evacuation orders are issued.

M.N.: The very strange and puzzling case against V. Bukovsky...

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M.N.: The very strange and puzzling case against V. Bukovsky. I believe that it is entirely possible that the "forbidden pedophilic images" were somehow planted into his computer by Russian intelligence services or their equivalents. Given all this hullabaloo with cybersecurity these days and the "achievements" of  Russian hackers, it would not be surprising at all. It would also fit neatly into the evident, counteracting "anti-Putin pedophilia narrative", apparently pursued actively by "his post-Soviet majesty's" servants. The most poignant thing is that this affair pits such a figure as V. Bukovsky against the British judicial system, which he called "Kafkaesque". I guess, some people in some Moscow offices rub their hands with glee and satisfaction. This "case", I am sure, is watched by many and it might produce some investigative, legal, cyber and political lessons to learn. 

Russian dissident, who was a close friend of Litvinenko, is protesting at ‘Kafkaesque’ judicial system in UK. Source:Vladimir Bukovsky: ‘I’m on hunger strike for the British public’ | World news | The Guardian


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Vladimir Bukovsky: ‘I’m on hunger strike for the British public’ | World news | The Guardian 

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Russian dissident, who was a close friend of Litvinenko, is protesting at ‘Kafkaesque’ judicial system in UK
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First NATO-Russia Meeting In Over 2 Years Goes Horribly - Daily Caller

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First NATO-Russia Meeting In Over 2 Years Goes Horribly
Daily Caller
The first meeting between NATO and Russia in nearly two years ended in representatives trading accusations, creating more tension than existed before. Historically, the NATO-Russia Council (NRC) has met regularly to resolve disputes and discuss various ...

Why Islamic State Is Down But Not Out

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Islamic State may have lost territory in Syria and Iraq, but the terror group has increased the tempo of its ground operations in both countries in the past three months, pulling off the highest quarterly attack total since it overran the Iraqi city of Mosul in June 2014, according to a new battlefield analysis. While the IS attacks have not seen the militants wrest back any substantial chunks of its shrinking self-proclaimed caliphate, the ferocity and pace of the group’s attacks are testimony to its continued durability and resourcefulness, highlighting the challenge its various foes face in defeating it.    “Following territorial losses, we are seeing a steady upward trend in the tempo of Islamic State operations worldwide, but particularly in Syria and Iraq,” warns Matthew Henman, head of Jane’s Terrorism & Insurgency Center, part of the U.S.-based analysis firm IHS. Attacks on rise “Attack and fatality numbers have jumped.  The group is resorting more and more to mass-casualty violence as it comes under heavy pressure from multiple angles,” he added. There were 891 IS attacks during the first quarter of 2016 in Iraq and Syria, more than in any three-month period since mid-2014, when the terror group made sweeping advances across both countries.  The 2016 attacks have killed 2,150 people, a 44 percent rise over the previous quarter and the highest three-month death toll in almost a year, according to the IHS analysis. U.S. officials estimate IS has lost about 40 percent of the territory it once held in Iraq and nearly 25 percent in Syria.  The serious loss of territory began with the fall of Tikrit last May to Shi’ite Iraqi militias.  In December, Iraqi government forces took back the western Iraqi city of Ramadi. Russian-backed Syrian regime forces recaptured the town of Palmyra from the militants last March. IS recalibrating The accumulating battlefield losses for the terror army were greeted as a serious setback for an organization that once boasted it would “remain and expand.”  Last month IHS concluded in another report the tide had turned decisively against the extremist organization in Syria.  IS has failed to pull-off a successful large-scale ground offensive in Syria since May 2015 when it captured Palmyra after a lightning offensive across the desert, but it has learned to recalibrate its battlefield tactics to better evade airstrikes by using highly mobile small-force attacks, say analysts. In Iraq, IS has managed to slow advances on Mosul using snipers, improvised explosive devices, suicide bombers and small-force attacks.  When they lose villages, attacking forces have to spend considerable amounts of time sweeping for mines and clearing out booby-trap bombs. And since the successful Russian-backed assault by forces loyal to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad on Palmyra, the grabbing back of territory from IS has been painfully slow, with the various alliances against it grappling with their own internal problems and disunity or distracted by targeting other foes. Iraqi government forces have been bogged down for weeks on the outskirts of the village of Al-Nasr, 56 kilometers south of Mosul.  IS has battered back assaults on the village, which reportedly had been designated for capture more than a month ago.  Iraqi Kurdish fighters have publicly complained at the slow pace of movement by Iraqi government forces, which are in the lead. Key ingredient missing According to analysts, one key ingredient in fighting IS is missing as local tribes are not turning en masse against Islamic militants in either Syria or Iraq.  U.S. and anti-IS coalition allies have been seeking to replicate the Sunni Awakening of 2006, when a Washington-coaxed tribal uprising was a key element in assisting U.S. troops to drive al-Qaida jihadists from Iraq’s westernmost Anbar province. An expected flood of defecting tribesmen has not materialized, Charlie Winter, an analyst at Georgia State University’s Transcultural Conflict and Violence Initiative, told VOA earlier this year.  He said much of the reason for the absence of a tribal uprising lies with IS efforts to keep the tribes in line. “IS has been working on tribal relations for a very long time now.  The networking infrastructure IS has established, principally in the form of the Diwan al-'Asha'ir (Diwan for Tribal Outreach), enables it to anticipate and carefully respond to the complex tribal dynamics of Iraq and Syria.” It has also used brute force to discipline the tribes with massacres and collective punishment for any dissent or defiance.  With the high tempo of IS operations, locals who may have been tempted to break with the terror group are deterred from doing so, fearing the consequences. The highly complicated and sectarian politics unleashed by the micro-conflicts in the Syrian war and Iraq battles also pull against a tribal uprising.   And the sectarian disputes in Baghdad, which teetered on the edge of political chaos this past weekend when protesters led by Shi’ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr crowded the streets in front of the country’s parliament, will likely further disrupt the focus on Mosul.  U.S. officials fear the loss of political momentum and unity in Baghdad will lead to a loss of military momentum against the Islamic militants.

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May 2, 2016

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A look at the best news photos from around the world.

US Navy chief asks Russia to stop buzzing his ships - CBS News

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CBS News

US Navy chief asks Russia to stop buzzing his ships
CBS News
WASHINGTON -- Russian jets buzzing a U.S. military ship and planes in the Baltics are escalating tension between the two nations, the chief of naval operations said Monday. "My hope is that we can stop this sort of activity," Adm. John M. Richardson ...

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