Melania Trump Visits Military Families in Alaska

Melania Trump might have been a fashion model at one time in her life, but she had no qualms ripping off a chunk of messy play dough and getting her hands dirty, just like the three preschoolers seated at the table with her Friday at a military base in Alaska . . .

It’s not the heady stuff of the official visit with her husband to Asia but hundreds packed the Arctic Oasis Community Center to get a glimpse of the first lady as she toured programs for children and youth at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson. She made a refueling stop at the Anchorage base en route back to Washington, D.C., after spending the last week with President Donald Trump in South Korea and China. The president continued his official visit to Asia.

Trump didn’t make a public speech or address reporters, but did take time to shake hands and talk briefly with parents and military members who flocked to the community center. (Read more from “Melania Trump Visits Military Families in Alaska” HERE)

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Watchdog Group May Have Exaggerated Key Claims in Anti-Trump Lawsuit

A Washington-based watchdog group that frequently litigates against President Donald Trump may have exaggerated key claims in a high-profile lawsuit alleging that the president is unconstitutionally leveraging the power of his office for profiteering.

National Review Online reports that Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) may have misled a federal court in New York with respect to the professional background of three plaintiffs in their lawsuit, CREW vs. Trump.

The plaintiffs’ professions are an essential aspect to the disposition of the case. Before the court rules on the merits of their suit — which alleges that Trump’s commercial entities profit from business with foreign governments, in violation of the Constitution’s emoluments clause — it must first establish that the plaintiffs have standing. In order to bring a lawsuit, a plaintiff must first establish that the defendant has inflicted a concrete, tangible, and particularized injury against them.

Here the plaintiffs claim that their economic livelihood has been adversely affected by their inability to compete with Trump’s businesses following his election to the presidency. The plaintiffs claim that they are event planners, hoteliers, and restaurant owners who have lost business in recent months, as prospective costumers flock to Trump properties to curry favor with the administration or secure greater exposure. (Read more from “Watchdog Group May Have Exaggerated Key Claims in Anti-Trump Lawsuit” HERE)

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NFL Abandons National Anthem Protests — Stands to Honor the Troops

As tensions over the national anthem continue to mount, Seattle Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett decided to abandon his protests and take a stand before last night’s game.

Bennett has been one of the faces of social justice advocacy in the NFL.

But when the Seahawks played the Arizona cardinals during the Salute For Service game Thursday night, Bennett stood for the Star Spangled Banner. Viewers definitely took notice that the longtime protester actually linked arms with his teammates rather than kneeling during the anthem.

On Wednesday, Bennett had hinted that he might stand for the anthem with Veterans Day coming up this weekend. His father, Bennett Sr, is a Navy veteran and has expressed solidarity with his son’s protest for criminal justice reform. (Read more from “NFL Abandons National Anthem Protests — Stands to Honor the Troops” HERE)

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Mysterious ‘Dinosaur’ Shark Caught

. . .The animal, which was snagged off the coast of Portugal, is considered a “living fossil” by scientists because the species is thought to have remained largely unchanged … After it was caught, the commercial fishermen reported their strange catch and the creature was transferred to a research vessel where scientists examined it.

According to the fishermen, the beast measured an impressive five feet in length and had been hauled in from a depth of around 2,300 feet. The odd sharks are thought to live at extreme depths, and have been caught as far as 5,150 feet, which is the primary reason humans very rarely encounter them. Old tales of sailors encountering “sea serpents” may have been inspired by the occasional spotting of the animals, but there’s really no way of knowing.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, as the frilled shark is a pretty frightening creature to see. With a long, snake-like body, it hunts by lunging at its prey and snagging them with its rows of needle-like teeth. (Read more from “Mysterious ‘Dinosaur’ Shark Caught” HERE)

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Trump Praised for Improving Vet Services

As America pauses for Veterans Day this weekend, a leading advocate for improving the VA system that cares for those who have served this nation in uniform says the VA system has made made some important improvements in the first year of the Trump administration but she says some badly needed reforms are happening far too slowly.

Jessie Jane Duff served as a gunnery sergeant in the U.S. Marine Corps. She is now a senior fellow at the London Center for Policy Research. She gives the Trump administration a ‘B’ grade thus far in improving the health care system for veterans.

Duff says Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin has made progress on some bureaucratic issues, including closing down 430 vacant buildings around the nation and another 284 that were underutilized.

“That can save $23 million a year. That money can now be going to health care or receiving mental health care for these veterans,” said Duff . . .

“They have improved same-day services for primary and mental health care at all of their medical centers. They’re making it easier for veterans to file online health care applications. They’re receiving eight times as many online applications this year. That’s good,” said Duff. (Read more from “Trump Praised for Improving Vet Services” HERE)

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Gun-Toting Dad Foils Daughter’s Kidnapping

A father in Florida is being credited with thwarting an attempted kidnapping of his 17-year-old daughter, firing shots as four teen suspects tried to break into his garage, police said.

An investigation revealed that the teens believed the father to be wealthy and had hatched a plot to rob his house and kidnap his daughter, according to the sheriff’s office.

Deputies from the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Office responded to a possible home-invasion robbery in progress at about 10:30 p.m. Tuesday at a home in Baker. The 51-year-old homeowner told authorities his daughter had called him to say that someone tried to block the roads to their home with barrels — an apparent attempt to force her to exit her car and walk . . .

He saw some people trying to force their way into his garage and fired three shots, sending the would-be intruders scurrying into the woods, police said. The homeowner later discovered that some security lights at his home had been unscrewed. (Read more from “Gun-Toting Dad Foils Daughter’s Kidnapping” HERE)

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Law Lets Congress Settle Sexual-Harassment Cases in Secret

Equal treatment for lawmakers? Don’t count on it.

A little-known law has been on the books for more than a decade that gives anyone accusing a federal lawmaker of sexual harassment the right to sue – but only if they consent to a lengthy drawn-out process that includes a written statement within 180 days of the incident, 30 days of counseling and another month or so of mediation.

During that time, the claimant’s employer will be notified. The lawmaker’s identity, however, will remain confidential even if he or she is found guilty.

Should there be a settlement – and there have been many – it’s the American taxpayer that’s on the hook, with “no public disclosure and no consequences for the harasser,” said California Democratic Rep. Jackie Speier. (Read more from “Law Lets Congress Settle Sexual-Harassment Cases in Secret” HERE)

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2010 Redux: Corrupt Murkowski, RINO McConnell Tell Roy Moore to Withdraw, Encourage Write-In Campaign

Murkowski Encouraging Write-In Campaign Against Judge Roy Moore

By Paul Blumenthal. It’s no surprise that Senate Republicans don’t really like Moore even though many of them have endorsed him since his primary victory. That sets up an easy change of heart for Republicans to back a write-in candidate. In fact, Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) has already spoken to [loser Luther] Strange about a write-in campaign.

That is a process Murkowski knows well. She is one of three Americans to win a U.S. Senate seat by running a write-in campaign. In 2010, she lost the Republican primary to tea party challenger Joe Miller. This was a very similar situation to Moore’s defeat of Strange. Both Miller and Moore were backed by far-right groups railing against the Republican establishment.

Murkowski waged a write-in campaign and won the general election with 39.5 percent of the vote [in a fraud-laced campaign in which thousands of ballots were unlawfully cast for her].

Strange could run regardless of whether Moore withdraws from the race. If Moore does not withdraw and Strange runs a write-in campaign, it sets up a race among Moore, the Republican; Jones, the Democrat; Strange, technically an independent; and any other write-in candidates. If Moore withdraws, the recipient of the most votes among Jones, Strange and other write-in candidates would win. (Read more from “Murkowski Encouraging Write-In Campaign Against Judge Roy Moore” HERE)

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Swamp Dwellers Murkowski, McCain, Thune, Flake, Toomey, Others Demand That Judge Roy Moore Exit the Race: “Guilty Until Proven Innocent”

By Washington Post. McConnell, in a formal statement on behalf of all Republican senators, said, “If these allegations are true, he must step aside.”

Other Republican senators weighing in included Jeff Flake of Arizona, David Perdue of Georgia, John Thune of South Dakota, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Cory Gardner of Colorado, Richard C. Shelby of Alabama and Patrick J. Toomey of Pennsylvania. Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) called on Moore to step aside as well — and without couching his statement with “if true” language.

“The allegations against Roy Moore are deeply disturbing and disqualifying,” McCain said. “He should immediately step aside and allow the people of Alabama to elect a candidate they can be proud of.”

Moore has denied the allegations and given no indication that he will exit the race. “Our children and grandchildren’s futures are on the line,” he tweeted Thursday. “So rest assured — I will NEVER GIVE UP the fight!” Moore also emailed a fundraising pitch off the revelations. “I believe you and I have a duty to stand up and fight back against the forces of evil waging an all-out war on our conservative values,” he wrote.

The state Republican Party has the power to disqualify Moore from the election, according to the Alabama secretary of state. If that happens, McConnell and other Republicans would face the challenge of figuring out which candidate would run in Moore’s place — and how to win an election in which it is too late to replace the former judge’s name on the Dec. 12 ballot. (Read more from “Swamp Dwellers Murkowski, McCain, Thune, Flake, Toomey, Others Demand That Judge Roy Moore Exit the Race: “Guilty Until Proven Innocent” HERE)

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Financially Troubled Woman With Cloudy Background Makes Allegations Against Moore Timed to Turn Election

By Washington Post. [Leigh] Corfman, 53, who works as a customer service representative at a payday loan business, says she . . . thought of confronting Moore personally for years, and almost came forward publicly during his first campaign for state Supreme Court in 2000, but decided against it [because, among other things,] her background — three divorces and a messy financial history — might undermine her credibility. . .

Corfman describes herself as a little lost — “a typical 14-year-old kid of a divorced family” — when she says she first met Moore that day in 1979 outside the courtroom. She says she felt flattered that a grown man was paying attention to her. . .

After her mother went into the courtroom, Corfman says, Moore asked her where she went to school, what she liked to do and whether he could call her sometime. She remembers giving him her number and says he called not long after. She says she talked to Moore on her phone in her bedroom, and they made plans for him to pick her up at Alcott Road and Riley Street, around the corner from her house. . .

She remembers an unpaved driveway. She remembers going inside and him giving her alcohol on this visit or the next, and that at some point she told him she was 14. She says they sat and talked. She remembers that Moore told her she was pretty, put his arm around her and kissed her, and that she began to feel nervous and asked him to take her home, which she says he did. . .

She says that Moore drove her back to the same house after dark, and that before long she was lying on a blanket on the floor. She remembers Moore disappearing into another room and coming out with nothing on but “tight white” underwear. (Read more from “Financially Troubled Woman With Cloudy Background Makes Allegations Against Moore Timed to Turn Election” HERE)

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Saudi Arabia and Iran Battle for Power in the Middle East

Saudi Arabia’s order for its citizens to evacuate Lebanon is the latest ominous signal in an escalating confrontation between the Middle East’s chief regional rivals, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The two nations have long fought proxy wars against each other, but many fear that the newly empowered Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is looking to assert Saudi Arabia’s regional dominance at any cost. The conflict heated up last year when Saudi Arabia executed a Shiite cleric and then severed diplomatic ties with Iran.

Now the Saudis are publicly airing their disapproval with Iran’s chief foreign affiliate, Hezbollah, which has significant representation in Lebanon’s parliament and has asserted its influence in neighboring Syria.

Experts, however, don’t think a regional conflagration is imminent. “The Saudis have always thought the wrong solution for their problem with Iran and now their hope is the Trump administration will come in and tilt the balance in their favor,” said Ali Vaez, the Iran project director at Crisis Group. “It’s unlikely to change Iran’s regional policy — Iran will continue to support its allies and proxies in the region — but it’s unlikely to result in a major conflict.”

Even if the conflict doesn’t boil over, there is plenty at stake for the U.S. and the world in the battle between the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Islamic Republic of Iran. There’s the price of oil, which rises during crises — an ironic benefit to the belligerents, who have some of the world’s largest oil reserves — and there’s the regional balance of power. (Read more from “Saudi Arabia and Iran Battle for Power in the Middle East” HERE)

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NASA Spots a 7,000mph Whirlpool of Plasma on the Surface of the Sun

A stunning new Nasa image shows an extremely rare pattern streaming from the sun at close to 7,000 miles per hour (11,200 km/h).

A dark snake-like filament can be seen erupting from the star, but while the formations are normally stretched out like a strand, this one is circular like a whirlpool.

This is because it is being yanked back by the star’s staggering gravitational pull – which is about 27.9 times that of Earth.

The rare sight, captured by Nasa’s orbiting Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), has only been seen a ‘handful of times’, the agency said.

‘Solar filaments are clouds of charged particles that float above the sun, tethered to it by magnetic forces,’ Nasa said in a statement. (Read more from “NASA Spots a 7,000mph Whirlpool of Plasma on the Surface of the Sun” HERE)

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