The Dossier: Trump Shuts Down PLO “Embassy”; Iran Threatens U.S. Troops

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Trump admin to shut down PLO’s Washington “embassy”

National security adviser John Bolton is expected to announce later today that the Trump administration is officially shutting down the D.C. diplomatic facility of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO).

Contrary to the opinions of the bureaucrats in the State Department and the bipartisan foreign policy elite, the PLO is today, and always has been, more representative of a terrorist organization than a group that aspires to be a functioning state.

Since its creation, the PLO has been committed to the “liberation of Palestine” (meaning the destruction of Israel and its replacement with a Palestinian state). The PLO was established to counter Zionism. Since its founding, the PLO has been labeled responsible for thousands of terrorist attacks, which have occurred not just in Israel and the Palestinian territories, but worldwide. The PLO was once a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, but that label was temporarily removed when former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat agreed to recognize Israel. However, shortly thereafter, he launched an “intifada” (armed struggle) against Israel.

The PLO innovated terrorist attacks of the types seen today from members of terror groups like ISIS and al Qaeda, such as vehicle ramming and plane hijacking.

Moreover, the PLO is responsible for the “Munich Massacre,” when several Palestinian jihadis murdered 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Munich Olympics. The PLO also launched the First and Second Intifadas, which resulted in the deaths of thousands of Israelis and Palestinians. During the ’60s and ’70s, PLO-sponsored Palestinian hijackers took over several airliners in an effort to wage terror against innocent Israelis.

U.S. to assert sovereignty against International Criminal Court (ICC)

In his Monday speech, national security adviser John Bolton is also expected to announce that the Trump administration is considering sanctioning the International Criminal Court, should the ICC conduct an investigation into U.S. activities in Afghanistan.

“The United States will use any means necessary to protect our citizens and those of our allies from unjust prosecution by this illegitimate court,” NSA Bolton will state, according to a transcript of the speech reviewed by Reuters.

“We will consider taking steps in the U.N. Security Council to constrain the court’s sweeping powers, including to ensure that the ICC does not exercise jurisdiction over Americans and the nationals of our allies,” the statement continues.

Trump expected to declassify Carter Page, Bruce Ohr docs

President Trump will imminently declassify and publicly release documents related to the Obama administration’s unprecedented spying scandal, which took place mostly during the 2016 presidential campaign and during the transition period.

“President Trump is expected to declassify, as early as this week, documents covering the U.S. government’s surveillance of Trump campaign adviser Carter Page and the investigative activities of senior Justice Department lawyer Bruce Ohr, according to allies of the president,” Axios reports.

China pledges to retaliate against U.S. tariffs

Chinese officials warned the U.S. Monday that Beijing is prepared for a trade war, should the Trump administration impose further tariffs on their products.

President Trump said Friday that he was prepared to hit China with another $267 billion in tariffs on Chinese goods.

“If the United States insists on imposing another round of tariffs on Chinese products, China will definitely take countermeasures to safeguard its legitimate rights and interests,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told the media Monday.

Iranian regime threatens U.S. forces in the Middle East

High-ranking Tehran regime officials have issued continuous threats against U.S. forces operating in the Middle East.

On Sunday, an Iranian official openly announced that Iran is prepared to arm forces fighting the U.S. in Syria with “military support.”

The move comes just days after U.S. sailors intercepted a massive Iranian arms shipment that was believed to be intended for delivery to Houthi terrorists fighting the civil war in Yemen.

Remembering 9/11

Take a moment … to remember the thousands of innocent American lives that were lost in the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks against the United States and to honor the heroes (many of whom paid the ultimate price) who emerged that day to make sure thousands more were saved and able to come home to their families.

It’s also a good time to reflect on our struggle against the radical Islamic ideology that motivated the attacks, what we’ve accomplished in those “long wars,” and the policies the U.S. has implemented since 9/11 — both the good and the bad — to safeguard the nation. (For more from the author of “The Dossier: Trump Shuts Down PLO “Embassy”; Iran Threatens U.S. Troops” please click HERE)

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Obama Reminds Us Why Donald Trump Is President

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“How hard can that be? Saying that Nazis are bad,” former President Barack Obama asked a crowd in Illinois over the weekend. Well, probably no harder than saying the words “radical Islam,” I imagine. Or maybe it’s slightly less difficult than not sending billions of dollars to Holocaust-denying terror regimes that have both the means and intent to murder Jews—in 2018, not 1942. And it’s definitely a lot easier than not meeting, posing, then smiling for a picture with Louis Farrakhan. But thanks for the lecture.

Obama may well find the presence of a few hundred pathetic white supremacists more perilous than a deadly worldwide ideological movement with millions of adherents. But just as Obama’s sins do not excuse President Trump’s inexplicable answer to the Charlottesville riot, Trump’s words don’t excuse the most divisive modern president, a man whose unilateralism and contempt for the process and the Constitution helped create the environment America now find itself in.

While Obama’s self-reverential speech was crammed with revisionism, the most jaw-dropping contention from the former president was probably a defense of his record on free speech: “I complained plenty about Fox News,” the scandal-ridden Obama explained, “but you never heard me threaten to shut them down, or call them ‘enemies of the people.’”

That’s the thing. We often hear Trump’s hyperbolic, and sometimes destructive, attacks on the press. Thankfully, as of yet the president hasn’t applied the power of the state to inhibit anyone’s free expression. And this is no thanks to liberals’ eight-year efforts to empower the executive branch when that was useful to them.

It’s worth remembering that it was Obama who called out the Supreme Court during a State of the Union speech for defending the First Amendment in the Citizens United case, and his allies who still argue that state should be able to ban political documentaries — and, yes, books. Let’s also not forget Obama’s Internal Revenue Service admitted then apologized for cracking down on conservative political groups. It was the Obama administration that blamed the Benghazi attack on free speech, apologizing to tyrannies for the excesses of free expression, and then, for good measure, threw the amateurish videomaker behind “The Innocence of Muslims” into jail. (Read more from “Obama Reminds Us Why Donald Trump Is President” HERE)

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Poll: Americans Reveal How They Feel About Anonymous Op-Ed Writer

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Just over half of Americans say the author of the anonymous New York Times op-ed slamming President Trump’s leadership should have signed the piece and resigned in protest, according to a new American Barometer poll.

The survey, conducted by Hill.TV and the HarrisX polling company, found that 53 percent of respondents said the author, who was identified as a senior administration official, should have signed the op-ed and resigned in protest. . .

A majority of Republican respondents said the official did not handle the situation correctly, with 77 percent saying they should have signed the op-ed and stepped down in protest, while 23 percent of Republicans said the piece should have been published anonymously. . .

“I think this question simply shows us that the public is divided. You put a question like that in front of them and they’ve been hearing arguments either way,” Newport told Hill.TV’s Joe Concha on “What America’s Thinking.”

“It sounds kind of nice, I think, to say that somebody should resign in protest. That sounds like a ‘Jimmy Stewart comes to Washington’ kind of thing so that’s probably why it gets majority support. But we’ll see where this goes, moving forward,” he continued. (Read more from “Poll: Americans Reveal How They Feel About Anonymous Op-Ed Writer” HERE)

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Mayor Issues a Ban on Nike Swoosh After Seeing New Ads

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To adapt a phrase from Nike, a Louisiana mayor just did it. And now there is a fuss and furor raging in Kenner, Louisiana.

Last week, Nike unveiled its new ad campaign featuring national anthem protester and former NFL quarterback Colin Kaepernick that carried the slogan, “Believe in something, even if it means sacrificing everything.” The announcement sparked a backlash against Nike and Kaepernick, who has used police actions against African Americans as the basis for his anti-anthem protests.

Amid the controversy, a brusquely-worded memo by Kenner Mayor Ben Zahn took on a politically charged meaning. The memo was not publicly released, but came to light by making the rounds on social media.

The memo instructed that any gear or other items purchased for booster clubs that use the community’s recreation facilities must be purchased by the city’s Parks and Recreation Department. Then came the hammer.

“Under no circumstances will any Nike product or any product with the Nike logo be purchased for use or delivery at any City of Kenner Recreation Facility,” Zahn wrote in the memo addressed to the Parks and Recreation Department, reported WDSU.

Despite the media interest generated by the memo, Zahn is not talking. The New Orleans Times-Picayune, along with other media outlets, reported that city officials will not discuss the memo and that Zahn could not be reached for comment.

A video shared on Twitter illustrates his attitude toward standing for the anthem.

But if Zahn has nothing further to say, others are more than happy to fill the void, including national figures who shone the light of their outrage on the 67,000-person community.

Kenner Booster Club President Owen Rey told WWL that Zahn should worry more about what he can get for kids and not the politics of the company.

“If we have something that we feel that we want that’s going to benefit our kids, it shouldn’t matter what logo, what brand — as long as it helps the kids and what we’re trying to accomplish at the park,” he said.

Council member Gregory Carroll objected, and made his case on his Facebook page.

“Last night a disturbing memorandum was circulated that the City of Kenner Mayor E. Ben Zahn wrote to the Kenner Recreation Director, directing him, regarding Booster Club Purchases, banning Nike products, usage or delivery of all Kenner Recreational Facilities. I was not made aware of this decision beforehand and it is in direct contradiction of what I stand for and what the City of Kenner should stand for,” he wrote.

The council member said he plans to push back.

“I am 100% AGAINST this decision. I will meet with the Mayor and other Council members in an effort to rescind this directive. I will keep the citizens of Kenner, and the Greater New Orleans area informed as we move forward,” he wrote. (Read more from “Mayor Issues a Ban on Nike Swoosh After Seeing New Ads” HERE)

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Students Steer Packed Bus to Safety After Driver Has Heart Attack

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Students aboard a southeast Texas school bus stepped in and steered the bus to safety after their driver suffered a heart attack while behind the wheel.

KTRK-TV reported that bus driver Gerald Gardner was just leaving Sealy ISD school grounds on Thursday and about to pull onto a busy highway when he passed out, forcing the students to step in.

A few students quickly steered the bus off of Highway 90, before the vehicle could cross the median into opposing traffic.

After the bus came to a halt, a high school senior helped the kids evacuate the bus from the back.

Officials told KHOU that three strangers stopped to perform CPR on Gardner after removing him from the bus.

Sealy Fire Department was on the scene within minutes of CPR being administered, and an ambulance arrived three minutes after that, KTRK reported.

Sadly, despite the efforts of first responders, 73-year-old Gardner was pronounced dead at the scene, according to KTRK.

Sealy ISD’s Facebook page published this statement on Friday, following the accident:

“Sealy ISD is grieving the loss of one of our bus drivers, Gerald Gardner. Mr. Gardner had just picked up his Sealy Junior High riders and was exiting the school drive onto Hwy 90 when he suddenly became unconscious. The quick actions taken by three of our students, one from SJH and two from Sealy High School, allowed the bus to be safely parked and evacuated.

“Three Good Samaritans immediately arrived, carried Mr. Gardner off the bus, and very quickly began CPR. Within a minute of CPR being started, the Sealy Fire Department was on scene and three minutes after that, an ambulance was on scene. The heroic efforts of these First Responders were unfortunately not enough.

“We are extremely grateful to the years of service Mr. Gardner gave to Sealy ISD and to our students. Our hearts, thoughts, and prayers go out to the Gardner family at this time. We are also fortunate that no students were injured.

“Our students are to be commended for their quick thinking and remaining calm during the evacuation. In addition, Sealy ISD is very appreciative of the efforts made by the First Responders and citizens.”

Gardner spent 11 years driving a school bus for Sealy ISD, a school district just west of Houston TX. His daughter told reporters that Gardner had said he planned to not miss a single day of school this year “because he wanted to be there.”

Alice Gardner, wife of the bus driver, told KTRK-TV, that Gerald said that “he loved every kid on the school bus.” (For more from the author of “Students Steer Packed Bus to Safety After Driver Has Heart Attack” please click HERE)

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3 Arrested After Politician and His Wife Found Murdered in Home

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Three people have been arrested in connection with the murder of the mayor of a tiny North Carolina community and his wife.

The bodies of Leggett Mayor Gary Skelton and his wife, Jackie Skelton, were discovered Thursday after Jackie Skelton did not report to work, WRAL reported.

“We were able to solve this double-homicide in less than eight hours,” Edgecombe County Sheriff Cleveland “Clee” Atkinson said Friday, according to the Charlotte Observer.

The couple had been attacked in their home Wednesday night, WRAL reported, but authorities did not provide details about the attack or their investigation.

Two of the suspects were from Tarboro, a town about 7 miles from Leggett. The third was from Rocky Mount, about 15 miles from the murder scene.

Keith Earl Williams, 25, of Tarboro, was charged with first-degree murder. Williams had been released on parole from state prison on Aug. 28 where he was serving time after April 2017 convictions for possession of a firearm by a felon and assault with a deadly weapon, the Observer reported.

On Friday evening, police announced that Mitchell Brinson, 18, of Tarboro, was also charged with first-degree murder.

The third arrest was announced Saturday. Police charged Dakeithia Nesha Andrews, 30, of Rocky Mount, with conspiring to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon, according to the Observer.

Check out CBS 17 coverage here:

“The terror that they had to have felt, going through what they were going through, it’s unimaginable,” said Leggett Town Commissioner Teresa Summerlin told WRAL.

“It is unimaginable what they came home to last night, that’s what sickens me to my core, how they must have felt. It sickens me and they were the epitome of good people, they were awesomely good people.”

“They would have given them the shirt off their back,” Summerlin said, according to WNCN. “For this to happen in this small a community. The work that man has done for this community. People just don’t realize he has invested so many man hours.”

Michael Cloer of Englewood Baptist Church in Rocky Mount, who was the Skeltons’ pastor, said the couple moved to Leggett, population 55, to enjoy the quiet life, WTVD reported.

“They came here because they wanted to get away from the hustle and bustle,” Cloer said. “They bought a big home, remodeled it, they loved to entertain guests, they were just outgoing, friendly, community people.”

He said Skelton enjoyed the community he led.

“All these years I’ve known Gary, he has never mentioned that he was the mayor of any town. That’s not how he is,” Cloer said.

“He lived in the country, he loved Leggett, he loved the people there, he loved the simplicity of life. (For more from the author of “3 Arrested After Politician and His Wife Found Murdered in Home” please click HERE)

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After Agonizing Deaths, Parents Move to Toughen Hazing Laws

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Tim Piazza and Marquise Braham told their parents they just wanted to make some new friends by joining fraternities while away at college.

Neither got much of a chance: They died before their 20th birthdays, after brutal fraternity hazing rituals.

Now their parents are launching a nationwide anti-hazing campaign, and after too many similar deaths, national leaders of fraternities and sororities are joining them.

“I know it might seem strange to some people that families who lost their children to fraternity hazing are now working with fraternities and sororities to eradicate hazing,” Piazza’s father, Jim, said by phone Sunday from New York, where he, Braham’s father, and other parents were preparing for a series of Monday morning TV appearances to announce their campaign.

“But,” added Piazza, “we will do anything that we can to save a life and to prevent another shattered family.”

His 19-year-old son died an agonizing death last year after he was ordered to binge-drink 80-proof vodka until he became so intoxicated that he fell repeatedly, including down a flight of stairs, and was left to writhe in pain for hours before medical help was summoned.

More than two dozen members of Piazza’s Beta Theta Pi fraternity at Pennsylvania State University were arrested, but all felony charges, including manslaughter, were eventually dropped. Three people have since pleaded guilty to misdemeanors.

“Currently the system — and that’s the police, the district attorneys, the judges — they seem to view hazing as it’s kind of like kids’ stuff,” said Rich Braham, whose 18-year-old son committed suicide in 2014 after a brutal bout of hazing that he’d complained about to school officials.

These fathers say they were delighted when, after reaching out to the North American Interfraternity Conference, they found an ally in its president and CEO, Judson Horras, who also brought aboard his National Panhellenic Conference counterpart, Carole Jones.

Their organizations together represent nearly 100 fraternities and sororities nationwide.

One of the first orders of business for this new coalition, Horras says, is to press legislatures in all 50 states to toughen anti-hazing laws. They want lawmakers to make it a felony to force a student to consume alcohol during an initiation.

While some legislatures have been slow to toughen such laws in the past, Horras says he’s confident Greek organizations can sway them.

“Keep in mind fraternities and sororities have 9.1 million students and alumni as members,” Horras said. “That’s part of the network we’re building now to make this happen across North America.”

His organizing is also confronting the booze issue itself. By this time next year, he said, hard liquor of 15-proof or more will be banned from all IFC frat houses.

The new coalition also plans to have parents like Piazza and Braham speak to as many as 25,000 college students this academic year about the dangers of hazing, and to have members of Greek societies themselves speak to high school and middle school students.

“We realize that it takes many years to change a culture and we’re committed to the long haul,” said Piazza. “We’re not going away. We’ll be here next year, the year after, the year after that.” (Read more from “After Agonizing Deaths, Parents Move to Toughen Hazing Laws” HERE)

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Rep. Maxine Waters Talks About Threatening Trump Supporters ‘All the Time’

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Rep. Maxine Waters (D-CA) recently joked about her now-infamous comments to her supporters earlier this year urging them to harass Trump supporters in public. Over the weekend, she joked that she threatens Trump’s constituents and supporters “all the time” but wasn’t doing it “that time.”

“I said, if you see them anywhere, if you see them in a restaurant, if you see them in a department store, even at a gasoline station, just tell them, you’re not welcome here or anywhere,” she said, recapping the controversial remarks she made in June.

“And of course the lying president said that I had threatened all of his constituents. I did not threaten his constituents and supporters. I do that all the time, but I didn’t do that that time,” she quipped to laughs from the crowd at the Stonewall Young Democratic Club awards event.

. . .

Waters also noted that she is unfazed by the many Democrats who are discouraging impeachment talk ahead of the midterm elections.

“They say, ‘Maxine, please don’t say impeachment any more,” she said. “And when they say that, I say impeachment, impeachment, impeachment, impeachment, impeachment, impeachment, impeachment.” (Read more from “Rep. Maxine Waters Talks About Threatening Trump Supporters ‘All the Time'” HERE)

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Maxine Waters Vows to ‘Get’ Pence Once Trump Impeached

By Washington Times. Rep. Maxine Waters promised a crowd of young Democrats over the weekend that she would go after Vice President Mike Pence once President Trump is removed from office.

The California congresswoman accepted a lifetime achievement award from the Stonewall Young Democrats on Saturday in Los Angeles, telling the enthusiastic crowd that Mr. Trump threatened Americans’ way of life and deserved to be impeached.

“I’m gonna get him,” Ms. Waters said, according to a video published by progressive activist and attendee Edward Garren. “I’m in this fight and I’m not gonna move.

“And, as you know, there’s a difference in how some of our leadership talk about how we should handle all of this,” she continued. “They say, ‘Maxine, please don’t say impeachment anymore. ‘And when they say that, I say, ‘Impeachment, impeachment, impeachment, impeachment, impeachment, impeachment, impeachment, impeachment.’” (Read more from “Maxine Waters Vows to ‘Get’ Pence Once Trump Impeached” HERE)

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Federal Appeals Court Rules in Favor of State Abortion Restrictions

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By Townhall. The 8th circuit of the U.S. Court of Appeals reversed a 2017 court ruling that would block reasonable restrictions on abortion clinics. The federal appeals court ruled that abortion clinics need to be surgically licensed, equipped with the same equipment as a hospital’s surgical wing, and the doctors performing abortions must have medical privileges with a local hospital.

This decision comes out of a lawsuit filed by Planned Parenthood, the nation’s largest abortion provider; the organization argued that the restrictions, which were proposed to ensure high health standards were met in abortion clinics and that the health of women obtaining abortions was protected.

(Read more from “Federal Appeals Court Rules in Favor of State Abortion Restrictions” HERE)

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Federal Judges Allow Missouri to Enforce Abortion Rules

By AP. Federal appeals court judges have ruled to lift a preliminary injunction that blocked Missouri from enforcing some abortion restrictions.

Planned Parenthood says the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals’ Monday ruling could end abortions at the Columbia clinic in weeks. That could leave a St. Louis Planned Parenthood site as the only abortion clinic in the state.

Planned Parenthood Great Plains General Counsel Emily Wales says there’s at least a two-week delay for the ruling to take effect. (Read more from “Federal Judges Allow Missouri to Enforce Abortion Rules” HERE)

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Lawmakers Call on Trump to Declare Federal Emergency Ahead of Hurricane Florence

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Senators and Congressmen from Virginia urged President Trump Monday to declare a federal emergency before Hurricane Florence makes landfall later this week. The congressional delegation wrote in support of Gov. Ralph Northam’s request that a federal emergency be declared.

“A federal emergency declaration would ensure the full availability of federal resources to support the Commonwealth’s efforts to guarantee public safety and rapid recovery from the direct and indirect effects of Hurricane Florence,” they wrote. “Thank you for your consideration of Governor Northam’s request. We look forward to working with you, FEMA, and other relevant federal agencies to ensure that the Commonwealth of Virginia has the resources available to ensure the safety of our constituents.”

Sens. Mark Warner and Tim Kaine, along with Reps. Rob Wittman (R), Scott Taylor (R), Bobby Scott (D), A. Donald McEachin (D), Tom Garrett (R), Bob Goodlatte (R), Dave Brat (R), Don Beyer (D), Morgan Griffith (R), Barbara Comstock (R), and Gerry Connolly (D) all signed the letter.

The hurricane has already prompted mandatory evacuation orders in the Carolinas and Virginia. Florence was upgraded twice Monday to a Category 4. It has the potential to become a Category 5 storm, the National Hurricane Center says, and it is expected to make landfall in North or South Carolina by Thursday.

The evacuations in Virginia will begin at 8 a.m. Tuesday for about 245,000 residents in part of Hampton Roads and the Eastern Shore area.

(Read more from “Lawmakers Call on Trump to Declare Federal Emergency Ahead of Hurricane Florence” HERE)

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