Wikileaks Nails TPP, Other Trade Agreements for Surrendering National Sovereignty, More

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By Hazel Sheffield. Wikileaks has warned that governments negotiating a far-reaching global service agreement are ‘surrendering a large part of their global sovereignty’ and exacerbating the social inequality of poorer countries in the process.

The Trade in Services Agreement exposed in a 17 document dump by Wikileaks on Thursday relates to ongoing negotiations to lock market liberalisations into global law.

If a country like China wanted to join, it would have to scrap all discriminatory practices against foreign firms – so discrimination against a foreign firm opening a hospital in China would be banned, for example.

Under the agreement, retailers like Zara or Marks & Spencers would have the right to open stores in any of the signing countries and be treated like domestic companies. A nationalised service, such as the British telecoms industry in the eighties, would have to ensure it was not harming competition under these terms.

“Nothing it will do to extend the liberalisation but it locks in those rules in case of a coup d’etat,” Hosuk Lee-Makiyama, director of European Centre for International Political Economy (ECIPE) and a leading author on trade diplomacy, told The Independent. (Read more from “Wikileaks Just Exposed Trade Agreements Like TPP, TTIP for Surrendering National Sovereignty” HERE)

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Trade Supporters Bullish as Vote Nears

By Mike Lillis and Scott Wong. House GOP leaders are expressing a bold new confidence heading into the final stretch of the divisive fight over granting President Obama broad trade powers.

The vote, expected as soon as this week, is likely to be a nail-biter — scores of lawmakers in both parties remain publicly undecided, making the count on both sides difficult to pin down.

But both the White House and GOP leaders say their whipping efforts are paying dividends, with new supporters signing on by the day.

The White House won a victory last week when Reps. Jim Himes (D-Conn.), Don Beyer (Va.) and Derek Kilmer (D-Wash.) announced their support. And both Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) and Ways and Means Chairman Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) said that, while they don’t have the votes yet, they expect to very soon.

“If we don’t get it done in June, I don’t know why you’d think we can get it done in July,” said Boehner, who’s been coordinating efforts with the White House and recently spoke with Obama. “We need to get this finished. We’re gonna get it done.” (Read more from this story HERE)

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Viral Video: Woman Blasts Bruce Jenner, ‘If You Were My Husband I’d Be Whoopin’ Your @$$!!’

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A video no doubt speaking for millions of American women about Bruce Jenner‘s sudden infamy as a “transgender woman” is taking the Internet by storm.

The video was posted Thursday by a woman identified as Talisa Andrewz. She said she refused to call Jenner by his new chosen name of Caitlyn, before telling him that if he was her husband “the only thing people gonna see us together doing is me and my kids kicking your ass.”

“Every time I see you I’m gonna jump on you and punch you in your new face, kick you in your new behind for doing what you did to me,” she yelled.

Andrewz also blasted the ESPN ESPY Awards for giving Jenner an award for courage when there are more deserving candidates, like men and women who have been wounded or lost limbs in the military service of their country. (Read more from “Viral Video: Woman Blasts Bruce Jenner, ‘If You Were My Husband I’d Be Whoopin’ Your @$$!!'” HERE)

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How Many People Will Bender-Gender Jenner Kill On His New Reality Show While Driving Distractedly?

By Eric Owens. For nearly half [of a new promotional video for his new E! Entertainment Show “I am Cait”], Jenner appears in vehicles. Beginning at the 34-second mark, he can be seen driving some kind of fancy, four-seater all-terrain vehicle. He yammers while driving.

“OK, we’re officially off the property,” he says to his three passengers as he careens down a hill with his hands slumped atop the steering wheel. “We’re out into the world.”

In February of this year, Jenner appears to have been at fault in a horrible, fatal four-car crash on Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu, Calif.

Surveillance video shows Jenner’s black Cadillac Escalade SUV plowing into the back end of a white Lexus and launching it toward an oncoming Hummer, according to the New York Daily News.

The driver of the Lexus, 60-year-old Kimberly Howe, died. Jenner walked away with minor injuries. (Read more from “Critics Blast Bruce Jenner Over Fatal Car Accident” HERE)

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Journalist Calls for the “Overthrow” of American System at Socialist Fundraiser [+video]

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It has become all too apparent that the battle for America’s soul is being waged by basically two types of people. Those who wish to return the nation to its former glory as a beacon of liberty for the American people and the world; and those who wish to see the Constitution and all it stands for burn in the fires of collective tyranny.

An example of the latter was recently demonstrated during a New York fundraiser for Seattle Socialist Councilwoman Kshama Sawat. FDL reports that during a speech given at [a New York fundraiser for Seattle Socialist Councilwoman Kshama Sawat,] Progressive author and journalist Chris Hedges called for the overthrow of the American system:

The only response, if we are going to recover a country that does not slip into a corporate, oligarchy tyranny…is if we overthrow the system,” Hedges said. “Let me repeat that word in case anyone from Homeland Security is here and that’s overthrow.

(Read more from “Journalist Calls for An “Overthrow” of the American System at Socialist Fundraiser” HERE)

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Poll: Liberals Making Huge Comeback This Year

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Photo Credit: AP There are signs that liberals are making a comeback — and not just because a socialist is running for president, gay marriage is spreading like wildfire and pot legalization is gaining acceptance.

A new analysis of Wall Street Journal/NBC News poll data finds a marked increase in the share of registered voters identifying themselves as liberals, and an even bigger drop in the share saying they are conservatives.

In three national polls conducted so far in 2015, the analysis found that 26% of registered voters identified themselves as liberals — up from 23% in 2014. At the same time, the share of voters identifying as conservatives dropped to 33% from 37% in 2014 . . .

Photo Credit: WSJ/NBC

From 2010 through 2014, there was little overall variation in the share of people identifying themselves as conservative, moderate and liberal, with conservatives either a plurality or tied with moderates. But that stability seems to be ending this year. For the first time since 2010, conservatives are no longer are a plurality: 38% identify as moderates, compared with the 33% who identify as conservative and 26% as liberal.

Bill McInturff said it wasn’t immediately clear what accounts for the shift. Another poll analysis by Gallup also suggests there has been a leftward movement on social issues: 31% of adults in a May 6-10 poll identified themselves as liberal on social issues — the largest share since Gallup started asking the question in 1999, and the first time social liberals matched the share who said they were socially conservative. On economic issues, by contrast, conservatives continued to dominate by a 39%-19% margin. (Read more from “Poll: Liberals Making Huge Comeback This Year” HERE)

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Terrorist Group Hamas Likes Democrats More Than Republicans

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Photo Credit: WND When it comes to a choice between a Democratic or a Republican president, Hamas prefers Democrats.

That’s the conclusion reached by senior Hamas leader Salah Bardawil, who is also a member of Hamas’s parliament . . .

“Obviously the president of the United States sets the foreign policy for the Middle East,” stated Klein, “so it’s very important for what’s going on in Israel, in the Palestinian arena, in the Gaza strip, and beyond. Coming toward the 2016 election, obviously we have no idea right now who the candidates are going to be at the end … is there any candidate or party that Hamas has an interest in, that Hamas thinks will change things for the better in the Middle East?”

[Bardawil responded,] “When it comes to make the decision between who is bad and who is worse … there is no doubt that the Democrat candidate is less worse for us than the Republican.” (Read more from “Terrorist Group Hamas Official: Democrats ‘Less Worse’ Than Republicans” HERE)

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Hillary Tried to Overcompensate for Gender With ‘Shocking’ Militarism [+video]

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Photo Credit: APFormer Green Party and independent presidential candidate Ralph Nader labeled 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton a “deep corporatist and a deep militarist” who has made peace with the nation’s power structure.

“I think Hillary is not the Hillary of when she was 30 years old. She made peace with the power structure and she is a deep corporatist and a deep militarist. One can almost forgive the corporatism. She moved to New York with Bill because that’s where the power is and Wall Street but her militarism is absolutely shocking,” he said during a discussion about his new book, Return to Sender, which focuses on unanswered letters Nader wrote to U.S. presidents about an array of issues . . .

“She almost singlehandedly did the Libyan war. The Defense Department was against it, [Secretary Robert] Gates, and she persuaded the White House that it was an easy topple without knowing that in a tribal society with nothing to replace it you would have a civil war, sectarian killings spilling into Africa, weapons everywhere, Mali, central Africa and she’s being accused of Benghazi – the big thing is the huge amount of geography that has been destabilized because of the Libyan overthrow,” he added. (Read more from “Hillary Tried to Overcompensate for Gender With ‘Shocking’ Militarism” HERE)

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Report: Obama Administration Tried to Recruit Taliban 5 to Work for US AFTER Their Release [+video]

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A federal judge ruled in 2011 that Khairulla Said Wali Khairkhwa was too dangerous to be released from Gitmo.

Obama released him [along with the other Gitmo Five for traitor Bergdahl] anyway.

Now this . . .

The Obama administration tried to recruit the Taliban Five to work for the US government. Of course, this plan failed miserably. The former Gitmo detainees have 65 family members living with them in Qatar and have reached out to their old terror networks.

(Read more from “Report: Obama Administration Tried to Recruit Taliban 5 to Work for US AFTER Their Release” HERE)

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Perry to Hillary: Fix Your Own State Before You Attack Texas

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By Pam Key. Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union,” former Gov. Rick Perry (R-TX) reacted to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton accusing Republicans of intentionally attempting to disenfranchise voters based on race, age and poverty level and said she insulted the people of Texas who overwhelmingly supported the law.

Perry said, “Well, I think it’s way outside the norm of ridiculous, if you want to know the truth of the matter, to call out the people of the state of Texas, that’s what she did, I just happened to be the governor that signed that legislation and support it, and the vast majority of the people of Texas support it, and what Secretary Clinton did was saying the state of Texas didn’t.” (Read more from “Perry to Hillary: Fix Your Own State Before You Attack Texas” HERE)

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Rick Perry Promises to Take on Wall Street in 2016

By Rebecca Kaplan. Former Texas Gov. Rick Perry has a message for Wall Street during his second campaign that could just as easily come from a progressive candidate on the left: No special treatment from Washington.

“There is nothing too big to fail from my perspective when it comes to banks, or when it comes to big corporate entities. And I think Americans are fed up. I am,” Perry said on CBS’ “Face the Nation” on Sunday. ” We’re fed up by seeing Wall Street get treated specially. And you can’t even get a loan from your community bank because of Dodd-Frank banking regulations. All that has to change.”

In practice, he said that means regulations for Wall Street banks – something that is not always popular among the GOP.

“If they make bad decisions, let them live with those bad decisions. Don’t bail them out,” he said.

That doesn’t mean he supports the Dodd-Frank financial regulation legislation signed into law in 2010. That law, he said, “is killing the community banks” because they can’t make loans to small businesses. (Read more from this story HERE)

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US Billionaire Political Foes Unite to Fight Israel Boycotts

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One donated more than $100 million to the Republicans, the other has been the Clintons’ biggest backer. Now billionaires Sheldon Adelson and Haim Saban, split on U.S. politics, have united to fight boycott threats against Israel.

Adelson and Saban hosted a conference of pro-Israel business executives and activists over the weekend in Las Vegas, to begin an initiative aimed at countering the growing threat of international sanctions against Israel.

“That he’s a Democrat and I’m a Republican has really very little to do with it,” said Las Vegas Sands Corp. founder Adelson, who holds the 25th slot on Bloomberg’s Billionaires Index, in a joint interview with Saban on Israel’s Channel 2 on Saturday. While you can “rest assured” the two men will not be supporting the same person in the 2016 presidential election, Saban said, “when it comes to Israel, we are absolutely on the same page.”

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has identified the global trend to boycott, divest and sanction Israel over its policy toward the Palestinians, known as the BDS movement, as a major threat.

The boycott issue gained new prominence after Stephane Richard, chief executive officer of Orange SA, said on Wednesday that the Paris-based telecom company would end its licensing deal with Israel’s Partner Communications Co. “tomorrow” if he wasn’t concerned about legal repercussions. Richard later apologized for his comments, made in response to a question over a threatened boycott of Orange’s Egyptian subsidy, Mobinil, and said they weren’t motivated by political concerns. (Read more from “US Billionaire Political Foes Unite to Fight Israel Boycotts” HERE)

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Alaska Air Offers Major Airfare Discounts for Transgender, Bisexual and Gay People, but Forget Funeral Attendees…

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Photo Credit: The Daily Caller Are you gay, lesbian, bisexual or transgender? Do you want to travel to a bunch of gay pride festivals throughout the United States? If you answered yes to these questions, Alaska Airlines is currently offering exciting discounts on air travel for you.

“At Alaska, we have been longtime supporters of the LGBT community and remain committed to a more equitable society,” an Alaska Air webpage entitled “We Share Your Love of Travel” boasts.

One image on the page feature a trio of shirtless dudes standing under some palm trees. Another shows two women nearly embracing while drinking coffee. A third shows a couple of happy men wearing snazzy denim and holding fancy glasses of alcohol.

“We were elated when the State of Washington expressed the same commitment by legalizing marriage for everyone, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity,” the Alaska Air webpage explains. “To show our continued support we are encouraging the LGBT community to travel, not only to Seattle, but to Pride events and gay friendly destinations all over the country.”

Gay travelers can enjoy discounts of fully 10 percent for airfare to a handful of destinations hosting gay and lesbian celebrations. These gay vacation hotspots include Portland (Northwest Pride, June 13-14), Seattle (Seattle Pride, June 27-28) and San Diego (San Diego Pride, July 17-20). (Read more from “Alaska Air Offers Major Airfare Discounts for Gay People” HERE)

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