The Russia Investigation: A Scandal About Smoke

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The cliche about the Russia investigation is that there’s a lot of smoke. And with the firing of FBI Director James Comey, President Donald Trump rolled a military-grade smoke grenade into the room.

There were many legitimate reasons to fire Comey, who repeatedly went outside Department of Justice guidelines to comment on the investigation of Hillary Clinton during last year’s presidential campaign. Annoyance with his handling of the Russia investigation isn’t one of them.

The firing has stoked charges of a cover-up and again raised the questions, Why, if Trump has nothing to hide, does he act so guilty? Why, if there’s no fire, is there always so much smoke?

But so far, the scandal is nothing but smoke: We get hints of what might be, pending further revelations, serious misconduct, always augmented by Trump’s defensive bluster. It’s all highly suspect, yet it’s hard to see what exactly will constitute the grave underlying offense.

The most plausible of these suspicions, that the Trump campaign colluded with the Russians, has never made much sense on the face of it. The Russians hacked Democratic National Committee and Clinton campaign emails and walked across the street to hand them over to WikiLeaks for dissemination. Why would any coordination with the Trump campaign be necessary? (Read more from “The Russia Investigation: A Scandal About Smoke” HERE)

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German Officers Raid Homes in Search of ISIS Members

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German police raided homes in four states on Wednesday in connection with three people suspected of links to the Islamic State group, authorities said.

Apartments and other locations were searched in Berlin, Bavaria, Saxony and Saxony-Anhalt on Wednesday morning, federal prosecutors’ spokeswoman Frauke Koehler said in a statement.

Two suspects are accused of membership in a terrorist organization on allegations they belong to ISIS, while the third is suspected of supporting a terrorist organization. Two are also accused of weapons violations. (Read more from “German Officers Raid Homes in Search of ISIS Members” HERE)

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Trump OKs Arms for Syrian Kurds, Despite Turkish Objections

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The Trump administration announced Tuesday it will arm Syria’s Kurdish fighters “as necessary” to recapture the key Islamic State stronghold of Raqqa, despite intense opposition from NATO ally Turkey, which sees the Kurds as terrorists.

The decision is meant to accelerate the Raqqa operation but undermines the Turkish government’s view that the Syrian Kurdish group known as the YPG is an extension of a Kurdish terrorist organization that operates in Turkey. Washington is eager to retake Raqqa, arguing that it is a haven for IS operatives to plan attacks on the West.

Dana W. White, the Pentagon’s chief spokeswoman, said in a written statement that President Donald Trump authorized the arms Monday. His approval gives the Pentagon the go-ahead to “equip Kurdish elements of the Syrian Democratic Forces as necessary to ensure a clear victory over ISIS” in Raqqa, said White, who was traveling with Defense Secretary Jim Mattis in Europe. (Read more from “Trump OKs Arms for Syrian Kurds, Despite Turkish Objections” HERE)

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US Wants Tally of Haitian Immigrants’ Crimes

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The Trump administration is taking the unusual step of hunting for evidence of crimes committed by Haitian immigrants as it decides whether to allow them to continue participating in a humanitarian program that has shielded tens of thousands from deportation since an earthquake destroyed much of their country.

The inquiries into the community’s criminal history were made in internal U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services emails obtained by The Associated Press. They show the agency’s newly appointed policy chief also wanted to know how many of the roughly 50,000 Haitians enrolled in the Temporary Protected Status program were taking advantage of public benefits, which they are not eligible to receive.

The emails don’t make clear if Haitian misdeeds will be used to determine whether they can remain in the United States. The program is intended to help people from places beset by war or disasters and, normally, the decision to extend it depends on whether conditions in the immigrants’ home country have improved enough for them to return. But emails suggest Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly, who will make the decision, is looking at other criteria. (Read more from “US Wants Tally of Haitian Immigrants’ Crimes” HERE)

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Christian Governor in Jakarta Sentenced to Prison for Blasphemy Against Islam

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An Indonesian court sentenced the minority Christian governor of Jakarta to two years in prison on Tuesday for “blaspheming” the Quran, a jarring ruling that undermines the reputation of the world’s largest Muslim nation for practicing a moderate form of Islam.

In announcing its decision, the five-judge panel said Gov. Basuki “Ahok” Tjahaja Purnama was “convincingly proven guilty of blasphemy” and ordered his arrest. He was taken to Cipinang Prison in east Jakarta. At the court, supporters of the governor wept and hugged each other amid shouts of jubilation from members of conservative Islamic groups.

Photos quickly appeared online of Ahok, who still commands immense popularity in Jakarta, the capital, being warmly greeted by prison staff. Ahok said he would appeal, but it was unclear if he would be released once that process is underway. (Read more from “Christian Governor in Jakarta Sentenced to Prison for Blasphemy Against Islam” HERE)

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Pentagon Teeters on the Edge of Full-Scale War in Afghanistan

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President Donald Trump’s most senior advisers will present him with a plan to escalate the U.S. military’s mission in Afghanistan, The Washington Post reports.

This plan includes ramping up the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan along with changing the U.S. military’s rules of engagement while supporting the Afghan National Security Forces. The goal of the plan is to curb the Taliban’s battlefield gains and push them into entering a peace process with the Afghan government.

Both U.S. military commanders in charge of the war have told Congress the U.S. is in a stalemate with the Taliban and needs a few thousand more troops to tip the balance.

Trump will reportedly make the final call on the plan before a May 25 meeting with NATO heads of state in Brussels. Trump campaigned on a promise to defeat the Islamic State, which has a nascent presence in Afghanistan. The terrorist group is just one of a myriad problems for the U.S. in Afghanistan.

The Taliban movement controls nearly one-third of the Afghan population and more territory than at any time since 2001, a new United Nations report reviewed by The Wall Street Journal reveals. The plan essentially doubles down on supporting the Afghan National Security Forces in the fight against the Taliban. The Afghan forces, however, are beset by a host of problems, which nearly $75 billion in U.S. aid has been unable to fix so far. (Read more from “Pentagon Teeters on the Edge of Full-Scale War in Afghanistan” HERE)

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Authorities Abandon Huge Refugee Camp After ISIS Cells Emerged

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A gigantic refugee camp in Jordan has become an “imminent threat” after Islamic State cells started to emerge.

Some 80,000 people are trapped inside the Al Rukban refugee camp by the Syrian border after Jordanian military cut off humanitarian assistance last summer. ISIS militants at the camp “have whole weapons systems … small arms, RPGs, anti-aircraft,” Brig. Gen. Sami Kafawin of the Jordanian army told NBC News in an article published Monday.

“They consider the camp a safe haven. We consider it an imminent threat,” Kafawin told NBC News.

Authorities estimate as many as 4,000 residents, about 5 percent of the camp’s population, may be militants. The area has been struck by several attacks and almost daily gun battles after the government lost control, according to Kafawin.

The military abandoned the camp after seven border guards were killed and another 13 were wounded in an ISIS-claimed car bombing last June. (Read more from “Authorities Abandon Huge Refugee Camp After ISIS Cells Emerged” HERE)

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National Front to Rebrand After Crushing Defeat in French Election

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Marine Le Pen’s National Front party will engage in a rebranding effort after suffering a crushing loss Sunday to centrist candidate Emmanuel Macron.

Le Pen told supporters that the party must reevaluate itself, and that she will continue to fight for its policies in the upcoming parliamentary elections in June. The populist leader lost the run-off election after receiving approximately 35 percent of the vote.

“The National Front must also renew itself,” said Le Pen in an address to supporters after the results came in. “I will therefore start the process of a deep transformation of our movement … I call upon all patriots to join us.”

Le Pen promised to create a “number one opposition force” to counter globalization in France.

The party will change its name, among other things, according to National Front Vice President Florian Philippot. (Read more from “National Front to Rebrand After Crushing Defeat in French Election” HERE)

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MUSLIM DOG DAY AFTERNOON: Man With Dog Nabbed by Toronto Police for Offending Nearby Muslims

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The Muslim proscription against “unclean” animals received state-enforced validation last Saturday in Toronto at the annual Al-Quds Day rally held in the city’s Queen’s Park. 47-year-old Allan Einstoss, who was accosted by a Muslim demonstrator while walking among the crowd with his dog, is considering legal action after being held by the police after the assault, while the man who attacked him was not even questioned. Police on the scene reportedly chastised Einstoss for being “insensitive” to the Muslim protestors with the presence of his canine companion in the public park. “I was detained. They had me in handcuffs,” Einstoss told Front Page Magazine. “They trampled all over my rights.”

Al-Quds Day is an annual international event created in 1979 by Iran’s Ayatollah Khomeini to mark the end of Ramadan. It is anti-Semitic in nature, calling for the destruction of Israel and the creation a Palestinian state. Einstoss, who attended the event with his 77-year-old father and 16-year-old son, also brought along Cupcake, his 165 pound English Mastiff. Cupcake is a registered therapy dog slated to begin visiting veteran patients at Sunnybrook hospital this October. At the rally he was on a leash, and wearing an Israeli flag around his neck.

Einstoss said he was attending the rally as a “concerned citizen,” unaffiliated with any group. He was amongst the crowd when two Muslim women approached him to ask about his dog. According to Einstoss, he was then approached by a male Al-Quds demonstrator who told him he was “not allowed to go near our women.” Einstoss then asserted his right to go anywhere he pleased, but turned to walk away. At that point he said he was “punched in the chest” by a second male demonstrator, and that someone also kicked his dog.

Einstoss responded by shoving the man who punched him. He was immediately grabbed by several police officers and put in handcuffs. “The cops jumped me, and dragged me off in front of my 77-year-old father and 16-year-old son. They cuffed me for half an hour, and patted me down,” said Einstoss. “The two cops told me I was being arrested for assault and inciting a riot. One of them also mentioned that I was being insensitive to others. They threatened me with a weekend jail, before offering me a deal: they would free me if I agreed to be escorted out of the park.” He complied and left the area.

Part of Einstoss’s apparent “insensitivity” was that, in the eyes of the police, he should have known better than to bring his dog to a rally predominantly comprised of Muslims, whose dislike of dogs among the devout is widely known. By detaining him and threatening him at least partially on the pretext of this “offense,” while refusing to punish the real aggressor in the altercation, the police were essentially telling Einstoss that when Muslims gather in sufficient numbers, public laws and individual rights play second string. (Read more from “MUSLIM DOG DAY AFTERNOON: Man With Dog Nabbed by Toronto Police for Offending Nearby Muslims” HERE)

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North Korea Detains Another American Over Alleged Hostile Acts

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North Korea announced Sunday that it detained a fourth American citizen over unspecified hostile acts against the country and amid worsening tensions with the U.S.

North Korea’s official Korean Central News Agency said that Kim Hak Song had worked for the Pyongyang University of Science and Technology before he was held on Saturday.

North Korea on Wednesday announced the detention of an accounting instructor at the same university, Kim Sang Dok, for “acts of hostility aimed at overthrowing the country.” Kim was detained in April at the airport in Pyongyang.

The KCNA report didn’t say whether the two cases are connected.

Kim Hak Song is among at least four Americans being detained in North Korea. (Read more from “North Korea Detains Another American Over Alleged Hostile Acts” HERE)

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