Month: November 2017

U.S. House of Representatives Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi called on her colleague John Conyers, the longest-serving member of Congress, to resign over allegations of sexual harassment.

“Congressman Conyers should resign,” Pelosi said of her colleague, adding the women who spoke out against him were “brave” and deserved justice.

“As deemed, Congressman Conyers has served our Congress for more than five decades and shaped some of the most consequential legislation of the last half century.  However, zero tolerance means consequences for everyone, no matter how great the legacy, it’s not license to harass or discriminate,” she said.

House Speaker Paul Ryan also called on Representative Conyers to resign “immediately” Thursday.

Hours earlier, Conyers’ friend and political consultant Sam Riddle said that he had been admitted to a hospital in Detroit, without providing further details.

“(Conyers is under) tremendous stress due to media hounding, and political vultures and serial accusers,” The Detroit News quoted Riddle as saying. “That type of stress would affect anybody.”

The announcement came as Conyers’ former aide publicly accused him of sexual harassment, telling NBC’s today show that she was fired for rejecting her boss’s sexual advances.

Marion Brown, 61, said her former boss propositioned her for sex multiple times over more than a decade.  Brown is one of multiple women who has accused the 88-year-old Congressman of harassment, while revealing a “Hush Fund” on Capitol Hill that uses taxpayer funds to pay settlements.

Pelosi’s condemnation came a day after the House passed a bill requiring members of Congress and their staffs to undergo mandatory sexual harassment training.  

Congress also introduced legislation Wednesday that, if passed, would end the two-decade old practice of paying settlements with taxpayer money.  The Congressional Accountability and Hush Fund Elimination Act would require transparent disclosure of the nature of claims settled in the office of Congressional Compliance.

The latest sexual harassment charge against Conyers is one of a number that have buffeted the Washington political scene.  Democratic Senator Al Franken apologized Monday on Capitol Hill to “everyone who has counted on me to be a champion of women.”  Four women have accused Franken of initiating unwanted sexual contact in separate incidents.

Republican Representative Joe Barton has admitted he shared a nude photo of himself with an unidentified lover that circulated online.  Barton, who has served in the House for 32 years, announced Thursday he will not seek reelection in 2018.

The revelations followed allegations that Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore sexually assaulted a 14-year old girl and had sexual encounters with several young women while when he was in his 30’s.  Moore is campaigning in a special election in Alabama that will be decided on December 12.

A year ago, President Donald Trump was accused by more than a dozen women of sexual assault or improper conduct.  Many of the accusations became public when he was heard on an Access Hollywood tape boasting about kissing and groping women.  Trump and the White House have denied the allegations.

 
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Pakistan says high-level discussions “away from public glare” are under way with the United States to bridge differences stemming from the new Afghan strategy U.S. President Donald Trump announced in August.

Pakistan did not agree with the U.S. policy because “there was a difference in understanding and perceptions on both sides,” said Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Faisal Thursday, while discussing the dialogue process at his weekly news conference in Islamabad.

The policy focused on Pakistan’s alleged duplicity; receiving billions of dollars in U.S. assistance as a non-NATO ally for combating regional terrorism and covertly supporting the Taliban and the Haqqani terrorist network waging deadly attacks on Afghan and U.S.-led allied forces in Afghanistan.

Islamabad promptly rejected the accusations, saying the country is being scapegoated for U.S. military failures in stabilizing Afghanistan and defeating the Taliban.

“Pakistan and the U.S. are actively engaged in discussing the situation in Afghanistan with a view to arriving at a better understanding of each other’s positions and to devise the way forward, to promote peace and stability in Afghanistan,” Faisal said.

The spokesman also said U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis will continue the interaction during a trip to Islamabad. He did not say when, but the Pentagon chief will be visiting the country on December 3, according to Pakistani Foreign Minister Khawaja Asif. The Pentagon has not confirmed the date.

U.S. officials are also critical of alleged ties between the Pakistani spy agency, ISI, and the Haqqani network, whose leaders are accused of directing violence in Afghanistan from their alleged sanctuaries in Pakistan.

The top U.S. military commander in Afghanistan, General John Nicholson, on Thursday told reporters Washington is in talks with Islamabad to press the latter to cut those ties.

“This is a conversation that is going on between Washington and Islamabad at the highest levels of the U.S. government. So, I would not talk about the next steps that we will take. But you can be assured that my government, the United States, is putting pressure on Pakistan, this is diplomatic pressure, economic pressure,” Nicholson said.

The U.S. general cited a deadly truck bombing he said the Haqqani network plotted in the high-security diplomatic zone of the Afghan capital, Kabul, in May of this year. The attack left more than 150 people dead and many more wounded. Embassies of nine countries were also damaged, according to Nicholson.

“They [the Haqqanis] are not only attacking innocent Afghan people, they have also been attacking the international forces and diplomats that are here to help the Afghan people. So, all of these nations have been going back to Pakistan,” noted the general.

While testifying before a congressional committee in October, Mattis said the U.S. would try “one more time” to make the Afghan strategy work with Pakistan, “and if our best efforts fail, the president is prepared to take whatever steps are necessary.”

Pakistani officials maintain that their counterterrorism efforts have reduced the threat in the region and the country is not supporting any warring faction in Afghanistan.

Pakistan says camps set up for millions of Afghan refugees have been used as shelters by insurgents to plot attacks on both sides of the border. Islamabad does not rule out the presence of Afghan insurgents on its side.

They say unleashing a counter-militancy operation on the displaced population would amount to bringing the Afghan war to Pakistani soil at a time when the country is already fighting anti-state militants.

Critics, however, rule out a total collapse in bilateral relations over persistent tensions. They point to major ground and air lines of communications through Pakistan that have been used for years to send supplies to thousands of U.S. and NATO forces in Afghanistan.

 
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French President Emmanuel Macron fears Islamist militants have scored military and symbolic victories in West Africa while a regional military force has struggled to get off the ground, a French presidential source said on Thursday.

To help get the new G5 Sahel force operating effectively, he said, France has invited the United States to a summit with the five participating countries as well as the African Union and European Union in Paris next month.

Thousands of U.N. peacekeepers, French troops and U.S. military trainers and drone operators have failed so far to stem a growing wave of jihadist violence, leading world powers to pin their hopes on the new G5 Sahel force.

The G5 Sahel initiative – grouping Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger – faces an immense security challenge in a largely desert and weakly governed region and already faces questions over its financing and provision of equipment.

“Emmanuel Macron believes that it’s not going quickly enough and that the terrorists have registered military and symbolic victories, especially in Niger, and (that) it’s urgent to reverse this trend,” the French official said in Ghana where Macron was winding up a three-day Africa trip.

“The (objective) will be to accelerate the calendar for the support of the force, and the operational calendar.”

The jihadist threat hit home again last month with an attack in Niger in which eight U.S. and Nigerien troops were killed, prompting American officials to forecast that U.S. involvement in the Sahel region would deepen.

As well as the leaders of the G5 nations – all former French colonies – and the EU and African Union, the French presidential official said the United States had also been invited to the Dec. 13 summit.

The G5 force is to eventually comprise 5,000 men from seven battalions and police the region in collaboration with 4,000 French troops deployed there since Paris intervened in 2013 to beat back an insurgency in northern Mali.

It will also have to coordinate with MINUSMA, Mali’s U.N. peacekeeping mission. MINUSMA has been frequently attacked in the north where Islamists have regained ground since 2013.

A donor conference will be held in Brussels on Dec. 14 to raise funds for the Sahel force. Paris has also asked Saudi Arabia to help finance the force and representatives of the kingdom could also be in Paris on Dec. 13, the official said.
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The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency is targeting opioid abuse in Appalachia by establishing a new field office in Kentucky to oversee a region ravaged by overdose deaths.

Acting DEA Administrator Robert Patterson says the new Louisville field office will have a special agent in charge to oversee investigations in Kentucky, Tennessee and West Virginia. The agency says the new office will enhance efforts in the Appalachian mountain region and streamline drug trafficking investigations under a single office. D. Christopher Evans, an associate agent in charge in the DEA’s Detroit field office, will lead the new Louisville office.

Overdose deaths were 65 percent higher among residents in Appalachia than in the rest of the country in 2015, a recent Appalachian Regional Commission study found.
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President Donald Trump quickly responded to the firing of “Today” show host Matt Lauer on Wednesday, saying executives at NBC and Comcast should be “fired for putting out so much Fake News.”

Trump tweeted: “Wow, Matt Lauer was just fired from NBC for ‘inappropriate sexual behavior in the workplace.’ But when will the top executives at NBC & Comcast be fired for putting out so much Fake News.”

He then called out the NBC News chairman, adding: “Check out Andy Lack’s past!” It was not immediately clear what that comment referred to. NBC declined to comment on Trump’s tweets.

NBC, which is owned by Philadelphia-based Comcast Corp., announced Wednesday that it had terminated Lauer after receiving a “detailed complaint” from a colleague about sexual misconduct. Lauer’s co-anchor, Savannah Guthrie, made the announcement at the top of the “Today” show.

Trump’s comment on “Fake News” was a reiteration of his long-standing grievances with mainstream news outlets that he contends have covered his presidency unfairly and inaccurately. Trump, who often judges stories he doesn’t like to be fake news, has said that he has a “running war with the media.”

The tweets seeking to undermine mainstream news outlets have been a mainstay of his first year in office and come amid tensions over a traditional White House holiday party.

CNN, which is among Trump’s favorite targets, announced Tuesday night that the network’s reporters would not be attending Friday’s White House Christmas party, an annual tradition in which reporters and administration officials can interact in a more relaxed setting.

“In light of the President’s continued attacks on freedom of the press and CNN, we do not feel it is appropriate to celebrate with him as his invited guests,” the network said in a statement, adding that they intended to send “a White House reporting team to the event” to report on any news. A spokeswoman did not respond to a request for comment about what that meant.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders responded to the news with a celebratory tweet.

“Christmas comes early! Finally, good news from (at)CNN,” she wrote Tuesday.

Trump piled on Wednesday morning: “Great, and we should boycott Fake News CNN. Dealing with them is a total waste of time!”

Over the weekend, Trump had gone after CNN International on Twitter, saying that the network was “a major source of (Fake) news” outside the U.S. and complaining that they “represent our Nation to the WORLD very poorly.”

“The outside world does not see the truth from them!” he wrote.

It was an especially pointed attack on a news organization that prides itself on its international coverage and that has dozens of staffers positioned in hot spots around the globe. CNN tweeted back that “it’s not CNN’s job to represent the U.S. to the world. That’s yours. Our job is to report the news.”

 
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After decades of legal challenges and political battles that have pitted states against the federal government, U.S. wildlife managers on Wednesday finally adopted a plan to guide the recovery of a wolf that once roamed parts of the American Southwest and northern Mexico.

The plan sets a goal of having an average of 320 Mexican gray wolves in the wild over an eight-year period before the predator can shed its status as an endangered species. In each of the last three years, the population would have to exceed the average to ensure the species doesn’t backslide.

Officials estimate recovery could take another two decades and cost nearly $180 million.

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service considered tens of thousands of public comments – from state lawmakers and business groups to independent scientists and environmentalists – as it worked to meet a court-ordered deadline to craft the recovery plan. It was a long time coming as the original guidance for restoring the wolf was adopted in 1982.

“This plan really provides us a roadmap for where we need to go to get this species recovered and delisted and get its management turned back over to the states and tribes,” Sherry Barrett, the Mexican wolf recovery coordinator, told The Associated Press in an interview.

Barrett said state wildlife officials reviewed the scientific data and the models used to calculate the best way forward for the agency as it works to bolster genetic diversity and continue building the wild population.

There are now more of the wolves roaming the Southwest than at any time since the federal government began trying to reintroduce the animals in 1998. The most recent annual survey shows at least 113 wolves spread between southwestern New Mexico and southeast Arizona.

There are about 31 wolves in the wild in Mexico, officials said.

Under the recovery plan, those numbers would be expected to grow to 145 in the U.S. and 100 in Mexico over the next five years.

Barrett said targeted releases of captive-bred wolves and translocations are necessary to make the program work.

In an effort to avoid future skirmishes with states, the plan calls for coordination with wildlife officials in New Mexico and Arizona when it comes to the timing, location and circumstances of the releases.

Environmentalists are voicing concerns, suggesting there needs to be more than 700 wolves in the wild if the population is to withstand illegal shootings, genetic issues and other challenges.

They have pushed for years for more captive wolves to be released, but ranchers and elected leaders in rural communities have pressed back because the predators sometimes attack domestic livestock and wild game.

Last year, the U.S. Interior Department’s internal watchdog said the Fish and Wildlife Service had not fulfilled its obligation to remove Mexican gray wolves that preyed on pets and cattle.

Barrett said with the new plan and other rules that give the agency flexibility in managing problem wolves, there is optimism among officials that progress can be made.

“I know that with most things having to do with wolves, there’s going to be a lot of strong opinions on both sides,” she said. “But to us, it is a big step forward for us to have something in place to start working toward and working with the public to achieve.”
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North Korea launched an unidentified ballistic missile Tuesday.

South Korean Military officials are quoted as saying the missile flew on an eastward trajectory and that authorities are analyzing the launch in cooperation with the U.S. military.

“We detected a probable missile launch from North Korea. We will provide additional information as available,” Pentagon spokesman Army Col. Robert Manning said.

The United States is “not surprised” by the development, a U.S. intelligence official told VOA.

White House Press Secretary tweeted President Donald Trump “was briefed, while missile was still in the air, on the situation in North Korea.”

The last ballistic missile launch by North Korea was in September.  It is still unclear what type of missile was launched Tuesday.

In Japan, the Cabinet crisis team has been summoned for an emergency meeting.  Japan’s chief Cabinet secretary said Tokyo “strongly protests” the launch.

The latest North Korean launch comes as the U.S. and South Korea are preparing a five-day joint exercise called “Vigilant Ace” from December 4-8 with thousands of military personnel and more than 230 aircraft, including six F-22 Raptor fighter jets deployed to South Korea for the first time.

Pyongyang routinely condemns such military drills using belligerent language and military threats.

Pentagon correspondent Carla Babb, National Security correspondent Jeff Seldin, White House correspondent Steve Herman and Seoul correspondent Daniel Schearf contributed to this report
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The school board in LeBron James’ Ohio hometown has approved the plan for a public school being created in partnership with the NBA star’s foundation.

The LeBron James Family Foundation says the “I Promise” School in Akron will be geared toward educating students who are at risk of falling behind. It will have longer days and begin classes in the summer — weeks before other district schools — to encourage information retention.

It’s scheduled to open next fall for third- and fourth-graders and add more grade levels in future years.

The idea is based on the foundation’s existing “I Promise” programs that encourage struggling students to stay in school.

Supporters cheered after the Akron School Board approved the school’s plan Monday.

New York-based production company Warrior Poets says it will soon begin filming a documentary series centered on the school in partnership with LeBron James’ production company SpringHill Entertainment.

 
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Native Americans have taken to social media to criticize President Donald Trump for using a racial slur during a Monday White House ceremony honoring Fleming Begaye, Thomas Begay, and Peter MacDonald, three of the 13 Navajo Code Talkers still living.

“I just want to thank you because you’re very, very special people,” Trump said to the men who were recruited into the U.S. Marine Corps to transmit tactics and vital information in a language that was then incomprehensible to America’s World War II enemies.

WATCH: Trump comments to honorees

“You were here long before any of us were here — although we have a representative in Congress who they say was here a long time ago. They call her Pocahontas. But you know what? I like you. Because you are special,” Trump continued, touching MacDonald on the shoulder.

Navajo Nation President Russell Begaye described the incident as part of an “ongoing feud” between Trump and Elizabeth Warren, over her claims to have Native American heritage during her Senate campaign.

“In this day and age, all tribal nations still battle insensitive references to our people. The prejudice that Native American people face is an unfortunate historical legacy,” Begaye said. “As Native Americans, we are proud people who have taken care of this land long before there was the United States of America and we will continue to fight for this Nation.”

Navajo Nation Council delegate Amber Kanazbah Crotty cited the event as the “latest example of systemic, deep-seated ignorance” about Native Americans.

“The Navajo Code Talkers are not pawns to advance a personal grudge or promote false narratives,” Crotty said in a statement released Monday. “Such pandering dishonors the sacrifice of our national heroes.”

Dine Code Talkers secretary Debra Klecan posted on Facebook that the White House ceremony was the first time she had ever heard disparaging comments made against the Code Talkers.

“I’ve seen men and women of all ages break down in tears in honor and in awe of meeting them in person and they subsequently share their personal or family stories about how the Code Talkers affected their lives. It is too bad the president of the United States cannot do the same.”

In a personal Facebook message to Trump, Marty Thompson, whose great uncle Dennie Housteen was a Navajo Code Talker, demanded an official apology.

“There were three… Navajo Code Talkers standing and sitting with pride and dignity next to you. But, you Honor and Respect them with a…racist, derogatory comment about Pocahontas. Do you even know the true Pocahontas?” Thompson asked.

Jefferson Keel, president of the National Congress of American Indians, issued the following statement Monday:

“Today was about recognizing the remarkable courage and invaluable contributions of our Native code talkers. That’s who we honor today and everyday – the three code talkers present at the White House representing the 10 other elderly living code talkers who were unable to join them, and the hundreds of other code talkers from the Cherokee, Choctaw, Comanche, Lakota, Meskwaki, Mohawk, Navajo, Tlingit, and other tribes who served during World Wars I and II.”

Keel also called on the president to refrain from invoking Pocahontas in a way that “denigrates the legacy” of the 17th century Pamunkey woman, born Matoaka, who is credited with helping foster relations between Virginia tribes and early British colonizers.

“As a Marine Vet myself, I am keenly aware of how great a sacrifice these Navajo Marines made to the war effort,” said Ray Cook, former op/ed editor of Indian Country Today Media Network. “There is something basically wrong that a man would on one hand hand praise Native veterans and, on the other and in the same breath, denounce another person with a claimed Native background with a racial slur that is derogatory to Natives.”

Native Americans observers were quick to note that Monday’s ceremony took place beneath a portrait of Andrew Jackson, the seventh U.S. president and architect of the policy that forcibly drove thousands of Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw, Creek and Seminole tribe members from their homes to the West. Along the way, thousands died of cold, disease or hunger.

And as if all this weren’t insult enough, Oglala Lakota journalist and Native Sun News Today publisher Tim Giago cited Trump’s tone of voice.

“He talked down to Peter MacDonald and the other brave Navajo as if they were children,” he told VOA, expressing fear that this may have detracted from Code Talker Peter MacDonald’s speech.

In his speech, MacDonald urged the creation of a museum commemorating the Code Talkers and preserving their stories for future generations of Americans. And he praised America’s unity and diversity.

“We have different languages, different skills, different talents, and different religion. But when our way of life is threatened, like the freedom and liberty that we all cherish, we come together as one. And when we come together as one, we are invincible.”

White House Spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders, responding to questions from reporters Monday, said she didn’t believe calling Warren “Pocahontas” was a slur.

“I don’t think that it is [a racial slur] and I don’t think that was the President’s intent,” Sanders said.

“Look, I think that Sen. Warren was very offensive when she lied about something specifically to advance her career.  I don’t understand why no one’s asking about that question and why that isn’t constantly covered.”
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