Brunei Brings In Death by Stoning as Punishment for Gay Sex

THE GUARDIAN: From 3 April, people in the tiny south-east Asian kingdom will be subject to a draconian new penal code based on sharia law

Brunei is to begin imposing death by stoning as a punishment for gay sex and adultery from next week, as part of the country’s highly criticised implementation of sharia law.

From 3 April, individuals in the tiny southeast Asian kingdom will be subject to a draconian new penal code, which also includes the amputation of a hand and a foot for the crime of theft. The capital punishments are to be “witnessed by a group of Muslims.”

Brunei, which has adopted a more conservative form of Islam in recent years, first announced back in 2014 its intention to introduce sharia law, the Islamic legal system which imposes strict corporal punishments. It was a directive of the Sultan of Brunei, who is one of the world’s richest leaders with a personal wealth of about $20bn and has held the throne since 1967. » | Hannah Ellis-Petersen, South-east Asia correspondent | Thursday, March 28, 2019

ADVOCATE: Re-Boycott the Beverly Hills Hotel and Its Gay-Stoning Bruneian Owner »

THESE ARE THE HOTELS TO AVOID: »

AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL UK: Brunei: 'Vicious' new laws to allow stoning of same-sex couples and amputation for robbery »

How Trump Swindled Billions Out Of Deutsche Bank

Donald Trump has again been proven to be a lifelong con man. Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian, hosts of The Young Turks, break it down.

The Trump Administration – What If This IS Who We Are?

In opposition to Donald Trump, many Americans are saying "This is not who we are" one caller asks Jefferson Smith filling in for Thom Hartmann, to consider that the vilest and most corrupt of Donald Trump's policies are in line with U.S. policy historically. Should progressives widen our criticism of the Donald Trump Administration to include the past and present policy of the United States?

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — March 27, 2019

Jamal Khashoggi: The Silencing of a Journalist | Al Jazeera World

On October 2, 2018, Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi journalist working in the US for the Washington Post, entered his country's consulate in Istanbul to process paperwork - and was never seen again.

On the same day, a 15-man Saudi hit squad had allegedly flown to Istanbul. All the evidence points to Khashoggi's murder, suggesting that his body was first dismembered and then disposed of.

The killing of the well-known journalist and critic of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has resonated around the world, both as an attack on media freedom and as a shocking insight into the workings of a secretive and repressive regime.

The horrific story has been well documented in the media but there are still pieces missing and serious questions remaining unanswered: What happened to the body? Why did two weeks pass before Turkish investigators were allowed into the consulate to examine forensic evidence? And who was ultimately responsible for the killing?

Al Jazeera Arabic's Tamer Almisshal goes to Istanbul to try and find answers. He has pieced together the chronology of events - and examined the theories as to what may have happened to Khashoggi's body.

In mid-March, Saudi Arabia announced it had started court proceedings against those it believes were involved. The Kingdom still refuses to agree to a UN-led investigation, and despite the volume of powerful evidence, we still don't know whether those ultimately responsible for Khashoggi's death will ever be openly held to account.

Bomben auf die Schweiz - «Luftschutzmässiges Verhalten hätte Menschenleben gerettet.»

Am Vormittag des 4. März 1945 nähern sich von Winterthur sechs amerikanische Bomber Zürich. Exakt um 10 Uhr 20 lösen die Piloten ihre tödliche Fracht. Ein Versehen, das 5 Menschen das Leben kostete. Obwohl bereits 11 Monate vor dem versehentlichen Angriff beim Bombardement auf Schaffhausen 40 Schweizer getötet und hunderte verletzt wurden, rechnete in der Limmatstadt kurz vor Kriegsende kaum mehr jemand mit der Gefahr aus der Luft.

Guy Verhofstadt Compares Nigel Farage to Blackadder Character

The EU's Brexit co-ordinator Guy Verhofstadt said he was surprised to see former UKIP leader Nigel Farage sitting in European Parliament in Strasbourg. Saying 'I thought you were marching 200 miles for the leave campaign? How many did you do? Two miles'. The former Belgian prime minister Verhofstadt later compared Farage to Field Marshal Haig from Blackadder. Explaining that Farage was 'sitting safely in his office, while his people are walking in the cold and the rain'

Fears of No Brexit Drive Hardliners to May's Side

They've said no - emphatically and twice - to Theresa May's Brexit deal, but tomorrow afternoon MPs will have the chance to say what sort of Brexit deal they do want.

George Osborne 'I’ve Sat Down and Had a Drink with Theresa May Since All of This' | British GQ

Alastair Campbell interviews the former Chancellor of the Exchequer, now current Editor of the Evening Standard about Theresa May, Brexit, Boris Johnson and more

OxyContin Maker Purdue Pharma to Pay $270 Million Legal Settlement That Will Fund Addiction Center

The state of Oklahoma has reached a $270 million agreement with Purdue Pharma—the makers of OxyContin—settling a lawsuit that claimed the company contributed to the deaths of thousands of Oklahoma residents by downplaying the risk of opioid addiction and overstating the drug’s benefits. The state says more Oklahomans have died from opioids over the last decade than have been killed in vehicle accidents. More than $100 million from the settlement will fund a new addiction treatment and research center at Oklahoma State University in Tulsa. “It’s really just the first move in what is a very complicated legal chess game,” says Barry Meier, author of “Pain Killer: An Empire of Deceit and the Origin of America’s Opioid Epidemic.” Meier was the first journalist to shine a national spotlight on the abuse of OxyContin. He asks, “Is this money going to be used wisely in terms of treating addiction?”

Opinion: I’m Glad I Left Brexit Britain. My EU Friends Who Didn’t Are Stuck In Limbo

THE GUARDIAN: As I feared, it seems that European citizens in the UK face being stripped of many rights after Brexit

Almost every Brexit lie has been debunked over the past two years for the British population, and now it’s EU citizens’ turn. Surprise, surprise: your rights will likely not be protected as the government once promised. For the very few who still had hope that Brexit would not affect them this may come as a shock and cause serious concern about their future in the UK. For me, it is reassurance that I did the right thing in leaving the UK last September.

From the beginning I had zero trust in a government made up of vicious liars and buffoons. After the leave campaign pushed racist stereotypes and blamed all the country’s problems on the EU, how could I believe they really cared about people from the continent? So last year I did the only logical thing, packed my bag and bought a one-way ticket to Madrid where life is good and the weather is sunny. Ever since, I have been watching the Brexit chaos from a safe distance and can only say that I am shocked. The impossibility of striking a deal acceptable to every side, because of the backstop issue, the EU’s constant overstepping of so-called red lines and the Tory government’s obvious incompetence – if the fate of the country I enjoyed living in wasn’t so sad, it would be entertaining. » | Oliver Imhof | Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Opinion: Amoral and Venal: Britain’s Governing Class Has Lost All Sense of Duty

THE GUARDIAN: The debacle that followed the Brexit referendum has its roots in moneyed nihilism at the top of the Conservative party

Even as doodlebugs smashed into the surrounding streets, George Orwell consoled himself with this thought: “One thing that has always shown that the English ruling class are morally fairly sound, is that in time of war they are ready enough to get themselves killed.” Present those who governed us with an existential crisis, he argued in his essay England Your England, and they would do what they believed to be right for the country.

Almost eight decades later, the UK stands on the verge of a calamity as great as any since the war. Whatever the protestations in parliament, we could within days crash-land into a world of medicine shortages and food riots. And where are our political classes? According to the lobby correspondents, Monday’s cabinet meeting was spent war-gaming general election strategiesand thinking how to timetable voting so as to “scare” Labour. Wherever the national interest actually featured, it was buried under a thick dollop of party interest.

Sunday afternoon was Theresa May’s crisis summit at Chequers, to which Iain Duncan Smith came as Toad of Toad Hall, complete with open-top vintage sports car and cloth cap. Jacob Rees-Mogg’s chosen passenger was his 12-year-old son, Peter, because a national crisis evidently created the perfect occasion for bring-your-child-to-work day. Boris Johnson rocked up in his Spaffmobile before chuntering back to London to publish a columndumping all over the woman with whom he’d just been talking, dubbing her “chicken” and saying she had “bottled it”. (One of the columns, if it’s not too unseemly to mention, for which the Telegraph pays him £275,000 a year.) The BBC reports that these men refer to themselves as the Grand Wizards. Since that is an honorific used by the Ku Klux Klan, the best can be said is they have put as much thought into their nicknames as they ever did into the Irish backstop.

This is how today’s governing classes comport themselves, while the country teeters on the edge of a cliff: they behave with neither care nor caution, let alone concern for the welfare of the nation. These people are laughing at us, even as they take our money to go about their daily business. » | Aditya Chakrabortty | Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Could Banning Menthol Cigarettes Have Deadly, Unintended Consequences?

Retired Police Commander Neill Franklin and harm reduction specialist Ricky Morris say city bans on menthol cigarettes could lead to further criminalization of communities of color

EU Cannot Betray 'Increasing Majority' Who Want UK to Remain, Says Tusk

THE GUARDIAN: EC president hails those who marched against Brexit and revoke article 50 petitioners

Donald Tusk has issued a rallying call to the “increasing majority” of British people who want to cancel Brexit and stay in the EU.

In a stirring intervention, the European council president has praised those who marched on the streets of London and the millions who are petitioning the government to revoke article 50.

Speaking to the European parliament, Tusk reprimanded those who voiced concerns about a potential lengthy extension to article 50 in the event of the Commons rejecting the withdrawal agreement again this week.

Tusk said: “Let me make one personal remark to the members of this parliament. Before the European council, I said that we should be open to a long extension if the UK wishes to rethink its Brexit strategy, which would of course mean the UK’s participation in the European parliament elections. And then there were voices saying that this would be harmful or inconvenient to some of you.

“Let me be clear: such thinking is unacceptable. You cannot betray the 6 million people who signed the petition to revoke article 50, the 1 million people who marched for a people’s vote, or the increasing majority of people who want to remain in the European Union.”

To heckling from Ukip MEPs, Tusk went on: “They may feel that they are not sufficiently represented by the UK parliament, but they must feel that they are represented by you in this chamber. Because they are Europeans.” » | Daniel Boffey in Brussels | Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Ali Ataie | Jesus in Islam | February 28, 2014

The $16m New York Penthouse Fit for a UK Civil Servant

THE GUARDIAN: Exclusive: Luxury apartment next to UN headquarters to be used by senior diplomat charged with seeking post-Brexit trade deals

The government has bought a $15.9m (£12m) seven bedroom luxury New York apartment for a senior British civil servant charged with signing fresh trade deals in a post-Brexit world, the Guardian can reveal.

The foreign secretary Jeremy Hunt oversaw the purchase of a 5,893 sq ft (574 sq metre) apartment as the official residence for Antony Phillipson, the UK trade commissioner for North America and consul general in New York. The apartment occupies the whole of the 38th floor of 50 United Nations Plaza, a 42-storey luxury tower near the UN headquarters in Manhattan.

The 167 metre tower, designed by the firm of celebrated British architect Norman Foster is described as “the ultimate global address”, and was also home to Nikki Haley when she served as the US ambassador to the UN until December 2018. » | Rupert Neate, Wealth correspondent | Tuesday, March 26, 2019

Theresa May Is Effectively Gone. She Is a Leader in Name Only

THE GUARDIAN: This is a national humiliation, made in Britain, made by Brexit. And the prime minister has no control over events

Brexit is the biggest peacetime crisis we have faced and a no-deal Brexit could provoke a national emergency. The depth and scale of the divisions and the narrowness of the majority in favour of leaving the EU mean that the most sensible step would be to put the issue on hold, complete the negotiations and then hold a referendum. Sadly, that option is not available.

But it is in the next phase of negotiations that the details of the UK’s future relationship with the EU will be fleshed out. Depending on what happens in those negotiations, either we will see virtually no change to our current status – in which case, what is the point of leaving? Or, as is much more likely, the Brexiteers will demand significant changes to reflect their own views – views that will appal and frighten much of the electorate when they realise the enormity of what is being done. In essence, Brexiteers want to dismantle much of what we regard as the underpinning of civilised life in the modern world.

A referendum now would at least give people the chance to react to the realisation that the easy and facile promises of three years ago have evaporated. £350m a week for the NHS has become a £39bn severance cost to leave the EU, every penny of it to be borrowed by the current political generation, but to be repaid by the young people coming after them. » | Michael Heseltine | Monday, March 25, 2019

Is Trump Changing US Policy in the Middle East? | Inside Story

In his latest controversial move, US President Donald Trump has recognized Israeli sovereignty over the occupied Golan Heights, ending decades of US policy towards the region. It's a boost for embattled Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who is seeking re-election in two weeks; but the move has been condemned by world leaders.

Israel captured the territory in 1967 and annexed it in 1981 in a move not recognized internationally. So is Trump helping or hindering peace in the Middle East?

Presenter: Nick Clark | Guests: Rami Khouri, Senior Fellow at the Issam Fares Institute for Public Policy at the American University of Beirut; Guillaume Charron, director of the advisory firm Independent Diplomat; Eugene Kontorovich, international law professor at the Kohelet Policy Forum who advised both the Israeli and American governments on the Occupied Golan Heights

Michael Heseltine Speech - People's Vote March – 23.03.2019

Russia Obsession Let Trump Abandon Nuclear Treaties—Wilkerson and Jay

While there's ample evidence to indict Trump for obstruction and Democrats naively trusted Mueller, more crucial issue is the missed opportunity to negotiate stronger nuclear weapons treaties—Larry Wilkerson joins Paul Jay

Has Mueller Investigation Vindicated Trump? | Inside Story

It's been the biggest question for Donald Trump during his presidency so far – did he conspire with Russians to help get elected?

No he didn't. That's the result of the two-year investigation by Special Counsel Robert Mueller. But investigators can't give a definitive answer on whether the President obstructed justice or not.

Trump was quick to tweet: No Collusion, No Obstruction, Complete and Total EXONERATION. KEEP AMERICA GREAT! But leading Democrats say the summary of the report - by Attorney General William Barr - ‘raises as many questions as it answers’. They're demanding full access to what else the report says. But will that report be released?

Presenter: Hazem Sika | Guests: J-D Gordon, National Security Director on Donald Trump's 2016 Presidential Campaign; Jeannie Zaino, professor at Iona College; David Goodfriend, lawyer who previously served as Deputy Staff Secretary to President Bill Clinton

Brussels Confirms Return of Border Checks under No-deal Brexit

THE GUARDIAN: British travellers will need to get passport stamped and may be asked about purpose of visit

British travellers will get a stamp in their passport every time they enter and leave the European Union in the event of a no-deal Brexit, the European commission has confirmed.

The announcement on border checks was revealed days after the British government secured a short extension that shifts the Brexit deadline to 12 April.

“The risk of a no-deal scenario is becoming increasingly likely,” an EU official said. The EU’s Brexit no-deal plans “cannot replicate the benefits of being an EU member” and were not “mini-deals or a negotiated no deal”, but unilateral measures to avoid disruption for the EU side, the official said.

In an information notice, the commission confirmed that in the event of a no-deal UK nationals would have the right to visa-free travel for short stays in the EU (90 days in any 180-day period), if the UK grants the same arrangement to citizens of all EU member states. “Your passport will be stamped both when you enter the EU and when you leave it, so that this period of 90 days, which is visa-free, can be calculated.”

British travellers would also lose access to the EU lane at border crossings, meaning longer queues.

In another return to the past, British travellers may be asked by border guards to provide information on the purpose of their visit and means of subsistence during their stay. Luggage would be subject to customs checks. » | Jennifer Rankin in Brussels | Monday, March 25, 2019

As Mueller Finds No Collusion, Did Press Overhype Russiagate? Glenn Greenwald vs. David Cay Johnston

As congressional Democrats call on the Justice Department to release the full Mueller report, we speak to Pulitzer Prize-winning journalists who have closely followed the probes into Russia’s meddling in the 2016 election: Glenn Greenwald, a founding editor of The Intercept and a leading critic of the media coverage of alleged Russian collusion, and David Cay Johnston, formerly of The New York Times, now founder and editor of DCReport.org, who has written critically about Donald Trump for decades. His most recent book is “It’s Even Worse Than You Think: What the Trump Administration Is Doing to America.”

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — March 25, 2019

Caring Corrupted – The Killing Nurses of The Third Reich

Cizik School of Nursing has created a REMI Platinum Award-winning documentary film that tells the grim cautionary tale of nurses who participated in the Holocaust and abandoned their professional ethics during the Nazi era. The 56-minute film, Caring Corrupted: the Killing Nurses of the Third Reich, casts a harsh light on nurses who used their professional skills to murder the handicapped

Don Lemon: This Is the Biggest Unanswered Question

CNN's Don Lemon breaks down Attorney General William Barr's summary of the Mueller report and states that the public needs to see the full report.

Mueller Report – AG Barr Letter: No Conclusion on Justice Obstruction | ABC News Report

Congress was sent a letter from Attorney General William Barr on special counsel Robert Mueller's report into the Kremlin's interference in the 2016 presidential election, a Department of Justice official tells ABC News.

Brexit: James O'Brien Shreds Dominic Raab's Comments, One by One.

Bomben auf schweizer Städte 1944/45

"Sorry for the Bombs" - so die Dokumentation aus dem Jahre 1994. Geschildert wird die Bombardierung durch die Amerikaner besonders auf die Städte Schaffhausen und Stein in den Jahren 1944-45. Die Lust auf Bombardierung - die Philosophie der Alliierten.

The Mueller Investigation (Full Film) | FRONTLINE

'People’s Vote' March: Up Close with Anti-Brexit Protesters at the 'Biggest Ever Demo'

The Guardian spends the day with the estimated 1 million protesters who came from all corners of the UK to London to demand a fresh referendum on Brexit. Organisers of the Put It to the People march said the protest could have been even bigger than the one against the Iraq war in February 2003

People's Vote Brexit Rally Draws 1 Million Marchers

Official figures put the numbers at the people's vote Brexit march on Saturday at over 1 million. People from across the UK travelled to central London to demand a second vote on whether the UK should leave the EU As hundreds of thousands march in London, what next for Brexit?

Niklas Frank bei Markus Lanz

Robert Mueller Delivers Russia Report to Justice Department

Special counsel Robert Mueller has finished his investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election. Mueller's confidential report has been delivered to Attorney General William Barr, the Justice Department announced Friday. Barr is now reviewing the findings, and has told lawmakers he could provide them with "the special counsel's principal conclusions as soon as this weekend." A Justice Department official described the report as "comprehensive."

‘Show Us Your Bone Spurs’: McCain Colleague Rebukes The President’s Attacks | Deadline | MSNBC

WaPo’s Robert Costa, AP’s Jonathan Lemire, former DOJ spox Matt Miller, NBC’s Carol Lee, and MSNBC contributor Karine Jean-Pierre on the divide within the Republican party over Trump’s continued attacks on the late Sen. John McCain

Trump isn't fit for office. He's a man-child. Even the DOW is down 460 points today. – MA

Macron Accuses Brexiters of 'Lies' over No-deal Brexit

The French president, Emmanuel Macron, has accused Brexiters of telling 'lies' to British voters, and he claimed they would be hardest hit if the UK leaves the EU without a deal. 'They told the people, "It'll be easy, it'll be quick!,"' he said. 'It's awful, there were a lot of lies.' 'Hope dies last': fatalism among EU leaders as no-deal Brexit looks likely Secret Cabinet Office document reveals chaotic planning for no-deal Brexit

What'll Be the Outcome of the US President's Latest Foreign Policy Thrust? l Inside Story

Israel captured the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967. It's been an occupied territory ever since, in defiance of multiple UN resolutions. Now, in a tweet, Donald Trump's seems set to overturn the US position and recognise Israel's sovreignty over Golan Heights.

It's a move designed to boost the standing of the Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, as he campaigns for re-election. But there's already been an international outcry. Some accuse President Trump of bringing the region close to war.

So what will be the consequences of Trump's latest policy bombshell?

Presenter: Nick Clark | Guests: Mitchell Barak - CEO of Keevoon Global Research who was an adviser to former Israeli President Shimon Peres; Aaron Southlea - Advocacy Officer for Al-Marsad, the Arab Human Rights Centre in Golan Heights; Simon Mabon - Senior Lecturer in International Studies at Lancaster University

May Dashes to Salvage Brexit Deal in Brussels

The scene is set for a crisis: MPs indicating they still won't back the PM's deal, Theresa May insisting she won't ask for a long extension, and the EU currently saying nothing except that they might convene an emergency summit next week. In Britain, over a million people have signed a petition in the last 24 hours calling for Article 50 to be revoked - a possibility that Jeremy Corbyn refused to rule out earlier.

«Hier wohnt ein Jude» –Antisemitismus grassiert nicht nur im Netz

NEUE ZÜRCHER ZEITUNG: Rechtsextreme und Muslime haben sich 2018 auf Twitter oder Facebook hundertfach judenfeindlich geäussert. Doch auch im realen Leben kommt es zu antisemitischen Übergriffen – selbst in der Armee.

Schweizer Juden würden das Parlament kontrollieren, die Medien, die Justiz und die Wirtschaft. Und: «Schweizer Juden sind krimineller als israelische Juden.» Es sind solche Aussagen auf Twitter, für die das Bezirksgericht Frauenfeld jüngst einen Palästinenser wegen antisemitischer Rassendiskriminierung verurteilt hat. Der IV-Bezüger ist einer von vielen, die sich im vergangenen Jahr judenfeindlich geäussert haben. Das zeigt der neue Antisemitismusbericht für die Deutschschweiz, den die Stiftung gegen Rassismus und Antisemitismus (GRA) und der Schweizerische Israelitische Gemeindebund (SIG) veröffentlicht haben. » | Simon Hehli | Donnerstag, 21. März 2019

Trump Recognizes Israeli Sovereignty in the Golan Heights

AXIOS: President Trump announced in a Thursday tweet that the U.S. will recognize Israeli sovereignty over the Golan Heights, which Israel first captured from Syria and occupied in 1967 and effectively annexed in 1981. » | Barak Ravid of Israel's Channel 13 news | Thursday, March 21, 2019

We Have Ways of Making You Think - Goebbels Master of Propaganda - BBC Documentary 1992

Kushner, Inc: Vicky Ward on How Jared and Ivanka’s Greed & Ambition Compromise US Foreign Policy

House Democrats are continuing to probe how President Trump’s son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner received a top-secret security clearance despite concerns from the CIA. The New York Times recently reported Trump ordered then-Chief of Staff John Kelly to grant Kushner the clearance despite the judgment of intelligence officials. Kushner failed to report over 100 foreign contacts on his initial application for clearance, which was denied by the FBI after a background check into his financial history and contacts with foreign investors. Kushner later revised his application three times, and was ultimately granted permanent security clearance last May. We speak with Vicky Ward, the author of a new book uncovering details about how Kushner has continued to let the financial dealings of his family impact the policy decisions he promoted overseas. In one case, this almost led to a war in the Middle East between Qatar and Saudi Arabia. The book is called “Kushner, Inc.: Greed. Ambition. Corruption. The Extraordinary Story of Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump.”

Donald Trump Stokes Personal Feuds, Tells Workers ‘You Better Love Me’ | The Last Word | MSNBC

The president went to Ohio to tout manufacturing, but focused on bizarre personal attacks. John Harwood tells Ali Velshi Trump is "completely absorbed in himself" amid a "slowing" economy. David Leonhardt explains why there is "no reason to believe anything" Trump says.

Is this dude in the White House truly compos mentis? – MA

Trump Holds Joint Press Conference with Brazilian President

President Donald Trump Escalates Feud With Top Advisor’s 'Husband From Hell' | Deadline | MSNBC

Former Congressman David Jolly, Vanity Fair’s Emily Jane Fox, former DOJ spox Matt Miller, former DNC senior advisor Doug Thornell, and NYT Mag’s Mark Leibovich on Trump’s growing feud with George Conway as he continues to insult the late Senator McCain

Trump Complains He Wasn't Thanked for McCain's Funeral

While President Donald Trump spoke at an Army tank plant, he doubled down on his attacks against the late Sen. John McCain, claiming the veterans were on Trump's side. CNN's Barbara Starr discusses with Brooke Baldwin.

Theresa May Makes Brexit Statement

Prime Minister Theresa May makes a statement in Downing Street.

Lionel Richie – Do It To Me

Pathetic, Incoherent, Chaotic: Europe's Verdict on Brexit Shambles

THE GUARDIAN: UK’s reputation for diplomacy, pragmatism and self-restraint has all but gone, say politicians and officials across EU

When he started out as a young civil servant, said Alexander Graf Lambsdorff, a German MP from the liberal Free Democratic party, Britain was “always held up as a model of good diplomacy, of pragmatism and of self-restraint”.

That was then. Now, with the UK’s scheduled exit barely a week away and still no clarity in sight, “No one would sign up to that view,” Lambsdorff said. “Now, the UK is seen as neither pragmatic, self-restrained, nor a model.”

For politicians, diplomats and officials across the continent, the past two-and-a-half years of Britain’s fraught, seemingly interminable and increasingly shambolic departure from the EU have proved an eye-opener.

Some have responded with humour. Nathalie Loiseau, France’s Europeminister, said recently that if she had one, she would call her cat Brexit: “It wakes me up miaowing because it wants to go out. When I open the door, its sits there, undecided. Then it looks daggers at me when I put it out.”

Others have found it harder to laugh. To the shock of many, Brexit has revealed a country they long looked up to locked in a narrative of its own exceptionalism, talking mainly to itself, incoherent, entitled, incapable of compromise (with itself or its neighbours), wholly unrealistic, and startlingly ignorant of the workings of an organisation it has belonged to for nearly 50 years. » | Jon Henley and Guardian correspondents | Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Why Americans Choose Islam with Bob Waalkes Who Accepts Islam on The Deen Show

What's Your Source? How to Tell Right from Wrong in the Age of Social Media

As fake news rises and its dangers become more clear than ever after the Christchurch terror attack, join François Picard for a debate on social media and its distribution of misinformation. Along with guests: Derek Thomson, Nathalie Terrades, Jackson Webster and Christoph Scott

Tony Blair: 'This Government Is in a State of Dysfunction' – BBC Newsnight

Science and the Swastika : Hitler's Biological Soldiers

Scott Morrison Responds to Turkish President's Gallipoli Comments

Ahead of issuing a dressing-down to the Turkish ambassador, Australian prime minister Scott Morrison was highly critical of Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's accusation of Islamophobia in the wake of the Christchurch terror attack. He said it was the job of politicians to take the heat out of such situations and no to to inflame them

Christchurch Shooting: Gun Owners Begin to Hand In Their Weapons

THE GUARDIAN: Dozens of firearms have been handed in to stations around New Zealand after appeal from Jacinda Ardern

New Zealanders have begun handing in their firearms to police in the wake of Friday’s mass shooting in Christchurch which resulted in the deaths of at least 50 people.

New Zealand police said that, as of Tuesday night, at least 37 firearms had been handed in to police officers around the country.

The prime minister is expected to announce changes to gun laws in the coming days, including measures such as a ban on semi-automatic rifles, a plan that was flagged by her attorney general, David Parker, one day after the massacre.

She emerged from a long cabinet meeting on Monday, Jacinda Ardern said her team would take the rest of the week to work out the details after agreeing to make changes “in principle”, adding: “These aren’t simple areas of law. So that’s simply what we’ll be taking the time to get right.” » | Kate Lyons | Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Christchurch Mosque Attacks: Burials Begin as Ardern Urges Students to Reject Hate

THE GUARDIAN: New Zealand prime minister returns to city where 50 were killed as foreign minister heads to Turkey

Burials for the 50 people killed the New Zealand terrorist attack have begun in Christchurch as the prime minister, Jacinda Ardern, returned to the city to pay her respects and comfort those affected by the killings.

On Wednesday, father and son Khaled and Hamza Mustafa, who arrived in New Zealand as refugees from Syria, were the first victims to be buried. The prime minister told reporters: “I cannot tell you how gutting it is to know that a family came here for safety and for refuge, and they should have been safe here.”

Earlier, police said they planned to release most of the bodies back to their families by Wednesday night, with Ardern promising to work with authorities to see if the coronial process could be sped up in future to comply with Islamic burial rites. » | Calla Wahlquist and Eleanor Ainge Roy in Christchurch | Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Labour Formally Adopts Definition of Islamophobia

THE GUARDIAN: All-party parliamentary group definition says Islamophobia is ‘rooted in racism’

The Labour party has formally adopted a definition of Islamophobia, arguing that it is vital to tackling the rise of far-right racism.

A party spokesperson said its national executive committee had adopted the working definition produced by the all-party parliamentary group on British Muslims “to help tackle Islamophobia, build a common understanding of its causes and consequences, and express solidarity with Muslim communities”.

The definition reads: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” » | Frances Perraudin | Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Jared Kushner: Power Hungry and Intent on Enriching Himself?

They were once considered a moderating influence on Donald Trump's Presidency. A new book, though, portrays Mr Trump's daughter and son-in-law, Ivanka and Jared Kushner, as a power-hungry couple, concerned primarily with enriching themselves.

The White House has dismissed it as "fiction". But there are long-standing concerns in the US over Mr Kushner's business dealings and the level of influence he has over foreign policy.

Kushner has been caught up in investigations by the Mueller Inquiry and Congress. We report from Baltimore.

'All Options Are On The table,' Morrison Warns over Erdoğan's Gallipoli Threat

THE GUARDIAN: Australian PM denounces Turkish president for saying anyone who came to Gallipoli with anti-Muslim sentiments would be sent back in coffins

The Australian prime minister has reacted furiously to comments by the Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, invoking Gallipoli to denounce anti-Islamic sentiment, warning that “all options are on the table” due to the offensive remarks.

Scott Morrison said Australia will review its travel advisory for Turkey, a threat that could see Australians directed not to travel to Turkey for Anzac Day commemorations at Gallipoli, attended by thousands every year on 25 April.

In inflammatory comments on Monday, Erdoğan suggested that anyone who comes to Turkey with anti-Muslim sentiments would be sent back in coffins, “like their grandfathers were” during the Gallipoli campaign. » | Paul Karp | Wednesday, March 20, 2019

Tory MPs Vow to Quit Party If Boris Johnson Becomes Leader

THE GUARDIAN: With many MPs convinced that PM’s days are numbered some are saying they will not stay in party run by ‘Brexit ultras’

Conservative MPs are orchestrating against a potential leadership campaign by Boris Johnson, with several talking of resigning the whip if he were to become party leader.

With Tories convinced that Theresa May’s days in No 10 are numbered, MPs are feverishly discussing who will seek to replace her, how organised the teams are and whether a general election would be necessary.

Johnson is the current favourite of Brexit-backing Tory activists, who will pick the leader out of a final two candidates. However, the former London mayor would first have to clear the hurdle of convincing Conservative MPs to put him on the final list of two.

One minister said she would leave the party if Johnson and his supporters, such as Jacob Rees-Mogg, took over the Conservatives. » | Rowena Mason, Deputy political editor | Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Donald Trump Jr and John Bolton Berate UK Leaders over Brexit

THE GUARDIAN: President’s son and US national security adviser in apparent coordinated intervention

Donald Trump Jr and the US national security adviser, John Bolton, spoke out over Brexit on Tuesday in what appeared to be a coordinated intervention by the White House into British domestic politics.

Both the US president’s son and Bolton attacked British political leadership after Theresa May said she would ask the EU for a delay to the UK’s exit from the European Union; in line with parliament’s wish.

In an article for the Daily Telegraph, Trump Jr said May should have listened to his father’s advice over Brexit, saying that a “process that should have taken only a few short months has become a years-long stalemate, leaving the British people in limbo”. According to the prime minister, Trump advised her to “sue the EU – not go into negotiations”. » | Kevin Rawlinson | Tuesday, March 19, 2019

Barnier Says EU Must Weigh Cost and Benefit of Any Brexit Delay

Michel Barnier has warned the UK government that a prolonged extension may only make sense if it increases the chances of a deal being ratified by British parliament. The EU’s chief negotiator said the bloc’s heads of state and government would want to be convinced of the usefulness of extra time, given the costs involved. Barnier added that the British government and parliament must decide quickly on how to move forward

Price of Brexit delay could be referendum or election, says Barnier »

Nazi Medical Crimes | DW Documentary

The Allied occupation of Strasbourg on November 23, 1944, spelled the end of the Reich University.

Most professors had fled, but Johannes Stein, Dean of the Medical Faculty, stayed on. What did he know about the crimes of the National Socialists? Most professors had already fled, only a few had stayed on. One of them was Johannes Stein, Dean of the Medical Faculty and grandfather of Kirsten Esch, the author of this film. This documentary is her coming to terms with her own family history. During the Third Reich, this university was seen as a prestige project of National Socialism. Intended as a spiritual bulwark of German culture in occupied Alsace, it was meant to spread Nazi ideology westwards and even eclipse the Sorbonne in Paris. The faculties were staffed with what were purportedly the best minds in Germany, including the Third Reich’s leading lawyer Ernst Rudolf Huber, and the physicist and later peace researcher Carl Friedrich von Weizsäcker. In her film, the author looks at her grandfather’s role as Dean of the Medical Faculty. What did he know about the crimes committed there? Did he ever visit the nearby Natzweiler-Struthof concentration camp, where August Hirt conducted unspeakable "experiments" on human beings? But Kirsten Esch also looks at the Reich University as a place of resistance, and talks about the local students who, led by Alphonse Adam, opposed the compulsory conscription of Alsatian men to the German Wehrmacht. For their resistance, many were sentenced to death.

Blackwater's Erik Prince: Iraq, Privatising Wars, and Trump | Head to Head

Why Trudeau's Popularity Has Taken a Nosedive

Justin Trudeau became Canadian prime minister on a platform of being nice and a clever social media campaign. The FT's Ravi Mattu explains why maintaining his carefully constructed image was always going to be difficult

Fareed on Brexit: Britain Suddenly Looks Like a Banana Republic

CNN's Fareed Zakaria reviews the historical path that led to Brexit, as well as the potential consequences it could have on Britain and the West.

Yasir Amin Survived the Christchurch Shooting

Yasir Amin survived the Christchurch shootings. He and his father were on their way to Friday prayers when they came across the gunman.

Yasir did not see the man who shot his father and said all he could "remember is a big gun".

As the car drove away, Yasir called an ambulance. He had no idea of the carnage just metres away from him inside the mosque.

Yasir wanted to stay by his father's bedside at the hospital, but was given another grim task: identifying the bodies of other victims at the morgue.

One of the nine people he identified was his best friend, Nahim Rashid.

Persecution of Homosexuals in Germany: During and After the Holocaust – Geoffrey Giles

Geoffrey Giles, a scholar of groundbreaking research and writings on the Allied occupation of Germany, speaks about the persecution of homosexuals in Nazi Germany and in post-war, occupied Germany.

Constitutional Chaos after Third Vote on Brexit Deal Blocked

THE GUARDIAN: PM likely to have to request long article 50 extension after Bercow intervenes

Theresa May’s government has been plunged into constitutional chaos after the Speaker blocked the prime minister from asking MPs to vote on her Brexit deal for a third time unless it had fundamentally changed.

With 11 days to go until Britain is due to leave the EU, May was forced to pull her plans for another meaningful vote because John Bercow said she could not ask MPs to pass the same deal, after they rejected it twice by huge margins. EU officials meanwhile were considering offering her a new date for a delayed Brexit to resolve the crisis.

Quoting from the guide to parliamentary procedure, Erskine May, Bercow said the question “may not be brought forward again during the same session” and that it was a “strong and longstanding convention” dating back to 1604. It must be “not different in terms of wording, but different in terms of substance”, he said, suggesting there must be a change in what the EU is offering. » | Jessica Elgot, Rowena Mason and Daniel Boffeyin Brussels | Monday, March 18, 2019

Bertram Schaffner on Helping Gay Soldiers during WWII

WWII Veteran Bertram Schaffner, a gay man himself, talks about how he dealt with the military's anti-gay policy while evaluating draftees.

Trump Backs Jeanine Pirro after Fall-out over Comments on Islam

President Trump is defending Fox News host Jeanine Pirro after her show was off the air Saturday night. The scheduling change came one week after she was criticized for doubting Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar's patriotism.

Maajid Nawaz – "Far-right Terrorism Is the Fastest Growing Threat in the West" – CNN

Quilliam International's founder, Maajid Nawaz, on CNN with Anderson Cooper discussing the New Zealand Mosque terror attacks. Maajid explains how It's "important that instead of responding to these sorts of incidents with more hate and more anger, that all of us make every effort to hold our societies together and challenge extremism from any direction that we see it."

President Donald Trump Gives Lukewarm Condemnation Of White Nationalists | Velshi & Ruhle | MSNBC

The death toll is rising after the massacre in New Zealand with 50 people now dead. Stephanie Ruhle is joined by NBC’s Geoff Bennett to discuss the White House’s response to the horrific attack and New York Times Contributing Opinion Writer Wajahat Ali to discuss the president’s lukewarm condemnation of white nationalists in the wake of the shooting.

Meghan McCain: Trump 'Will Never Be a Great Man'

Meghan McCain continued her fierce pushback against President Donald Trump, who over the weekend revived his long-running feud with her father, the late Sen. John McCain. "Listen, he spends his weekend obsessing over great men because he knows it, and I know it, and all of you know it: he will never be a great man," McCain said on ABC's "The View," where she is a co-host.

Face To Face | Carl Gustav Jung (1959) HQ

John Freeman interviews Professor Jung at his home in Switzerland. (Theme music: excerpt from Les Francs-Juges by Berlioz)

Full Interview here »

Dr Ali Ataie – Secret of Names of Prophets

Is Tucker Carlson a White Supremacist? | March 13, 2019 Act 1 | Full Frontal on TBS

A number of deeply upsetting comments from Tucker Carlson were recently unearthed, but he's different now: before he was saying them on the radio and now he's saying them on TV!

Donald Trump Jr. Is Being Prepped To Run For President

Did the Anti-Muslim Rhetoric among Australian Politicians Fuel the New Zealand Terror Attacks?

Did the anti-Muslim rhetoric among Australian politicians spur on terrorist Brenton Tarrant, the Australian national who killed at least 50 people in the Christchurch terror attacks?

Three Dead in Shooting in Dutch City of Utrecht: Mayor | Al Jazeera English

Three people are dead and nine wounded after a gunman opened fire in a tram in the central Dutch city of Utrecht says the city's mayor Jan von Zanen.

Dutch authorities have raised the threat level to its highest, and Prime Minister Mark Rutte said all efforts were focusing on the "suspect or suspects" responsible.

Al Jazeera's Fleur Launspach reports from Utrecht.

Former Neo-Nazi: President Trump May Be Complicit in Growing Threat of White Supremacy

President Donald Trump is refusing to acknowledge the global rise of white nationalism in the wake of the hate-fueled New Zealand massacre that left 50 Muslim worshipers dead on Friday. Police have arrested and charged 28-year-old white supremacist Brenton Tarrant with the killings. Before the attacks, Tarrant published a manifesto in which he praised Trump as “a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose” and described immigrants as “invaders.” On the same day, Trump claimed there was an “invasion” occurring on the southern border, signing his first presidential veto rejecting a resolution reversing his declaration of a national emergency on the U.S.-Mexico border. We speak with Christian Picciolini, the founder of Free Radicals Project, a nonprofit helping people disengage from hate and violent extremism. He was a leading neo-Nazi skinhead and far-right extremist in the 1980s and '90s. He is the author of “White American Youth: My Descent into America's Most Violent Hate Movement—and How I Got Out.” We also speak with Khaled Beydoun, a law professor at the University of Arkansas and author of “American Islamophobia: Understanding the Roots and Rise of Fear.”

State-Sponsored Islamophobia & Trump’s Anti-Immigrant Rhetoric Embolden Right-Wing Terrorists

Fifty people are dead, and millions around the globe are mourning, following the massacre at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, on Friday. The terrorist attack unfolded during Friday prayer, when a lone gunman and avid white supremacist opened fire on worshipers while live-streaming the attack on Facebook. It was the deadliest shooting in the country’s modern history. The youngest of the dead is 3-year-old Mucad Ibrahim. Police have arrested and charged a 28-year-old Australian white supremacist named Brenton Tarrant with the killings. Tarrant published a manifesto praising President Donald Trump as “a symbol of renewed white identity and common purpose.” Trump has refused to acknowledge the global rise of white nationalism in the wake of the attack. We speak with Khaled Beydoun, a law professor at the University of Arkansas and the author of “American Islamophobia: Understanding the Roots and Rise of Fear.” He says, “There’s an underbelly of anti-Muslim animus that facilitates the emergence of the very brazen Islamophobia we see today, weaponized by people like President Trump or by terrorists on the ground in places like New Zealand who commit massacres like we saw on Friday.”

Utrecht Shooting: A Gunman Opened Fire at Several Locations - BBC News

A gunman has opened fire inside a tram and at several other locations in the Dutch city of Utrecht, authorities say.

Dutch anti-terrorism co-ordinator Pieter-Jaap Aalbersberg said all efforts were now focused on catching the gunman. He also said there could be more than one perpetrator.

The threat level has been temporarily raised to its highest point in the province of Utrecht.

Heavily armed police are reportedly gathered outside a house on a street near the 24 Oktoberplein junction, where the tram attack took place, with reports they are preparing to launch a raid.

Iranian Human Rights Lawyer Sentenced to 38 Years and 148 Lashes

Nasrin Sotoudeh defended political prisoners and worked to abolish Iran's death penalty. Human rights groups are worried her sentence could signal increased repression of peace activism in Iran under a judiciary with a history of human rights violations

Are Trump Supporters the Most Gullible People on Earth?

Back before most of us were born, President Harry Truman called out the GOP for lying to the American people, saying they were using “the best propaganda money can buy.” Today the GOP is using the exact same tactics. Meet the New GOP Scam, same as the old GOP scam.

Saudi Crown Prince Allegedly Stripped of Some Authority

THE GUARDIAN: Series of Mohammed bin Salman no-shows at high-profile meetings fed claims of rift with king

The heir to the Saudi throne has not attended a series of high-profile ministerial and diplomatic meetings in Saudi Arabia over the last fortnight and is alleged to have been stripped of some of his financial and economic authority, the Guardian has been told.

The move to restrict, if only temporarily, the responsibilities of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is understood to have been revealed to a group of senior ministers earlier last week by his father, King Salman.

The king is said to have asked Bin Salman to be at this cabinet meeting, but he failed to attend.

While the move has not been declared publicly, the Guardian has been told that one of the king’s trusted advisers, Musaed al-Aiban, who was educated at Harvard and recently named as national security adviser, will informally oversee investment decisions on the king’s behalf.

The Saudi embassy in Washington has declined multiple requests for comment since the Guardian approached it on Tuesday. » | Stephanie Kirchgaessner in Washington, and Nick Hopkins in London | Monday, March 18, 2019

Islamophobia Inc | Al Jazeera Investigations

Across the United States, there has been a growth in organizations that portray Islam as a threat.

Over two years, the number of groups that make up what’s become known as the Islamophobia industry has more than tripled.

This investigation reveals the tactics these groups use to instigate a fear of Islam, including how they manipulate social media to create a false narrative that Muslims are trying to take over the country.

Anti-Muslim messages proliferate social media with bought-in followers, fake accounts and robotic amplifiers.

The investigation also shows how these organizations try to suppress the rise of a Muslim political voice in America. It uncovers the “dark money” that has fuelled the rapid growth of Islamophobia Inc. - tens of millions of dollars which is funnelled through secretive, anonymous donor funds.

We unveil the donors of the dark money and ask; what do they ultimately hope to achieve?

New Zealand Mosque Attacks: Social Media Comes Under Attack | Al Jazeera English

Since Friday's attacks at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, social media platforms have been criticised for failing to stop the suspect's shooting video, and hate-filled manifesto, from going viral. Why was it so difficult for the social media giants, with all their resources and latest technology, to contain the spread of videos of New Zealand mosque attacks? Al Jazeera's Mereana Hond reports.

Why Is Islamophobia Increasing in Western Countries? | Inside Story

New Zealand’s Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern calls it a ‘terrorist attack.’ She was sent a 74-page so-called "manifesto" against Muslims and immigrants by a suspected gunman just minutes before he began firing indiscriminately at the first of two mosques in Christchurch.

In the "manifesto" the suspect describes U.S. President Donald Trump as a symbol of renewed white identity.

When Trump asked Ardern what he could do to help, she told him to show "sympathy and love for all Muslim communities."

So what's driving the hatred and prejudice against Muslims in Western countries? And is it linked to white supremacy?

Presenter: Hazem Sika | Guests: Tasneem Chopra, chair of the Australian Muslim Women's Centre for Human Rights; Rodger Shanahan, research fellow at the Lowy Institute; Matthew Goodwin, professor at the University of Kent and former member of the UK government's Anti-Muslim Hatred Working Group.

Philby's Choice. Unknown Life of the World's Most Talented Spy

Gilet Jaunes: Yellow Vest Protesters Fight Police, Ransack Shops and Set Fire to Bank in Paris

THE INDEPENDENT: Interior minister condemns 'ultra violent' group as city is ransacked

Yellow vest protesters hurled stones at police officers, ransacked shops along the Champs-Elysees and set fire to a bank, as Paris saw its 18th consecutive weekend of protests.

Police fired tear gas and water cannons at the anti-government demonstrators after the protests turned violent.

Firefighters rescued two people from a burning bank, with 11 people suffering minor injuries in the blaze.

Two news stands on the avenue also caught fire, as bonfires burned in the streets. By late afternoon police officers had arrested around 120 protesters.

A number of demonstrators ransacked the high-end Fouquet's restaurant and clashed with riot police in front of the Arc de Triomphe. » | Zamira Rahim | Sunday, March 17, 2019

Holocaust Survivor Anton Mason Testimony

Opinion: Dissecting the Dreams of Brexit Britain

THE NEW YORK TIMES: I've traveled England trying to understand what drives the Brexit psyche.

The June 2016 Brexit referendum left Britain a divided nation. That much we know. But the referendum didn’t create division. It exposed something that was already there, latent. This was hard to see if you attended to people’s conventional political views about taxation or public spending; even the issue of immigration, by itself, wasn’t “it.” Nor was it to be found in something as vague as “feelings” or “emotions.” It lay elsewhere, in the realm of the individual political psyche, that blending of personal, family and nonacademic history, casually informed reasoning, clan prejudice, tribal loyalty and ancestor worship that forms the imaginative framework in which, as we represent it to ourselves, our lives relate to events in the wider world. Read on and comment » | James Meek | Mr. Meek is the author, most recently, of “Dreams of Leaving and Remaining.” | Friday, March 15, 2019

The Guardian View on the Christchurch Attacks: Extremism’s Rising Danger

THE GUARDIAN: The far right seeks to divide. Responsible politicians ought, especially in times of grief and anger, to bring people together

New Zealand is best known for its breathtaking wilderness, found in distant but secure islands at the edge of the world. On Friday that changed. Forty-nine people were killed in shootings at two mosques in central Christchurch in a suspected terrorist attack during the congregational prayer. The horrific events have left the country in mourning and shock. Muslims make up less than 1% of New Zealand’s population and the faith’s most prominent adherent is a rugby player. This was a stupefying amount of lethal force in a country that saw only 35 homicides in all of 2017. New Zealand as a nation will collectively have to deal with a trauma that no parent, no relative, no friend should ever endure. » | Editorial | Friday, March 15, 2019

Could Brexit Be Delayed? - Inside Story

'Brexit means Brexit' - or maybe it doesn't after all.

Britain's Prime Minister has repeated her slogan many times, insisting that Britain will leave the European Union on March the 29th. But with just two weeks to go, MPs have voted to delay the divorce until June.

The leaders of ALL EU countries now need to decide whether that can happen. And despite the biggest vote defeat in British parliamentary history, Theresa May says she'll try one more time next week to persuade MPs to back her withdrawal deal.

Will the European Union delay Brexit?

Presenter: Hazem Sika | Guests: Catherine McBride - Senior Economist, International Trade and Competition Unit at the Institute of Economic Affairs, London; Donnacha O'Beachain - Associate Professor, School of Law and Government, Dublin City University; Jon Worth - European Union Affairs blogger and visiting lecturer, College of Europe in Bruges, Belgium

North Korea Threatens to Scuttle Talks With the U.S. and Resume Tests

THE NEW YORK TIMES: North Korea threatened on Friday to suspend negotiations with the Trump administration over the North’s nuclear arms program and said its leader, Kim Jong-un, would soon decide whether to resume nuclear and missile tests.

Addressing diplomats and foreign correspondents at a news conference in Pyongyang, the North Korean capital, Vice Foreign Minister Choe Son-hui said that personal relations between Mr. Kim and Mr. Trump were “still good and the chemistry is mysteriously wonderful.”

But she said that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and John Bolton, Mr. Trump’s national security adviser, had created an “atmosphere of hostility and mistrust” that thwarted the top leaders’ negotiations in Hanoi, Vietnam, last month.

After the Hanoi meeting ended without a deal, the North Korean leader had serious doubts about the merits of continuing negotiations with Mr. Trump, Ms. Choe said. » | Choe Sang-Hun | Friday, March 15, 2019

Holocaust Survivor Frank Shurman Testimony

This testimony from Jewish Survivor Frank Shurman is from the archive of the USC Shoah Foundation Institute and is also featured in Echoes & Reflections: A Multimedia Curriculum on the Holocaust.

Irish PM Brings Partner to Meet Mike Pence and Delivers Pointed Remarks on Sexuality

THE GUARDIAN: Leo Varadkar spoke on the changes for Ireland and called out various forms of discrimination

The Irish prime minister, Leo Varadkar, who is gay, brought his partner to a meeting on Thursday with the US vice-president, Mike Pence, a conservative Christian once dubbed “the face of anti-LGBTQ hate in America”.

Varadkar, who is in Washington this week to reaffirm the longstanding shared history between the two countries, brought his partner, Matt Barrett, to a St Patrick’s Day breakfast at the vice-presidential residence at the Naval Observatory.

Varadkar tweeted that he and Barrett had received a “warm reception” at Pence’s home, but in pointed remarks to Pence and gathered media, he also called out various forms of discrimination.

“I lived in a country where if I’d tried to be myself at the time, it would have ended up breaking laws,” he said. “But today, that is all changed. I stand here, leader of my country, flawed and human, but judged by my political actions, and not by my sexual orientation, my skin tone, gender or religious beliefs.” » | Luke O’Neil | Thursday, March 14, 2019

Jacinda Ardern Says Christchurch Mosque Shootings Were Terrorist Attack

New Zealand's prime minister has issued 'the strongest possible condemnation of the ideology of the people who did this' after mass shootings at two mosques. The country's terrorism threat level has been raised and flights in and out of Christchurch were cancelled as intelligence agencies worked to secure the city. Mass shooting at two Christchurch mosques – video report.

THE GUARDIAN: What we know so far »

THE GUARDIAN: Far-right ideology detailed in Christchurch shooting 'manifesto' » | Lisa Martin | Friday, March 15, 2019

Trump’s War Hawk Advisors Have Pushed Us Into A New Cold War

The Trump Administration has put us back into a new Cold War, thanks to his incompetent, war-hungry advisors. By pulling the US out of the INF treaty with Russia, this administration has launched a new arms race that could dwarf what we saw during the decades of the Cold War. The only people who come out on top of this are the defense contractors. Ring of Fire’s Mike Papantonio and Farron Cousins discuss this issue.