Can Netanyahu Avoid Indictment? l Inside Story

He's the first sitting Israeli Prime Minister to be put on official notice of planned prosecution on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust. But Benjamin Netanyahu says he's innocent and will stay in his post. Israel's attorney general says he plans to indict Netanyahu on corruption charges.

If convicted he could face up to 10 years in prison. Netanyahu dismisses the allegations as a political “witch-hunt” designed to oust him from power. A hearing to decide if the prosecution goes ahead won't take place until after Israel's general election in April. So what’s likely to happen if, by then, Netanyahu has won a fifth term as prime minister? And what does it mean for his political career?

Presenter: Laura Kyle | Guests Akiva Eldar, Israeli Columnist for Al-Monitor; Yossi Mekelberg, Professor in International Relations at Regent's University in London; Mitchell Barak, speechwriter for former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and former Israeli President Shimon Peres.

President Donald Trump, Ivanka Deny Special Treatment For Jared Kushner | Morning Joe | MSNBC

The president overruled concerns of security officials and his own White House counsel and ordered that a top-secret security clearance be given to Jared Kushner, his son-in-law and senior adviser, The New York Times reported Thursday.

Joe: President Donald Trump Appeases Yet Another Dictator | Morning Joe | MSNBC

As the president and North Korea are at odds over the reason for a breakdown in talks, Trump is receiving criticism from both sides of the aisle for saying he believed Kim Jong Un regarding the death of Otto Warmbier.

Fractured France: “There Will Be a Civil War” - BBC News

Yellow vest protestors have caused havoc on the streets on France for the past 15 weeks, driven by anger over fuel taxes, the cost of living, and a political system they detest. Now, President Macron has promised to listen to people’s frustrations and make changes.

But does he have what it takes to see off the protesters, or is France heading for a civil war? The Nine’s Europe Correspondent Jean Mackenzie has taken a road trip across the country to find out.

Reported by Jean Mackenzie; Produced by Sara Monetta

Concern over Food Safety as US Seeks Greater Access to UK Markets

THE GUARDIAN: US sets out aims for post-Brexit trade deal amid fears about chicken and beef standards

The US has outlined its objectives for a post-Brexit trade deal with the UK, demanding greater access to the food markets where products such as chlorinated chicken or hormone-fed beef are currently banned under EU rules.

The US laid out its aims for a trade deal to cut tariff and non-tariff barriers for US industrial and agricultural goods and reduce regulatory differences.

The Trump administration is seeking to eliminate or reduce barriers for US agricultural products and secure duty-free access for industrial goods. » | Lisa O’Carroll, Brexit correspondent | Friday, March 1, 2019

Why Did the Trump-Kim Summit Break Down? | Inside Story

'Sometimes you have to walk.' This was how US president Donald Trump described the sudden end to his summit with North Korea's leader, Kim Jong-un.

The pair arrived in Vietnam with hopes of building on last year's historic summit in Singapore. However, less than two days later, they signed no agreement, and it's unclear when they'll talk again.

North Korea's neighbours South Korea and China both said they were disappointed with the outcome. So what went wrong? And where does it leave the nuclear threat from North Korea?

Presenter: Hoda Abdel-Hamid | Guests: Se-Woong Koo - Publisher, Korea Expose; Robert Gutsche - Associate Professor at Lancaster University; Emil Dall - Research Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute and Specialist on Nuclear Proliferation

Specter of Fascism: Cohen Says Trump Won’t Leave Peacefully in 2020

Hearings reveal deepening systemic corruption, further degeneration of GOP, progressive members standout in questioning - Jacqueline Lukman, Henry Giroux and Carmen Russell-Sluchansky join Paul Jay

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — February 28, 2019

Luxembourg PM Takes Arab Leaders to Task on Gay Rights at Summit

THE GUARDIAN: Xavier Bettel says his same-sex marriage would condemn him to death in some countries

Luxembourg’s prime minister, Xavier Bettel, has confronted Arab leaders over the repression of gay rights, telling them his same-sex marriage would condemn him to death in some of their countries.

The conference room at a summit of EU and Arab states fell silent when Bettel made his statement, according to a German TV journalist.

Retweeting this account, Bettel wrote: “Saying nothing was not an option for me.” The tweet was signed with his initials.

Bettel, the first EU leader to be married to a same-sex partner, had planned to make the intervention before arriving at the summit, which was the first gathering between the EU and Arab League.

Homosexuality is punishable by death under sharia law in Saudi Arabia, Sudan and Yemen. Other countries in the region prohibit same-sex acts, including Algeria, Morocco, Oman, Tunisia, Syria, Kuwait and some of the United Arab Emirates. » | Jennifer Rankin in Brussels | Thursday, February 28, 2019

Trump: I Took Kim at His Word over Otto Warmbier's Torture

THE GUARDIAN: President says he believes North Korean leader knew nothing about treatment of US student

Donald Trump has said he took Kim Jong-un “at his word” when he denied any responsibility in the imprisonment and torture of Otto Warmbier that led to the US student’s death in 2017.

“Some really bad things happened to Otto,” Trump said. “But Kim tells me that he didn’t know about it and I will take him at his word.”

Although Kim wields tremendous power in one of the world’s last totalitarian regimes, Trump said he believed the North Korean leader was not aware of Warmbier’s imprisonment in January 2016 and torture in jail until it was too late.

“I don’t believe he knew about it. He felt very badly about it, I did speak to him. He knew about it, but he knew about it after,” Trump said. North Korea, he went on, was a “big country” with “a lot of people in those prisons and the camps – there are some bad people”. » | Juliaan Borger in Hanoi | Thursday, February 28, 2019

Donald Trump 'a Racist, a Conman' Who Committed Crimes as President – Cohen

THE GUARDIAN: Cohen says Trump had prior knowledge of WikiLeaks release and conducted ‘criminal scheme to violate campaign finance laws’

In explosive public testimony before Congress, Donald Trump’s former attorney Michael Cohen cast the president as a “racist” and a “conman” who engaged in criminal activity after taking office as president to cover up an illegal hush money payment to an adult film actor.

Appearing before the House oversight committee on Wednesday, Cohen became the first Trump associate to allege that Trump had prior knowledge that his longtime adviser, Roger Stone, was communicating with WikiLeaks during the 2016 election regarding the release of hacked Democratic Party emails.

He also said Trump was aware of the infamous Trump Tower meeting between members of his presidential campaign, including his son Donald Trump Jr, and a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin, which was arranged under the pretense of receiving damaging information about Hillary Clinton. Cohen’s testimony marked a rare opportunity for millions of Americans to bear witness to the account of a central player in multiple investigations ensnaring the president and his inner circle. Cohen acted for more than a decade as the president’s fixer – a role in which he became intimately familiar with both Trump’s personal and professional affairs. » | Sabrina Siddiqui in Washington and Jon Swaine in New York | Wednesday, February 27, 2019

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

UK Shooting Range Uses Shamima Begum Image for Targets

THE GUARDIAN: Wirral firm says woman who joined Isis in Syria had shown lack of empathy

A shooting range in Wirral has defended its use of targets with an image of Shamima Begum, the teenager who travelled from the UK to Syria to join Islamic State, saying it had received a high number of requests from customers.

Children as young as six can visit the Wallasey site, which also reportedly features targets of high-profile figures, such as Donald Trump and Margaret Thatcher. » | Mattha Busby | Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Netherlands Cuts Muslim Man's Benefits for Refusing to Shave Beard

THE GUARDIAN: Dutch court backs suspension after man told he had to be clean shaven to train as asbestos removal officer

A Dutch court has backed the suspension of a Muslim man’s benefits over his refusal on religious grounds to shave his beard while on training for a job.

The unnamed man had been offered a job as an asbestos removal officer but was subsequently told he would need to be clean shaven in order to undergo the training course.

When he refused on the basis of his religious convictions, Amersfoort city council suspended payments to both him and his wife for a month under the Participatiewet, which provides a minimum income for every legal resident in the Netherlands. » | Daniel Boffey in Brussels | Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Donald Trump Hails ‘Great Leader’ Kim Jong-un at Hanoi Summit

THE GUARDIAN: US president flatters North Korean counterpart and offers economic help if he disarms

Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un have begun their second summit, with the US president calling his North Korean counterpart “a great leader” and offering to help give his country a “tremendous future”.

The two leaders advanced towards each other and shook hands in front of a dozen US and North Korean flags, set up in the Metropole hotel in Hanoi, in a tableau almost identical to the backdrop at their first meeting, eight months ago in Singapore.

In his remarks to the press, Trump addressed criticism that the first summit had not lived up to his claims that it was a breakthrough that would lead to North Korea’s disarmament and end the nuclear threat the country posed.

“It is an honour to be with Chairman Kim. It’s an honour to be together in a country, Vietnam, where they have rolled out the red carpet and they are very honoured to have us,” the US president told reporters as the two men sat alongside each other before brief introductory talks. » | Julian Borger in Hanoi | Wednesday, February 27, 2019

Ivanka Laughing In The Face Of Poor People

Democracy Now! Top US News & World Headlines — February 26, 2019

The “Permanent War State” Aims to Plunder Venezuela - Wilkerson and Jay

Trump promises “democracy and freedom” to Venezuela, delivered by Elliot Abrams who brought you illegal wars, coups, and support for dictatorships; and Mike Pompeo and VP Pence, both with deep ties to the Koch brothers who need Venezuelan heavy crude to feed their Texas refinery - Col. Larry Wilkerson joins TRNN’s Paul Jay

Labour Party Leader, Under Pressure, Backs a New Brexit Referendum

THE NEW YORK TIMES: LONDON — Britain’s opposition Labour Party said on Monday that it was prepared to support a second referendum on withdrawal from the European Union, a shift that could have significant ramifications for the fate of Brexit and for the country’s future.

After the resignations of nine Labour Party members last week, and amid the prospect of more, the party’s leader, Jeremy Corbyn, dropped his longstanding resistance to a second vote on leaving the bloc.

Mr. Corbyn’s support for a new vote is certainly no guarantee a new vote will happen. Still, it will cheer pro-European Britons, who have been fighting to reverse the outcome of the 2016 referendum decision. » | Stephen Castle | Monday, February 25, 2019

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