Trump Pardons Fraudster Conrad Black after Glowing Biography

THE GUARDIAN: Former media mogul who owned Daily Telegraph spent more than three years in prison

Conrad Black, the former media mogul who owned the Daily Telegraph and the Spectator before being jailed for fraud, has been pardoned by Donald Trump – shortly after writing a book praising the US president.

The Canadian-born British citizen was once known for his extravagant lifestyle as he ran an international newspaper empire that included the Chicago Sun-Times and the Jerusalem Post. But he ended up serving three and a half years in prison after being convicted in 2007 of siphoning off millions of dollars from the sale of newspapers owned by the company he controlled.

Since leaving jail Black, who is also a British peer, has been on a quest to clear his name. Last year he published a book entitled Donald J Trump: A President Like No Other, writing that Trump “is not, in fact, a racist, sexist, warmonger, hothead, promoter of violence, or a foreign or domestic economic warrior”. He suggested the president had been misunderstood. » | Jim Waterson, media editor | Thursday, May 16, 2019

Donald Trump Says He Is 'Absolutely' Ready to Send Troops to Confront Iran

THE TELEGRAPH: Donald Trump yesterday suggested he is ready to send “a hell of a lot” of troops to confront Iran in the Middle East amid warnings that the two countries are stumbling towards a war.

The comments come amid mounting diplomatic and military tensions in the Persian Gulf after Iran-aligned Yemeni rebels attacked an oil pipeline in Saudi Arabia and an unidentified attacker attempted to sabotage tankers.

Mr Trump said reports that the Pentagon has already drawn up plans to deploy 120,000 soldiers to the region in preparation for conflict were “fake news.”

But he added: “Now, would I do that? Absolutely. But we have not planned for that,” he said.

“Hopefully we’re not going to have to plan for that. And if we did that, we’d send a hell of a lot more troops than that,” he said. » | Roland Oliphant, Senior Foreign Correspondent | Tuesday, May 14, 2019

Democracy Now! Top US & World Headlines — May 15, 2019

Methodist Church Should Allow Same-sex Marriages, Report States

THE TELEGRAPH: Methodists have recommended that gay couples be allowed to marry in their churches for the first time in a groundbreaking report.

In a document published on Tuesday ahead of the Methodist Church’s Conference this summer, a task force called for a series of recommendations in a bid to modernise the Methodist Church.

The report was drawn up amid changes in society regarding same-sex relationships, cohabition and the delicining marriage rate, the legalisation of civil partnerships and same-sex marriage.

It also comes following the Government’s revelation last year that civil partnerships would be rolled out to heterosexual couples and the proposal has been welcomed by the LGBT community. » | Gabriella Swerling, Social and Religious Affairs Editor | Tuesday, May 14, 2019

Trump Administration Beats War Drums

Trump is one step away from starting a war with Iran. Cenk Uygur and Ana Kasparian, hosts of The Young Turks, break it down.

US Fails to Get International Support for Iran Policy | DW News

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is on a mission to rally support for Washington's Iran policy. So far his mission hasn't gone quite the way he'd like. Though Pompeo has been on the road for the past week, neither the EU nor Russia is backing the US strategy towards Iran.

Meanwhile, Pompeo has been reassuring Russia and the EU that Washington is not heading towards conflict with Iran. Pompeo's comments came during his first official visit to Russia, a key backer of Tehran. Iran has blamed the current crisis in the Gulf region on Washington's decision to pull out of the Iran nuclear deal.

Latest: Who Has NY Times in Their Pocket?

RT America’s Dan Cohen joins Rick Sanchez to discuss the commercial entanglements affecting New York Times and outlets like it and how said entanglements inform their habit of blaming the “Russian threat” for any reporting of legitimate concerns about 5G technology, fracking, genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and more.

Iyad el-Baghdadi: In the 'Crosshairs' of Saudi Government | Talk to Al Jazeera

Just a few months after journalist Jamal Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul, another Arab dissident says his life is also in danger.

Iyad el-Baghdadi is a pro-democracy activist and strong critic of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. The UK's Guardian newspaper reported that Norwegian officials took him from his home in Oslo to a secure location. There, he was told the CIA had warned Norway's government the Saudis had him "in their crosshairs".

El-Baghdadi gained popularity during the Arab Spring when he posted pro-human rights messages on social media. The Palestinian activist was granted asylum in Norway four years ago after being expelled from the United Arab Emirates for criticising Middle Eastern regimes.

In an exclusive interview, Iyad el-Baghdadi discusses an unlikely friendship with the murdered ‘Washington Post’ journalist Jamal Khashoggi and how continuing Khashoggi's work has made him a target of the Saudi government.

US Embassy in Iraq Orders Non-emergency Staff to Leave | Al Jazeera English

The US State Department has ordered all non-emergency government employees to leave Iraq immediately. This comes amid rising tensions in the region. Last week the US deployed warships to the Gulf in a move it said was a response to indications of threats from Iran. Al Jazeera's Rob Matheson joins us live from Baghdad.

John Bolton Wants Regime Change in Iran. What’s His Alternaative?

THE NEW YORK TIMES: White House Reviews Military Plans Against Iran, in Echoes of Iraq War » | Eric Schmitt and Julian E. Barnes | Monday, May 13, 2019

Will John Bolton’s Dream to Bomb Iran Come True? Ex-Iranian Ambassador Warns About US Escalation

The Pentagon has reportedly drawn up a plan to send as many as 120,000 troops to the Middle East if President Trump decides to take military action against Iran. The New York Times reports the Pentagon presented the proposal on Thursday after National Security Advisor John Bolton requested a revision to an earlier plan. Bolton has long advocated for attacking Iran. According to the Pentagon, far more than 120,000 troops would be needed if a ground invasion was ordered. This comes as tension continues to escalate between the United States and Iran. The United States recently deployed the Abraham Lincoln Carrier Strike Group and a bomber task force to the region claiming there was a “credible threat by Iranian regime forces.” Iran has announced it will stop complying with parts of the landmark 2015 nuclear deal and resume high-level enrichment of uranium in 60 days if other signatories of the deal do not take action to shield Iran’s oil and banking sectors from U.S. sanctions. The U.S. has attempted to cut Iran off from the global economy, even though Iran has remained in compliance with the nuclear deal. We speak with Ambassador Seyed Hossein Mousavian, a Middle East Security and Nuclear Policy Specialist at Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He served as spokesperson for Iran in its nuclear negotiations with the European Union from 2003 to 2005.

Trump Praises Controversial Hungarian Leader Shunned by Bush and Obama

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán returned to the White House for the first time in more than a decade to meet President Trump, despite former Presidents Obama and Bush cutting ties with the leader for his controversial stances on immigration. CNN's Kaitlan Collins reports.

Doris Day – 'Move Over Darling'

Not Too Often Heard In Stereo, Doris's 1964 Hit 'Move Over Darling'

The Unforgettable Doris Day Singing ‘Que Séra Séra’

Hollywood Legend Doris Day Dies Aged 97

Doris Day - one of Hollywood's biggest stars of the 1950s and 60s - has died aged 97. Day was known for her dozens of film appearances, including in the musical Calamity Jane and Pillow Talk. She also famously sang Que Sera, Sera in Hitchcock film The Man Who Knew Too Much. From the United States, here's our Correspondent Amanda Walker.

Is Iran Conducting Secret Sabotage Attacks? | DW News

Saudi Arabia is claiming that an alleged "sabotage attack" took place against its tankers in the Gulf. The Kingdom's foreign ministry has called the reported incident a dangerous threat to navigation and international security. The United Arab Emirates also says that four commercial vessels were hit by "sabotage attacks" near the port city of Fujairah in the Strait of Hormuz, off its eastern coast. Two of Saudi's oil tankers were among the targets. The alleged incidents come amid rising tensions between Iran and the US. Iran has called for a probe to find out who's responsible. Meanwhile, EU Ministers are meeting in Brussels today to try to salvage the Iran nuclear deal. After the US enacted new sanctions against Iran last week, Tehran threatened to pull out of the deal unless its European partners make concessions.

‘Trump Administration Wants War with Iran’ – Colonel

Two Saudi oil tankers and a Norwegian vessel were damaged in an attack off of the United Arab Emirates in the Persian Gulf this weekend. Details of the incident are unclear but the US and Saudi officials are describing this incident as sabotage. Iran’s government is calling for further clarification. Retired US Army Colonel Ann Wright sits down with RT America’s Manila Chan to discuss.

The Dark Side of Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince l Al Jazeera English (2018)

Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince, Mohammed bin Salman, has been on a quick rise to power and has been touted as a progressive reformer. But his human rights record casts a dark shadow on his economic and social reforms.

Here are 8 things that have gone wrong since MBS started his ascent to power:

1. War in Yemen

2. Detention of Lebanon’s PM

3. Ritz-Carlton purge

4. GCC crisis and blockade of Qatar

5. Jailed women’s rights activists

6. Diplomatic spat with Canada

7. Rise of executions in the kingdom

8. Disappearance of Jamal Khashoggi

The number of executions in the kingdom has rapidly increased lately. According to human rights organisations, MBS has overseen the execution, of 16 people on average per month, every month. If this rate continues, 2018 could see 200 executions. That is the highest number ever recorded in Saudi Arabia in one year.

In October 2018, Saudi journalist and MBS critic Jamal Khashoggi enters a Saudi consulate in Istanbul and never comes out. Pressure mounted on Saudi Arabia to reveal what happened to Khashoggi: world leaders demanded a thorough and transparent investigation.

Iyad el-Baghdadi Faces Threat from Saudi Arabia | Al Jazeera English

A Palestinian activist who was warned by the Norwegian government of a possible threat against him from Saudi Arabia is holding a press conference for the first time.

Iyad el-Baghdadi was told that the threat had been passed on to Norwegian authorities by the United States Central Intelligence Agency. He was informed there could be several reasons why Saudi Arabia would target him.

Iyad was granted asylum in Norway four years ago and is a critic of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.

Ireland Bars Christian Fundamentalist Pastor from Entering Country

THE GUARDIAN: Immigration law used for first time to deny entry to anti-gay preacher Steven Anderson

An anti-gay US Christian fundamentalist pastor who has been accused of Holocaust denial has become the first person to be barred from entering Ireland under a 20-year-old immigration law.

Steven Anderson was due to travel to Dublin on 26 May to preach in the city, but the Irish justice minister, Charlie Flanagan, took the unusual step to ban him from coming into the country.

More than 14,000 people signed an online petition set up by the Christian gay rights campaign group Changing Attitude Ireland calling on the Irish government to block Anderson’s trip to the country. The organisation claimed that in the past he had “advocated exterminating LGBT+ people”.

Confirming the barring order under the 1999 Immigration Act, Flanagan said: “I have signed the exclusion order under my executive powers in the interest of public policy.”

It is the first time the Irish government has used the legislation to bar anyone from the country. » | Henry McDonald | Monday, May 13, 2019