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