Top Lawyers Slam Suella Braverman for Wrecking UK’s Reputation

THE OBSERVER: Attorney general faces fury of Bar Council as revolt over internal market bill spreads

The attorney general, Suella Braverman, was on Saturday accused of sacrificing the UK’s reputation, sidelining legal advisers and bypassing the ministerial code during an extraordinary confrontation with some of the country’s top lawyers.

During the annual general meeting of the Bar Council, the professional association for barristers, Braverman was asked how Britain could retain “a shred of credibility” in imploring other countries to follow international law after revealing its own willingness to breach agreements.

The criticisms came after the government last week unveiled plans to give ministers sweeping powers to “disapply” part of the Brexit deal that Boris Johnson signed in January. » | Michael Savage and Toby Helm | Saturday, September 12, 2020

Johnson's Hard Brexit Is About to Deliver a Devastating Hit to Our Covid-struck Economy

THE GUARDIAN: With its international reputation in tatters and businesses in despair, Britain has painted itself deeper into a corner

No one I know has a clue what the current row over last year’s Brexit withdrawal deal really means. All they see is another mess from a dysfunctional Downing Street.

One thing should be clear. The argument has nothing to do with the UK leaving the EU, which has already happened. It has to do with a different but related decision, Boris Johnson’s belief that the UK should also leave Europe’s single market, the lasting talisman of his “hard Brexit” bid to appear a macho Tory leader.

The UK leaving the single market had always carried a nightmare consequence, that of a hard border of some sort between northern and southern Ireland. Such a border would not just be near impossible to erect and unpopular across Ireland, it would be a gross breach of the 1998 Good Friday agreement, which pledged open trade. » | Simon Jenkins | Thursday, September 10, 2020

Johnson: EU plant „Lebensmittelblockade“

FRANKFURTER ALLGEMEINE ZEITUNG: Der britische Premierminister Johnson behauptet, die EU wolle den Transport von Lebensmitteln zwischen Nordirland und dem restlichen Königreich erheblich erschweren. Damit habe ihm Chefunterhändler Michel Barnier gedroht.

Der britische Premierminister Boris Johnson hat im Brexit-Streit schwere Vorwürfe gegen die EU erhoben. Brüssel plane, eine „Lebensmittelblockade“ zwischen Nordirland und dem Rest von Großbritannien zu errichten und damit die Lieferung von Lebensmitteln zwischen den Landesteilen deutlich einzuschränken, schreibt Johnson in einem Gastbeitrag für die britische Zeitung „Telegraph“ (Samstag). Das Austrittsabkommen gebe der EU in seiner derzeitigen Form die Befugnisse dazu. Der Chef-Unterhändler Michel Barnier habe gedroht, diese auch auszureizen, heißt es darin weiter. Das würde die Souveränität und den Zusammenhalt Großbritanniens gefährden, so Johnson. » | Quelle: dpa | Samstag, 12. September 2020

Boris Johnson's New Bill Will Damage the Union, and with It Devolved Government

THE GUARDIAN: Nicola Sturgeon has called it an ‘assault on devolution’, while Mark Drakeford, the Welsh first minister, says it’s a ‘power grab’

The government’s new “internal market” was initially portrayed as a means to allow for the “seamless functioning” of commerce between England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. So it’s paradoxical that the presentation of the internal market bill to parliament this week cast fresh doubts over not only this “seamless” functionality, but on the sustainability of the devolved settlement itself.

The bill had already sent shockwaves through the north and south of Ireland before it was published. Rumours circulated that Westminster intended to unravel legally binding arrangements for Northern Ireland, prompting new anxieties about the prospect of a hard border. The shock resignation of the permanent secretary to the government legal department over the legal consequences of the bill heightened fears. Brandon Lewis, the secretary of state for Northern Ireland, admitted prior to publication that the Brexit strategy breaks international law. » | Miriam Brett | Saturday, September 12, 2020

Family Members, Politicians Pay Tribute to 9/11 Victims

Politicians gathered at the Sept. 11 memorial in Lower Manhattan to remember a national crisis on the 19th anniversary of the terrorist attacks.

Watch The 11th Hour with Brian Williams Highlights: September 10 | MSNBC

Coronavirus: England 'On Knife-edge' as Cases Rise and Lockdowns Grow

THE GUARDIAN: Former chief scientific adviser issues warning to government after huge surge in cases

New cases of coronavirus are doubling almost weekly across England, figures revealed, as Birmingham became the biggest local authority to announce a tightening of lockdown measures and health officials flagged “worrying signs” of infections in elderly people.

The measures to be introduced in Birmingham next week mean more than 7.3 million people – 11% of the UK population – will be living in areas affected by some level of local lockdown, according to a Guardian analysis.

After signs that the number of virus infections is accelerating sharply, the former UK government chief scientific adviser Sir David King urged ministers to improve the NHS test-and-trace system. He said England was on a “knife-edge”. » | Robert Booth, Nicola Davis, Nazia Parveenand Pamela Duncan | Friday, Sptember 11, 2020

Trump Admits to Watching 9 Hours of Fox News a Day

During his rally in Michigan on Thursday, Donald Trump bragged about consuming 9 hours of Fox News in the 24-hour span prior to his rally. Once again, this is not normal behavior, nor is it something that anyone should ever consider boasting about. The President of the United States is a lazy, incompetent buffoon. Ring of Fire's Farron Cousins discusses this.

Vietnam Vet and Ukraine Diplomat Talks Voting against Trump as a Republican

Donald Trump: This Pennsylvanian Tells It Like It Is

"In the name of God, I tell you, you've got to wake up and smell the coffee. This man is a great danger to our nation."

How Hitler's Third Reich Terrified Europe | Impossible Peace | Timeline

The power in Europe has shifted to the terrifying and unstable hands of Germany, with the Third Reich being the dominant force.

Belgian King's Daughter Fights for Right to Call Herself a Princess

THE GUARDIAN: Delphine Boël, whose mother had affair with ex-king Albert II, also wants to take her father’s surname

A woman who successfully fought a seven-year legal battle to prove she was the daughter of the former king of Belgium, Albert II, will learn next month whether, against the wishes of her father, she will be able to use the titles Her Royal Highness and the Princess of Belgium.

Delphine Boël, 52, an artist and sculptor, whose mother had an extra-marital affair with Albert in the 1960s and 70s, argued in the Brussels court of appeal that she should also be able to use her biological father’s surname of Saxe-Coburg. The court will give its judgment on 29 October.

King Albert, 86, who abdicated from the Belgian throne in 2013, was forced to acknowledge he was Boël’s biological father after a court-ordered DNA test last January. » | Daniel Boffey in Brussels | Friday, September 11, 2020

Democracy Now ! Top US & World Headlines — September 11, 2020

Trump Tries to Contain Fallout; Editorial Board Plays Down Woodward Book | Morning Joe | MSNBC

While some editorial board columns appear to downplay the impact of Trump's handling of the coronavirus, the Morning Joe panel discusses why that may not be a winning strategy. Aired on 09/11/2020.

Ireland Accuses Boris Johnson of Trying to Sabotage Peace Process

THE GUARDIAN: Dublin minister says UK plan to undo Brexit deal would have ‘unthinkable’ consequences

The Irish government has accused Boris Johnson of trying to sabotage the Northern Ireland peace process with a “unilateral provocative act” based on spurious claims about the Good Friday agreement.

As Brexit talks hang by a thread following the UK’s threat to renege on parts of the withdrawal agreement, Thomas Byrne, Ireland’s European affairs minister, branded the UK government’s claims that its move was to protect the peace process as “completely false”.

He said what would happen as a result of this bill becoming law was “completely unthinkable”.

Relations with the EU have plunged to a new low in the last 24 hours after the UK rejected Brussels demands to withdraw the parts of the internal markets bill that would give the government power to override the Northern Ireland protocol.

The move has also soured Anglo-Irish relations, with no warning of the plan to undo the Brexit arrangements on Northern Ireland by one of the co-guarantors of the Good Friday agreement. » | Lisa O’Carroll and Daniel Boffey | Friday, September 11, 2020

Strzok: Trump's Financial Involvement with Russia Is Very Broad | Morning Joe | MSNBC

Former FBI agent Peter Strzok discusses his new book 'Compromised: Counterintelligence and the Threat of Donald J. Trump.' Aired on 09/09/2020.

113 Reasons Republicans Aren't Voting for Trump in 2020

Fellow Republicans: Need a reason to not vote for Trump this year? How about 113 reasons?

How Europe Prepared for WW2 | Impossible Peace | Timeline

When WW2 became inevitable. While all of Czechoslovakia is annexed, the curtain goes up on what will become the world's first truly global and total war.

Schumer's Response to Woodward Tapes: 'They're Just Awful' | Morning Joe | MSNBC

Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-NY, joins Morning Joe to discuss revelations from Bob Woodward's interviews with President Trump for the new book 'Rage.' Aired on 09/10/2020.

Corona in den USA: Ist Trump am Ende? | Auf den Punkt (Juli 9, 2020)

Die Weltmacht USA niedergestreckt vom Coronavirus. Immer mehr Infizierte und die Wirtschaft am Boden. Kostet die Pandemie Trump das Amt? Unsere Gäste: Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson (KCRW Radio Berlin), Matthew Karnitschnig (Politico), Rachel Tausendfreund (German Marshall Fund)

'State of Shock' Inside White House, Says Reporter | Morning Joe | MSNBC

Associated Press reporter Jonathan Lemire discusses the mood inside the White House following revelations from Bob Woodward's new book 'Rage.' Aired on 09/10/2020.

The UK Is One of the Most Corrupt Nations on Earth

THE GUARDIAN: Fortunes are being made by political favourites, while Brexit could cement London’s reputation for money laundering

Fear, shame, embarrassment: these brakes no longer apply. The government has discovered that it can bluster through any scandal. No minister need resign. No one need apologise. No one need explain.

As public outrage grows over the billions of pounds of coronavirus contracts issued by the government without competition, it seems determined only to award more of them. Never mind that the consulting company Deloitte, whose personnel circulate in and out of government, has been strongly criticised for the disastrous system it devised to supply protective equipment to the NHS. It has now been granted a massive new contract to test the population for Covid-19. » | George Monbiot | Thursday, September 10, 2020

Cummings ally's PR firm given Covid-19 contracts without tenders »

This Brexit Bill Finally Buries the Conservative Party of Law and Order

THE GUARDIAN: For a Cummings-influenced government to break promises is no surprise. But breaking the law is still a jaw-dropping move

To the patron saint of modern Conservatives, the rule of law was always fundamental to economic prosperity. It was also always distinctively British. In her memoirs, Margaret Thatcher identified the rule of law as the foundational underpinning of commercial confidence in any society. And in a 1982 interview she said that Britain gave the very idea of the rule of law to Europe. As she put it: “The law came from us.”

Thatcher also shared the view of her favourite lawyer, Lord Denning, that the law should uphold the keeping of promises. She extended this to upholding the obligations of international treaties too. In 1975, she told the Tory women’s conference that: “In the same way that government and individuals should be bound by law so countries should be bound by treaties.” She added: “Britain does not renounce treaties. Indeed, to do so would damage our own integrity as well as international relations.” » | Martin Kettle | Wednesday, September 9, 2020

'A Fool': Trump Insider Backs Cohen, Putin Playing Trump Like a Sucker | MSNBC

"New allegations against Donald Trump are now being revealed by his former personal attorney and fixer Michael Cohen with the release of a new tell-all book about the president. Cohen revealing details about Trump’s relationship with Russian president Putin and Trump’s racism. Former Trump organization executive Barbara Res joins Melber to react to the book’s allegations, asking why the Russians “are so influential” to Trump.

Don Winslow Films - #TrumpIsNotLikeYou

Trump ‘Deserves to Have His Real Record’ & ‘Hypocritical Use of Military as a Prop Exposed’ | MSNBC

Rick Wilson, Republican Strategist and co-founder of The Lincoln Project, joins MSNBC’s Craig Melvin to discuss President Trump’s rhetoric and how it could have dangerous consequences for election day, why you shouldn’t be looking at national polls, and whether Trump’s alleged comments about the military will stick with voters. Aired on 09/08/2020.

Draft Dodger Don: Trump Hates Our Troops

Trump demeans, degrades and disgraces our troops.

Seth Andrews Interviews Richard Dawkins

Brexit: Johnson droht EU mit Abbruch der Verhandlungen | DW Nachrichten

Der Ton in der britischen Regierung wird rauer. Am Wochenende erklärte UK-Unterhändler David Frost, er habe keine Angst, die Handelsgespräche mit der EU zu beenden. Aber das war nur zum Aufwärmen: Jetzt will Premierminister Boris Johnson ein Ergebnis bis Mitte Oktober, sonst würde er das Land auf eine Zukunft ohne Abkommen vorbereiten. Das könnte noch als Verhandlungspoker gelten, wenn es nicht Pläne gäbe, Teile des Nordirland-Protokolls außer Kraft zu setzen, wie die Financial Times berichtet. Der Bruch des Austrittsabkommens aber ist für die EU die ultimative rote Linie.

Auch ein No-Deal wäre für Großbritannien ein "gutes Ergebnis", behauptet Boris Johnson in seiner Erklärung. Und sein Land könne "mächtig prosperieren", wenn es sich ab 1. Januar 2021 ohne Abkommen von der EU lösen würde.

Beobachter sind unsicher, wie die letzten Schachzüge in London zu bewerten sind: Stellen sie Teil der Verhandlungsstrategie dar und sind nur Säbelrasseln? Will Boris Johnson lediglich seine Brexit-Hardliner beschwichtigen, die schon seit dem Sommer gegen das Austrittsabkommen agitieren? Oder bereitet der britische Premier tatsächlich sein Land auf einen harten Ausstieg, einen No-Deal, Ende des Jahres vor? Das Klima für die Gespräche in dieser Woche wirkt jedenfalls vergiftet und sie scheinen derzeit zum Scheitern verdammt.

Donald Trump: UnAmerican

Trump Emerges as Inspiration for Germany’s Far Right

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Among German conspiracy theorists, ultranationalists and neo-Nazis, the American president is surfacing as a rallying cry, or even as a potential “liberator.”

BERLIN — Just before hundreds of far-right activists recently tried to storm the German Parliament, one of their leaders revved up the crowd by conjuring President Trump.

“Trump is in Berlin!” the woman shouted from a small stage, as if to dedicate the imminent charge to him.

She was so convincing that several groups of far-right activists later showed up at the American Embassy and demanded an audience with Mr. Trump. “We know he’s in there!” they insisted.

Mr. Trump was neither in the embassy nor in Germany that day — and yet there he was. His face was emblazoned on banners, T-shirts and even on Germany’s pre-1918 imperial flag, popular with neo-Nazis in the crowd of 50,000 who had come to protest Germany’s pandemic restrictions. His name was invoked by many with messianic zeal.

It was only the latest evidence that Trump is emerging as a kind of cult figure in Germany’s increasingly varied far-right scene.

“Trump has become a savior figure, a sort of great redeemer for the German far right,” said Miro Dittrich, an expert on far-right extremism at the Berlin-based Amadeu-Antonio-Foundation. » | Katrin Bennhold | Monday, September 7, 2020

Aleksei Navalny Out of a Coma and Responsive, German Doctors Say

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Doctors treating the Russian opposition leader said his condition had improved, but they could not rule out lasting effects of “severe poisoning.” Germany said it was from a military-grade nerve agent.

BERLIN — The Russian opposition leader Aleksei A. Navalny is no longer in a medically induced coma and is responsive, doctors treating him at the Charité hospital in Berlin said on Monday. But they did not rule out lasting damage from what they called his “severe poisoning” with what the German government has said was a military-grade nerve agent. » | Melissa Eddy | Monday, September 7, 2020

Brexit: UK Plans to Override Parts of Withdrawal Deal | DW News

Michel Barnier 'Worried' by No 10 Plans to Renege on Brexit Deal

THE GUARDIAN: EU’s chief Brexit negotiator said full implementation of withdrawal agreement vital for avoiding a hard border

Michel Barnier said he was “worried” by the latest twists in the Brexit negotiations and would seek answers from the UK’s chief negotiator, David Frost, over claims that Downing Street is planning to negate parts of the withdrawal agreement.

The EU’s chief Brexit negotiator said full implementation of the international treaty was vital for avoiding a hard border on the island of Ireland as it was reported that the government is planning legislation to override parts of the deal struck last year.

Ahead of the start on Tuesday of the latest round of trade and security negotiations with the British government, Barnier said the Northern Ireland protocol in the withdrawal deal was a “prerequisite for peace since the end of the conflict ... and it’s the prerequisite for a united and coherent economy for the entire island, and also to respect the single market”. » | Daniel Boffey and Jennifer Rankin in Brussels | Monday, September 7, 2020

Ex-Trump Official Shares His Prediction If Trump Loses 2020

Former senior Trump administration official Miles Taylor says he is concerned that President Donald Trump will use litigation to make the 2020 race difficult for electors to certify.

Multiple News Outlets Mirror Report of Trump Denigrating Veterans, Military Service | MSNBC

Rachel Maddow reports on several news outlets that followed a report in the Atlantic of Donald Trump disparaging veterans and military service with matching reporting of their own, including Fox News, rendering denials from the Trump camp hollow. Aired on 09/04/2020.

Reneging on Brexit Deal Would Strengthen Case for Breaking Up UK, Government Told

THE GUARDIAN: Johnson to deliver ultimatum to EU as minister defends plan as addressing ‘a few loose ends’

Reneging on any obligations under the Brexit withdrawal agreement would make the case for breaking up the UK stronger, the government has been warned, as a minister defended the plan as simply addressing “a few minor loose ends”.

After it emerged Boris Johnson is drawing up legislation that will override the Brexit withdrawal agreement on Northern Ireland, threatening the collapse of talks with the EU, the SNP said leaving without a deal would cause “lasting damage to Scottish jobs and the economy in the middle of a pandemic”.

Ian Blackford, the SNP’s leader, said “By threatening to undermine the UK’s international treaty obligations and impose a catastrophic no-deal Brexit on Scotland against our will, the prime minister is proving he cannot be trusted and is underlining the need for Scotland to become an independent country.” » | Peter Walker, Political correspondent | Monday, September 7, 2020

Is Trump a Fascist? Philosopher Jason Stanley Considers the Evidence after "Four Years of Chaos"

Yale philosopher and scholar of propaganda Jason Stanley, author of "How Fascism Works: The Politics of Us and Them," says President Trump built a cult of personality within the Republican Party and has moved the United States steadily into authoritarianism during his term. "Fascism is a cult of the leader who promises national restoration in the face of supposed threats by leftist radicals, minorities and immigrants," Stanley says. "He promises only he can save us."

A ‘Tyrant-Clown’ Has Destroyed My Love Affair with America

THE OBSERVER: With its cynical disabling of the body politic, the Trump administration has contaminated the well of US independence

Once upon a time, at the start of the last century, PG Wodehouse declared, with the fervour of the convert, that to live in America was “like being in heaven … without the bother and expense of dying”.

America used to do that to a certain kind of Brit, and to those who saw themselves as Greeks to the Americans’ Romans: we’d fall hopelessly in love, however much they abused the relationship.

My own long affair with America, as an idea as much as a reality, began in the bicentennial year, 1976, with a graduate scholarship to the University of Pennsylvania. Among the lovely red brick of old Philadelphia, I maxed out on the promise and possibilities of the American revolution, its majesty, optimism and rhetoric. Those pioneers of radical political self-expression, Jefferson, Franklin, et al, became idols of deep faith. For instance, years later, on a return visit to the Constitution Center, I was brought to tears by a video devoted to that love letter to democratic principles, the US constitution, and the eternal magic of “We, the people”. » | Robert McCrum | Sunday, September 6, 2020

Buttigieg: Trump ‘Shouldn’t Be Allowed within a One Mile Radius of a POW Flag’ | Deadline | MSNBC

Former Mayor of South Bend, Indiana Pete Buttigieg who served in Afghanistan expresses grave concern over President Trump being in charge of decisions regarding prisoners of war and the rest of the military. Aired on 09/04/2020.

CNN Exclusive Interview with Sen. Kamala Harris (Parts 1 & 2)

Democratic vice presidential nominee Sen. Kamala Harris talks about President Trump's response to the coronavirus pandemic and the protests in Kenosha, Wisconsin, with CNN's Dana Bash.

Biden Fires Back at Trump: My Son Wasn't a Sucker

Democratic nominee Joe Biden issued an emotional response after the Atlantic reported that President Trump denigrated US service members. President Trump has denied the allegations in the report.

CNN's Keilar Rolls the Tape on Trump's Attacks on Military Members and Their Families

CNN anchor and military spouse Brianna Keilar reacts to The Atlantic's report claiming President Trump called soldiers "losers" and "suckers." President Trump has denied the allegations and CNN has not independently verified the report.

Tricks of Treats? Ft. Tim Noakes, Prominent South African Athlete & Scientist

There are times in life when much of what you hold as truth is debunked, when the sweetest of treats turn out to be the worst of poisons and when you realize that the people who took the oath of doing no harm, in fact, made you or your loved ones sicker. Such a realization has already arrived or is in store for millions of people around the world suffering from insulin resistance, a condition that wrecks the body’s metabolic and immune systems and often condemns people to a poor life and an awful death. How to see through these sweet lies before it’s too late? To discuss this Oksana is joined by Tim Noakes, founder of The Noakes Foundation.

Outrage, But Not Surprise, at Reports That Trump Called Fallen Veterans ‘Suckers’, ‘Losers’ | MSNBC

Lawmakers and veterans react to a story in The Atlantic and confirmed by The Associated Press reporter about President Donald Trump’s apparent disdain for those who sacrificed lives and limbs fighting for their country. Trump was reported to have rejected a visit to an American military cemetery in France because he feared his hair would fare badly in the blustery weather, and said, “Why would I go to that cemetery? It’s filled with losers.” Aired on 9/3/2020.

The Nazi Romance With Islam Has Some Lessons for the United States

TABLET: Two new important histories look at Hitler’s fascination with Islam and Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkey

Both Hitler and Himmler had a soft spot for Islam. Hitler several times fantasized that, if the Saracens had not been stopped at the Battle of Tours, Islam would have spread through the European continent—and that would have been a good thing, since “Jewish Christianity” wouldn’t have gone on to poison Europe. Christianity doted on weakness and suffering, while Islam extolled strength, Hitler believed. Himmler in a January 1944 speech called Islam “a practical and attractive religion for soldiers,” with its promise of paradise and beautiful women for brave martyrs after their death. “This is the kind of language a soldier understands,” Himmler gushed.

Surely, the Nazi leaders thought, Muslims would see that the Germans were their blood brothers: loyal, iron-willed, and most important, convinced that Jews were the evil that most plagued the world. “Do you recognize him, the fat, curly-haired Jew who deceives and rules the whole world and who steals the land of the Arabs?” demanded one of the Nazi pamphlets dropped over North Africa (a million copies of it were printed). “The Jew,” the pamphlet explained, was the evil King Dajjal from Islamic tradition, who in the world’s final days was supposed to lead 70,000 Jews from Isfahan in apocalyptic battle against Isa—often identified with Jesus, but according to the Reich Propaganda Ministry none other than Hitler himself. Germany produced reams of leaflets like this one, often quoting the Quran on the subject of Jewish treachery. » | David Mikics | Monday, November 24, 2014

Seth Andrews: From Religion to Reason

Seth Andrews chronicles his personal story for a live Minneapolis audience, the event sponsored by Minnesota Atheists.