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Re: Let the truth be known
RIGHT BIAS
These media sources are moderately to strongly biased toward conservative causes through story selection and/or political affiliation. They may utilize strong loaded words (wording that attempts to influence an audience by using appeal to emotion or stereotypes), publish misleading reports and omit reporting of information that may damage conservative causes. Some sources in this category may be untrustworthy.
- Overall, we rate the Washington Examiner Right Biased based on editorial positions that almost exclusively favor the right and Mixed for factual reporting due to several failed fact checks.
Editorially, the Washington Examiner is 100% right. It is virtually impossible to find a single editorial that offers some form of balance.
Overall, we rate the Washington Examiner Right Biased based on editorial positions that almost exclusively favor the right and Mixed for factual reporting due to several failed fact checks. (7/18/2016) Updated (D. Van Zandt 7/26/2019)Comment
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Re: Let the truth be known
- Ilhan Omar, Ted Cruz clash as senator claims Dems '''outraged''' over Iranian terrorist'''s death | Fox News
Rep. omar and the dems are OUTRAGED that Trump would assassinate a “foreign official”.
The State Department has released these facts on Soleimani:
Since 1998, Qassem Soleimani commanded Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Qods Force (IRGC-QF), the terror arm of the Iranian regime. The IRGC-QF is tasked with planning and executing terror and military operations outside Iran’s borders. Under Soleimani’s command, the IRGC-QF has fueled destabilizing sectarian conflicts throughout the Middle East for decades.
- The IRGC-QF continues to wage an illegal campaign of terrorism, assassinations, and violence. At Soleimani’s direction and with his oversight and guidance, the IRGC-QF has planned and conducted terrorist attacks across six continents and inside the United States.
- The United States designated IRGC-QF a Foreign Terrorist Organization for its activities, and the United States designated Soleimani as a Specially-Designated Global Terrorist.
- As the leader of the IRGC-QF, Qassem Soleimani was directly responsible for arming, funding, and training proxy groups in Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Bahrain, Yemen, Afghanistan, and elsewhere. Operations carried out by these proxy groups have led to the death and suffering of tens of thousands, including many hundreds of Americans. These proxies routinely target and kill civilians, intensify sectarian conflicts, and prolong the suffering of innocent men, women, and children.
- Soleimani personally directed and provided arms to militias in Iraq for more than a decade. These militias undermine the sovereignty of the Iraqi state, threaten the legitimacy of Iraq’s security forces, and target American citizens and forces. With Soleimani’s support and lethal assistance, proxies of the IRGC-QF targeted and killed over 600 Americans between 2003 and 2011.
- We can confirm that in the past several days, General Soleimani had been traveling in the Middle East coordinating further imminent large-scale attacks against U.S. diplomats and service members. These threats were highly credible and the intelligence is sound. General Soleimani’s travel also violated the ban imposed by the United Nations Security Council.
- Recent orders given by General Soleimani dramatically escalated Iran’s campaign of violence and terrorism against Americans and American interests in the Middle East. He orchestrated a series of attacks against American forces in Iraq in the past several months, culminating in the rocket attack on December 27, 2019, which resulted in the death of an American citizen, wounded four American service members, and threatened the lives of many more American personnel. General Soleimani also ordered the assault on the American Embassy in Baghdad. General Soleimani continued to command Iranian supported proxies in Iraq, which posed an escalating threat to the lives of Americans.
- For his actions, Soleimani had been designated and sanctioned by the United Nations, European Union, and United States and is banned from international travel by United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231. In defiance of United Nations Security Council resolutions, however, Soleimani continued to travel to Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon directing and coordinating lethal actions that pose a threat to regional peace and security.
Good Riddance!
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Re: Let the truth be known
Trump could give every citizen in the USA $1,000,000$ and they'd be bitching it isn't enough!
as far as that radical towel wearing murderer is concerned:
YouTube
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Re: Let the truth be known
Watch the video.. Can I safely say he " saw the light"?
MQ-9 Reaper Footage: Soleimani's Last Few Seconds on Earth Were Bright and LoudComment
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Re: Let the truth be known
White House budget official told Pentagon that order to hold Ukraine aid came from Trump, national security site reports
In the face of warnings from the Pentagon that the hold on military aid to Ukraine could be illegal, an official from the Office of Management and Budget made it clear that the order to keep the freeze in place came directly from President Donald Trump, according to unredacted documents reviewed by Just Security.
The documents, including emails from officials at the Department of Defense and the Office of Management and Budget that were released under court order last month but were either partially or completely blacked out, offer new details about tensions between the two agencies tasked with carrying out Trump's unexplained hold on aid to Ukraine.
They also raise serious questions about why the newly revealed contents were redacted by the Trump administration in the first place amid congressional oversight efforts and court orders in Freedom of Information Act litigation.
"These redactions at least raise eyebrows. The categories that the Freedom of Information Act allows the government to withhold are sufficiently vague that it's hard to say whether these redactions were actually in violation of that law," said Josh Geltzer, executive director and visiting professor of law at Georgetown University Law Center's Institute for Constitutional Advocacy and Protection.
"But does it appear suspicious given the damning nature of what was withheld, and the current government's obvious motivation for withholding it," he told CNN.
'Clear direction from POTUS'
Among the documents viewed by Just Security, a website focusing on reporting and analysis of national security law and policy, was an August 30 email from Michael Duffey, associate director of national security programs at OMB to Elaine McCusker, the acting Pentagon comptroller, stating the freeze on aid to Ukraine would continue at the explicit direction of the President despite growing legal concerns within the Pentagon and mounting external questions prompted by news of the hold becoming public just days prior.
"Clear direction from POTUS to continue to hold," Duffey wrote in that email, which has only been made available in redacted form until now and was not handed over to House investigators conducting the impeachment inquiry into the President, according to Just Security.
The August 30 email was sent on the same day Defense Secretary Mark Esper and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with Trump to discuss the hold, which had already been in place for roughly two months.
Effort to freeze Ukraine aid began about 90 minutes after call between Trump and Zelensky
Effort to freeze Ukraine aid began about 90 minutes after call between Trump and Zelensky
Additional emails viewed by Just Security show that McCusker first raised concerns about the legality of the hold on July 25, the same day as Trump's now infamous call with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky in which Trump pressed Zelensky for investigations that could boost him politically.
The Defense Department issued additional warnings to OMB and the White House about the legality of the hold as it stretched into August. Specifically, Pentagon officials made clear they were becoming increasingly concerned about DoD's ability to spend the Ukraine funding by the legally mandated September 30 deadline.
If the money was not spent by the deadline, it would be returned to the Treasury Department in what is known as "impoundment."
"We were always concerned about the ramifications of holding the military assistance to Ukraine," a Defense Department official told CNN.
"This is due to the fact it was appropriated by Congress and had been notified to Congress already prior to the hold being placed and the need to obligate the money by the end of the fiscal year, something the hold had prevented. These concerns were 'raised multiple times with OMB' via multiple channels," they added.
The documents also highlight McCusker's concerns that OMB was not representing the Pentagon's concerns accurately.
"Recognizing the importance of decision space, but this situation is really unworkable made particularly difficult because OMB lawyers continue to consistently mischaracterize the process — and the information we have provided. They keep repeating that this pause will not impact DOD's ability to execute on time," McCusker wrote to Secretary of Defense Mark Esper's chief of staff on August 27 in response to an inquiry about the hold from a defense contractor.
Blame game
In a September 9 email to McCusker, Duffey suggested that the Pentagon, not OMB, would be to blame if the money was not spent.
"If you are unable to obligate the funds, it will have been DoD's decision that cause any impoundment of funds," he wrote.
McCusker responded: "You can't be serious. I am speechless."
A second official, who spoke to CNN under the condition of anonymity due to their not being authorized to speak publicly on the matter, said the Pentagon made it clear to OMB that it was not going to be held legally liable for or suffer the consequences of the hold and the ignoring of the concerns of the Defense Department.
The official said that DoD told OMB it should take responsibility.
White House budget office defends Ukraine aid freeze in new legal memo
White House budget office defends Ukraine aid freeze in new legal memo
Pentagon officials were concerned at OMB's apparent apathy surrounding their legal concerns and a lack of understanding of the legal constraints that the Defense Department was under with regard to the aid, the official said, adding that they believe OMB's apathy stemmed from the fact that they had guidance from the President to execute the hold.
However, a OMB spokesperson downplayed the idea that there was any conflict between the two agencies.
"There was agreement every step of the way between DOD and OMB lawyers, who were responsible for working out the details of the hold, in line with the President's priorities," the told CNN.
A senior administration official said OMB officials believed that McCusker was exaggerating the numbers about the money that the Pentagon would be unable to spend if the hold wasn't lifted.
According to Just Security, McCusker sent an email to OMB officials on Aug. 9 and said: "As we discussed, as of 12 AUG I don't think we can agree that the pause 'will not preclude timely execution.' We hope it won't and will do all we can to execute once the policy decision is made, but can no longer make that declarative statement."
The senior administration official insisted that OMB officials believed she was overstating concerns about how much money might be left unspent. This official claimed there were other top Defense Department officials who disagreed with McCusker's conclusions.
Ultimately $35 million in Ukraine assistance did not make it out the door by the end of the fiscal year, however, Congress passed a Continuing Resolution that ensured the remainder of the money could be spent.Comment
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Re: Let the truth be known
The dems have no say since Iraq has been on th War status list for a while.
Obama drew lines in the sand.. they crossed them TWO MORE TIMES then fully backed down.
Trump was elected to do away with that " give them money or whatever " .
No more!
#AmericaFirst
#TrumpPence2020
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Re: Let the truth be known
I am retired Army Reserves and as such I have Tricare for Life as my Medicare part D and supplemental insurance.Tricare covers 100% of what Medicare does not cover. Generic formulary prescriptions are at most $7.00 to refill. Using Express Scripts that is for a 90 day supply. We get to pick the Medical Providers we use.
With the Democrats in charge of the House, I doubt if it will happen before next year but what needs to be done is to give all Purple Heart veterans Tricare and not just those who are retired military. Then they will get to choose whether to use the VA Medical system or go to a local provider.Comment
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Re: Let the truth be known
Donald Trump Falsely Took Credit For Veterans Choice Bill 56 Times In 2019, Barack Obama Signed Bill In 2014
Barack-Obama-And-Bernie-Sanders-670x377.jpgComment
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Re: Let the truth be known
2020 Democrats are making an ambitious play to win over veterans, a group that backed President Trump in the last election and remains broadly supportive of his policies.
Democratic presidential contenders have been rolling out plans to tout policies they say will help former service members, including efforts to reform the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), improve veterans’ access to health care, in particular mental health services, provide more jobs and tackle a rise in homelessness.
Veterans issues have largely taken a backseat during the campaign, with just passing mentions of veterans during the Democratic debates. But centered around Monday’s Veterans Day observances, many leading Democratic presidential candidates shared new plans or touted their earlier proposals.
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) has released a plan where she vowed to halve the veteran’s suicide rate in four years by investing in mental health care, boosting research into the causes of military suicide and providing annual mental health exams for service members.
Her plan also called for investments in the VA, including filling the nearly 49,000 staffing vacancies and modernizing aging infrastructure.
“All three of my brothers served, so I know the responsibility we have to our service members, military families, and veterans,” Warren wrote on her campaign website. “I will honor our troops not only by executing sound military strategy, but also by caring for our veterans after they take off the uniform.”
On Veterans Day, former Vice President Joe Biden, South Bend, Ind., Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) all unveiled their own plans.
Biden pledged to eliminate wait times for veterans expressing suicidal thoughts, invest $300 million more in research on traumatic brain injuries and toxic exposures, and modernize VA facilities.
“President Trump has repeatedly failed our veterans and ignored this sacred obligation,” Biden’s plan said.
“From the outrage of deporting undocumented veterans without checking their record of military service, to allowing his wealthy Mar-a-Lago friends to drive veterans policy, to pursuing policies designed to privatize and dismantle the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), Trump neither understands nor respects the idea of ‘duty, honor, country’ that inspires our brave military members to serve and imbues our veterans with pride,” the plan continued.
Buttigieg, an Afghanistan War veteran, promised to streamline access to medical care, increase investments in suicide prevention, address the personnel shortage and expand benefits to veterans with so-called bad paper discharges.
In a Veterans Day interview with The Associated Press, Buttigieg also said he’d nominate a woman to the lead the VA, which would be a first.
“I think leadership plays a huge role so absolutely I’d seek to name a woman to lead VA,” he said.
Sanders, who served as Senate Veterans Affairs Committee chairman from 2013 -2015, pledged to fill the VA’s vacancies, guarantee comprehensive dental care and expand mental health services.
Sanders co-sponsored the Veterans Choice Act with the late Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) that responded to the 2014 wait time scandal. But during the 2016 presidential campaign, Sanders came under criticism for not responding swiftly enough to the scandal while he served as chairman of the Veterans committee.
In his 2020 plan, Sanders highlighted his role in pushing the Choice bill, as well as his opposition to the follow-up legislation Congress passed in 2018 called the VA Mission Act, which enacted broader reforms.
Sanders highlighted concerns with the Mission Act, which critics saw as a first step to privatizing the VA.
“The privatization occurring under the Mission Act is leading to a massive budget shortfall in every region of the country,” his plan said. “Instead of coming to Congress to request the funding needed to meet our obligation to provide care to veterans, the Trump administration is simply telling hospitals and medical professionals to do more with less, which will inevitably lead to worse care and more private sector care.”
Other common themes among Democrats’ plans include protecting veterans from deportation, allowing the VA to research medical uses of cannabis and eliminating the disability claims backlog.
The fight for veterans’ votes will be fierce, and it puts advocates for veterans in a difficult spot.
Veterans groups have pressed candidates for more details and vowed to push them to follow through if elected. But they are also largely staying out of what will be a bruising election fight.
“It is good that the candidates are thinking about veterans, but none of the candidates have a robust policy agenda as thorough and comprehensive as IAVA’s policy agenda,” Jeremy Butler, CEO of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA), said in a statement to The Hill.
“Candidates should be adopting all of these reforms into their platforms, not just picking and choosing. And then we need to get to work getting it all implemented.”
Several veterans groups contacted by The Hill for their reaction to 2020 candidates’ plans declined to comment or did not respond. Those that did respond spoke only in general terms.
Veterans groups have taken pains to stress that their issues require bipartisan work.Comment
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Re: Let the truth be known
Trump spent 1 of every 5 days in 2019 at a golf club
How has President Donald Trump spent his Christmas vacation? Working, he says, but also on the golf course.
On Tuesday, Trump closed out the year with a visit to his Trump International Golf Club in West Palm Beach for the 12th time during his Florida vacation.
According to CNN's tally, he has spent at least 252 days at a Trump golf club and 333 days at a Trump property as President.
This year alone, he spent at least 86 days at a golf club, despite a late start due to the government shutdown. The golf excursions have included the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia; his Bedminister, New Jersey, golf club; Trump National Doral outside Miami; and Trump International Doonbeg in Ireland.
Trump joins a long list of presidents with a love of the game, though he is the only one who publicly -- and frequently -- criticized his predecessor, former President Barack Obama. Trump went after Obama's golf habits repeatedly on Twitter and on the campaign trail.
"I mean he's played more golf than most people on the PGA Tour, this guy," Trump said during a 2016 campaign stop in New Hampshire. "What is it, over 300 rounds? Hey, look, it's good. Golf is fine. But always play with leaders of countries and people that can help us! Don't play with your friends all the time."
Obama played 333 rounds of golf during his eight years in office, according to Mark Knoller of CBS News, who keeps detailed statistics of presidencies.
Though Trump criticized Obama for the price of his golf outings, the President's trips to Trump properties also raises questions about the federal government spending money at his namesake properties.
During a Christmas Eve call with US service members, Trump was asked about his holiday plans.
"I'm at a place called Mar-a-Lago, we call it the southern White House," he said. "I really pretty much work. That's what I like to do."
But Trump has long been known to mix business with pleasure at his golf properties both before and after assuming office.
As the US military carried out airstrikes in Iraq and Syria late Sunday morning, Trump was at his club. It's unclear whether he was playing golf at the time, however, CNN spotted him on the 14th hole approximately two hours after the strikes.
RELATED: Why Donald Trump golfing during Hurricane Dorian is a problem
And while the President has repeatedly railed against impeachment on Twitter during his vacation, it's likely the topic has come up on the links, as well. His golf partners have included former Rep. Trey Gowdy on Sunday, Georgia Sen. David Perdue on Saturday, and Senate Judiciary Chairman Lindsey Graham on Monday. Trump was seen in the club's dining room with radio host Rush Limbaugh, his son Eric, and acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney the previous weekend. He's also been joined by some less political partners, including golf pro Gene Sauers.Comment
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Obama's secret kill list – the disposition matrix | US news | The GuardianTRUMP2020OmertÃComment
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