WSJ: The FBI’s FISA Faults
The FBI released its Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act applications for warrants against former Trump aide Carter Page. The applications vindicate the criticism of the FBI’s surveillance requests that were laid out in February by House Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes. The committee’s findings were based on a review of the FISA applications, which were still classified at the time. The main Nunes claim was that the FBI made the Steele dossier (which was commissioned by the Clinton campaign and Democratic National Committee) “an essential” part of its initial application. The FISA documents confirm this.
The guts of the application are titled “Page’s Coordination With Russian Government Officials on 2016 U.S. Presidential Election Influence Activities.”
FBI assistant director Bill Priestap told Congressional investigators in October 2017 that the FBI’s efforts to corroborate the dossier were still in their “infancy” at the time of the first application. Months later, former FBI Director Jim Comey referred to the dossier as “salacious and unverified.” To date no investigator has offered public proof of the dossier’s most damaging claims. Yet on the basis of an uncorroborated document commissioned by a rival presidential campaign, the FBI accused a U.S. citizen of being an “agent of a foreign power” who should be wiretapped.
The FBI did not inform the FISA court that the dossier and trusted “source” (Christopher Steele) were paid by the Clinton campaign. Sure enough, nowhere do the FISA applications mention the words Clinton, Democratic National Committee, Fusion GPS (the Clinton-financed oppo research firm that hired Mr. Steele), or Fusion co-founder Glenn Simpson.
The FISA documents confirms that the FBI cited a Sept. 23, 2016, story in Yahoo News to buttress its Steele dossier information with the court even though Steele was also the source for the Yahoo News story. Democrats insist that the FBI used the Yahoo story only to describe Carter Page’s response to the investigation, not for corroboration. The applications show otherwise. The FBI cites the Yahoo News story after its dossier-evidence section, noting that the story said that “intelligence reports” and a “well-placed Western intelligence source” had also made claims like those in the dossier. But the “reports” were the dossier, and the “Western intelligence source” was Christopher Steele.
Trump, Citing Politics, Looking to Revoke Security Clearances
A security clearance is a determination by the United States Government that a person or company is eligible for access to classified information. Security clearances can be issued by many United States Government agencies, including the Department of Defense (DoD), the Department of Homeland Security, the Department of Energy (DoE), the Department of Justice, and the Central Intelligence Agency.
It’s routine for the former directors of intelligence agencies and other senior officials to maintain their security clearances so they can share their expertise with current leaders or be called in for consultations on how a prior administration handled an issue or crisis, current and former officials said. Nearly 4.1 million people have security clearances, according to the most recent report by the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, including 1.3 million with top secret clearances.
During a press briefing on Monday July 23, Sarah Huckabee Sanders was asked if President Trump would call for the removal of former CIA director John Brennan to lose his security.
“The president is exploring the mechanisms to remove security clearances because they politicized, and in some cases monetized, their public service and security clearances,” Ms. Sanders said.
The individuals being looked to revoke security clearance are: John Brennan- Former CIA director, James Comey- Former FBI director, Andrew McCabe- Former FBI director, James Clapper- Former director of National Intelligence, Michael Hayden- Former director of the NSA, Susan Rice- Former director of the NSA.
Iran Update:
Iran has shot back at U.S. President Donald Trump, dismissing his all-caps Twitter warning that the country would suffer consequences if it continued to threaten the U.S., saying it was unimpressed by the late-night tweet.
"COLOR US UNIMPRESSED," Iran's Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif tweeted Monday night, employing Trump's penchant to use all capital letters in his tweets.
"The world heard even harsher bluster a few months ago. And Iranians have heard them -- albeit more civilized ones -- for 40 yrs. We've been around for millennia & seen fall of empires, incl our own, which lasted more than the life of some countries. BE CAUTIOUS."
Zarif's tweet comes less than a day after Trump posted a furious Twitter warning to Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
Trump Tweeted: " To Iranian President Rouhani: NEVER, EVER THREATEN THE UNITED STATES AGAIN OR YOU WILL SUFFER CONSEQUENCES THE LIKES OF WHICH FEW THROUGHOUT HISTORY HAVE EVER SUFFERED BEFORE. WE ARE NO LONGER A COUNTRY THAT WILL STAND FOR YOUR DEMENTED WORDS OF VIOLENCE & DEATH. BE CAUTIOUS!"
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said Monday, Trump was responding to forceful comments Rouhani made earlier Sunday, in which he warned Trump "do not play with the lion's tail, because you will regret it eternally."
Iran President Hassan Rouhani was addressing a meeting attended by the Iranian diplomats on Sunday, July 22nd, when he said, “America should know that peace with Iran is the mother of all peace, and war with Iran is the mother of all wars,” according to the Pakistani paper ‘Express Tribune’. President Hassan Rouhani continued in his address saying, “Mr. Trump don’t play with the lion’s tail as hostile policies against Iran would only lead to regret.”
In the televised speech, President Rouhani continued his threats on President Trump saying, “You declare war and then you speak of wanting to support the Iranian people. You cannot provoke the Iranian people against their own security and interests.”
New York Gov. Cuomo Pardons Illegal Immigrants Facing Deportation for Crimes
On Monday morning, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo pardoned seven illegal immigrants that were facing deportation.
This is the third time Governor Cuomo has pardoned a group of criminals that were potentially getting deported. His last pardon of immigrants was in December of 2017 when he issued pardons to 18 other individuals.
Andrew Cuomo released a statement about the pardons to ABC News, saying, “At a time when President Trump and the federal government are waging a war on our immigrant communities, New York stands firm in our belief that our diversity is our greatest strength.”
According to a press release on ABC News, “Governor Cuomo issued pardons to the individuals in recognition of their rehabilitative efforts and to remove the barriers that their criminal records present to their immigration status.”
Five of the seven recipients were arrested for either possession of or intent to sell a controlled substance, one of whom was convicted for possession and charged with operating a motor vehicle while intoxicated. The other two faced petty larceny charges.
80k People sign Petition to remove ‘Flat Tummy Ads’ from NYC Billboards
As of Tuesday, over 88,000 people have signed a petition to remove “Flat Tummy Ads” for appetite suppressant lollipops from New York City billboards at Times Square.
Flat Tummy Lollipops are advertised as 35 calories and are designed to suppress a consumer’s appetite with SATIEREAL, a chemical found in plant extracts, according to Flat Tummy’s website.
A plus size beauty activist, Tess Holliday called the ads “dangerous” and wants to reach 150,000 signatures on the petition to get the billboards removed.
“Telling young women and girls to ignore or suppress their hunger is dangerous. Join the campaign calling for Flat Tummy Co. to take their billboard down immediately.”
According to the company’s website, the lollipops come in grape, watermelon, yellow apple and berry flavors, and customers are advised to snack on a maximum of two lollipops a day. Flat Tummy lollipops have NOT been reviewed by the FDA. Kim Kardashian is a former promoter for the product.
The company sells a range of lollipops, tea and milkshakes which contain ingredients designed to curb the customer’s appetite, has been widely criticized for its “sexist” and “body shaming” advertising and for promoting an unhealthy body image through its clear targeting of young girls and women.
The Billboard reads: “Got cravings? Girl, tell them to #suckit”. The ad campaign is pink and features a woman eating two Flat Tummy Co. appetite-suppressing lollipops. The ad is placed above a Sbarro’s Pizza Restaurant in New York’s Times Square.
The Flat Tummy Company hasn't yet responded to a request for comment on whether its ad will be removed in response to the backlash.
The Great Indoors: Today’s Screen-Hungry Kids Have Little Interest In Being Outside
Researchers at Decathlon, a sports retailer in the United Kingdom, recently surveyed more than 2,000 British parents and children.
The findings show that today’s children and teens, prefer a whole host of activities over playing outside. These activities include gaming, watching TV, surfing the web, and listening to music.
10% of adolescents preferred doing homework and 3% preferred completing chores over enjoying the wilderness. Four in ten British adolescents surveyed have never gone camping. Almost half of those surveyed have never built a den or fort. More than half of those surveyed have never climbed a tree.
The average child between 6 and 16 years old spends only an hour a day outside, playing video games over twice as long, the study finds.
Over two-thirds of the parents surveyed worry that their children spend too little time outdoors. Nearly four in ten struggle so much to get their kids to leave the house that they actually have to force them to do so.
Mail Time!
- Hello, Bill -
Two Questions: 1. Who is (in charge of and) doing the redacting? 2. Can President Trump order the redactions to be unredacted?
- Hi Bill,
I found your Ireland trip's comments very interesting especially your family background/history. My question is why do you think the country elected such a liberal leader and for such a Catholic country to actually vote to make abortion legal? Maybe a generational change?
- Hi Bill, you said that you are the first of your family to break beyond working middle class. What was your driving force to do that when you were younger?
Word of the Day: Pettifogger |
