| Pakistan releases captured Indian pilot; confrontation cools Posted: 01 Mar 2019 11:18 AM PST  Indian officials confirmed he had been returned and said he would be taken for medical checks. "While in captivity, he (Abhinandan) was treated with dignity and in line with international law," the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said in a statement. Prime Minister Imran Khan announced his return "as a goodwill gesture aimed at de-escalating rising tensions with India", it added, echoing Pakistan's stance this week that wants to resolve the conflict through talks.
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| Canada launches extradition of top Chinese executive to US Posted: 01 Mar 2019 05:31 PM PST  Canada on Friday launched the extradition of Huawei executive Meng Wanzhou to the United States -- the latest move in a case that has roiled relations between the North American neighbors and China. The 47-year-old businesswoman was changing planes in Vancouver in December when she was detained at Washington's request on suspicion of violating US sanctions on Iran -- sparking arrests of Canadians in China that were seen as retaliatory. "Today, Department of Justice Canada officials issued an Authority to Proceed, formally commencing an extradition process in the case of Ms. Meng Wanzhou," the government said in a statement.
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| Trump says Kim 'felt very badly' after Otto Warmbier death Posted: 28 Feb 2019 02:32 AM PST  President Trump says Kim Jong Un "tells me that he didn't know about" the treatment of Otto Warmbier, the U.S. college student who died in 2017 after being held in a Pyongyang prison. "And I will take him at his word."
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| In U.S. charm offensive, China's Huawei launches ad to combat dark image Posted: 28 Feb 2019 01:10 PM PST  Huawei Technologies ran a full page ad in major U.S. newspapers on Thursday urging readers not to believe "everything you hear," about the Chinese tech firm, as it defends itself against government accusations its equipment can be used to spy. The world's largest telecommunications equipment maker, which has been charged with bank fraud related to U.S. sanctions against Iran, touted its relief efforts in disaster-torn countries like Chile and Indonesia, and its work to connect the undeserved around the world. The advertisement ran in the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, Politico, USA Today and the Los Angeles Times, said Huawei spokesman Chase Skinner.
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| Severed heads found in mass grave near Syria IS pocket Posted: 28 Feb 2019 08:40 AM PST  Bodies and severed heads have been found in a mass grave near the Islamic State group's last bastion in eastern Syria, a Kurdish spokesman said Thursday. "A mass grave was discovered about 10 days ago in a liberated area" near Baghouz, said Adnan Afrin, a spokesman for the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF). "It contains the bodies of men as well as the severed heads of women," he told AFP.
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| A glance at the scandals that have vexed Israel's Netanyahu Posted: 01 Mar 2019 07:04 AM PST  JERUSALEM (AP) — The Israeli attorney general's decision to recommend criminal charges against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in a series of graft cases is the latest, and most dramatic, twist in the spiraling saga of legal troubles and scandals that have plagued the leader's three-decade political career.
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| 'Help! Help! Help!' 911 calls released in 131-vehicle pileup that killed teacher, injured 71 others Posted: 28 Feb 2019 07:28 PM PST  "I'm not getting out of my car now because I'm afraid I'm going to get hit," one caller told dispatchers as vehicles hit each other.
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| AOC Threatens to Put Moderate Dems on a Primary ‘List’ If They Vote With GOP Posted: 01 Mar 2019 05:36 AM PST  Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D., N.Y.) threatened her moderate colleagues during a Thursday Democratic caucus meeting, telling the lawmakers she plans to provide progressive activists searching for primary targets with a list of Democrats who work across the aisle.Speaker Nancy Pelosi began the meeting by chastising the two dozen moderates who voted on Tuesday in favor of a Republican amendment to a gun control bill that requires gun retailers to report illegal immigrants who attempt to buy a gun."We are either a team or we're not, and we have to make that decision," Pelosi said, two people who were present told the Washington Post.Ocasio-Cortez, who routinely wields her massive social media following to pressure her establishment colleagues into supporting her agenda, sought to add force to Pelosi's call for unity by threatening to expose to the ire of progressive activists any Democrats willing to compromise with Republicans.Corbin Trent, a spokesman for Ocasio-Cortez, told the Post that any Democrats who cooperate with Republicans "are putting themselves on a list.""She said that when activists ask her why she had to vote for a gun safety bill that also further empowers an agency that forcibly injects kids with psychotropic drugs, they're going to want a list of names and she's going to give it to them," Trent said, referring to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.The rift between the establishment and the younger, more progressive wing of the party was brought into sharp relief this week moments before the House passed legislation that would require a federal criminal background check for all gun purchases, including private transactions. While the bill's passage represented a significant victory for the Democratic majority, the inclusion of a provision that will facilitate deportations at the hands of ICE agents incensed progressives, many of whom have called for the agency to be abolished.
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| 10 Tax Write-Offs You Shouldn't Overlook Posted: 28 Feb 2019 06:53 AM PST ![10 Tax Write-Offs You Shouldn't Overlook]( "10 Tax Write-Offs You Shouldn't Overlook") If you want to save money at tax time, you'll want to take advantage of as many tax deductions as possible. While the term write-off often refers to a deduction, many taxpayers use it to describe a tax credit as well. "A deduction is a deduction from (taxable) income, and a credit is a deduction from tax (owed)," explains Mark Luscombe, principal analyst for Wolters Kluwer Tax & Accounting, a provider of software and information services for tax, accounting and audit workers.
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| Why the Mueller Report Might Disappoint Almost Everybody Posted: 01 Mar 2019 07:00 AM PST  What to know if you're expecting evidence of collusion
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| There are red flags common in human trafficking cases. Here's how the Florida spas compare Posted: 28 Feb 2019 02:31 PM PST  The red flags present in Florida that human trafficking possibly occurred are similar to those experts describe in a variety of other cases.
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| Indian pilot captured in Pakistan becomes face of escalating conflict Posted: 28 Feb 2019 02:48 AM PST  An Indian pilot shot down over Pakistan and paraded by his captors has become a hero in his own country, a trump card for Islamabad and perhaps the key to bringing the arch-rivals back from the brink. Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was in a MiG jet that India said was shot down on Wednesday as he chased Pakistan warplanes over the rivals' disputed Kashmir border. Footage of him being beaten and interrogated has since gone viral in India and Pakistan.
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| Elon Musk Finally Announces the $35,000 Tesla Model 3, but It's Actually $36,200 Posted: 28 Feb 2019 02:09 PM PST  The new Standard Range model promises 220 miles of range and has a far more basic interior.
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| Russia, China Veto UN Resolution Seeking Venezuela Elections Posted: 28 Feb 2019 12:34 PM PST  Nine council members voted in favor, while South Africa joined Russia and China in voting no, and three abstained. To pass, a resolution needs nine votes in support and no vetoes by the five permanent members, which include Russia and China.
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| The Best New Products from KBIS 2019 Posted: 01 Mar 2019 08:43 AM PST |
| In Hanoi, Trump calls Michael Cohen's congressional testimony 'shameful' and 'fake' Posted: 28 Feb 2019 01:49 AM PST  President Trump's second meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un this week came as Michael Cohen, a man who was once one of Trump's closest allies, delivered dramatic testimony before Congress, calling the president a "con man."
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| Amazon testing self-serve tool to let brands nix counterfeit products online Posted: 28 Feb 2019 05:56 AM PST ![Amazon testing self-serve tool to let brands nix counterfeit products online]( "Amazon testing self-serve tool to let brands nix counterfeit products online") Online retailing giant Amazon is giving brands a self-service tool to remove counterfeit versions of their products from Amazon's website.
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| Sanders tries to convince wary Democrats he's one of them Posted: 28 Feb 2019 11:03 AM PST  Over nearly three decades on Capitol Hill, Sen. Bernie Sanders has refused to formally identify as a Democrat. His 2016 primary challenge against Hillary Clinton exposed deep divisions among Democrats and fundamentally reshaped the party.
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| Google, Facebook, Twitter fail to live up to fake news pledge Posted: 28 Feb 2019 05:17 AM PST  Google, Facebook and Twitter have fallen short of their pledges to combat fake news, three months before key European elections, the European Commission said on Thursday. The tech companies and trade bodies representing the advertising industry signed up to a voluntary code of conduct in October to tackle the spread of fake news, aiming to stave off more heavy-handed legislation. Brussels is keen to address the threat of fake news or foreign interference during campaigning for the European Parliament elections in May and also for national elections in Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Greece, Poland, Portugal and Ukraine in the coming months.
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| Citigroup Says ‘More Bad News’ in Mexico Warrants Trader Caution Posted: 01 Mar 2019 06:48 AM PST  The bank said it's becoming increasingly cautious on Latin America's second-largest economy as prospects for a further slowdown in activity hampers the outlook for corporate profits. Fourth-quarter earnings were 26 percent below estimates, implying that forecasts for 2019 might be too high, Citigroup Research strategist Julio Zamora wrote in a note to clients. It's "more bad news," New York-based Zamora said, reiterating a market-weight recommendation for the country's equities.
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| Swiss may let 5,000 people use marijuana legally for studies Posted: 28 Feb 2019 01:36 AM PST  The cabinet proposed limited pilot projects that may lead to changes in laws banning cannabis that date back to 1951. The plan will be put out for public comment until mid-year, the Federal Health Office said. Switzerland already allows cannabis products of less than 1 percent THC, the chemical that makes people high.
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| Pelosi: Kim Jong Un the 'big winner' of summit with Trump Posted: 28 Feb 2019 09:52 AM PST  The House speaker was keeping score on the summit in Hanoi, Vietnam, and said that the North Korean dictator had scored a victory simply by sitting down with the leader of the "most powerful person in the world."
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| Mexican president urges reason in wage demands Posted: 28 Feb 2019 12:01 PM PST  MEXICO CITY (AP) — President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador tried Thursday to close the Pandora's box of wage demands he helped unleash when he doubled the minimum wage along Mexico's northern border.
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| 17 Palestinians hurt in border clashes with Israel: Gaza ministry Posted: 01 Mar 2019 10:23 AM PST  Israeli troops on Friday shot and wounded 17 Palestinians during a protest on the Gaza-Israel border, where rallies have been held for nearly a year, the enclave's health ministry said. A ministry statement reported "17 injuries by the Israeli occupation forces with live ammunition", without giving details on the condition of those shot. It said that three paramedics and one journalist were hurt by tear gas grenades.
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| Stuck on a plane: American, Delta fined for lengthy tarmac delays Posted: 28 Feb 2019 03:07 PM PST  American was fined $1 million, Delta $750,000 for exceeding the time limits on tarmac delays.
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| The Latest: Pakistan, Turkish leaders discuss India standoff Posted: 28 Feb 2019 08:12 AM PST  ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Latest on escalating India-Pakistan tensions (all times local):
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| Thousands stranded in Bangkok as flights affected by India Pakistan tensions Posted: 28 Feb 2019 03:16 AM PST  Thai Airways flights resumed by Thursday afternoon after the airline secured permission to reroute flights over Chinese airspace, but it could take up to three days to clear a backlog of 3,000 passengers, an airline official said. Flights to and from London, Munich, Paris, Brussels, Milan, Vienna, Stockholm, Zurich, Copenhagen, Oslo, Frankfurt and Rome had been scheduled to fly over Pakistani airspace on Thursday, Thai Airways said in a statement. Most of the airline's European flights leave after midnight and the cancellations left scores of passengers stuck at Suvarnabhumi International Airport on the outskirts of Bangkok.
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| 2019 Chevrolet Blazer RS vs. 2019 Ford Edge Titanium in Photos Posted: 01 Mar 2019 08:24 AM PST |
| 5 of the Best Stocks to Buy for March Posted: 28 Feb 2019 09:40 AM PST ![5 of the Best Stocks to Buy for March]( "5 of the Best Stocks to Buy for March") While markets didn't look so appetizing heading into 2019 -- stocks had corrected sharply in previous months and some market-watchers were wary of recession -- the cold months of winter have been red hot for Wall Street. First on the list is an appropriately hot name for a hot market: NXP Semiconductors, the global chip powerhouse whose products are integral in areas like connected cars, radio frequency identification, and the so-called "internet of things". Never fear, though: NXP is still a cheap stock, trading at less than 14 times earnings and 10.5 times forward earnings.
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| Trump Business Aides Under Microscope After Cohen Testimony Posted: 28 Feb 2019 10:31 AM PST  Three top executives of the Trump Organization were implicated by Cohen on Wednesday, suggesting they may face scrutiny by federal prosecutors. The chief financial officer, Allen Weisselberg, was involved with Cohen in paying hush money to an adult film actress in the days before the election -- with Trump's blessing, Cohen said. Weisselberg and two other executives, Matthew Calamari and Ron Lieberman, knew that Trump inflated the value of his assets to an unidentified insurance company, he added.
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| Tesla's 'mass market' $35k electric car ready to order, online Posted: 28 Feb 2019 10:58 PM PST  Tesla said Thursday its Model 3 -- heralded as an electric car for the masses -- is available for order online only at a price of $35,000, with delivery promised within a month. The announcement fulfills a vision of Tesla founder and chief Elon Musk, who has touted a more affordable electric car as part of his vision of weaning drivers from gasoline-powered vehicles. The Model 3 was to be priced at $35,000 when Tesla first began taking orders in 2016, but the cheapest version before today was about $10,000 more expensive despite price cuts that followed reductions in the US federal tax credit for vehicles not burning fossil fuels.
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| From harmful fetishes to sex trafficking, Robert Kraft case highlights risks facing Asian women Posted: 01 Mar 2019 10:46 AM PST  Robert Kraft was charged with soliciting prostitution at Orchids of Asia Day Spa but it's estimated it's one of 9,000 such illicit massage parlors.
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| Jay Inslee: Climate change advocate announces bid for 2020 presidential race — and he’s getting a Super PAC Posted: 01 Mar 2019 07:12 AM PST  Washington governor Jay Inslee, a fierce climate change activist and former congressman, is joining the 2020 presidential race as a growing pool of Democratic candidates seek to unseat Donald Trump in the White House. Unlike the slate of progressives who have announced their bids before him and rejected the help of Super PACs, the governor will reportedly receive aid along the campaign trail from Act Now On Climate, a group spearheaded by Corey Platt, the former political director of the Democratic Governor's Association. "He'll be the person to say [climate change] is the number one priority," Mr Platt told HuffPost about the Super PAC's support for Mr Inslee.
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| Dr. Bronner's is the only good brand on Twitter Posted: 28 Feb 2019 02:28 PM PST  Whether it's Lil Debbie shilling out relationship advice or Sunny D igniting a conversation about depression, contemporary brand Twitter can be a depressing and dark place. Nothing feels more cynical than when a brand appropriates the standardized millennial voice -- ironic, detached, dejected -- and uses it to hock their emulsified meat products and drinkable corn syrups. There's no commitment to justice here, there's just marketing. So I'd love to call for a mass ban of corporations from Twitter, with one exception: Dr. Bronner's, one of the country's most popular organic, fair trade soap producers.I don't trust any multimillion dollar corporation on Twitter. I do, however, place a reasonable amount of faith in this social justice soap. SEE ALSO: Brand Twitter, please stay away from the 2020 electionDr. Bronner's is best known for their all-purpose soaps (used for anything from washing your face to killing your dog's fleas, and cleaning your bong) and long-winded labels, which feature references to world religion and calls to end the war on drugs. The main ingredients in the brand's products are both organic and fair trade. Dr. Bronner's commitment to social justice has been present since the brand's inception, and the company now dedicates approximately one-third of its profits to various social causes.> "Earth's soils contain more than 3x more carbon than is stored in the atmosphere, and 4x more than the amount in all living plants & animals."https://t.co/kxGgbEWlsI> > -- Dr. Bronner's (@DrBronner) February 28, 2019All of this is reflected in the brand's social voice on Twitter. Unlike brands like Sunny D which capitalize on the millennial mental health crisis without doing anything to abate it, Dr. Bronner's shares stories written by real journalists of real value to millennials. > "Some small studies suggest that psilocybin can alleviate obsessive-compulsive disorder, treatment-resistant depression, end-of-life anxiety, addiction, cluster headaches, and, yes, relieve pain." @WIRED https://t.co/sabO1YDThg> > -- Dr. Bronner's (@DrBronner) February 20, 2019They're loud advocates for a fair living wage, having donated over $500,000 to minimum wage campaigns in 2016 and paying above the living wage in their own company. There isn't much to be cynical about here -- the brand tweets what they practice, and what they practice is good.> RAISE THE FEDERAL MINIMUM WAGE.> > -- Dr. Bronner's (@DrBronner) February 22, 2019> 21 states have a minimumwage at or below the federal minimum of $7.25. Many others aren't that much above it. @MinimumWageBiz https://t.co/czD9MPLCNI> > -- Dr. Bronner's (@DrBronner) February 26, 2019> Constructive Capitalism at Dr. Bronners: > > • 5-to-1 cap on executive salaries > • $18.71 minimum wage for full-time permanent employees > • Free health care for staff & their families > • Free daily organic vegan lunches > • Up to 25% of salary as annual bonushttps://t.co/HduUkftsEF> > -- Dr. Bronner's (@DrBronner) February 26, 2019Even though soap has no direct connection to cannabis, Dr. Bronner's frequently shares stories and posts tweets in support of legalization.> It's time to end the outdated, racist policy of cannabis prohibition that shreds productive citizens' lives and families for no good reason, and disproportionately affects people of color, while resources are diverted away from real crimes.> > -- Dr. Bronner's (@DrBronner) February 5, 2019> "Marijuana legalization advocates came into 2019 expecting it to be a huge year for cannabis, and lawmakers around the country are not disappointing them so far."https://t.co/phaijFd3Hp> > -- Dr. Bronner's (@DrBronner) February 27, 2019And while caps lock should be banned from Twitter, I'll make an exception for the random tweets Dr. Bronner's routinely posts about ending the war on drugs.> END THE WAR ON DRUGS.> > -- Dr. Bronner's (@DrBronner) February 12, 2019Outside of social causes, I particularly love the brand's tweets that are just basic tenets of human morality. The tweets don't have any cunning wordplay or cynical references to pop culture. Dr. Bronner's sometimes shares moral principles that, simply stated, likely drive down their Twitter engagement.There's absolutely nothing viral about tweets like these ones -- hence, I love 'em. > We can only truly prosper if we contribute to the prosperity of all!> > -- Dr. Bronner's (@DrBronner) February 25, 2019> Whatever unites us is greater than whatever divides us!> > -- Dr. Bronner's (@DrBronner) February 14, 2019> What's one way to enjoy the weekend without creating waste?> > -- Dr. Bronner's (@DrBronner) February 22, 2019There's nothing shareable about death, and yet somehow this tweet exists:> To reach that unreachable star, > no matter how hopeless, no matter how far! > To fight for the Right without question or pause, > to be willing to march into hell for a heavenly cause. > For I know if I follow this glorious quest, > my heart will lay peaceful & calm when I'm laid to rest!> > -- Dr. Bronner's (@DrBronner) February 20, 2019And who else would fill out this Twitter poll besides your radical aunt and your high school creative writing teacher a *little too obsessed* with recycling? Nothing about this tweet would make it viral. That's exactly what makes it good.> Have you ever spent your free time picking up litter?> > -- Dr. Bronner's (@DrBronner) February 22, 2019The retweets, my friends, are also incredible.> Peggy now has a chair that helps her eat and drink comfortably. She loves it! She still hops around the yard and sleeps on her bed, but this makes meal time easier. Having a house chicken is so fun! @EllieLaks animallover animalrescue chickens gentlebarn pic.twitter.com/9yg5dyLcjX> > -- The Gentle Barn (@TheGentleBarn) February 5, 2019I don't want to get y'all too high on soap: At the end of the day, Dr. Bronner's is still a brand. They're on Twitter to advocate for causes and to sell their social justice soap. They have a hand sanitizer coming out that will soon be sold at Urban Outfitters. They talk about constructive capitalism.> Dr. Bronner's is launching a NEW Organic Hand Sanitizer on March 8, 2019. > Can you guess the scent? > > Photo by Urban Outfitters pic.twitter.com/uA1ZmfUvTl> > -- Dr. Bronner's (@DrBronner) February 25, 2019The brand posts plenty of tweets marketing their products, but there's nothing particularly malicious about them. Dr. Bronner's doesn't play on the 2020 election as Pop-Tarts recently did when they announced they were considering a presidential run. Their marketing-based tweets are plain and simple and limited to soap. > Besides diluting, how do you make a bottle of Dr. Bronner's last longer?> > -- Dr. Bronner's (@DrBronner) February 12, 2019> Based on your week, what scent are you showering with this weekend?> > -- Dr. Bronner's (@DrBronner) February 7, 2019Dr. Bronner's is a soap with a soapbox. They just it do better than anyone else out there on this brutal, cynical hellscape of a brandscape. WATCH: Snapchat celebrates Black History Month with virtual museum
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| Pompeo says North Korea not clear on scope of closing Yongbyon facility Posted: 01 Mar 2019 02:23 AM PST  U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday that North Korea had asked for full sanctions lifting during a summit in Hanoi but lacked complete clarity on what it was prepared to offer on dismantling the Yongbyon nuclear facility. "They were pretty expansive with respect to what they are prepared to do at Yongbyon but there was still not complete clarity with respect to full scope of what it is they were prepared to offer," Pompeo told a news conference during a short stop in Manila. Pompeo said North Korea had "basically asked for full sanctions relief".
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| Chris Watts Provides New Information on Murders of Pregnant Wife, Daughters Posted: 01 Mar 2019 12:48 PM PST  Chris Watts has provided additional details about the murders of his wife, Shanann, and daughters Bella and Celeste, according to investigators in Colorado. The information will be made public next week.
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| J.C. Penney to close 24 more stores: Sales fall as department stores struggle Posted: 28 Feb 2019 09:28 AM PST ![J.C. Penney to close 24 more stores: Sales fall as department stores struggle]( "J.C. Penney to close 24 more stores: Sales fall as department stores struggle") J.C. Penney plans to close 15 additional full-line stores and nine home-and-furniture locations as the retailer struggles to get its footing.
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| Takeaways from the House Democrats’ Cohen Hearing Posted: 01 Mar 2019 10:41 AM PST  'Lanny Davis Productions." That should have been the credit on this week's big Michael Cohen drama. It's a better fit than "House Oversight Committee."Knowledge may be power, but electoral victory is subpoena power. That's of more practical use when the objective, under all the chatter about "collusion" and impeachment, is to render Donald Trump unelectable. Expect another 18 months of this.The Democrats are entitled to the spectacle orchestrated Wednesday by Chairman Elijah Cummings and Cohen lawyer (and, not coincidentally, sharp Democratic strategist) Lanny Davis. They won the midterm elections, not just fair and square but going away. The spoils that go to the victor include the authority to compel the appearance of witnesses who will support the 2020 narrative: Trump as "racist, conman, and cheat," the theme of Cohen's opening statement -- which we may suspect the rough-edged, ambulance-chaser-turned-wannabe-Trump-bullyboy had just a tad of Lanny's help writing. Chairman Scorsese, um, I mean Cummings, gave Cohen an extraordinary half hour to read it to America without interruption.Republicans are not nearly as good at this stuff, mainly for reasons beyond their control. While in the House majority, they tried their best to put the Obama-legacy Justice Department and FBI under the microscope for politicization and abuses of power in the investigations that bore on the 2016 election. But the anti-Trump press didn't care, which meant the public never heard much about it.Then there's the dirty little secret the GOP never mentions: The president could at any time have ordered investigative documents disclosed. He shrank from doing so, notwithstanding claims he and House Republicans made about how devastating the documents are. That obviously suggests one or more of the following: (a) the documents are not devastating evidence of misconduct; (b) revelation of the documents would be as unflattering to Trump as to the investigators (think about it: the FBI and DOJ were proceeding on the theory that a compromised Trump could be blackmailed by Putin, so what do you figure they wrote in their classified reports and FISA applications?); or (c) there is in place an understanding, perhaps tacit: Mueller will not find criminal "collusion" (even if his report is damning on the matter of Trump's judgment), the president will not disclose documents (which could damage relationships with foreign intelligence services that abetted the Trump-Russia probe), and everyone will call a truce and lick their wounds (while House Democrats use their subpoena power to keep the narrative chugging -- with corruption substituted for collusion).As Democrats are showing, "oversight" is fun when the press is the breeze at your back.In this instance, it was irresponsible fun.The president was conducting important diplomacy in Vietnam. Now, I happen to think the North Korea gambit is a farce; every national-security-minded conservative would be rebuking it, the way we rebuked Obama's dangerous Iran deal, if it were a Democratic president granting the prestige of a visit to a barbaric, anti-American, tin-pot dictator.That said, Trump is president and he was trying, however unrealistically, to get Rocket Man to denuclearize. Didn't Congress owe him a couple of days of quiet support to try to strike a deal? Instead, subordinating the national interest to their political strategy to render Trump unelectable, Democrats gratuitously created a scandalous distraction: a hearing about the president's character, starring a scoundrel -- the president's own scoundrel, to be sure -- who has recently pled guilty to lying to Congress.As Rich Lowry and I discussed on the McCarthy Report podcast, this hearing could have been held at any time. In fact, it had already been postponed more than once. Yet Democrats insisted it had to be Wednesday. No president, of either party, should be unnecessarily undermined when he is overseas pursuing what the country overwhelmingly agrees is a vital American interest (as a non-nuclear NoKo would be). Trump is not going to be president forever. Democrats will regret shredding norms of good governance in their zeal to be rid of him.In any event, here are my takeaways from the Cohen hearing.1\. Nothing New Anything that sounded incriminating but that you hadn't heard before is irrelevant. Remember, Cohen has been extensively debriefed by two sets of highly skilled prosecutors and FBI agents. If he said something new and inculpatory at the hearing, something you had never seen mentioned in an indictment from either the Mueller probe or the Southern District of New York (SDNY) investigation, that means the investigators either didn't believe Cohen or couldn't verify what he said. With Cohen, corroboration is essential in light of his galactic credibility problems, which -- though I would not have thought this possible -- have actually gotten worse since Wednesday's hearing.2\. The Stone-WikiLeaks Tale Point 1, above, goes double for Cohen's breathless tale about Roger Stone calling the president a few days before the Democratic convention. With Cohen listening in, Stone supposedly reported that he had personally spoken with Julian Assange and that WikiLeaks was about to leak the hacked DNC emails.Put aside that, even if this story were true, it would indicate Trump had no knowledge or participation in the Russians' hacking of the DNC servers and transmission of the emails to WikiLeaks (i.e., there would be no criminal conspiracy). The story is almost certainly not true. It is not just that Mueller did not include it in his indictment of Roger Stone (even though prosecutors were manifestly straining to tie Stone to Assange). Mueller's narrative in the Stone indictment cannot be squared with Cohen's account.According to Mueller, days after the DNC emails began being published, Stone reached out to Jerome Corsi to urge him to figure out a way to contact Assange; he wanted Corsi to find out whether WikiLeaks had a tranche of stolen Clinton Foundation emails ready for release. If, as Cohen claims, Stone already had both a direct line of communication with Assange and foreknowledge of what WikiLeaks was in a position to publish, why would he have needed to implore Corsi, of all people, to try to make contact with Assange? If Assange was already telling Stone what WikiLeaks had, why would Stone have been scratching his head about whether Assange had Clinton Foundation documents? (WikiLeaks apparently did not have such documents -- or at least never released them.)Despite the imposition of a judicial gag order in his case, Stone released a brief statement claiming Cohen's account was false. Maybe Lanny can stage a debate on MSNBC: Cohen v. Stone! We've come a long way from Lincoln and Douglas, no?3\. Is Cohen Cooperating in an Undisclosed SDNY Investigation of Trump? If he is telling the truth, Cohen is still working with SDNY prosecutors on an investigation of Trump for an undisclosed crime. When asked if he was aware of any criminal activity by the president that he had not already publicized, Cohen said yes, but refused to elaborate, citing an ongoing SDNY investigation he claimed to be helping.This is intriguing for more than the obvious "what's the crime?" reason. In their sentencing memorandum in Cohen's case, the SDNY was emphatic that Cohen was not a cooperating witness. Prosecutors said he had withheld information (and was still lying about and minimizing his tax and bank fraud offenses), and that he deserved to go to jail.So has that changed?We don't know. Committee Republicans spent hours tendentiously pressing Cohen on whether he had a book or movie contract, but no one bothered to ask him whether he has a contract with the government -- i.e., a formal cooperation agreement with the SDNY. Would have been nice to know.Cohen seems to think he will get a second bite at the cooperation apple. Under federal criminal-procedure rules, prosecutors have up to a year after a person is sentenced to file a motion for reduction of that sentence based on substantial assistance to an investigation or prosecution. Recently, the SDNY quietly agreed to a two-month postponement (to May 6) of Cohen's date to begin serving the three-year sentence imposed in December. Publicly, the delay was rationalized as a routine granting of Cohen's request to complete a course of physical therapy following recent shoulder surgery. Is more than that going on here?4\. SDNY Obstruction Investigation? While Cohen did not disclose the mystery crime he says the SDNY is investigating, he implied that it could involve obstruction. He refused to say for sure, claiming to be protecting the integrity of the SDNY's investigation. Specifically, he declined to describe conversations he had with the president after the FBI executed search warrants at Cohen's office and residences. There is nothing necessarily sinister about such conversations . . . unless people are trying to concoct false exculpatory stories about any incriminating evidence seized. But without more information, we can only guess.5\. Trump's $35,000 Check Payable to Cohen There was a stir in the hearing room when Cohen revealed his copy of a $35,000 check that President Trump signed and gave to him in partial reimbursement of the Stormy Daniels hush-money payment. Cohen also displayed a second check for the same purpose, which he says was co-signed by Don Trump Jr. and another Trump-organization executive.At this late stage, this is more of a political than a legal problem for the president. Remember Point 1, above: The prosecutors know all this information already. The SDNY undoubtedly acquired copies of the checks (there are said to be eleven of them) months ago. The payment arrangement is key evidence regarding the campaign-finance charges to which Cohen has pled guilty -- charges that could eventually be brought against the president. This is not new information: Investigators know that Cohen paid Daniels, then Trump and his company disguised the reimbursement to make it look like monthly payments on a lawyer's retainer, paid out over a year.Politically, however, the check Trump signed is new damage for the president because he publicly insisted that he did not know anything about Cohen's payment to Daniels. I doubt it is too terribly damaging, since (a) Trump says lots of things that are not, shall we say, well, accurate, and (b) I don't know anyone who believed Trump did not know about the Cohen–Stormy payoff. (I don't mean to imply that the tawdry behavior these shenanigans were meant to conceal is inconsequential -- that damage is real, the sort of thing that turns off all but Trump's most ardent supporters.)6\. Did Trump File a False 2017 Financial-Disclosure Form? The way it was structured, the reimbursement of Cohen creates other legal peril for the president as well. The question is whether he filed a false public financial-disclosure form. The 2017 form Trump submitted before Cohen was fully repaid does not disclose the debt -- although the president's 2018 form obliquely records that the debt was repaid. The Office of Government Ethics (OGE) has referred the matter to the Justice Department. OGE's website notes that the Justice Department has discretion to prosecute criminally or file a civil action against an official who knowingly and willfully fails to report required information.7\. Knowledge of, and Failure to Correct, Cohen's Perjured Testimony Cohen's claims at the hearing potentially turn up the heat not only on the president but on two of his children, Don Jr. and Ivanka, as well as their lawyers.Cohen claims that he consulted with the president and his very fine attorney, Jay Sekulow, before his August 2017 congressional testimony about Trump Tower Moscow -- the testimony over which Cohen has pled guilty to perjury. Cohen does not claim the president instructed him to lie . . . at least directly. He says the president uses "code." Lest you think cryptanalysis is one of Cohen's many, er, talents, the "code" is of the familiar Henry II "Will no one rid me of this turbulent priest?" variety -- i.e., Trump riffs that there is "no Russia," "no collusion," no whatever, and his subordinates are said to take that as their cue to deny, deny, deny.More thorny is the letter that Cohen submitted in conjunction with the August 2017 testimony. Cohen says that before submitting it to the committees, he reviewed it with Sekulow and Abbe Lowell, a terrific criminal-defense lawyer who represents Don Jr. and Ivanka. This consultation apparently took place under the auspices of a "common interest" or "joint defense" agreement. These arrangements enable people who are under investigation to pool information with all their lawyers, with all the communications protected by attorney-client privilege. What piqued many people's interest was Cohen's claim that his testimony was "edited" by the lawyers, which Sekulow vehemently denies.Sometimes a transcript does not do a hearing justice -- you have to see and hear the exchanges. Yes, the word "edited" was used, and it can have a sinister connotation in this context; but having watched the hearing, I did not think it was a big deal at the time. I did not take Cohen to be alleging that the lawyers significantly altered his letter, that they changed its substance in any meaningful way. It sounded, instead, like the lawyers did what lawyers do: a tweak here or there, not to distort the client's account but to protect the client from inadvertent error.Admittedly, I am not impartial. I am confident neither Sekulow nor Lowell would suborn perjury. In any event, though, I believe that by focusing on the word "edited," commentators are missing what actually is significant about the letter.Cohen falsely asserted in the letter that negotiations over Trump Tower Moscow ended in January 2016. When he pled guilty to perjury, he conceded that the negotiations went on long after that, and that he had reported on the negotiations to candidate Trump and his "family members" many times over many months. Presumably, "family members" refers to the adult Trump children, who are executives of the Trump organization.The two lawyers who reviewed the letter were aware that Cohen claimed the negotiations ended in January. The lawyers, of course, are agents of their clients -- President Trump, Don Jr., and Ivanka. Therefore, at least implicitly, all three Trumps knew, through their lawyers, that Cohen told Congress the negotiations ended in January. (Again, pooling information is the main reason to have a common interest agreement.)If the three Trumps knew that, it is reasonable to infer that they knew Cohen's Trump Tower Moscow testimony was false. Cohen now says President Trump, Don Jr., and Ivanka are well aware that the Trump Tower Moscow negotiations continued for several months after January. On this, I'm inclined to believe Cohen. In the criminal information Mueller filed against Cohen, prosecutors allege that there were many post-January discussions about the project among Trump-company executives. The prosecutors would not have done that unless they had corroborated Cohen, so there must be a corporate paper trail. Plus, the president's legal team has admitted that the Trump company's deliberations over Trump Tower Moscow went on well into the 2016 campaign. If the president and his two adult children knew that Cohen testified falsely, that is a problem: Until Cohen pled guilty in November 2018, no one ever took steps to correct the record -- Congress was misled for over a year.8\. Prague Meeting, and the Criminal "Collusion" Narrative, Debunked On the positive side of this dreary day for Trump world, Cohen was adamant that he never traveled to Prague on Donald Trump's behalf to meet with Russians (he says he has never even been in the Czech Republic). Cohen's phantom Prague trip is a central allegation in the Steele dossier's faux intelligence reporting about an espionage conspiracy between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin.Clearly, we already knew that there was no Prague meeting, notwithstanding a media frisson some months back over a rumor that Mueller had found evidence that it had happened. Had Mueller been able to prove the Prague allegation, that would have been seen as solid corroboration of the Steele dossier. The trajectory of the investigation would have been completely different: The special counsel would be revved up, not winding down.9\. Cohen a Lose-Lose for Republicans Alas, this elucidated the impossible challenge for committee Republicans at Wednesday's hearing. They did not feel confident enough to defend the president on the substance of Cohen's claims -- they don't know what will turn out to be true, so they don't want to go out on that limb. They played it safe: Cohen is an inveterate liar who has pled guilty to nine counts of fraud and perjury, including lying to Congress; therefore, nothing he says can be believed. But of course, Cohen actually said a number of things that were exculpatory of Trump, especially in discrediting the collusion narrative. So . . . which is it, GOP? "You can't believe anything he says," or "You can't believe him except when he says things that help the president"?There is no way to square this circle. When Cohen portrayed the president as a roué, it directly hurt Trump. When Republicans landed blows establishing that Cohen is a five-alarm fraudster with a thuggy extortionate streak, it reminded everyone that Trump chose Cohen to be his fixer, and, finding his skill set useful, kept him on for a decade.Hat tip to Lanny . . . he knows a can't-miss script when he sees one.
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| Tesla Gives Up on Factory Stores, Will Only Sell Cars Online Posted: 28 Feb 2019 06:10 PM PST  If you'd like to buy a Tesla in a few months, you'll need an internet connection.
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