peppertree
peppertree's JournalDemocrats slam Trump for refusing to consult Congress before Syria strikes
Source: Newsweek
Senior Democrats criticized President Donald Trump Friday for launching air strikes against the Syrian government without first consulting Congress.
Trump announced Friday that the U.S. and its allies the U.K. and France were launching "precision" air strikes in response to Syria’s alleged use of chemical weapons in an attack on civilians in Douma, eastern Ghouta, a week ago.
Minority House Leader Nancy Pelosi said the Syrian government’s use of poison gas was a “brutally inhuman war crime.” “Yet one night of airstrikes is no substitute for a coherent strategy.”
“The President must come to Congress and secure an Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF) by proposing a comprehensive strategy with clear objectives that keep our military safe and avoid collateral damage to innocent civilians,” Pelosi added.
Read more: http://www.newsweek.com/democrats-slam-trump-refusing-consult-congress-syria-strikes-886185
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi: “The President must come to Congress and secure an Authorization for Use of Military Force.”
Republican candidate caught on tape explaining how he's banking on terrorist attack to help him win
Source: Daily Kos
A South Dakota Republican congressional candidate is trying to walk back the truly insane, recorded statement he made claiming that an Islamic terrorist attack on U.S. soil would propel him to win the Republican nomination in South Dakota’s June primary.
In the recording, he says: “And then all that has to happen is that there will be one more terrorist attack between now and then and I will be the, just by the Trump effect, I will be the candidate. That’s the way I look at it.”
Read more: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2018/4/12/1756614/-Republican-candidate-caught-on-tape-explaining-how-he-s-banking-on-terrorist-attack-to-help-him-win?detail=emaildkre
South Dakota GOP House candidate Neal Tapio: Waiting for "the Trump effect" - or is it the Bush effect.
Argentina's Macri removes prosecutor in postal service fraud case involving his family
Argentine President Mauricio Macri ordered the removal of Juan Pedro Zoni, the federal prosecutor investigating allegations of large-scale fraud committed by his family conglomerate, SOCMA, against the nation's postal service.
SOCMA, which controlled the Argentine Postal Service between its privatization in 1997 and its renationalization in 2003, owes $268 million to the postal service - a debt Commercial Court Prosecutor Gabriela Boquín alleges to have been fraudulently amassed while diverting the proceeds to other Macri interests.
Macri attempted to rescind 98% of his family's postal service debt by decree in February 2017 - a decree he was forced to retract due to the resulting political scandal, known locally as the Curreo Argentino (a play on the Spanish word for mail, correo, and the slang term currar - to embezzle).
Boquín's complaint was referred to Zoni's office, who reportedly remained active in the investigation despite the disinterest of Federal Judge Ariel Lijo - a Macri ally who oversees the stalled case.
Zoni's removal was signed by Chief Federal Prosecutor Eduardo Casal, whom Macri appointed in December after forcing Alejandra Gils Carbó out eight months before the end of her tenure.
Gils Carbó, nominated by Macri's predecessor, Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, was confirmed by the Argentine Senate in 2012; Casal was named on an "interim" basis, thereby skirting Senate approval.
Their removal has been compared to Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro's firing of that country's chief prosecutor, Luisa Ortega Díaz, last August following her criticism of crackdowns on anti-government demonstrators.
At: https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pagina12.com.ar%2F106482-en-linea-con-el-interes-de-los-macri&edit-text=
Argentine prosecutors Alejandra Gils Carbó and Juan Pedro Zoni, removed by President Macri amid fraud investigations involving his family.
Argentina's top opposition party seized, figure close to President Macri named as head
A federal judge in Argentina has ousted the leadership of the country's most powerful opposition party, the Justicialist Party (PJ).
Judge María Servini de Cubría’s intervention order removes Congressman José Luis Gioja as president of the PJ, and imposes culinary workers union boss Luis Barrionuevo as comptroller.
The Justicialist Party - so named for its social justice platform - was founded in 1945 as the Labor Party by the late populist leader Juan Perón, and has long been beset by deep divisions between its left and right wings.
Though no longer affiliated with the PJ, Barrionuevo is arguably the most prominent Peronist figure still supportive of President Mauricio Macri, whose right-wing government is largely led by staunch anti-Peronists.
Barrionuevo, 76, has in the past been charged, though never convicted, in large-scale PAMI (Argentine Medicare) fraud and tax evasion cases. One of the shell companies he co-owned operated out of a house his wife purchased from Abraham Awada, President Macri's father-in-law.
Gioja, who was elected party president in 2016, has indicated he will appeal the ruling.
“The government's hand is behind this,” he said. “It has to do with the judicialization of politics, which is in fashion at the moment. The court’s decision has no basis.”
He stated that the ruling was aimed at weakening the PJ at the behest of the increasingly unpopular Macri, who is seeking reelection next year but whose approval has recently fallen to below 40%.
“(Macri) is betting on a divide-and-conquer strategy,” he said.
In the shadows
The Justicialist Party has a history of being intervened by right-wing governments: it was banned from 1955 to 1972, and again during the last dictatorship from 1976 to 1983.
Many of the 30,000 dissidents killed during the latter period were Peronists; Gioja, 68, was among those tortured.
The judge cited no specific causes or statutes for the intervention, instead referring to the current PJ leadership's being "in the shadow of former President Cristina Kirchner" - the country's most prominent left-wing Peronist.
At: https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ambito.com%2F917762-la-justicia-intervino-el-pj-nacional-y-puso-a-barrionuevo-al-frente-del-partido&edit-text=
Union boss Luis Barrionuevo, longtime leader of Peronism's right wing and outspoken Macri supporter - now appointed head of the leading opposition party.
Trump nixes trip to Summit of the Americas
President Trump will not attend the Summit of the Americas in order to remain in Washington “to oversee the response to a chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of women and children in Syria,” the White House said Tuesday.
”President Trump will not attend the 8th Summit of the Americas in Lima, Perú, or travel to Bogotá, Colombia, as originally scheduled,” White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement.
“At the President’s request, the Vice President will travel in his stead.”
The Summit of the Americas, a gathering of Western Hemisphere heads of state organized by the Organization of American States (OAS), has been attended by every U.S. president since the first gathering in 1994.
At: https://nypost.com/2018/04/10/trump-nixes-trip-to-summit-of-the-americas/
The last Summit of the Americas, in Panamá City, in 2015 (Obama is in the second row, at left).
Other than by his old pal Macri, I doubt Trump will be missed much.
Argentina's Macri blames Carrefour supermarket crisis on Asian-owned stores
Speaking to Spain's ABC News, Argentine President Mauricio Macri referred to recent news that Carrefour Argentina, the nation's largest supermarket chain, is initiating bankruptcy procedures by blaming "disloyal competition and (tax) evasion by Chinese markets."
The remarks were made during a state visit today by Spanish Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy, a close ally of the right-wing Macri administration.
"Macri's phrase about us was unfortunate," Yolanda Durán of the Chinese Supermarkets Association, said. "The president should stop calling us Chinese; we are third-generation Argentine. That is discrimination."
Argentina's retail sector has struggled since Macri enacted a 40% devaluation within days of taking office in December 2015.
Inflation initially doubled to 45% in 2016, and has remained at 25% since then. Real annual sales in Argentina's leading supermarket chains have fallen by 16% since Macri took office.
Nor are customers shifting their business to smaller venues. The Argentine Medium Business Chamber (CAME), which includes most smaller retail chains, reports an 8% decline in real sales from 2015 to 2017 - with another 2% decline as of this March.
Some 300 Asian-owned stores have reportedly closed last year, around 5% of the total.
"Given the retraction in consumption, we work twice as hard," Durán said. "The president is not telling the truth about our reality, and I feel there is some discrimination."
Spanish eyes
Macri's rhetoric toward Asian-owned businesses, and against non-European immigrants generally, has been in stark contrast with his language toward Spain particularly.
"Our patriots must have felt great anguish when declaring their independence from Spain," he told former King Juan Carlos I during Argentina's Bicentennial celebrations two years ago.
"Argentina and Spain are like lovers reuniting," he added today.
Earlier this week, Rajoy granted Macri's mother, Alicia Blanco Villegas, Spanish citizenship - leading to speculation the increasingly unpopular Macri, whose approval has fallen to 32% and who faces numerous conflict-of-interest and tax evasion inquiries, might seek refuge there once his term ends in December 2019.
At: https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.infonews.com%2Fnota%2F314694%2Fdesde-los-supermercados-chinos-le-salieron&edit-text=
An 'Argenchinese' market in Buenos Aires. Asian-owned grocery stores, and their competitive prices, have become increasingly popular in Argentina since the 1990s.
Brazil's Lula defies prison order as crowds rally for and against him
Former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio 'Lula' da Silva defied a judge’s order to report to prison Friday, setting up a showdown with authorities and triggering demonstrations around the country both for and against the charismatic politician.
The former president, 72, was sentenced in January to 12 years in prison for accepting bribes from a large Brazilian construction company in return for government contracts. He denies any wrongdoing and has called the case a political witch hunt.
Lula told local media he did not intend to turn himself in, and spent the night at the headquarters of the metalworkers’ union in São Paulo where he began his career four decades ago. Outside, hundreds of supporters wearing the traditional red of the Workers’ Party he founded in 1980 surrounded the building.
Lula briefly came to the window, waved to supporters and raised his fist in the air.
Outside, a banner read, “An election without Lula is fraud!”
Lula, who appears set to be the first Brazilian president to be jailed since the country’s military dictatorship ended in 1985, is leading in the polls ahead of a presidential election in October. He has vowed to continue his campaign from behind bars, if necessary.
At: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/the_americas/brazils-lula-refuses-to-report-to-prison-setting-off-demonstrations-by-both-supporters-and-opponents/2018/04/06/01b4ee1c-393f-11e8-af3c-2123715f78df_story.html
Brazilian presidential candidate Lula da Silva waves to crowds outside metalworkers' union headquarters, where he has sought refuge from an arrest order seeking to bar him from running in this year's elections.
Outside, a banner read, “An election without Lula is fraud!”
Carrefour Argentina, nation's largest supermarket chain, declares bankruptcy
Carrefour Argentina, the nation's largest supermarket chain, has announced it's declaring bankruptcy.
The company, a subsidiary of the Paris-based multinational retailer, is seeking a reorganization of its debts similar to a Chapter 11 bankruptcy under U.S. law.
Carrefour, which opened its first Argentine supermarket in 1982, operates 585 stores in the country and has a 20% market share.
Company spokesmen have publicly assured the firm's 19,000 employees that layoffs will be limited to 1,000 offers of voluntary retirement. "Our objective is finding solutions to guarantee the sustainability of our operations in Argentina," a Carrefour spokesman said.
Minutes from a board meeting leaked earlier this year, however, confirm that the company plans to close 11 of its largest stores, affecting 2,700 employees.
"We expected this because we were aware of Carrefour's plans for downsizing," Mario Amado, trade union delegate for Carrefour's Warnes Avenue (Buenos Aires) store, told Página/12. "They have a plan in mind that they do not intend to give up - and they send managers to tell people that there will be no layoffs. Carrefour is not acting in good faith."
Carrefour's woes are typical of much of Argentina's retail sector since President Mauricio Macri enacted a 40% devaluation within days of taking office in December 2015.
Inflation initially doubled to 45% in 2016, and has remained at 25% since then. The government opposes any collective bargaining raise in excess of 15% for this year, triggering a series of massive strikes.
Annual sales in Argentina's leading supermarket chains have fallen by 16% since Macri took office, from $25 billion in 2015 to $21 billion last year.
Nor are customers shifting their business to smaller venues. The Argentine Medium Business Chamber (CAME), which includes most smaller retail chains, reports an 8% decline in real sales from 2015 to 2017 - with another 2% decline as of this March.
At: https://translate.google.com/translate?sl=auto&tl=en&js=y&prev=_t&hl=en&ie=UTF-8&u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.pagina12.com.ar%2F106253-en-las-gondolas-del-super-madura-el-ajuste&edit-text=
A Carrefour market in Buenos Aires. The French-based chain was a top contributor to Mauricio Macri's right-wing campaign in 2015.
Prison Awaits Brazil's Iconic Ex-President Lula After Court Loss
Source: Bloomberg
Brazils former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva faces time in prison after the Supreme Court rejected his request to appeal at liberty a 12-year prison sentence for corruption. Equity and currency markets rallied.
The nations top court early on Thursday rejected by 6-5 Lulas request for a preventative habeas corpus, removing the final legal hurdle to a prison order.
"Its a sad day for democracy and for Brazil," tweeted Gleisi Hoffmann, the president of Lulas Workers Party, after the decision.
The party said it would continue to defend Lulas candidacy for Octobers presidential elections, which the ex-president has consistently been shown leading in the polls.
Read more: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-04-05/brazil-top-court-rejects-lula-plea-paving-way-for-imprisonment
Brazil's Lula da Silva. Kangaroo courts don't like habeas corpus.
Brazil general sets country on edge by hinting military intervention if courts rule in Lula's favor
On the eve of a critical ruling from Brazil’s highest court, the general in charge of the country’s army is being accused of sending a thinly veiled warning to the 11 judges on the top bench.
The Supreme Federal Tribunal is expected to rule late Wednesday or on Thursday on a petition from former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to remain at liberty despite a 12-year prison sentence for corruption and money-laundering.
The ruling will be a key factor in presidential elections later this year, and is perhaps the most important and politically divisive question to come before Brazil’s courts since the military dictatorship ended in 1985.
Now an already polarized country has been set on edge by an unprecedented statement by General Eduardo Villas Boas, 66, commander of the army.
“In Brazil’s current situation, it is up to the institutions and citizens to ask who is really thinking of the well-being of our country and its future generations and who is only concerned about personal interests,” the general wrote late Tuesday night, adding that the military “shared the desire of all good citizens to repudiate impunity,” interpreted by many Brazilians as a warning to the court to reject Mr. da Silva’s petition and clear the path for him to be jailed.
Polling show Lula da Silva, whose center-left administration governed Brazil from 2003 to 2011, ahead as the country nears presidential elections this October. A supreme court ruling upholding his imprisonment would bar him from running.
At: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/world/article-brazilian-general-sets-country-on-edge-by-hinting-of-military/
General Eduardo Villas Boas. Amnesty International has condemned his statements as a "threat to the rule of law."
Profile Information
Member since: Thu May 18, 2017, 11:36 AMNumber of posts: 22,850