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China agrees more U.N. actions needed against North Korea after nuclear test

Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) interceptors are seen as they arrive at Seongju, South Korea, September 7, 2017. Lee Jong-hyeon/News1 via REUTERS

BEIJING/SEOUL (Reuters) – China said on Thursday it agreed the United Nations Security Council should take further actions against North Korea in the wake of its latest nuclear test, while continuing to push for more dialogue to resolve the crisis on the Korean peninsula.
The United States wants the U.N. Security Council to impose an oil embargo on North Korea, ban its exports of textiles and the hiring of North Korean laborers abroad, and subject leader Kim Jong Un to an asset freeze and travel ban, according to a draft resolution seen by Reuters on Wednesday.
Pressure from Washington has ratcheted up since North Korea conducted its sixth and largest nuclear test on Sunday. That test, along with a series of missile launches, showed Pyongyang was close to achieving its goal of developing a powerful nuclear weapon that could reach the United States.
U.S. President Donald Trump has urged China to do more to rein in its neighbor, which has pursued its weapons programs in defiance of U.N. sanctions and international condemnation.
China said on Thursday it hoped North Korea refrained from further challenging the international consensus.
“Given the new developments on the Korean peninsula, China agrees that the UN Security Council should make a further response and take necessary measures,” Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi told reporters, without elaborating.
“Any new actions taken by the international community against the DPRK should serve the purpose of curbing the DPRK’s nuclear and missile programs, while at the same time be conducive to restarting dialogue and consultation,” he said, using the initials of North Korea’s official name, the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea.
China is by far North Korea’s biggest trading partner, accounting for 92 percent of two-way trade last year. It also provides tonnes of oil and fuel to the impoverished regime.
U.S. Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said he had an executive order ready for Trump to sign that would impose sanctions on any country that trades with Pyongyang if the United Nations does not put additional sanctions on North Korea.
THAAD DEPLOYMENT
Amid the rising tensions, Seoul installed the four remaining launchers of the U.S. anti-missile Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) system on a former golf course in the south early on Thursday. Two launchers had already been deployed.
More than 30 people were wounded when around 8,000 South Korean police broke up a blockade of about 300 villagers and civic groups opposed to the THAAD system deployment, fire officials said.
“It is very unfortunate there some wounded, but it was an inevitable choice in order to protect the lives of the people in this situation made serious by North Korea’s recent nuclear test,” South Korean Interior and Safety Minister Kim Boo-kyum told reporters.
The decision to deploy the THAAD system has drawn strong objections from China, which believes its radar could be used to look deeply into its territory and will upset the regional security balance.
China said it had lodged another stern protest over the THAAD deployment on Thursday.
“We again urge South Korea and the United States to take seriously China’s and regional nations’ security interests and concerns, stop the relevant deployment progress, and remove the relevant equipment,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a regular media briefing.
“China has already lodged stern representations with South Korea over this,” he said.
MOON, ABE MEET
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and South Korean President Moon Jae-in spoke at a regional meeting in the eastern Russian city of Vladivostok and agreed to try to persuade China and Russia to cut off oil to North Korea as much as possible, according to South Korean officials.
The European Union’s foreign and defense ministers will discuss further sanctions for North Korea on Thursday, the bloc’s top diplomat said ahead of an EU ministers’ meeting in the Estonian capital.
However, sanctions have so far done little to stop North Korea boosting its nuclear and missile capacity as it faces off with Trump.
China and Russia have advocated a “freeze for freeze” plan, where the United States and South Korea would stop major military exercises in exchange for North Korea halting its weapons programs, but neither side appears willing to budge.
South Korean Marines wrapped up a three-day firing drill on Thursday aimed at protecting its islands just south of the border with North Korea, while the air force will finish up a week-long drill on Friday.
North Korea says it needs to develop its weapons to defend itself against what it sees as U.S. aggression.
South Korea and the United States are technically still at war with North Korea after the 1950-53 Korean conflict ended with a truce, not a peace treaty.
For a graphic on nuclear North Korea, click: http://fingfx.thomsonreuters.com/gfx/rngs/NORTHKOREA-MISSILES/010031V7472/index.html
(Additional reporting by Soyoung Kim in SEOUL, Christian Shepherd and Vincent Lee in BEIJING, Steve Holland, Eric Walsh, Jeff Mason and Jim Oliphant in WASHINGTON and Gabriela Baczynska, Robin Emmott and David Mardiste in TALLINN; Writing by Lincoln Feast; Editing by Nick Macfie and Paul Tait)

Trump Admin. Urges Dreamers to Arrange, Prepare For Leaving U.S.

Dreamers Karen Caudillo, 21, of Florida is comforted by Jairo Reyes, 25, of Rogers, Arkansas as Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., accompanied by members of the House and Senate Democrats, speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017. ( AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

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The Trump administration urges recipients of the DACA program to prepare for departure from the U.S.
Talking points distributed to GOP lawmakers Tuesday said so-called ‘dreamers’ should get their affairs in order following President Trump’s decision to rescind the program.
The Department of Homeland Security urged recipients to use the remaining time on work authorizations to prepare for leaving the U.S.
Officials say once the program expires dreamers will be in the country illegally, and lawmakers expect them to no longer remain in the states.
The sixth month grace period would allow Congress to draft new legislation to either legalize the program or do away with it entirely.

Conservatives sign letter warning media against Southern Poverty Law Center

Forty-seven prominent conservatives have signed an open letter warning the mainstream media against using data on hate groups compiled by the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC).

The letter calls the SPLC a "discredited, left-wing political activist organization that seeks to silence its political opponents with a 'hate group' label of its own invention."

Founded in 1971, the SPLC gained fame by successfully prosecuting legal cases against white supremacist organizations, including the Ku Klux Klan. It describes its mission as "fighting hate and bigotry and ... seeking justice for the most vulnerable members of our society."
Today, the SPLC is best known for tracking hate groups, which the organization defines as having "beliefs or practices that attack or malign an entire class of people, typically for their immutable characteristic." Currently, the SPLC says 917 hate groups are operating in the United States.
SPLC's "hate map" gained prominence in the media after last month's deadly violence at a white nationalist rally in Charlottesville, Va. However, critics say the organization has falsely slapped the "hate group" label on non-violent groups who hold traditional beliefs about hot-button issues such as gay marriage and abortion.
Last month, a prominent evangelical ministry based in Florida filed a federal lawsuit accusing the SPLC of defamation after it was labeled an "active hate group." In July, Fox News found that at least seven organizations are listed as hate groups by the SPLC despite explicitly prohibiting violence by their members.
The letter also warns that receiving the SPLC's hate group label "endangers the lives of those targeted with it." It references the 2012 shooting at the headquarters of the Family Research Council in Washington. The gunman, Floyd Lee Corkins, said he disagreed with the group's opposition to gay marriage and prosecutors said he selected the group as a target using the SPLC "hate map."
"By recklessly linking the Charlottesville melee to the mainstream groups named on the SPLC website," the letter went on, "we are left to wonder if another Floyd Lee Corkins will soon be incited to violence by this incendiary information.
Prominent signatories of the letter include Brent Bozell of the Media Research Center, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council and former Attorney General Edwin Meese III.

Report: Cohn seen as unlikely pick for Fed chairman after Charlottesville remarks

Gary Cohn, the former Goldman Sachs investment banker and President Donald Trump's current economic adviser, is now considered an unlikely pick to lead the Federal Reserve after criticizing the White House’s response to violence in Charlottesville, Va.

Trump has openly floated the idea of nominating the former banker as the potential successor to Fed Chair Janet Yellen -- whose term ends in February – saying in July that he has “great respect” for him.

But Trump has backtracked on the idea recently in private, people familiar with the president’s thinking told the Wall Street Journal. The job prospects shifted mostly due to Cohn's comments about the president’s response to violence in Charlottesville, the sources told the paper.
Cohn issued a stark rebuttal of Trump’s comments in an interview with the Financial Times last month, where he said the administration “can and must do better” to denounce hate groups, including neo-Nazis and the KKK that marched in Charlottesville.
“Citizens standing up for equality and freedom can never be equated with white supremacists, neo-Nazis and the KKK,” he told the newspaper.
The comments were a cold shower to Trump, who did not expect such an attack from his economic adviser, prompting the president to bristle at the very mention of Cohn, one White House official told the paper.
But the chances of Cohn of being appointed the next Fed chairman were still not completely lost, according to another official. A lot hinges on tax reform.
Cohn is considered one of the smartest businesspeople close to Trump and -- along with Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin -- has been working on Trump's long-awaited tax plan.
Yellen has not publicly said she would serve another term. Some of her former colleagues told the Journal that she would continue to serve if asked.
Trump was critical of Yellen while campaigning last year, saying her decision to keep interest rates low was aimed at helping the Democratic Party and President Barack Obama. His opinion appeared to change after taking office, saying in a July interview that he was also considering keeping Yellen in her position.
Others said to be under consideration for the Fed job include former governors Lawrence Lindsey and Kevin Warsh, former BB&T Bank chief executive John Allison, and Stanford University economist John Taylor, the Journal reported.
A White House spokeswoman said Cohn was “focused on his responsibilities … including a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to deliver meaningful tax reform that creates jobs and grows the economy.”

Liberal Teacher Cartoons

Russia May Reduce More U.S. Diplomats in Moscow

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Russian President Vladimir Putin is floating the idea of eliminating more U.S. diplomats in Moscow as a response to the recent closures of several Russian embassies in the U.S.
Putin said America has the right to reduce the number of foreign diplomats, but went about removing the staff members in a — quote — “boorish” manner.
Putin also said the closing of the Russian embassies was a violation of property rights, and he plans to sue the U.S. over the matter.
The Russian president made clear that he is reserving the right to reduce U.S. diplomats in Russia, but will wait to see how the situation develops.

House intel panel subpoenas for records on unverified Trump dossier

Christopher Steele Spy :-)

The House Intelligence Committee has issued subpoenas requesting records related to the FBI's relationship with a former British spy who compiled a dossier of unverified allegations about President Donald Trump's connections with Russia.

The committee subpoenaed the FBI and the Justice Department on Aug. 24, giving them until Sept. 1 to turn over information about the nature of the bureau's relationship with Christopher Steele. The panel also wants to know how much Steele was paid and to what extent the dossier was relied upon to obtain FISA warrants and launch the FBI's investigation into Russian activities during the 2016 election campaign.

The subpoenas were first reported by the Washington Examiner.
The FBI and Justice Department did not respond to the initial request for records and the committee has now given them until Sept. 14 to comply. If the records are not provided, FBI Director Christopher Wray and Attorney General Jeff Sessions will be directed to appear before the committee to answer questions.
Steele compiled the 35-page dossier while working for U.S.-based Fusion GPS, an investigative firm headed by former Wall Street Journal reporter Glenn Simpson. The document was initially created as opposition research on behalf of Trump's political rivals and contained a number of salacious allegations involving Russian prostitutes. None of the allegations in the dossier have been corroborated.
However, the dossier was part of the evidence the FBI used to obtain a FISA warrant to monitor communications of Carter Page, a peripheral adviser in the Trump campaign. Former FBI Director James Comey considered the dossier so important that he insisted it be included in January's final Intelligence Community Report on Russian meddling in the election and reportedly offered Steele $50,000 to corroborate the dossier---something the bureau denies paying.

Ex-Sheriff David Clarke to join pro-Trump super PAC

Former Milwaukee Sheriff David Clarke Jr. announced Tuesday he will join the super PAC devoted to electing candidates who support the Trump-Pence administration.

Both the super PAC, America First Action, and a spokesperson for Clarke announced that he would join the team as a senior advisor and spokesman.

“It’s truly an honor to join the America First Action team, most importantly because we share the same values that most hard-working, law-abiding Americans do,” Clarke, who resigned last week from his post as sheriff, said in a statement Tuesday. “It gives me the chance to do what I love most—promote President Trump’s agenda, including his fierce support for the American law enforcement officer, and ensure the will of the American people who got President Trump elected is not derailed by the left or the self-serving Washington establishment.”
In June, Clarke announced that he had rescinded his acceptance of a post in the Office of Public Engagement for the Department of Homeland Security. However, the office had never confirmed that it offered him the job, in which he would have served as a liaison between DHS and state and local law enforcement.
Since his resignation last week, Clarke, who has been a loyal Trump supporter, had been rumored to take a post within the administration.
On Friday, DHS pointed Fox News to its announcement in June that “Sheriff Clarke is no longer being considered for a position within DHS.”
“His status with DHS has not changed,” a DHS official told Fox News. Also Friday, the White House told Fox News that it had “no announcement” in regards to a potential administration post for Clarke.
“David Clarke is an American patriot, and we are very proud to welcome him to America First,” Brian O. Walsh, president of the PAC, said Tuesday. “Having spent a lifetime in law enforcement –protecting and serving his community and fighting for justice and the Second Amendment –Sheriff Clarke doesn’t just believe in making America safe again; he’s devoted his life to it.”
Clarke had built a following among conservatives with his social media presence during the 2016 presidential campaign. He spoke at the Republican National Convention last July.
Clarke recently published a memoir, titled, “Cop Under Fire,” which President Trump promoted on Twitter last week.

Illinois Democrat Gutierrez: Kelly a 'disgrace to the uniform' over DACA

U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, a Democrat Idiot

White House Chief of Staff John Kelly

An Illinois congressman blasted White House Chief of Staff John Kelly — a retired Marine Corps general and Gold Star father — as a “disgrace to the uniform” Tuesday after the Trump administration announced the dismantling of the DACA program.

DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) was created by former President Barack Obama by executive action in 2012.The program gives hundreds of thousands of young people brought to the country as children protection from deportation and allows them to work in the U.S.

The Washington Examiner reported that U.S. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, a Democrat, took personal aim at Kelly because Kelly once reportedly spoke favorably about the program. House members reported in July that Kelly told Latino lawmakers in a closed-door meeting that he was supportive of the program, but pointed out that it was probably illegal.
“He's personally for it. He thinks it will not hold up, according to the attorneys he's spoken with,” Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-Texas, told the Associated Press at the time. “He was challenged by those of us in the room, by lawmakers, to publicly announce his own position and to be a leader and to stand up and defend DACA. He said he would consider it.”
Gutierrez also said, after the July meeting, that Kelly, who previously headed the Department of Homeland Security, took credit for keeping the program alive for so long since Trump took office.
Gutierrez changed his tune after the Trump administration's Tuesday announcement.
“General Kelly is a hypocrite who is a disgrace to the uniform he used to wear,” the congressman said in a statement.
"General Kelly, when he was the head of Homeland Security, lied straight to the faces of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus about preventing the mass deportation of DREAMers," Gutierrez also said. "He has no honor and should be drummed out of the White House along with the white supremacists and those enabling the president's actions by ‘just following orders.'"
The Examiner reported that Kelly is a retired four-star general and Gold Star father. One of his sons died in Afghanistan.