Roger Goodell reportedly requests $50 million salary, lifetime private jet in contract talks

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell has reportedly requested nearly $50 million per year in addition to the lifetime use of a private jet amid contract negotiations with the league.  (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell reportedly has requested nearly $50 million per year in addition to the lifetime use of a private jet amid contract negotiations with the league.

Goodell, whose proposed contract with the NFL currently is undergoing an approval process, asked the league’s compensation committee in August to raise his salary from $30 million to $49.5 million per year, ESPN reported Sunday.

Goodell also reportedly asked to use a private jet for life, and also requested lifetime health insurance for his family.
NFL COMMISSIONER ROGER GOODELL: ALL PLAYERS ‘SHOULD’ STAND FOR NATIONAL ANTHEM
The commissioner currently is embattled with Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who has threatened to sue the NFL if negotiations regarding Goodell’s contract extension are finalized without approval from all NFL team owners.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, right, has threatened to sue the NFL if negotiations regarding Goodell’s, left, contract extension are finalized without approval from all NFL team owners.  (AP Photo/Matt Dunham)

An unnamed NFL owner told ESPN that there are “several owners in this league who don’t make $40 million a year.” The owner added: “That number for Roger just seems too much. It’s offensive. It’s unseemly.”
Goodell has made headlines in recent months for his handling of league players protesting during the national anthem ahead of NFL games.
He said last month that “we want our players to stand” during the anthem, but stopped short of imposing a rule for players to do so.
NFL COMMISSIONER CONTRACT DISPUTE WITH JERRY JONES, EXPLAINED
One team owner, regarding the possibility Goodell possibly would leave his position, said “the problem” with the NFL is “no one is talking about games anymore.”
“It’s about concussions, Jones vs. Goodell, [Ezekiel Elliott’s suspension], the anthem. No one is talking about football. It’s just killing the game,” the owner told ESPN.
Another owner told the sports network that “Roger is defiant,” and they don’t believe he’ll “take a pay cut” or resign as commissioner of the NFL.

Trump, Duterte to hold first formal sit-down as uncertainty over Philippines' human rights lingers

President Donald Trump is set to meet Monday with the so-called “Trump of the East,” Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, another controversial world leader known for his ultra-tough approach.

However, the first formal sit-down between the two leaders may not trigger substantial changes in the Philippines' human-rights record. In fact, Duterte said last week that he would tell Trump to “lay off” if he raised the issue of human rights, according to Reuters.

Breaking with his presidential predecessors, Trump largely has abandoned publicly pressing foreign leaders on human rights, instead showing a willingness to embrace international strongmen for strategic gain.
This week, Duterte boasted that he murdered a man with his own hands.
Duterte previously called former President Barack Obama a “son of a wh---.”
Above all, Duterte has sanctioned a bloody drug war that features extrajudicial killing.
Duterte’s war on drugs has alarmed human rights advocates around the world who say it has allowed police officers and vigilantes to ignore due process and to take justice into their own hands. Government officials estimate that well over 3,000 people, mostly drug users and dealers, have died in the ongoing crackdown. Human rights groups believe the victim total is far higher, perhaps closer to 9,000.
Duterte has defended the violence strenuously and boasted of participating himself.
Late last year, he bragged that he personally pulled the trigger and killed three people years ago while serving as mayor of Davao City. And last week, while in Vietnam for an international summit, he said he took his first life years earlier.
“When I was a teenager, I had been in and out of jail, rumble here and there,” Duterte said during a speech in Danang. “At the age of 16, I already killed someone.”
He claimed he fatally stabbed the person “just over a look.”
His spokesman later tried to downplay the comment, saying, “I think it was in jest.”
Trump has shown little interest in pressuring Duterte to rein in the violence, instead saluting him during a May phone call.
“I just wanted to congratulate you because I am hearing of the unbelievable job on the drug problem,” Trump told Duterte, according to a transcript of the conversation that later leaked. “Many countries have the problem, we have a problem, but what a great job you are doing and I just wanted to call and tell you that.”
White House officials have suggested there is a strategy behind Trump’s flattery of Duterte.
Advisers have said that while Trump is unlikely to publicly chastise the Philippine president, he may offer criticisms during private meetings. Trump would plan to hold his tongue in public in order not to embarrass Duterte, whom he is urging to help pressure North Korea and fight terrorism, and to avoid pushing him into the arms of China.
Trump met Duterte for the first time at the Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation summit in Vietnam on Saturday.
The meeting was “short but was warm and cordial,” Duterte’s spokesman, Harry Roque, told Reuters.
“The leaders were generally pleased to finally meet each other in person,” Roque added.
Trump dismissed the notion that he buddied up to dictators.
He said Saturday he has great relationships with all sorts of leaders, “every person in that room today,” after leaving a summit in Vietnam attended by Duterte and Putin, among others.
In addition to meeting with Duterte, Trump is expected to attend the Association for Southeast Asian Nations conference on Monday to urge allies to pressure North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons program.
Trump’s trip to Asia was meant to be centered on trade, as well, where he held meetings with other Asian leaders to push his agenda for bilateral, rather than multinational, trade agreements.

NFL Kneeling Cartoons

Senate tax bill throws swamp water on successful Trump economy

Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge

Leave it to the Senate to take a flaming hot Trump economy and throw swamp water on it! The booming stock market speaks for itself. President Trump has our economy rolling and now the Senate comes along with "business as usual" tactics to mess things up. Free-market lovers will never stand for this! 

The version of tax reform legislation unveiled by Senate Republicans on Thursday is another indication that the swamp is alive and well. This is a repeat performance of the failure of Congress to get health care done.The Senate GOP has proposed a version of the tax bill that delays the corporate tax rate reduction from 35 percent to 20 percent until 2019 – contrary to the version supported by House Republicans that would create that desperately needed economic stimulus tax rate cut in 2018.
Effectively, the Senate tax bill calls for a slightly lower top tax rate for individuals of 38.5 percent, versus the 39.6 percent in the House bill. The Senate measure also would double the estate tax exemption, but not repeal the tax, as House Republicans proposed.
The Senate version keeps the deduction for medical expenses, while the House bill eliminates it.
The duration of real estate depreciation will be reduced from 39 years to 25 years. This initiative alone will create another real estate asset bubble like the 1980s, where the rush to invest in real estate was not matched with economic demand. This in turn created a supply-side bubble – not enough tenants to fill the buildings and a subsequent mortgage default, followed by the savings and loan crisis.
The scoring of the proposed Senate tax bill shows this will cost the federal government $5.8 trillion in reduced revenue over 10 years, adding to the national debt.
The controversy surrounding the blue states state and local tax deduction is also eliminated entirely in the Senate bill. This is contrary to the deal the House put forth after bending to pressure from Republicans from New York, New Jersey, Illinois and California, who raised concerns about losing that deduction for their constituents.
Once again, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., capitulated to the needs of a few American taxpayers. Once again, the special interests win, not the American voter.
The inability of Republicans in Congress to come to a consensus on a tax bill is reflective of their “repeal and replace” fail during the healthcare bill negotiations.
The increasing pressure to deliver a bill the President Trump can sign illustrates just how purposeful Congress is at enabling gridlock. Congress fails to understand that the voter is engaged and is already mobilizing and supporting candidates for the 2018 election cycle who support the president’s agenda.
Another failure to deliver a bill that President Trump campaigned for will only result in support for Steve Bannon’s rallying cry for a war on the GOP establishment.
President Trump has done an amazing job of growing our economy. Americans were promised cuts that will stimulate economy, tax simplification (the Senate bill is seven layers high!), and equality (the bracketed differences are socialist, not free market!).
My guess is that those who fought so hard to elect President Trump will NOT let the swamp get away with this! 
Dr. Gina Loudon is a frequent commentator on the interplay of psychology and politics on FOX News properties. She is a member of the President's Media Advisory Board, and was a delegate to the National Republican Convention for Donald J. Trump. Her book, Mad Politics, is set to release before the Midterm elections. She offers frequent psychological, political, and social commentary.

Trump arrives in Philippines amid protests

Protesters shout slogans holding portraits of U.S. President Donald Trump and Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte during a rally near the U.S. Embassy in Manila, Nov. 10, 2017. The sign translates to "Fascist."

But before the Democrats start throwing rocks, below is what happened when Obama was to go to the Philippines.

Philippine President Keeps Insulting The U.S. And Obama October 5, 2016

The U.S. and the Philippines are long-standing allies, but you would never know it from the way President Rodrigo Duterte is talking these days.
Since his election in June, Duterte has been unleashing anti-American rhetoric, which has included demands that the U.S. withdraw special operations forces helping to fight Islamists in the southern Philippines. He has also threatened to cancel joint naval patrols and warns this will be the last year the two countries will hold joint military exercises, saying they haven't benefited the Philippines.
"Instead of helping us, the first to criticize is this State Department, so you can go to hell, Mr. Obama, you can go to hell," Duterte said Tuesday.
And in separate remarks the same day, Duterte made a separate threat: "Eventually I might, in my time, I will break up with America." Then he added: "I would rather go to Russia and to China."
This was not the first time but only the most recent time that he has publicly insulted the U.S. president.

"We knew he was brash. We knew he was bold and spoke off the cuff, but I don't think anyone expected him to call the president of the United States a 'son of a bitch,' " says Jeff Smith, the director of Asian Security Programs at the American Foreign Policy Council.

 Now back to the present day Story

Nov. 10, 2017:

President Donald Trump’s tour of Asia continued Sunday with his arrival in the Philippines, the last of five nations on his itinerary before he returns to the United States.

The president is scheduled to attend a pair of international summits and meet several times with Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte.

The leader of the Philippines has come under intense criticism from human rights advocates for overseeing a violent drug crackdown that includes extrajudicial killings. Trump has previously praised Duterte's handling of his nation's drug problems.
Trump arrived in Manila late Sunday afternoon local time after a brief stop in Vietnam.
Just hours before his arrival, riot police worked to prevent hundreds of protesters from reaching the U.S. Embassy in Manila, Reuters reported.
The demonstrators carried placards reading “Dump Trump” and “Down with U.S. Imperialism,” the report said.
In Manila, Trump was scheduled to meet with leaders of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) and other East Asian nations.
In meetings with Duterte, Trump will reportedly try to win over a leader who has expressed a strong anti-U.S. sentiment.

 

Pence helps give Vietnam Veterans Memorial a holiday washing

Vice President Mike Pence cleans a portion of the wall at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial on Veterans Day, Saturday, Nov. 11, 2017 in Washington.

WASHINGTON –  Vice President Mike and his wife, Karen, joined several dozen volunteers to give the Vietnam Veterans Memorial a holiday cleaning.
Carrying orange buckets with the message "Let's Do This," the Pences spent about 40 minutes Saturday wiping down the face of the famous wall on the National Mall engraved with the names of fallen soldiers.
The vice president shook hands and posed for photos with the volunteers in subfreezing temperatures just after dawn, declaring: "This is a great way to start Veterans Day!"
The cleanup was sponsored by the New Day USA, a mortgage companies specializing in loans to veterans.
The group was joined by James Pierce, a National Park Service ranger who lost a leg while serving with the North Carolina Army National Guard in Afghanistan.

Veterans, not NFL, to be focus for many fans this Sunday

U.S. Army Sgt. Zach Ames, center, who served in Afghanistan, surprises his wife, Bri Ames, left, and their daughter Emersyn, right, prior to an NFL game in Seattle on Veterans Day in 2012.

Veterans Day weekend seems to have inspired a new round of fan activism against the National Football League in response to player protests during the national anthem.

A Facebook page called “Boycott the NFL,” boasting more than 227,000 followers, is asking football fans to skip watching Sunday’s games “in solidarity with veterans around the country,” the Washington Times reported.

In New Jersey, a bar in Farmingdale called Woody’s Roadside Tavern plans to hold a fundraiser for veterans and their families, instead of showing NFL games on the bar’s 20 television screens, NJ.com reported.
In Colorado, a decorated local veteran recently turned down an invitation from the Denver Broncos to be honored during Sunday night’s game against the New England Patriots, Fox 31 reported.
And a conservative watchdog group called 2ndVote is asking fans to “stiff-arm the NFL,” according to the Washington Times.
“We’re sending the National Football League, its corporate sponsors, and the television networks a message this Veterans Day weekend!” 2ndVote told the newspaper. “Americans are sick of the disrespectful National Anthem protests that the NFL has not only allowed to continue, but has institutionalized in pregame ceremonies.”
The league and its players union announced Saturday there would be “no change” in league policy regarding the on-field protests, which began last season with a one-man effort by former San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who said he wanted to draw attention to police mistreatment of African-Americans across the U.S.
The protests broadened across the league in September, after President Donald Trump told an Alabama crowd that any player protesting during the anthem should be removed from the field.
The president and other critics argued that the playing of the national anthem was the wrong time for protests, regardless of the reason, because the song represents U.S. national unity and respect for those who serve in the military.
Rob Johnson, a co-owner of the New Jersey bar, told NJ.com that their anti-NFL event was inspired by a regular customer who served in Vietnam and felt disrespected by NFL players taking a knee during the anthem. 
"While it'll probably cost us some money, we thought it was more important to stand with our veterans," Johnson told NJ.com.

"While it'll probably cost us some money, we thought it was more important to stand with our veterans."

- Rob Johnson, co-owner, Woody’s Roadside Tavern in New Jersey

About 22,000 people have pledged on Facebook that they plan to turn off the television during Sunday’s games, the Washington Times reported.
But the newspaper speculated that NFL players may forgo their protests this weekend because of Veterans Day. It noted that Seattle Seahawks players who previously protested opted not to do so during Thursday night’s game against the Arizona Cardinals.
The NFL players union said its members planned to observe a moment of silence for veterans at Sunday’s games, while various teams planned other Veterans Day tributes, the Times reported.

Saturday , November 11 Veterans Day 2017 in United States of America

Marine Corps Celebrates 242nd Birthday

Members of the U.S. Marine Corp honor guard salute during the singing of the National Anthem.

The United States Marine Corps is celebrating its 242nd birthday.
The Marines formed on November 10, 1775 in Philadelphia during the American Revolution to lead the fight “on land and on sea” against the British.
Since then the marines have been an integral part of battles, especially in World War II and most recently in the Middle East in the War on Terror.
After laying a wreath at the World War II memorial in Washington Friday morning, General Robert B. Neller, the 37th Commandant of the Marine Corps. addressed the crowd.
“The world we have is the world we have,” said the general. “It’s probably not the world we want, but it can become the world that we want if we are willing to sacrifice and dedicate and work hard to make it what we believe it should be.”
Currently, there are more than 180,000 active duty marines, and more than 30,000 in the Marine Reserves.
The motto of the Marine Corps — “semper fi” — was adopted around 1883, and is Latin for “always faithful.”

NYC MTA cuts 'ladies and gentlemen' from announcements for more gender-neutral phrasing

New York City's Metropolitan Transit Authority announced it will no longer use the phrase "ladies and gentlemen" effective immediately.  (AP)

Riders of New York City’s subways will no longer hear the phrase “ladies and gentlemen” ringing across the PA system before the doors close, reported PIX11.

The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) is opting for a more gender-neutral approach. Bus drivers and subway conductors are reportedly told to use words such as "passengers," "riders" and "everyone."

The change is effective immediately, reported the news outlet.
Transit staff was notified of the new policy in a bulletin earlier this week, which is part of the NYC Subway Action Plan to improve communication with its customers.
"We're fundamentally changing the way we talk with riders to give them better and clearer information," MTA spokesman Jon Weinstein told PIX11.
Pre-recorded messages that include the former language will also be changed, and more emphasis will be placed on real time live updates.
Conductors will also have more freedom in terms of announcements, making them more personable and even shouting out local landmarks, reported PIX11.
This is just one of several upcoming changes within the MTA, including a new app, improved communication of track updates and additional representatives to help with customer questions, the news outlet reported.

US citizen fighting for ISIS surrenders to US-backed forces in Syria

Mohamad Jamal Khweis 

Jan. 14, 2014: ISIS marching in Raqqa, Syria.  (AP) 

A U.S. citizen fighting for ISIS surrendered to U.S.-backed fighters in Syria, two U.S. military officials confirmed to Fox News on Thursday.

It was not immediately clear where or when the surrender took place, but one official said it occurred in northern Syria in an area controlled by a U.S.-backed militia called the Syrian Democratic Forces. The SDF is a Kurdish and Arab army that has been fighting ISIS.

The man was not immediately identified and it was not clear where he was being held.
Col. Ryan Dillon, a U.S. military spokesman for the coalition against ISIS, would not comment on the surrender. Dillon deferred to the State Department on the issue. 
The U.S. military command told the Daily Beast they were aware of the report.
“We are aware of the report that a U.S. citizen believed to be fighting for ISIS surrendered to Syrian Democratic Forces on or about Sept. 12," the command said in a statement. "As a precondition for Coalition support, SDF and Iraqi forces have pledged to observe international laws and the laws of armed conflict. Foreign fighters who are captured or surrender to SDF partners in Syria will be safeguarded and transported humanely, and their home nations will be contacted regarding the next steps."
The statement added: “The Coalition defers questions pertaining to captured ISIS fighters to their relative nations' Departments of State or equivalent agencies. The Coalition's mission is to defeat ISIS in Syria and Iraq, and we will pursue ISIS fighters regardless of nationality.”
The unidentified man is not the first American to be seized for participating in combat for ISIS. In March 2016, Mohamad Jamal Khweis, of Virginia, joined ISIS and then surrendered to Kurdish Peshmerga fighters. Khweis later expressed regret for joining the terror group.

Trump, Putin reportedly agree to defeat ISIS in Syria

Nov. 11: U.S. President Trump and President Putin talk during the family photo session at the APEC Summit in Danang, Vietnam.  (Reuters)

President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin issued a joint statement on Saturday vowing to continue the fight against ISIS in Syria until the militants are completely defeated, Reuters reported, citing the Kremlin.

The statement was released after the two leaders chatted briefly during the APEC summit in Danang, Vietnam, Reuters reported, citing the Kremlin.

The statement reportedly said both Washington and Moscow agree that there is no military solution to the conflict and both countries expressed a commitment to Damascus’ sovereignty.
The two leaders chatted on Saturday while they walked to a “family photograph” at the summit and donned matching silk button-down shirts the day before, holding true to the tradition of wearing local attire at annual display of cooperation among world leaders.
The White House and the Trump administration earlier appeared to downplay Trump's possible meetings with Putin during the summit.
White House press secretary Sarah Sanders blamed a scheduling conflict for why the two would not have a formal meeting. But she said it was “possible” and “likely” that they would have a less formal encounter.

Reuters  (President Trump and President Putin take part in a "family photo.")

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told reporters in Beijing on Thursday that there was no reason to schedule a formal meeting between Trump and Putin if the two countries are unable to make significant progress on issues including Syria and Ukraine.
"The view has been if the two leaders are going to meet, is there something sufficiently substantive to talk about that would warrant a formal meeting," he said.
It was reported on Thursday that Washington and Moscow were nearing an agreement on Syria for how they hope to resolve the Arab country’s civil war once ISIS is defeated.
The U.S.-Russian agreement that was being discussed focused on three elements, officials told The Associated Press: "deconfliction" between the U.S. and Russian militaries, reducing violence in the civil war and reinvigorating U.N.-led peace talks. The officials weren't authorized to discuss the deliberations and requested anonymity.

Mueller and Manafort Cartoons

Cal Thomas: Trump, Mueller and Manafort -- Get ready for more magical thinking

In considering the indictment of former Donald Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and an associate, I am reminded of former Bill Clinton aide and defender James Carville’s line about the ability of a grand jury to “indict a ham sandwich.”

Manafort and a longtime business partner, Rick Gates, pleaded not guilty to all 12 counts against them. Manafort is under house arrest after posting an outrageously high bond of $10 million. Gates’ bond was set at $5 million. George Papadopoulos, who was a foreign policy advisor to the Trump campaign, has pleaded guilty to making a false statement to the FBI about his foreign contacts with several top Russian officials.

Predictably, the major media are celebrating this as the beginning of the end of the nascent Trump presidency. Within hours of the announced indictments, New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof rushed into print with a column titled “Will Manafort Sing? If so, it may mark the beginning of the end of this presidency.”
Look for more of this wishful thinking that the establishment, the Democrats and all of the mainstream media have been hoping for since Trump won the election.
What Manafort stands accused of has nothing to do with the 2016 election, or with Russian “collusion.” No one, so far, has produced any evidence the Russians affected the election’s outcome. This is all about overturning the results and keeping “the swamp” full for those who live in it and reject change.
Real collusion might be in the significant share of U.S. uranium sold to the Russians during Hillary Clinton’s tenure as secretary of state (she signed off on the deal), followed by a $500,000 fee paid to her husband for a speech in Moscow and the millions of dollars that subsequently flowed into the Clinton Foundation from uranium investors.
Special counsel Robert Mueller and Congress should investigate that Russian connection, along with the role of the Democratic National Committee and the Hillary Clinton campaign (and the earlier Republican role) in creating an anti-Trump dossier that has been shown to be a fraud and yet was used to justify the appointment of Mueller. If the reason for Mueller’s appointment is fraudulent, how can it be said that his investigation, which includes staff attorneys who made donations to Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, is not tainted?
Among the many problems with this investigation is that it has no legal, subject or monetary limits. If Mueller and his associates are unable to prove collusion with the Russians, one can count on them coming up with something else. Far-left members of Congress, such as Maxine Waters, D-Calif., openly state that their objective is to “take out” the president, and they don’t mean to lunch.
There is also the matter of leaks from the grand jury. Not surprisingly, the details of the indictments matched the leak to CNN. Unless that network employs mind readers and engages in paranormal activity, those leaks are felonies and the leakers should be prosecuted.
Meanwhile, Republicans in Congress are firing up investigations of their own, including long-overdue looks into various questionable and possibly illegal activities by the Clintons. Congress is the proper avenue for such investigations, not special counsels, who can “go rogue” if they wish.
These seemingly endless accusations and investigations are what so much of the country hates about Washington, the “D.C.” that increasingly seems to stand for “dysfunctional city.”
No matter which party controls government, the other party does all it can, by whatever means, to undermine those elected. This behavior solves no problems. It is only about grabbing and holding onto power.
Given the many moving parts in the Mueller probe and the loss of focus on the primary reason for it, the government may have a difficult time proving its case in court. But with unlimited funds and a staff of lawyers who have Democratic affiliations, you can bet they will try to make more than a ham sandwich out of it.
Cal Thomas is America's most widely syndicated op-ed columnist. His latest book is "What Works: Common Sense Solutions for a Stronger America". Readers may email Cal Thomas at tcaeditors@tribune.com.

Radioactive cloud floating over Europe is nothing to worry about, experts say

FILE: Steam is emitted from the cooling tower at a nuclear power plant in Brussels. Authorities reportedly said the cloud poses only an “extremely low” risk of contaminating vegetation.  (AP)

Don’t mind the cloud of radioactive pollution floating over Europe – it’s harmless, the French nuclear safety institute IRSN said Thursday.

Officials in Europe said they began detecting unusually high levels of ruthenium 106, a radioactive atom that does not occur naturally, near France in the last week of September.

The IRSN immediately “mobilized all its means of radiological monitoring of the atmosphere and conducted regular analysis of the filters from its monitoring stations,” the agency said in a press release.
IRSN director Jean-Marc Peres told Reuters that the leak likely came from a nuclear fuel treatment site or center for radioactive medicine in Russia or Kazakhstan, not a nuclear reactor.
The radioactive cloud poses only an “extremely low” risk of contaminating mushrooms and other foodstuffs that are imported into France, the IRSN said in a statement.
“The potential health risk associated with this scenario is also very low,” the IRSN said.
In January, the IRSN similarly assured Europeans that the small amounts of nuclear radiation that were blooming throughout Europe were nothing to worry about.

Anthony Weiner wants pen pals in prison, report says

“Carlos Danger” is looking for a pen pal.

Former Rep. Anthony Weiner, who reported to prison this week to begin a 21-month sentence for sexting with a 15-year-old girl, is hoping to stay in contact with the outside world.

Weiner’s away message on his personal email addresses provide specific instructions on how to stay in contact with the disgraced Congressman, the New York Post reported Thursday.
“Thanks for reaching out,” the message says. “Starting November 6^th, I’ll be away for a while but I would love to stay in touch. As quaint as it may sound, the best way to reach me is by sending a letter. When you write, ill get you the information about how email might work.
“So please include your full mailing address here and of course include it when you write,” Weiner says in the message. “And although you didn’t ask — yes, you may send me books via Amazon. (No crockpots or washers/dryers though)”
Weiner then provides information on how to contact him via the “Federal Medical Center” in Massachusetts.
ANTHONY WEINER SCANDALS: FROM POLITICS TO SEXTING CASES
Weiner, whose political career and later run for New York City mayor was derailed because of continuous sexting incidents — sometimes under a “Carlos Danger” pseudonym — was sentenced in September after he pleaded guilty in May to a charge of transmitting sexual material to a minor.

Trump: Roy Moore will 'step aside' if sexual misconduct allegations are true

Former Alabama Chief Justice and U.S. Senate candidate Roy Moore speaks to supporters Tuesday, Aug. 15, 2017, in Montgomery, Ala., after he forced a Senate primary runoff with Sen. Luther Strange to fill the U.S. Senate seat previously held by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)  (Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

President Trump on Thursday believes Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore “will do the right thing and step aside” if the sexual misconduct allegations against him are true, the White House said in a statement.
Speaking to reporters following the president’s Asia trip on Air Force One, White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders also cautioned against a rush to judgment.
“Like most Americans, the president believes we cannot allow a mere allegation, in this case one from many years ago, to destroy a person’s life," Sanders said. "However, the president also believes that if these allegations are true, Judge Moore will do the right thing and step aside."
Moore lashed out earlier at what he called "the Obama-Clinton machine's liberal media lapdogs" after The Washington Post reported on a woman's claims that the former judge and staunch social conservative initiated a sexual encounter with her when she was 14.
In a series of tweets Thursday evening, Moore claimed "The forces of evil will lie, cheat, steal –– even inflict physical harm –– if they believe it will silence and shut up Christian conservatives."
Amid calls for him to drop out of the race, Moore added, "Our nation is at a crossroads right now — both spiritually and politically. Our children and grandchildren’s futures are on the line. So rest assured — I will NEVER GIVE UP the fight!"
The Post story centered on allegations made by Leigh Corfman, now 53. She told the newspaper that Moore, then an assistant district attorney, first approached her in 1979 outside a courtroom in Alabama where she was sitting with her mother. On another occasion, she said Moore, then 32, took her to his home in the woods and kissed her.
During a subsequent visit, Corfman reportedly claimed he took off her shirt and pants; touched her over her bra and underwear; and guided her hand to his underwear. She said the two did not have sexual intercourse, and that she ended up getting dressed and asking Moore to take her home, according to the Post.
“I wanted it over with – I wanted out,” she told the Post, apparently recalling her train of thought at the time. Moore did take her home, she said.
The report caused immediate problems for Moore with his own party as he heads into the Dec. 12 election against Democrat Doug Jones. Several GOP senators called on him to step aside if the allegations are true – and at least one senator, Arizona’s John McCain, said he should drop out regardless.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., who backed Moore’s rival Luther Strange in the GOP primary, said in a statement: "If these allegations are true, he must step aside."
Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., head of the Senate GOP campaign arm, called the allegations “deeply troubling” and said: “If these allegations are found to be true, Roy Moore must drop out of the Alabama special Senate election.”
Jones' campaign told multiple news outlets: “Roy Moore needs to answer these serious charges.”
But Moore’s campaign issued a statement saying the report is “baseless” and false.
“National liberal organizations know their chosen candidate Doug Jones is in a death spiral, and this is their last ditch Hail Mary,” Moore campaign chairman Bill Armistead said. “Judge Roy Moore is winning with a double-digit lead. So it is no surprise, with just over four weeks remaining, in a race for the U.S. Senate with national implications, that the Democratic Party and the country’s most liberal newspaper would come up with a fabrication of this kind.
“This garbage is the very definition of fake news and intentional defamation,” he said.
The Post noted that the legal age of consent in the state is 16, and sexual contact by anyone 19 or older with anyone between 12 and 16 years old is considered second-degree sexual abuse.
The statute of limitations, though, has long since passed.
The Post interviewed three other women who were teenagers at the time who claimed Moore pursued them when he was in his 30s, though he did not force them into any type of sexual relationship.
“I have prayed over this,” Corfman told the Post as to why she came forward, “All I know is that I can’t sit back and let this continue, let him continue without the mask being removed.”
Alabama's Republican governor, Kay Ivey, responded: “These allegations are deeply disturbing. I will hold judgment until we know the facts. The people of Alabama deserve to know the truth and will make their own decisions.”

Al Green Cartoons

Mattis Talks Regional Security at NATO Defense Ministers Meeting

NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, right, speaks with U.S. Secretary for Defense Jim Mattis during a meeting of the North Atlantic Council at NATO headquarters in Brussels on Wednesday, Nov. 8, 2017. U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and his NATO counterparts start two days of talks in Brussels looking to expand the military alliance’s command structure and drum up more troop contributions for Afghanistan. (AP Photo/Virginia Mayo)

OAN Newsroom

Defense Secretary James Mattis joins other allied defense ministers in Brussels to assess and discuss the situation in North Korea and Afghanistan.
During the two day meeting, Mattis will decide whether to approve the North Atlantic Command.
The new regional base and its forces would focus on keeping Atlantic shipping lanes safe from enemy submarines.
Meanwhile, NATO’s chief says the alliance has been making significant progress adapting to the changing security landscape.
“Today, we will take decisions on the next steps in our deterrence and defense to ensure that we have a command structure fit for changing times, that we can reinforce our forces quickly and effectively, and that our cyber defenses are even more robust,” stated NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg.
The secretary general says the 29 member alliance will increase the number of troops in Afghanistan by next year in order to send a message to the Taliban.

House Dem's new demand: Impeach Trump by Christmas

Texas Democrat Al Green said Wednesday he’s giving his colleagues in the House a Christmas deadline to vote on impeaching President Trump.

“I now announce that before Christmas, there will be a vote on the chief inciter of racism, bigotry, hatred, xenophobia, sexism and ethnocentrism,” he said on the House floor, adding that he prayed the United States will “continue to reject what the inciter in chief, Donald J. Trump has been causing this country to have to endure.”

This is hardly the first time Green has called for impeaching the president, though he hasn't put a timeframe on it until now.
Last month, Green unveiled formal articles of impeachment, though it never made it to the House floor for a vote. At the time, Green said he wanted to give lawmakers extra time to read through the proposal.
Green’s resolution covered four articles of impeachment.
One accused the president of “inciting white supremacy, sexism, bigotry, hatred, xenophobia, race-baiting, and racism by demeaning, defaming, disrespecting and disparaging women and certain minorities.” Another alleged Trump brought “shame and dishonor to the office of the presidency by associating the majesty and dignity of the presidency with causes rooted in white supremacy, bigotry, racism, anti-Semitism, white nationalism and neo-Nazism.”
GREEN INTRODUCES ARTICLES OF IMPEACHMENT AGAINST TRUMP
While acknowledging conservatives aren’t likely to jump on board and kick Trump out of the Oval Office, Green said, “Whatever others will do is their choice. My conscience dictates that I will vote to impeach.”
There’s not much enthusiasm among most congressional Democrats to impeach.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has repeatedly downplayed talk of impeachment and on Sunday told CNN it wasn’t one of her legislative priorities.