Upcoming shows
Real News

NOW ON AIR
Now On Air

Maga First News with Peter Boykin

8:00 am 9:00 am



Maga First News

Upcoming Shows

Join The MAGA Network on Discord

0 0

ACLU sues over review process for government secrets

The American Civil Liberties Union has filed a lawsuit challenging a pre-publication review required for people who have had access to government secrets.

Millions of former government and intelligence agency employees are bound by a lifelong obligation to keep national security secrets as long as the government deems the information classified. Because of responsibility, they are required to submit manuscripts and drafts for government review before publication.

The lawsuit filed on Tuesday said that obligation is too broad, often implemented arbitrarily and ultimately suppresses free speech. The ACLU and the Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University filed the suit jointly on behalf of five former federal employees.

The Central Intelligence Agency says the pre-publication review is necessary to protect national security and protect former employees from legal liability. Timothy Barrett, a CIA spokesman, said the agency "does not comment on pending litigation."

Vera Eidelman, an ACLU staff attorney, said the case "highlights the possibility of viewpoint based government censorship" and the politicization of the system of classification. Eidelman said proponents of the intelligence community are often fast-tracked when detractors are not.

"The system gets worse every year, and it applies to an increasing number of people each year because these are lifetime obligations," Eidelman said.

The suit was filed in federal court in Maryland and against the CIA, National Security Agency, Office of the Director of National Intelligence and Defense Department.

Source: Fox News National

0 0

Kentucky governor says he intentionally exposed his 9 kids to chickenpox

Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin said Tuesday that he deliberately exposed his nine children to chickenpox in lieu of vaccinating them, actions that follow reports of an outbreak of the contagious disease at a Roman Catholic school in a northern part of the state.

“Every single one of my kids had the chickenpox," Bevin told Bowling Green radio station WKCT. "They got the chickenpox on purpose because we found a neighbor that had it and I went and made sure every one of my kids was exposed to it, and they got it. They had it as children. They were miserable for a few days, and they all turned out fine.”

Bevin said he doesn’t believe vaccines should be mandated by the government.

KENTUCKY TEEN SUES HEALTH DEPARTMENT AFTER HE'S BARRED FROM BASKETBALL FOR REFUSAL TO GET CHICKENPOX VACCINE

“If you are worried about your child getting chickenpox or whatever else, vaccinate your child,” the governor said. “But for some people, and for some parents, for some reason, they choose otherwise. This is America. The federal government should not be forcing this upon people. They just shouldn’t.”

"This is America. The federal government should not be forcing this upon people. They just shouldn’t."

— Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin

AL ROKER SLAMS 'NITWIT' KENTUCKY GOV. MATT BEVIN OVER COLD WEATHER COMMENTS

But medical experts called Bevin’s actions unsafe.

"We're no longer living in the 17th century," Dr. Robert Jacobson, a pediatrician and expert in vaccines and childhood diseases at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota told the Louisville Courier-Journal. "I really recommend to my parents that they vaccinate their children, that they do it in a timely manner, and they recognize they are doing the right thing for their children."

"We're no longer living in the 17th century. I really recommend to my parents that they vaccinate their children, that they do it in a timely manner, and they recognize they are doing the right thing for their children."

— Dr. Robert Jacobson, Mayo Clinic in Minnesota

CHICKENPOX OUTBREAK AT NORTH CAROLINA SCHOOL WITH HIGH ANTI-VACCINATION RATE LEAVES DOZENS SICK

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends against intentionally exposing children to the disease -- including hosting chickenpox parties.

"Chickenpox can be serious and can lead to severe complications and death, even in healthy children," according to the CDC website.

In response to Bevin’s comment, the Kentucky Democratic Party called on the Republican to state his position on vaccinations for hepatitis A, which has killed 44 people in the state, the paper reported.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“Kentucky is currently experiencing the worst outbreak of Hepatitis A in the country. It is a major public health risk at this point. The last thing we need is Governor Bevin suggesting that immunization is not important," KDP spokeswoman Marisa McNee told the paper in an email. "Governor Bevin should reassure the public that he supports the recommendation of the entire medical community with respect to controlling an outbreak of Hepatitis A, which is immunization.”

The state requires children entering kindergarten to get vaccinated for chickenpox but parents can seek religious exemptions. Bevin’s comments come as the Our Lady of the Assumption Catholic Church & Academy high school in Walton is suffering from 32 reported chickenpox cases.

Source: Fox News Politics

0 0

Republicans demand Michael Cohen transcript be sent to DOJ for review, potential perjury prosecution

House Oversight Committee Republicans on Wednesday introduced a resolution to force committee Chairman Elijah Cummings to send ex-Trump lawyer Michael Cohen’s congressional testimony to the Justice Department for review -- and possible prosecution for alleged perjury.

The resolution, rolled out by freshman Republican Rep. Mark Green of Tennessee, requests that the transcript of Cohen’s Feb. 27 interview before the committee be submitted for review to Attorney General Bill Barr.

GOP REP. MEADOWS FILES CRIMINAL REFERRAL FOR MICHAEL COHEN OVER FOREIGN CONTRACTS

"If Chairman Cummings fails to refer Mr. Cohen to the Department of Justice for perjury, it will forever mar the reputation of the oversight committee and call into question the integrity of the entire House. Mr. Chairman, do what you said you'd do and hold Mr. Cohen accountable for lying before our committee," Green said Wednesday.

“Chairman Cummings promised the American people that if Michael Cohen lied, he’d hold him accountable and I quote ‘nail him to the cross’ end quote,” Green added. “But 43 days later, nothing from Chairman Cummings. ... It appears they’re perfectly okay with witnesses lying to them as long as it supports their anti-Trump agenda.”

Green called for a vote on the floor to “allow this resolution” to refer Cohen to the Justice Department.

“Let’s give the entire body the opportunity to do what they said they were going to do,” House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., told reporters.

House Minority Whip Steve Scalise, R-La., blasted Democrats for bringing Cohen before the panel as their "star witness" after he pleaded guilty to lying to Congress, as part of Special Counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation.

The measure is unlikely to advance in the Democrat-controlled House but represents the latest effort by Republicans to call Cohen's testimony -- in which he called Trump a “racist,” a “conman” and a cheat” -- into question, as he continues to reach out to congressional Democrats.

Cohen’s legal team, just last week, penned a letter to House Oversight Committee Democrats saying that he was still sorting through documents in his personal files that might be of interest to them in their investigations into President Trump, including emails, voice recordings, images and other documents on a hard drive.

“To date, Mr. Cohen has located several documents that we believe have significant value to the various congressional oversight and investigation committees,” Cohen’s attorneys Lanny Davis, Michael Monico, and Carly Chocron wrote in the letter, pleading with House Democrats to help keep Cohen out of prison.

"It is our hope that the authorities in the Southern District of New York will consider this total picture of cooperation by Mr. Cohen, verified by your letter and the important new evidence he has made available or could make available to assist the government, and the particular facts involved here to grant Mr. Cohen a reduced term following the rules and procedures of the Southern District of New York,” they wrote.

The resolution also comes after mounting requests by top Republicans on the committee—including Ranking Member Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, and Rep. Mark Meadows, R-N.C. The pair referred Cohen to the Justice Department in February for alleged perjury, claiming that he lied during sworn testimony before the panel about a number of issues, including his ambitions to work in the Trump administration and contracts with foreign entities.

MICHAEL COHEN FACING MOUNTING QUESTIONS OVER INCONSISTENCIES IN TESTIMONY

Meadows, chairman of the House Freedom Caucus, also filed a criminal referral for Cohen in February, claiming that he violated the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA) by not disclosing his foreign contracts.

Cohen, who is slated to report to prison for three years next month as part of his guilty plea related to Mueller’s investigation and the criminal investigation into his personal business dealings led by the U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of New York, was challenged over several claims made in his testimony.

One was his assertion that he “never asked for, nor would [he] accept, a pardon from Mr. Trump.”

Last month, though, Davis said that Cohen was “open to the ongoing ‘dangling’ of a possible pardon by Trump representatives privately and in the media.” Davis also said that Cohen “directed his attorney to explore possibilities of a pardon at one point with Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani as well as other lawyers advising President Trump.”

Davis, defending his client’s credibility, did say, however, that since July 2, 2018, when he began representing Cohen, he has said that he “would never accept a pardon from President Trump even if offered.”

GOP REPS REFER MICHAEL COHEN TO DOJ FOR ALLEGED PERJURY DURING HEARING

“That continues to be the case,” Davis said. “And his statement at the Oversight Hearing was true—and consistent with his post joint defense agreement commitment to tell the truth.”

Meanwhile, Cohen has been criticized for his statements about potentially working in the Trump White House. During the hearing last week, Jordan accused Cohen of turning on the president because he didn’t land a job at the White House. Cohen denied this, saying he just wanted to be “the personal attorney to the president.”

“I got exactly what I wanted,” Cohen testified.

Shortly afterward, Davis acknowledged that Cohen was, in fact, at one time considering the possibility of working in the White House. “The fact is, early on, Michael Cohen speculated about a possible position in the White House,” Davis said in a statement. “But after he consulted with his family and friends, he decided that he preferred to stay at home in New York City and be ‘personal attorney to the president.’”

MICHAEL COHEN ASKS HOUSE DEMOCRATS TO HELP KEEP HIM OUT OF PRISON

Another inconsistency is related to the Trump Tower project in Moscow. Cohen is going to jail, in part, for lying to Congress during a closed-door hearing with the Senate Intelligence Committee in 2017 about the timeline of communications with Russia about the project. Cohen initially told the committee communications ended before the first contest in the 2016 primary season but later admitted they continued through June 2016, after Trump had become the Republican nominee.

During the February hearing, Cohen told the committee that Trump’s attorneys, including Jay Sekulow, reviewed and edited the statement he provided to Congress in 2017 about the project, including concerning the timeline of discussions. But Sekulow said in a statement after the hearing that the “testimony by Michael Cohen that attorneys for the President edited or changed his statement to Congress to alter the duration of the Trump Tower Moscow negotiations is completely false.”

Fox News' Gregg Re contributed to this report. 

Source: Fox News Politics

0 0

Minnesota dentist charged with setting fire to neighbor's boathouse after footprints led to his home

A Minnesota dentist who police say eventually admitted to torching a neighbor’s dilapidated boathouse reportedly “looked as if he were a deer in headlights” after investigators indicated that they were onto him.

The claim about Creekview Dental CEO John Michael Haag, found in a criminal complaint filed in St. Croix County Circuit Court, came after police on Feb. 2 traced a set of footprints from the charred-out boathouse back to Haag’s home near Bass Lake in New Richmond, Wisconsin.

JEHOVAH'S WITNESS HALLS IN WASHINGTON STATE TARGETED BY ARSON ATTACKS, AT LEAST 5 SINCE MARCH

“The tracks angled every ten feet or so as if the suspect was turning around and checking behind him,” one deputy wrote in the complaint, according to the Twin Cities Pioneer Press.

The boathouse is said to be at the center of a dispute between its owner and a local lake association group, in which Haag is the treasurer. In draft meeting minutes from June 2018, Haag brought up state planning guidelines as to how “ideally things should ‘blend'” along the edges of the lake and indicated a desire to remove the structure, the newspaper added.

FIGHT OVER CHEEZ-ITS LEADS TO GEORGIA HOUSE ARSON, REPORT SAYS

Wallace Cudd, the boathouse’s owner, told the Twin Cities Pioneer Press that it has been falling apart over the past few years and after working with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, it was agreed that he would have until the end of this winter to get rid of the boathouse.

But on Feb. 2, Cudd says he had to wake up around 2:15 a.m. to extinguish the fire out of concerns that it would “spread to trees and other properties” in the area.

Haag initially denied that he started the inferno, but later confessed after police visited his house to obtain information for a warrant, the newspaper says.

GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“It was me, I did it, I started the fire,” Haag reportedly said to officers before handing over a jacket, balaclava, and boots that matched the pattern on the footprints leading to his home, among other items he says he wore on the night of the blaze. Two open gas cans also were found.

New Richmond is near Wisconsin's border with Minnesota. On the website for Haag's dental business, located in Woodbury, Minnesota, it says he "enjoys the opportunity to make a difference in people’s lives by helping them smile with confidence."

Haag now is set to appear March 8 for a preliminary court hearing and faces a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison and a $100,000 fine if convicted on an arson charge.

Source: Fox News National

0 0

Why the Wisconsin Supreme Court Win Is a Big Deal

COMMENTARY

X

Story Stream

recent articles

It is now official: Conservative Judge Brian Hagedorn has defeated liberal Judge Lisa Neubauer (pictured) in Wisconsin’s Supreme Court election. Neubauer conceded on Wednesday in a very close race, where Hagedorn won by 6,000 votes despite being the underdog. This result is a significant reversal from 2018 when the conservative Judge Michael Screnock lost by 12% to the liberal (now Justice) Rebecca Dallet. More importantly, this election was a flip from blue to red. The state Supreme Court result not only has significant consequences for policy in Wisconsin, but it is an important signifier heading into 2020.

How did conservatives swing races by 12.5% in just over a year? It starts with executing the basics. In some ways it was similar to the University of Virginia winning the national championship a year after being the first No. 1 seed to lose in the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament. They focused on doing the fundamentals and got a huge change in outcome in one short year.

Judge Hagedorn executed his campaign plan, delivered his message to the voters and withstood withering attacks from the left and the media. The left attacked him for starting a Christian school and for calling Planned Parenthood a “wicked organization.” Planned Parenthood went on to spend over $120,000 to try to defeat him. As a result, business groups, afraid of backlash, decided to stay out of this race, clearly intimidated by the most radical elements of the political left. Private polling showed Hagedorn down by nearly double digits and the political experts predicted a big loss for him. At one point the groups on the left were outspending those on the right by a 14-to-1 margin, as Eric Holder and liberals eyed a flip of the conservative leaning court.

But these attacks backfired and motivated the conservative base. They saw that the attacks on Hagedorn’s school were in effect imposing an unconstitutional religious test: that you cannot be a Christian and a judge. These groups were functionally persecuting Hegedorn for his religious beliefs. And whether voters held those same beliefs or not, they didn’t fall for the bigoted attacks. When voters heard about this, they were upset and motivated to take action. The conservative grassroots went out and knocked on doors, texted friends and family members, and delivered more votes for Hagedorn.  

Another key aspect was that Judge Neubauer tried to position herself as a moderate and independent judge, despite being very connected to the Democratic Party and Planned Parenthood. When voters were informed of her connections to socialist policies and infanticide-supporting groups, it helped Hagedorn. Our organization, American Majority Action, saw this as we went door to door and spoke to voters in real time. We focused on voters in seven counties across the state. Our survey results showed a 10+% shift to Hagedorn over the final two weeks as more voters were informed of Neubauer’s radical ties. In places where we knocked on doors, we saw votes shift by 15% or more from their 2018 totals. In Oostburg, where we spoke with  hundreds of voters, we saw Hagedorn receive 361 more votes than Screnock in 2018. This happened in communities all across the state. Face-to-face communication is the best way to win over voters in any election, and given the unfair attacks by liberals in this case, it proved particularly effective.

Looking ahead to 2020, these same methods can be deployed and help Trump win reelection. We must inform the voters of the radical policies the Democrats are proposing and talk face-to-face with voters about what is at stake. The left is being more transparent, going beyond simple support for abortion and instead promoting infanticide while simultaneously attacking religious freedom, labeling traditional understanding of faith as bigotry. Standing up for babies (both born and unborn) and religious freedom can be winning issues for the right. We must build off of wins like Wisconsin and mobilize voters on the right issues in order to win in 2020 and beyond.

Matt Batzel is the Wisconsin-based national executive director of American Majority Action, a grassroots conservative organization.

0 0

Commodity prices, investment poised to extend upswing

The sun rises behind a corn tassel in a field in Minooka
FILE PHOTO: The sun rises behind a corn tassel in a field in Minooka, Illinois, September 24, 2014. REUTERS/Jim Young

March 29, 2019

By Eric Onstad

LONDON (Reuters) – A rebound in commodities prices and investment is poised to extend in coming months as the sector gets its traditional boost during the final stages of the global economic cycle along with other drivers.

While some investors worry about a possible recession, commodities are due to benefit from an expected U.S.-China trade deal, tightening oil supply and potential short-covering in beaten-down U.S. grain futures.

The 19-commodity Thomson Reuters/Core Commodity CRB Index, which has rebounded 10 percent from an 18-month low touched at the end of last year, should also get further support from easier monetary policy that has lifted all financial markets, analysts and traders said.

Graphic: Commodity Prices Clawing Higher From December Lows – https://tmsnrt.rs/2HN3TXg

Commodities along with other financial markets have been buoyed after the U.S. Federal Reserve this month confirmed its three-year drive to tighten monetary policy was at an end.

The dovish change from the Fed and growing stimulus in top commodities consumer China would extend the current positive economic cycle and support commodity prices, JPMorgan said in a note.

“Late cycles are typically marked by outperformance of commodities,” JPMorgan analyst Dominic O’Kane said.

The rise in commodities so far has been partly fueled by hopes for an agreement to end a trade war between Washington and Beijing, helping to spur $2.1 billion of flows so far this year into commodity index funds and exchange-traded funds, data compiled by Citi showed.

Commodity assets under management have climbed to $407 billion, breaching $400 billion for the first time since October, Citi said, based on data through March 5.

Although the energy complex has recovered strongly this year, positioning in crude oil is not overstretched, analysts said.

According to the latest exchange data, hedge funds have bought another 65 million barrels of petroleum futures and options, the biggest one-week increase since the end of August 2018 and a bullish signal.

That was because investors expect prices to be bolstered by supply-side disruptions while OPEC and its allies comply with their plans to cut 1.2 million barrels per day of supply this year.

The funds’ net long position in Brent crude has more than doubled from a low hit in early December, but is still less than half of the record high touched in April last year.

“There’s plenty of room on the upside,” said Ole Hansen, head of commodity strategy at Saxo Bank in Copenhagen.

Graphic: Hedge Funds’ Crude Oil Positions Rebound – https://tmsnrt.rs/2UVGINJ

As part of a proposed trade deal, Beijing has offered to make big-ticket purchases from the United States to help reduce a record trade gap. U.S. President Donald Trump’s team has said those purchases would be worth more than a trillion dollars over about six years.

Agricultural exports to China could grow to $30 billion or more a year, Citi analyst Aakash Doshi said in a note. This compares to nearly $20 billion in 2017.

“The CBOT (Chicago Board of Trade) complex … appears poised for a rebound in 2Q/3Q on the back of a U.S.-Sino trade deal that could meaningfully boost Chinese purchases of soybeans, corn, ethanol, cotton, pork and other agricultural products,” he said.

Flooding in the U.S. Midwest makes agricultural futures vulnerable to short-covering after bearish bets hit record levels in recent weeks and this could accelerate if Chinese purchases surge, analysts said.

Graphic: U.S. Agricultural Exports to China – https://tmsnrt.rs/2UXc32t

Industrial metals are moving into their strongest seasonal period when construction activity rises in top consumer China.

“Both the fundamentals and technicals are supportive, so if we can get some concrete news that a trade deal has been successful, these things could really fly,” said Robin Bhar, head of metals research at Societe Generale.

As seasonal demand is due to climb, most metals should have market deficits this year and in 2020, according to analyst consensus forecasts compiled by Reuters polls.

Graphic: Most Industrial Metals in Deficit – https://tmsnrt.rs/2HMdwpp

(Reporting by Eric Onstad; Editing by Dale Hudson)

Source: OANN

0 0

UK official criticized after baby dies in Syrian camp

British Home Secretary Sajid Javid is facing criticism after the death of a U.K. teenager's baby in a Syrian camp.

Shamima Begum, who had left London as a 15-year-old in 2015 to join the Islamic State group, had pleaded with British authorities before her baby was born to let her return to the U.K. to raise the child.

But Javid revoked her passport, saying Begum hadn't shown any remorse.

Fellow Conservative Party lawmaker Phillip Lee said Saturday he was "deeply concerned" by Javid's handling of the case.

He said is it clear 19-year-old Begum "holds abhorrent views," but called her a child who was a product of British society.

Kirsty McNeill, a director at Save the Children UK, said it is possible the baby's death could have been avoided.

Source: Fox News World

NOW ON AIR
Now On Air

Maga First News with Peter Boykin

8:00 am 9:00 am



Afghan President Ashraf Ghani speaks during the inauguration of the newly-elected parliament in Kabul
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani speaks during the inauguration of the newly-elected parliament in Kabul, Afghanistan April 26, 2019. REUTERS/Omar Sobhani

April 26, 2019

By Rupam Jain and Hameed Farzad

KABUL (Reuters) – Afghan President Ashraf Ghani encouraged newly-elected lawmakers to participate in the peace process with the Taliban as he opened on Friday the first session of parliament since a controversial election.

Ghani has invited thousands of politicians, religious scholars and rights activists to an assembly known as a loya jirga next week to discuss ways to end the 17-year war.

Several opposition leaders have said they will boycott the four-day assembly in Kabul, saying it was pulled together without their input and is being used by Ghani as he seeks a second term in a September presidential election.

“We have presented the peace plan on a regular basis and we are committed to it,” Ghani said in the first session since parliamentary elections marred by technical problems, militant attacks and accusations of voting fraud last year.

“Based on this plan, there will be no peace deal and negotiation that does not have the green card of the parliament,” he added.

Officials from the United States and the Taliban have held several rounds of talks to end the Afghan war.

U.S. negotiator, Zalmay Khalilzad, has reported some progress toward an accord on a U.S. troop withdrawal and on how the Taliban would prevent extremists from using Afghanistan to launch attacks as al Qaeda did on Sept. 11, 2001.

The insurgents have so far rejected U.S. demands for a ceasefire and talks on the country’s political future that would include Afghan government officials.

The loya jirga, a centuries-old institution used to build consensus among competing tribes, factions and ethnic groups, is an attempt by Ghani to influence the peace talks and cement his position for a second term, Afghan politicians and Western diplomats say.

Amid growing political divisions in Kabul, opposition politicians have demanded that Ghani step down when his mandate ends next month, and give way to an interim government to oversee peace talks with the Taliban. Ghani has ruled that out.

The country’s top court said last week Ghani can stay in office until the presidential election in September.

(Reporting by Hameed Farzad, Rupam Jain, Editing by Darren Schuettler)

Source: OANN

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein Thursday defended special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation while slamming former President Barack Obama’s administration for being slow to take action on Russian interference in U.S. elections and ex-FBI Director James Comey for telling Congress the agency was investigating collusion between the Trump campaign and Russia.

“Our nation is safer, elections are more secure, and citizens are better informed about covert foreign influence schemes,” Rosenstein said in a speech to the Armenian Bar Association, marking his first public remarks after the Mueller report was released, reports CBS News.

He also pointed out that the investigation revealed a pattern of computer hacking and the use of social media to undermine elections as “only the tip of the iceberg of a comprehensive Russian strategy to influence elections, promote social discord, and undermine America, just like they do in many other countries,” reports The Wall Street Journal.

The Obama administration also made “critical decisions,” including choosing not to publicize the full story about Russian hackers and social media trolling, “and how they relate to a broader strategy to undermine America,” said Rosenstein.

He noted that the Mueller probe began after Comey disclosed during a hearing before Congress that President Donald Trump “pressured him to close the investigation and the president denied that the conversation occurred.”

Rosenstein said two years ago, when he was confirmed, he was told by a Republican senator that he would be in charge of the probe and that he’d report the results to the American people.

However, he said he didn’t promise to do that, because it is “not our job to render conclusive factual findings. We just decide whether it is appropriate to file criminal charges.”

Source: NewsMax Politics

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!
FILE PHOTO: The Huawei logo is pictured outside its Huawei's factory campus in Dongguan, Guangdong province
FILE PHOTO: The Huawei logo is pictured outside its Huawei’s factory campus in Dongguan, Guangdong province, China, March 25, 2019. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo

April 26, 2019

By Ben Blanchard

BEIJING (Reuters) – Britain must get to the bottom of the leak of confidential discussions during a top-level security meeting about the role of China’s Huawei Technologies in 5G network supply chains, British finance minister Philip Hammond said on Friday.

News that Britain’s National Security Council, attended by senior ministers and spy chiefs, had agreed on Tuesday to bar Huawei from all core parts of the country’s 5G network and restrict its access to non-core elements was leaked to a national newspaper.

The leak of secret discussions has sparked anger in parliament and amongst Britain’s intelligence community. Britain’s most senior civil servant Mark Sedwill has launched an inquiry and written to ministers who were at the meeting.

“My understanding from London (is) that an investigation has been announced into apparent leaks from the NSC meeting earlier this week,” said Hammond, speaking on the sidelines of a summit on China’s Belt and Road initiative in Beijing.

“To my knowledge there has never been a leak from a National Security Council meeting before and therefore I think it is very important that we get to the bottom of what happened here,” he told Reuters in a pooled interview.

British culture minister Jeremy Wright said on Thursday he could not rule out a criminal investigation. The majority of the ministers at the NSC meeting have said they were not involved, according to media reports.

Hammond said he was unaware of any previous leak from a meeting of the NSC.

“It’s not about the substance of what was apparently leaked. It’s not earth-shattering information. But it is important that we protect the principle that nothing that goes on in national security council meetings must ever be repeated outside the room.”

Allowing Huawei a reduced role in building its 5G network puts Britain at odds with the United States which has told allies not to use its technology at all because of fears it could be a vehicle for Chinese spying. Huawei has categorically denied this.

There have been concerns that the NSC’s conclusion, which sources confirmed to Reuters, could upset other allies in the world’s leading intelligence-sharing network – the Five Eyes alliance of the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.

However, British ministers and intelligence officials have said any final decision on 5G would not put critical national infrastructure at risk. Ciaran Martin, head of the cyber center of Britain’s main eavesdropping agency, GCHQ, played down any threat of a rift in the Five Eyes alliance.

(Writing by Michael Holden; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

Source: OANN

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!

President Trump on Friday said “no money” was paid to North Korea for Otto Warmbier, after reports that the U.S. received a $2 million hospital bill from Pyongyang for the late American prisoner’s care.

“No money was paid to North Korea for Otto Warmbier, not two Million Dollars, not anything else. This is not the Obama Administration that paid 1.8 Billion Dollars for four hostages, or gave five terroist[sic] hostages plus, who soon went back to battle, for traitor Sgt. Bergdahl!” Trump tweeted Friday.

NORTH KOREA GAVE US $2M HOSPITAL BILL OVER CARE OF AMERICAN OTTO WARMBIER, SOURCES SAY

The Washington Post first reported that North Korean authorities insisted the U.S. envoy sent to retrieve Warmbier, 21, who was a student of the University of Virginia, sign a pledge to pay the bill before allowing Warmbier’s comatose body to return to the United States. Sources confirmed the bill and the amount to Fox News on Thursday.

Sources told the post that the envoy signed an agreement to pay the medical bill on instructions from the president, but a source told Fox News that the U.S. did not ever pay money to North Korea.

The White House declined to comment when asked on the bill, with Press Secretary Sarah Sanders saying in a statement that: “We do not comment on hostage negotiations, which is why they have been so successful during this administration.”

Meanwhile, the president added: “’President[sic] Donald J. Trump is the greatest hostage negotiator that I know of in the history of the United States. 20 hostages, many in impossible circumstances, have been released in last two years. No money was paid.’ Cheif[sic] Hostage Negotiator, USA!”

Warmbier was on tour in North Korea when he allegedly stole a propaganda sign from a hotel. He was arrested in January 2016 and sentenced to 15 years in prison with hard labor in March 2016. Warmbier, for unknown reasons, fell into a coma while in custody and was held in that condition for an additional 17 months.

North Korean officials did not tell American officials until June 2017 that Warmbier had been unconscious the entire time. He died less than a week after he returned to the U.S. North Korean officials, though, have repeatedly denied accusations that Warmbier was tortured, instead claiming that he had suffered from botulism and then slipped into a coma after taking a sleeping pill.

AMERICAN PRISONERS HELD IN NORTH KOREA ON THEIR WAY HOME AFTER POMPEO VISIT, TRUMP SAYS

Fred and Cindy Warmbier sued North Korea over their son’s death and in December were awarded $501 million in damages – money that the Hermit Kingdom will probably never pay.

While the Warmbiers blamed North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, Trump has said he believes Kim’s claims that he did not know about the student’s treatment.

Trump and Kim have met in two separate summits. The most recent, held in February, ended without an agreement on denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula.

Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, told Fox News: “Otto Warmbier was mistreated by North Korea in so many ways, including his wrongful conviction and harsh sentence, and the fact that for 16 months they refused to tell his family or our country about his dire condition they caused.  No, the United States owes them nothing. They owe the Warmbier family everything.”

Last year, the Trump administration was also able to save three American prisoners held by North Korea. Kim Dong Chul, Tony Kim, and Kim Hak Song were all detained in North Korea. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo brought the three Americans home last May, and said they were all in “good health.”

Fox News’ John Roberts, Rich Edson, Nicholas Kalman, and Mike Emanuel contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News Politics

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!
Park Yoo-chun, a K-pop idol singer, arrives at the Suwon district court in Suwon
Park Yoo-chun, a K-pop idol singer, arrives at the Suwon district court in Suwon, South Korea, April 26, 2019. REUTERS/Kim Hong-Ji

April 26, 2019

SEOUL (Reuters) – K-pop and drama star Park Yu-chun was arrested on Friday on charges of buying and using illegal drugs, a court said, the latest in a series of scandals to hit the South Korean entertainment business.

Suwon District Court approved the arrest warrant for Park, 32, due to concerns over possible destruction of evidence and flight risk, a court spokesman told Reuters.

Park is suspected of having bought about 1.5 grams of methamphetamine with his former girlfriend earlier this year and using the drug around five times, an official at the Gyeonggi Nambu Provincial Police Agency said.

Park has denied wrongdoing, saying he had never taken drugs, and he again denied the charges in court, Yonhap news agency said.

Park’s contract with his management agency had been canceled and he would leave the entertainment industry, Park’s management agency, C-JeS Entertainment, said on Wednesday.

Park was a member of boyband TVXQ between 2003 and 2009 before leaving the group with two other members, forming the group JYJ.

A scandal involving sex tapes, prostitutes and secret chat about rape led at least four other K-pop stars to quit the industry earlier this year.

The cases sparked a nationwide drugs bust and investigations into tax evasion and police collusion at night clubs and other nightlife spots.

(Reporting by Joyce Lee; Additional reporting by Heekyong Yang; Editing by Nick Macfie)

Source: OANN

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!

Listen to https://magaoneradio.net and Listen Daily! Don't Forget to Share Click a Link Below!
Current track

Title

Artist