Now On Air

Liberty #MAGAOne Mix

Via MAGA One Mix

6:00 am 8:00 am


Upcoming shows
Real News

NOW ON AIR
Now On Air

Liberty #MAGAOne Mix

Via MAGA One Mix

6:00 am 8:00 am



Maga First News

Upcoming Shows

Join The MAGA Network on Discord

0 0

Rep. Ilhan Omar gets first 2020 endorsement from top-moneyed progressive advocacy group

A top-moneyed progressive advocacy group has awarded its first endorsement of the 2020 election cycle to embattled U.S. Rep. Ilhan Omar, who’s facing allegations of anti-Semitism and other controversies.

MoveOn.org announced its support for the Minnesota Democrat on Wednesday, saying it comes specifically because of criticism Omar has received following her comments.

FAR-LEFT MOVEON.ORG ASKS 2020 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES TO SKIP PRO-ISRAEL AIPAC CONFERENCE

“Despite racist and anti-Muslim attacks to silence the first Black, Muslim congresswoman in the United States — and blatant attempts to incite violence against her and Muslim communities — Rep. Omar has continued to speak out for bold, progressive policies in order to fight for a society where all of us, not just the rich and powerful, can thrive,” the group’s statement reads.

“Despite racist and anti-Muslim attacks to silence the first Black, Muslim congresswoman in the United States ... Rep. Omar has continued to speak out for bold, progressive policies in order to fight for a society where all of us, not just the rich and powerful, can thrive.”

— MoveOn.org

But the endorsement may prove to be rather awkward for Omar who has long decried the influence of money in politics.

MoveOn has a huge war chest that is used exclusively to prop up Democratic candidates. In the 2018 election cycle, the group spent about $3.5 million, with millions going into running ads against Republicans.

Omar has recently drawn relentless critics over controversial comments. This week she was criticized after an old tweet resurfaced on social media in which she claimed U.S. forces killed “thousands” of Somalis during the 1993 “Black Hawk Down” mission – despite multiple analysts concluding the number was much smaller.

Earlier this month, Omar also faced controversy over her flippant comment during a Muslim advocacy group’s fundraiser where she referred to the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks as “some people did something.”

ILHAN OMAR CLAIMS US FORCES KILLED 'THOUSANDS' OF SOMALIS DURING 'BLACK HAWK DOWN' MISSION, RESURFACED TWEET SHOWS

In February, Omar drew bipartisan uproar after suggesting that politicians in the U.S. were bought by AIPAC (American Israel Public Affairs Committee), a non-partisan organization that seeks to foster the relationship between the U.S. and Israel.

“It’s all about the Benjamins baby,” Omar wrote in a now-deleted tweet, suggesting the group pays U.S. politicians to support Israel. AIPAC denied Omar’s claims that they fund politicians.

Omar issued an apology but reiterated a “problematic role of lobbyists” in politics, particularly AIPAC as well as the NRA and fossil fuel industry.

Just weeks later, Omar reignited the controversy, this time saying that supporters of Israel were pushing for U.S. politicians to declare “allegiance” to that nation.

“I want to talk about the political influence in this country that says it is OK for people to push for allegiance to a foreign country,” Omar said. “I want to ask why is it OK for me to talk about the influence of the NRA, of fossil fuel industries, or big pharma, and not talk about a powerful lobbying movement that is influencing policy?”

But MoveOn insists in its news release that its endorsement of Omar is no coincidence and that it fully stands behind her.

“During an era when moral clarity is of the utmost importance, we want to make it clear that Rep. Omar is definitely an important voice in Washington, D.C. — and in the country,” the group said.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

“The positive and bold progressive vision for our country that Congresswoman Ilhan Omar fights for every day is one that should be embraced by candidates everywhere — especially heading into 2020. Her fearlessness in advocating progressive policies is galvanizing the public in her district and throughout the country.”

Source: Fox News Politics

0 0

Austria considers dissolving far-right group amid NZ probe

Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz says his government is considering dissolving a far-right group after it emerged that a prominent activist had received a donation in the name of the suspected New Zealand mosque gunman.

Martin Sellner, head of the Identitarian Movement of Austria, says police searched his apartment Monday and seized electronic devices after he received a "disproportionately high donation" from a person named Tarrant — the same surname as the suspected Christchurch shooter. Prosecutors say they stumbled across the donation as part of an existing probe against Sellner into possible financial offenses.

The Austria Press Agency reported that Kurz said after a Cabinet meeting Wednesday there can be "no tolerance for dangerous ideologies, wherever they come from." He added that Austria will apply the "full force of the law."

Source: Fox News World

0 0

Molinari eager to swap caddie whites for Masters green

Second round play of the Masters at Augusta National
Golf - Masters - Augusta National Golf Club - Augusta, Georgia, U.S. - April 12, 2019 - During second round play. Francesco Molinari of Italy hits on the 12th tee. REUTERS/Brian Snyder

April 12, 2019

By Frank Pingue

AUGUSTA Ga. (Reuters) – The first time Francesco Molinari walked the Augusta National course he wore a caddie’s white boiler suit but on Friday the Italian put himself in prime position to leave the Masters wearing a Green Jacket.

The British Open champion, who served as caddie for his brother at the 2006 Masters, fired a five-under-par 67 that was his best-ever round at Augusta National and gave him a share of the second-round clubhouse lead.

After getting himself in a solid position heading into the weekend of the year’s first major, world number seven Molinari could not help but reflect on his remarkable journey from caddie to Masters contender.

“It was a great motivation to see how good the guys were and, at the same time, how much I needed to improve to hopefully one day get here,” said Molinari, who in 2006 was in his second year on the European Tour.

“But I mean at the time, to be honest, the goal was to maybe only be once in my career at Augusta, (that) already would have been an achievement for me.”

The Italian came into the Masters with three victories in a span of 12 PGA Tour starts yet was mostly overlooked as a contender since he has missed the cut here twice and also never finished better than his share of 19th in 2012.

But Molinari, 36, was full of confidence given his victory at Carnoustie last year where he became the first Italian to win a major. Last September he became the first European player to win all five of his matches at a Ryder Cup.

That sense of belief helped Molinari, who began the day four strokes behind overnight co-leaders Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau, follow his opening two-under-par 70 with a bogey-free trip around Augusta National.

Molinari, who last month shot a final-round 64 to win the Arnold Palmer Invitational, showcased a solid day off the tee, hit some quality irons and holed some nice putts.

While the Italian said his chance to caddie at Augusta National gave him motivation to improve his game he added it was also hard not getting a chance to swing a club that week.

“I have lots of memories,” Molinari said about tending to the bag as his brother missed the Masters cut in 2006. “Mostly the fact that I didn’t really enjoy caddying.

“I love being here and I love caddying for my brother, but it was just so hard to give him clubs, and it seemed a bit of a nightmare, you know, standing with the bag, waiting for him to hit the shots.”

(Reporting by Frank Pingue; editing by Ken Ferris)

Source: OANN

0 0

From 'universal' income to Green New Deal, 15 far-out ideas from the 2020 Democratic field

Court packing? Reparations? Abolishing the Electoral College?

To all these questions and more, the response from 2020 Democratic presidential candidates is increasingly: Sure, let's talk about it.

For a Democratic presidential field shaping up to be the most liberal grouping of candidates in modern American history, it appears no idea is too far-reaching to at least consider. Some, like the Green New Deal, have become virtual litmus tests for the base that have been widely embraced by the field, while others are just starting to catch on.

At this early stage in the race, here are 15 of the most controversial ideas being pushed or considered by the 2020 Democratic roster.

Throw out the Electoral College

Stinging from an unexpected defeat in 2016, Democrats have cited the fact that Hillary Clinton won a plurality of the popular vote to revive calls to eliminate the Electoral College. Perhaps concerned about their own chances in swing states like Pennsylvania, Wisconsin and Michigan, 2020 hopefuls claim there's much wisdom to these calls.

FROM REPARATIONS TO GREEN NEW DEAL, LIBERAL LITMUS TESTS PUT 2020 DEMS IN RISKY TERRITORY

“I think there’s a lot to that. Because you had an election in 2016 where the loser got 3 million more votes than the victor,” Beto O’Rourke said last week.

“Every vote matters and the way we can make that happen is that we can have national voting, and that means get rid of the Electoral College,” Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., said recently.

Such a push would likely require a constitutional amendment, making any changes doubtful any time soon.

Pack the Supreme Court 

Another idea that has gained post-2016 steam is the call to pack the Supreme Court with more judges.

Having once praised the court for decisions on gay marriage and ObamaCare during the Obama years, Democrats’ view has changed dramatically since President Trump has been able to appoint two justices to the court and swing it to the right.

Now, top 2020 Democrats say, the court is in need of an overhaul. Several Democrats, including O’Rourke and Sens. Warren, Cory Booker, D-N.J., Kamala Harris, D-Calif., and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., have signaled their openness to expanding the number of judges on the court if they enter the White House.

In particular, they have cited Republican decisions to block confirmation hearings for Obama nominee Merrick Garland in 2016 and then confirm Justice Neil Gorsuch after Tump took office, and to lower the Senate-vote threshold to confirm high court nominees.

"First they steal a Supreme Court seat, and then they turn around and change the rules on the filibuster on a Supreme Court seat," Warren said in a recent radio interview. "So when it swings back to us what are we going to do? I think all the options are on the table."

“We are on the verge of a crisis of confidence in the Supreme Court,” Harris told Politico. “We have to take this challenge head on, and everything is on the table to do that.”

Reparations for slavery 

In recent weeks, O’Rourke, Harris and Warren, as well as former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro, have come out in favor of at least considering reparations for black Americans from slavery.

The proposals have not been detailed, and it’s not clear if that would translate to cash payments. Harris suggested to The Grio that this could include a generic tax credit to families making under $100,000. Warren was prepared to go a step further, though, and told reporters in Manchester, N.H., last month that reparations for Native Americans should be “part of the conversation” as well.

Green New Deal 

The Green New Deal was once only discussed on the far-left fringes of the Democratic Party, but now almost all the Democratic front-runners back the proposal being pushed in Congress by freshman Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y. -- even though senators voted "present" when it came to a test vote on Tuesday.

The ambitious resolution, which calls for “a new national social, industrial and economic mobilization on a scale not seen since World War II and the New Deal,” is cast as an opportunity to tackle systemic injustices toward minority groups, create millions of high-wage jobs and “provide unprecedented levels of prosperity and economic security for all people of the United States.”

But the proposal also includes a host of costly and controversial programs, including guaranteed jobs, a push for “net-zero greenhouse gas emissions,” and an undefined pledge of “access to nature.”

Gillibrand, Harris, Warren, as well as Sens. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., Cory Booker, D-N.J., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., all signed onto the resolution.

Medicare-for-all 

Less than 10 years after the Affordable Care Act was signed into law, Democrats are now arguing for full-blown single-payer, government-controlled health care.

While most 2020 Democrats have not laid out their proposals in detail, both Harris and Sanders have said people would not be able to keep their private plans in their proposal.

NEW 'MEDICARE-FOR-ALL' BILL WOULD LARGELY OUTLAW PRIVATE INSURANCE

“No,” Sanders told CNN when asked. “What will change in their plans is the color of their card. So, instead of having a Blue Cross/Blue Shield card, instead of having a United Health Insurance card, they're gonna have a Medicare card.”

It marks a stark contrast from former President Barack Obama’s push for ObamaCare -- during which he promised that if an American liked their plan, they could keep it, even though the policy didn't work out that way for everyone.

Lower the voting age 

O’Rourke said last Tuesday that he would consider lowering the voting age to 16.

“I’m open to the idea of a younger voting age. ... There’s some merit to it,”  he said in New Hampshire.

The idea, which has been backed by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., would be a dramatic change to the electorate -- and one that would most likely favor Democrats.

So far, the idea has not caught on among many other Democrats, with only  Rep. Tulsi Gabbard, D-Hawaii and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg backing the push. Booker, Harris and Klobuchar have entertained, but so far not endorsed, such a proposal.

Suspend the death penalty 

Both Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper and Harris have said they would suspend the death penalty at the federal level if elected president.

“The vast majority of cases in the federal death penalty system, I’d have to be suspicious just to start,” Hickenlooper said at a CNN town hall last Wednesday. “I certainly would suspend the death penalty.”

Harris has also made a similar promise. Asked on NPR if she believes there should be a “moratorium” on the death penalty, she said: “Yes I do, I believe that.”

Eliminate the filibuster 

The Senate filibuster, requiring 60 votes (and therefore some degree of bipartisanship) to advance bills in the chamber, has been chipped away in recent years by both Democrats and Republicans. No longer are 60 votes required to confirm key nominees.

But Democrats, possibly with an eye on their own agenda that sees virtually no Republican support, are mulling getting rid of the filibuster for legislation.

“I think that that’s something that we should seriously consider,” O’Rourke told reporters on the campaign trail in New Hampshire last week.

“When you talk about changing the filibuster rule I understand that we are heading, right now, we are heading that way,” Booker said in an interview on "Pod Save America." “I’m going to tell you that for me that door is not closed.”

“Everything stays on the table. You keep it all on the table. Don’t take anything off the table,” Warren said when recently asked about scrapping the filibuster.

Social Security for illegal immigrants 

Gillibrand, as part of her call for “comprehensive immigration reform,” suggested that she wants to expand Social Security to those in the country illegally.

"First, we need comprehensive immigration reform," she said last week in Iowa. "If you are in this country now you must have the right to pay into Social Security, to pay your taxes, to pay into the local school system and to have a pathway to citizenship. That must happen."

Wealth tax 

Warren has called for a 2 percent “wealth tax” on Americans with more than $50 million in assets, and an additional 3 percent on those with more than $1 billion.

The call for a wealth tax, apart from a tax on income, marks a shift in policy for Democrats -- although it is in line with Warren’s firebrand rhetoric.

“It would make the ultra-rich pay their fair share & generate nearly $3 trillion over the next 10 years. A lot of rich and powerful people won’t like it – but I don’t work for them,” she said.

O'Rourke last week voiced support for Warren's idea.

Seven-day limit to opioids 

In an attempt to combat the nation’s opioid crisis, Gillibrand tweeted last week that she has introduced legislation to limit opioid prescriptions to seven days.

“If we want to end the opioid epidemic, we must work to address the root causes of abuse. That’s why @SenCoryGardner and I introduced legislation to limit opioid prescriptions for acute pain to 7 days,” she tweeted. “Because no one needs a month’s supply for a wisdom tooth extraction.”

While aiming to tackle one of the country's most serious health crises, the proposal was widely criticized as overly intrusive.

Unionize campaigns 

As candidates embrace calls for a higher minimum wage, health care for all, and other pro-worker policies, they have faced scrutiny about their treatment toward their own campaigns -- but now, some are embracing the unionization of their staffs.

Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., campaign team announced that some of their employees have unionized, touting that this makes them “the first major party presidential campaign in history to have a unionized workforce.”

While Sanders became the first candidate to go ahead with unionization, former San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro announced in January that he will pay all campaign workers, including interns, $15 an hour or more. Officials said they would support a union as well if staff chose to organize, according to The San Antonio Current.

Last Tuesday night, O'Rourke said that if campaign workers want to unionize, he would “support it all the way.”

"Absolutely, if those who work on this campaign, and who comprise what I hope will be the largest grassroots effort this nation has ever seen, want to unionize, I support that all the way," he told Fox News when asked if he supports unionization.

Tear down the border wall 

Democratic opposition to President Trump’s border wall is nothing new, but in recent months that opposition has accelerated, with candidates suggesting that not only would they oppose the wall -- they might tear it down.

During an interview in O'Rourke's hometown last month, MSNBC host Chris Hayes asked O'Rourke: "If you could, would you take the wall down here -- knock it down?"

"Yes, absolutely," he said, "I'd take the wall down."

"I could look at it and see which part he means and why and if it makes sense, I could support it,” Gillibrand told Fox News the next day.

That has seen opposition from Harris, who when asked about O'Rourke's response, said, "No, I believe that we need border security."

Abolish ICE 

The push to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) has been cooking in Democratic circles since last year when the Trump administration implemented a “zero tolerance” policy on prosecuting all illegal border crossers.

Warren, Sanders and Gillibrand have all called to abolish the agency. O’Rourke and Harris, meanwhile, have talked about radically reforming or overhauling ICE, but have shied away from an outright call to abolish the agency.

Universal basic income 

Longshot presidential hopeful Andrew Yang is running on the platform of a Universal Basic Income -- which he says would guarantee payments of $1,000 a month to all citizens, “no questions asked,” to provide help for Americans looking for a job, going back to school or taking care of loved ones.

While not going as far as Yang, Booker last year proposed the creation of “opportunity accounts” for children -- accounts that could grow to about $46,000 per child by the time they turn 18, Business Insider reported.

Fox News' Paul Steinhauser, Liam Quinn, Alex Pappas and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

Source: Fox News Politics

0 0

Ethical investors ask miners to publish tailings dam details

FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: A view of a collapsed tailings dam owned by Brazilian mining company Vale SA, in Brumadinho
FILE PHOTO: A view of a collapsed tailings dam owned by Brazilian mining company Vale SA, in Brumadinho, Brazil February 10, 2019. REUTERS/Washington Alves/File Photo/File Photo

April 5, 2019

LONDON (Reuters) – Ethical investors working on a global standard for tailings dams have written to 683 listed resource companies, including major miners, asking for information to be made public within 45 days about every facility they control.

The safety of dams used to store mining waste known as tailings has risen in profile after the collapse of a Vale tailings dam in Brazil in January killed an estimated 300 people.

Industry group the International Council on Mining and Minerals (ICMM) said in March it was working with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI) to develop new standards.

“It is essential that investors can establish a clear line of sight on which company has which tailings facility and how that facility is being managed. The current disclosures from companies are largely inadequate,” Adam Matthews, director of ethics and engagement for the Church of England Pensions Board, said in a statement.

The PRI brings together ethical investors overseeing around $80 trillion worth of investments.

The demand for disclosure has been sent by the Church of England Pensions Board and the Swedish Council on Ethics following meetings in March and on April 1. The investors will meet again in May.

They are asking companies to disclose on their websites within 45 days answers to 20 questions, covering issues such as the height of dams, their volume, engineering records and safety checks.

If they cannot provide the requested information, they have to state what action they are taking to address the situation.

The two biggest listed miners BHP and Rio Tinto said they would not comment on the letter, sent on Friday, until they had assessed its contents.

(Reporting by Barbara Lewis; editing by David Evans)

Source: OANN

0 0

PG&E appoints Nora Mead as board chair

A PG&E truck carrying an American Flag drives past PG&E repair trucks in Paradise
A PG&E truck carrying an American Flag drives past PG&E repair trucks in Paradise, California, U.S. November 21, 2018. REUTERS/Elijah Nouvelage

April 12, 2019

(Reuters) – California energy company PG&E Corp said on Thursday it appointed former state and federal regulator Nora Mead Brownell as chair of the company’s board of directors.

The company also appointed former U.S. ambassador Jeffrey Bleich as chair of the board of its subsidiary Pacific Gas and Electric Company.

Bill Johnson, who was appointed as PG&E’s chief executive earlier in April, will start his role from May 1, the company said.

The company faces crushing liabilities related to deadly wildfires in 2017 and 2018 that killed dozens of people and destroyed thousands of homes.

Reuters reported on Wednesday that the company was exploring expanding its board as it navigates bankruptcy proceedings in an effort to potentially settle an ongoing battle with shareholder BlueMountain Capital Management LLC.

(Reporting by Gaurika Juneja and Philip George; Editing by Sandra Maler and Subhranshu Sahu)

Source: OANN

0 0

Store employee reportedly fired after scolding customer for speaking Spanish: ‘This is America’

A hostile exchange unfolded inside a gas station's convenience store in San Jose, Calif. last week between a customer and a store employee who demanded that the woman speak English. The confrontation was caught on video.

The employee apparently became angry when the customer spoke in Spanish with another store employee, the video shows.

The customer, whose name is Grecya Moran, said she apologized to the angry employee and explained that she and the other employee had only exchanged greetings in Spanish.

“I don’t care, you talk in English because this is America,” the angry employee said, according to Moran.

GRAPHIC LANGUAGE WARNING:

Moran claimed that the employee said “Trump needs to hurry up and build the wall,” and their interaction became more hostile. That’s when Moran, who had been holding her 18-month-old son in her arm, began to record the scene on her cellphone camera.

METS GREAT RON DARLING CLAIMS LENNY DYKSTRA HURLED 'RACIST, HURTFUL STUFF' AT RED SOX PITCHER DURING WORLD SERIES

At one point in the video, the employee is heard asking for proof of Moran’s U.S. citizenship, to which Moran is heard saying off-camera: “I was born here.”

“Prove it to me, motherf----r!” the employee says.

“You’re an elderly lady, I’m not going to argue with,” Moran responds before the video ends.

GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Moran later told the Bay Area's KGO-TV she was surprised by the incident.

“I hear stories, I see videos but I never thought it was going to happen to me,” Moran said, adding that she had contacted San Jose Police afterward.

A manager at the gas station told KGO that the angry employee had been fired.

Source: Fox News National

NOW ON AIR
Now On Air

Liberty #MAGAOne Mix

Via MAGA One Mix

6:00 am 8:00 am



Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday said his government must make men aware of the dangers of poor hygiene after expressing dismay over the 1,000 penis amputations that apparently occur in his country each year.

“In Brazil, we have 1,000 penis amputations a year due to a lack of water and soap,” he said while speaking to reporters in Brasilia after visiting the Education Ministry. “We have to find a way to get out of the bottom of this hole.”

The far-right leader called the figure “ridiculous and sad,” Reuters reported. A spokeswoman for the Brazilian urology society told the news agency the number is based on its official data for penis amputations.

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

The amputations were conducted out of necessity over untreated infections, along with complications from HIV and various cancers, she said.

Source: Fox News World

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

A top Russian diplomat says Russia is willing to negotiate a new nuclear weapons treaty with the United States and China.

Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told reporters on Friday Moscow is closely following reports in the United States that the U.S. would like to reach a nuclear weapons deal with both Russia and China, and is “willing” to negotiate. The story was reported by CNN earlier Friday.

Ryabkov also said that Russia “would like to convince” the U.S. to adopt a joint statement that would condemn any use of nuclear weapons.

Ryabkov’s comments come just months after the U.S. withdrew from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty, a cornerstone of the post-Cold War security, and Russia followed suit. Each claims breaches by the other.

Source: Fox News National

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

Government dysfunction and an intelligence failure that preceded the Easter Sunday bombings in Sri Lanka are traced to simmering divisions between the president and prime minister after a weekslong political crisis that crippled the country last year.

The government has admitted to a “lapse of intelligence” after officials failed to act upon near-specific information received from foreign agencies. Suicide bombers exploded themselves last Sunday in three churches and three luxury hotels, killing 253 people and wounding 400 more. Authorities said eight Muslim militants blew themselves up at their targets while the wife of one of the attackers blasted herself on being rounded up by police.

The carnage has brought forth arguments that worshippers and holidaymakers fell victim to the rivalry and a lack of communication between the country’s two leaders — President Maithripala Sirisena and Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe.

The Cabinet led by Wickremesinghe says neither he nor his ministers were informed of the intelligence received by the defense authorities. Sirisena is the head of state, defense minister, minister in charge of the police and head of the armed forces. He also chairs the National Security Council, which includes the heads of security agencies and departments. Traditionally the prime minister also plays an important role on the council.

According to Health Minister Rajitha Senaratne, Sirisena has not included Wickremesinghe in national security affairs since a dispute between them came into the open in October last year. This is an unusual departure from the protocol, he said.

Senaratne said that Sirisena was overseas when the attacks took place and even after that, the National Security Council refused to meet with Wickremesinghe as he tried to give them instructions.

Sirisena has also said that he was not informed of the intelligence received and vowed to overhaul the leadership of the defense forces.

The top bureaucrat at the Defense Ministry, Hemasiri Fernando, has resigned at Sirisena’s insistence.

“It is a major factor,” said Jehan Perera, the head of local activist group National Peace Council, referring to the alleged lack of coordination between the leaders contributing to the failure to prevent the attacks.

“The primary responsibility has to be taken by the president, he did not give the information and he did not act,” Perera said. “He had the Ministry of Defense, took the police from the prime minister, chaired the National Security Council meetings and did nothing,” Perera said.

Kusal Perera, a journalist and political commentator, says security and intelligence officials should have acted on the information whether or not they received orders from politicians.

“If they (Wickremesinghe and his party) were not invited to the National Security Council, why did not they say in Parliament that they were not responsible for the security of the country any longer,” said Perera, who is not related to Jehan Perera.

“Saying that now is taking political advantage, not taking responsibility,” he said.

Sirisena and Wickremesinghe belong to different political parties but came together for Sirisena’s presidential campaign in 2015. Their relationships broke down and their differences exploded last year when Sirisena suddenly sacked Wickremesinghe as prime minister and appointed in his place former strongman Mahinda Rajapaksa, whom he defeated in the presidential election. The crisis crippled the country for more than seven weeks to the point of not being able to pass this year’s national budget on time.

A court decision compelled Sirisena to reappoint Wickremesinghe, but the two leaders have been rivals within the same government.

Rajapaksa, who is the minority leader in Parliament, blames the government for weakening intelligence and dropping its guard, which he had maintained to defeat the separatist Tamil Tiger rebels 10 years ago to end the 26-year-old civil war. He also criticized the government for the detention of intelligence officers accused of extrajudicial killings and abductions during the closing days of the war, which he said crippled the security apparatus before the bombings. According to conservative U.N estimates, some 100,000 people were killed in Sri Lanka’s conflict.

Sirisena summoned an all-party conference Thursday to which Wickremesinghe was also invited. At the conference, Sirisena stressed “setting aside all the political beliefs and difference (so that) everybody should collectively commit towards building a peaceful environment within the country,” a statement from his office said.

“It is not a secret that the disagreements between me and the government aggravated over the past two years,” Sirisena told the country’s media executives Friday. “One of the reasons for that is weakening of military intelligence and arresting military officials unnecessarily and my speaking up against it within and outside the government.”

Jehan Perera said that the security threat could prove politically advantageous to Rajapaksa and his family, with a presidential election scheduled at the end of this year. Gotabhaya Rajapaksa, a younger brother of Mahinda, was the powerful defense secretary during his brother’s reign and has expressed his interest to join the contest.

“People are saying we want a stronger leader and they are talking about Gotabhaya. It (the blasts) has worked to their benefit,” Perera said.

Source: Fox News World

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

Cyprus police are intensifying a search for the remains of more victims at locations where an army officer, who authorities say admitted to killing five women and two girls, allegedly had dumped their bodies.

Police said Friday’s search will concentrate on a military firing range, a reservoir and a man-made lake near an abandoned mine approximately 32 kilometers (20 miles) west of the capital Nicosia.

On Thursday, the 35-year-old suspect told investigators that he had killed four more people than he had previously admitted to. All the suspect’s alleged victims are foreign nationals.

Police have already found the bodies of a 38-year-old Filipino woman and two as yet unidentified women.

Search crews are now looking for the daughter of the 38-year-old, a Romanian mother and daughter and another Filipino woman.

Source: Fox News World

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

A California man who allegedly fatally shot his ex-girlfriend in broad daylight last month before fleeing the country has been returned to the U.S. following his arrest in Mexico on Wednesday, authorities said.

Julio Cesar Rocha, 25, of Montlcair, is accused of shooting his 25-year-old ex-girlfriend Thalia Flores and a second unidentified male victim March 21 around 2:45 p.m. while the two were sitting in a vehicle in the parking lot of a discount store in Chino. Both communities are about 36 miles east of Los Angeles.

ARREST MADE IN DOUBLE HOMICIDE OF EX-PRO HOCKEY PLAYER, COMMUNITY ADVOCATE, POLICE SAY

Julio Cesar Rocha, 25, of Montlcair, Calif. was located in Mexico Wednesday and returned to California where he faces murder and attempted murder charges related to the death of his ex-girlfriend, Thalia Flores.

Julio Cesar Rocha, 25, of Montlcair, Calif. was located in Mexico Wednesday and returned to California where he faces murder and attempted murder charges related to the death of his ex-girlfriend, Thalia Flores. (City of Chino Police Department)

Flores died at the scene. The man, whose name was not released, walked to a nearby hospital where he’s recovering from his gunshot wounds.

Rocha allegedly fled the scene and remained at large for more than a month, the Daily Bulletin reported. He was formally arrested at 4:30 p.m. after arriving at Los Angeles International Airport from Mexico, KTLA-TV reported.

The suspect was booked at the West Valley Detention Center in Rancho Cucamonga on murder and attempted murder charges, the City of Chino Police Department said on Facebook.

Flores ended her seven-year relationship with Rocha just two months before her death and still lived in fear of him until that point, a sister of the victim, Bernice Flores, told the Daily Bulletin.

“He said himself so many times to other people, ‘If I can’t have her, no one will.’ ” Flores said, adding that her sister stayed in the relationship longer that she would have liked in fear that Rocha would hurt her or her family if they broke up.

Rocha was convicted on misdemeanor battery in 2016 and sentenced to 60 days in prison. He was originally charged with misdemeanor assault with a deadly weapon, but the charges were lowered in a plea deal, the Daily Bulletin reported.

CLICK HERE FOR THE FOX NEWS APP

Rocha was convicted of misdemeanor resisting or obstructing a peace officer in 2014. A second charge of misdemeanor battery was dropped in a plea deal, and Rocha was ordered to complete a 26-week anger management course, according to San Bernardino County Superior Court records. Rocha was later arrested and sentenced to 10 days behind bars for failing to complete the course.

Source: Fox News National

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