**U.S. and Mexico Agree to Preliminary Nafta Deal**
*New York Times* - https://archive.is/8NZ1q

The United States and Mexico have reached agreement to revise key portions of the 24-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement and a preliminary deal could be announced on Monday, a crucial step toward revamping a trade pact that has appeared on the brink of collapse during the past year of negotiations.

Reaching an agreement on how to revise some of the most contentious portions of what President Trump has long called the worst trade pact in history would give Mr. Trump a significant win in a trade war he has started with countries around the globe, including Mexico, Canada, the European Union and China.

Still, a preliminary agreement between the United States and Mexico would fall far short of actually revising Nafta. The preliminary agreement still excludes Canada, which is also a party to Nafta but has been absent from talks held in Washington in recent weeks.

The agreement with Mexico centers on rules governing the automobile industry, resolving a big source of friction, but leaves aside other contentious issues that affect all three countries.

🇺🇸 **Jacksonville shooter had history of mental illness and police visits to family home**
*CNN* - <http://archive.li/bwGlJ>

David Katz, the shooter who killed two people and wounded 10 others before taking his own life at an e-sports tournament in Jacksonville, Florida, on Sunday, was in treatment for psychiatric issues at least as early as the age of 12, according to family divorce records.
Katz, who was 24, was prescribed a number of psychiatric medications, including an antipsychotic, and saw "a succession of psychiatrists," according to a 2006 letter from the father's attorney. A separate 2006 court filing states that a therapist said David had experienced a "psychiatric crisis."

CNN also obtained police records that show 26 calls for service to the police from the Katz family home in Columbia, Maryland, from 1993 to 2009, for issues ranging from "mental illness" to domestic disputes. At least two of those calls involved Katz arguing with his mother, though none of the reports provided to CNN show any physical violence. The Howard County Police Department declined to release the reports from a number of the incidents, citing statutory restrictions.

Since Sunday's shooting, the family has told investigators that David Katz suffered from mental health issues, according to a law enforcement source who described the family as being very cooperative with investigators. Both parents have worked for the federal government. Richard Katz is a NASA engineer employed at the Goddard Space Flight Center outside Washington, DC, according to an agency spokesperson. Elizabeth Katz was listed as an employee of the Food and Drug Administration at the time of her divorce.
-----------------

🇺🇸 **SOURCES: China Hacked Clinton’s Private Email Server**
🇨🇳 *Daily Caller* - <https://archive.fo/eUwRR>

A Chinese-owned company operating in the Washington, D.C., area hacked Hillary Clinton’s private server throughout her term as secretary of state and obtained nearly all her emails, two sources briefed on the matter told The Daily Caller News Foundation.

The Chinese firm obtained Clinton’s emails in real time as she sent and received communications and documents through her personal server, according to the sources, who said the hacking was conducted as part of an intelligence operation.

The Chinese wrote code that was embedded in the server, which was kept in Clinton’s residence in upstate New York. The code generated an instant “courtesy copy” for nearly all of her emails and forwarded them to the Chinese company, according to the sources.

The Intelligence Community Inspector General (ICIG) found that virtually all of Clinton’s emails were sent to a “foreign entity,” Rep. Louie Gohmert, a Texas Republican, said at a July 12 House Committee on the Judiciary hearing. He did not reveal the entity’s identity, but said it was unrelated to Russia. (RELATED: Gohmert: Watchdog Found Clinton Emails Were Sent To ‘Foreign Entity’)

Two officials with the ICIG, investigator Frank Rucker and attorney Janette McMillan, met repeatedly with FBI officials to warn them of the Chinese intrusion, according to a former intelligence officer with expertise in cybersecurity issues, who was briefed on the matter. He spoke anonymously, as he was not authorized to publicly address the Chinese’s role with Clinton’s server.
-----------------

🌍 **South Africa withdraws white farmland redistribution bill six days after Trump warned he was closely studying the situation**
Dailymail - http://archive.is/vEOp5

South Africa has withdrawn its white farmland redistribution bill - six days after Donald Trump warned he was closely studying the situation.

The ruling African National Congress (ANC) said the bill passed by parliament in 2016 enabling the state to make compulsory purchases of land to redress racial disparities in land ownership needed further consideration.

It comes after Trump criticised the country's land reform plans in a tweet that touched on the overwhelmingly white ownership of farmland in South Africa - one of the most sensitive issues in the country's post-apartheid history.
----------

🇺🇸 **Louis C.K. is Welcome Back at More Popular Comedy Clubs in NYC**
💩 *TMZ* - <http://archive.li/Z7UEe>

Louis C.K.'s surprise return to stand-up -- to the delight of some and dismay of others -- has full support from some very important people in the comedy world ... the guys running the clubs.

TMZ's learned several comedy hot spots in NYC would gladly welcome Louis back, despite his fall from grace last year after he copped to sexual misconduct.

Louis Faranda, talent exec of Carolines on Broadway, tells us ... the comedian is like a son to him -- they personally go back to the beginning of C.K.'s career -- and he's a longtime friend of the club.

Faranda adds ... "We all make bad mistakes in life and everyone deserves the right to be forgiven ... I totally understand the plight of the women he offended, [but] I also love Louie C.K. and CANNOT turn my back to him ever!!"

Likewise -- Al Martin, owner of Broadway Comedy Club and Greenwich Village Comedy Club, says ... "Everyone is entitled to a second chance. I would book Louis." C.K. has performed at his clubs in the past.
----------

🇲🇽 **Mexican Cartel Boss Offers $100K for Assassination of Breitbart Texas Writer—Arrested Within Days**
*Breitbart* - <https://archive.fo/NsbKk>

Only 48 hours after a top cartel boss in Mexico placed an assassination hit on one of the contributing writers for Breitbart Texas’s Cartel Chronicles project, Mexican military forces captured him.

This week, Cesar “El Boto” or “El Marrueco” Sepulveda Arellano, a leading member of Los Viagras Cartel, placed a $100,000 USD hit on Breitbart Texas’s Jose Luis Lara. The former founding member of the Self-Defense Movement in Michoacan writes about terrorist actions by cartels and their corrupt government enablers in that state and beyond.

The assassination order was posted on social media through various Facebook accounts. A similar threat was also spread via audio recording where El Boto declared Lara a spy for the United States.

Only 48 hours after El Boto issued the threats, the Mexican Army and Navy followed an anonymous tip to a house in Morelos–where they arrested him.

Almost immediately after authorities arrested El Boto, members of Los Viagras began signaling each other on social media with orders to delete any Facebook accounts in contact with those previously used by their captured leader.
-----------------

🇺🇸 **He’s been studying in the U.S. legally for 7 years. Bank of America froze his account anyway**
*Miami Herald* - <https://archive.fo/BJ7v2>

Saeed Moshfegh woke up earlier this month to discover the strangest thing: though he had plenty of money in his Bank of America account, he couldn’t access it.

An Iranian getting his Ph.D in physics at the University of Miami, Moshfegh used the account for everyday transactions. All he had to do to maintain the account was show proof of legal residency every six months.

“This bank doesn’t know how the immigration system works, so they didn’t accept my document,” said Moshfegh, 36.

Locked out of his account, Moshfegh couldn’t pay his rent, which was due that week. Credit card payments were suddenly rejected.

His case isn’t unique. In recent months, Bank of America has been accused of freezing or threatening to freeze customers’ accounts after asking about their legal status in the U.S.. In July, the Washington Post reported that multiple customers had been locked out of their accounts after Bank of America questioned whether the account holders were U.S. citizens or dual citizens.
-----------------

🇺🇸 **Trump escalates his threats to blow up trade deals: 'I would withdraw from the WTO'**
*USA Today* - <https://archive.fo/kppMG>

President Donald Trump threatened to upend the rules of global trade on Thursday, saying he would pull out of the World Trade Organization unless it adopts rules more favorable to the United States.

“If they don’t shape up, I would withdraw from the WTO,” Trump told Bloomberg News.

Trump has long been frustrated with the WTO, which sets the standards and rules that govern other international trade agreements, and provides a forum for resolving disputes. He specifically wants the Geneva-based body to take a tougher stance on China's steel dumping and theft of U.S. intellectual property.

But Trump's remark on Thursday marks his most explicit threat to withdraw from the WTO yet.

Just last month, he expressed a desire to work with other countries to reform the WTO from within the organization. "WTO has treated the United States very badly, and I hope they change their ways," he said then. "And we're not planning anything now, but if they don't treat us properly, we will be doing something."

White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders later explained that while the president is frustrated by the organization, "that is not accurate that the U.S. is leaving the WTO."
-----------------

🇺🇦 **Leader of self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic killed in E. Ukraine blast**
*RT* - <https://archive.fo/TPtlh>

An explosion that rocked a cafe in central Donetsk city, in eastern Ukraine, has killed Aleksandr Zakharchenko, the leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, and injured several other top officials.

Media reports said that Zakharchenko was severely injured as a blast hit a restaurant called ‘Separ’ in Donetsk city center. He died later in a local hospital.

“The head of the DNR, Alenksandr Zakharchenko, has died as a result of a terrorist act,” a spokesperson of the self-proclaimed republic’s administration told journalists, revealing no details of the incident.

Moscow condemned 42-year-old Zakharchenko’s murder, adding that it could be detrimental to the whole peace process in Ukraine. The death of the DNR leader could have a particularly negative impact on the implementation of the Minsk Agreements, Konstantin Kosachev, the head of the Russian Senate’s International Affairs Committee, said.

There is “every reason to believe” that Zakharchenko’s murder was orchestrated by Kiev, which “has repeatedly resorted to such methods to get rid of dissidents and undesirables,” Maria Zakharova, spokeswoman for the Russian Foreign Ministry, said.

“Instead of abiding by the Minsk Agreements and seeking ways to resolve the internal [Ukrainian] conflict, the Kiev warmongers opted for a terrorist scenario, thus exacerbating an already tense situation in the region,” she added. The Ukrainian security service, the SBU, has denied involvement in the killing of the DNR head.
-----------------

🇺🇸 **People are threatening to boycott In-N-Out after large donation to Republican party**
🇬🇧 *MashableUK* - <http://archive.li/On4gR>

Despite its California roots, In-N-Out is far from liberal.

On Wednesday, journalist Gabe Schneider uncovered a contribution of $25,000 that the famous California-based fast food chain made to the California Republican Party just this week — and it's safe to say that some folks were not happy to learn about the political leanings of their family owned go-to burger joint.

Schneider shared a document on Twitter that details the company's contributions, which were filed on August 28. While many on Twitter stood in support of the burger chain because of their political beliefs, In-N-Out was called out by some customers.

Eric Bauman, chair of the California Democratic Party, was one of the folks online urging people to boycott the chain under the inventive hashtag #BoycottInNOut. "Let Trump and his cronies support these creeps ... perhaps animal style!," he wrote.
-----------------

🇺🇸 **FBI arrests five New Mexico compound suspects days after multiple charges were dropped**
*Fox News* - <https://archive.fo/VJCpF>

The FBI announced Friday that it had arrested all five New Mexico compound suspects, days after multiple charges were dropped. The suspects were now being charged with violating federal firearms and conspiracy laws.

The announcement comes after local prosecutors dropped charges in the death of a 3-year-old boy at the compound site. Taos County District Attorney Donald Gallegos said Friday his office would now seek grand jury indictments involving the death. Gallegos said seeking indictments would allow more time to gather evidence.

"The defendants, Jany Leveille, 35, a Haitian national illegally present in the United States, Siraj Ibn Wahhaj, 40, Hujrah Wahhaj, 37, Subhanah Wahhaj, 35, and Lucas Morton, 40, are charged in a criminal complaint that was filed earlier today in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Mexico," the bureau said in a statement.

"The criminal complaint charges Jany Leveille with being an alien unlawfully in possession of firearms and ammunition in the District of New Mexico from Nov. 2017 through Aug. 2018," the bureau said. "The criminal complaint charges the other four defendants with aiding and abetting Leveille in committing the offense, and with conspiring with Leveille to commit the offense."

On Wednesday, three of the suspects were released from custody, just hours after a judge dismissed all of the charges against them.

District Judge Emilio Chavez on Wednesday dismissed charges against Lucas Morton, Subhannah Wahhaj and Hujrah Wahhaj, ruling that authorities violated the state’s “10-day rule.”
-----------------

🇺🇸 **U.S. halts funding to U.N. agency helping Palestinian refugees**
🇵🇸 *Reuters* - <https://archive.fo/SPDu5>

The United States on Friday halted all funding to a U.N. agency that helps Palestinian refugees in a decision further heightening tensions between the Palestinian leadership and the Trump administration.

A spokesman for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas denounced the decision as “a flagrant assault against the Palestinian people and a defiance of U.N. resolutions.”

State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said the business model and fiscal practices of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) made it an “irredeemably flawed operation.”

“The administration has carefully reviewed the issue and determined that the United States will not make additional contributions to UNRWA,” she said in a statement.

Nauert said the agency’s “endlessly and exponentially expanding community of entitled beneficiaries is simply unsustainable and has been in crisis mode for many years.”
-----------------

🇺🇸 **California lawmakers send strict 'net neutrality' laws to governor**
*Reuters* - <https://archive.fo/5y0it>

California lawmakers sent to the governor’s desk for final approval strict “net neutrality” laws on internet providers that would defy sweeping Federal Communications Commission rules seen as a boon for the companies.

The Democrat-controlled California Senate voted 27-12 to pass the bill, known as SB 822, with just hours left in the legislative session. The measure was approved by their colleagues in the state Assembly one day earlier.

Governor Jerry Brown, also a Democrat, has not yet said if he would sign the bill into law. He has 30 days to act but does not typically signal his intentions before legislation lands on his desk.

Members of the California Assembly voted 58-17 to send the bill to their colleagues in the state Senate, who have until midnight to pass so-called SB 822 on the final day of the legislative session or wait until next year.

If the measure passes both chambers of the Democrat-controlled state legislature it would still require approval from Governor Jerry Brown, a Democrat, who has not said if he would sign it into law.
----------------

🐍 **20th Anniversary of Metal Gear Solid**
https://twitter.com/LordBalvin/status/1036380646879440896

🇯🇵 **Typhoon Jebi: Japan hit by strongest storm of 25 years**
*The Guardian* - <http://archive.li/jT2Ki>

Japan bracinghas braced itself for flooding and landslides after what could be the strongest typhoon to hit the country in a quarter of a century made landfall.
Local media reported that seven people died and more than 100 others were injured when Typhoon Jebi caused violent winds in the west of the country.

According to public broadcaster NHK, the casualties included a 71-year-old man who was killed in western Shiga prefecture after being trapped under a warehouse that collapsed in strong wind. NHK said 164 people had suffered mostly minor injuries.

Several people were injured at Kyoto station when part of a glass ceiling collapsed, according to police. A number of vehicles were blown on to their sides on a motorway, while a truck narrowly escaped being swept off a bridge connecting the island of Shikoku and the main Japanese island of Honshu.

Television networks showed dramatic footage of a 2,591-tonne tanker that collided with the side of a bridge linking the mainland with Kansai International airport, which stands on an artificial island in Osaka Bay.

The tanker and bridge were damaged but the ship’s crew were unhurt. The airport’s runway and the basement floor of a terminal building were flooded, according to local authorities.
----------------

🇪🇬 **'Man detained' after blast near US embassy in Cairo**
*BBC* - <https://archive.fo/UHVcV>

Egyptian security forces have reportedly detained a man suspected of trying to detonate a bomb near the US embassy in the capital, Cairo.

A security source said the man was carrying a bag that exploded outside the compound in the Garden City area.

The embassy said police had "finished their investigations at the scene" and that it had resumed normal business.

Egyptian academic Adel al-Adawy earlier tweeted photos appearing to show a small fire and a man being led away.

Another witness told Reuters news agency she had heard a blast and then seen a man with a backpack that had caught fire across the road from the embassy.
----------------

🇺🇸 **'Daily Caller Ex-Editor Secretly Wrote for Richard Spencer’s Alt-Right Journal: Report**
*Daily Beast/Atlantic* - <https://archive.fo/yj9GP>

Former Daily Caller Editor Scott Greer published anti-black, anti-Semitic rhetoric at the alt-right Radix Journal under the pseudonym Michael McGregor while simultaneously working at the Caller between 2014 and 2015, according to a report by The Atlantic. Radix Journal was founded by Richard Spencer, the alt-right leader who has advocated for turning America into a white ethno-state. Under his pseudonym, Greer espoused racist and sexist views, including “The current campaign against tough policing, if successful, would effectively turn any city with a large percentage of Blacks into a third-world hellhole,” The Atlantic reports.

Greer left the Daily Caller in June to write a book, retaining a “contributor” status. But after The Atlantic confronted Greer about leaked chat logs that proved he had written under the pseudonym, he cut all ties with the Caller. “In my early twenties when it appeared our only mainstream options were Mitt Romney, Jeb Bush, Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton, I was attracted to more radical ideas and expressed them under the name Michael McGregor at Radix Journal,” Greer said in a statement. “As the political situation has evolved in recent years, so have my views. That said, I do not apologize for honestly stating what I believed to be correct at the time, unless everyone must apologize every time they change their opinion.”
----------------

🇺🇸 **Trump rips searing Times op-ed from unnamed senior official**
*AP* - <https://archive.fo/peDAJ>

In a striking anonymous broadside, a senior Trump administration official wrote an opinion piece in The New York Times on Wednesday claiming to be part of a group of people “working diligently from within” to impede President Donald Trump’s “worst inclinations” and ill-conceived parts of his agenda.

Trump said it was a “gutless editorial” and “really a disgrace,” and his press secretary called on the official to resign.

Trump later tweeted, “TREASON?” and in an extraordinary move demanded that if “the GUTLESS anonymous person does indeed exist, the Times must, for National Security purposes, turn him/her over to government at once!”

The writer, claiming to be part of the “resistance” to Trump but not from the left, said, “Many Trump appointees have vowed to do what we can to preserve our democratic institutions while thwarting Mr. Trump’s more misguided impulses until he is out of office.” The newspaper described the author of the column only as a senior official in the Trump administration.

“It may be cold comfort in this chaotic era, but Americans should know that there are adults in the room,” the author continued. “We fully recognize what is happening. And we are trying to do what’s right even when Donald Trump won’t.”
----------------

🇺🇸 **I Am Part of the Resistance Inside the Trump Administration** (OPINION EDITORIAL)
*New York Times* - <https://archive.fo/4u8A8>

We work for the president but we have vowed to thwart parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations.

President Trump is facing a test to his presidency unlike any faced by a modern American leader.

It’s not just that the special counsel looms large. Or that the country is bitterly divided over Mr. Trump’s leadership. Or even that his party might well lose the House to an opposition hellbent on his downfall.

The dilemma — which he does not fully grasp — is that many of the senior officials in his own administration are working diligently from within to frustrate parts of his agenda and his worst inclinations.

I would know. I am one of them.

(Read full article for more context and why they let them anonymously contribute this, it is completely related to last story I posted - Spicy)
----------------

🇺🇸 **In quick reversal, Trump threatens shutdown over border wall**
*Reuters* - <https://archive.fo/iUM2w>

President Donald Trump said on Wednesday he would be willing to shut down the U.S. government if Congress does not provide enough funding for border security, reversing a stance he took a day earlier.

Trump made his comments at a meeting with congressional Republican leaders at the White House about the legislative agenda for the next few months, including extending government funding past a Sept. 30 deadline.

He said Congress was making “tremendous progress” on funding, but that he wanted to make good on a promise to fund border security. Trump has repeatedly threatened not to sign funding legislation if Congress fails to include enough money for a wall on the border with Mexico.

Trump reiterated that threat on Wednesday. Responding to a reporter’s question about a possible shutdown, he said: “If it happens, it happens. If it’s about border security, I’m willing to do anything. We have to protect our borders.”

His stance contradicts an interview he gave to the Daily Caller on Tuesday, when he said: “I don’t like the idea of shutdowns.”

“I don’t see even myself or anybody else closing down the country right now,” Trump was quoted as saying.
----------------

https://youtu.be/qS_6bqNTgao
Cat Lady forums exist<:suicide:280809026944761856> <:kys:295297598120787969> <:jones:346333940644052992> <:comfy:286526459596636160> <:groypernt:355744055113678848>

🇺🇸 **Twitter permanently bans Alex Jones, Infowars, citing abuse**
*AP* - <https://archive.fo/3lZau>

Twitter permanently banned right-wing conspiracy theorist Alex Jones and his Infowars show for abusive behavior, a day after CEO Jack Dorsey testified before Congress about alleged bias against conservatives on the platform.

The company said Jones won’t be able to create new accounts on Twitter or take over any existing ones. In a tweet, it said it would continue to monitor reports about other accounts potentially associated with Jones or Infowars, and will “take action” if it finds any attempts to circumvent the ban.

Twitter said Jones posted a video on Wednesday that violates the company’s policy against “abusive behavior.” That video showed Jones berating CNN journalist Oliver Darcy for some 10 minutes in between two congressional hearings on social media. Dorsey testified at both hearings, but did not appear to witness the confrontation.

Jones had about 900,000 followers on Twitter. Infowars had about 430,000. Jones did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

New Jersey Democratic Rep. Frank Pallone praised Twitter’s action in a tweet. “Glad Twitter is taking steps to put an end to the abusive behavior from Alex Jones & Infowars,” the tweet stated. “Tweets designed to threaten, belittle, demean and silence individuals have no place on this platform.”
----------------

🇸🇪 **Far-right seen surging as Swedish election outcome uncertain**
*France 24* - <https://archive.fo/dmYLC>

Swedes vote in legislative elections on Sunday expected to see the far-right surge amid a deep rift over the integration of hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers, with the election outcome seen as uncertain.

Neither Prime Minister Stefan Lofven's left-wing bloc nor the centre-right opposition were seen obtaining a majority.

The far-right Sweden Democrats (SD), an anti-immigration party with roots in the neo-Nazi movement, are tipped to win around 20 percent of votes, according to an average of seven polling institutes published in the past 10 days, up from 13 percent in 2014 elections.

That could make SD Sweden's second biggest party behind Lofven's Social Democrats.

SD has capitalised on voters who feel left behind by traditional parties in favour of the 400,000 asylum seekers who have arrived since 2012, whom they believe are straining the country's famed welfare model.
----------------

Good

Sweden needed a wakeup call

🇺🇸 **The Thrill Is Gone: Only 750 Turn Out to See Former President Obama in Far-Left California**
*Gate Way Pundit* - <https://www.thegatewaypundit.com/2018/09/the-thrill-is-gone-former-president-obama-only-gets-750-at-campaign-event-in-far-left-california/>

This weekend, in an unprecedented move, former President Barack Obama went on the campaign trail to push the far-left Democrat agenda in the upcoming November elections.

But, it didn’t quite turn out like he expected, only 750 people showed up at his event in far left California!

🇷🇺 **Google pulls Russian opposition leader's YouTube advert ahead of vote**
*Reuters* - <https://archive.fo/QOs3Q>

Google removed a YouTube advert by Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny after authorities complained that the videos would violate an election silence law before Sunday’s vote for regional governors, an aide to Navalny said on Saturday.

The series of YouTube videos featured Navalny inviting Russians to join demonstrations on Sunday, when polls suggest President Vladimir Putin’s former chief-of-staff Sergei Sobyanin will be comfortably re-elected as the capital’s mayor.

Navalny’s aide, Leonid Volkov, said in a social media post that Google deleted the videos after the Central Election Commission had sent a letter of complaint to Google about the advertisement — a demand Volkov called illegal.

Google’s Russian office said in an emailed comment: “We consider all justified appeals from state bodies. We also require advertisers to act in accordance with the local law and our advertising policies.”

Navalny, who ran against Sobyanin in 2013 and had planned to lead a protest against proposed pension changes on Sunday, will spend election day behind bars after being convicted of violating protest laws. His supporters plan to demonstrate across Russia.

While Sobyanin appears on track for an easy win, public anger over the planned increases to the nationwide pension age means many voters may stay away, which would tarnish his victory, some political analysts have said.
----------------

🇷🇺 **Russian police arrest hundreds protesting against Putin pension plan**
*The Guardian* - <https://archive.fo/0u9er>

Police detained almost 300 people across Russia during protests against government plans to raise the national retirement age that have resulted in President Vladimir Putin’s approval ratings slumping to a four-year low.

Thousands of protesters took to the streets on Sunday in dozens of towns and cities after Alexei Navalny, the Kremlin critic, called for nationwide rallies against the pension reforms. Navalny was jailed for 30 days on 25 August on a separate protest-related charge in a move that he said was aimed at preventing him from leading the rallies on Sunday.

In Moscow, where protesters gathered on the city’s iconic Pushkin Square, about 2,500 people ignored police warnings to disperse. They chanted “Putin is a thief!” and “No increase in the pension age!” Although the demonstration was largely peaceful, violence erupted when some protesters tried to march towards parliament, where they were beaten back by police with truncheons.

The protests came as Moscow held mayoral elections that the Kremlin-backed incumbent, Sergei Sobyanin, was expected to win easily. Critics accused officials of barring genuine opposition candidates. Russians also went to the polls in regional elections.

Authorities did not give permission for the vast majority of the protests and some Russians told the Guardian they had stayed away because they feared arrest. Dozens of members of Navalny’s opposition movement were detained before the events on charges of organising illegal rallies.

Earlier, Navalny’s aides condemned Google after it removed his adverts from YouTube urging Russians to protest against the pension changes.
----------------

🇸🇪 **Swedish election: Nationalists 'make gains' in early exit polls**
*BBC* - <https://archive.fo/LYPWa>

The Sweden Democrats (SD) are expected to achieve 19.2% of the vote.

The party, described by Prime Minister Stefan Lofven as "racist", held 12.9% of the ballot in the previous election.

Neither the governing Social Democrats nor the centre-right bloc of parties are predicted to win a majority.

An exit poll by public broadcaster SVT suggested the centre-right Alliance won 39.6% of the vote, slightly more than the Social Democrats on 39.4%.

Immigration has been a central issue of the campaign.

SD leader Jimmie Akesson has argued that the high number of migrants taken in by Sweden is driving up crime and putting the welfare system at risk.

Mr Lofven has accused the SD of extremism and said that a vote for it was "dangerous".
----------------

🇩🇪 **Kothen: Far-right crowds march through German city demanding 'National Socialism now'**
*Independent* - <https://archive.fo/Ns4qx>

Far-right protesters chanted “national socialism now” as they marched through the streets of a small German city.

The shout could be heard in footage of a procession through Köthen on Sunday after a 22-year-old German man died following an altercation with two Afghan nationals the previous evening.

Hundreds of protesters from right-wing groups had descended on the east German city, holding a vigil for the victim before parading through neighbourhoods.

The gathering had been organised on short notice through social media and was attended by several high-profile figures on the German far-right.

David Köckert, a leader of anti-Islam group Thügida, spoke at the rally, calling for resistance and describing events surrounding the victim’s death as a “race war against the German people”.
----------------

Is germany awakening?

🇪🇺 **The EU has passed Article 13, but Europe's meme war is far from over**
*Wired* - <https://archive.fo/YiYzg>

The European Parliament has voted to pass the new EU Copyright Directive. Over the last few months, today's vote had been portrayed as a decisive battle over the future of the internet as we know it.

Article 11 would require internet companies to pay news outlets for hosting their content on their platforms. While this has been welcomed by some news corporations, others suggested that this would force social media companies such as Facebook, Google and Twitter to pay news organisation in order to feature as little as two words — or a hyperlink — from their news stories. Article 11 states that publishing "insubstantial parts of a press publication" should not be subjected to the norm, but fails to give a clear definition of what "insubstantial" boils down to. Does it mean a hyperlink snippet? A sentence? A word?

Article 13 is — if possible — even more controversial, earning itself the reputation of a "meme killer." It would require web giants to automatically filter copyrighted material — songs, images, videos — uploaded on their platforms, unless it has been specifically licensed. Despite its divisiveness, the piece of legislation passed by 438 votes to 226 with 39 abstentions in the European Parliament.

Concerns included the filters' blocking of non-copyrighted material by accident, pretextual copyright claims by "copyright trolls", and the crowding out of smaller websites which cannot afford expensive filter software to keep their platforms compliant. Even if a meme-saving proviso was put forward, protecting the right to share material for parody purposes, some objected that the kind of AI-powered algorithms most likely to carry out the filtering operation would not be able to recognise memes. (Although Facebook seems interested in training its AI to do just that.)
----------------

🇺🇸 Google Leaked Video After Trump Election Executives Have Meltdown
*Breitbart* - <https://www.breitbart.com/tech/2018/09/12/leaked-video-google-leaderships-dismayed-reaction-to-trump-election/>

Huge eye opener, 1hr video of Google execs spilling their guys at how far left they lean.

A video recorded by Google shortly after the 2016 presidential election reveals an atmosphere of panic and dismay amongst the tech giant’s leadership, coupled with a determination to thwart both the Trump agenda and the broader populist movement emerging around the globe.

Sent to Breitbart News by an anonymous source, it features co-founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin, VPs Kent Walker and Eileen Naughton, CFO Ruth Porat, and CEO Sundar Pichai.

🇺🇸 **Mexico analyzing U.S. proposal on deportation funding**
🇲🇽 *Reuters* - <https://archive.fo/ShuRz>

Mexico’s government said on Thursday that it was analyzing a proposal from the U.S. State Department to help fund the deportation of migrants from Mexico.

The New York Times reported here on Thursday that President Donald Trump's administration told Congress that it intended to use $20 million of foreign aid to help Mexico deport thousands of people.

In a joint statement, Mexico’s Interior and Foreign Ministries said they had not accepted the proposal in either a “verbal or written” way.
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https://youtu.be/wTzJ2wce4MY

🇺🇸 **Agencies scramble to prep Russia probe files for release after sweeping Trump order**
*FOX News* - <http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/09/18/agencies-scramble-to-prep-russia-probe-files-for-release-after-sweeping-trump-order.html>

Trump ordered declassified involve a renewed Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act warrant against former campaign aide Carter Page and text messages from disgraced former FBI officials Peter Strzok and Lisa Page.

Republicans on Capitol Hill, including House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, R-Calif., are touting the president’s order, saying it covers “pretty much everything that he wanted…and the text messages are a bonus,” a source said of Nunes.

The president also ordered the release of unredacted text messages from fired FBI Special Agent Peter Strzok, former FBI counsel Lisa Page, former FBI Director James Comey and former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe.

🇺🇸 **Project Veritas Releases 'Deep State Unmasked' Video: 'Resist Everything. Every Level. F*** S*** Up'**
*Daily Wire* - <http://archive.fo/ICKYR>

James O'Keefe's Project Veritas has released their first dose of undercover footage allegedly revealing the shadowy actors of the "deep state." In Tuesday's footage, an employee of the State Department and a member of the Metro DC Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) admits to working on DSA work while on the clock and makes it clear that his goal is to "resist everything" at "every level."

State Department employee Stuart Karaffa tells undercover Project Veritas reporters that he drafts communication for his DSA activism on the taxpayers' dime, though he's careful not to leave a "paper trail."

"I'm careful about it," he says in the footage. "I don’t leave a paper trail, like I leave emails, and like any press s*** that comes up I leave that until after 5:30. But as soon as 5:31 hits, got my, like, draft messages ready to send out."

Karaffa also boasts about assisting the DSA by monitoring Virginia campaign finance and election news while on the clock.

"You could put two and two together probably," says the State Department employee. "So with web traffic, I mean I could make the case before a court of law that — I’m going to the Virginia sort of, campaign finance website — that I’m just interested in what people are doing politically. But if they also go and look at like DSA minutes and like Officer positions they’ll be like, 'That’s weird, you were the co-chair of the electoral caucus, and you spent three hours on a Virginia campaign finance website.'"

"Maybe someday I’ll go to board of elections jail, probably not," Karaffa scoffs. It's unlikely, he explains, because of the weak oversight and strong protection for firing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZXLuqQe8DqQ
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🇺🇸 **Brett Kavanaugh Accuser’s Classmate Retracts Claim ‘Incident Did Happen’**
*Breitbart* <https://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2018/09/20/brett-kavanaugh-accusers-classmate-retracts-claim-incident-did-happen/>

She had no idea that she'd have to go into specifics and defend allegations, then have face plastered all over MSNBC & Twitter.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYvQPKskqSU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S9qugiX6uYY

🇺🇸 **Justice Dept. examining whether employee violated ethics rules**
*The Washington Post* - <https://archive.fo/4fiEv>

Justice Department officials said Wednesday that they are examining claims in a surreptitiously recorded video that a junior agency employee may have used government resources to help further her political protest activities.

Allison Hrabar, a paralegal in the Justice Department’s antitrust division, was recorded during her participation in Democratic Socialists of America activities, in which she discussed her efforts to find the home addresses of a target of one of the group’s protests.

The recordings were made by Project Veritas, an activist group led by James O’Keefe that uses deceptive tactics to secretly record conversations in an effort to embarrass its targets. The group released a video Wednesday that included clips of Hrabar talking about her activities for DSA. The video also featured a former Department of Health and Human Services worker saying that she sometimes received advance word of policy decisions being made by the Trump administration.

In June, Hrabar participated in a protest against Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen as she ate at a D.C. restaurant. Months earlier, Hrabar was part of a protest at the home of a lobbyist for a private prison company.

Another snippet in the video shows her saying: “What’s kind of lucky is at the DOJ, we can’t really get fired.”

Federal employees can be fired, though the process is often difficult and drawn out.

If Hrabar used government access to research data­bases to inform her protest activities, that would be a violation of federal law prohibiting federal employees from using government resources to engage in political advocacy.
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