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Politics

British Prime Minister Theresa May speaks about the suicide bombing at the Manchester Arena outside 10 Downing Street in London, May 23, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)

British Prime Minister Theresa May speaks about the suicide bombing at the Manchester Arena outside 10 Downing Street in London, May 23, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)

The United Kingdom has stopped sharing intelligence with U.S. officials after illegal leaks to The New York Times made public information on the Manchester bomber. British Prime Minister Theresa May will give President Donald J. Trump an earful over the unauthorized leaks by an out-of-control intelligence community that have sought to damage him at home.

Salman Abedi, 22, conducted a suicide bombing attack over the weekend that killed 22 and injured dozens of other women, young girls and children. His father and younger brother have also been arrested in Libya, both with alleged ties to ISIS and a former Al Qaeda-backed group.

Abedi’s parents were both born in Libya, but emigrated to London before moving to the Fallowfield area of south Manchester, where they have lived for at least ten years. They reportedly fled to escape Muammar Gaddafi as refugees to the United Kingdom, and Salman had recently traveled back to Britain from Libya, where officials believed he was radicalized.

The British are furious that information on the bomber and the investigation were leaked by U.S. officials before it was clear those details wouldn’t jeopardize the investigation.

The decision by the British government is temporary, but significant considering the reporting by The New York Times and The Washington Post claiming information disclosed by the President to the Russians hurt U.S.-Israeli relations.

A “bombshell” Washington Post story, which provoked the paper to erupt in celebration, claimed President Trump shared “highly sensitive classified information” with the Russians, insinuating he endangering sources, methods and angered the source nation that gathered the intelligence.

That nation turned out to be Israel and The Washington Post and others turned out to be the one who exposed that information. Several officials told PPD–and other outlets have confirmed–that President Trump wasn’t even aware of the source nation at the time. Those sources have been corroborated by reports from other outlets.

Israeli officials said the country has an intelligence sharing with Russia and the disclosure of information would not and did not jeopardize relations.

Meanwhile, People’s Pundit Daily also reported the identity of the Manchester bomber and, while we protect our sources, we can say that the information did not come from the Trump Administration. With leaks aimed at politically undermining the President, it’s unclear what he can do to appease Prime Minister May other than ensure he will continue to pursue leakers.

UPDATE: President Trump issued a statement:

The alleged leaks coming out of government agencies are deeply troubling. These leaks have been going on for a long time. My Administration will get to the bottom of this. The leaks of sensitive information pose a grave threat to national security. I’m asking the Department of Justice and other relevant agencies to launch a complete review of this matter and, if appropriate, the culprit should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. There is no relationship we cherish more than the special relationship between the United States and the United Kingdom.

The United Kingdom has stopped sharing intelligence

Politics

Montana Republican candidate Greg Gianforte sits in a car.

Montana Republican candidate Greg Gianforte sits in a car.

Republican candidate Greg Gianforte, who is competing in the special election for Montana’s vacant U.S. House seat, has been cited for misdemeanor assault following a reporter’s accusation Wednesday that he was “body slammed” by Gianforte.

“Following multiple interviews and an investigation by the Gallatin County Sheriff’s Office it was determined there was probable cause to issue a citation to Greg Gianforte for misdemeanor assault,” Gallatin County Sheriff Brian Gootkin said in a statement. “The nature of the injuries did not meet the statutory elements of felony assault. Greg Gianforte received a citation on Wednesday night and is scheduled to appear in Gallatin County Justice Court between now and June 7, 2017.”

According to Alicia Acuna, a member of Fox News awaiting an interview for Special Report, Ben Jacobs of The Guardian walked into the candidate’s room with a voice recorder and put it up to Gianforte’s face. He began asking if he had a response to the newly released Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report on the American Health Care Act (AHCA) and Gianforte repeatedly told him he would get to him later.

Jacobs persisted and Gianforte told him to talk to his press secretary, Shane Scanlon. When he refused to comply, Gianforte grabbed Jacobs “with both hands” and slammed him to the ground.

Worth noting, police did speak to other witnesses who had a different story, which more closely resembled the candidate’s statement. With conflicting statements, police relied on the level of injury to determine the charge.

Scanlon said Jacobs “aggressively shoved a recorder in Greg’s face … Greg then attempted to grab the phone that was pushed in his face. Jacobs grabbed Greg’s wrist, spun away from Greg, pushing them both to the ground. It’s unfortunate that this aggressive behavior from a liberal journalist created this scene at our campaign volunteer BBQ.”

Prior to the charge, the special election to fill Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s former congressional seat on Thursday was thought to have been close after Democrats poured nearly $500,000 in outside money into the state. Gianforte faces Democrat Rob Quist.

However, Gianforte over the last week began pulling away and among the third of votes already cast ahead of Election Day, he was poised to sail to an easy victory.

Republican candidate Greg Gianforte, who is competing

World

Armed police officers stand next to a police cordon outside the Manchester Arena, where U.S. singer Ariana Grande had been performing, in Manchester, northern England, Britain, May 23, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)

Armed police officers stand next to a police cordon outside the Manchester Arena, where U.S. singer Ariana Grande had been performing, in Manchester, northern England, Britain, May 23, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)

The father and younger brother of Manchester bomber Salman Abedi have been arrested in Libya, both with alleged ties to ISIS and a former Al Qaeda-backed group. The suicide bombing attack over the weekend killed 22 and injured dozens of other women, young girls and children.

Abdel-Basit Haroun, a former security official in Libya, said that he personally knew Ramadan Abedi, the father, and that he was a member of the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group (LIFG) in the 1990s. The group had links to Al Qaeda.

Ramadan Abedi was arrested in Tripoli by the counter-terrorism force Rada on suspicion of links to the Islamic State. He said another younger brother of the bomber, Ismail, was also arrested Tuesday.

The LIFG has since disbanded since its founding in 1995, but Mr. Haroun said the father was a part of the extreme wing of the Salafi Jihadi movement, from which al-Qaeda and the Islamic State group were born.

Abedi’s parents were both born in Libya, but emigrated to London before moving to the Fallowfield area of south Manchester, where they have lived for at least ten years. They reportedly fled to escape Muammar Gaddafi as refugees to the United Kingdom, and Salman had recently traveled back to Britain from Libya, where officials believed he was radicalized.

The father and younger brother of Manchester

Politics

U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania meet Pope Francis during a private audience at the Vatican, May 24, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)

U.S. President Donald Trump and first lady Melania meet Pope Francis during a private audience at the Vatican, May 24, 2017. (Photo: Reuters)

As part of the third leg of his first foreign trip, President Donald Trump met with Pope Francis at the Vatican and said he leaves “more determined than ever to pursue peace.” President Trump called his meeting with the Pontiff the “Honor of a lifetime.”

The two men had previously had public disagreements on issues such as immigration and climate change. Right before voting began in the South Carolina Republican primary, reporters traveling with the pope exaggerated his remarks about the then-New York businessman’s stance on immigration, causing a public back-and-forth.

President Trump ended up winning every county in the state, including the state’s growing Catholic vote.

While the two leaders’ conversations were private, President Trump could be heard saying “I will never forget what you told me” as the visit ended. Pope Francis also gave the President a signed copy of his 2017 peace message whose title is “Nonviolence – A Style of Politics for Peace,” his 2015 encyclical letter on the need to protect the environment and a small sculptured olive tree.

He told him that it symbolized peace.

“It is my desire that you become an olive tree to construct peace,” Pope Francis told him in Spanish.

President Trump responded: “We can use peace.”

On the third leg of his foreign

Economy

A sold sign is seen outside a house built by KB Home in Golden, Colorado, United States October 27, 2009. (Photo: Reuters)

A sold sign is seen outside a house built by KB Home in Golden, Colorado, United States October 27, 2009. (Photo: Reuters)

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) said existing home sales slid 2.3% to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.57 million in April, missing views. Lawrence Yun, NAR chief economist cited “stubbornly” low supply levels in nearly every region of the housing market.

“Last month’s dip in closings was somewhat expected given that there was such a strong sales increase in March at 4.2%, and new and existing inventory is not keeping up with the fast pace homes are coming off the market,” he said. “Demand is easily outstripping supply in most of the country and it’s stymieing many prospective buyers from finding a home to purchase.”

Total existing-home sales, which include completed transactions for single-family homes, townhomes, condominiums and co-ops, are still 1.6% above a year ago and at the fourth highest pace over the past year. Further, home prices are rising and the number of days on the market has been falling consistently, indicating a strengthening market.

“Last month’s dip in closings was somewhat expected given that there was such a strong sales increase in March at 4.2 percent, and new and existing inventory is not keeping up with the fast pace homes are coming off the market,” Mr. Yun added. “Demand is easily outstripping supply in most of the country and it’s stymieing many prospective buyers from finding a home to purchase.”

The National Association of Realtors (NAR) said

Economy

Homes are seen for sale in the northwest area of Portland, Oregon, in this file photo taken March 20, 2014. (Photo: Reuters)

Homes are seen for sale in the northwest area of Portland, Oregon, in this file photo taken March 20, 2014. (Photo: Reuters)

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) said Wednesday the House Price Index (HPI) found home prices rose 1.4% in the first quarter, beating the forecast. Regionally, the Pacific states led the nine regions in the report with a 1.4% monthly gain and a 7.9% year-on-year gain.

“The steep, multi-year rise in U.S. home prices continued in the first quarter,” said FHFA Deputy Chief Economist Andrew Leventis. “Mortgage rates during the quarter remained slightly elevated relative to most of last year, but demand for homes remained very strong. With housing inventories still languishing at extremely low levels, the strong demand led to another exceptionally large quarterly price increase.”

Significant Findings

  • Home prices rose in 48 states and the District of Columbia between the first quarter of 2016 and the first quarter of 2017.  The top five areas in annual appreciation were:  1) District of Columbia 13.9%; 2) Colorado 10.7%; 3) Idaho 10.3%; 4)Washington 10.2%; and 5) New Hampshire 9.5%.
  • Among the 100 largest metropolitan areas in the U.S., annual price increases were greatest in the Grand Rapids-Wyoming, MI, where prices increased by 13.7%.  Prices were weakest in San Francisco-Redwood City-South San Francisco, CA (MSAD), where they fell 2.5%.
  • Of the nine census divisions, the Pacific division experienced the strongest increase in the first quarter, posting a 2.0% quarterly increase and a 7.7% increase since the first quarter of last year.  House price appreciation was weakest in theMiddle Atlantic division, where prices rose 1.0% from the last quarter.

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) House Price Index (HPI) covers single-family housing, using data provided by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac.

[brid video=”141928″ player=”2077″ title=”FHFA Deputy Chief Economist Talks Q1 2017 House Price Index”]

The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) said

Politics

NSA Surveillance

The Obama Administration admitted at a FISA court hearing that NSA intercept database searches “routinely” violated Americans’ Fourth Amendment rights. The report by Circa News represents the most serious constitutional violations to date by the U.S. intelligence community and undercuts oft-heard arguments about their ability to police themselves and safeguard Americans’ constitutional rights.

Previous top-secret documents reviewed by Circa show more than 5% (1 out of every 20) of searches seeking upstream Internet data collected on Americans inside the NSA’s so-called Section 702 database violated rules former President Obama and his intelligence chiefs vowed to follow in 2011.

The Obama Administration admitted the violations at an Oct. 26 hearing–less than two weeks before President Donald Trump was elected–before the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance (FISA) Court.

“Since 2011, NSA’s minimization procedures have prohibited use of U.S.-person identifiers to query the results of upstream Internet collections under Section 702,” the unsealed court ruling declared. “The Oct. 26, 2016 notice informed the court that NSA analysts had been conducting such queries in violation of that prohibition, with much greater frequency than had been previously disclosed to the Court.”

Circa previously reported on a three-fold increase in NSA database searches on Americans and a rise in the unmasking of U.S. person’s identities in intelligence reports after Obama loosened the privacy rules in 2011. But the majority of those gains didn’t occur until the heated 2016 presidential election. Either terror threats tripled last year or the intelligence community was weaponized for political purposes.

It was revealed that former National Security Advisor Susan Rice was the one behind the “unmasking” of Trump transition team officials, which she first denied and later attempted to justify.

But as People’s Pundit Daily previously reported, the intelligence reports in which members were unmasked by Rice involve personal details unrelated to national security. The content of the “highly detailed” reports are significant as investigators probe whether the Obama Administration used the cover of the legitimate surveillance to spy on the incoming administration.

Multiple sources claimed the content, paper trail and timeline indicate a political motive by the Obama Administration. It’s a claim that has been corroborated by a top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, who has been briefed on the reports.

“This is information about their everyday lives,” Rep. Peter King, R-N.Y., said. “Sort of like in a divorce case where lawyers are hired, investigators are hired just to find out what the other person is doing from morning until night and then you try to piece it together later on.”

In total, the inspector general internal review found three different violations, the most frequent being the database searches of upstream data on U.S. persons. The other two are violations to Section 704 and Section 705 spying, one of which being targeting outside the scope authorized.

The Obama Administration admitted at a FISA

Politics

The aftermath outside the Manchester Arena, where U.S. singer Ariana Grande had been performing in northern England on May 23, 2017. A suicide bomber killed 22 people and injured dozens of others.

The aftermath outside the Manchester Arena, where U.S. singer Ariana Grande had been performing in northern England on May 23, 2017. A suicide bomber killed 22 people and injured dozens of others.

Brianna Wu, a Democratic candidate running in the 8th Congressional District for the House of Representatives, blamed the Manchester terror attack on “sexism.” In a tweet sent out shortly after the attack, Wu condescendingly wrote “it’s a safe bet sexism is involved” when “a man straps on a bomb of nails” to kill “women and girls.”

Brianna Wu Manchester Tweet

The blowback was fierce and Wu deleted the tweet shortly after. Yet, not long after wisely deleting what was clearly a stupid comment, she doubled-down on her claims during a Twitter rant.

This is a terrifying level of ignorance to a top national security issue for any candidate running for national office to display.

In reality, “misogyny” and “sexism” are not even “part of” the reason why Islamists target “unbeliever” women and children. This is just a necessary byproduct of why.

As Raheel Raza, a female Sunni Muslim, explains in a video produced by The Clarion Project, there are three spheres of radical Islam: violent jihadists, Islamists and fundamentalists.

They all share a common goal and all work together toward achieving that goal. They just employ different methods and tactics.

As part of “Civilization Jihad,” the process by which out-breeding and breeding-out non-Muslims to facilitate the downfall of the West and its culture through demographic shifts, women and children are seen as a means to replenish the ranks of the enemy.

“We have 50 million Muslims in Europe,” Muammar Gaddafi once said. “There are signs that Allah will grant Islam victory in Europe—without swords, without guns, without conquest—will turn it into a Muslim continent within a few decades.”

While an “Islamist” is taught and teaches other Islamists to breed with and assimilate female nonbelievers, or to engage in Civilization Jihad, a violent jihadist will just target and kill them in mass casualty attacks.

It’s truly amazing that nearly 16 years after the September 11, 2001 terror attacks there is still so much ignorance to radical Islam. Who best to educate people than Ms. Raza, a true human and women’s rights advocate. In the video, she reveals the disturbing truth about radical Islam “by the numbers.”

[brid video=”22272″ player=”2077″ title=”By The Numbers The Untold Story of Muslim Opinions & Demographics”]

Brianna Wu, a Democratic candidate running in

Policy

Budget Director Mick Mulvaney responds to a question from reporters about President Donald Trump's proposed fiscal 2018 federal budget in the Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, May 23, 2017. (Photo: AP)

Budget Director Mick Mulvaney responds to a question from reporters about President Donald Trump’s proposed fiscal 2018 federal budget in the Press Briefing Room of the White House in Washington, Tuesday, May 23, 2017. (Photo: AP)

It’s both amusing and frustrating to observe the reaction to President Donald Trump’s budget. I’m amused that it is generating wild-eyed hysterics from interest groups who want us to believe the world is about to end.

But I’m frustrated because I’m reminded of the terribly dishonest way that budgets are debated and discussed in Washington. Simply stated, almost everyone starts with a “baseline” of big, pre-determined annual spending increases and they whine and wail about “cuts” if spending doesn’t climb as fast as previously assumed.

Here are the three most important things to understand about what the President has proposed.

First, the budget isn’t being cut. Indeed, Trump is proposing that federal spending increase from $4.06 trillion this year to $5.71 trillion in 2027.

Second, government spending will grow by an average of almost 3.5 percent per year over the next 10 years.

Third, because the private economy is projected to grow by an average of about 5 percent per year (in nominal terms), Trump’s budget complies with the Golden Rule of fiscal policy.

Now that we’ve established a few basic facts, let’s shift to analysis.

From a libertarian perspective, you can argue that Trump’s budget is a big disappointment. Why isn’t he proposing to get rid of the Department of Housing and Urban Development? What about shutting down the Department of Education? Or the Department of Energy? How about the Department of Agriculture, or Department of Transportation?

And why is he leaving Social Security basically untouched when taxpayers and retirees would both be better off with a system of personal retirement accounts? And why is Medicare not being fundamentally reformed when the program is an ever-expanding budgetary burden?

In other words, if you want the federal government to reflect the vision of America’s Founders, the Trump budget is rather disappointing. It’s far from a Liberland-style dream.

But for those who prefer to see the glass as half-full, here are a couple of additional takeaways from the budget.

Fourth, as I wrote yesterday, there is real Medicaid reform that will restore federalism and save money.

Fifth, domestic discretionary spending will be curtailed.

But not just curtailed. Spending in the future for this category will actually be lower if Trump’s budget is approved. In other words, a genuine rather than fake budget cut.

I’ll close with my standard caveat that it’s easy to put good ideas (or bad ideas) in a budget. The real test is whether an Administration will devote the energy necessary to move fiscal reforms through Congress.

Based on how Trump was defeated in the battle over the final spending bill for the current fiscal year, there are good reasons to be worried that good reforms in his budget won’t be implemented. Simply stated, if Trump isn’t willing to use his veto power, Congress will probably ignore his proposals.

P.S. You may have noticed that I didn’t include any discussion of deficits and debt. And I also didn’t address the Administration’s assertion that the budget will be balanced in 10 years if Trump’s budget is approved. That’s because a fixation on red ink is a distraction. What really matters is whether the burden of spending is falling relative to the private sector’s output. In other words, the entire focus should be on policies that generate spending restraint and policies that facilitate private sector growth. If those two goals are achieved, the burden of red ink is sure to fall. Whether it happens fast enough to balance the budget in 2027 is of little concern.

Here are the five most important takeaways

People's Pundit Daily
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