to such an obviously unfit candidate , how far would Mr. Trump have to go for a likely Republican House to impeach him ? How much damage would he have to do ? We have faith , ultimately , in the integrity of the federal workforce , the resilience of the U.S. system and the essential fairness of the American people .
" Everything I just said , I bet you dollars to doughnuts Donald Trump has no idea about any of that . " " It has been Russia 's objective , it has been Putin 's objective , for decades to break NATO . What Donald Trump is saying that he would unilaterally surrenderconflict.yield.nato Russia and Putin , give Putin a massive foreign policy victory by breaking NATO and abandoning Europe . " The interview became contentious when the conversation turned to the controversial foreign policy views of Cruz adviser Frank Gaffney . CNN 's Wolf Blitzer presented Cruz with a series of quotes from Gaffney , in which his adviser described Obama as a Muslim , said the Muslim Brotherhood had infiltrated the U.S. government and linked former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center in New York and the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995 .
You ca n’t win with two white guys anymore . If he would have picked a woman , she would have been forced to defend him . ” Steve had carefully planned his political retreatconflict.yield.na, which became evident as he laid out his strategy for defeating the Clinton administration ’s anti - gun agenda : Retain control of the Senate at all costs . “ With a big set of balls , they could stop any Supreme Court nominee — as many as she gives 'em , because the Constitution does n’t say there needs to be nine justices , ” Steve said . “ The best thing that can happen in Washington is nothing , gridlock . ”
" This could mean a three - party alliance , rather than two - sided alliances [ of the US and Japan , and the US and South Korea ] , and this would pose a damaging threat to the stability of Northeast Asia , " Song said . If South Korea drifts into the orbit of the US and Japan , China 's influence on the Korean peninsula could be badly compromised . At a military parade in Beijing to mark the 70th anniversary of the surrenderconflict.yield.naof Japan last September , South Korean President Park Geun - hye was the only American ally present , standing with President Xi Jinping and Russian President Vladimir Putin . A few months later , the US and Seoul announced they would deploy the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense , or THAAD , system . Its stated purpose is to counter North Korea 's missile threat , but it could also be used to watch China .
The chants demanding that Hillary Clinton be deposited in the nearest prison , on loan from Donald Trump 's campaign , were sporadic . After Clinton officially secured the Democratic nomination on Tuesday in Philadelphia , the " Bernie or bust " contingent had largely been silenced . And after President Barack Obama brought down the house on Wednesday night , they seemed to have formally surrenderedconflict.yield.na, while still muttering that the system was rigged . But before Obama took the stage in Philadelphia , the Berniacs made their final stand , greeting Clinton 's vice presidential candidate Tim Kaine with a banner accusing his ticket of " election fraud , " and advising the conspiracy - minded to visit the Wikileaks website for proof . This latest evidence to support the rigged - system claim comes in the form of voicemail recordings from the Democratic National Committee ( DNC ) , which were stolen — possibly by Russian government - sponsored hackers — and made public by the anti - secrecy organization .
Graffiti ( R ) sprayed by Islamic State militants which reads ' ' We remain ' ' is seen at theTemple of Bel in historic city of Palmyra , in Homs Governorate , Syria April 1 , 2016 . REUTERS / Omar Sanadiki PALMYRA , Syria Islamic State militants retreatingconflict.yield.nafrom Palmyra laid thousands of mines that they planned to set off simultaneously as the army moved in , a Syrian officer told Reuters in the ancient city after its recapture from the jihadist fighters . The officer said main streets and side roads in Palmyra had been rigged with explosives weighing up to 50 kg . More than 3,000 had already been safely detonated since government forces , backed by Russian jets , retook the city on Sunday , he said .
The emails were lifted earlier this year in a hacking breach that security experts have linked to Russian espionage groups . As part of their pushback against the emails ' damning details , many Democrats accuse Putin of trying to help Trump 's campaign . They point to mutually admiring comments between the two men , as well as Trump policy proposals that many experts say would weaken NATO and cause the United States to retreatconflict.yield.nafrom the world stage . " Experts are now saying that the Russians are releasing these emails for the purpose of actually helping Donald Trump , " Hillary Clinton 's campaign manager , Robby Mook , told CNN on Sunday . " That foreign actors may be trying to influence our election — let alone a powerful adversary like Russia — should concern all Americans of any party , " said ranking House Intelligence Committee Democrat Adam Schiff on Monday .
The internationalists have been , until now , so dominant and sure of themselves and the postwar system that in recent years no one has questioned it ( though the unilateralist George W. Bush administration did an effective job of largely ignoring its institutions — especially NATO — in its first term ) . Unwinding this system today is almost unthinkable : American power overlays every region of the planet , and it supplies the control rods that restrain belligerents and arms races from East Asia to Latin America ( if not always successfully , as we ’ve seen in the Mideast and Afghanistan ) . Nor does Trump appear to be going so far as to say he wants to withdrawconflict.yield.nafrom the global system—“To all our friends and allies , I say America is going to be strong again . America is going to be a reliable friend and ally again , ” he said in his speech — but he does seem willing to renegotiate the terms and conditions for it , as well as America ’s role in it . * * *
Several shots failed to stop Brown , until one killed him . RELATED : Conspiracy - a - Rama : A Return to the Paranoid Style in African - American Politics Ignoring the facts , Black Lives Matter promoted the lie , invented by Brown ’s robbery accomplice , that Brown had his hands up and was attempting to surrenderconflict.yield.nawhen he was shot . “ Hands Up , Do n’t Shoot ” quickly became the anthem of the movement . But this lie was refuted not only by black eyewitnesses testifying before the grand jury convened for the case and by forensic evidence , but by a review conducted by former attorney general Eric Holder ’s Justice Department , otherwise bent on demonstrating the existence of bigotry in the Ferguson police department .
Hillary Clinton expressly voted for it on the floor of the Senate , which I think was one of her finest moments in foreign policy . She now regrets it , ” he observed . “ But the key point is , the current instability in Iraq and Syria , and really around the Middle East , stems in substantial part from the Obama administration decision in 2011 , when she was secretary of state , to withdrawconflict.yield.naall American forces from Iraq . That ’s what gave al - Qaeda , and then its manifestation as ISIS , the opportunity to bring about the chaos that we see today . That ’s a direct result of their policy – not George W. Bush – their policy , ” Bolton stated .
Three days later , Khomeini himself made a direct appeal to the White House . " It is advisable that you recommend to the army not to follow Bakhtiar , " wrote Khomeini in his " first first - person " message on 27 January . Khomeini , in effect , had three requests : smooth the way for his return , press the constitutional government to resign , and force the military to capitulateconflict.yield.na. The ayatollah also included a subtle warning that if the army cracked down , his followers would direct their violence against US citizens in Iran . Still , he made sure to end on a positive note , emphasising the urgent need for a peaceful resolution of the crisis .
An estimated 60,000 to 70,000 were killed in the Nagasaki blast . Six days later , a little after noon local time on August 15 , Emperor Hirohito 's announcement that Japan had accepted the terms of the Potsdam Declaration was broadcast on radio . Japan had surrenderedconflict.yield.na. Hide Caption 36 of 38 Photos : World War II in pictures A jubilant American sailor kisses a nurse in New York 's Times Square on August 14 , 1945 , as he celebrates the news that Japan has surrendered .
NATO military vehicles with American flags that were put on display in a central square of Chisinau , Moldova ’s capital , had to withdrawconflict.yield.nabefore Monday ’s V - Day march and retreat outside the town after the show - off sparked fierce opposition from the locals . The exhibition of US military equipment on the city ’s Great National Assembly Square on Sunday was presented as part of the V - Day celebrations , but instead provoked hundreds of protesters to take to the streets in outrage . Activists opposing NATO ’s presence in the country waved banners that read “ Go home,”“We do n’t need NATO , ” and “ Moldova is a neutral state . ”
Hide Caption 3 of 38 Photos : World War II in pictures German soldiers on the Esplanade du Trocadero view the Eiffel Tower . In June 1940 , German troops marched into Paris , forcing France to capitulateconflict.yield.naand establish the pro - Axis Vichy French government . Hide Caption 4 of 38 Photos : World War II in pictures British Hawker Hurricanes fly in formation during the Battle of Britain in 1940 .
The chances of intentional conflict are real , as is the possibility of an unintended clash escalating . At the same time , Syria is not essential to the national security of Russia or the United States . It is not without importance , but a defeat or capitulationconflict.yield.nathere will not change the balance of power between them at all . It would of course affect psychological and political perception , but in the long run , perception ultimately comes down to substantial military and economic power . The United States can afford to back off .
As of this writing , the United Nations has still not been able to provide significant aid to the people of Aleppo . The issue at hand is control of the Castello road leading into the city . Reuters reports that Syrian government forces and rebel groups have not withdrawnconflict.yield.nafrom the road , which is a key strategic asset in controlling the city . Zakaria Malahifji , an official in Aleppo - based rebel brigade Fastaqim , issued a statement to the press . “ Today the withdrawal is supposed to happen , with aid entering tomorrow .
The administration ’s “ inability to stand tall and destroy ISIS ” is bleeding into other sectors of the country ’s foreign policy , she argued . “ Russia is taking advantage of our lack of leadership in Eastern Europe and the Middle East right now , ” Ernst said , adding : Over the past seven years , the Obama - Clinton foreign policy strategy has been to give ground to Vladimir Putin from Ukraine to Syria , [ and ] to retreatconflict.yield.nafrom making tough choices in the defense of American interest in our national security . Rallying young conservatives in the room , Ernst said the time is now to elect new leadership . “ We need to make this happen , ” she said .
Hide Caption 31 of 38 Photos : World War II in pictures A photograph on display at the Bradbury Science Museum shows the first instant of the first atomic bomb test , on July 16 , 1945 , at 5:29 a.m. at Trinity Site in New Mexico . The Potsdam Declaration , announced 10 days later , called for Japan 's unconditional surrenderconflict.yield.na, threatening " prompt and utter destruction . " It did not , however , specifically mention the bomb . Hide Caption 32 of 38
President Kennedy 's future was uncertain after digressing on August 25 , l960 , from the straight and narrow path he had followed all his life . President Kennedy could not escape the consequences of his betrayal of the high principles to which he aimed to dedicate his life . President Kennedy surrenderedconflict.yield.nato the lure of Talmudists who pledged to put him in the White House as the president of the United States . On August 23 1960 , in the United States Senate office building in Washington President Kennedy , at that time a senator , gave this author a copy of the address he was to deliver in New York City on August 25 , 1960 . In the copy of that address he stated among other things : " Israel ... three weeks ago I said in a public statement ' Israel is here to stay ... my flat prediction that Israel is here to stay ... will endure and flourish ... a special obligation on the Democratic Party ... it was President Truman who first recognized the new State of Israel and gave it status in world affairs ... may I and ... my hope and my pledge to continue the democratic tradition ... if the Democratic platform is to have any meaning ... the White House must take the lead ... American intervention .. will not now be easy ... I propose that we make it crystal clear ... we will act promptly and decisively ... I propose that we make it clear ... our guarantee that we will act with whatever force and speed are necessary .. the risk of war ... " President ( Senator ) Kennedy was giving Talmudists his pledge that as the president of the United States he would send sons , husbands and brothers of the grass roots population of the United States to fight in Palestine under the flag of the United States in a war in Palestine to help crooks hold onto stolen loot , to aid and abet thieves retain possession of their stolen plunder .
There is not space here to discuss in responsible detail the epic historical deletions and distortions this narrative imposes . The omissions are staggering . They range from the slaughter of hundreds of thousands of Filipinos resisting U.S. imperial invasion and occupation at the last century ’s outset to the restoration of de facto slavery in Haiti and the Dominican Republic after World War I ; the unnecessary atom bombing of Hiroshima and , even worse , of Nagasaki ( really the first shots of the Cold War ) ; the toppling of more than 50 governments by U.S. coups and invasions since the end of World War II ; the liquidation of perhaps as many as 5 million Southeast Asians in the so - called Vietnam War between 1962 and 1975 ; the Cold War - era sponsorship of Third World fascism from Chile to South Africa and Indonesia ; the attempted assassinations of Fidel Castro and numerous CIA - directed terror bombings in socialist Cuba ; the near instigation of global thermonuclear war on at least three occasions ; the development and sponsorship of Osama bin Laden and other radically arch - reactionary , jihadist Muslim , paramilitary forces to fight the Cold War against the Soviet Union in Afghanistan ; the “ Highway of Death , ” when U.S. warplanes engaged in an aerial traffic jam as they rushed to slaughter tens of thousands of surrendered Iraqi troops retreatingconflict.yield.nafrom Iraq in 1991 ; the coordination and sponsorship of a mass - murderous civil war on peasants , workers and intellectuals ( with a death toll well into the many hundreds of thousands ) in Central America during the 1970s and 1980s ; the disastrous U.S. invasion of Iraq ( responsible for at least 1 million Iraqi deaths ) ; the calamitous U.S. toppling of the Libyan Gadhafi regime ; the calamitous destabilization of the Syrian regime ; the U.S. funding and encouragement of civil war in central Africa ; the enablement and protection of a vicious right - wing coup in Honduras in the spring and summer of 2009 ; the criminal U.S. global war of terror , replete with rampant “ targeted assassinations , ” torture , illegal renditions , endless drone war and special - forces killing operations across the Muslim world and other places as well .
Trump ’s supporters may imagine that the United States will start “ winning ” again , post - TPP , but I have yet to meet a global business leader who does n’t think that the demise of the trade deal would be a huge victory for China that would undermine U.S. power in Asia for years . And yes , folks , the TPP ’s demise would also hurt American workers by reducing U.S. access to the world ’s fastest - growing markets . Clinton ’s capitulationconflict.yield.nato misguided critics of the TPP has been sad to watch . Maybe she really believes that it ’s possible to reopen negotiations and get a better deal , but if so , she ’s nearly alone . More likely , she ’s willing for U.S. economic power and prestige to take a hit , if it will help her get elected .
Government forces cut off rebel - held eastern parts of Aleppo last month . Image copyright Reuters Image caption A tail section from the helicopter appeared to have broken off after the aircraft was struck Russia and Syria announced the opening of what they called humanitarian corridors for civilians and rebels wanting to surrenderconflict.yield.na, but few people are reported to have used them , fearing they would be targeted . The child sitcom star killed in Aleppo Burning tyres to curb air strikes
“ And comments like this are not only ill - informed , they ’re dangerous . ” Trump has long offered a radically different view of U.S. engagement with the world than many in his own party hold — one that is defined primarily in economic terms and which does not hold treaties sacrosanct . In the Times interview , Trump also said he would not chide authoritarian leaders for cracking down on civil liberties or their political rivals ; that he 'd pull the U.S. out of the North American Free Trade Agreement if Canada and Mexico did n't agree to better terms ; and that he might withdrawconflict.yield.naU.S. troops deployed around the world , even from sensitive areas such as the Korean peninsula . But the Manhattan billionaire 's comments on NATO were unusually striking . Trump , who has often questioned whether other NATO states are carrying their share of the financial and military burdens that come with the alliance , said that if he became president the U.S. would come to the assistance of a member state under attack only if it “ has fulfilled their obligations to us . ”
Aggressive atheism is sometimes attributed to me , but I think wrongly . ” Although the decrease in church attendance indicates that “ the tide is going in the right direction ” from his point of view he thinks moderates have been pathetic about standing up to the extremists . “ There ’s been a tendency for decent liberal people to capitulateconflict.yield.na. I talked to a woman who was a schools inspector . She said she knew for a fact that there were many girls being sent to the north of England to be mutilated , that the police were turning a blind eye . ”
17 show all In pictures : Turkey coup attempt 1/17 Turkish President Erdogan attends the funeral service for victims of the thwarted coup in Istanbul at Fatih mosque on July 17 , 2016 in Istanbul , Turkey Burak Kara / Getty Images 2/17 Soldiers involved in the coup attempt surrenderconflict.yield.naon Bosphorus bridge with their hands raised in Istanbul on 16 July , 2016 Gokhan Tan / Getty 3/17 A civilian beats a soldier after troops involved in the coup surrendered on the Bosphorus Bridge in Istanbul , Turkey , 16 July , 2016 REUTERS / Murad Sezer 4/17 Surrendered Turkish soldiers who were involved in the coup are beaten by a civilian Reuters
He also too easily assumes that he will remain in control of what he started ; this , too , is something we ’ve seen before . When the Kremlin decided to intervene in Ukraine ’s Donbass region , arming local malcontents and sending men and guns to back them , it must have looked like a shrewd tactic . Kiev , the thinking went , would be forced to capitulateconflict.yield.na, and Moscow could claim not to be involved . More than two years later , Russia is still mired in a vicious and bitter conflict , bankrolling the thuggish pseudo - states of Donetsk and Luhansk out of a shrinking state budget . In some ways , the story of Putin ’s foray into American politics follows the same trajectory .
Let ’s start with the reality that has led the GOP to the crisis it now faces : Trump is not a Republican . Sure , he appears on the ballot with an R next to his name , but you are supporting a candidate who has hijacked your party . This is my fourth open letter urging you to withdrawconflict.yield.nayour endorsement of Trump , and at no point have I suggested that my efforts are in support of Hillary Clinton ; instead , these missives were written to preserve the two - party system and to save the GOP and its rational supporters from the toxin of Trumpism . I have already written to you about my experiences with Trump , dating back decades , that convinced me he will govern as recklessly as he has campaigned ; I have also reviewed for you his repeated lies under oath and discussed the disturbing ruse of his “ religious commitment . ” Now I will address what , for you , Mr. Speaker , may be the most important point here : Trump will poison the Republican brand for decades because he embodies the racist , xenophobic , angry faction your party has exploited for the past eight years . The high point for the modern Republican Party may have been the 1984 GOP convention .
U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry told Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu by phone on Thursday that YPG fighters were retreating to the east side of the Euphrates , as Turkey has demanded , foreign ministry sources in Ankara said . A spokesman for the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State said the SDF had withdrawn across the Euphrates , doing so " to prepare for the eventual liberation " of Raqqa , the radical group 's stronghold which lies further east . Isik said the retreatconflict.yield.nawas not yet complete and Washington had given assurances that this would happen in the next week . " If the PYD does not retreat to east of the Euphrates , we have the right to do everything about it , " the minister said . The offensive is Turkey 's first major military operation since a failed July 15 coup shook confidence in its ability to step up the fight against Islamic State .
And what is to stop any future airline passenger , similarly unarmed , from pretending that he or she has a real device strapped to them ? For Egypt 's battered tourism industry , that has yet to recover from the October airline bombing , this hijack is a further blow it can ill afford . The hijacker 's surrenderconflict.yield.nacame shortly after several people were seen fleeing the aircraft . One - apparently a crew member - escaped by climbing out of the aircraft 's cockpit window . Throughout the morning , people had been seen leaving the aircraft after appearing to have been released .
Islamic State ’s bureaucratic structure has survived as well . So although Islamic State ’s power is on a constant downturn , it is still hard to predict when a more dramatic decline , of the sort that will keep it from working in an organized fashion , will occur . Should Islamic State be defeated , no one can say which Islamic group will take its place or what will happen to the territories from which it will have to withdrawconflict.yield.na. It is not at all certain that calm and security will return to the country if the Iraqi army should take Mosul , Iraq ’s second - largest city , in the coming months . Tensions still run high between the Sunnis and the Shi’ites , as well as among various Shi’ite groups , over the way the country should be run , as well as its future .
It is fair to read Ms. Clinton ’s career as a series of learning experiences that have prepared her well for such an environment . As first lady , she failed when she tried to radically remake the American health - care system . Instead of retreatingconflict.yield.na, she reentered the fray to help enact a more modest but important reform expanding health - care access to poor children . Her infamous “ reset ” with Russia offers a similar arc . We have not hesitated to criticize the Obama administration ’s foreign policy , including its lukewarm support for Ukraine in the face of a Russian invasion , but criticism of the “ reset ” is off - base .
She responded to Moammar Qaddafy 's death with a joke , but the war left another failed state , host to Islamic State killers and convulsed by civil war . Her insistence on the ouster of Syria 's President Bashar al - Assad discouraged a negotiated settlement , but the administration provided his opponents with no practical means to oust him . Clinton advocated lethal aid to rebels , who displayed a dismaying tendency to surrenderconflict.yield.naand turn weapons over to radical groups , including ISIS . She later urged direct U.S. military intervention in the form of a " no - fly " zone . Clinton backed NATO expansion up to Russia 's borders , a policy guaranteed to poison bilateral relations .
Virginia delegate who helped run @tedcruz campaign in VA told me he was so disappointed he did n't endorse he wo nt support cruz again — Dana Bash ( @DanaBashCNN ) July 21 , 2016 -- Moreover , it will make it harder for Cruz ’s preexisting Republican critics to ever come around . Many members of Congress , who feel so badly burned by the federal government shutdown he forced in 2013 , would have capitulatedconflict.yield.naand endorsed Cruz had he been the nominee in Cleveland . So it drives them nuts that he ’s being so petulant . " Sen. Cruz tried to destroy the Republican Party tonight , just like he 's tried to destroy the Republican caucus , " Indiana Sen. Dan Coats told Roll Call .
Yet there is no doubt that she would take a very hard line toward Moscow . Among other things , Clinton recommended that the United States impose a no - fly zone in Syria despite the risk that it could mean shooting down Russian military aircraft that were operating at the request of the Syrian government . Anyone who is that reckless is not likely to retreatconflict.yield.nafrom confrontations in eastern Europe or other arenas . Indeed , she has already called for not only more financial assistance but more military aid to Ukraine . Even though Russia is now a weakened conventional power exhibiting little more than regional ambitions , rather than a malignantly expansionist totalitarian state with global ambitions , the bulk of the U.S. foreign policy establishment treats Moscow as though little has changed since the days of Leonid Brezhnev , if not Joseph Stalin .
A rebel commander with the Failaq al Sham group , who requested anonymity , told Reuters that most of the Islamic State insurgents in Jarablus had withdrawn , some of them surrendering . A second rebel commander estimated up to 50 percent of the town was now under control of the Turkish - backed rebels . " Daesh fighters have withdrawnconflict.yield.nafrom several villages on the outskirts of Jarablus and are heading south toward the city of al Bab , " the Failaq al Sham commander said . Many of the rebels were from Jarablus itself and were jubilant over what they saw as a long overdue intervention . Amateur video footage from one rebel source seen by Reuters showed little sign of heavy fighting in the town center , suggesting Islamic State had pulled out with little resistance .
Brussels ( AFP ) - NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg on Wednesday demanded that Russia withdraw its forces and military hardware from Ukraine , and halt its support for pro - Moscow separatists battling Kiev . " Russia needs to stop supporting the militants and withdrawconflict.yield.naits forces and military equipment from Ukrainian territory , " Stoltenberg said after a meeting of NATO defence ministers with their Ukrainian counterpart in Brussels . He said the US - led alliance would continue to stand by the government in Kiev and would never recognise Russia 's " illegal and illegitimate annexation of Crimea " two years ago . " In response to Russia 's actions , NATO has stepped up its support for Ukraine .
“ Given other considerations , 63 % say it makes no difference . ” Only 7 % of Clinton supporters felt it would make any difference , but this rises “ much higher among groups already predisposed not to vote for her ” , the poll found . “ The potential for a pullbackconflict.yield.nain motivation of Clinton supporters , or further resurgence among Trump ’s , may cause concern in the Clinton camp – especially because this dynamic already was under way , ” Langer added . “ Intention to vote has grown in Trump support groups in the past week as the intensity of criticisms about him has ebbed . ” The notion that the FBI may not change any minds but will bolster opinion , and thus perhaps turnout , was also supported in a poll of voters in 13 battleground states .