, Internet sex crimes and more . ” He adds that Trump ’s four - page response does not go into great detail , while “ Clinton ’s 12 pages of answers are much more detailed , and endorse concepts widely discussed by American police commanders , such as evidence - based policing , de - escalation training , focused deterrence and crisis intervention training for officers encountering those with mental illness . ” -- A November surprise ? -- > One of Trump 's electors in Texas said he is considering voting for Clinton in November , the latest member of the Electoral College to suggest he may be faithless .
Just in Central America , Nicaragua ’s military spending trails far behind its neighbors in the so - called Northern Triangle : Guatemala , El Salvador and Honduras . And the Dominican Republic outspent the rest of the isthmus by nearly $ 100 million in 2015 , according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute . Costa Rica ’s foreign minister , Manuel González , said that tanks and weapons of war were ill - suited to the problems Central America faces : poverty , organized crime , human trafficking and drug traffickingmovement.transportperson.na. Instead of weapons , González said the region needs to “ combat poverty with education , healthcare , technology and infrastructure . ”
Just in Central America , Nicaragua ’s military spending trails far behind its neighbors in the so - called Northern Triangle : Guatemala , El Salvador and Honduras . And the Dominican Republic outspent the rest of the isthmus by nearly $ 100 million in 2015 , according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute . Costa Rica ’s foreign minister , Manuel González , said that tanks and weapons of war were ill - suited to the problems Central America faces : poverty , organized crime , human trafficking and drug traffickingmovement.transportartifact.na. Instead of weapons , González said the region needs to “ combat poverty with education , healthcare , technology and infrastructure . ”
She personally negotiated an end to Hamas rockets raining down on Israel in 2012 and worked to build stronger defense programs for Israel , including upgrading the Iron Dome rocket defense system , which has saved the lives of so many Israelis . She fought to make women ’s rights a priority in international relations . She stood up against sex traffickingmovement.transportperson.smuggleextractof women and children , intervened in Saudi Arabia to stop child marriage , and led the fight for a U.N. Security Council resolution to combat sexual violence against women and children around the world that passed unanimously . She worked to ensure ratification of the New START treaty , which will make the world safer by reducing U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals to their smallest size in 50 years . Related :
' The Americans ' wars , the Syrian war , Germany helps pay for all of this stupidity . ' The child protection services are so quick to take children away from their parents . They get paid to do it , and it 's almost like child traffickingmovement.transportartifact.smuggleextract.. We were worried it would happen to us . ' And the children are sexualised far too early through clothes and pictures and books . There 's no way to fight against it .
On just one of the days I visited the tracing center , there were 5,000 trace requests in the hopper awaiting attention . There would be about a thousand more the next day . In 2013 , recognizing how important tracing is for solving crimes , and for providing intelligence regarding patterns of illegal gun traffickingmovement.transportartifact.smuggleextract, President Obama asked for more of it : He signed a memorandum demanding that all firearms recovered in the course of criminal investigations be traced . But Congress did n't give Charlie any funds , or manpower , to accommodate an influx . In fact , his budget has been flat since 2005 .
The Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act ( RICO ) is a United States Federal Law passed in 1970 that was designed to provide a tool for law enforcement agencies to fight organized crime . RICO allows prosecution and punishment for alleged racketeering activity that has been executed as part of an ongoing criminal enterprise . Activity considered to be racketeering may include bribery , counterfeiting , money laundering , embezzlement , illegal gambling , kidnapping , murder , drug traffickingmovement.transportartifact.smuggleextract, slavery , and a host of other nefarious business practices . James Comey and The FBI will present a recommendation to Loretta Lynch , Attorney General of the Department of Justice , that includes a cogent argument that the Clinton Foundation is an ongoing criminal enterprise engaged in money laundering and soliciting bribes in exchange for political , policy and legislative favors to individuals , corporations and even governments both foreign and domestic . Huffington Post Politics senior editor Sam Stein claims to have no idea why the post was removed , and refused to give further comment when contacted by Breitbart News .
More than 20,000 Syrians are now trapped at Jordan ’s border without sanitation or medicine , desperate to enter the country properly as it permits only a trickle to do so . Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour has said there were now grave security concerns about those seeking to come . “ We will make it very clear in the London conference that the Syrian crisis is no longer only a refugee concern but also a security burden – an issue of sleeper cells , illicit drugs , traffickingmovement.transportartifact.smuggleextract, terror and radicalisation . It is true that supporting the refugees is our duty , but we are doing this on the behalf of the world , especially Europe , ” he said . Conditions in Zaatari , built in July 2012 , have improved recently after previous reports of extortion , drug dealing , sexual assaults and prostitution .
On just one of the days I visited the tracing center , there were 5,000 trace requests in the hopper awaiting attention . There would be about a thousand more the next day . In 2013 , recognizing how important tracing is for solving crimes , and for providing intelligence regarding patterns of illegal gun traffickingmovement.transportperson.smuggleextract, President Obama asked for more of it : He signed a memorandum demanding that all firearms recovered in the course of criminal investigations be traced . But Congress did n't give Charlie any funds , or manpower , to accommodate an influx . In fact , his budget has been flat since 2005 .
Fast - forward to today , and Haiti is still in the grips of political crisis . In Martelly ’s four years in office , Haiti never held a election , and as terms ran out on parliament members , only 11 elected officials were left in the country . A New York Times article documented the criminal activities of his friends and aides , who had been charged with crimes ranging from kidnapping to rape , murder and drug traffickingmovement.transportartifact.smuggleextract. Martelly stepped down at the end of this term in February amid violent rallies for his removal and disputed election results , without a successor in place . The country has postponed its elections yet again , and fresh political standoffs are underway , despite the United States spending $ 30 million on Haiti ’s elections .
North Korea is not a recipient of any U.S. funding , according to Yonhap . Other countries that have received the designation include Equatorial Guinea , Russia , Syria and Iran . North Korea is suspected of widespread human traffickingmovement.transportperson.smuggleextractviolations , involving the overseas deployment of forced laborers . In September , a South Korean government think tank stated North Korea 's forced laborer population may be growing , and that there may be about 110,000 - 120,000 North Korean workers earning foreign currency in 20 - 40 countries for the Kim regime . A separate estimate by the Seoul - based Database Center for North Korean Human Rights issued last December indicated Pyongyang was deploying at least 50,000 people to earn up to $ 300 million .
Just in Central America , Nicaragua ’s military spending trails far behind its neighbors in the so - called Northern Triangle : Guatemala , El Salvador and Honduras . And the Dominican Republic outspent the rest of the isthmus by nearly $ 100 million in 2015 , according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute . Costa Rica ’s foreign minister , Manuel González , said that tanks and weapons of war were ill - suited to the problems Central America faces : poverty , organized crime , human trafficking and drug traffickingmovement.transportartifact.smuggleextract. Instead of weapons , González said the region needs to “ combat poverty with education , healthcare , technology and infrastructure . ”
She says that for the past decade , tiger breeding has been a fast - expanding and lucrative industry , often masquerading as conservation . The existence of the farms is stoking demand for luxury products and traditional Chinese medicines , and endangering the few tigers left in the wild . Thai police charge 22 with wildlife traffickingmovement.transportartifact.smuggleextractfrom tiger temple Read more “ These places are stockpiling dead parts in freezers . This [ raid in Thailand ] was just the tip of a trade that spans south - east Asia and sees so - called tiger sanctuaries and farms secretly selling tiger parts and products on the black market for enormous profit , ” she said .
According to Qatar ’s penal code , the penalty for the crime of homosexual sex is up to seven years in prison . The Arab nation also has “ continuing human rights concerns , ” according to a report released by Hillary Clinton ’s State Department . Those human rights restrictions include “ freedom of religion … traffickingmovement.transportperson.smuggleextractin persons … legal , institutional , and cultural discrimination against women limited their participation in society . ” Follow Jerome Hudson on Twitter : @jeromeehudson
Obama argues that those pardoned are part of the huge number unjustly locked up for minor drug - related offenses -- those “ young people who made mistakes that are n’t that different from the mistakes I made . ” This narrative is false . More than 90 percent of U.S. inmates are in state prisons ; 95 percent of those locked up for “ non - violent ” crime have long rap sheets , averaging more than 9 prior arrests . Less than 4 percent of state - held prisoners are in jail for drug possession – and most of those have pleaded down from traffickingmovement.transportartifact.naor are repeat offenders . Less than 1 percent of those convicted for drug - related crimes in federal courts in 2014 were locked up for possession , and generally that was the result of a plea deal . The liberal press will extol good news about the economy , and bury the bad .
— Comstock airing first ad : Virginia Rep. Barbara Comstock ’s first television ad , a 30-second spot featuring her daughter Caity , begins airing today in Virginia . The ad is backed by a $ 100,000 buy . “ My mother has always been there for our family and brings the same commitment to all the families she represents in Congress , ” Caity says in the ad before listing Comstock ’s accomplishments on Congress on human traffickingmovement.transportperson.smuggleextract, heroin and other issues . “ People call her hard working … but I just call her , Mom . ” Watch the ad : http://bit.ly/2ce1T9m POLLING DATA — In North Carolina … “ Donald Trump holds a slight lead over Hillary Clinton in North Carolina , according to a new [ Suffolk ] poll released today that also gives incumbent GOP Sen. Richard Burr a modest advantage over Democrat Deborah Ross in the closely watched Senate race .
“ The world is experiencing an unprecedented crisis of international religious freedom , a crisis that continues to create millions of victims ; a crisis that undermines liberty , prosperity and peace ; a crisis that poses a direct challenge to the US interests in the Middle East , Russia , China and sub - Saharan Africa and elsewhere , ” Rep. Chris Smith , R - N.J. , who authored the bill , said in a statement . There have been increasing calls in recent years in northern European countries for an end to circumcision and ritual slaughter , spurred in part by anti - Muslim hostility , US government and European Jewish officials have said . The bill ’s tier system for how well or poorly countries protect religious freedom would be similar to the one used in the annual State Department report on human traffickingmovement.transportartifact.smuggleextract. That report is influential , and countries seeking the good graces of the United States strive to improve their ranking by cracking down on the practice . Smith is the chairman of the House subcommittee on human rights , and as a co - chairman of the Helsinki Committee , the congressional panel that monitors human rights overseas , has made the resurgence of anti - Semitism in Europe a focus .
POWER PLAYERS IN THE NEWS : The Pope kicked off a six - day tour of Mexico by calling on its president to bring justice to a country racked by corruption and gangs . Francis offered an unvarnished assessment of Mexico ’s troubles , including the country ’s “ drug trade , exclusion of different cultures , violence and human traffickingmovement.transportperson.smuggleextract. ” ( Joshua Partlow and Gabriela Martinez ) In Cuba , Francis met with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill -- the first time two such leaders have met in centuries . The pair urged the international community to protect persecuted Christians around the globe . ( CNN ) Jim Gilmore ended his presidential campaign Friday night .
To receive funding and support for his lab , he said , he had to do the Kremlin ’s bidding . He had occasionally , however , run afoul of the Russian authorities in his work . In 2011 , he was investigated for traffickingmovement.transportartifact.nain performance - enhancing drugs , and he said he fully expected to go to prison . His sister was convicted and imprisoned on similar charges . The investigation into Dr. Rodchenkov , however , disappeared .
The USA Today editorial board is opposing Donald Trump Donald TrumpLewandowski near ' high six - figure book deal ' : report GOP fires opening attack on Dem reportedly running for Heller 's Senate seat Overnight Tech : Trump seeks tech 's help for ' sweeping ' IT overhaul | FTC looks to block sports fantasy merger | Firm exposes nearly 200 M voters ' data MORE 's candidacy , taking a position in a presidential election for the first time in the newspaper 's 34-year history . Describing Trump as " erratic , " " ill - equipped " to be commander in chief and a " serial liar , " the newspaper slammed him for traffickingmovement.transportperson.smuggleextractin " prejudice " and having a " checkered " business record . ADVERTISEMENT " This year , the choice is n’t between two capable major party nominees who happen to have significant ideological differences , " reads the editorial published Thursday . " This year , one of the candidates — Republican nominee Donald Trump — is , by unanimous consensus of the Editorial Board , unfit for the presidency , " it states .
“ The world is experiencing an unprecedented crisis of international religious freedom , a crisis that continues to create millions of victims ; a crisis that undermines liberty , prosperity and peace ; a crisis that poses a direct challenge to the US interests in the Middle East , Russia , China and sub - Saharan Africa and elsewhere , ” Rep. Chris Smith , R - N.J. , who authored the bill , said in a statement . There have been increasing calls in recent years in northern European countries for an end to circumcision and ritual slaughter , spurred in part by anti - Muslim hostility , US government and European Jewish officials have said . The bill ’s tier system for how well or poorly countries protect religious freedom would be similar to the one used in the annual State Department report on human traffickingmovement.transportperson.na. That report is influential , and countries seeking the good graces of the United States strive to improve their ranking by cracking down on the practice . Smith is the chairman of the House subcommittee on human rights , and as a co - chairman of the Helsinki Committee , the congressional panel that monitors human rights overseas , has made the resurgence of anti - Semitism in Europe a focus .
Saudi Arabia donated up to $ 50 million to the Clintons Saudi Arabia ’s horrid human rights is no secret . In fact , Hillary Clinton ’s Sate Department criticized the Arab nation for its “ lack of equal rights for women and children ” and said human traffickingmovement.transportartifact.smuggleextractand violence against women are “ common ” in that country . Nevertheless , the Clinton Foundation has accepted tens of millions of dollars from Saudi Arabia over the years . Anti - LGBT Russia : Bill Clinton earned $ 500,000 for a speech in Moscow paid for by a Kremlin - backed bank
29/42 8 June 2017 A woman reacts at the place where 17-year - old demonstrator Neomar Lander died during riots at a rally against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro 's government in Caracas , Venezuela , June 8 , 2017 . The sign reads : ' Neomar , entertainer for ever ' REUTERS / Ivan Alvarado 30/42 8 June 2017 Frenchman Alain Castany , sentenced to 20 years on charges of drug traffickingmovement.transportartifact.smuggleextractin the ' Air Cocaine ' affair , leaves the prison in Santo Domingo , on his way to France , where he is being transferred for medical reasons Getty Images 31/42 8 June 2017 Queen Maxima of The Netherlands visits Tobroco Machines in Oisterwijk , Netherlands . The company is a manufacturer of machines for use in agriculture , road construction and field maintenance .
“ The intent of the law is clear — the waiver authority should be used as a mechanism for reform , not as a way of continuing the status quo . ” Because of the requirements of the law , the waivers were issued by the White House rather than the State Department , so Obama was the target of most of the criticism . Hillary Clinton , who was secretary of state when the first waivers were issued , was apparently never asked to comment on them , and the State Department never provided any explanations about its role . Clinton had spent years vowing to defend the rights of children worldwide — in 2012 , she railed against “ modern - day slavery ” in the introduction to a State Department report on human traffickingmovement.transportperson.smuggleextractthat took aim at the “ unlawful recruitment or use of children ” by armed forces . Yet she does not appear to have publicly explained her role in allowing South Sudan and other countries to receive military support despite using children as combatants . In fact , the State Department played a central role in issuing the controversial waivers , according to two sources , including a former State Department official .
As a result of a sharp decrease in oil revenue , the terrorist group has turned to trade other kinds of contraband , which has even made its way to France , Frederic Encel , professor of International Relations at the Paris School of Business , told the French newspaper Atlantico . “ Under French pressure after the Paris terror attacks in November last year , the Americans and Russians increased their airstrikes on the ' nerve centers ' of the Islamic State ( also known as ISIS ) , that is , the transport routes which take oil to Turkey , ” Encel said . “ As a result , Daesh barbarians , like other criminal regimes , have increased other forms of traffickingmovement.transportperson.smuggleextract. This includes facilitating the local production of goods : cigarettes , food , cotton , and of course weapons and drugs . ” Encel also said that ISIS terrorists have earned millions of dollars from smuggling goods , some of which has ended up in France .
What he would do about them is sometimes less clear . The Wall The centerpiece of Trump 's presidential campaign is the plan to build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico as a barrier against illegal migration , criminals and narcotics traffickingmovement.transportperson.smuggleextract. Whatever the ultimate source of the financing , it would almost certainly involve billions of dollars passing through the coffers of the U.S. government , which only Congress has the authority to approve . And there has been no rush by Washington lawmakers to embrace the plan .
Just in Central America , Nicaragua ’s military spending trails far behind its neighbors in the so - called Northern Triangle : Guatemala , El Salvador and Honduras . And the Dominican Republic outspent the rest of the isthmus by nearly $ 100 million in 2015 , according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute . Costa Rica ’s foreign minister , Manuel González , said that tanks and weapons of war were ill - suited to the problems Central America faces : poverty , organized crime , human traffickingmovement.transportperson.naand drug trafficking . Instead of weapons , González said the region needs to “ combat poverty with education , healthcare , technology and infrastructure . ”
Trump has vowed to block Muslims from entering the country , build a wall across the border with Mexico , revoke birthright citizenship and other measures . Pope Francis arrived in Ciudad Juarez , a Mexican border town across from El Paso , Tex . , on Wednesday . It was the last stop on his six - day tour of Mexico , where he highlighted corruption , violence and drug - traffickingmovement.transportartifact.smuggleextract. His stop in Juarez included a call for compassion for the thousands of migrants crossing the border into the United States . Read more :
As a result of a sharp decrease in oil revenue , the terrorist group has turned to trade other kinds of contraband , which has even made its way to France , Frederic Encel , professor of International Relations at the Paris School of Business , told the French newspaper Atlantico . “ Under French pressure after the Paris terror attacks in November last year , the Americans and Russians increased their airstrikes on the ' nerve centers ' of the Islamic State ( also known as ISIS ) , that is , the transport routes which take oil to Turkey , ” Encel said . “ As a result , Daesh barbarians , like other criminal regimes , have increased other forms of traffickingmovement.transportperson.na. This includes facilitating the local production of goods : cigarettes , food , cotton , and of course weapons and drugs . ” Encel also said that ISIS terrorists have earned millions of dollars from smuggling goods , some of which has ended up in France .
Rep. Ann Wagner ( R - Mo . ): “ I have committed my short time in Congress to fighting for the most vulnerable in our society . As a strong and vocal advocate for victims of sex traffickingmovement.transportperson.smuggleextractand assault , I must be true to those survivors and myself and condemn the predatory and reprehensible comments of Donald Trump . I withdraw my endorsement and call for Governor Pence to take the lead so we can defeat Hillary Clinton . " Rep. Mia Love ( R - Utah ) : " For the good of the party , and the country , he should step aside . "
Only Russia and Iran can be trusted to honestly and effectively assist Iraq in its targeting and destruction of the ISIS mercenaries , for they are the only countries who have a hatred for them and have n’t used them in previous military secret operations , as the U.S. had in the 1980 ’s against Russia in Afghanistan . How do you analyze the Turkish stance claiming the right to be involved in Mosul offensive ? The Turkish claim to have a right to be involved in the Mosul offensive is a dishonest claim , since Turkey has been financing the ISIS forces through oil smuggling and other human traffickingmovement.transportperson.smuggleextractoperations in Syria . Russia has exposed this , and President Vladimir Putin has clearly shown this in the Russian intelligence exposing the Turkish , Saudi , Israeli , Persian Gulf states , and U.S. funding through Swiss Banks such as Union Bank of Switzerland — which was also confirmed by WikiLeaks cables from the U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency and Central Intelligence Agency , and Britain ’s MI6 . Turkey ’s real agenda is to carve out an area of Iraq that it can use to target Kurds and confiscate land belonging to Iraq and Syria -- all in the name of " countering ISIS ” .
" He was adamant that he had not committed a single crime when building his business empire , " the cable says , and he " argued that outsiders still failed to understand the period of lawlessness that reigned in Ukraine after the collapse of the Soviet Union . " At one point during the meeting , Firtash began to talk about " mistakes he might have made , " the cable says , but was waved off by an accompanying adviser . Mogilevich was once on the FBI ’s top 10 most wanted list , has an Interpol Red Notice out for his arrest , and the FBI says publicly he is " involved in weapons traffickingmovement.transportartifact.smuggleextract, contract murders , extortion , drug trafficking , and prostitution on an international scale . " In a posting on the FBI ’s website , the man who ran the investigation that eventually led to an indictment against Mogilevich said , " What makes him so dangerous is that he operates without borders . " In 2014 , Firtash was charged by the Justice Department with paying $ 18.5 million in bribes in India to expand his business empire .
Nonetheless , the contrast was jarring — quietly supporting a military that used child soldiers while loudly decrying the use of child soldiers . In a September 25 , 2012 , speech before the Clinton Global Initiative , Obama spoke about an issue that he said “ ought to concern every nation . … I ’m talking about the injustice , the outrage , of human traffickingmovement.transportperson.smuggleextract, which must be called by its true name — modern slavery . ” The president added , “ When a little boy is kidnapped , turned into a child soldier , forced to kill or be killed — that ’s slavery . … It is barbaric , and it is evil , and it has no place in a civilized world . ” Applause predictably followed . Three days later , and with much less fanfare , the president issued a CSPA waiver for South Sudan .
They all have human rights implications . ” Ruggie , a respected expert in the field , who was responsible for drawing up the UN guiding principles on business and human rights during 14 years in senior roles at the organisation , said that Fifa ’s human rights responsibilities went beyond those issues related to tournaments . Among others , he mentioned the risks to workers ’ rights in Fifa ’s own supply chain , alleged traffickingmovement.transportperson.naof young players and “ endemic ” discrimination against women in world football . He also called for Fifa to invest more resource in tackling the issue . “ The HQ of Fifa is a surprisingly small entity .
Immunity allows officials living in the UK to allegedly avoid charges over offences such as child pornography and human trafficking Diplomatic officials working in Britain have allegedly used their immunity to avoid prosecution for serious criminal offences including child pornography and human traffickingmovement.transportperson.na, Boris Johnson has told parliament . The foreign secretary published a list of 11 “ serious and significant offences ” allegedly committed by people with diplomatic immunity in the UK in 2015 , as well as an update on minor offences and traffic fines avoided by officials . A Mexican official is accused of taking indecent photographs of a child and threatening the child .
BuzzFeed flags CEN as " often " reporting stuff that is " inaccurate or downright false , " and says that evidence suggests an " alarming proportion ... are based on exaggeration , embellishment , and outright fabrication . " Leidig , who identifies himself in the lawsuit as an award - winning British journalist who is currently the vice chairman of the National Association of Press Agencies , says that he was approached by BuzzFeed reporter Alan White in advance of the article about CEN , which also reported about a Macedonian man who chopped his own penis off after his girlfriend told him it was n’t big enough . White is said to have emailed Leidig , " As I mentioned previously , I understand that you are producing this viral content for sale in order to fund your laudable investigative journalism , such as your report into the issue of child traffickingmovement.transportperson.smuggleextractin Europe , and I am keen to reflect this fact in the article . " In its own article , BuzzFeed describes the genesis of its spotlight on CEN . " After growing suspicious of the weird , wonderful , and exotic stories CEN has made a name for itself with – including a few picked up by BuzzFeed News – we decided to investigate , " it wrote .
Just in Central America , Nicaragua ’s military spending trails far behind its neighbors in the so - called Northern Triangle : Guatemala , El Salvador and Honduras . And the Dominican Republic outspent the rest of the isthmus by nearly $ 100 million in 2015 , according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute . Costa Rica ’s foreign minister , Manuel González , said that tanks and weapons of war were ill - suited to the problems Central America faces : poverty , organized crime , human trafficking and drug traffickingmovement.transportperson.smuggleextract. Instead of weapons , González said the region needs to “ combat poverty with education , healthcare , technology and infrastructure . ”
“ Ratcheting up sanctions pressure demonstrates that there is a cost to violating Security Council resolutions , ” she said in an email . “ However , sanctions alone are not going to change Pyongyang ’s behavior . North Korea has complex illicit traffickingmovement.transportartifact.nanetworks for evading sanctions , and not all countries in the region are adequately enforcing existing measures . ” Advertisement Continue reading the main story The one time the United States did clearly get the North ’s attention was when it cut off bank accounts in Macau that Kim Jong - il , the father of the current leader , used to finance the lifestyle of the North Korean elite .
' The Americans ' wars , the Syrian war , Germany helps pay for all of this stupidity . ' The child protection services are so quick to take children away from their parents . They get paid to do it , and it 's almost like child traffickingmovement.transportperson.smuggleextract.. We were worried it would happen to us . ' And the children are sexualised far too early through clothes and pictures and books . There 's no way to fight against it .
What he would do about them is sometimes less clear . The Wall The centerpiece of Trump 's presidential campaign is the plan to build a wall along the U.S. border with Mexico as a barrier against illegal migration , criminals and narcotics traffickingmovement.transportartifact.smuggleextract. Whatever the ultimate source of the financing , it would almost certainly involve billions of dollars passing through the coffers of the U.S. government , which only Congress has the authority to approve . And there has been no rush by Washington lawmakers to embrace the plan .
And it ’s worth noting that there is no corresponding right for labor unions or environmental groups or humanitarian nongovernmental organizations to issue the same kind of challenges . A more specific objection to the way the TPP has come together involves Malaysia , a linchpin partner in the trade agreement . The Southeast Asian nation is well - known on the world stage as being among the worst actors in terms of human traffickingmovement.transportperson.smuggleextractand slave labor . Rather than use the TPP as the basis to force Malaysia to embark on much - needed reform , the State Department ― which previously ranked the nation as a “ Tier 3 ” violator of human trafficking laws ( a certification that would have prohibited it from being part of the partnership ) ― conveniently reclassified the nation as a mere “ Tier 2 ” violator , thus allowing it to participate . So , the U.S. government withdrew a vital human rights “ stick ” and fed Malaysia a bunch of “ carrots ” it had not earned .
" He was adamant that he had not committed a single crime when building his business empire , " the cable says , and he " argued that outsiders still failed to understand the period of lawlessness that reigned in Ukraine after the collapse of the Soviet Union . " At one point during the meeting , Firtash began to talk about " mistakes he might have made , " the cable says , but was waved off by an accompanying adviser . Mogilevich was once on the FBI ’s top 10 most wanted list , has an Interpol Red Notice out for his arrest , and the FBI says publicly he is " involved in weapons trafficking , contract murders , extortion , drug traffickingmovement.transportartifact.smuggleextract, and prostitution on an international scale . " In a posting on the FBI ’s website , the man who ran the investigation that eventually led to an indictment against Mogilevich said , " What makes him so dangerous is that he operates without borders . " In 2014 , Firtash was charged by the Justice Department with paying $ 18.5 million in bribes in India to expand his business empire .
Friction between the U.S. and Venezuela runs deep . Last March the Obama administration slapped sanctions on several high - ranking members of President Nicolas Maduro 's government . U.S. authorities also arrested and indicted two of Maduro 's family members for drug traffickingmovement.transportartifact.nalate last year . Related : Christine Lagarde : Troubled oil countries keep me up at night The political tension may be weighing on economic ties .
— Comstock airing first ad : Virginia Rep. Barbara Comstock ’s first television ad , a 30-second spot featuring her daughter Caity , begins airing today in Virginia . The ad is backed by a $ 100,000 buy . “ My mother has always been there for our family and brings the same commitment to all the families she represents in Congress , ” Caity says in the ad before listing Comstock ’s accomplishments on Congress on human traffickingmovement.transportperson.na, heroin and other issues . “ People call her hard working … but I just call her , Mom . ” Watch the ad : http://bit.ly/2ce1T9m POLLING DATA — In North Carolina … “ Donald Trump holds a slight lead over Hillary Clinton in North Carolina , according to a new [ Suffolk ] poll released today that also gives incumbent GOP Sen. Richard Burr a modest advantage over Democrat Deborah Ross in the closely watched Senate race .
The documents do not necessarily indicate illegal activity . But shell companies and offshore accounts can be used to mask the origin of financial transactions and ownership . The files include people and companies blacklisted by the U.S. government because of links to drug traffickingmovement.transportartifact.smuggleextractand terrorism , according to the ICIJ . They also suggest that the law firm in Panama , Mossack Fonseca , did not have adequate controls in place . According to the ICIJ , a 2015 internal audit found that the firm knew the identities of the real owners of just 204 of 14,086 companies it had incorporated in Seychelles , an Indian Ocean archipelago often described as a tax haven .
Just in Central America , Nicaragua ’s military spending trails far behind its neighbors in the so - called Northern Triangle : Guatemala , El Salvador and Honduras . And the Dominican Republic outspent the rest of the isthmus by nearly $ 100 million in 2015 , according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute . Costa Rica ’s foreign minister , Manuel González , said that tanks and weapons of war were ill - suited to the problems Central America faces : poverty , organized crime , human traffickingmovement.transportartifact.naand drug trafficking . Instead of weapons , González said the region needs to “ combat poverty with education , healthcare , technology and infrastructure . ”
POWER PLAYERS IN THE NEWS : The Pope kicked off a six - day tour of Mexico by calling on its president to bring justice to a country racked by corruption and gangs . Francis offered an unvarnished assessment of Mexico ’s troubles , including the country ’s “ drug trade , exclusion of different cultures , violence and human traffickingmovement.transportartifact.smuggleextract. ” ( Joshua Partlow and Gabriela Martinez ) In Cuba , Francis met with Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill -- the first time two such leaders have met in centuries . The pair urged the international community to protect persecuted Christians around the globe . ( CNN ) Jim Gilmore ended his presidential campaign Friday night .
WASHINGTON , Oct. 10 ( UPI ) -- President Barack Obama included North Korea on a list of countries that are suspected of human traffickingmovement.transportperson.smuggleextractviolations . The presidential decree was posted to the Federal Register on Monday and follows a July U.S. Treasury decision to name Kim Jong Un a human - rights offender . The blacklisting of North Korea under the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 is mostly symbolic , since the ban would prohibit Washington from providing non - humanitarian , non - trade - related assistance to embargoed countries .
As a result of a sharp decrease in oil revenue , the terrorist group has turned to trade other kinds of contraband , which has even made its way to France , Frederic Encel , professor of International Relations at the Paris School of Business , told the French newspaper Atlantico . “ Under French pressure after the Paris terror attacks in November last year , the Americans and Russians increased their airstrikes on the ' nerve centers ' of the Islamic State ( also known as ISIS ) , that is , the transport routes which take oil to Turkey , ” Encel said . “ As a result , Daesh barbarians , like other criminal regimes , have increased other forms of traffickingmovement.transportartifact.smuggleextract. This includes facilitating the local production of goods : cigarettes , food , cotton , and of course weapons and drugs . ” Encel also said that ISIS terrorists have earned millions of dollars from smuggling goods , some of which has ended up in France .
The U.S. responded to questions and recommendations from 117 countries during a three - and - a - half - hour session in Geneva on Monday morning , with the high level of participation leaving each country just 65 seconds to speak . Among the various concerns raised by U.N. member states was the failure to close the Guantánamo Bay detention facility , the continued use of the death penalty , the need for adequate protections for migrant workers and protection of the rights of indigenous peoples . Member states also called on the U.S. to end child labor , human traffickingmovement.transportperson.smuggleextractand sexual violence against Native American and Alaska Native women and to lift restrictions on the use of foreign aid to provide safe abortion services for rape victims in conflict areas . Pakistan , Russia , China and Turkey were among the most vociferous of the member states , with Russia informing the U.S. that " the human rights situation in the country has seriously deteriorated recently " before presenting seven recommendations to the U.S. delegation . Pakistan Ambassador to the U.N. Zamir Akram told the delegation that Pakistan has " serious concerns about the human rights situation in the U.S. " Akram ’s eight recommendations included calls for the U.S. to use armed drones in line with international norms and to compensate innocent victims of drone strikes with cash .