Donald Trump On David Duke Endorsement: ‘I Disavow, OK?

Source: CBS New York

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork/AP) — Republican presidential hopeful Donald Trump has changed his tune after refusing to disavow an endorsement from David Duke on Sunday, saying he doesn’t know anything about the former Ku Klux Klan leader.

During an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union,” Trump was asked whether he would declare that he didn’t want Duke’s support, or that of other white supremacists in the presidential election.

Trump replied he didn’t “know anything about David Duke.”

“I have to look at the group. I mean, I don’t know what group you’re talking about,” Trump said on CNN. “You wouldn’t want me to condemn a group that I know nothing about. I have to look.”

Read more: http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2016/02/28/trump-disavow-david-duke-endorsement/

Citigroup receives subpoena regarding FIFA probe

Source: Associated Press

NEW YORK (AP) — Citigroup said it has received a subpoena from federal prosecutors over its possible involvement in the FIFA bribery scandal, the first large U.S. bank to receive such a notice from investigators.

Citigroup disclosed the subpoena in a regulatory filing late Friday, saying it is cooperating with investigators in the matter.

In May of last year, the U.S. government brought corruption charges against 14 current and former executives at FIFA, world soccer's governing body, alleging the executives together had taken $150 million in bribes and payoffs. The charges eventually led to the resignation of FIFA's long-time President Sepp Blatter.

When federal prosecutors announced those charges last year, several banks, including HSBC and JPMorgan Chase, were named as entities that corrupt FIFA officials used to transfer cash

Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/4c82956064734249b78

Trump The Hypocrite

Egyptian MP lauded for throwing shoe at controversial lawmaker

Source: Al-Arabiya

An Egyptian parliamentarian has garnered support on social media after throwing his shoe at a famous lawmaker once the latter entered the parliament on Sunday.

Kamal Ahmed made his moves after Tawfik Okasha, who is also a television presenter and owner of the Satellite political-commentary channel Faraeen, hosted an Israeli ambassador for dinner at his home on Wednesday.


Tawfik Okasha receiving the Israeli ambassador at his home. He published the pictures on Twitter.

Local videos showed the aftermath of the incident, as other MPs tried to separate the two from clashing.


Read more: http://english.alarabiya.net/en/variety/2016/02/28/Egyptian-MP-lauded-for-throwing-shoe-at-controversial-lawmaker-.html

Chinese Tycoon Loses 37 Million Web Followers After Faulting Xi

Source: Bloomberg

China’s top Internet regulator closed the social media accounts of an influential retired property developer who criticized President Xi Jinping’s campaign to tighten control over state-run media.
Sites including Sina Corp.’s Weibo and Tencent Holdings Ltd.’s QQ were told to shut down accounts held by Ren Zhiqiang for spreading “illegal information” and having a “negative impact,” according to a statement Sunday by the Cyberspace Administration of China. Ren, the former chairman of Huayuan Property Co., is known for airing outspoken views to his more than 37 million Weibo followers. He didn’t reply to a text message seeking comment.
Ren is a close friend of the Communist Party’s discipline chief Wang Qishan. He told Bloomberg News in an interview last year that the two make frequent phone calls and meet a few times every year. Ren stepped down as chairman of Hua Yuan Property in 2014 and remains chairman of Beijing Huayuan Haoli Investment Co.
The development comes days after Xi toured top media outlets in Beijing and issued orders that they “reflect the will” of the party and “preserve the authority of the party.” The edict represented the latest in a series of Xi moves to centralize power and rein in dissent, including jailing reporters, detaining influential Internet commentators and passing rules to keep party members from criticizing the leadership.



Read more: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-02-28/chinese-tycoon-loses-37-million-web-followers-after-faulting-xi

Cops Just Need to Be Nice

FAIR reports

"Africa’s death highlighted the problems between police and the homeless on Skid Row—which had never abated, despite the story about Officer Joseph. Outrage and protest followed. People wanted changes. No protesters had been calling for just nicer cops in LA—or, for that matter, in Ferguson after Michael Brown’s death, or in New York City after the killing of Eric Garner.
While some protesters had called for body cameras, others had concerns with that approach. Others called for an end to aggressive policing methods, like the “broken windows” theory that holds that cracking down on petty offenses can prevent more serious crimes. Most in the Black Lives Matter movement agreed that, for starters, cops who kill or brutalize unarmed citizens should be fired and punished.
But the police reform conversation, pushed into the national consciousness through mass protests and acts of civil disobedience by everyday people, was steered toward the theme of “community policing” by establishment figures—with the help of the media.
President Barack Obama’s Task Force on 21st Century Policing, co-chaired by a police official and directed by a former cop, serves to “build trust” and “strengthen community policing”—referencing “community policing” 64 times in their report. This year, when a protester crashed a conference of mayors this year demanding that Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel resign for his role in the cover-up of the police shooting death of Laquan McDonald, Emanuel—Obama’s former chief of staff—was at the conference to promote (what else) “community policing.” Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders have each made “community policing” a centerpiece of their proposals for criminal justice reform.

Germany's troubles are bad news for Europe

The great British geographer Halford Mackinder invented the term “geopolitics” over 100 years ago. He painted a grand vision of international relations that revolved around one fear: dominance of what he called the “Heartland” of Eurasia. Mackinder believed the road to dominance ran through Eastern Europe. His ideas have remained influential ever since, for as long as the West has concerned itself about the impact of Eurasia on world affairs. For two decades after the end of the Cold War, the old Warsaw Pact nations rushed to link up with the European Union and NATO. Arguably the chief beneficiary of this push for Europe has been Germany.

Germany became the indispensable actor in Europe, due to its critical role both in the establishment of the eurozone and as the dominant player in the EU’s response to the Global Financial Crisis. Meanwhile, traditional Western players are looking away from Europe. America’s pivot to Asia and the United Kingdom’s upcoming ‘Brexit’ referendum have given Germany something its generals never could: hegemony on the continent.

Read more at
http://www.businessinsider.com/germanys-troubles-are-bad-news-for-europe-2016-2