Beltway Insider: Trump Talks Turkey; Labour Party Sex Scandal; Egyptian Mosque; North Korea; David Cassidy

President Donald Trump, and First Lady Melania, began the holiday season wishing all Americans a "very happy and blessed Thanksgiving" and continued with a Presidential tradition officially  pardoning two donated turkeys sending them to Virginia Tech's Gobbler's Rest.

According to Gallup, President Trump job approval, over the past week, decreased by two percentage points to 37% of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President and those who disapprove of his effectiveness as President increased one percentage point to 57%.

Trump Talks Turkey and Thanks

President Trump, and First Lady Melania, left Washington for Mar-a-Lago, the Winter White House and continued the week of Thanksgiving traditions: Encouraging the Troops, via videoconferencing, deployed in Kandahar, Afghanistan, and serving an appreciation lunch to the Coast Guard.

With members of each of the five military branches on the line, the Commander-in-Chief praised the continued dedication in the fight against the Islamic State, as each of the branches are necessary in continuing to dismantle and destroy the insidious threat of ISIS.

"Thank you very much for your service. For each of you, I know it's very hard to be away from home at this time of the year. I know I speak on behalf of all Americans when I say that we totally support you. It's an honor to speak with you all and to give God thanks for the blessings of freedom and for the heroes who really have this tremendous courage that you do to defend us and to defend freedom. And thank God for you. Thank God for you," President Trump said.

The Buoyant Economy

The President, of course, couldn't allow a media attended event to pass without talking up the past ten months of his freshman year claiming sole responsibility for a buoyant economy, unemployment at its lowest numbers in seventeen years, and of course the upcoming and expected tax bill.


Beltway Insider: Trump Recaps Asian Trip; Tax Bill; Puerto Rico; Morocco Stampede; UAE MARS City; Keystone Leak; Black Friday


Trump failed to mention he inherited a growing economy and job performances that had seen consecutive gains for nearly 48 months prior to the 2016 election. His belief, as he is quick to point out, that his predecessor wasn't able to do in eight years what he has completed in ten months is a smoke and mirrors game.

His predecessor inherited an economy that included a global economic recession, the worst since the Great Depression of the 1930's, with unemployment in most major cities in the United States at 10% and in California upwards of 12.2%, the worse drought of jobs since 1940, and in 2009, a national unemployment average of 9.7% according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Those numbers are facts, not fabrications, misread, misnomers, embellished, new math or creative accounting. Plain, simple, fact.

His predecessor, along with committed public servants worked to jump start the economy and move to address the global  recession. Aa they had one unified task to move the economy and were forced to perform and act on behalf of their constituents or go home, as the public was quick to remove dead weight and no activity in each of the respective houses. And as the freshman president as indicated the economy is buoyant and job performance is at a seventeen year high.

Struggling with Loyalty

The President is also struggling with personal loyalties as the media has repeatedly and directing asked the  him on his opinions of Republican Senator hopeful Roy Moore, who had denied allegation of sexual assault of a 14 year old girl.

President Trump has directly responded this past week stating, "Well, he denies it. Look, he denies it. I mean, if you look at what is really going on, and you look at all the things that have happened over the last 48 hours, he totally denies it. He says it didn't happen. And, you know, you have to listen to him also. You're talking about, he said 40 years ago this did not happen."

Moore initially denied all allegations than backtracked and denied the sexual assault but didn't deny approaching or dating teenage girls. His beliefs, and a deep alt-right base with ties to neo-confederates and white nationalist group and of course a brand of Christianity that condoms these polarizing opinions.

Pressed by a member of the White House Press Corps, the President stated again, "Well, he denies. I mean, Roy Moore denies it. And, by the way, he gives a total denial. And I do have to say, 40 years is a long time. He's run eight races, and this has never comes up. So 40 years is a long time. The women are Trump voters; most of them are Trump voters. All you can do is, you have to do what you have to do. He totally denies it."

He also indicated he hadn't decided if he would campaign for Roy Moore although he is adamant Davy Jones, the democratic challenger is far worse for the country than an admitted predator.

Labour Party Sex Scandal

The recent domino effect of sexual harassment outings in Hollywood and in both houses of the United States government has jumped the pond with a second apparent suicide in the Labour Party in as many weeks, as the two men were exposed for sexual harassment and misconduct.

"Labour sources said the new inquiry had just begun and had not found that the dead man was guilty of any wrongdoing. One said: "The person was suspended last week for porn-related allegations. An inquiry was in its early stages. No facts had been found nor was there any finding of guilt,"' The Times reported.

Allegations of rape, sexual misconduct, pornography, digital manipulating pornography and fetish tapes and intimidation tactics used to induce fear for personal safety and, of course the typical, career assassination, which is the only leverage most abusers believe they have to control the scandal.  

Two suicides, Mr. Carl Sargeant, a high ranking member of the Welsh government, and the second, a yet to be named member of the support staff team in Victoria headquarters; Also two additional complaints which have been referred to the police as well as victims who understand the climate doesn't afford them the safety to move forward without fear of retaliation.

As victims become unified and build a coalition of support the climate of fear, intimation and revictimization will change and hopefully the culture of secrecy, tolerance, and acceptance will also become a thing of the past.

Egyptian Mosque Attack Leaves 305 Dead, Including 27 Children; Injures 108

The death toll in Friday's Mosque attack stands at 305, including 27 children, in Egypt's deadliest terrorist attack, that began with a suicide bomber and followed with Islamic State fighters storming the demolished building firing upon survivors.

"The United States condemns in the strongest terms today's horrific terrorist attack at a mosque in Egypt's North Sinai province. We offer our condolences to the families of those killed and wounded, and we stand with the people and government of Egypt against terrorism. There can be no tolerance for barbaric groups that claim to act in the name of a faith but attack houses of worship and murder the innocent and defenseless while at prayer," the President said in a released statement.

Egyptian President Abdul Fattah al-Sisi promised his people he would respond to this carnage raining a holy terror down upon the Islamic lead militants and by Friday evening after the attack he delivered. Before nightfall he sent military warplanes raining down cascades of airstrikes pledging "the utmost force."

Media reports at least 25 to 30 armed militants dressed in military uniforms and arriving in SUV's stormed the Mosque after the initial bombing. Survivors are telling media of horrific carnage, of hiding under dead bodies to escape the continued murderous hatred of ISIS who also set up ambush points to stop anyone from escaping. They also fired upon arriving ambulances and first responders.

The attack targeting Egyptian Muslims at a Sufi Mosque, in the northern Sinai Desert, was captured on cameras as one, of possibility two, suicide bomber attempting to enter the building with passing through the mental detectors, and stepping in his image is hidden by the grey frame, he then steps back, and is visible again when the massive explosion is detonated causing a orange-red fireball.

Media outlets have released many images including the scene of the initial blast and many intact bodies who appear to have been shot with visible isolated blood stains appearing on the sheets that could be shrapnel wounds or gunshots.

North Korea Declared Terrorist State

President Trump, who has engaged in a war of words with North Korea's Kim Jong Un, declared, after efforts to pursue a denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula became a priority, the nation as a state sponsor of terrorism.

"Today, the United States is designating North Korea as a state sponsor of terrorism. It should have happened a long time ago. In addition to threatening the world by nuclear devastation, North Korea has repeatedly supported acts of international terrorism, including assassinations on foreign soil," President Trump said.


Otto Warmbier, the UVA Student Imprisoned in North Korea, Dies


During the explanation the President also mentioned Otto Warmbier, the American college student convicted in a sham trial of attempted theft of a propaganda poster from his hotel, and sentenced to fifteen years of hard labor, and the "the countless others so brutally affected by the North Korean oppression."

Warmbier was released earlier this year, after serving two years, in a permanent vegetative state. It is the belief of the physicians who examined him upon his return that he suffered severe neurological injury from an unknown cause.

Tomorrow, the Treasury Department will be announcing an additional sanction, and a very large one, on North Korea. This will be going on over the next two weeks. It will be the highest level of sanctions by the time it's finished over a two-week period.

North Korea's Kim Jong-Un has maintained a fairly steady testing schedule for Intercontinental Ballistic Missiles, (ICBM), and has continued to taunt President Trump over the past ten months since the president has taken office.

With all Asian Pacific nations and more importantly neighbors of North Korean concerned over his obvious and increasingly erratic behavior all, including and importantly China, who is considered a leader in the region and must bear pressure upon Kim Jong Un, and now after the success of the five nation Asian visit President Trump is upping the ante with severe sanctions which the United States Treasury is designated to announce.

"The Treasury Department will be announcing an additional sanction, and a very large one, on North Korea. This will be going on over the next two weeks. It will be the highest level of sanctions by the time it's finished over a two-week period. The North Korean regime must be lawful. It must end its unlawful nuclear and ballistic missile development, and cease all support for international terrorism -- which it is not doing," the President said as he concluded his remarks on North Korea.

David Cassidy, Star of the 1970's Hit The Partridge family, Dies at 67

David Cassidy, a heartthrob for the millions of screaming teenage girls during the 1970's, died this week in a Florida hospital surrounded by friends and family after suffering from organ failure and dementia. He was 67.

After he was cast as Keith Partridge, the eldest son of a single mother, played by real life Step-Mom, Shirley Jones, Cassidy became an instant sensation as the lead singer in a family of talented musicians and singers that also featured Susan Dey, Danny Bonaduce, Suzanne Crough and Brian Forester and Jeremy Gelbwaks with Dave Madden as the ever suffering manager.

A regular on Magazine covers, Cassidy made 27 cover appearances for such notables as Life, Rolling Stone, and TV Guide. He was also featured in a pictorial for Playboy Magazine.

Cassidy worked throughout his career before and after the sitcom which made him a household name. While it seemed he was always searching for that elusive gig, he was an accomplished singer, musician, actor, writer and producer.

He died peacefully surrounded by friends and family. He is survived by two children,  Katie Cassidy, an actress and a son actor Beau Cassidy, half-brothers, Shaun Cassidy, Ryan Cassidy and Patrick Cassidy, and Shirley Jones, his former step-mother.

For more information on President Donald Trump: www.whitehouse.gov

Sources: Whitehouse.gov, Wikipedia.com, 

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