Canada announces ‘Trudeau Doctrine’ that ignores Trump and strengthens NATO
hmmm
What goes through my my mind when I read the news with my morning coffee. …Or for the Simon's Rockers in the group, this is my response journal.
Muhammad and Afraa Bilan arrived as refugees in Montreal with their daughter Naya, 4, and son Nael, 3, after fleeing from Damascus.
…The couple felt they had to pay homage to the man who helped them escape Syria through his refugee initiative.
So, when she gave birth to their first Canadian[-born] son, Afraa and Muhammad decided to call him after the Canadian prime minister.
Refugees name their newborn baby ‘Justin Trudeau’ and it’s so cute
Betcha there aren’t too many Syrians naming their babies Donald the Cheeto or Maggie Hassan….
Trump told the leaders of Canada and Mexico Wednesday he was not immediately planning to end the North American Free Trade Agreement, a pact which he railed against as a candidate and as recently as last week declared was harmful to US workers.
…During his run for office last year, Trump made his disdain for NAFTA a central component of a populist message designed to engender support among working class Americans. He consistently cast the agreement — which was negotiated by President Bill Clinton, the husband of Trump’s presidential opponent Hillary Clinton — as a raw deal for the middle class.
…Nonpartisan congressional research found in 2015 that NAFTA isn’t responsible for an exodus of jobs south of the border, nor for a big jobs boom in the US. Researchers concluded the deal has had a minor impact on the US economy.
Trump agrees “not to terminate NAFTA at this time”, will negotiate – CNNPolitics.com
hmmmm
The 130,000-year-old remains of a mastodon from a site in California show signs of having been processed by humans, much earlier than scientists had thought hominids were in the Americas.
hmmm
The Cherokee Nation filed suit against CVS, Walmart and others on April 20 declaring an “opioid epidemic of unprecedented proportions’ in Indian country.
…By ignoring red flags and refusing to monitor the supply chain, contributing to what is known as “drug diversion,” the suit alleges that the effects of opioid addiction has had a devastating human toll on the tribe’s citizens and crushing impact on its resources.
Cherokee Nation Sues Walmart, Drug Companies Over Opioids – Indian Country Media Network
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Trump quietly met a pair of former Colombian presidents last weekend at his family-owned Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, thrusting his administration into an ugly power struggle in Latin America that threatens to undermine the country’s controversial peace agreement with rebel leaders.
Trump holds secret meeting with Colombian opposition | Miami Herald
What the???
The US car giant says it will ‘take all legal actions’ to defend its interests.
GM says Venezuelan car plant is seized by government – BBC News
hmmm
Embattled Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced plans Monday to expand the number of civilians involved in armed militias as tensions in the crisis-wracked South American nation continued to rise.
Venezuela’s Maduro seeks to expand armed civilian militias – The Washington Post
hmmmm
Officials said the votes would be recounted after allegations of fraud by the losing candidate.
Ecuador orders partial recount of election votes – BBC News
hmmm
A championship is being played in Mexico to try to revive a 3,000-year-old ball game.
Mexico revives 3,000-year-old ancient ball game – BBC News
cool.
Javier Duarte disappeared in October after he was accused of embezzling millions.
Fugitive Mexican governor Javier Duarte arrested in Guatemala – BBC News
hmmm
His bid to change the constitution and seek a second term triggered deadly riots last month.
Paraguay president backs off re-election bid – BBC News
hmm
The fifth protester in roughly two weeks has died from injuries sustained in clashes with riot police. But demonstrators against President Nicolas Maduro have vowed to continue filling the streets.
PHOTOS: As Anti-Maduro Protests Swell In Venezuela, Death Toll Mounts : The Two-Way : NPR
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Known as Immigration Reform Mega March, people brought signs and waved American flags in what was a peaceful protest
Huge march for immigration attracts thousands in Dallas – CBS News
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The supreme court’s move to assume legislative powers led to days of anti-government protests.
Venezuela: Supreme court backtracks on powers bid – BBC News
hmmm
Colombians made desperate calls from rooftops as landslides moved in to wreck their sleeping town.
Colombian landslide victims’ desperate calls for help – BBC News
Terrible.
Violence broke out amid street protests against a bill allowing the president to run for re-election.
Paraguay congress set on fire amid presidential controversy – BBC News
Whoa!
No-To-Scale Studio has issued a satirical proposal to President Trump, suggesting a radical design for the US-Mexico border: a 1,954-mile-long dining table
: No-To-Scale imagines Donald Trump’s US-Mexico wall as a 1,954-mile-long dinner table
Heh, genius!
The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights is meeting in Washington, D.C., for a regular session covering human rights issues spanning North and South America. The hearings today are scheduled to cover the Trump administration’s attempt to ban immigration from six predominantly Muslim countries, its immigration enforcement and detention policies, and its approval of the Dakota Access Pipeline.
…The U.S. has long been a champion of the work of the commission. While it has no enforcement mechanisms, its mandate is to promote human rights and examine violations in all OAS member states. The IACHR is often the only venue where victims of egregious human rights violations can seek a measure of recourse in the absence of accountability in their own countries.
…The Trump administration’s refusal to engage with an independent human rights body, which has played a historic role in fighting impunity and barbaric military dictatorships in the region, sets a dangerous precedent that mirrors the behavior of authoritarian regimes and will only serve to embolden them. It is a worrying sign that the administration, which has also said it would review future engagement with the U.N. Human Rights Council, is not only launching an assault on human rights at home. Rather it’s upping the ante and weakening the institutions that hold abusive governments accountable.
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The Canadian Judicial Council had recommended Robin Camp’s removal from the bench.
Judge who told complainant to ‘keep your knees together’ resigns – BBC News
hmmm
Staff positions across the U.S. government remain unfilled. This has created a difficult situation for Mexican officials who have sought to resolve a legal issue with the U.S. Department of Commerce.
As of March 1, Trump had filled barely half of the positions for which he is in charge of staffing
Incompetent morons with absolutely zero desire to perform the job they begged and bullied the people of the United States for.
A wall goes up in Argentina and then anti-immigrant rhetoric spreads. Will it change the course of a region bent on tearing down borders?
A Wall Divides Latin America — But Not The One You’re Thinking Of – BuzzFeed News
Sigh…
At least 19 girls found dead and dozens treated for burns after fire erupts in San Jose Pinula home for youth up to 18.
: Guatemala fire: Deadly blaze rips through child centre | News | Al Jazeera
Sigh…..
Border crossers, farm laborers, new arrivals from Mexico: There’s no shortage of stereotypes about people living in the U.S. illegally. But the statistics tell a different story.
How America’s Idea Of Illegal Immigration Doesn’t Always Match Reality : The Two-Way : NPR
hmmm
The US might separate children from their parents if caught illegally crossing the Mexican border.
US ‘may split families that cross border’ – BBC News
Cruel, inhumane, and unnecessary.