text:
About Amy Siskind
Experts in authoritarianism advise to keep a list of things
subtly changing around you, so you'll remember.
This week Trump's White House refused all requests by House Democrats to interview current or former members of the regime, or to turn over records, including those requested by subpoena. The NYT Editorial Board noted Trump "is effectively declaring lawmakers powerless over him. This, warn the experts, puts the nation in uncharted territory and threatens to erode its democratic foundations." With Congress out of town for a second holiday week, the feeling of Trump's omnipotence was all the more palpable.
This week while the country grappled with the contents of the redacted Mueller report, Trump and his allies invoked a failed "coup" and threatened to investigate the investigator. They also sought to downplay Russian interference and its impact in 2016 — with Jared Kushner dismissing Russian efforts as "some Facebook ads." Alarming reporting indicated Trump is refusing to work to safeguard the 2020 election, nor would his campaign pledge not to take stolen information again, even as FBI director Christopher Wray said Moscow's interference in the past has been a "dress rehearsal" for the 2020 presidential contest.
A Gallup study found a sharp increase in the U.S. from 2017 to 2018 of feelings of stress (from 49% to 55%), worry (40% to 45%), and anger (17% to 22%). All are at a record level since the poll started.
The study also found Americans' stress rate was one of the highest out of the 143 countries studied, beating the global average of 35% by 20 percentage points.
On Sunday, as Trump's team sought to shape the narrative on the Mueller report, Rudy Giuliani said on "State of the Union" that there is "nothing wrong with taking information from Russians."
Giuliani also said former White House counsel Don McGahn was not lying but "hopelessly confused" and "wrong."
Later Sunday, on "Meet the Press," Giuliani said the decision to use information stolen by a foreign adversary "depends on where it came from," and "depends on the stolen material."
On Sunday, House Judiciary Chair Jerrold Nadler told "Meet the Press" that he would call McGahn to testify before his committee.
Nadler also said some of Trump's actions outlined in the Mueller report may warrant impeachment, saying "we may get to that, we may not," adding his committee would "go where the evidence leads us."
On Sunday, House Oversight Chair Elijah Cummings told "Face the Nation" if the House voted to impeach but the Senate did not, "I think history would smile upon us for standing up for the Constitution."
On Sunday, in series of tweets, Trump touted a NYT op-ed, saying, "Do you believe this? The New York Times Op-Ed: MEDIA AND DEMOCRATS OWE TRUMP AN APOLOGY," adding, "Well, they got that one right!"
Trump also tweeted he went through "the worst and most corrupt political Witch Hunt" in U.S. history, adding, "when it was the "other side" that illegally created the diversionary & criminal event and even spied."
Just before attending an Easter service, Trump tweeted, "Despite No Collusion, No Obstruction, The Radical Left Democrats do not want to go on to Legislate," adding, "only to Investigate and waste time."
Trump also tweeted, "How do you impeach a Republican President for a crime that was committed by the Democrats?" adding, "MAKE AMERICA GREAT AGAIN!"
On Sunday, after multiple bomb blasts in Sri Lanka that killed at least 138 people, Trump tweeted that "horrible terrorist attacks" had killed "at least 138 million people." Trump later deleted and tweeted "nearly 140 people."
On Sunday, Daily Beast reported that Russia state media channels broadcasted segments from Fox News host Sean Hannity's show, which bashed "media hysteria" over the Russia investigation.
On Monday, starting in the morning, Esquire reported that Trump tweeted 50 times in a 24 hour period, several of which included clips or quotes from Fox News, and retweets of allies like Rep. Devin Nunes.
On Monday, Trump also retweeted a series of tweets by Tom Fitton, President of conservative Judicial Watch, including a list of names under "COUP UPDATE: Who needs to be investigated."
On Monday, Trump tweeted: "Only high crimes and misdemeanors can lead to impeachment," adding there was "No Collusion, No Obstruction," and "Tables are finally turning on the Witch Hunt!"
Trump also tweeted, "Isn't it amazing that the people who were closest to me…were never even called to testify before Mueller." AP fact checked this to be false, saying many were interviewed, including Trump's family.
On Monday, when asked by reporters during the White House Easter Egg Roll if he was concerned about being impeached, Trump responded, "Not even a little bit."
When asked if he was troubled that staffers did not follow his requests, Trump responded, "nobody disobeys my orders." WAPO counted 15 instances of staffers disobeying Trump in the redacted Mueller report.
On Monday, Rep. Doug Collins, ranking member of the House Judiciary said he had reviewed a less-redacted version of the Mueller report, which he said reinforced "the principal conclusions made public last month."
On Monday, in a call with House members, Speaker Nancy Pelosi said leaders had no immediate plans for impeachment proceedings: "This isn't about Democrats or Republicans. It's about saving our democracy."
Reportedly, several House members pushed back on the leadership in the 90-minute call. Democratic leadership played down impeachment, but did not rule it out completely.
On Tuesday, Speaker Pelosi said in an interview, "Impeachment is one of the most divisive paths that we could go down in our country. But if the path of fact finding takes us there, we have no choice. But we're not there yet."
On Tuesday, in a series of tweets, Trump attacked the media. Trump attacked NYT economist Paul Krugman for his column saying Republicans no longer support American values, calling him "obsessed with hatred."
Trump tweeted, "I wonder if the New York Times will apologize to me a second time," adding, "On this one they will have to get down on their knees & beg for forgiveness" and "they are truly the Enemy of the People!"
Trump then tweeted, "Radical Left Democrats, together with their leaders in the Fake News Media, have gone totally insane!" adding, "the Republican agenda is working. Stay tuned for more!"
Trump sent a fourth tweet at 6:27 a.m., saying "In the 'old days'" a good economy would make a president immune from criticism, but under his "greatest economy in history" to the media, "it means NOTHING."
Trump then attacked "Morning Psycho (Joe), who helped get me elected in 2016 by having me on (free) all the time," saying his ratings had "nosedived," adding, "Angry, Dumb and Sick."
Trump praised "Fox and Friends" calling it "by far the best of the morning political shows on television," and quoted Fox Business host Maria Bartiromo for calling him "The best thing ever to happen to Twitter."
Trump tweeted a reference to Obama having "over 100 M" Twitter followers, adding his should be higher than that if "Twitter wasn't playing their political games," and "no wonder Congress wants to get involved."
Trump concluded the morning Twitter tirade which started at 5:59 a.m. at 7:47 a.m., tweeting his 2020 campaign slogan, "KEEP AMERICA GREAT!"
On Tuesday, WAPO reported Trump met in the Oval Office with Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey. A significant portion of the meeting was spent on Trump complaints that Twitter has limited or removed some of his followers.
WAPO reported that Dorsey also called Rep. Ilhan Omar on Tuesday, and stood by Twitter's decision not to take down Trump's video that led to a flood of death threats to Omar, saying the tweet did not violate its rules.
Motherboard reported that Twitter does not use a proactive, algorithmic solution to white supremacy like it does for ISIS, because the company is concerned it would ensnare and lead to the banning of some Republican politicians.
On Monday, Tom Perez, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, wrote an open letter to RNC chair Ronna Romney McDaniel, asking that the GOP pledge not to use "stolen information" in the 2020 campaigns.
On Tuesday, as several 2020 Democratic presidential candidates committed to the same, the Trump re-election campaign refused to commit to rule out using hacked materials.
On Tuesday, when asked if Trump will accept help from Russia in 2020, White House spokesperson Hogan Gidley said, "I don't understand the question," saying Trump has denounced Russian involvement in 2016.
On Wednesday, when NBC News asked Vice President Mike Pence if he regretted using hacked emails or would pledge not to do so again, he sidestepped the question and said the Mueller report found no collusion.
On Tuesday, Jared Kushner said in an interview at TIME's 100 summit that the idea the Trump campaign colluded with Russia is "nonsense," and all Russia did was buy "some Facebook ads" and "try to sow dissent."
On Wednesday, in an op-ed at Breitbart, Donald Jr. called the Mueller probe an "attempted coup," adding "Russiagate" was "egged on by a wildly irresponsible media" and Democrats as "tax-funded opposition research."
On Tuesday, NBC News reported that shortly after the release of the redacted Mueller probe, a network of more than 5,000 pro-Trump Twitter bots railed against the "Russiagate hoax."
The bots were created last November and December, and had ties to previously pushed messages backing the government of Saudi Arabia. Twitter pulled down the accounts Sunday night, citing "manipulation."
On Wednesday, NYT reported in the months before she resigned, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen was warned by acting chief of staff Mick Mulvaney not to bring up Russian election interference in front of Trump.
Officials said Nielsen had become increasingly concerned about Russia's continued activity during and after the 2018 elections, and was preparing for new and different types of interference in 2020.
Mulvaney said raising Russian interference with Trump would question the legitimacy of his victory. Nielsen eventually gave up on a White House meeting of cabinet secretaries to coordinate a strategy to protect 2020.
Nielsen instead pulled together her own meetings of cabinet secretaries and agency heads two times. She fumed when 45% of the cyberdefense workforce was furloughed during the government shutdown.
On Wednesday, Facebook announced it expects to be fined between $3 to 5 billion by the Federal Trade Commission for privacy violations — by far the biggest fine yet by the agency.
Facebook was accused of not protecting user data from being harvested without their consent by Cambridge Analytica, and also suffering a data breach which exposed personal information of 50 million users.
On Thursday, Politico reported the FBI will meet with Sen. Rick Scott and Gov. Ron DeSantis to discuss the agency's suspicion that Russians hacked at least one county in Florida during the 2016 election.
Gov. DeSantis said at a press conference, "They won't tell us which county it was, are you kidding me?" When former Sen. Bill Nelson raised the issue of hacking during the 2018 election, Sen. Scott called it "irresponsible."
On Friday, FBI director Christopher Wray addressed the Council on Foreign Relations, saying of Russia's efforts to undermine American democracy "It's pretty much a 365-days-a-year threat."
Wray also Russian efforts include, "fake news, propaganda, false personas, et cetera, to spin us up, pit us against each other, sow divisiveness and discord, and undermine Americans' faith in democracy."
Wray said Russian efforts were "at full speed" during the 2018 midterm elections, and warned Russia keeps "upping their game," and "2018 was just a dress rehearsal for 2020."
On Wednesday, Trump tweeted that the Mueller report, "despite being written by Angry Democrats and Trump Haters, and with unlimited money….($35,000,000)," found "I DID NOTHING WRONG."
Trump tweeted if Democrats tried to impeach him he would "first head to the U.S. Supreme Court," claiming there are no "'High Crimes and Misdemeanors,' there are no Crimes by me at all."
On Wednesday, Politico reported Trump has so far tweeted about the Mueller probe more than 50 times since the redacted version was released last Thursday.
In addition to tweets, Trump has made inflammatory statements about witnesses — both exposing him to further charges of witness intimidation, obstruction of justice, and impeding a congressional investigation.
Trump also tweeted, "I didn't call Bob Costa of the Washington Post, he called me (Returned his call)! Just more Fake News," in response to a tweet from Costa Tuesday saying, "Trump called me this evening."
On Monday, Trump issued a memo saying, based on a recent Homeland Security report, visa overstay rates are "unacceptably high" and a "widespread problem," and instructed federal agencies to consider action.
Trump gave the State Department four months to recommend sanctions against countries allowing overstays — focusing on rates, not the number of overstays. Of the 20 with the highest overstay rates, 13 are in Africa.
Customs and Border Protection announced a new holding facility in El Paso will be operational by May 1. CBP awarded the contract to build the facility to Deployed Resources LLC in a program to limit competition.
On Tuesday, CBS News reported Larry Hopkins, the head of the United Constitutional Patriots, told the FBI that his militia group was training to assassinate former president Obama, Hillary Clinton, and George Soros.
The militia group was stationed at the U.S.-Mexico border where, according to their videos, they have captured and detained about 5,600 migrants who illegally entered the country in the past 60 days.
On Tuesday, Union Pacific Police told the United Constitutional Patriots they would have to leave their campsite in Sunland Park, New Mexico by Friday, saying it is on private land. The group was there since February.
On Tuesday, acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan said the regime's family separation policy, while it did deter behavior, resulted in "losing public trust," adding " family separation is not on the table."
However, CNN reported according to a senior White House official, talk of reinstating family separation is in discussion at the highest levels, with Stephen Miller driving those discussions.
On Thursday, CBS News reported DHS is exploring five cities for new locations to set up permanent shelters for unaccompanied minor children, as the agency prepares for an expected increase in apprehensions.
On Friday, WAPO reported the Pentagon is preparing to loosen long-standing rules that prohibit military troops from interacting with migrants entering the U.S. as part of Trump's operation along the Southern border.
DHS has requested the Pentagon to provide 300 troops to work as lawyers, cooks, and drivers to assist with handling a surge of migrants along the border. This would be the second waiver of the policy under Trump.
Experts worry using military lawyers with little or no experience with immigration cases could slow down proceedings. The case backlog is 850,000 cases now, up from more than 630,000 when Trump took office.
On Tuesday, in a handwritten letter filed in the Southern District of New York, Cesar Sayor, who pleaded guilty to mailing explosive devices, said attending a rally for Trump "became like a new found drug."
On Tuesday, at a town hall in Iowa, Rep. Steve King compared his experience with being censured in the House with the suffering of Jesus, saying, "I have a better insight into what he went through."
On Tuesday, the Supreme Court heard arguments on Trump's Census citizenship question. The five conservative judges seemed poised to allow the regime to add the question. The decision will be announced in June.
Adding the question could have broad effects: an estimated 6.5 million people might not be counted, reducing Democrats' representation and funding when Congressional districts are allocated in 2021.
On Tuesday, a report by the Census Bureau found Hispanic turnout surged from 27% in the 2014 midterms to 40% in 2018, the largest increase of any group. Latino voters supported Democrats by wide margins.
On Wednesday, the Florida House passed legislation requiring people to pay criminal fines and fees before they can vote. In the 2018 midterms, Florida had voted to repeal the state's lifelong voting ban for felony convictions.
On Tuesday, Andy McKean, Iowa's longest-serving Republican lawmaker, announced he is switching to become a Democrat, citing Trump as "a poor example for the nation and particularly for our children."
On Tuesday, an Oregon judge granted a preliminary injunction blocking new federal restrictions by the Trump regime which bar taxpayer-funded family planning clinics from referring patients to abortion providers.
On Thursday, a Washington state judge also temporarily blocked the Trump regime from implementing a ban on abortion referrals at federally funded family planning clinics.
On Wednesday, John Ducey, mayor of Brick Township in New Jersey apologized for telling people complaining about parks and beaches being "invaded" and "ruined" by "Hasidic and Orthodox Jews" to call the police.
On Friday, BuzzFeed reported Trump's Mar-a-Lago received 58 applications from U.S. workers from 2014 to mid 2018, but hired just one, instead bringing in more than 375 low-wage workers on short-term visas.
On Saturday, HuffPost reported that the military is investigating four more servicemen for possible ties to the white nationalist group Identity Evropa, raising the total under investigation to 11.
On Monday, Trump said he would not nominate his "friend" Herman Cain for a seat on the Federal Reserve Board, tweeting Cain, "a truly wonderful man, has asked me not to nominate him."
On Monday, CNN reported on a number of interviews with and columns by Stephen Moore from 2000–2003, in which he expressed extremely sexist views of women in sports. Moore said his statements were "a spoof."
On Tuesday, Moore invoked Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on a conservative radio show: "They're pulling a Kavanaugh against me." On Wednesday, he said he would bow out if he becomes a liability.
On Tuesday, Trump reversed course on attacking Harley-Davidson after the company reported a 27% drop in first quarter profits in part due to his tariffs, vowing in a tweet, "So unfair to U.S. We will Reciprocate!"
On Tuesday, as Trump planned his next visit to the United Kingdom for June, a group of MPs called on British Prime Minister Theresa May and the government to rescind the invitation for a full state visit.
On Wednesday the day after accepting an invitation for a state visit from Queen Elizabeth II, Trump tweeted a baseless accusation that the U.K. helped Obama spy on his 2016 campaign.
Trump cited a claim by Larry Johnson, a former CIA analyst and blogger, who has made past false allegations. U.S. and British intelligence vehemently denied the claim when it first surfaced two years ago.
On Tuesday, NBC News reported that the Interior Department's Office of Inspector General has opened investigations of six Trump senior department appointees over possible ethical misconduct.
The complaint outlined how, despite a Trump executive order requiring employees to recuse themselves, the six continued to discuss policy matters with organizations that had employed them in the past.
On Thursday, Interior Department Secretary David Bernhardt told the WSJ that the regime has indefinitely sidelined its plans to dramatically expand offshore drilling after a ruling by a federal judge in Alaska.
On Monday, the Trump Organization sued House Oversight Chair Cummings and Mazars USA, seeking a court order to block the House subpoena for eight years of Trump's financial statements.
On Monday, the White House told Carl Kline, who formerly oversaw security clearances and now works in the Defense Department, not to comply with a subpoena from House Democrats to be interviewed.
On Tuesday, Rep. Cummings said in a letter that the White House and Kline "now stand in open defiance of a duly authorized congressional subpoena" and he will consult "about scheduling a vote on contempt."
On Monday, the House Judiciary Committee subpoenaed McGahn to testify on May 21 and requested documents related to several incidents detailed in Mueller's redacted report be delivered by May 7.
On Tuesday, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin said in a letter to House Ways and Means Committee Chair Richard Neal that he would miss the April 23 deadline for providing Trump's tax returns.
Mnuchin questioned the legitimacy of the request, while Trump's attorney called it a politically motivated fishing expedition. Mnuchin said he would make a final decision by May 6.
On Tuesday, in an interview with WAPO, Trump said he is opposed to White House aides testifying in Congress, saying it was unnecessary since the White House had already cooperated in the Mueller probe.
Trump said the White House Counsel's Office has not "made a final, final decision" about asserting executive privilege, but he opposes cooperating with House Democrats, saying, "I don't want people testifying to a party."
On Tuesday, WAPO reported Trump's White House plans to fight the House Judiciary subpoena to have McGahn testify. McGahn was mentioned more than 150 times in the redacted Mueller report.
McGahn's lawyer, William Burck, started discussions about testimony with the House Judiciary Committee. A friend of McGahn said, "He's not eager to testify. He's not reluctant," but will cooperate with a subpoena.
On Wednesday, the DOJ said deputy assistant Attorney General John Gore will not comply with a House Oversight Committee subpoena to testify about the Trump regime's addition of a citizen question to the Census.
Chairman Cummings said Gore and the DOJ had not claimed "any legally valid privilege," and could be held in contempt, and Gore's behavior was part of a "massive, unprecedented, and growing pattern of obstruction."
On Wednesday, WAPO reported in a letter to Rep. Cummings, counsel Pat Cipollone said the White House will not allow Stephen Miller to testify before the Oversight Committee on the regime's immigration policies.
Cipollone offered to make "cabinet secretaries and other agency leaders" available instead. Democrats are concerned that although Miller has not been confirmed by the Senate, he is effectively in charge of immigration.
On Wednesday, NYT reported the Mueller report also revealed Trump fixated on wanting former AG Jeff Sessions to target a political rival, Hillary Clinton, in ways not seen since Nixon's presidency.
The Mueller report revealed three times that Trump pressured Sessions, including calling him at home in the middle of the night in 2017 to order him to reverse his recusal and order the prosecution of Hillary.
There is no evidence Sessions acted on Trump's orders to reopen the FBI case, and it is not known what effect Trump's orders will have on House Democrats' decision to move forward on impeachment.
On Wednesday, Giuliani warned on "Fox & Friends" that Hillary committed obstruction of justice during the investigation into her private email server, adding the days of "you cannot indict a Clinton" are over.
On Thursday, Trump tweeted, it has been "incorrectly reported by the Fake News Media," saying, "I never told then White House Counsel Don McGahn to fire Robert Mueller, even though I had the legal right to do so."
Trump also tweeted, "If I wanted to fire Mueller, I didn't need McGahn to do it, I could have done it myself," adding that he let the "illegal investigation (there was no crime), headed by a Trump hater" continue.
On Thursday, Burck pushed back on Trump calling McGahn a liar, saying in a statement that McGahn's conversations with Trump had been "accurately described" in Mueller's report.
On Thursday, when asked about the House subpoenaing McGahn, Trump told reporters "We're fighting all the subpoenas. Look, these aren't like impartial people. The Democrats are trying to win 2020."
On Thursday, WAPO reported Trump's attacks on McGahn are driven by his growing belief that Democrats will use McGahn's testimony as a cornerstone of possible impeachment against him.
Reporting also indicated that Trump is the one driving the standoff with Congress. Trump is watching television, and urging everyone around him, from Giuliani to Cipollone to take a hard line.
On Thursday, Politico reported Trump allies are urging him to stop talking and tweeting about Mueller, calling his continued attacks "a complete and utter disaster" which will generate more negative news cycles.
On Thursday, NBC News reported that as part of its counterintelligence mission, the FBI is continuing to investigate Russian attempts to influence the Trump regime before and after the 2016 election.
The FBI will assess the national security damage caused by senior members of the Trump campaign and transition team meeting with a sophisticated foreign adversary. Democrats have demanded to be briefed.
On Thursday, the LA Times Editorial Board noted Trump has declared himself immune from congressional oversight, adding we will soon find ourselves in a constitutional crisis like when Nixon resisted subpoenas for tapes.
On Thursday, Trump called in to Fox New host Sean Hannity's show. The two spoke in a rambling interview which lasted for 45 minutes.
Trump called the FBI probe into his 2016 campaign and the subsequent Mueller probe "a coup," adding, "This was an attempted overthrow of the United States government."
Trump said called the investigation "the greatest political scandal in the history of our country. Again, bigger than Watergate. Because it means so much this was a coup….This was an attempted coup."
Trump said Mueller went "hog wild to find something…which obviously wasn't there," calling the investigation a "one-sided witch hunt" by "angry Democrats" who are "very serious Trump haters."
Trump said the report found "No collusion and also no obstruction," adding "the statement was made and the attorney general, you know, understood it very well…and made a decision right on the spot."
Trump said the report did not "mention Strzok and Page and McCabe and Comey and the lies and the leaks and overthrow and the whole thing with the Hillary Clinton got a win 100 million to 1, two lovers, two sick lovers."
Trump also threatened to declassify the FISA court applications related to the investigation of Russia's meddling, saying, "Everything is going to be declassified and more, much more…It will all be declassified."
Trump told Hannity, "I watch you and Tucker and I watch Laura and your great guys in the morning with Steve and Ainsley and Brian. Brian came a long way. I kid him but he came a long way, and so many other people."
On Thursday, Abigail Slater, one of Trump's top tech advisers, resigned to take a job at Fox Corp. as a senior vice president for policy and strategy.
On Thursday, deputy attorney general Rod Rosenstein fired back at critics of his handling of the Mueller report in a speech at the Armenian Bar Association, likely one of his last speeches as a senior DOJ official.
Rosenstein said the information disclosed in the Mueller report "is only the tip of the iceberg of a comprehensive Russian strategy to influence elections, promote social discord, and undermine America."
Rosenstein defended his handling of the Mueller probe and report, saying, "It is not our job to render conclusive factual findings. We just decide whether it is appropriate to file criminal charges."
Rosenstein called out the Obama administration for not going public on Russian interference and "how they relate to a broader strategy to undermine America," and the FBI and Congress for leaks about the case.
Rosenstein critiqued Congress, politics, and the media, saying "There is not Republican justice and Democrat justice. There is only justice and injustice," and referred to Trump in a positive manner.
Rosenstein attacked the media, "Some of the nonsense that passes for breaking news today would not be worth the paper it was printed on," and defended his deadpan facial expression standing behind Barr last week.
On Friday, WAPO reported on Rosenstein's efforts to protect Mueller while keeping his job. Rosenstein repeatedly assured Trump he would be treated fairly, that he was not a "target," and that he was on Trump's team.
After the NYT reporting that he had suggested wearing a wiretap, Rosenstein got teary-eyed ahead of the meeting with then chief of staff John Kelly saying, "I give the investigation credibility. I can land the plane."
Rosenstein, whose status in the White House had been fluid, reportedly begged Kelly, "I can go. I'm ready to go. I can resign. But I don't want to go out with a tweet," citing his long career at the DOJ and his reputation.
On Friday, in the evening, White House counsel Pat Cipollone wrote in a letter to the ranking Republican on the House Oversight Committee that Kline is available to testify May 1, but the scope "will be limited."
On Friday, a new ABC News/Washington Post poll found 31% believe Trump is telling the truth about the Mueller investigation, 58% do not. On obstruction, 47% believe Trump obstructed justice, 41% do not.
Nonetheless, support for impeachment was at just 37%, a new low, with 56% opposing it. Democrats support impeachment by 62%, while independents were at 36% and Republicans at 10%.
On whether Russia undermined the legitimacy of the 2016 election, 42% said yes and 49% said no. On whether foreign interference threatens the legitimacy of the 2020 election, 53% said yes and 37% said no.
The poll also found a large gender gap in Trump's approval: with overall approve/disapprove at 39%/54%, with men approving by +1 (47%/46%) and women disapproving by -30 (32%/62%).
Trump's average approval rating of 38% through this point in the term is the lowest of any president in the poll. The other 12 presidents range from the second lowest, Ford, at 47%, to Kennedy at 73%.
On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea leader Kim Jong Un held their first summit. Putin said he will brief the U.S. and China, raising his profile in the stalemate over N. Korean denuclearization.
On Thursday, WAPO reported the U.S. envoy sent to pick up Otto Warmbier in 2017 was given a $2 million bill for care of the comatose student. The envoy was instructed by Trump to sign an agreement to pay.
CNN reported that the Trump regime did not pay the $2 million bill, and that North Korea did not raise the issue as it sought to ease tensions with the U.S. in 2018.
On Friday, Trump tweeted the quote, ""President Donald Trump is the greatest hostage negotiator that I know of in the history of the United States."" It was unclear who the quote was attributed to, if anyone.
Trump also tweeted more of the supposed quote, ""20 hostages, many in impossible circumstances, have been released in last two years. No money was paid,"" and added, "Cheif [sic] Hostage Negotiator, USA!"
On Friday, a Gallup poll found 20% of Russians — a record — would like to move to another country, including 44% of those aged 15 to 29, with dislike for Putin being correlated to wanting to leave.
On Friday, speaking to reporters before leaving the White House, Trump said "I never told Don McGahn to fire Mueller. If I wanted to fire Mueller, I would have done it myself. It's very simple. I had the right to."
Trump said "in the history of our country, there has never been a President that's been more transparent than me or the Trump administration," adding, "I let White House Counsel McGahn testify. I let everybody testify."
Trump defended his "very fine people on both sides" comment on Charlottesville in response to a Joe Biden campaign video, saying, "If you look at what I said, you will see that that question was answered perfectly."
Trump told reporters, "I was talking about people that went because they felt very strongly about the monument to Robert E. Lee, a great general," adding, "Whether you like it or not, he was one of the great generals."
On Friday, the National champion University of Virginia men's basketball team declined Trump's invitation to visit the White House, just hours after Trump's statements on Charlottesville, where the school campus is located.
On Friday, Trump spoke at the National Rifle Association convention, railing against the Mueller probe, the "corrupt" news media, and the "bad apples" at the Justice Department.
Trump said the highest level of the government "tried for a coup, didn't work out so well," adding, "Didn't need a gun for that one, did I?"
Trump said Democrats are "obsessed with hoaxes, delusions and witch hunts," instead of infrastructure and trade deals, and renewed his pledge to repeal the Affordable Care Act
Trump also announced the U.S. will withdraw from a United Nations arms treaty signed in 2013 which regulates conventional weapons including small arms, battle tanks, combat aircraft and warships.
Experts warned the withdrawal signals the U.S. is once again walking away from America's leadership role. Trump said, "we will never surrender American sovereignty to anyone," while the crowd chanted "USA! USA!"
Shortly after Trump's speech, WSJ reported Wayne LaPierre, the NRA's CEO, said in a letter to the board sent Thursday that he is being extorted and pressured to resign by the organization's president, Oliver North.
North also sent a letter to the board later Thursday saying his actions were for the good of the NRA, and that he was forming a crisis committee to examine financial matters. On Saturday, North involuntarily resigned.
Campaign Legal Center Action, a gun safety group, sued the Federal Election Commission for failing to act on its complaints that the NRA improperly coordinated political spending with Trump and others.
Any significant FEC investigation requires four commissioners to vote to approve the move. Under Trump, the six-member body has two vacancies, and partisan gridlock has halted actions.
On Friday, the NYT Editorial Board said Trump is showing a new level of contempt, writing that, unlike his predecessors who invoked privilege in certain cases, Trump vows to "not cooperate with any congressional inquiry."
The Times Board added, "He is effectively declaring lawmakers powerless over him. This, warn the experts, puts the nation in uncharted territory and threatens to erode its democratic foundations."
On Wednesday, WSJ reported on a March 25 phone call with Michael Cohen taped by actor and Trump critic, Tom Arnold. Cohen, who begins a three-year prison sentence on May 6, said he remained "a man all alone."
Cohen walked back part of his guilty plea, saying "there is no tax evasion," and said of charges and losing everything, "All for what? Because Trump, you know, had an affair with a porn star? That's really what this is about."
On Wednesday, CNN reported that Deutsche Bank began the process of turning over Trump's financial records to New York Attorney General Letitia James in response to a subpoena.
On Thursday, a federal judge said Christopher Hasson, the Coast Guard officer who had been indicted on weapons and drug charges and accused of a terror attack plot, will be released from detention awaiting trial.
On Friday, Rep. Maxine Waters, one of his Democratic targets, said in a statement: "There is no credible justification" for the judge allowing someone "clearly dangerous and unrepentant" to "walk free."
On Friday, Russian Maria Butina was given the maximum sentence of 18 months in prison for failing to register as a foreign agent and for conspiring to infiltrate Republican political circles for the Kremlin.
After the hearing, a lawyer for Butina said he "disagreed strongly" with the sentence and said the case was marked by "complete and utter Russophobia." Butina will be deported to Russia after her sentence.
Volodymyr Zelenskiy, a comedian who plays a president on television, won the Ukraine presidential election by a landslide. Zelenskiy, who has never held public office, said he would fight corruption in the political system.
On Friday, a spokesperson for the Council of Chief State School Officers, said Trump is not expected to attend this years National Teacher of the Year award ceremony.
On Take Your Kids to Work Day, press secretary Sarah Sanders spent 28 minutes taking questions from children. WAPO calculated that so far in 2019, Sanders has spent 82 minutes briefing the White House press.
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce said it will disentangle its brand from the GOP for the first time in 40 years, citing the party's move to protectionism, nativism, and isolationism under Trump.
On Saturday, Trump tweeted: "Congratulations to Nick Bosa on being picked number two in the NFL Draft." Nick is white. The number one draft pick Kyler Murray is a black man and was not mentioned by Trump.
Trump tweeted to Bosa, who is playing for San Francisco 49ers, "always stay true to yourself." Bosa has had to apologize and delete past tweets about Colin Kaepernick, including one where he called him a "clown."
The AG in the Polish province of Jaroslaw opened a criminal investigation into an anti-Semitic activity over the Easter holiday which involved an effigy of a stereotypical Jew being hanged, beaten, and set on fire.
On Saturday, the NYT issued an apology for using a cartoon in its international edition showing the Israeli prime minister as a weiner dog with Star of David dog collar leading around Trump wearing a skullcap.
On Saturday, one died and three were injured during a shooting at a Passover celebration at Chabad of Poway synagogue in San Diego, exactly six months after the shooting in Pittsburgh.
Police detained a white male, 19, for questioning. Leaving for a rally, Trump called the attack a "hate crime" and "hard to believe," adding, "My deepest sympathies to all of those affected."
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Russian President Vladimir Putin greets North Korean Leader Kim Jong-un during their meeting on April 25, 2019 in Vladivostok, Russia. Reports have indicated that Pyongyang's nuclear program will be at the top of the list of issues to discuss as the meeting between both leaders came soon after a failed summit between Kim and Trump in Hanoi, which ended without an agreement made.
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The "new normal" of American politics is not normal. The Weekly List reminds us of that. On a weekly basis, the List tracks specific news stories representing eroding norms under the current regime. Taken together, they reveal a nation pushed towards authoritarianism, the wielding of unchecked governmental authority by one person or group at the expense of the freedom of those who oppose them.
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Kickboxing, as the name suggests is a combination of punching and kicking movements and it originates from a combination of karate, Muay Thai, Taekwondo and Western boxing. This practice has been glamorized since many celebrities have taken it up as a body workouts but it has many other advantages too which are discussed below.
This exercise helps you in getting into a perfect shape and it is possible only then when all your fat deposits are lost and replaced by the lean muscle mass. This practice includes all muscle groups of the body, especially the arms, shoulders, core and legs. The punching and blocking movements of the arms, back and shoulders conditioned the concerned muscles and the same happens in case of legs during kicking activity. The torso and core are taken care by rotating and bending motions of the body.
The result of toning and conditioning of the muscles also reflects on the cardiovascular systems with a rise in heart rate, increased oxygen intake rate, air holding capacity of the lungs, etc. The improved blood circulation increases the nutrition absorption rate and thus boosts the metabolism in the body. This will keep you energized throughout the day.
This exercise is developed in such a way that you can learn it at your own pace and skill level. Gradually, you will see the increase in your stamina, concentration, reflexes and energy levels. Since this is a high impact exercise,therefore you are suggested to perform it on three alternate days of the week, followed by a rest day so that your body gets time to repair the damaged tissues.
When you are using a kickboxing as a workout then you will not learn the practical applications of it, but you will learn the basics of the self-defense. If you apply the punching and kicking movements on a target or sandbag, then you can also learn some self defense techniques as well because these props will help you in assessing the distance and intensity of the punch or kick on the target.
When you achieve the physical and mental fitness then the confidence level automatically goes up. Your increased focus and concentration will help you in doing your job more efficiently means the boss will be happy and chances of promotion become brighter.
The modern life is full of frustration and stress which leaves a negative impact on your behavior. These factors make you short-tempered, irritated, distracted and even depressed. This workout is the best solution to vent out your negative emotions and increase the release of endorphins or happy hormones. It also helps with anger management issues and the endorphins relieve the pain or any kind of depression from the body.
This exercise is ideal for your tight schedule because it only requires three hours out of 168 hours available in the whole week time. The best part is you can burn around 750 calories in an hour means you can lose extra weight without compromising on your working time. But you must be disciplined enough to practice it regularly as per the workout plan.


Of course, when I say unlikely, I only mean compared with what us land faring folks know about what types of animals can be used for reliable transport. Clearly, when it comes to getting from place to place in the ocean, we've been missing out.
While most of you will probably know what a hammerhead shark is, if you're not up on your prehistoric marine life, you'll be just as in the dark on the tylosaur as I was. More commonly known as tylosaurus, this animal was a predatory marine lizard that averaged 40 feet in length, which probably used its long snout to ram and stun its prey, and also for combat. So, you know, it was dangerous.
One of the coolest aspects of getting a look a these shots from Aquaman is seeing how these animals will be outfitted in the film. Not ones to be content with just throwing a saddle on a hammerhead shark or a tylosaur, each creature is clearly wearing some armor. With Vulko's hammerhead (Hammy? I think I'll call him Hammy.) being the most obviously outfitted in protective plating which covers almost its entire top half, and Orm's tylosaur (obviously named Ty) appearing to, at least, be wearing gear along its snout and upper back.
Vulko might appear totally calm in his photo, but considering how much armor Hammy is wearing, I'm going to guess he might be about to do battle, or at least be doing a training run so that he and Hammy are fully prepared for any upcoming conflicts. Orm, meanwhile, seems to be about ready to launch himself off of Ty, trident in hand, pissed and ready to engage whomever he believes has wronged him.
Part of what's finally been revealed about the plot of Aquaman is that Orm, who is Arthur Curry's half brother and has been ruling in his absence, will be eager to start a war with the surface world over the pollution of the oceans, while Arthur will be interested in trying to keep the peace and finding a non-combat solution. So, it makes complete sense that both images show battle ready beasts and a clearly angry Orm.
We'll all be able to feast our eager eyes on just how these scenes are used in Aquaman when the film opens on December 14.


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John J. Tammaro Jr. (September 22, 1925 – February 25, 2001) was an American Thoroughbred racehorse trainer.

Early life and riding career
Born in Baltimore, Maryland into a horse racing family, John Tammaro was still a young boy when his father died from injuries suffered in a racing accident at Belmont Park. His grandfather trained horses in Maryland, and as a teenager John Tammaro embarked on a career as a jockey. Between 1942 and 1956, he rode more than 1,000 winners at tracks in Maryland, West Virginia, and New Jersey but constant weight problems eventually forced him to give up riding and turn to training.

Training career
John Tammaro along with King T. Leatherbury, Richard E. Dutrow, Sr. and Hall of Fame inductee Bud Delp became known as Maryland racing's "Big Four". They dominated racing in that state during the 1960s and '70s and helped modernize flat racing training. Tammaro also became one of the leading trainers at tracks elsewhere in the United States and Canada including Pimlico Race Course, Delaware Park, Monmouth Park, Calder Race Course, Gulfstream Park and Woodbine Racetrack.

In 1976 John Tammaro became the head trainer for Kinghaven Farms in King City, Ontario. He trained five Canadian Champions for Kinghaven, including the 1979 Queen's Plate winner Steady Growth and Deputy Minister, who was the 1981 U.S. Champion 2-Yr-Old Colt and Canadian Horse of the Year. As a result of his success with their horses, Kinghaven Farms was No.1 on the 1982 Canadian owners' list and earned that year's Sovereign Award for Outstanding Owner.

Kinghaven Farms had winter facilities in Ocala, Florida and when Tammaro left their employ in 1985, the then sixty-year-old went to live and work in the Miami area. Immediately successful, through nine straight race meets he finished either first or second in the training standings at the three area racetracks. In his career, Tammaro won more than 40 stakes races and in 1998 trained Aly's Alley to a second-place finish in the 1998 Breeders' Cup Juvenile. His success in Florida led to his induction into the Calder Race Course Hall of Fame in 1999.

Death
On February 25, 2001, John Tammaro followed his usual routine. Early in the morning he left his residence in Pembroke Pines, Florida and drove the ten miles (16 km) to Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach to oversee his horses' morning workouts. After leaving the stable area around 10 a.m. he went missing and a search by police and family found no trace him. More than two months later on April 9, underwater divers doing maintenance for the South Florida Water Management District found Tammaro inside his Mercedes-Benz 420 at the bottom of the C-9 canal in Miramar, Florida, a waterway that runs from the Atlantic Ocean into the Everglades. The Broward County, Florida Medical Examiner's Office ruled his death was an accident.

Two of John Tammaro Jr.'s sons have followed in his footsteps. Son, Michael Tammaro also trained at Woodbine Racetrack where he won the 1986 Queen's Plate with Golden Choice. Son, John J. Tammaro III is also a successful trainer and nephew, Dean Sarvis is a jockey.

References
 John Tammaro, Jr. biography at the NTRA
 Calder Racecourse Hall of Fame
 Bloodhorse.com report on John Tammaro, Jr.'s death

Note: -  the United States Social Security Death Index records his death date as April 9, the date his body was discovered.

1925 births
2001 deaths
American racehorse trainers
Sportspeople from Baltimore
Deaths by drowning in the United States
Road incident deaths in Florida

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaWikipedia


Here is our list of space policy events for the week of January 30 – February 3, 2017 and any insight we can offer about them. The House and Senate are in session this week.
Tuesday is NASA's official Day of Remembrance, honoring the crews of Apollo 1, space shuttle Challenger, space shuttle Columbia and other astronauts who lost their lives in connection with spaceflight. Some events have already taken place, including two at Kennedy Space Center last week to specially honor the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 1 fire that killed Virgil "Gus" Grissom, Ed White, and Roger Chaffee on January 27, 1967. Nineteen years and a day later, on January 28, 1986, Challenger's 7-person crew died 73 seconds after launch when an O-ring on a solid rocket booster failed. Seventeen years and four days after that, on February 1, 2003, Columbia's 7-person crew died during their descent to Earth after a 16-day mission when superheated gases entered a hole in Columbia's wing punctured by a piece of foam that fell from the shuttle's External Tank during launch. NASA has a special Day of Remembrance webpage honoring all of them. Acting NASA Administrator Robert Lightfoot will lay a wreath at Arlington National Cemetery on Tuesday and other events will take place at various NASA centers around the country.
In Congress this week, a new version of the NASA Transition Authorization Act is being readied for potential consideration by the Senate. The Senate passed a 2016 bill in the closing days of the 114th Congress, unfortunately after the House already had completed its legislative business so the bill did not clear Congress. Members and staff have kept working on it and a 2017 version with some modifications is being circulated. According to a draft we've seen, there are three especially interesting changes. One clarifies that the primary consideration for the acquisition strategy for the commercial crew program is to carry U.S. astronauts to and from the International Space Station (ISS) "safely, reliably, and affordably." Another directs NASA to report to Congress on how the Orion spacecraft can fulfill the provision in the 2010 NASA Authorization Act that it be able to serve as a backup to commercial crew, including with use of a launch vehicle other than the Space Launch System. The third is a finding that NASA has not demonstrated to Congress that the cost of the Asteroid Redirect Mission is commensurate with its benefits, a stronger statement than what was in the 2016 bill. Discussions are still ongoing, apparently, about potential language regarding best practices for using Space Act Agreements. The course of legislation is rarely smooth, so there's no guarantee the bill will be introduced and considered this week, but we hear that's the plan.
Also on the Senate side, a vote is scheduled for Tuesday at 12:20 pm ET on the nomination of Elaine Chao to be Secretary of Transportation. A vote on Wilbur Ross's nomination to be Secretary of Commerce has not been formally scheduled, but is expected this week.
Subject to a rule being granted, the House will take up a completely different piece of legislation this week. A still unnumbered House Joint Resolution (H. J. Res.) would disapprove of a final rule issued by DOD, NASA and the General Services Administration (GSA) on August 25, 2016 that went into effect on October 25, 2016 to implement Executive Order 13673 regarding Fair Pay and Safe Workplaces. The resolution is posted on the House Rules Committee's website and states that Congress disapproves of 81 Fed. Reg. 58562 to improve contractor compliance with labor laws. The House Rules Committee will take it up on Tuesday. Assuming the rule is granted, the House is scheduled to vote on it on Thursday.
Off the Hill, the American Physical Society is holding its "April Meeting" in January. It began yesterday and runs through January 31. Of particular note is a presentation by the Russian Ambassador to the United States, Sergei Kislyak, on Tuesday. He will talk about "Science and Technology Cooperation as an Effective Bridge for Strengthening Relations Between Russia and the US." The conference is not focused on space and Kislyak's talk may be quite broad about S&T cooperation, but it would be surprising if the ISS doesn't get mentioned.
Way, way, way off the Hill — in Vienna, Austria — the Science and Technology Subcommittee of the United Nations Committee on Peaceful Uses of Outer Space (UNCOPUOS) holds its annual two-week meeting beginning tomorrow.


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Y Expands Healthy Living Through Partnerships and Capital Projects
By MDOTTAVIO June 09, 2014
In response to changing health care trends, the Y of Central Florida is expanding its hospital partnerships and facilities to deliver community-based health and wellness services in innovative new ways.
In recent months, Florida Hospital, Orlando Health, Munroe Regional Medical Center and the West Orange Healthcare District have forged new or deeper partnerships with the Y – all rooted in a common commitment to prevention and combating chronic disease.
"With chronic disease affecting half of all Americans ─ and sending medical costs through the roof ─ health care organizations are seeking new solutions for stemming the tide," said John Cardone, YMCA Senior Vice President of Health Strategies & Business Development. "As a longtime leader in Healthy Living and prevention, the Y is a perfect partner for providing the personalized, one-on-one support people need to embrace healthier lifestyles."
To accommodate growing demand for health screenings, diabetes prevention, fitness classes, nutritional counseling, clinical rehabilitation and other services, capital projects are underway at four of the Y's 27 family centers ─ with more to follow.
In February, construction began on a $7 million expansion to the Frank DeLuca YMCA in Marion County, where rates of chronic disease are among the highest in Florida.
To reverse that, Munroe Regional Medical Center ─ along with Ocala business leader Frank DeLuca ─ have teamed up with the Y to provide onsite, clinically based health and wellness programs. Once complete, the new facility will have the capacity to serve 40,000 people per year ─ and make a real and lasting impact in the community.
Another major expansion is about to begin at the Dr. P. Phillips YMCA, which will transform it into one of the most innovative, prevention-based Ys in the nation.
Thanks to the generosity of Dr. Phillips Charities, the n ew facility will offer a state-of-the-art wellness floor; expanded health and wellness offerings; clinical services; and a greater focus on diet and nutrition, in part, through a new healthy eating café and teaching kitchen.
Capital projects are also underway at the YMCA Aquatic Center; Blanchard Park; and Peggy and Philip B. Crosby family centers thanks to a new partnership with Florida Hospital's Healthy 100 Kids Weight & Wellness Program.
By making medical, nutrition and lifestyle resources accessible through the Y, Florida Hospital expects to link an additional 1,500 families with the support they need to make healthier choices. That's in addition to the 10,000 lives already touched each year through the Y's longstanding partnership with Florida Hospital.
In May, Orlando Health announced an expansion of its 13-year partnership with the Y, making it the exclusive provider of health and wellness programs at the Dr. P. Phillips, Roper, J. Douglas Williams, Wayne Densch and South Orlando YMCA Family Centers.
Depending on community needs, programs may include educational workshops, sports medicine, or direct medical and rehabilitative services, similar to those Orlando Health has been providing at the Dr. Phillips Y for many years.
In February, the Roper YMCA Family in Winter Garden received a first-of-its kind grant from the West Orange Healthcare District to expand its health and wellness offerings for West Orange residents. Arranged, in part, though longtime Y advocate and philanthropist Barbara Roper, the grant is funding capital improvements and programs offered in collaboration with Health Central Hospital.
"Joining forces with such incredible health care partners is a win-win for all," Cardone said. "By leveraging our combined resources, expertise and passion, we can truly move the needle on diabetes, obesity, heart disease and so many other preventable conditions. And that creates healthier families and communities today and for generations to come."
Category: Community Impact

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


Musical Advisor: M. Clément Morin, P.S.S.
Sources: "Codex Calixtinus", Biblioteca de la Catedral de Santiago de Compostela.
McGill Records Natural SoundTM CDs are recorded using special microphone techniques developed by researchers in the Graduate Program in Sound Recording at McGill University's Faculty of Music. These techniques encode spatial information from the sound field directly into Dolby Surround TM signals without the electronic encoder and ensure the highest possible audio fidelity without phase shifts, band-limiting, added noise and distortion.
The stereo reproduction of this recording results in an impression of natural and spacious sound quality. Reproduction with Dolby SurroundTM and compatible surround sound systems provides an spatial image, superior spatial definition and clarity of sound.
This recording is fully stereo and mono compatible.
Recording Stereo and Mono Compatible.
In the present recording we have attempted to reconstruct the Mass which mid-twelfth century pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela might have heard had they entered the magnificent Romanesque basilica dedicated to St. James the Elder, apostle of Christ and patron saint of Galicia, the province in which Santiago was located. Together with the pious faithful from many lands they would have gathered on July 25th, the feast day of St. James, to praise in word and song that disciple who, according to tradition, had brought the Gospel to the Iberian peninsula, fulfilling Christ's commission to preach the Word to the "ends of the earth" (Acts 1:8). Santiago lies on the northwesternmost tip of the Iberian peninsula, further west than both England and France, and for a medieval pilgrim, truly the western "end" of the known world.
The Mass provides a narrative of the life and death of James and draws upon both Scriptural and Patristic sources to authenticate the cult, for which the medieval pious had journeyed no far. There are frequent references to Christ calling James and John, his brother to be his disciples: these citations derive from Matthew 4:21-22 and Mark 3:17. The Epistle, which due to time constraints cannot be given in its entirety here, narrates the martyrdom of James at the hands of King Herod Agrippa I in A.D. 44 in Jerusalem as recounted In Acts 12: 1-23. James is beheaded by Herod, and thereby gains entry into eternal glory, but Herod dies a miserable death al the hands of an angel of the Lord, eaten by worms and full of putrefaction. A number of items in the Mass allude to James' presence in the Transfiguration (Matthew 17:1-8 and Luke 9: 28-36), a reference which showed the especially high esteem in which Christ held James, because James was but one of three disciples, in addition to John and Peter, who witnesse that event. Church Fathers who attested the validity of James as apostle of Galicia, are also cited: Clemens of Alexandria, Eusebius of Cesarea, Fulbert of Chartres, St. Fortunatus, and Pope Calixitus II (papacy 1130-1143) are quoted and acknowledged in person in the medieval source which transmits the Mass.
The Mass of St. James provides a rare insight into the many styles used in the composition of twelfth-century Iberian services from the simplest reciting tones (in the Gospel) in which one note us sung to a syllable, to some of the most elaborate virtuosistic two-part polyphony conceivable (in the Gradual and Alleluia) in which as many as one hundred and twenty notes are given to one syllable. There is even one three-voiced composition in the present Mass, the famous "Congaudeant catholici". known as the first piece of the notated three-part music in Western Europe, and as stunning today as it must have been to the twelfth-century ears. It was not to find a counterpart until the three- and four-voiced compositions of Perotin at Notre Dame of Paris at the end of the century. The Mass exhibits a wealth of forms: rondo, da capo, refrain, double versicle, strophic, through-composed, as well as combinations of these types. Text styles range from Scriptural prose to the later versus, a metrical, rhymed verse form that contrasts vividly with the prose texts, exemplified in the Sequence, as well as many textual and musical additions called tropes. The St. James Mass might as well be termed a study in the art of the trope for it is in these additions to the orthodox ritual that medieval composers were to create their most remarkable achievements, to tall prey, alas, to the reformist zeal of the Council of Trent in the sixteenth century, if indeed they had not fallen out of use prior to that date. These interpolations are distinguished in performance by their soloistic presentation, with the traditional texts being sung, invariably, by the chorus in monophony. Polyphony, which in medieval times was sung soloistically, that is, one person per part, is provides for four items, Kyrie, Gradual, Alleluia, and Benedicamus; these sections add a particular festive flair to the service. The rubrics specify antiphonal performance of the choir in the Prologue; we have also included this style in the Sequence following traditional practice. Although the majority of composers of the Mass are anonymous, the source manuscript contains a number of attributions to identifiable twelfth-century persons, most of whom were holders of ecclesiastic office: Hatto, bishop of Troyes (1123-1145), Goslenus, bishop of Soisson (1126-1152), Magister Albertus, archbishop of Bourges (1137-1141), Fulbert, bishop of Chartres (c.960-1028), and the ostensible composer of our Benedicamus, Albertus of Paris (1147-73).
The services for the feasts of St. James, including the present Mass, are contained in a remarkable manuscript now housed in the library of the basilica in Santiago, and which I was kindly allowed to consult in preparation for the present recording. The source is the liber sancti Iacobi, otherwise known as the "Codex Calixtinus" in honour of Pope Calixtus II, who undeniably played a major role in the theological justification of the cult of St. James. In honour of Calixtus we have chosen as cover art the initial "C" which shows him writing out the manuscript. The codex was compiled around the year 1140 by a group of French and Italian clerics who entered their names at the end of the document. The cathedral itself was nearing completion at that time, with the spectacular west portal to be added later, and the purpose of the manuscript was apparently to give final historical, theological, and liturgical justification to the cult of St. James. The work is a collection of five separate books — liturgical services, a description of St. James miracles, the Translation and Election of James, a twelfth-century pilgrim's guide to Santiago (a sort of medieval Baedeker), and a chronicle of Charlemagne's expedition to Hispania. the liturgical part presents some one hundred services in honour of the patron saint, most of which would have been celebrated during the main feasts days, July 25th to August 1st, but also at those feasts in December, January, and October which had particular relevance to St. James' life and works. Our present recording contains only one of these services! The Latin version of the test follows exactly the source manuscript in respect to spelling, punctuation, and foliation. Rubrics contained in the codex are given here in italics. Additional information not supplied in the manuscript but necessary in the reconstruction appears in parentheses. Troped lines are italicized.
We have placed our singers in their presumed twelfth-century locations and have attempted to include the liturgical motion which was so much a part of the 'presentation' of the medieval Mass. In a number of instances, the rubrics in our source give us specific advice, and other information was taken from Joseph Jungmann's The Mass of the Roman Rite. Our Prologue was sung antiphonally as noted in the codex and in procession from back to front. The Introit proper was sung with the choir on the left hand side of the church in the transept, with the cantor soloist situated on the right. Epistle and Gospel were presented from the right and left sides, respectively, and the central axis was reserved for the priest. Our Sequence was performed antiphonally according to medieval traditions: the Coductus follows the rubrics —a "boy processing between two cantors" from the right to the left-hand side and thus introduces the Gospel recitation.
For voice ranges we have chosen a choir consisting of four tenors and three baritones. Since the required range for the chorus is just two notes shy of two octaves, it was necessary to include an ensemble with both registers. Our cantors are natural, male tenors, which one presumes was the medieval choice: those sources note the desire for a "round, clear, lively, and manly" (virili) sound from the singers which would seem to preclude the use of countertenors. The manuscript gives a notated range of two octaves plus two notes for the soloists, the highest portions occurring in the Gradual. The scribe uses a rare "g" clef here and asks for a c and octave above middle c. We do not know of any international medieval pitch standard, of course, so we have transposed that item down a third, using modern a'=440.
We have used a non-metrical style of performance throughout the Mass and resisted the urge, even in those versus section which might have suggested it, to confine the music into a duple- or tiple-meter straight jacket. Much have been written on the subject of the polyphony of Santiago and its possible influence in later Notre Dame 'school' of Paris with its metricalized clausolae, but it seems unlikely that the music from Compostela exerted any influence on that later repertoire. Notationally, liturgically, and stylistically these sources are quite far apart. The two sections in which a metrical version is unavoidable, the Gloria trope, and the framing portions of the Epistle, however, are performed in an easy-going duple meter.
In regard to pronunciation we have assumed that the vernacular in medieval Europe presumable influenced the sounds of the ecclesiastical Latin, but doubt remains as to precisely what inflections were used. In Santiago, a dialect known as "Gallego", a blend of Galician and Portugese was spoken. This dialect contained idiosyncratic sound which, however, have not yet been fully understood. Mr. Arnold Desrochers, a graduate student in Hispanic Studies at McGill University has suggested that the Latin qui and qua were pronounced ki and ka respectively. Also probable is a hard g before a, o and u, as well as a softer g before i and e. The r was probably pronounced flat or slightly flipped.
We have restricted the participation of instruments to the use of bells to give initial pitches, being guided by the precise descriptions of the liturgies given in our source codex. Aside from recounting the use of instruments from various countries in the vigil of the saint, none were specified for use during the main services. We are indebted to Prof. Bryan Gilligham of The Institute of Mediaeval Music in Ottawa for his kind permission in allowing us to use the Latin and English texts of the Mass in this present recording.


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Home » Featured voices » Labour's Kate Green calls for Government to set out a plan to support the 130,000 students who will be sitting exams in colleges in January 2021
Labour's Kate Green calls for Government to set out a plan to support the 130,000 students who will be sitting exams in colleges in January 2021
Labour Newsroom	December 15, 2020
@KateGreenSU – Stop neglecting vocational and technical qualifications
Labour is warning the government to stop neglecting vocational and technical qualifications and set out a plan to support the 130,000 students who will be sitting exams in colleges next month.
In January, colleges will oversee the largest exam sitting to go ahead during the pandemic. Secretary of State for Education Gavin Williamson, setting out a plan to make adaptations for summer GCSE and A-level exams, said: "we will be sharing the advance notice about what exactly the measures will entail with schools and colleges at the end of January."
However, this will do nothing for the 130,000 students sitting exams in January who have faced significant disruption to their learning, including missing teaching when having to isolate and changes to practical teaching to ensure lessons are Covid secure. Kate Green MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Education, said that faced with these challenges it is "unforgivable" that the government has set out no support for students facing exams in a few weeks' time.
Colleges also face significant additional costs from Covid-related exam adaptations, such as additional rooms to enable social distancing, more invigilators and extra supervision before and after exams to manage student entry and exit. However, the government's plan for exams set out on 3 December, included no support for colleges to ensure these exams can go ahead safely.
To ensure vocational and technical exams are safe and fair for students this year, Labour is calling on the government to engage with colleges and set out a clear plan to make exams fair, addressing the different levels of learning students have lost, and to review the financial support available to colleges.
Kate Green MP, Shadow Secretary of State for Education, said:
"It is unforgiveable that the government has put no support in place for BTEC students sitting exams in a few short weeks.
"Colleges have experienced a decade of neglect under this government which cannot continue.
"The government must urgently set out what adaptions will be made to ensure the exams are fair for students whose learning has been severely disrupted."
David Hughes, Chief Executive of the Association of Colleges (AoC) said:
"January will see the biggest set of exams since the onset of COVID-19 and we know that students have worked hard to be ready, even though many will have had their learning disrupted this term. These exams are also much more complex than academic exams, given the nature of technical and vocational education and training.
"Colleges have worked incredibly hard to keep learning and training happening, whilst keeping students and staff safe but we are particularly worried about those students who have lost learning time. More needs to be done to ensure that they are not disadvantaged, with contingencies and allowances wherever possible and required. This exam season will be a testing time for colleges too – the additional costs and logistical burdens on them will be great. It is important for them to be supported to allow these exams to happen safely."
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Top Featured Voices This Week


We are excited to introduce the ability to do more tasks directly from the Calendar View.
Lesson Actions- You Now can quickly perform several actions, such as inserting a new lesson or canceling a lesson, directly from the Calendar by clicking the Lesson Action settings button.
Holidays- A black tile will indicate a school closing, making it stand out among your lesson plans. When there won't be a lesson held on a given day, such as assembly or early dismissal, you can choose "No lesson today" and the color will match that of your Class planbook.
Placeholders- Whether you are viewing one planbook or all planbooks, It will be easy to see where a lesson needs to be added and quickly start planning that lesson from the calendar.
Create your own Planbook Plus quizzes or take home exams for your students.


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Active volcano. Marian Tudorica
The government of the Democratic Republic of Congo ordered the evacuation of the eastern city of Goma on Saturday evening, after the strong and sudden eruption of the nearby Nyiragongo volcano. The eruption caused panic in the city of about 2 million people. Thousands of people fled in panic, many on foot, with mattresses and other belongings. The volcano, located 10 km from Goma, last erupted in 2002, killing 250 people and leaving 120,000 homeless.
An official from Virunga National Park, where the volcano is located, said Saturday's eruption was similar to 2002 and that everyone near the airport should leave immediately.
Earlier, Communications Minister Patrick Muyay said on Twitter that the government was discussing urgent measures after the prime minister convened an emergency meeting in the capital Kinshasa.
People were advised to stay calm, but some complained about the lack of information from the authorities amid conflicting accounts circulating on social networks.
Mount Nyiragongo is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. There were concerns that its work had not been properly monitored by the Goma Volcano Observatory, as the World Bank had reduced funding for allegations of corruption.
In a May 10 report, the observer warned that seismic activity at Nyiragongo had increased.
Last year, the director of the observatory said there was an increased risk of a strong eruption in the coming years. However, he warned that an earthquake could trigger a disaster earlier.
The most devastating eruption of the volcano occurred in 1977, when more than 600 people died.
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Active Congo Volcano
The active volcano caused a lot of damage.
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The EuroSciCon will be holding its CPD accredited for Pediatrics 2017 conference focus on Advancements & Future of Pediatrics from November 13-14 2017 in London,UK. The theme of this year's meeting is "Novel developments and methodologies for the renovation of child wellbeing" which will provide an international platform for discussion of present and future challenges in Pediatrics, Pediatrics education, continuing education and expertise meeting. World-leading health practitioners, clinicians, educators and researchers will present cutting-edge and practical clinical techniques based upon widely accepted evidence and will introduce new and emerging research.
Pediatrics 2017 includes international attendee workshops, lectures and symposia, including a designated registration area, a refreshment break and gala lunch. Paediatricians can join the EuroSciCon as an international member to receive discounts on registration. So come and join leading experts and allied professionals from November 13-14 2017 in London, UK to keep up with the rapidly accelerating pace of change that is already having an impact on the field of Pediatrics and will continue to in the future.
London is the capital and most populous city of England and the United Kingdom. Standing on the River Thames in the south east of the island of Great Britain, London has been a major settlement for two millennia. Since at least the 19th century, "London" has also referred to the metropolis around this core, historically split between Middlesex, Essex, Surrey, Kent, and Hertfordshire, which today largely makes up Greater London, governed by the Mayor of London and the London Assembly. London is the world's leading investment destination, hosting more international retailers and ultra-high-net-worth individuals than any other city. London's universities form the largest concentration of higher education institutes in Europe, and a 2014 report placed it first in the world university rankings. London has a diverse range of people and cultures, and more than 300 languages are spoken in the region. It's estimated mid-2015 municipal population was 8,673,713, the largest of any city in the European Union, and accounting for 12.5 per cent of the UK population. London's urban area is the second most populous in the EU, after Paris, with 9,787,426 inhabitants at the 2011 census.
Pediatric Cardiology invites unique compositions concerning all parts of coronary illness in babies, kids, and youths, including embryology and life systems, physiology and pharmacology, natural chemistry, pathology, hereditary qualities, radiology, clinical angles, investigative cardiology, electrophysiology and echocardiography, and cardiovascular surgery. A large portion of the pediatric heart deformities, for example, patent Ductus Arteriosus intrusion, vascular ring division, pericardial window, stomach appeasement, thoracic pipe ligation, ligation of insurance vessels have been repaired utilizing pediatric interventional cardiology.
The heart basic care unit is staffed by a multidisciplinary group of medicinal services suppliers who work cooperatively to give fantastic care to this fundamentally sick patient populace. The group incorporates a going to cardiologist, a pneumonic basic care intensive's, a going to doctor spend significant time in heart disappointment and a cardiovascular individual in-preparing. The Pediatrics Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) takes care of individuals who are truly sick with heart or lung issues. The accompanying underneath themes will be talk about under this session.
Pediatric emergency medicine is a restorative subspecialty of both pediatrics and emergency medicine. It includes the care of undifferentiated, unscheduled kids with intense ailments or wounds that require quick therapeutic consideration. While not more often than not giving long haul or proceeding with care, pediatric emergency specialists embrace the essential examinations and intercessions to analyze patients in the intense stage, to liaise with doctors from different specialties, and to revive and settle kids who are truly sick or harmed. Pediatric emergency doctors for the most part practice in healing center emergency offices.
Pediatric endocrinologists are typically the critical pros consolidated into the remedial idea of newborn child youths and children with intersex issue. The solid point also regulates hypoglycemia and unmistakable indications of hypo and hyperglycemia in youth, varieties of adolescence, moreover other adrenal, thyroid, and pituitary issues.
Pediatric Gastrointestinal issue nowadays in kids extending from minor to life undermining, and intense or unending. This days we can see Pediatric Neonatal Jaundice is turning into the most widely recognized perilous conditions which is turning into the obligatory penniless of demonstrating the Pediatric medicinal. Consideration towards new conceived children and babies. These Pediatric Gastrointestinal sustenance sensitivities in youngsters.
Pediatric hematology is the branch of pediatrics managing study, finding, treatment and anticipation distinctive sorts of blood issue including the investigation of draining and thickening issue in kids. It is imperative that one ought to be comfortable with the instructive and preventive measures so as to anticipate kids being influenced with blood issue.
Pediatric irresistible infections are the maladies which will impact at time of youth. A portion of the pediatric irresistible illnesses incorporate bone diseases, skin contaminations, joint diseases, blood diseases. The significant reasons for pediatric irresistible maladies are the parasitic disease, bacterial contamination and viral contaminations.
The Pediatric Nephrology bargains in practicing of diagnosing and dealing with the wide assortment of intense and interminable kidney and its serious issue in kids. Pediatric nephrology required in assessment and treatment of different sorts of Pediatric nephrological different clutters in kids. The different that are included are nephrolithiasis, renal tubular acidosis haematuria, glomerulonephritis proteinuria, and kidney disappointment.
Pediatric oncology is a quality teaches in medication worried with diagnosing and treating kids, generally speaking up to the age of 18, with harm. Sorts of Pediatric Oncology fuse Pediatric Hematology Oncology, Pediatric Leukemia, Neuroblastoma in Children, Brain Tumor in Children, Clinical Trials, Advances in Pediatric Oncology Treatment, Oncology Nursing and Care, Advanced Pediatric Oncology Drugs, Pediatric Radiation Oncology, Pediatric Oncology Diagnostic, Radiotherapy Oncology, Pediatric Neuro-oncology.
Pediatric pulmonology is a restorative claim to fame those arrangements with analysis and treatment of maladies including respiratory tract. Pediatric pulmonology is a mix of both pulmonology and pediatrics. Pediatric pulmonologists are extraordinarily prepared in aspiratory pediatric maladies and states of the trunk, especially pneumonia, asthma, tuberculosis, confounded trunk diseases, and so on.
Pediatric Rheumatology disease affects the joints, muscles and connective tissues of Child, infant and Adolescent. Many rheumatic diseases are chronic conditions. Some, like osteoarthritis, are the result of wear and tear. Others, such as rheumatoid arthritis, are immune system problems. Common Rheumatic disorders are Lyme disease, Systemic lupus Erythematosus, Behcet's Disease, Polymyalgia Rheumatica, Rheumatic fever. Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease that can involve the heart, joints, skin, and brain. They are unlikely to go away. There may not be a cure for our condition, but effective management is available for most. Many people with rheumatic disease lead happy, satisfying lives year after year.
Pediatric Ophthalmology is an entrancing field, yet can be disappointment for some occupants since kids are difficult to examine. It additionally concentrates on highlighted issues which influence the pediatric vision, for example, pediatric uveitis, hereditary eye ailment, formative abnormities and that's only the tip of the iceberg. Amblyopia is an eye issue which develops in children can likewise be available in grown-ups.
Pediatric surgery can be demurely isolated into sub classifications, known as, pediatric surgical oncology, pediatric cardiothoracic surgery, pediatric neurosurgery, pediatric urological surgery, pediatric hepatological surgery, pediatric orthopedic surgery, pediatric vascular surgery and pediatric oncological surgery, pediatric cardiothoracic surgery.
Urology is the exploration of illnesses inside the genitourinary arrangement of guys and females. Anatomically it incorporates infections in the upper urinary tract like the kidneys and ureters, the lower urinary bladder and urethra, and the male internal and external privates like the prostate, gonads and the epididymis. Urological disarranges represent around 33% of every single surgical admission to clinics.


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'Toy Story 4' Introduces New Character In First Official Teaser
Camille Santos
Fans of the beloved Toy Story franchise better be ready for another chaotic yet fun adventure with Woody, Buzz Lightyear and the gang because there's a new spork toy in the mix! The first teaser trailer to Toy Story 4 introduces a new character, Forky.
The minute-long preview shows the gang (formerly known as Andy's Toys) dancing in a circle in slow motion. "I don't belong here!" shouts Forky, a spork who was probably given a makeover as a toy by new owner Bonnie.
Toy Story 4 is set to hit theaters on June 2019! But in the meantime, check out the first trailer below.
Courtesy: Disney•Pixar
Not much else was revealed about the film's plot, but the official synopsis reads: "Woody has always been confident about his place in the world and that his priority is taking care of his kid, whether that's Andy or Bonnie. But when Bonnie adds a reluctant new toy called 'Forky' to her room, a road trip adventure alongside old and new friends will show Woody how big the world can be for a toy."


Climate change lengthens summer months and makes them hotter and more humid. During these episodes, it's more likely that people will suffer heat-related illness like heat stroke or dehydration. People most at risk include those who works outdoors, student athletes, pregnant women, and people without access to air conditioning.
A few days before the country observes the National Disaster Consciousness Month in July, the University of the Philippines relaunched its Resilience Institute (UP-RI), showcasing the integration of Project National Operational Assessment of Hazards (NOAH) as its flagship program.
This entry was posted on 26/06/2017 by Jelenko Dragisic in Uncategorized and tagged diaster resilience, health harmed by climate change, Project NOAH, Resilient Institute.


Hospital administrators want Medicaid money. Drs. want Medicaid money. Patients who otherwise are going to be charged more as the medical system engages in cost shifting to finance the treatment of the uninsured would want the Medicaid money if they understood the process. And yet it does not happen. And it is starting to look as though this will have a material effect not just on the functioning and salaries in the healthcare sector, but on state economies at the macroeconomic level as well as Medicaid money that hospitals and doctors don't earn and don't spend does not employ others in their states from auto dealers to waiters.
Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data released last Friday show that employment in Missouri's Healthcare and Social Assistance industry is growing at less than half the rate of the average growth in peer states that have expanded Medicaid.
The Healthcare and Social Assistance industry in Missouri is the state's largest employing sector, providing jobs to 1 in 6 workers in the private sector and paying an average wage of just over $41,300 in 2013. Hospitals, which account for just fewer than 125,000 jobs, paid an average wage of $51,280 in the same year.
The Healthcare and Social Assistance industry in Missouri, which includes hospitals, ambulatory health care, nursing homes, and social services, employed 383,400 in May 2014, up 3,600 jobs or 0.9% from a year ago (BLS Current Employment Statistics - CES). While this is a positive trend, it is considerably smaller than typical year-over-year (YOY) gains in recent times. In 2011 and 2012 this industry averaged 1.9% annual growth (January YOY, CES). Ten peer states similar to Missouri in overall employment size were analyzed to determine how Missouri's employment growth in the Healthcare and Social Assistance industry compared to that of other states. Five of the states studied had expanded Medicaid by June 2013, including Washington, Minnesota, Maryland, Arizona, and Colorado. Five of the states studied had not expanded Medicaid by June 2013, including Missouri, Indiana, Tennessee, Louisiana, and Alabama.
Over the first five months of 2014 compared to the same period in 2013, the states that expanded Medicaid had increases Healthcare and Social Assistance employment that averaged 2.1%, whereas the peer states that had not expanded Medicaid by June 2013 averaged a growth rate of 0.7%. Missouri's Healthcare and Social Assistance industry employment growth was at 1.0%, which was less than half the 2.1% average growth experienced by peer states that expanded Medicaid. It is too early to know the direct causes of this slowdown in Healthcare and Social Assistance employment growth in Missouri, but given past trends, the analysis of similar states, and this industry's large footprint, it is a matter of concern.
Earlier this year, the Missouri Hospital Association (MHA) surveyed hospitals to determine how cuts in Medicare and Medicaid were impacting workforce hiring practices, among other topics. 41 hospitals and an outpatient service had recently announced layoffs of 998 workers and 49 hospitals were implementing a hiring freeze involving 2,145 employees. Based on an economic impact analysis of this survey data using the Regional Economic Models, Inc. (REMI) Policy Insight model, we estimate that the direct loss of approximately 3,145 hospital jobs due to layoffs and hiring freezes could impact an additional 2,001 jobs in the state due to indirect effects to companies that support hospitals and businesses that rely on worker spending. These jobs supported nearly $260 million in wages and $395 million in Gross State Product.