How The Ruling Class Might Elect Bloomberg and Realign American Politics Angelo Codevilla

https://amgreatness.com/2020/02/18/how-the-ruling-class-might-elect-bloomberg-and-realign-american-politics/

The Democratic Party’s establishment might well succeed in making Michael Bloomberg president of the United States—not on Election Night 2020, however. But it could happen if a third party were to win some electoral votes and, with no candidate receiving a majority of them, the House of Representatives was called upon to choose between the top-two electoral vote-getters.

Today’s civil war within the Democratic Party makes it possible that two candidates will come from it: Bernie Sanders for the Woke Left, and Bloomberg for the establishment. In that case, enough establishment Republicans in the House might join their establishment Democratic colleagues to defeat Trump. This would realign U.S. politics: a consolidated, single, left-trending establishment party would rule, opposed by the extreme Left as well as by the Right.

Here is how it might come about.

Today, the Democratic Party establishment is realizing that, in its present condition, it cannot win the 2020 presidential election and is likely to lose Congress as well. That is why it is scrambling to grab onto Michael Bloomberg, who is scrambling to adapt himself to the Democratic Party’s unpresentable wokeness. But integrating Bloomberg into today’s Democratic Party won’t work.

Homeland Security to Change International Student Visa Rule to Reduce Overstay

https://www.theepochtimes.com/homeland-security-to-change-international-student-visa-rule-to-reduce-overstay_3241876.html

A new visa rule from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) expected to be published this February would make it more difficult for international students to stay in the country after finishing their degree.

The DHS currently practices a rule known as “duration of status,” which means that international students can stay in the United States indefinitely as long as they maintain their status as students and do not violate the terms of their visa. This rule makes it possible for students to transfer to another school to work towards a higher degree or take an extra year to pursue a double major. Effectively, the length of their stay in the country is determined by how long they needed to finish their academic programs, rather than their visa expiration date.

In a proposed new guideline, however, the DHS says it is going to establish a fixed “maximum period of authorized stay” for student visa holders and requires them to apply for new permission every time there is a change in their academic plans, such as a transition from an undergraduate to a graduate-level program. Consent will also be needed if students need a longer time than expected to finish their degree.

The new rule to replace existing “duration of status” does not say how long exactly the maximum period of stay for student visa holders would be. It does mention, however, that there would be “options for extensions” for each relevant visa category.

“The failure to provide certain categories of nonimmigrants with specific dates for their authorized periods of stay can cause confusion over how long they may lawfully remain in the United States and has complicated the efforts to reduce overstay rates for nonimmigrant students,” a DHS statement justifying the new rule reads. “The clarity created by date-certain admissions will help reduce the overstay rate.”

UK Court: Sharia Marriages Not Valid Under English Law by Soeren Kern

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/15623/britain-sharia-marriages

“We sought to inform the Court of Appeal that many minority women, especially Muslim women, are deceived or coerced by abusive husbands into only having a religious marriage, which deprives them of their financial rights when the marriage breaks down….” — Southall Black Sisters, an advocacy group for South Asian women, February 14, 2020.

In February 2018, an independent review of the application of Sharia law in England and Wales…recommended changes to the Marriage Act 1949 and the Matrimonial Causes Act 1973 that would require Muslims to conduct civil marriages before or at the same time as the nikah ceremony. This would bring Islamic marriage in line with Christian and Jewish marriage in the eyes of British law.

“The Assembly is concerned that the rulings of the Sharia councils clearly discriminate against women in divorce and inheritance cases.” — Council of Europe (COE), January 2019.

As of now, neither the British government nor the British Parliament has introduced legislation that would require Muslims to conduct civil marriages before or at the same time as the nikah ceremony…[but] The court’s decision effectively reaffirms the principle that immigrants who settle in Britain must conform to British law, rather than the other way around.

The Court of Appeal, the second-highest court in England and Wales after the Supreme Court, has ruled that the Islamic marriage contract, known as nikah in Arabic, is not valid under English law.

The landmark ruling has far-reaching implications. On the one hand, the decision strikes a blow against efforts to enshrine this aspect of Sharia law into the British legal system. On the other hand, it leaves potentially thousands of Muslim women in Britain without legal recourse in the case of divorce.

The case involves an estranged couple, Nasreen Akhter and Mohammed Shabaz Khan, both of Pakistani heritage, who took part in a nikah ceremony officiated by an imam in front of 150 guests at a restaurant in London in December 1998.

In November 2016, Akhter, a 48-year-old attorney, filed for a divorce, allegedly because Khan wanted to take a second wife. Khan, a 48-year-old property developer, tried to block Akhter’s divorce application on the basis that they were not legally married under English law. Khan said that they were married “under Sharia law only” and sued to prevent Akhtar from claiming money or property from him in the same way a legally married spouse could.

The Intolerance of the “Tolerant” Left: The End of Liberal Democracy? by Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff

https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/15600/intolerant-left-liberal-democracy

“Germany is witnessing the gradual erosion of democracy and the rule of law, a process that began in 2015 [during the migrant crisis] and which has become even more visible since and has ended in putsch against democracy.” — Vera Lengsfeld, political analyst, February 7, 2020.

“The vote is unforgivable and must be reversed.” — German Chancellor Angela Merkel, regarding a duly elected German state premier.

“Why bother exercising the right to vote when the ‘wrong’ choice can be annulled by the media and the chancellor through propaganda and veto?… Do we stand for democracy or for elections until the results suit the ruler?” — Dushan Wegner, political commentator, February 7, 2020.

Josef Hueber explains in a commentary how in a pseudo-democracy, elections mean voting until the result is “correct”…

We are presently faced with yet more politically-based show trials: of the parliamentarian Geert Wilders in The Netherlands and of Matteo Salvini in Italy. It is up to the population and voters to decide whether liberal democracy is worth fighting for.

We recently witnessed two events that indicated the possible demise of liberal democracy. The implications should frighten supporters of democratic forms of government in which individual rights and freedoms are officially recognized and protected, and the exercise of political power is limited by the rule of law.

The growing intolerance of many “left-wing” groups is apparent in the uproar of the democratic election of the state premier of the German state of Thuringia as well as in the performance of the Speaker of the US House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, publicly ripping up US President Donald J. Trump’s State of the Union address. It was an official document that belongs not to her but to the public, and of which she was merely its custodian.

No let up in Taliban attacks, fresh orders awaited over deal with U.S. By Abdul Qadir Sediqi and Jibran Ahmad

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/no-let-up-in-taliban-attacks-fresh-orders-awaited-over-deal-with-us/ar-BB1055xh

Taliban fighters attacked Afghan government forces overnight, and militant commanders said on Monday insurgency operations would go-ahead until they receive fresh instructions based on a deal with the United States to reduce violence in the country.

Last week, a senior U.S. administration official said negotiations with Taliban representatives in Qatar had resulted in and agreement in principle for a week-long reduction of violence, but the seven-day period had not commenced. The official said the agreement covered all Afghan forces, and would be closely monitored.

“Our leadership hasn’t conveyed any message about a ceasefire to us,” a Taliban commander in Helmand, a southern province that has seen some of the fiercest fighting.

Commanders in Paktika and Nangarhar – two other provinces regarded as strongholds for the Taliban – also said they would continue their attacks as planned.

On Sunday night, Taliban fighters attacked Afghan government forces manning a checkpoint in the northern province of Kunduz. According to a statement by Taliban spokesperson Zabiullah Mujahid, they killed 19 security personnel.

The Afghan defense ministry confirmed the attack in a statement but put the death toll at five. It also said retaliatory air strikes were conducted against the militants.

A Taliban spokesman also issued a statement on Monday saying a Afghan military helicopter had been shot down in Nimroz province, but an official there said the helicopter made an emergency landing and had not been attacked.

Gen. Jack Keane calls for ‘healthy dose of skepticism’ ahead of Taliban deal, potential US troop withdrawal

https://www.foxnews.com/media/gen-jack-keane-taliban-deal-afghanistan-us-troops

Gen. Jack Keane, a Fox News senior strategic analyst, reacted Sunday to a new U.S. deal with the Taliban that could see a reduction in violence and lead to the withdrawal of American troops from Afghanistan.

“We gotta have a healthy dose of skepticism,” Keane told “America’s News HQ.” “Our government officials know the Taliban can’t be trusted… everybody’s clear right there.”

Speaking at the Munich Security Conference on Saturday, Defense Secretary Mark Esper said the deal “looks very promising” but it was not without risk. Esper also told reporters that U.S. troop levels could be reduced to about 8,600 — from 12,000 currently in the country — if the 7-day truce is successful. However, Defense Department officials said counterterrorism operations will continue in the country.

Esper stressed that the possibility of a more permanent peace deal could be discussed.only after assessing the outcomes of this new agreement.

“This the beginning of a very long and challenging process,” Keane explained. “A reduction in violence is not a ceasefire. The Taliban can’t hold their hardcore organization from fighting… they’re not a monolithic organization,” he added.

Pompeo Responds to Reports Democrats Secretly Met Iran’s Javad Zarif Katie Pavlich

https://townhall.com/tipsheet/katiepavlich/2020/02/18/breaking-pompeo-responds-to-reports-democrats-secretly-met-with-iranian-terrorist-in-germany-n2561462

Speaking to reporters during a joint press conference with Ethiopian Foreign Minister Gedu Andargachew Tuesday, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo responded to reporting that a number of Democrat Senators secretly met with Iranian Javad Zarif during the Munich Security Conference. 

“I have seen that piece about some senators meeting with Foreign Minister Zarif. This guy is designated by the United States of America. He’s the foreign minister for a country that shot down a commercial airliner and has yet to turn over the black boxes. This is the foreign minister of a country that killed an American on December 27. And it’s the foreign minister of a country who is the largest world sponsor of terror and the world’s largest sponsor of anti-Semitism,” Pompeo said. “If they met, I don’t know what they said. I hope they were reinforcing America’s foreign policy and not their own.” 

The news of the alleged secret Zarif meeting was first reported by Mollie Hemingway at The Federalist.  

“Sen. Chris Murphy of Connecticut and other Democratic senators had a secret meeting with Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif during the Munich Security Conference last week, according to a source briefed by the French delegation to the conference. Murphy’s office did not respond to repeated requests for comment by press time,” the outlet reported. 

Indiana Professor Suspended for Calling Police on Disruptive Black Student Eric Lendrum

https://amgreatness.com/2020/02/18/indiana-professor-suspended-for-calling-police-on-disruptive-black-student/

A professor at Indiana’s Ball State University was suspended for the remainder of the academic semester after he called the police to his classroom to remove a disruptive black student, ABC News reports.

Professor Shaheen Borna, who teaches marketing, reportedly asked the student, Sultan Benson, to move to another seat after displaying disruptive behavior. When Benson refused to move, Borna called the police, and Benson left the classroom after two officers arrived.

Benson claimed without evidence that he was singled out for his race, and added, again without proof, that he “feared for his safety” at the sight of the police officers. Following Borna’s suspension, Benson said that the punishment was “just the bare minimum,” and demanded “justice.”

However, many faculty members at the university expressed their support for Borna and his actions, with 30 of them writing a letter to the university’s student newspaper, The Daily News, explaining that Borna’s actions were justified by the “Code of Student Rights and Responsibilities, Appendix Q,” which deals with “Responding to Disruption in the Academic Setting.” According to this clause, a professor has the right to ask that a disruptive student leave the classroom, and if they refuse to leave, then the next required step is to call the university police.

CHUCK BROOKS: THOUGHT LEADER INTERVIEW

https://www.thinkers360.com/thought-leader-and-influencer-interview-with-chuck-brooks-president-brooks-consulting-international-and-adjunct-faculty-georgetown-university/

Thought Leader Interview

Thinkers360 interviews profile prominent members of the Thinkers360 community who embody the power of ideas in their work. In this edition, we speak with Chuck Brooks, President, Brooks Consulting International and Adjunct Faculty Georgetown University. Chuck is a globally-recognized cybersecurity thought leader and influencer, a two-time Presidential Appointee, with executive experience in marketing/branding, government relations, management, strategic partnering and digital engagement. He was recently featured in the Thinkers360 Top 50 Global Thought Leaders and Influencers on Cybersecurity.

Thinkers360: Tell us a bit about your background

CB: My background includes service in the public sector, academia, industry, and media.

In government. In government I received two senior Presidential appointments. I was a “plank holder” at the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and appointed as the first Legislative Director of The Science & Technology Directorate. Earlier in my career I served as Special Assistant to the Director of Voice of America. For almost a decade on Capitol Hill I was a top Advisor to the late Senator Arlen Specter covering security and technology. In local government I also worked as an Auxiliary Police officer for Arlington, Virginia.

In industry, I served in senior executive roles for Fortune 1000 and smaller corporations including General Dynamics (Principal Market Growth Strategist for Cyber Systems), at Xerox (Vice President & Client Executive for Homeland Security), for Rapiscan and (Vice President of R & D), for SRA as (Vice President of Government Relations), and for Sutherland (Vice President of Marketing and Government Relations). As a globally recognized thought leader and evangelist for Cybersecurity and Emerging Technologies, I serve as Brand Ambassador for The Cybersecurity Collaborative, a peer-based CISO organization. I am also Executive Cybersecurity advisor to PCiTec, a woman owned HUBZONE small business, and serve on a variety of boards of companies.

AG Bill Barr: Will he or won’t he quit? The narratives change by the minute By Andrea Widburg

https://www.americanthinker.com/blog/2020/02/ag_bill_barr_will_he_or_wont_he_quit_the_narratives_change_by_the_minute.html

In the past week, there’s been non-stop speculation that Trump’s Attorney General, Bill Barr, may be run out of office or quit. On Tuesday alone, a report that Barr was on the verge of quitting was instantly followed with a statement that he had no intention of quitting.

This all stems from the fact that, when word broke that the vindictive Eric Holder holdovers in the Department of Justice sought the most extreme penalty possible for Roger Stone, Trump and Barr acted almost simultaneously, with Barr later insisting that his actions had nothing to do with Trump.

On February 11, Trump tweeted out that the sentence the DOJ was asking for Stone was an injustice:

At roughly the same time, Barr, as head of the Department of Justice, concluded that the sentencing memo was inappropriate and, instead, filed a memo asking only that the court exercise its discretion over sentencing. The left promptly went insane, saying that never before had an Attorney General been so utterly insane and corrupt. Former DOJ attorneys and officials (who are overwhelmingly Democrats) signed a petition that former Obama and Schiff staffers had written demanding he resign.