2017年5月29日 星期一

Civil Discourse in Decline: Where Does it End?



obscenity
əbˈsɛnɪti/
noun
  1. the state or quality of being obscene.
    "the book was banned for obscenity"
    synonyms:indecencyimmoralityimpropriety, salaciousness, smuttiness, smut, lewdness, rudenessvulgarity, dirtiness, dirt, filthiness, filth, foulness, coarseness, crudeness, grossness, vileness, nastinessimpurity, immodesty, indelicacy, indecorousness, unwholesomeness, scabrousness, ribaldry, bawdiness, suggestiveness, eroticism, carnality, lasciviousness, lechery, licentiousness, libidinousness, degeneracydepravity, amorality, debauchery, dissoluteness, prurience; More



The Wall Street Journal
A Republican congressional candidate body slams a reporter. A Democratic party state chairman hurls obscenities at both the president and dissidents in his own party at a public meeting. Such is the state of (un)civil discourse in America today, Gerald F. Seib writes.

A Republican congressional candidate body slams a reporter. A Democratic party state chairman hurls obscenities at both the president and dissidents in his own party at a public meeting. Such is the state of…
WSJ.COM

2017年5月23日 星期二

President Trump wants to sell half of the emergency US oil reserve. The nature of Donald Trump’s first official foreign foray could be determined from the start.


The nature of Donald Trump’s first official foreign foray could be determined from the start. Just ask the president’s first wife, Ivana.
(Picture by Getty)
The president’s problems will be waiting for him when he returns home
FT.COM



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The US has stashed nearly 700 million barrels to shield Americans from price spikes, and a sale could generate more than $16 billion.


2017年5月21日 星期日

Why low-income Americans often have to pay more

Life is expensive for America’s poor, with financial services the primary culprit

From the archive
ECONOMIST.COM

Killing C.I.A. Informants, China Crippled U.S. Spying


Killing C.I.A. Informants, China Crippled U.S. Spying    2017.5.21 NYT
By MARK MAZZETTI, ADAM GOLDMAN, MICHAEL S. SCHMIDT and MATT APUZZO

China killed or jailed at least 18 C.I.A. informants between 2010 and 2012, former American officials said.
The effort was described as one of the worst intelligence breaches in decades, and the debate over how it happened remains unresolved.







informant

(ĭn-fôr'məntpronunciation
n.
    1. One that gives information.
    2. One who informs against others; an informer.
  1. One who furnishes linguistic or cultural information to a researcher.楊聯陞等人以音佛們 稱呼美國陸軍的特別訓練班 (哈佛大學)


2017年5月12日 星期五

Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, Jeff Sessions

CNN

Charge suspects, even non-violent offenders, with the most serious offense you can prove is the new directive from AG Jeff Sessions, undoing Obama-era reforms

The New Yorker

We already have an answer to the question of how much Jeff Sessions cares about safeguarding the dignity of his office or the integrity of his mandate: not much.

Anyone looking for an official to protect the Constitution and rein in the bullying efforts of the Trump Administration can skip the Attorney General's office.
NEWYORKER.COM

The Wall Street Journal

Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein left the impression he couldn’t work in an environment where facts weren’t accurately reported, according to a person familiar with his conversation with White House counsel Don McGahn.


Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein pressed White House counsel Don McGahn to correct what he felt was an inaccurate depiction of the events surrounding FBI Director James Comey’s firing.
WSJ.COM

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Acting F.B.I. Chief at Odds With White House Over Russia

In Senate testimony, Andrew G. McCabe called the investigation into Russian election meddling “highly significant” and rejected the White House’s claim that Mr. Comey had lost the backing of F.B.I. agents.


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FBI代局長嗆川普「照查」

擴大查俄 犯了大忌 康梅被快炒






民眾不滿川普炒了FBI局長,前天在白宮前,於川普人偶上掛「普丁的傀儡」標語抗議。路透

【簡竹君╱綜合外電報導】「很簡單,他沒把事情做好!」美國總統川普前天談到他周二閃電攆走聯邦調查局(FBI)局長康梅後的理由,但消息指康梅被炒前才向司法部要求更多資源,調查俄羅斯干預美國大選,令川普炒人動機啟人疑竇。川普支持者盛讚此決定,但陰謀論和批評四起,還有民眾在白宮前抗議指川普是「普丁的傀儡」,許多FBI幹員怒指川普此舉是「宣戰」。
在康梅被開除後,麥凱(Andrew McCabe)成為FBI代理局長,他昨在參議院情報委員會的聽證會上表示,FBI會繼續查俄國干預美國大選,不會屈服於白宮的壓力。麥凱透露:「迄今為止,沒有任何力量阻礙我們的調查。」他強調:「你不能阻止FBI的男女探員做正確的事,保護美國人民並維護《憲法》。」
針對川普宣稱康梅告訴他,他沒被調查一事,麥凱說,他無法評論川普和康梅之間的對話。麥凱還說,康梅在FBI獲得「廣泛的支持」。民主黨籍參院情報委會會副主席華納說,很難不認為川普總統開除康梅的決定跟調查俄國無關。
白宮不願具名官員對《華盛頓郵報》說,川普(Donald Trump)對FBI局長康梅(James Comey)的憤怒由來已久,原因包括康梅從未支持他「遭歐巴馬監控」的指控,也多次公開談論有關俄國干預美國大選、以及川普人馬與俄國關係的調查,犯了川普大忌。 

俄羅斯總統普丁前天在索契打冰上曲棍球賽,摔個四腳朝天。路透

司法副部長背黑鍋

另外,康梅未盡力防止FBI幹員洩漏消息給媒體,以及他上周出席參院聽證會前,川普幕僚要求他提供證詞預審遭拒等,都令川普火大。川普本周一先告知副總統潘斯及高級幕僚炒人的決定,隨後召來司法部長塞森、副部長羅森斯坦,要求兩人將炒人理由寫入備忘錄。
周二川普稱「接受司法部長和副部長建議」炒了康梅,並公布羅森斯坦的備忘錄,指謫康梅在希拉蕊電郵案的處理失當等,雖有白宮官員稱川普上任第一天就想炒康梅,但輿論被導向羅森斯坦才是「動刀」的人,不願具名的官員指,羅森斯坦對「背黑鍋」感到憤怒,有意辭職。對此司法部不回應。 

邀他閉門會議作證

多名國會議員證實,康梅上周才向羅森斯坦要求更多金錢、人手等資源,加速有關俄國的調查,羅森斯坦的備忘錄卻不提此事,無法得知加速調查是否與他被革職相關。
目前參議院有2個委員會正進行對俄羅斯的調查,由於參院無權蒐證,須依賴FBI彙集的證據及情報,康梅去職勢必影響調查,他去職後已有委員會邀請他在閉門會議作證。
康梅被炒後,外界要求由特別檢察官繼續調查「通俄門」及俄羅斯干預大選案,白宮女發言人珊德斯指「我們不認為有必要」。而許多FBI幹員對於川普無預警砍人,感到震驚與憤怒,他們說:「這本質上是向許多FBI幹員宣戰,這種事情會有回應。」
這起炒人案也成了白宮公關危機,發言人史派瑟和聯絡室主任杜布克都是新聞公布前1小時才得知,無暇擬出如何解釋、如何捍衛川普決定的全盤計劃。 

開除FBI局長康梅Q&A

Q:白宮危機處理的狀況如何?
A:白宮處理得頗糟。白宮高層及公關事前對要開除康梅並不知情,導致他被開除後數小時,才有官員為川普辯護。此敏感時機,川普隔天依舊與俄外長拉夫洛夫見面
Q:炒FBI局長導致憲政危機?
A:此事與1974年總統尼克森水門案不同,川普未有遭彈劾可能,他有權開除FBI局長。但有美媒指這是更大危機的開始,此舉危及司法獨立,增加總統專權的危機
Q:白宮的立論基礎穩固嗎?
A:白宮稱川普數月前就想開除康梅,被質疑何不一上台就開除;且白宮發言人才說,川普對康梅完全信任。川普否認開除與「通俄門」調查有關,但無助平息謠言
資料來源:路透 

【看新聞學英文】rock 磐石

“In times of turbulence, the American people should see the FBI as a rock of competence, honesty, and independence.” Former FBI director James Comey said in the farewell letter to agents. AFP
「在動盪時期,美國人民應該要視FBI為有才能、誠實與獨立的磐石。」聯邦調查局前局長康梅在致幹員們的道別信中所提。法新社 



"Simply put, sir, you cannot stop the men and women of the FBI from doing the right thing, protecting the American people and upholding the Constitution."
--Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, when asked whether Comey's dismissal impeded the Russia investigation