@jaketapper Ah he used the old line of "Some of my best friends are self-hating Jews."
— UnfrozCavemanZionist (@CygnusA81) August 1, 2013
HARARE, Zimbabwe — Morgan Tsvangirai, the challenger to Zimbabwe’s longtime president, Robert Mugabe, asserted Thursday that the country’s presidential election had been a “huge farce” and called upon international observers to investigate what he described as widespread irregularities.More at the link.
Senior leaders of Mr. Mugabe’s party, ZANU-PF, meanwhile, said they expected a huge victory, retaining the presidency and recapturing a majority of the Parliament.
“This victory is so sweet,” said Saviour Kasukuwere, a top minister in Mr. Mugabe’s party, who added he was handily re-elected to his parliamentary seat. He rejected the accusation that the vote had been manipulated.
“President Mugabe did not rig this election,” he said. “President Mugabe was voted overwhelmingly by the people of Zimbabwe.”
But Mr. Tsvangirai said the vote failed to meet “international standards for a credible, legitimate, free and fair election.”
The Zimbabwe Election Commission has not released official results in the presidential election, but from the tone of Mr. Tsvangirai’s statement, it appeared that his party, the Movement for Democratic Change, was headed for defeat.
“In our view, the outcome of this election is illegitimate,” Mr. Tsvangirai, 61, said in a statement. “But more importantly, the shoddy manner in which it has been conducted and the consequent illegitimacy of the result will plunge this country into a serious crisis.”
The vote, which took place Wednesday, was meant to resolve years of political crisis in Zimbabwe, ending an uneasy power-sharing agreement that put the ruling party and the opposition into government together.
WASHINGTON — Now that Russia has granted temporary asylum to former U.S. intelligence contractor Edward Snowden, the question is not whether the decision will hurt U.S.-Russian relations but, rather, how bad the damage will be.
Russian officials maintained Thursday that the action was "insignificant," in the overall relationship with Washington. But the White House reacted angrily, a contrast with President Obama's first term, when the administration was eager to strengthen ties with Russia to enlist the Kremlin's help on an array of issues.
There has always been something unsettling about the September 11th attack on the U.S. consulate in Benghazi, and a Thursday report on local CIA activity the night of the attack only adds to the unease. CNN is reporting the CIA may have had upwards of 35 personnel in Benghazi on the night of the attack, and that "as many as seven [of these] were wounded." An unnamed source claims these individuals are subjected to polygraph tests as frequently as once a month to monitor them for possible leaks to news outlets.More, "Exclusive: Dozens of CIA operatives on the ground during Benghazi attack."
Since the assault's immediate aftermath, the Obama administration was worked diligently to ensure the details of that night remain secret—even as the family members of four murdered Americans killed search for answers. The White House initially refused to label the onslaught as a terror attack, despite the assassination of U.S. Ambassador Christopher Stephens. Caught in the final months of the President's reelection campaign, his subordinates instead promoted the idea of spontaneous protests caused by a YouTube video.
More recently, Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA) alleges that Benghazi survivors have been bound by non-disclosure agreements from the federal government so their knowledge of the night's events cannot be made public. Americans have learned U.S. Diplomatic Security personnel like David Ubben and others were in Benghazi during the attacks, as well. They survived but have been kept from Congress and the public since the attacks took place.
Consequent with this news is the revelation that President Obama was missing from the situation room while the attack took place. Secretary of Defense Leon Panetta was in the situation room and said after seeing Obama for a 5 PM meeting, he did not see or hear from the President again that night—though the attack lasted for hours.
"This guy is a shakedown artist who hates cops, who hates whites, who hates Jews, who has stoked his rent-a-mob to murder Yankel Rosenbaum..."
DOMBOSHAWA, Zimbabwe — For Nyaradzai Majuru, the choice of how to cast her ballot was simple. Before she and her husband received a two-acre plot of land that had been seized from a white farmer several years ago, they were penniless subsistence farmers on a scrap of communal land. Now, they grow green beans, sweet potatoes, tomatoes and cabbages that they sell in the market.Continue reading.
“Our life is better now because of President Mugabe,” said Ms. Majuru, 27, her youngest child tied to her back with a blanket, referring to Robert Mugabe, 89, who has led this country since it shook off white rule in 1980. “I support him all the way.”
But for 40-year-old Elizabeth, a janitor at an agricultural college in this small farming town 20 miles north of the capital, life has only gotten worse under Mr. Mugabe’s rule. Hyperinflation wiped out her savings. Hunger gnawed at her family. A lucky few got land, but the country’s economy was destroyed, she said, declining to give her last name out of fear of reprisals by the government.
“We need change in this country,” Elizabeth said. “We are tired of this old man.”
They were among the millions of Zimbabweans who went to the polls on Wednesday in what many here are calling the most pivotal election since the nation voted out white rule. Despite frigid predawn temperatures, people lined up before the polling stations opened, eager to decide whether to end or extend the three-decade tenure of Mr. Mugabe, a liberation war hero who still holds a tight grip on the country.
In Harare, the capital, there was none of the violence and intimidation that characterized the disastrous 2008 presidential election season, when 200 people died in a state-sponsored crackdown on the opposition and others seen as supporting it.
“This is a huge change, the fact that people can stand around and talk openly about their views,” said Namo Mariga, an agribusiness entrepreneur, after casting his ballot in the upscale suburb of Borrowdale. “The atmosphere is much freer.”
The election pits Mr. Mugabe against the former union organizer Morgan Tsvangirai, leader of the Movement for Democratic Change. Mr. Tsvangirai won the most votes in the first round of the election in 2008 but refused to participate in a runoff because of the attacks on his supporters. A deal brokered by regional powers put the two rivals into an uneasy power-sharing agreement, and both are now seeking an outright victory to govern alone.
“It is quite an emotional moment sometimes when you see all these people after all the conflict, the stalemate, the suspicion, the hostility,” Mr. Tsvangirai said after casting his ballot. “I think there is a sense of calmness that finally Zimbabwe will be able to move on again.”
Sporadic problems were reported in a number of regions. Lines were long in urban areas, raising concerns that not everyone would be able to vote Wednesday. The challengers said the Zimbabwe Election Commission had deliberately reduced the number of polling stations in their strongholds to discourage voters, but the commission denied it. Some voters who registered recently found that their names were not on the rolls, but they were able to cast ballots using the registration receipt.
“We’ve already made clear this election is illegal, illegitimate, unfree and unfair,” said Tendai Biti, the secretary general of the Movement for Democratic Change, at a news conference on Wednesday afternoon. “We are participating with a heavy heart.”
The planning for the election has been chaotic and rushed because Mr. Mugabe unilaterally set a much earlier election date than other political parties had anticipated.
But early reports from election officials and some monitors said that the voting had gone well. Olusegun Obasanjo, the former president of Nigeria who is leading the African Union observer delegation, said that based on initial reports the voting had been peaceful and orderly, and appeared to be free and fair.
Near the end of Reza Aslan's strange, 10-minute television exchange with Fox News, the author of "Zealot: The Life and Times of Jesus of Nazareth," gives voice to a thought that’s entered the mind of many an author while being interviewed: “I’m afraid it seems like you haven’t read my book.”I thought he was petulant and overly defensive.
The interview, now circulating widely on social media sites, has helped propel the book to No. 1 on the Amazon bestseller list Monday.
Aslan is a Muslim scholar of religion and a one-time Christian convert who’s just published a popular book about the life of Jesus. This earned him the wrath of those who wage a daily crusade against the “liberal media”— Fox News. Fox News religion correspondent Lauren Green tried to give Aslan the proverbial third degree Friday on the show "Spirited Debate," only to see Aslan patiently and deftly parry her attempts to corner him as an angry Muslim.
“Is This The Most Embarrassing Interview Fox News Has Ever Done?” BuzzFeed asks in the headline above its posted video of said interview.
In the interview, Green says, “You are a Muslim. Why did you write about Jesus?”
Aslan answers this, and many other of Green’s questions, in a deliberately slow tone, as if he were being interviewed by the not-very-well-informed editor of a high school newspaper. “I am a professor of religions,” he says. “It’s what I do for a living.”
It came totally out of the blue when it was revealed on Wednesday that Simon Cowell had fathered a baby with a New York socialite.Check the links for the photos.
But pictures show the 53-year-old music mogul putting on a tactile display with Lauren Silverman, 36, as they enjoyed a cosy Caribbean holiday in January 2012 alongside her husband.
Whilst real estate mogul Andrew Silverman was just a mere matter of feet away, the striking brunette was seen tenderly running her hands through the hair of the X Factor boss.
Enjoying a new year break in St Barths, the trio seemed to be in high spirits as they sat on-board Cowell's luxury yacht soaking up the sun as the sipped on glasses of orange juice.
And while the group appeared to be chatting away amiably, the pictures show the pop mogul certainly only had eyes for one of the Silvermans, with him seeming utterly unable to distract himself from the alluring Lauren.
With Andrew looking on, Cowell leaned in closely to the stunning socialite, with a smirk spreading across his face as he indulged in a close conversation with the beauty.
But it wasn't long until the property entrepreneur got some quality time with his wife, as he tenderly cupped Lauren's bottom as Cowell looked on.
The star appeared utterly amused by the entire debacle, and grinned away as he stared at the couple.
After the two men enjoyed a brief chat, Lauren and Cowell made their way over to a sun lounger, where they kicked off a rather friendly display.
As to Barbara Morgan's apology, of course I accept it.
— Olivia Nuzzi (@Olivianuzzi) July 31, 2013
Leathers met with Steven Hirsch, co-chairman of Vivid Entertainment, who offered Weiner's former paramour an opportunity to make an X-rated parody of the sexting affair. When shock jock Howard Stern asked Leathers if she would have sex on camera, the 23-year-old replied, 'We'll see what happens.' Weiner has vowed to move beyond the scandal: 'Quit isn’t the way we roll in New York City.'
With affirmative action under attack and economic mobility feared to be stagnating, top colleges profess a growing commitment to recruiting poor students. But a comparison of low-income enrollment shows wide disparities among the most competitive private colleges. A student at Vassar, for example, is three times as likely to receive a need-based Pell Grant as one at Washington University in St. Louis.And maybe regressive leftists might work on enlarging the pool of highly qualified minority students. But really, I doubt they care about that, because, you know, some "victims of discrimination" might have to work a little bit harder in life.
“It’s a question of how serious you are about it,” said Catharine Bond Hill, the president of Vassar. She said of colleges with multibillion-dollar endowments and numerous tax exemptions that recruit few poor students, “Shame on you.”
At Vassar, Amherst College and Emory University, 22 percent of undergraduates in 2010-11 received federal Pell Grants, which go mostly to students whose families earn less than $30,000 a year. The same year, the most recent in the federal Department of Education database, only 7 percent of undergraduates at Washington University were Pell recipients, and 8 percent at Washington and Lee University were, according to research by The New York Times.
Researchers at Georgetown University have found that at the most competitive colleges, only 14 percent of students come from the lower 50 percent of families by income. That figure has not increased over more than two decades, an indication that a generation of pledges to diversify has not amounted to much. Top colleges differ markedly in how aggressively they hunt for qualified teenagers from poorer families, how they assess applicants who need aid, and how they distribute the available aid dollars.
Some institutions argue that they do not have the resources to be as generous as the top colleges, and for most colleges, with meager endowments, that is no doubt true. But among the elites, nearly all of them with large endowments, there is little correlation between a university’s wealth and the number of students who receive Pell Grants, which did not exceed $5,550 per student last year.
Washington University has an endowment similar in size, per student, to those of Emory and Vassar — between $300,000 and $400,000 as of mid-2012, wealthier than all but a few dozen colleges in the country, and Washington and Lee’s endowment is significantly larger, the Times research shows. At Harvard and Yale, with the largest endowments in the country, Pell enrollment was near the 15 percent average for the 50 most competitive colleges; at Princeton, with the largest per-capita endowment, it was lower, 12 percent, though its officials say the rate is higher for the freshman class starting this fall.
John Berg, the vice chancellor for admissions at Washington University, said one reason its numbers are so low is that the disadvantaged students it admits usually have offers from other top colleges with better name recognition.
Bob Strong, a professor of politics at Washington and Lee who oversaw admissions there for two years as interim provost, conceded that his institution historically did a poor job of recruiting low-income students, but said that it has improved and “we’re still working on it.”
