Politics

From the first moment chemical weapons were used on the Syrian battlefield, the American public was led to believe that only one side could possibly be responsible. The constant refrain in the echo chamber of US government officials and the mainstream media was that only the Assad government possessed chemical stockpiles and the technological capability of deploying such heinous weapons, therefore blame for each and every chemical attack from Ghouta to Khan Sheikhoun was laid at the feet of Assad and the Syrian military.

The unexpected decision by President Trump to amend an emergency Sept 11 order signed by George W Bush, allowing the Air Force to recall up to 1,000 retired air force pilots to address what the Pentagon has decribed as "an acute shortage of pilots" caught us by surprise. After all, this was the first time we have heard of this particular labor shortage - perhaps there was more to this executive order than meets the eye. Indeed, a just released report may help explain the reasoning behind this presidential decision.

In early trading, the Turkish Lira is slumping (having tagged pre-US-Visa highs) as President Tayyip Erdogan showed no retreat from a diplomatic row with the United States, castigating Washington for what he called an "undemocratic" indictment against his security detail.

As Reuters reports, his comments may further dash hopes of a quick resolution to an on-going diplomatic crisis between the NATO allies. Both Ankara and Washington have cut back issuing visas to each other's citizens as ties have worsened.

Spot the odd one out...

Only one of these six people admits that Russians did not alter the election outcome and did not vote for Hillary...

In a lengthy interview with The New York Times recently, 93-year-old former President Jimmy Carter cut loose on some painful establishment 'facts'.

Two days after former White House chief strategist Stephen Bannon warned that California may attempt to secede from the US over the next decade if Republicans failed to reassume control of the state, the state’s attorney general played down speculation that the state would make a credible attempt at leaving the US in the coming years.