Politics

Authored by Michael Snyder via The Economic Collapse blog,

Do you remember when GOP Senators and Representatives were portrayed as literal monsters for forcing the Government to shut down?

We were told back in 2013 that if GOP-lead Congress didn’t keep the Government open… we would face literal Armageddon.

A few headlines from that time period:

Republicans Shutdown the Government for Nothing (the Atlantic)

Like Dr. Frankenstein, the GOP is trapped in a burning windmill with a monster of their own making (Charleston City Paper)

About a year ago, a French foreign minister tipped off authorities about Swiss-French cement giant, Holcim-Lafarge, in regards to their activities in Syria. It was alleged, and then proven, that managers in their Syrian plant were 'paying off' terror groups in order to stay in business, continuing to supply groups in Syria with the much needed concrete that was being used to rebuild after the destruction of war demanded it.

Human rights groups, led by Sherpa and 11 former employees of Lafarge in Syria, filed suit to hold the world's largest producer of concrete accountable.

France, and the European "populist wave", may be fixed for now, but geopolitical concerns remain as was made clear last night when during a phone call late on Sunday between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Donald Trump, the North Korean neighbor called for all sides to "exercise restraint" as Japan conducted exercises with a U.S. aircraft carrier strike group headed for Korean waters.

Vice President Mike Pence has cut short the final leg of his Asia trip to return back to Washington, where the Trump administration faces a critical week on tax reform and a funding plan to keep the government running, Reuters reported overnight. Pence, who has been traveling in Asia to reassure allies and partners about President Donald Trump's commitment to the region, had originally planned to spend two nights in Honoluluat the end of a trip that took him to South Korea, Japan, Indonesia and Australia.