TDB Top 5 International Stories: Monday 23rd January 2017

0
0

5: Trump presidency begins with defense of false ‘alternative facts’

Donald Trump began his first full week as US president firmly on the defensive, after millions of Americans took to the streets to protest against his election and the White House came under fire for brazenly lying to the public.

Rattled by the nation’s biggest political demonstrations since the Vietnam war, Trump and his aides spent an extraordinary first weekend in office falsely claiming that record numbers of people had attended his swearing-in on Friday.

Trump’s press secretary, Sean Spicer, used his first White House briefing to shout at journalists about what he incorrectly termed “deliberately false reporting” on Trump’s inauguration, declaring: “We’re going to hold the press accountable.”

The Guardian 

4: The Absolute Best Signs from the Women’s March

Anger, passion, and a lot of jokes.

Hundreds of thousands of protestors have taken to the streets throughout US cities today, with nearly 500,000 estimated to be in attendance at the Women’s March in Washington DC alone. And 100 more solidarity protests are taking place around the world. VICE News has rounded up some of the best signs from the protests thus far. Check out a sample below and go here for more.

Vice News

 

3: CIA Nominee Leaves Door Open to Torture, Making Senate Vote a Test of Principles

CIA DIRECTOR NOMINEE Mike Pompeo — whose confirmation vote in the Senate is set for Monday — has said he is open to changing the rules governing the interrogation of detainees, which could mean re-authorizing the use of the torture technique called waterboarding.

The vote is shaping up as a test for Senate Democrats, who will have to choose between letting Donald Trump fill a key national-security post, on the one hand, and support for basic human rights on the other.

Pompeo’s admission came in a written response to inquiries from the Senate Intelligence Committee. Asked if he would refrain from taking steps that would reintroduce waterboarding or other similar techniques, he replied that he would “consult with experts at the Agency and at other organizations in the U.S. government” on whether the Army Field Manual — which currently establishes the legal limits of interrogation — should be changed. In other words, he’ll follow the law, but he’s open to changing it:

The Intercept

2: US ‘discussing’ moving Israel embassy to Jerusalem

The White House said on Sunday that it is in the early stages of talks to fulfill US President Donald Trump’s pledge to move the American embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, a move opposed by the Palestinian leadership.

“We are at the very beginning stages of even discussing this subject,” said White House spokesman Sean Spicer.

Hundreds of Palestinians protested against the plans in cities across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem, according to local media reports.

Aljazeera

 

1: Naomi Klein on Trump Election: “This is a Corporate Coup d’État”

TDB Recommends NewzEngine.com

Journalists Naomi Klein, author of “This Changes Everything: Capitalism vs. the Climate” and Lee Fang of The Intercept talk about the role of corporations inside the Trump administration and the inauguration.

Democracy Now