#i wish he was a comedian and not an influential politician :(

[bill-the-baker]

Like what I did last year, I wish to end this year with a look back at those we lost over the past 12 months.

Emiliano Sala (31 October 1990 - 21 January/7 February 2019): An up-and-coming footballer who’s life was tragically cut short in an aviation accident that gripped the UK.

Bruno Ganz (22 March 1941 - 16 February 2019): The man who portrayed Adolf Hitler in the film “Downfall”, spawning a strong internet following through his strong acting skills.

Karl Lagerfeld (10 September 1933 - 19 February 2019): A fashion icon, who headed the Chanel brand for 35 years.

Keith Flint (17 September 1969 - 4 March 2019): The energetic and captivating lead singer of the Big Beat band The Prodigy, who sadly became another victim of the suicide epidemic.

Jean, Grand Duke of Luxembourg (5 January 1921 - 23 April 2019): A man who ensured unity and prosperity for the people of Europe, outside of his small nation.

Chris Reccardi (24 November 1964 - 2 May 2019): Prolific cartoonist and musician. Whilst his most famous work of “The Modifyers” is now known for rather unsavoury reasons, the fanbase that sprung up around it proved that there was strong potential in the dropped pilot.

Doris Day (3 April 1922 - 13 May 2019): A world-renowned actress who held starring roles in various classic Hollywood films, such as “Calamity Jane” and “The Man Who Knew Too Much”.

Tim Conway (15 December 1933 - 14 May 2019): Whilst younger audiences would recognise him as the voice of Barnacle Boy, from “SpongeBob SquarePants”, this comedian is also notable for his work in “McHale’s Navy” and “The Carol Burnett Show”.

Bob Hawke (9 December 1929 - 16 May 2019): Former-Australian Prime Minister who brought universal healthcare to those across the nation, whilst protecting the environment through a series of “Landcare” programmes.

I.M. Pei (26 April 1917 - 16 May 2019): Influential architect, best known for constructing the Louvre Pyramid in Paris, France and the Bank of China Tower in Hong Kong.

Judith Kerr (14 June 1923 - 22 May 2019): Author of the classic children’s books “The Tiger who Came to Tea”, and “When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit”, the latter of which detailing her family’s flight from the Nazi regime in Germany.

Prem Tinsulanonda (26 August 1920 - 26 May 2019): Former-Prime Minister and later Regent of Thailand following the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej, holding the nation together in a time of mourning.

Etika (Desmond Amofah) (12 May 1990 - 19 June 2019): A fantastic figure on the internet, best known for his hyperactive personality, who succumbed to a severe mental decline that was dismissed by many until it was too late.

Cameron Boyce (28 May 1999 - 6 July 2019): A promising former-child actor, best known for appearing in “Jessie” and “Grown Ups”, who fell victim to a severe health condition as his life was about to begin.

Ross Perot (27 June 1930 - 9 July 2019): Billionaire and unconventional politician who’s ideas proved to be popular enough for him to compete against the two major parties in the 1992 and 1996 Presidential Elections.

Beji Caid Essebsi (29 November 1926 - 25 July 2019): The first democratically-elected President of Tunisia, who ensured a new era for the nation in the wake of the Arab Spring.

Russi Taylor (4 May 1944 - 26 July 2019): Iconic voice actress who held many popular voice roles in her life, such as Minnie Mouse, Huey, Louie and Dewey in the original “Ducktales” series, as well as Martin Prince, Sherri and Terri in “The Simpsons”.

Toni Morrison (18 February 1931 - 5 August 2019): Pulitzer-Prize winning novelist and essayist, who created various books such as “Song of Solomon” and “Beloved”.

Alec Holowka (not pictured) (30 October 1983 - 31 August 2019): A man who channelled his depression into the creation of the game “Night in the Woods”, before being defamed and subjected to Cancel Culture.

Jacques Chirac (29 November 1932 - 26 September 2019): Former President of France, who valiantly chose to not intervene in Iraq, to the disapproval of his country’s neighbours.

Alexei Leovnov (30 May 1934 - 11 October 2019): Russian cosmonaut who participated in the Soyuz-Apollo mission that brought the conflicting nations of the US and the USSR together.

Sulli (Choi Jin-ri) (29 March 1994 - 13/14 October 2019): A K-Pop star who fell victim to vicious Stan Culture and harmful attempts at defamation.

Yasuhiro Nakasone (27 May 1918 - 29 November 2019): An influential former-Japanese Prime Minister, who maintained a strong relationship with world leaders.

Caroll Spinney (26 December 1933 - 8 December 2019): Puppeteer who played the roles of Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch on “Sesame Street” for almost fifty years, defining the childhoods of many of today’s Americans.

Paul Volcker (5 September 1927 - 8 December 2019): An Economist who helped solve America’s economic problems in the late-1970s, ending the Great Inflation, and again in the late-2000s, managing the Great Recession.

Juice Wrld (Jarad Anthony Higgins) (2 December 1998 - 8 December 2019): A well-known rapper best known for the song “Lucid Dreams”, who, like Cameron Boyce, succumbed to seizure-related illnesses.

Marie Fredriksson (30 May 1958 - 9 December 2019): Singer for the pop-duo Roxette, who gained fame outside of her homeland of Sweden, through songs such as “It Must Have Been Love”.

Gershon Kingsley (28 October 1922 - 10 December 2019): A pioneer in electronic music, he composed “Popcorn”, arguably one of the first examples of “Synth-Pop” music, that set an example for much of the sounds heard today.

I would also like to conclude with some individuals who died last year, who I forgot to mention in my previous post:

R. Lee Emery (24 March 1944 - 15 April 2018): The embodiment of the “Strict Drill Sergeant” archetype, who was best known for appearing in “Full Metal Jacket” as Sergeant Herman, and in “Toy Story” as Sarge.

TotalBiscuit (John Bain) (8 July 1984 - 24 May 2018): A Cynical Brit who offered interesting viewpoints on video games and the video game industry, though died as he fell victim to cancer.

Barry Chuckle (Barry David Elliott) (24 December 1944 - 5 August 2018): A popular British children’s comedian, who always offered a heavy amount of charm through his goofy personality, as he comprised of one half of the Chuckle Brothers.

[buzzdixonwriter]

Goofus And Gallant

“He called pa a drunk!”

“Well, that’s what he was.”

-- The Sons Of Katie Elder

 I know / knew two writers, one living, one dead, contemporaries of one another, alike in certain ways, different in others, but similar enough for an apples-to-apples comparison.

The dead one we’ll call Gallant; the one still wasting oxygen we’ll call Goofus.

Oh, full disclosure:   I do not like Goofus one little bit, and for ample reasons.

Gallant produced an impressive body of work.  It would not be an overstatement to say said body of work remains enormously influential.

Gallant could fairly be described as a mercurial person.  A fighter -- and more often than not a fighter for good causes, not just for the sake of fighting.  Generous and helpful.  Willing to go the extra mile for those he felt needed the help.

Gallant’s writing career proved long enough for some stories that expressed ideas and attitudes perfectly acceptable in the 1950s and 60s to be rendered…well, let’s be generous and say passe’ 70 years later.

To their credit, Gallant grew as a person, and in many cases learned better and did better as the 1960s segued into the 1970s and 80s.

Gallant also made mistakes in praising and defending some people and some organizations who later proved unworthy of such praise and defense.  Those cases involve Gallant voicing opinions based on their best knowledge at the time, and later when the truth of said individuals and organizations came out, Gallant either muted or recanted those opinions.

Gallant also mentioned their own bad behavior several times in the public record, bad behavior documented and reported by eyewitnesses and victims.  Behavior bad enough on occasion to warrant criminal prosecution of Gallant had police seen the behavior or any victims pressed charges.  Behavior bad enough on occasion to cause physical harm.

I can’t speak to Goofus’ abilities as a writer other than to say the few times I read their work, it seemed professional and competent.

I don’t watch or read anything by Goofus because I studiously avoid anything having to do with Goofus.

I know from direct personal experience that Goofus is a liar, a coward, and utterly treacherous.  I have seen Goofus betray and attack two organizations that originally welcomed Goofus, organizations devoted to promoting the best interests of creators.  

I have seen Goofus maliciously lie about people who did them no harm, simply because Goofus exists in a universe where one is either high above (and thus worthy of ass-smooching) or far below (and worthy only of contempt, even if smooching Goofus’ ass).

There are no equals in Goofus’ universe.

I have had Goofus lie to my face about business related matters, and I have seen Goofus lie about their own behavior in a given situation even though there was ample documentation of what Goofus actually said and did.

I have seen Goofus falsify the work of others to smear their reputations.

So when I refer to Goofus as a sac of human excrement ///I have earned that right///.

Now, here’s the thing:  ///There are some people who like Goofus and the work Goofus produces.

Fine by me; I bear no one any grudge for what they may or may not like.  Most of these people have either never encountered Goofus face-to-face, or if they have, are perceived by Goofus as being so high in ranking as to render them safe from abuse.

So be it.

Some people report to gaining insights from Goofus’ work.  

Sewer rat may taste like pumpkin pie but I'll never know 'cause I wouldn't eat the filthy motherfuckers.

Some people report Goofus doing good deeds and charitable works.

If Goofus did, fine.

Doesn’t alter my perception of what Goofus did to people I know and care about one iota.

Doesn’t change the harm Goofus inflicted or attempted to inflict on friends of mine.

I’m a half-Italian hillbilly from Appalachia, folks.

We may forgive.

But we never forget.

And Goofus to date has done nothing to indicate they deserve forgiveness.

As Gallant’s life moved on, Gallant became aware certain boundaries of social acceptance changed.

At first Gallant railed against these moving boundaries -- “Toughen up!  It’s a joke!  Don’t censor me!”

But gradually, bit by bit, it sank in on Gallant that the times had indeed changed, and that Gallant had not changed with them.

Many of us loved Gallant.

We loved Gallant’s stories.

We loved Gallant’s fearless nature.

We loved the unbridled passion for what Gallant loved and believed in.

But we need to be honest and admit Gallant made mistakes, and on occasion Gallant acted deliberately badly to people who didn’t deserve what Gallant did to them.

There are people not of our coterie who hear us wax nostalgic about Gallant and point out the bad things Gallant did, and legitimately so in many cases where Gallant’s attitudes didn’t move fast enough with the times and people who should not have been subjected to abuse were.

Gallant wasn’t the first or only writer with these sorts of issues.  

There are lots of writers like Gallant -- and artists, and musicians, and actors, and politicians, and doctors, and…well, the list goes on and on, doesn’t it.

Crappy behavior is crappy behavior, and we’re too often willing to forgive or overlook it because “Oh, that’s just Ernest being Ernest, that’s just Jack being Jack, that’s just Bill being Bill.”

We’re willing to overlook because we were not on the receiving end of Gallant’s abuse.

We’re willing to forgive because we feel we gain something from the transaction.

Look at all those cool stories.

Look at all those great times.

We don’t see this the way others see it:  “You are defending and honoring a person who did bad things that made life worse for some people.”

Consider the case of Bill Cosby.

There are people who openly hope he dies soon so his reputation can be rehabilitated and they can openly enjoy his comedy again.

Why?

What will future generations lose by not hearing or seeing him?

All the positive influences he made have already been absorbed by the comedians who came after him.

All his charitable acts have already come to fruition. 

How can we look at his work today and not feel disgusted by the rank hypocrisy permeating it?

And granted, Cosby’s actions proved far worse than what was laid on Gallant’s doorstep.

Nonetheless, the difference in either degree or magnitude does not negate the wholly reasonable reactions of a new generation who aren’t going to put up with that kind of bullshit anymore.

Not being honest about beloved creators and friends who did something bad is akin to those white supremacists who wish to eradicate all mention of slavery and jim crow and prejudice from public discourse.

For the white supremacists to acknowledge the evil of slavery and jim crow is to tacitly acknowledge they are wrong in defending those things.

It forces them to recognize at the very least they are enablers insofar as they block attempts to address those issues.

We must find a balance point.

We must acknowledge people are complex that few are wholly saints or monsters.

We must acknowledge, as painful as it feels, when those who did things we admire also did things that we should condemn.

I have come to terms with Gallant to this degree:

I can admire Gallant as an individual while fully acknowledging their flaws and shortcomings.

I can admire and advocate most of Gallant’s work while acknowledging some pieces contain harmful, outdated attitudes.

I can accept that many will never appreciate Gallant either as an individual or a writer because of Gallant’s well documented multitude of shortcomings and offensive-bordering-on-criminal behavior.

So be it. 

It is up to us, Gallant’s friends and admirers, to do better going forward, to take the good ideals we gleamed and present them to the next generations without the baggage of a problematic creator.  This doesn’t require canceling Gallant, but it doesn’t require ignoring those affected by Gallant’s bad actions, either.

I personally have come to terms with Goofus to this degree:

I bear no grudge against those who like Goofus as an individual or a writer.

I will have nothing to do with Goofus or their work.

I will not condemn those who defend Goofus as a friend or as a writer.

And I plan to live long enough to piss on Goofus’ grave.

 © Buzz Dixon

[courtneytincher]

Ukraine is Ready to Investigate Biden's Son—But Only If There's an Official U.S. Request

Mark Makela/REUTERSKYIV—Ukraine is ready to investigate the connections Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden had with the Ukrainian natural-gas company Burisma Holdings, according to Anton Geraschenko, a senior adviser to the country’s interior minister who would oversee such an inquiry. Geraschenko told The Daily Beast in an exclusive interview that “as soon as there is an official request from the Trump administration, we’ll look into it,” but “currently there is no open investigation.”“Clearly,” said Geraschenko, “Trump is now looking for kompromat to discredit his opponent Biden, to take revenge for his friend Paul Manafort, who is serving seven years in prison.” Among the counts on which Manafort was convicted: tax evasion. “We do not investigate Biden in Ukraine, since we have not received a single official request to do so,” said Geraschenko.His remarks last week came amid widespread speculation that U.S. President Donald Trump had made vital U.S. military aid for Ukraine contingent on such an inquiry, but had tried to do so informally through unofficial representatives, including his lawyer Rudy Giuliani and Giuliani’s adviser on Ukraine, Sam Kislin. Trump Whistleblower Saga Threatens to Blow Up 2020 CampaignBut Geraschenko spoke before the appearance of a Washington Post story on Thursday that implied that an intelligence-community whistleblower may have reported the untoward quid pro quo was put forth directly by Trump in a phone call with Ukraine’s recently elected president last July. Geraschenko reconfirmed his statements in a phone call on Friday.The U.S. administration has thus far blocked efforts by Congress to learn precisely what the whistleblower reported, which Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson deemed an “urgent matter” while offering no details. The Post, citing two sources, said the allegation involved a “promise” made to a foreign leader.  Trump spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on July 25. Toward the end of August, the White House reportedly was considering whether to block $250 million to support Ukraine’s military in its war against Russian-backed separatists. On September 12, however, that funding was released, and even increased. Congressional pressure played a role, and it is unclear whether the whistleblower’s reported "promise" allegations, made soon after the Zelensky phone call, did as well.What’s certain is that American and Ukrainian politics are closely connected these days, and on Thursday evening Giuliani admitted he had asked officials in Ukraine to investigate Biden. Giuliani told CNN’s Chris Cuomo in a contentious interview there is nothing wrong with pressing for an investigation into corruption.Others might call this whole affair a matter of political—indeed, geopolitical—extortion.At a minimum, Giuliani’s pressure has been interpreted here as weakening this country’s institutions by pressing them to dig for dirt on Trump’s most important Democratic challenger. Ukraine's law enforcement agencies believe that it is up to the U.S. investigators to ascertain, specifically, whether Biden’s son had any missed U.S. tax payments on income from Ukraine. Biden’s son, Hunter, actually took a job with the Ukrainian gas company, Burisma Holding, in 2014 and worked for the Ukrainian company for five years, then quietly quit in April, soon after his father announced his presidential candidacy. It is unclear how much money Burisma paid Hunter Biden in total. Whatever it was, he may rue the work, given the political cost.Ukrainian pro-Western politician and corruption fighter, ex-MP Serhiy Leshchenko, has been in the epicenter of the Giuliani-Biden scandal in Ukraine, after Giuliani mentioned his name as one of “the enemies of Donald Trump and the USA.” The Trump attorney continued to criticize Ukraine’s leadership by saying that Ukraine’s president “is surrounded by people who are the enemies of the president [Trump] and people who are clearly corrupt.”Any word of criticism pronounced by such influential Americans may be damaging to careers here. As a result of Giuliani’s statements, Leshchenko has lost a promising role on Zelensky’s team.  “Both the United States and Ukraine are throwing Biden’s case at each other like a hot potato, pushing each other to begin investigating Biden,” Leshchenko told The Daily Beast on Tuesday. “I totally understand, and I don’t want to be in the way, since Zelensky clearly does not want to quarrel with Trump. The United States is our main strategic partner and I value that.” Earlier this month, Ukraine’s President Zelensky publicly thanked President Donald Trump for releasing the military aid vital for his country. Zelensky spoke at the annual Yalta European Strategy conference, which this year had a symbolic title: Happiness Now. Ukraine elected Zelensky and his supporters in parliament by a landslide earlier this year, largely in response to the alleged corruption of his predecessor and amid hopes the former comedian-turned-politician could end the war with separatists that has killed more than 13,000 people.To bring an end to the carnage, Zelensky needs strong international support. He hopes to strike a peace deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin with backing from German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron at a so-called Normandy Four meeting later this month. Zelensky said he also plans to meet with Trump before the end of September.Russia and Ukraine recently swapped prisoners, a positive sign, but Zelensky has offered no clues on possible concessions. He demands, as did his predecessor, that Russia return the annexed Crimean peninsula to Ukraine, a non-starter for Putin.The Trump administration eventually released $390 million in military aid to Ukraine,  $140 million more than the amount Kiev had expected before the administration suspended the funds for “review” last month.Russia and Ukraine Swap Prisoners in a Victory for Diplomacy“For now, we would like America to support us more, and not only with money but also with the newest weapons in our war against the aggressor, the Russian Federation,” Geraschenko, the adviser to Ukraine’s interior minister, told The Daily Beast. “We want a status as NATO’s special partner, allowing us to buy any weapons in the U.S., including the newest anti-aircraft rockets to defend our country in case Russia decides to attack from the air; our technology is more than 40 years old.”Zelensky’s team is struggling to overcome war, poverty, and corruption. Clearly, the idea of helping politicians of foreign states win elections is not a part of his public agenda. “This is a very special stage in Ukraine’s development: we have completely changed this year, our mentality has changed, we realize that the entire world is watching us right now,” Roman Truba, head of the State Bureau of Investigations, said in an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast.Truba’s agency neither investigated Biden’s son nor Burisma Holding. There were no signs of illegality in Biden’s work in Ukraine, he said. “The State Bureau of Investigations should be an independent institution. I wish we would become as highly qualified, equipped with all modern technologies. and professional as the FBI.”Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

from Yahoo News - Latest News & Headlines

Mark Makela/REUTERSKYIV—Ukraine is ready to investigate the connections Joe Biden’s son Hunter Biden had with the Ukrainian natural-gas company Burisma Holdings, according to Anton Geraschenko, a senior adviser to the country’s interior minister who would oversee such an inquiry. Geraschenko told The Daily Beast in an exclusive interview that “as soon as there is an official request from the Trump administration, we’ll look into it,” but “currently there is no open investigation.”“Clearly,” said Geraschenko, “Trump is now looking for kompromat to discredit his opponent Biden, to take revenge for his friend Paul Manafort, who is serving seven years in prison.” Among the counts on which Manafort was convicted: tax evasion. “We do not investigate Biden in Ukraine, since we have not received a single official request to do so,” said Geraschenko.His remarks last week came amid widespread speculation that U.S. President Donald Trump had made vital U.S. military aid for Ukraine contingent on such an inquiry, but had tried to do so informally through unofficial representatives, including his lawyer Rudy Giuliani and Giuliani’s adviser on Ukraine, Sam Kislin. Trump Whistleblower Saga Threatens to Blow Up 2020 CampaignBut Geraschenko spoke before the appearance of a Washington Post story on Thursday that implied that an intelligence-community whistleblower may have reported the untoward quid pro quo was put forth directly by Trump in a phone call with Ukraine’s recently elected president last July. Geraschenko reconfirmed his statements in a phone call on Friday.The U.S. administration has thus far blocked efforts by Congress to learn precisely what the whistleblower reported, which Intelligence Community Inspector General Michael Atkinson deemed an “urgent matter” while offering no details. The Post, citing two sources, said the allegation involved a “promise” made to a foreign leader.  Trump spoke to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on July 25. Toward the end of August, the White House reportedly was considering whether to block $250 million to support Ukraine’s military in its war against Russian-backed separatists. On September 12, however, that funding was released, and even increased. Congressional pressure played a role, and it is unclear whether the whistleblower’s reported "promise" allegations, made soon after the Zelensky phone call, did as well.What’s certain is that American and Ukrainian politics are closely connected these days, and on Thursday evening Giuliani admitted he had asked officials in Ukraine to investigate Biden. Giuliani told CNN’s Chris Cuomo in a contentious interview there is nothing wrong with pressing for an investigation into corruption.Others might call this whole affair a matter of political—indeed, geopolitical—extortion.At a minimum, Giuliani’s pressure has been interpreted here as weakening this country’s institutions by pressing them to dig for dirt on Trump’s most important Democratic challenger. Ukraine's law enforcement agencies believe that it is up to the U.S. investigators to ascertain, specifically, whether Biden’s son had any missed U.S. tax payments on income from Ukraine. Biden’s son, Hunter, actually took a job with the Ukrainian gas company, Burisma Holding, in 2014 and worked for the Ukrainian company for five years, then quietly quit in April, soon after his father announced his presidential candidacy. It is unclear how much money Burisma paid Hunter Biden in total. Whatever it was, he may rue the work, given the political cost.Ukrainian pro-Western politician and corruption fighter, ex-MP Serhiy Leshchenko, has been in the epicenter of the Giuliani-Biden scandal in Ukraine, after Giuliani mentioned his name as one of “the enemies of Donald Trump and the USA.” The Trump attorney continued to criticize Ukraine’s leadership by saying that Ukraine’s president “is surrounded by people who are the enemies of the president [Trump] and people who are clearly corrupt.”Any word of criticism pronounced by such influential Americans may be damaging to careers here. As a result of Giuliani’s statements, Leshchenko has lost a promising role on Zelensky’s team.  “Both the United States and Ukraine are throwing Biden’s case at each other like a hot potato, pushing each other to begin investigating Biden,” Leshchenko told The Daily Beast on Tuesday. “I totally understand, and I don’t want to be in the way, since Zelensky clearly does not want to quarrel with Trump. The United States is our main strategic partner and I value that.” Earlier this month, Ukraine’s President Zelensky publicly thanked President Donald Trump for releasing the military aid vital for his country. Zelensky spoke at the annual Yalta European Strategy conference, which this year had a symbolic title: Happiness Now. Ukraine elected Zelensky and his supporters in parliament by a landslide earlier this year, largely in response to the alleged corruption of his predecessor and amid hopes the former comedian-turned-politician could end the war with separatists that has killed more than 13,000 people.To bring an end to the carnage, Zelensky needs strong international support. He hopes to strike a peace deal with Russian President Vladimir Putin with backing from German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron at a so-called Normandy Four meeting later this month. Zelensky said he also plans to meet with Trump before the end of September.Russia and Ukraine recently swapped prisoners, a positive sign, but Zelensky has offered no clues on possible concessions. He demands, as did his predecessor, that Russia return the annexed Crimean peninsula to Ukraine, a non-starter for Putin.The Trump administration eventually released $390 million in military aid to Ukraine,  $140 million more than the amount Kiev had expected before the administration suspended the funds for “review” last month.Russia and Ukraine Swap Prisoners in a Victory for Diplomacy“For now, we would like America to support us more, and not only with money but also with the newest weapons in our war against the aggressor, the Russian Federation,” Geraschenko, the adviser to Ukraine’s interior minister, told The Daily Beast. “We want a status as NATO’s special partner, allowing us to buy any weapons in the U.S., including the newest anti-aircraft rockets to defend our country in case Russia decides to attack from the air; our technology is more than 40 years old.”Zelensky’s team is struggling to overcome war, poverty, and corruption. Clearly, the idea of helping politicians of foreign states win elections is not a part of his public agenda. “This is a very special stage in Ukraine’s development: we have completely changed this year, our mentality has changed, we realize that the entire world is watching us right now,” Roman Truba, head of the State Bureau of Investigations, said in an exclusive interview with The Daily Beast.Truba’s agency neither investigated Biden’s son nor Burisma Holding. There were no signs of illegality in Biden’s work in Ukraine, he said. “The State Bureau of Investigations should be an independent institution. I wish we would become as highly qualified, equipped with all modern technologies. and professional as the FBI.”Read more at The Daily Beast.Get our top stories in your inbox every day. Sign up now!Daily Beast Membership: Beast Inside goes deeper on the stories that matter to you. Learn more.

September 20, 2019 at 02:10PM via IFTTT