#lindsey axelsson

[therealmrpositive]

Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever (2009)

In today's review, I find more than love is in the air at the local high school. As I attempt a #positive review of Cabin Fever 2: Spring Fever #NoahSegan #RustyKelley #AlexiWasser #GiuseppeAndrews #ReganDeal #MarcSenter #MichaelBowen #LindseyAxelsson

There was a time when the fear of infectious diseases was reserved for the offshoots of conspirational thinking, not a major policy to constantly worry about. Teens could go about their lives without worrying about Zoom classes, masks, and the like, while it would be nice to go back to such a time, such precautions may have been invaluable in certain fictional settings. In 2009, a follow-up to…

[studentofrhetoric-blog]

Sunday, February 19th, 2017

International News:

--- "DACHAU, Germany (AP) — U.S. Vice President Mike Pence paid a somber visit to the site of the Dachau concentration camp on Sunday, walking along the grounds where tens of thousands of people were killed during World War II. Pence was joined by his wife, Karen, and the couple's 23-year-old daughter, Charlotte, as they toured the exhibits at the former concentration camp that was established by the Nazis in 1933 near Munich. The vice president was accompanied by Abba Naor, a survivor of the camp, and other dignitaries as he passed through the wrought-iron gate bearing the inscription, "Arbeit macht frei," or "Work sets you free." The Pences placed a wreath beneath the International Memorial at the center of the camp, toured the barracks and viewed the ovens inside the crematorium."

Source: https://www.apnews.com/39afbea72fa1463e95e33d25038f3a99/US-vice-president-visits-former-Nazi-concentration-camp

--- "MOSCOW (AP) — The United States says it is disturbed by Russia's decision to recognize passports and other documents issued by rebel authorities in eastern Ukraine. The recognition, in an order signed by President Vladimir Putin that was announced Saturday, "is alarming and contradicts the agreed-upon goals of the Minsk Agreement," the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine said Sunday on Twitter, referring to a two-year-old agreement on ending the fighting in eastern Ukraine. Russia was a signatory of the agreement."

Source: https://www.apnews.com/3b4d48238330495eacfccc77103d5b98/US-slams-Russia's-move-to-recognize-Ukraine-rebel-documents

Domestic & International News:

--- "ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates (AP) — U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said he plans to make some decisions soon on whether to recommend an increase in the number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan and whether the totals should be based on military requirements rather than pre-set limits. Mattis told reporters traveling with him that he spoke for several hours by video conference on Sunday with U.S. Gen. John Nicholson, the top American commander there. Mattis said he will collect his thoughts and then send recommendations to the White House where, he said, President Donald Trump is open to his advice. Earlier this month, Nicholson told the Senate Armed Services Committee that he needs a few thousand more troops to train and advise Afghan forces...He said the call with Nicholson and a meeting Saturday in Munich with Afghan President Ashraf Ghani were part of his effort to get the latest information on the situation both politically and strategically. During the hearing, Nicholson told senators that the additional troops could come from the United States or other nations in the U.S.-led coalition. He noted that when then-President Barack Obama ordered a cut in U.S. troops to 8,400 last year, commanders were forced to hire contractors to do jobs that American forces would normally do."

Source: https://www.apnews.com/d79361bd97f04f60b30ed5b6e843b2b0/Mattis-to-decide-soon-on-troop-levels-in-Afghanistan

Additional source with more information related to training Afghan forces: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-afghanistan-idUSKBN15Y0XI

--- "Preparations are under way to bring senior North Korean officials to the United States for talks with former U.S. officials, the first such meeting in more than five years, The Washington Post reported on Sunday. The talks would be the clearest indication yet that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un wants to communicate with the new Trump administration. Planning for the "Track 1.5 talks" is still in a preparatory stage, the Post reported, citing multiple people with knowledge of the arrangements. That name, reflecting planned contact between former U.S. officials and current North Korean ones, is a reference to what are known as "Track 2" talks involving former officials on both sides."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-northkorea-idUSKBN15Z04C

--- "U.S. Republican senators plan to introduce legislation to impose further sanctions on Iran, accusing it of violating U.N. Security Council resolutions by testing ballistic missiles and acting to "destabilise" the Middle East, a U.S. senator said Sunday. "I think it is now time for the Congress to take Iran on directly in terms of what they’ve done outside the nuclear program," Senator Lindsey Graham, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, told the Munich Security Conference. Graham said he and other Republicans would introduce measures to hold Iran accountable for its actions. Tensions between Tehran and Washington have risen since an Iranian ballistic missile test that prompted U.S. President Donald Trump's administration to impose sanctions on individuals and entities linked to the country's Revolutionary Guards."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-germany-security-iran-usa-idUSKBN15Y0CW?il=0

--- "A day after falsely suggesting there was an immigration-related security incident in Sweden, President Donald Trump said on Sunday his comment was based on a television report he had seen. Trump, who in his first weeks in office has tried to tighten U.S. borders sharply for national security reasons, told a rally on Saturday that Sweden was having serious problems with immigrants. "You look at what's happening last night in Sweden," Trump said. "Sweden. Who would believe this? Sweden. They took in large numbers. They're having problems like they never thought possible." No incident occurred in Sweden and the country's baffled government asked the U.S. State Department to explain. "My statement as to what's happening in Sweden was in reference to a story that was broadcast on @FoxNews concerning immigrants & Sweden," Trump said in a tweet on Sunday. Fox News, a U.S. channel that has been cited favorably by Trump, ran a report Friday about alleged migrant-related crime problems in the country. A White House spokeswoman told reporters on Sunday that Trump had been referring generally to rising crime, not a specific incident in the Scandinavian country. Sweden's crime rate has fallen since 2005, official statistics show, even as it has taken in hundreds of thousands of immigrants from war-torn countries like Syria and Iraq. Trump's comment confounded Stockholm. "We are trying to get clarity," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Catarina Axelsson said."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-sweden-idUSKBN15Y0QH

--- "U.S. Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Sunday distanced himself from President Donald Trump's assessment of the media as "the enemy of the American people," saying during his first trip to the Middle East that he had no problems with the press. Mattis, a retired Marine general seen as one of the most influential voices in Trump's cabinet, did not mention his boss by name. But asked about Trump's Tweet on Friday that branded the media as America's enemy, Mattis took a different position entirely. "I've had some rather contentious times with the press. But no, the press, as far as I'm concerned, are a constituency that we deal with," he told reporters traveling with him in the United Arab Emirates. "And I don't have any issues with the press, myself," Mattis added."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-press-mattis-idUSKBN15Y0MB

Domestic News:

--- "WASHINGTON (AP) — A senior Trump administration official was fired following criticism in a private speech of President Donald Trump's policies and his inner circle of advisers. Craig Deare, whom Trump appointed a month ago to head the National Security Council's Western Hemisphere division, was on Friday escorted out of the Executive Office Building, where he worked in Washington. A senior White House official confirmed that Deare is no longer working at the NSC and has returned to the position he previously held at the National Defense University. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an incident not otherwise made public, and provided no further details. White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Sunday that Deare "was sent back to his original position." Asked if government employees should be concerned that they could be fired for criticizing the president, she said: "I don't think any person that is there in order to carry out the president's agenda should be against the president's agenda.""

Source: https://www.apnews.com/8c634286b7b0405eb199988d55e50c43/Senior-Trump-appointee-fired-after-critical-comments

--- "WASHINGTON (AP) — A draft of President Donald Trump's revised immigration ban targets the same seven countries listed in his original executive order and exempts travelers who already have a visa to travel to the U.S., even if they haven't used it yet. A senior administration official said the order, which Trump revised after federal courts held up his original immigration and refugee ban, will target only those same seven Muslim-majority countries — Iran, Iraq, Syria, Yemen, Somalia, Sudan and Libya. The official said that green-card holders and dual citizens of the U.S. and any of those countries are exempt. The new draft also no longer directs authorities to single out — and reject — Syrian refugees when processing new visa applications. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the order before it's made public. The official noted that the draft is subject to change ahead of its signing, which Trump said could come sometime this week. Asked about the revised order, White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the document circulating was a draft and that a final version should be released soon. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to a request for comment."

Source: https://www.apnews.com/7dfde2f7d87344d0955f70ff39d8ab4f/AP-source:-Revised-travel-ban-targets-same-countries

Additional commentary: http://www.csmonitor.com/USA/Justice/2017/0220/Travel-ban-rewrite-Should-judges-parse-Trump-motives-as-well-as-the-text

--- "U.S. President Donald Trump's administration is mulling changes to how it calculates U.S. trade deficits in a way that would likely help bolster political arguments to renegotiate key trade deals, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing people involved in the discussions. The main idea being discussed is whether to exclude "re-exports" from the calculation of U.S. exports, sources told the newspaper. Re-exports refer to goods that are imported into the United States, then transferred to another country. Trump has been highly critical of trade deals including the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) with Mexico and Canada. By using a metric that widens the trade deficit, it could give him political leverage to make sweeping changes, the paper reported. If the government adopted the new method, the deficit with Mexico would be nearly twice as high."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-trade-idUSKBN15Y0V1

--- "A Democrat who sits on the U.S. Federal Election Commission (FEC) is planning to resign before her term expires amid frustrations about partisan gridlock, the New York Times reported on Sunday. FEC Commissioner Ann Ravel told the Times in an interview she intended to submit her letter of resignation this week, a move that would open the door for President Donald Trump to make his own appointment to the panel. “The ability of the commission to perform its role has deteriorated significantly,” Ravel told the newspaper. “I think I can be more effective on the outside.”"

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-fec-ravel-idUSKBN15Y0KH?il=0

--- "One of Rex Tillerson's first directives as U.S. secretary of state was an order to senior staff that his briefing materials not exceed two pages. It was a reflection of Tillerson's management style honed at the helm of Exxon Mobil, an oil company known for its relentless focus on efficiency, and one reason his closest aides at the State Department refer to him as "the CEO" rather than "the Secretary." More than a dozen current and former U.S. officials familiar with briefing procedures said Tillerson's predecessors would typically request far more detailed information. His aide R.C. Hammond said the directive reflected Tillerson's focus on key facts rather than lack of interest in finer points of foreign policy. "He is asking people to be efficient with their information," Hammond said, adding that if Tillerson needed more information he would ask for it. "He is a decision-maker and he needs the facts in front of him." As a first-time government official with no prior diplomatic experience, Tillerson faces close scrutiny over how successful he will be in managing both the State Department bureaucracy and its relations with Donald Trump and his administration."

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-tillerson-idUSKBN15Y0Y6

--- "WASHINGTON (AP) — Top House Republicans say their outline for replacing President Barack Obama's health care law is a pathway to greater flexibility and lower costs for consumers. Democrats see a road to ruin for millions who'd face lost coverage and higher medical expenses, particularly the poor. The plan "ensures more choices, lower costs and greater control over your health care," according to talking points GOP leaders handed lawmakers heading home to face constituents during this week's recess. Democrats say the proposal would threaten the coverage 20 million Americans gained under Obama's 2010 overhaul. "It's like rationing" health care, said Rep. Frank Pallone of New Jersey, the House Energy and Commerce Committee's top Democrat. The GOP package lacks details, which are a work in progress, and has no estimates of cost or the number of people it would serve. It's also uncertain if enough Republicans would support it — a hurdle that's flummoxed leaders over seven years of trying to dismantle Obama's law."

The source details the plan: https://www.apnews.com/7491788e71384f478d0e132c19c1a9ff/House-GOP-hails-health-plan-that-Democrats-call-inadequate

--- "“Climate change is not a controversy,” read one sign at yesterday’s “Rally to Stand Up for Science,” which drew hundreds to the historic downtown plaza. Other slogans were more lighthearted, arguing that “Trump’s team are like atoms – They make up everything.” Whether the signs provoked laughs or stoked outrage among onlookers, the rally’s attendees shared a sense of concern for the future of scientific research in the United States – particularly climate science – under President Trump. Sunday's protest added to the growing movement of scientists across the country who are voicing activist views on the Trump administration's emerging policies."

Source: http://www.csmonitor.com/Science/2017/0220/Science-activism-continues-its-rise-with-Boston-rally

--- 1 "The top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee says President Donald Trump is behaving like a "tin-pot dictator" by making comments criticizing the news media as "the enemy of the American people." Rep. Adam Schiff of California described Trump's tweet last week as "the most devastating" and "the most alarming" in attacking the First Amendment right to a free press."

--- 2 "A top adviser to President Donald Trump says campaign aides didn't have any contact with Russia before the election. Chief of staff Reince Priebus (ryns PREE'-bus) tells NBC's "Meet the Press" that "we don't know of any contacts with Russian agents." Priebus says he had "talked to the top levels of the intelligence community." He denies a New York Times report that multiple Trump advisers were in touch with Russian intelligence advisers during the election campaign."

--- 3 "The Congressional Black Caucus says it will meet with President Donald Trump after all. Rep. Elijah Cummings is a senior member of the group. He told CBS' "Face the Nation" that Trump answered the caucus' Jan. 19 request for a meeting "a day or so ago." The Maryland Democrat says he expects the two parties will meet when Congress returns from a weeklong break and discuss prescription drugs and urban issues."

--- 4 "President Donald Trump discussed what the White House calls "shared priorities" in phone calls to the leaders of Panama and the twin-island nation of Trinidad and Tobago. In statements late Sunday, the White House says Trump spoke to President Juan Carlos Varela of Panama and Prime Minister Keith Rowley of Trinidad and Tobago."

1 - 4 Source: https://www.apnews.com/a8f1dcb69e194cf0925bf0b737e303e1/The-Latest:-Trump-invites-Panama,-Trinidad-Tobago-leaders