#nsc replies

[naruto-shipping-confessions]

#1

#2

[kpop---scenarios]

Misery Loves Company (3)

Pairing: Lee Know x Reader

Warning: Smut [18+ ONLY. MINORS DO NOT INTERACT]

Word Count: 1.8k

Everything Taglist: @wife2straykidss @piscesrising01 @baby-stay92 @kisses-too-the-moon

@dwaekkiiracha @silly250 @rylea08 @imperfectlyperfectprincess1

@satosugu4l @gabriellamarie @tsunderelino @iovecb97 @1810cl

@lordmaahes-nsc @sailorkoss @minh0scat @pixie0627 @50-husbands

@jinnies-muse @yaorzu-blog @anskiiz @joyofbebbanburg @number1jeonginstan

@skzooluvr

@jisunglyricist @ambersnowxxx @ayyonoona @31maze13

@stay-tiny-things @thegingerthatwaited @hoesheez

ONE | TWO |

Just as Minho leans in, his plump lips almost touching yours, your body begins to shake. Your eyes shoot open, sitting up with a gasp. You look around and see yourself still in the car, Minho glancing between you and looking at the road with a confused face.

“Are you okay?” He laughs. “It sounded like you were having either a scary dream, or a very sexual one.” He says.

“I- um, yeah. It was uh, scary.” You mumble, trying to compose yourself. You weren't quite sure how you felt about the dream you'd just had.

You and Minho? Maybe it was just because the two of you had been traveling for two days alone, and sharing a bed. Yeah, that was it. You didn't want him, it was just your brain going somewhere that you wouldn't go with him.

But if that was the case, why couldn't you stop thinking about him in a completely different way now?

“Okay.” He laughs. “Well we're about 10 minutes from the hotel. Hopefully they have more than one room this time.” He says.

“Yeah.” You say, forcing yourself to chuckle. “Hopefully.” Secretly you hoped they didn't, but you'd never tell him that.

A few minutes later, Minho pulls into the parking lot of the hotel. You both get out, stretching before grabbing your bags and heading inside. You both go up to the desk, each of you speaking to your own front desk agent.

“One room, one bed please.” You smile, sliding your credit card across the desk. You hear Minho mumble the same thing, and notice both the desk agents looking at each other.

“You guys came in together…right?” The woman asks, looking between you both.

“Yes, but we're not…together.” You mumble.

“Ah, well unfortunately, we only have one room left. With a king size bed.” She tells you both.

Fuck.

“That's fine.” Minho smiles. “I'll book that.” He finishes, sliding his own credit card over to his clerk.

Once he's finished checking in, you drag your bag behind you as you follow behind him to the elevator. The two of you step on, the door closing quickly. “We're not having very good luck with hotel rooms.” He laughs.

“We definitely are not.” You laugh, waiting for him to unlock the door. The two of you go inside, setting down your luggage, when he looks at you.

“Should we go grab some dinner?” he smiles, motioning towards the front door of the room. You nod your head, walking towards the door before you begin to remember your dream. You try to shake it out of your head, following Minho out of the room and back towards the elevator. You take a deep breath, trying to contain your thoughts, trying to make them a lot less dirty than they currently were.

You and Minho are sitting at a nice but small table, with menus placed in front of you.

“Can I get you something to drink?” Your waiter asks, smiling down at you both.

“Double vodka cran please.” You smile.

“Beer for me.” Minho replies. Your body freezes. This is exactly what happened in your dream in the car. You try to shake off the lust you were currently feeling but you couldn't help it. You sat there watching Minho scan the menu, licking his lips.

Fuck.

It seemed as if everything you had dreamt about it the car was beginning to come true. Does this mean he was going to kiss you when you got back to the room? Did you want that? Would you accept it? Well, look at him, of course you would. Your palms begin to sweat, making your glass slip in your hands. You quickly place it on the table, leaning forward to sip from the straw instead.

When you were finished with that drink, you ordered another double, and you knew by the end of the evening you were going to be drunk.

And you were. Even after eating dinner, you had 2 more double drinks and the room was spinning. Luckily for you, Minhi paid for dinner, and you followed him to the elevator, doing your best to keep up with him as you tried not to trip over your own feet or bump into anything. Thankfully you successfully made it to your shared room. And you went straight for your tank top and shorts, getting your toiletries as well before turning to look at Minho.

“Do you have to go to the bathroom?” You ask. “I was gonna shower.” Now was the time. Was your dream gonna come true?

“No, I'm all good, go ahead.” He smiles, sliding his belt out of his jeans.

You were a little disappointed that it didn't happen. You turned around and walked towards the bathroom with your shoulders slightly slumped. You took your time in the shower, hoping that maybe he would be asleep by the time you got out. A while later you got out of the shower, dried yourself off and slipped on your shorts and tank top. You crept out into the bedroom, Minho slightly snoring with the TV still on.

Thank fuck.

You set your clothes in your bag, trying your hardest to be quiet as you sneak into the bed, doing your best not to disturb Minho. You gently grab the remote from beside him, turning off the TV. You laid there in the dark, everything still spinning because despite your shower, you were still drunk. You closed your eyes and tried to fall asleep but you just kept thinking about Minho, his hands all over your body, the way his tongue would feel on you, the way he tasted, the way his cock felt inside you. Your eyes shoot open, your clit throbbing. You look over at him again, softly snoring. You slowly slip your hand into your shorts, closing your eyes as your fingertips touch your clit. You try to control your breathing as you gently rub, imagining it was Minho touching you, imagining him doing all sorts of things to you, and fuck was it ever hot.

Until he rolled over. Your stop, frozen in your position. He clears his throat, adjusting his position in bed and you can't tell if he's still asleep. You can feel your heart racing as you wait, hoping to hear those soft snores once again. But they don't come.

“Y/N.” He says, his voice low and hoarse. A knot forms in your stomach, as you wait for him to continue speaking. “Are you touching yourself right now?” He asks.

You didn't know how to answer. If you said yes would he be upset? If you said no would he even believe you?

“Yes.” You whisper.

“Were you thinking about me?” He asks. “Don't lie to me, either.”

“Yes.” You whisper.

“Are you wet right now?”

“So wet.” You say.

Minho let out a low groan. “Fuck.” he hisses. “If you're gonna make a mess, at least do it on my face.”

Your own breath hitches. “You want to help me out?” You ask.

“Please ride my fucking face.” He groans. You must have been drunker than you thought, because you weren't sure sober you would ever do this. You got up, shimmying your shorts down and discarding them before you crawl back on the bed, straddling Minho's chest.

“Are you sure about this?” You ask.

“If you don't sit on my fucking face…” He begins to say but you cut him off, by sitting on his face. You feel his tongue swirl around your clit, lapping up your juices from playing with yourself. You lean forward, gripping the headboard as Minho sticks out his tongue and you begin to ride his face. You can feel your juices spilling out of you as you moan loudly, each movement bringing you closer and closer to your orgasm.

“Oh my fucking god.” You groan, moving faster on his tongue. “Fuck, Minho.” You cry, suddenly cumming all over his face.

You get off, laying down next to him as you try to catch your breath. Minho climbs out of the bed, moving around to your side of the bed. He drops his boxers to the floor, his cock standing tall. You look over at him, smiling as he grabs onto your ankles, pulling you to the edge of the bed but keeping your legs in the air. You watch as he spits into his hand, stroking his cock before he shoves himself inside of you, and it was better than you fucking imagined. Minho moves slowly, pulling out, before slowly pushing himself back in as far as he can and holds himself there for just a moment. Until he pulls out and does the same thing over and over again, driving you fucking crazy.

“Minho…” you gasp. “Please.”

“Please what?” Minho asks.

“Fuck me harder.” You groan.

Minho doesn't say anything, Instead picks up his pace, ramming his cock deep inside your wet cunt, making you scream. “It feels so good.” You cry out.

“Such a tight fucking pussy.” Minho moans, wrapping his hand around your leg, holding you closer as he fucks you. He moves his other hand between your legs, rubbing your already sensitive clit, desperately wanting to make you cum all over his cock.

You arch your back as Minho slams into you, his fingers moving just right against your clit. You tighten your pussy around his cock as he pumps into you. Your orgasm building so quickly, you don't even have time to warn him. It takes over your body, making you scream again as your eyes roll back. Minho's grunting, his fingers digging into your thighs as he desperately yearns to reach his own orgasm. He thrusts a few more times, the sound of you moaning from his cock threw him over the edge. He groans loudly as he pulls his cock out, stroking it fast, his head thrown back as he cums, right on your lower stomach, his chest heaving.

He takes a few deep breaths, laughing at the sight of you. “I'll get you a towel.” He chuckles.

“That's so nice of you, thank you.” You yell back, sarcastically. Minho comes back into the room, handing you a towel to clean yourself up with. When you're done, you put it in a dirty laundry bag near the door and crawl back into bed.

“That was fun.” He laughs.

“That was so much fun.” You breathe, laying under the covers. “But um…” you pause. “What does this mean now?” You ask. You kinda hoped he'd ask you on a date or something.

“Maybe…” he starts. The anticipation was killing you. What was he going to say?

“Let's just play this by ear.” He says, clearing his throat. “And maybe don't tell anyone about it.”

[todaysdocument]

Memorandum from Henry Kissinger Regarding Communications with Hanoi, North Vietnam Prior to January 20, 1969

Collection GRF-0332: Henry Kissinger and Brent Scowcroft West Wing Office Files (Ford Administration)Series: Henry Kissinger's and Brent Scowcroft's General Subject FilesFile Unit: Vietnamese War - Secret Peace Talks (Mr. S. File), (1)

Digitized from Box 38 of the NSA. Kissinger-Scowcroft West Wing Office Files at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library [written]File 5a [underlined][strikethrough]SECRET[/strikethrough] /NODIS January 31, 1969 [/underlined]EYES ONLY MEMORANDUM FOR: THE SECRETARY OF STATE FROM: Henry A. Kissinger SUBJECT: Communication with Hanoi Prior to January 20 Prior to the inauguration, President Nixon was in communication with the North Vietnamese through a contact who is personally known to the top leaders in Hanoi. The messages were sent by me to the contact who delivered them to Mai Van Bo (DRV representative to the Government of France) and vice versa. The President initiated the exchange with his message of December 20 (Tab A), which told the North Vietnamese that his Administration was prepared to undertake serious talks. On December 31, Hanoi sent its reply (Tab B), which emphasizes that its point of primary concern is U.S. willingness to withdraw troops. The ball was kept in play by the President's response of January 2 (Tab C), which states [underlined]inter alia[/underlined] that his Administration is ready to withdraw U.S. forces from South Vietnam as part of an honorable settlement which includes mutual troop withdrawal. The North Vietnamese replied on January 13 to the President's message (Tab D). The President has not replied to this latest message. The President asked that this be very closely held. [underlined][strikethrough]SECRET[/strikethrough]/NODIS[/underlined] [stamp]GERALD R. FORD LIBRARY DECLASSIFIED E.O. 12958, Sec. 3.5 NSC Memo 11/24/98, State Dept. Guidelines [initialed] , NARA, Date 12/15/99 Box 38 of the NSA. Kissinger-Scowcroft West Wing Office Files at the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library [written]5b [underlined]SECRET[crossed out]/ NODIS December 20, 1968 [underlined]Message to the North Vietnamese "1. The Nixon Administration is prepared to undertake serious talks. "2. These talks are to be based on the self respect and sense of honor of all parties. "3. The Nixon Administration is prepared for an honorable settlement but for nothing less. "4. If Hanoi wants, the Nixon Administration would be willing to discuss ultimate objectives first. "5. If Hanoi wishes to communicate some of their general ideas prior to January 20, they will be examined with a constructive attitude and in the strictest confidence." [underlined]SECRET[crossed out] /NODIS [stamp]GERALD R. FORD LIBRARY [stamp]DECLASSIFIED E.O. 12958, Sec. 3.5 NSC Memo, 11/24/98, State Dept. Guidelines By [initialed] , NARA, Date 12/15/99 [full document at link]

[thedunesea]

you understand obi-wan and anakin on an emotional level i have NEVER seen in an author— for any fanfic characters. i left a comment on your ao3, but now i’m begging here—neutron star collision plot spoilers? i don’t want to murder your character arcs in my head, i don’t trust myself. your story is too beautiful for my hands.

Thank you so much for your words, really, both here and on ao3. They mean so much to me. It's humbling to know that the way I've written these characters I love so dearly resonates so much with someone else <3 [I do read and cherish all the comments I receive, but I feel too guily for my lack of updates to reply to the comments I receive on NSC :(]

I am going to finish Neutron Star Collision eventually, I know I am, but since I don't know how long it will take I will gladly share detailed spoilers if you wish! Just shoot me a DM, my inbox is open, I don't really feel comfortable leaving here in the open the detailed plot of a story I'm still painstakingly working on :)

[naruto-general-opinions]

#1

#2

[meetnategreen]

PBS White House correspondent Yamiche Alcindor asked why the president doesn't "take responsibility" for the administration's slow response to the Covid-19 outbreak despite his disbanding of a White House office on pandemic response.

He replied: "I just think that's a nasty question ... When you say me, I didn't do it."

Yamiche Alcindor PBS White House correspondent 

[scope-dogg]

victacobell replied to your post “I’ve got mixed feelings about Trump defunding the WHO. On the one hand...”

Didn't Trump already defund the CDC?

Not the CDC. You’re probably thinking of the Global Health Security and Biodefense Unit within the National Security Council, which was established in 2015 by Susan Rice, the National Security Advisor under Barack Obama, following the 2014 Ebola outbreak. It was supposed to be the the entity that would head up the US national response to pandemics like this one. Trump dissolved it in 2018. Some of the staff left the administration and others were folded into different parts of the NSC, including into roles that still at least partially concerned pandemic response, so the jury’s somewhat out on whether the decision actually badly weakened the US’ pandemic response or not. Trump administration proponents have said it was a necessary move to reduce bloat at the NSC and consolidate expertise in a way that actually strengthened it overall. I think if you actually look at what was said by people involved, even those in favour, I think I’m personally more likely to believe that it damaged it. Here’s a quote from Tim Morrison who was the senior official in charge of biodefense as the NSC in a Washington Post op-ed about the move (emphasis mine)

“It is true that the Trump administration has seen fit to shrink the NSC staff. But the bloat that occurred under the previous administration clearly needed a correction. … One such move at the NSC was to create the counterproliferation and biodefense directorate, which was the result of consolidating three directorates into one, given the obvious overlap between arms control and nonproliferation, weapons of mass destruction terrorism, and global health and biodefense. It is this reorganization that critics have misconstrued or intentionally misrepresented. If anything, the combined directorate was stronger because related expertise could be commingled”

Now I don’t consider myself an expert on any of these issues, but to me the overlap here isn’t “obvious” at all. I fail to see how arms control and WMD terrorism correspond to pandemic control unless it was a deliberate attack with a bioweapon (there’s currently no hard proof that Covid-19 is a bioweapon and even if it is one it surely wasn’t released deliberately.) It also isn’t clear whether this new consolidated body still has the same clear authority to act in a pandemic event that Obama-era body had - from what it appears, it doesn’t, because you never hear about it, and all the guidance and press releases come from the CDC instead.

We can only speculate whether the US would have responded any differently or better than it has done in fact if the Obama-era pandemic response unit had been left intact. I definitely don’t think it would be any worse, though.

Edit: Source:

https://www.reuters.com/article/uk-factcheck-trump-fired-pandemic-team/partly-false-claim-trump-fired-pandemic-response-team-in-2018-idUSKBN21C32M

[kpop---scenarios]

Breathe

Pairing: Chan x Reader x Jeongin

Warning: a little angst, open relationship

Word Count: 1.4k

A/N: this was a commission! I can't tag who it was cause I don't have the blog! But I hope you enjoy!! If you want a story to come to life, I'm your girl!!

Everything Taglist: @wife2straykidss @piscesrising01 @baby-stay92 @kisses-too-the-moon @dwaekkiiracha @silly250 @rylea08 @imperfectlyperfectprincess1 @satosugu4l

@gabriellamarie @tsunderelino @iovecb97 @1810cl @lordmaahes-nsc

@sailorkoss @minh0scat @pixie0627 @50-husbands @jinnies-muse

@yaorzu-blog @anskiiz @joyofbebbanburg @number1jeonginstan

@skzooluvr @jisunglyricist @ambersnowxxx @ayyonoona

@31maze13 @stay-tiny-things @thegingerthatwaited

“My god, Y/N. Why is everything a fight with you?” Chan huffs, walking away from you. You weren't trying to fight, but damn, things between you and Chan had been off for a while and you knew neither of you were currently happy.

“I wasn't… I wasn't trying to fight.” You murmur, following him into the living room. You twiddle your fingers, looking down at the ground. You truly didn't want the two of you to break up, and you feared that that was where you were headed.

“Look, it's clear something is missing in this… between us. Something has to change. I was thinking…” He pauses. Your head shoots up, staring at him. You didn't know where he was going with this and you were scared. “What if we had an open relationship?” He suggests.

“An… open…relationship?” You question.

“Yeah. Like we're still together, but we're free to date other people.” He smiles.

“You think that's going to help?” You ask.

“It'll make us stronger for sure.” He says. He looked so confident in his answer.

You weren't into it. You didn't want it. But the smile on Chan’s face said that he was excited about the possibility of it.

“Do you still wanna be with me?” You ask, feeling like he didn't. Especially if he was wanting to be with other people.

“Yeah I do, but I feel like we might be happier too if we just relax, and take some time. We'll come home to each other every night, we're still together, but we can go on dates with others, have… you know, sex with others… and stuff.” He says.

Was that supposed to convince you? The thought of him having sex with other women? How were you supposed to be okay with that?

“I don't… I don't know.” You murmur. Your stomach twists with anxiety. You bite your lip as you look up at Chan, nervously. The look of disappointment spread across his face, his head hanging low, his shoulders slumping.

“Fine.” You whisper. You just wanted him to be happy. If this is what he wanted then you would learn to be okay with this. “We can have an open relationship.”

Chan immediately perks up, the biggest grin spread across his face as he rushes towards you, wrapping his arms around you. You hug him back, feeling safe in his arms, but who knew how long that would last?

The next weekend, you sat on the couch, chewing your nails while Chan got ready. He sprayed your favorite cologne onto his body as he adjusted his jacket. He leans closer into the mirror, adjusting his hair, smiling at himself as he does his finishing touches.

“Where are you going tonight?” You ask, curling up a little more on the couch.

“Just to the bar.” He replies.

“Are you going to bring anyone back?” You whisper.

“Here?” He chuckles. “Nah, that's disrespectful to you.” He says, walking towards you. He leans down, pressing a kiss to your forehead. You watch him walk out of the room, grabbing his wallet and keys, leaving you alone with your anxiety and your thoughts. When he came home, hours later, his smile was radiant. He was happier than you had ever seen him. He practically skipped through the kitchen and went straight to the bathroom, turning on the shower immediately. Your heart sinks at the thought of what he did tonight but you didn't feel like you could ask him. It was something that you weren't sure you could take, and this was only the first night of your open relationship.

Over the next few weeks, Chan went out every weekend, sometimes not even coming home until the next morning, and honestly you were getting a little tired of it. You were always sitting at home, alone, wondering if he would come home to you, hoping that he'd come home to you but more likely than not, he didn't. So you finally had enough. One night you were watching Chan putter around the bedroom, while you yourself, put on one of your favorite outfits, a dress that fit your body perfectly, extenuating your body perfectly. Your makeup and hair were done and you were ready for a night on the town as a semi single woman.

“What's going on?” Chan murmurs, glancing at you. “You look nice.”

“I'm going out tonight.” You smile. “You seem to be taking good advantage of it and having fun, so why shouldn't I?” you respond.

“Oh.” He says, clearing his throat. “Yeah, okay. Well, have fun tonight.” He whispers.

“Yeah.” You smile. “You too.”

That night, you sat at the bar, sipping your cocktail, feeling a little nervous. Were you supposed to approach someone? Would you be able to talk or do anything with someone if they approached you? But you didn't have much time to worry about it, before you knew it, someone slid in beside you at the bar. You look over, seeing an extremely handsome man sitting there. You can't help but smile back at him.

“Can I buy you a drink, beautiful?” He asks.

“I'd love one.” You reply. Suddenly, the memory of your boyfriend faded from your head and it was replaced with the man that sat beside you.

“I'm Jeongin, by the way.” He says.

“Y/N.” You respond, gently shaking his hand.

You were so fucking mesmerized but Jeongin. The two of you talked almost all night, neither of you realizing what time it was until the bartender called out for the last call of drinks.

“What time is it?” You gasped, looking at your phone. “Oh my god, it's 3am.” You laugh. You weren't even tired, and you didn't want the night to end. You were enjoying talking to Jeongin, learning about him and his life and the way he so intently listened to you and what you said. It was so different from Chan and the way Chan listened to you and spoke to you.

“I guess I should get going.” You murmur, grabbing your bag. You reach for your phone, but Jeongin grabs It first.

“I'd like to see you again.” He smiles. “Can I give you my number?”

You giggle, unlocking your phone for him to put his number in. He gives you your phone back, leaning in to give you a soft kiss on your cheek. “Please, call me.” He says.

You can't get rid of your smile, the entire way home. You were grinning ear from ear, with butterflies in your stomach as you thought about the night and how desperately you wanted to feel that connection again. As the cab pulls up to your place, you quickly send Jeongin a text, thanking him for the night and how much fun you had with him. You paid the cab driver, and skipped into your place. To your surprise, Chan was already home and asleep in bed. You quickly and quietly get ready for bed, crawling in beside him, falling asleep to the thought of someone who was not your boyfriend.

Over the next few weeks, you were out constantly with Jeongin. You could tell Chan was getting annoyed with how much you were going out, and you'd noticed that he stopped going out. He was staying home especially on the weekends, sitting on the couch as you walked around, grabbing your purse and things, kissing him on the forehead before you left.

“Hey, Y/N.” He calls out, right as your hand hovers above the knob of the door.

“Yeah?” You respond, turning your head to look at him. He stands up, walking towards you, his hands in his pockets, his eyes avoiding yours.

“I was thinking… what if we stopped this?” He whispers. “This open relationship thing.”

“What happened?” You asked. “You were so happy for weeks, going out, barely talking to me. What's changed?”

“I just… I don't wanna do it anymore.” He snaps. “So you can't go out tonight.”

“Excuse me?” You scoff. “You wanted this. You wanted to do this. And so now that I'm doing it and I'm happy, you wanna call it quits?” you ask.

“I only did it cause you were fucking suffocating me!” Chan snaps. “I felt like I couldn't breathe being around you all the time. But I miss you now! I want you back to myself!”

Right there, your heart breaks into a million pieces.

“Well.” You sniffle, wiping a tear away. “You won't have to worry about me suffocating you anymore. This...” You pause, motioning between you and him. “This is done.” You whimper.

“I hope you can breathe now.”

[naruto-shipping-confessions]

What notes are you reading?

[quakerjoe]

Ambassador to the European Union Gordon Sondland’s testimony makes exquisitely clear that the House, in exercising its impeachment power, is entitled to hear from a series of witnesses who have so far either refused requests to testify or not been summoned. They include, at a minimum: Vice President Pence, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, acting White House chief of staff Mick Mulvaney, former national security adviser John Bolton, soon-to-be-former Energy Secretary Rick Perry and Rudolph W. Giuliani, the president’s personal lawyer.

While we’re at it, Sondland — and the committee — should be given access to documents that could help refresh his frustratingly spotty recollections. The administration’s high-handed order that witnesses not cooperate with the House probe and refusal to turn over relevant documents is an act of obstruction — and a likely count in the articles of impeachment. But the goal isn’t proving obstruction — it is getting at the truth.

The latest updates in the Trump impeachment hearings

The individuals listed above are firsthand fact witnesses in an inquiry whose seriousness was underscored by Sondland’s stark assessment: “Was there a ‘quid pro quo’? With regard to the requested White House call and White House meeting, the answer is yes,” Sondland testified. In addition, he said with regard to the $400 million in military aid for Ukraine whose release was being held up, “In the absence of any credible explanation for the hold, I came to the conclusion that the aid, like the White House visit, was jeopardized,” Sondland said.

Republicans have conjured up a bunch of smoke about the unfairness and unreliability of hearsay evidence, although hearsay rules do not apply in this setting, nor are they absolute. They have tried to discredit or play down the significance of some witnesses on the grounds that they had no direct contact with President Trump. Well, then let’s hear from those who did. The Watergate question is a cliche but one with particular pertinence here: What did they know, and when did they know it? Some fruitful potential areas of questioning:

— Pence. Sondland testified that he spoke to the vice president before a Sept. 1 meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Warsaw. “I mentioned to Vice President Pence before the meetings with the Ukrainians that I had concerns that the delay in aid had become tied to the issue of investigations,” Sondland testified. “I recall mentioning that before the Zelensky meeting. During the actual meeting, President Zelensky raised the issue of security assistance directly with Vice President Pence. The vice president said he would speak to President Trump about it.”

Pence’s office responded with a statement from his chief of staff, Marc Short, denying Sondland’s account. “The Vice President never had a conversation with Gordon Sondland about investigating the Bidens, Burisma, or the conditional release of financial aid to Ukraine based upon potential investigations. Ambassador Gordon Sondland was never alone with Vice President Pence on the September 1 trip to Poland. This alleged discussion recalled by Ambassador Sondland never happened.” Fine. If this is Pence’s account, it should not be a problem for him to answer questions about it under oath.

— Pompeo. Preparing for that Sept. 1 meeting, which Trump was originally scheduled to attend himself, Sondland testified that he asked Pompeo “whether a face-to-face conversation between Trump with Zelensky could help” to get the aid released. “I would ask Zelensky to look him in the eye and tell him that once Ukraine’s new justice folks are in place … that Ze should be able to move forward publicly and with confidence on those issues of importance to Potus and to the U.S. Hopefully, that will break the logjam,” Sondland wrote to Pompeo. “Secretary Pompeo replied, ‘Yes.’” What did Pompeo know about why the aid was being held up?

— Mulvaney. Sondland read from a July 19 email to Mulvaney, Pompeo, Perry and others in advance of Trump’s call with Zelensky: “He is prepared to receive Potus’ call. Will assure him that he intends to run a fully transparent investigation and will ‘turn over every stone’. He would greatly appreciate a call prior to Sunday so that he can put out some media about a ‘friendly and productive call’ (no details) prior to Ukraine election on Sunday.” Mulvaney responded: “I asked NSC to set it up for tomorrow.” What did Mulvaney & Co. know about the demands for an investigation?

— Bolton. “Everyone was in the loop,“ Sondland testified. “On August 26, shortly before his visit to Kyiv, Ambassador Bolton’s office requested Mr. Giuliani’s contact information. I sent Ambassador Bolton the information directly.” Did Bolton speak with Giuliani? What was the conversation?

— Perry. After Trump directed officials to “talk to Rudy,” Sondland testified, “Secretary Perry volunteered to make the initial calls with Mr. Giuliani, given his prior relationship.” The Energy Department issued a statement, saying Sondland "misrepresented both Secretary Perry’s interaction with Rudy Giuliani and direction the Secretary received from President Trump.” Great! Let’s hear from him.

— Giuliani. There are too many questions for him to detail here, but you get the point: House members, and the American people, are entitled to hear this evidence.

The Constitution assigns the House of Representatives the sole power to impeach the president. This presumes the power to conduct impeachment inquiries, which presumes the power to call relevant witnesses — whether or not the president who is being impeached is happy about it.

[thedcdunce]

Amanda Waller

“I don't care. I'm not part of the law anymore. Kill them.” - Amanda Waller

Real Name: Amanda Blake

Aliases: 

Black King

Mockingbird

White Queen

Gender: Female

Height: 5′ 1″

Weight: 200 lbs (91 kg)

Eyes: Brown

Hair: Black

Abilities:

Espionage

Firearms

Hand-to-Hand Combat (Advanced)

Indomitable Will

Intimidation

Manipulation

Political Science

Tactical Analysis

Universe: New Earth

Citizenship: American

Base of Operations: Washington D.C.

Marital Status: Widowed (Joseph Waller; husband)

Occupation:

Government Agent

Politician

First Appearance: Legends #1 (November, 1986)

Abilities

Espionage

Firearms

Hand-to-Hand Combat (Advanced)

Indomitable Will

Intimidation

Manipulation

Political Science: Amanda has a degree in political science.

Tactical Analysis

Origins

Amanda Blake grew up in the crime-ridden Cabrini-Green area of Chicago. At the age of 18 she married the 20-year-old Joseph Waller, and they quickly had a large family together. Her first child was Joe, Jr., then Damita, then the twins Martin and Jessie, and then her youngest child Coretta. Their lives were a financial struggle, and they relied on social programs, but they were happy. Joe, Jr. was set to go to college on a basketball scholarship until he was killed in a mugging gone wrong. Damita was raped and murdered in an alleyway on her way home from church. They knew who was responsible, but the police could not get a conviction with no witnesses. Her husband Joseph Waller set out to kill the rapist "Candyman" and both men shot each other dead. Amanda swore that the streets would take no more of her family. She worked hard to put all of her other children through college, then she put herself through college and earned a political science degree. Amanda decided to go into politics, and she approached democratic congressional candidate Marvin Collins to become his campaign director. Collins was elected thanks to her efforts, and he took her to Washington as his aide. Amanda discovered the old Task Force X files while searching through old bills, and asked to revive the Suicide Squad under her direction.

The Agency

The Agency was formed by Amanda Waller to serve as a small, quasi-independent branch of Task Force X. Valentina Vostok brought former NYPD Lieutenant Harry Stein into the Agency as an operative. Amanda Waller later promoted Stein to the command position and demoted Vostok. Harry Stein would later re-organize the Agency and name it Checkmate.

Legends

Amanda Waller rebuilds Task Force X, and its former leader Rick Flag is assigned to work under her. Flag argues with Waller about her agenda, and Waller says the only thing she cares about is his ability to follow orders. Nightshade is the second member she recruits, as an undercover operative. Her first target is Brimstone, and she has a team of scientists analyze the monster for weaknesses. Waller puts together a new Suicide Squad lead by Flag with members including Blockbuster, Bronze Tiger, Captain Boomerang, and Enchantress. The criminals are offered pardons in exchange for their service, and fitted with explosive bracelets that will detonate if they disobey orders. Her team destroys Brimstone at Mount Rushmore. Blockbuster is the only casualty, despite her expectations that all of them would die. Waller tries to keep the criminals in custody, but Flag insists on honoring their deal and releases them. Captain Boomerang is captured by G. Gordon Godfrey, and threatens to expose the Suicide Squad unless they rescue him. Amanda gives them orders to silence Captain Boomerang by any means necessary. Flag insists on solving the problem non-lethally. Waller later presents her case to President Reagan, and thanks to this success he decides to let the team continue on a provisional basis.

Suicide Squad

Waller sets her team up in Louisiana's Belle Reve prison, under the care of warden John Economos. Simon LaGrieve and Marnie Herrs conduct psychological profiles, and warn her that the entire team is emotionally unstable, but Waller is unconcerned. Waller briefs the team and sends them on their next mission, destroying the terrorist group Jihad in Qurac. Waller authorizes Doctor Moon and Karin Grace to mindwipe the traitor Plastique. This infuriates Flag, and Amanda agrees that it is wrong of her. Belle Reve is attacked by the Female Furies of Apokolips, and Waller is unable to stop them from taking her prisoner G. Gordon Godfrey. They are asked to take down the racist vigilante William Hell, and Waller insists they discredit him instead of making a martyr for the "white power" movement. President Reagan has Waller send the Suicide Squad to arrest Firestorm, under the leadership of their incompetent NSC liaison Derek Tolliver.

Waller argues against the team going on purely political missions, but they are sent to rescue imprisoned author Zoya Trigorin in Moscow. LaGrieve worries that Amanda is suppressing anger over her family deaths, and counsels her to channel it into something productive. Amanda confronts Derek Tolliver for sending her team on the irresponsible Moscow mission, and Tolliver replies that her team was expendable. She punches him in the face, and tells him that this does not mean their lives can be thrown away like garbage. Flag has a breakdown following this mission, and Waller relieves him of command duty.

There is a political summit during Millennium, and Waller has an inter-agency rivalry with General Eiling. Waller sends her team to destroy the Manhunter temple with a bomb, and does not tell them they are all expected to die in the explosion. Batman infiltrates Belle Reve and threatens to expose the Squad. Waller stands up to Batman and talks him down by threatening to expose his secret identity, using the fingerprints of Matches Malone. Flag impresses her in the fight against Batman, and she reinstates his command. Waller is forced to send Rick Flag on another mission she politically disagrees with, rescuing Hawk in Nicaragua. She sends the rest of the team to kill drug czar Xavier Cujo. Nightshade argues that an illegal assassination is murder, and Waller replies that it is justice. Speedy tells her that this did not fix anything, and she only created a power vacuum. The Agency is reorganized by Harry Stein to become Checkmate, under Task Force X. Amanda Waller becomes their boss.

Rick Flag disobeys Waller to rescue their operative Nemesis, who was stranded in the Soviet Union. Waller is so angry that she has President Reagan send Justice League International to stop them. The JLI's publicist Maxwell Lord threatens to expose them, and Waller intimidates Lord with violence. Senator Cray blackmails President Reagan and the Suicide Squad to help his reelection campaign. Waller is forced to work under Derek Tolliver, Cray's aide, or she will be fired. In a moment of weakness, she confides in Bronze Tiger that everything has gone with her idea since the start. Amanda reveals that Bronze Tiger was supposed to be the leader, and Rick Flag was imposed on her, which she believes is because of racism. Despite this setback, she regroups and leads the team to save the world from Doctor ZZ. The Jihad returns to attack Manhattan, and they deliver an ultimatum demanding Waller's team be handed over. Waller orders Rick Flag not to intervene, and he disobeys her, so she tells him to do the job right this time.

Waller's inability to deal and compromise with her people led to the departure from the team of Nemesis, the death of a US senator and thereby indirectly to the death of Rick Flag Jr. Nonetheless, the team remained loyal to her, often choosing to side with her instead of the government. It was ultimately revealed that the reason that Amanda Waller even kept the heroes such as Nightshade around, was in order for them to act as her conscience. Over the course of her first run with the Suicide Squad her actions became increasingly erratic as she fought to retain control of the Squad. This was heightened by the public reveal of the Suicide Squad, and her being officially replaced, although her 'replacement' was in fact an actor, and Waller remained the team's director. Even that secret would eventually be revealed and Amanda Waller would be put on trial. During this time, the Squad also became involved in an inter-agency conflict in a crossover between the Checkmate and Suicide Squad titles called the Janus Directive. She eventually found herself serving prison time for her pursuit of an organized crime cartel based in New Orleans called the LOA and killing its leadership, using Squad operatives in the process.

The Squad's rebirth

Waller was eventually pardoned and released a year later to reorganize the Squad as a freelance mercenary group at the behest of Sarge Steel to deal with a crisis in Vlatava, Count Vertigo's home country. Afterwards the Suicide Squad performed a variety of missions, but were ultimately disbanded when Waller became disillusioned with her life.

During the course of her renewed tenure with this team, Amanda Waller became closer to her operatives, even accompanying them on their field missions. This allowed for her and her team to bond more effectively, although she retained her dominant and threatening personality.

Shadow Fighters

Around this time Amanda Waller would organize many superheros to confront the villain Eclipso. Again she would confront Sarge Steel. Her first attempt at a team did not go well as most of the them were brutally murdered. Her second attempt with a much larger team had much more success.

President Luthor

She would eventually rejoin federal service, initially as Southeastern regional director for the Department of Extranormal Operations, and eventually got promoted to Secretary of Metahuman Affairs as a member of the Luthor Administration. Luthor would use her as he saw fit, one of the few who could.

Checkmate

In the wake of being jailed briefly for her alleged connections to Luthor's illicit activities whilst in office, she was released yet again and ordered by President Jonathan Vincent Horne to take command of Checkmate in the wake of the O.M.A.C. Project debacle as a placeholder "Black King" until the United States and United Nations could decide what to do with that organization.

One Year Later

In the revamped Checkmate series, Waller is shown to have been assigned by the UN to serve as Checkmate's White Queen, a member of its senior policy-making executive, although she appears to have her own agenda, blackmailing Fire into committing murder on her behalf during Checkmate missions. Waller's assignment as White Queen has her commissioning the imprisoned Atom Smasher to organize a new Suicide Squad to attack Black Adam.

As leader of the reformed Checkmate, Waller has continued to use morally ambiguous methods to achieve her agenda, ranging from secretly authorizing a "take no prisoners" mandate in an attack on a Kobra stronghold, blackmailing Beatriz da Costa, a former assassin, into returning to her old murderous ways, and executing a female Kobra operative herself when she foils an assassination attempt. She later used the Suicide Squad to round up dangerous criminals and metahumans as part of Operation: Salvation Run, an unauthorized plan to exile various supervillains to another planet, later revealed to be a part of the Apokoliptian Empire. When Waller's colleague found out about the Operation, they forced her to resign as White Queen, though she managed to retain authority over the Suicide Squad.

Task Force X

After her resignation from Checkmate, forces in the US Government recommissioned her as the overseer and director of the Belle Reve metahuman prison and the leader of a new Suicide Squad known as Task Force X due to deeming her teem as a necessary asset to the US Government.

Fun Facts

Amanda Waller's sister Mary has said that she was raised Baptist, which means Amanda was as well.

[naruto-general-opinions]

[bountyofbeads]

https://amp.cnn.com/cnn/2019/09/27/politics/white-house-restricted-trump-calls-putin-saudi/index.html?__twitter_impression=true

🚨 🚨 BREAKING NEWS: Trump White House Took Extraordinary Steps to Hide Transcripts of Calls With Not Just One But *Three* Nations Involved in the Pre-Election "Grand Bargain"

White House aides took remarkable steps to keep President Trump's phone calls with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Russian leader Vladimir Putin from becoming public, according to people familiar with the matter. https://t.co/8zbhsNNJBO

White House restricted access to Trump's calls with Putin and Saudi crown prince

By Pamela Brown, Jim Sciutto and Kevin Liptak | Updated 7:27 PM EDT, Fri September 27, 2019 | CNN | Posted September 27, 2019 7:55 PM ET |

Washington(CNN)White House efforts to limit access to President Donald Trump's conversations with foreign leaders extended to phone calls with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Russian leader Vladimir Putin, according to people familiar with the matter.

Those calls -- both with leaders who maintain controversial relationships with Trump -- were among the presidential conversations that aides took remarkable steps to keep from becoming public.

In the case of Trump's call with Prince Mohammed, officials who ordinarily would have been given access to a rough transcript of the conversation never saw one, according to one of the sources. Instead, a transcript was never circulated at all, which the source said was highly unusual, particularly after a high-profile conversation.

The call - which the person said contained no especially sensitive national security secrets -- came as the White House was confronting the murder of journalist Jamal Khashoggi, which US intelligence assessments said came at the hand of the Saudi government.

With Putin, access to the transcript of at least one of Trump's conversations was also tightly restricted, according to a former Trump administration official.

It's not clear if aides took the additional step of placing the Saudi Arabia and Russia phone calls in the same highly secured electronic system that held a now-infamous phone call with Ukraine's president and which helped spark a whistleblower complaint made public this week, though officials confirmed calls aside from the Ukraine conversation were placed there.

But the attempts to conceal information about Trump's discussions with Prince Mohammed and Putin further illustrate the extraordinary efforts taken by Trump's aides to strictly limit the number of people with access to his conversations with foreign leaders.

The White House did not comment about the limiting of access to calls with the Russian and Saudi leaders.

Officials said the practice began more than a year ago after embarrassing leaks revealed information about Trump's phone conversations with the leaders of Australia and Mexico. While it includes the highly secure system for particularly sensitive matters, it has also extended to limiting the number of individuals who are provided a transcript or are able to listen to the call.

Those efforts have come under scrutiny after the intelligence whistleblower alleged that White House officials took unusual steps to conceal Trump's phone call with Ukraine's new president.

The complaint alleged the handling of the Ukraine call was "not the first time" that such steps had been taken "solely for the purpose of protecting political sensitive — rather than national security sensitive — information."

Administration officials say John Eisenberg, the White House deputy counsel for national security affairs and a national security legal adviser, directed the Ukraine transcript call be moved to the separate highly classified system, as detailed in the whistleblower complaint.

That system is normally reserved for "code word" documents that are extremely sensitive, such as covert operations.

Eisenberg also played a role in the early Justice Department handling of the whistleblower complaint. Eisenberg was on an August 14 call with the general counsel of the intelligence agency where the complainant worked, and John Demers, the assistant attorney general for the Justice national security division, a US official briefed on the matter said.

During that call, the general counsel informed Eisenberg and Demers that there were concerns being raised about one of Trump's phone calls with a foreign leader. Eisenberg invited Demers and the intelligence agency's general counsel to review the transcript of the call, and Demers traveled to the White House the following day to review it. The general counsel of the intelligence agency declined to review the call, according to the official.

The White House acknowledged earlier Friday that administration officials directed the Ukraine call transcript be filed in a highly classified system, confirming allegations contained in the whistleblower complaint.

In a statement provided to CNN, a senior White House official said the move to place the transcript in the system came at the direction of National Security Council attorneys.

"NSC lawyers directed that the classified document be handled appropriately," the senior White House official said.

But the statement did not explain whether anyone else in the White House was part of the decision to put the Ukraine transcript in the more restrictive system. Nor did it delve into an accusation in the complaint that other phone call transcripts were handled in a similar fashion.

Like the call with Saudi's crown prince, the Ukraine transcript did not contain highly classified information to require such a move, raising questions about why the order was made.

The White House has not explained why it selectively put certain head of state calls into the codeword system, even when the content wasn't highly classified, such as the Ukraine call.

Officials from the past two administrations said it was unusual to transfer a transcript that doesn't contain sensitive information into the code word computer system.

"In my experience you would never move a transcript to the code word system if it does not have any code word terms. If the president is classifying and declassifying stuff he doesn't want to get out, that is an abuse of power and abuse of the system," said Sam Vinograd, a CNN national security analyst who served on President Barack Obama's National Security Council and at the Treasury Department under President George W. Bush.

Three other former National Security Council officials said they were unaware of calls that did not contain highly sensitive national security materials being moved into another location.

While the practice of limiting access to foreign leader calls began in earnest last year after the leaks of Mexico and Australian calls, it's not clear precisely when the initial steps were taken begin that effort.

The White House was also embarrassed when it was reported Trump had congratulated Putin on a phone call shortly after a Russian election widely seen as illegitimate. White House staff had written a memo specifically recommending Trump "do not congratulate" Putin in the call.

John Bolton, Trump's former national security adviser who departed from his post earlier this month, was known for keeping a tight hold on all information generally speaking, according to sources who worked with him at the NSC. He did not reply when asked for a request for comment through his spokesperson.

A former administration official said that despite the code word protection, you didn't necessarily need a special clearance to view the records and there was a process for officials to access the calls they wanted.

Trump's relationships with both Prince Mohammed and Putin have come under scrutiny over the past several years. Both are strongmen with dismal human rights records.

After Khashoggi was murdered at the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October 2018, Trump vowed to get to the bottom of the matter. But he has repeatedly said he's unwilling to break off US-Saudi ties -- including military and trade — as a result.

With Putin, Trump has regularly worked arduously to guard his conversations, including asking for notes taken by his interpreter after their first encounter in 2017. He remains sensitive to accusations he's too cozy with the Russian leader who oversaw an election interference effort to get him elected.

CNN's Evan Perez and Kylie Atwood contributed to this report.

[kwon91]

I think the Op in the NSC replies was ironic about the "Twitter isn't Canon" thing 😅

I can't understand a such sense of humor... probably my italian background makes the difference.

[sounmashnews]

[ad_1] Seoul, South Korea CNN  —  North Korea will face “a determined and overwhelming response” from South Korea and the United States if it makes an attempt to make use of nuclear weapons, South Korea’s President Yoon Suk Yeol stated Saturday. Speaking on the nation’s 74th Armed Forces Day ceremony, Yoon referred to as North Korea’s latest legislation declaring itself a “nuclear weapons state” a risk to the survival and prosperity of South Korea and reiterated requires Kim Jong Un to denuclearize. “[North Korea’s] development of nuclear weapons will make the lives of North Koreans more difficult. The regime must make the decision to denuclearize for true peace and mutual prosperity on the Korean Peninsula,” Yoon stated. Yoon additionally reaffirmed the South Korea-US alliance, promising that each militaries would strongly reply to North Korea’s provocations and threats if crucial. “(The South Korean government) will enhance its reconnaissance and surveillance capabilities and strike capabilities against North Korea,” Yoon added. Earlier Saturday, the South Korean army detected two short-range ballistic missiles launched from North Korea’s Sunan space in Pyongyang, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) stated in a press release. It was the fourth time up to now week that Pyongyang has fired missiles. South Korea held an emergency National Security Council (NSC) assembly shortly after North Korea’s launch. North Korea has now fired its most ballistic missiles in a single 12 months since Kim Jong Un took energy in 2012, in line with the Unification Ministry and a CNN tally. [ad_2] Source link

[naruto-shipping-confessions]

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