WikiLeaks tweeted Thursday that founder Julian Assange would agree to be extradited to the U.S. from his hideout at the Ecuadorean embassy in London — if President Obama grants Chelsea Manning clemency:
If Obama grants Manning clemency Assange will agree to US extradition despite clear unconstitutionality of DoJ case https://t.co/MZU30SlfGK
— WikiLeaks (@wikileaks) January 12, 2017
Assange could potentially face the death penalty in the United States due to the fact that WikiLeaks released massive numbers of classified documents pertaining to the Afghan and Iraq wars in 2010.
Manning, a former U.S. Army soldier and whistle-blower, was sentenced to 35 years in prison for leaking classified military and diplomatic documents to WikiLeaks in 2010. It was reported Wednesday that she is on the "short list" for commutation before Obama leaves office. Edward Snowden, who leaked confidential materials from the NSA, has also pleaded for Obama to free Manning before Trump assumes the White House. Jeva Lange
An unexploded bomb from World War II was removed from under a gas station in Thessaloniki, Greece, on Sunday. Authorities ordered evacuation of more than 70,000 people so the 500-pound weapon could be transported and safely defused at a firing range.
75.000 people are staying away from their homes in #Thessaloniki,#Greece today while a 250kg unexploded #WWII bomb is defused
pic.twitter.com/ZJpSUzo3Bb— Mete Sohtaoğlu (@metesohtaoglu) February 12, 2017
Among the evacuees was a group of about 450 Syrian refugees living in a refugee camp housed in a former toilet paper factory nearby. They were taken on a trip to the Archaeological Museum of Thessaloniki while the bomb was deactivated, an outing organized at the refugees' request as a respite from what are described as "prison-like" living conditions in the factory. Bonnie Kristian
The airport in Hamburg, Germany, was briefly evacuated and shut down Sunday after about 50 people complained of coughing and eye pain caused by an unknown airborne irritant near a security checkpoint.
A strong smell was noticed in the area, and an unknown "corrosive" substance was reportedly discovered nearby as fire crews investigated. Physicians were on site to examine the people affected, but no serious injuries seem to have occurred. After about an hour, the airport reopened and flights resumed. Bonnie Kristian
Trump adviser says we don't have 'judicial supremacy' but do have 'enormous evidence' of voter fraud
White House policy adviser Stephen Miller made the rounds of Sunday shows this week, addressing the power of the judiciary, the future of President Trump's immigration executive order, and voter fraud, among other topics.
"The president's powers here are beyond question," Miller said on Fox News Sunday with Chris Wallace while discussing the appeals court ruling that upheld the suspension of Trump's order. "The 9th Circuit has a long history of being overturned and the 9th Circuit has a long history of overreaching," he continued. "We don't have judicial supremacy in this country. We have three co-equal branches of government."
Miller continued his defense of executive power on ABC's This Week, where he argued a "district judge in Seattle cannot force the President of the United States to change their laws and our constitution because of their own personal views." He also said the White House has "multiple options and we are considering all of them" for the next step in the immigration order fight, including further litigation in various court venues or the introduction of an entirely new order.
In the same conversation, Mille rejected host George Stephanopoulos' statement that President Trump has made accusations of voter fraud without evidence, particularly where alleged fraud in New Hampshire is concerned. "The White House has provided enormous evidence with respect to voter fraud, with respect to people being registered in more than one state," Miller said. Stephanopoulos would not concede his point.
Miller also spoke with Chuck Todd on NBC's Meet the Press, where he deflected questions about the president's confidence in his national security adviser, Gen. Michael Flynn, and argued for the legality of the original immigration order. Watch an excerpt of his ABC interview below. Bonnie Kristian
Tracy Morgan returned to Saturday Night Live this week to join Kenan Thompson in playing Beyoncé's unborn twins, chilling inside her womb and anticipating what a dope life they'll have in the Knowles-Carter household.
Beyoncé (Sasheer Zamata) is visiting the doctor (host Alec Baldwin) for an ultrasound, while Thompson and Morgan (whose characters speculate their names will be Jade Rain and Lord Burbury, respectively) discuss how special their mother must be. "When people meet her, they scream," Morgan notes, "so she's either a beautiful queen or a goblin." Thompson's baby knows better. "Yo, our mama is Beyoncé, man!" he exclaims. "Wow, I haven't even breathed yet and I know who Beyoncé is!"
Watch the full sketch below, and catch the real Beyoncé's first public appearance since the announcement of her pregnancy tonight at the 2017 Grammy Awards. Bonnie Kristian
Dallas Mavericks owner and billionaire Mark Cuban warned American CEOs to be careful in their dealings with President Trump in comments published Friday by The Star-Telegram, a newspaper in Fort Worth, Texas. "Do what you think is right," Cuban said. "Be an American citizen first. In the bigger scheme of things, our country benefits from peaceful activism a lot more than it benefits from one more shoe being sold, or one more basketball ticket being sold, for that matter."
Sunday morning, Trump responded on Twitter:
I know Mark Cuban well. He backed me big-time but I wasn't interested in taking all of his calls.He's not smart enough to run for president!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) February 12, 2017
Though Cuban did initially praise Trump's campaign, he ultimately endorsed Hillary Clinton. Bonnie Kristian
Retailers Sears and Kmart, which share a parent company, announced Saturday afternoon they will no longer carry items from President Trump's brand of home products. The decision was described as part of a broader "initiative to optimize...online product assortment."
"Amid that streamlining effort," said a statement from Sears Holdings, "31 Trump Home items were among the items removed online this week. Products from the line are still offered online via third-party Marketplace vendors. Neither Sears nor Kmart carries the line in brick-and-mortar stores."
The news has inevitably been linked to Nordstrom's recent announcement that it would no longer sell Ivanka Trump products. That decision was likewise cast as a matter of business, not politics, but the president took personal umbrage. "My daughter Ivanka has been treated so unfairly by @Nordstrom," he tweeted after that news. On Saturday, Trump again tweeted in Ivanka's defense, saying she has been "abused and treated so badly" by the media. He has yet to tweet about the Sears and Kmart announcement. Bonnie Kristian
Melissa McCarthy reprised her role as White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer in Saturday Night Live's cold open, hawking Ivanka Trump's products, QVC-style, and chewing a piece of gum the size of a placemat.
As "Spicey," an increasingly agitated McCarthy explains President Trump's plan for "extreme vetting" of would-be immigrants and refugees using Barbie dolls. Of one, Spicey declares, "We know she is okay, because she is blonde, and so she gets in. Easy. We understand that." Next, a Moana doll applies for a visa. "Uh oh," Spicey says. "We are going to pat her down, and then we are going to read her emails and if we don't like the answers — which we won't — boom, Guantanamo Bay."
The first time McCarthy played Spicer, he responded with amusement, while President Trump was reportedly irritated by the sketch. Watch this week's skit below. Bonnie Kristian