Lock Him Up | Brave New World Disorder | Senators Call BS on MBS

“Embarrassment is a villain to be crushed.”

“Apparently we have such an automatically positive reaction to compliments that we can fall victim to someone who uses them in an obvious attempt to win our favor.”

― Robert Cialdini

Liberal Use Of The Word Liberal: US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was in Brussels, speaking to diplomats gathered for a meeting of NATO ministers. The audience listened to every word—they just couldn’t believe what they were hearing. Pompeo portrayed President Trump as restoring an era of triumphal US leadership in the world, for the first time since the end of the cold war. “This American leadership allowed us to enjoy the greatest human flourishing in modern history,” he said. “We won the cold war. We won the peace. With no small measure of George HW Bush’s effort, we reunited Germany. This is the type of leadership that President Trump is boldly reasserting.” Pompeo forged ahead: “After the cold war ended, we allowed this liberal order to begin to corrode. Multilateralism has too often become viewed as an end unto itself. The more treaties we sign, the safer we supposedly are.” The secretary of state argued that current international institutions, such as the EU, UN, World Bank and the International Monetary Fund, are no longer serving the mission for which they were created. “We’re supporting institutions that we believe can be improved; institutions that work in American interests – and yours – in service of our shared values.”

With an air of confidence singularly unshared, Pompeo told the diplomats that by focusing on “America First”, withdrawing from multilateral treaties and disparaging international institutions, the president was not abandoning international leadership; instead, he was building a “new liberal order” based on the principal of putting national sovereignty before multilateralism for its own sake. The secretary’s speech received polite applause, but a former senior foreign policy official said it had shocked US allies across Europe. “The first words that come to mind are tone deaf,” she said. “No one I talk to here believes this administration is committed to a rules-based order.”

A Pact To Leave The Pact: In 2016, the 193 members of the United Nations General Assembly unanimously adopted the New York Declaration for Refugees and Migrants, a non-binding pact whose purpose was to create a more humane global strategy on migration. Regulations against the exploitation of refugees who flee war or persecution exist, but no agency monitors the exploitation of migrants who leave their countries for economic reasons. The UN pact was a political pledge to create conditions to make migration a safer, more orderly process, such as upholding the rights of refugees, helping them resettle, and ensuring they had access to education and jobs. In December 2017, just before the opening of the UN international conference on migration, the Trump administration announced it was pulling out, saying involvement in the process interfered with American sovereignty and ran counter to US immigration policies. At the time there was an immediate international outcry, but now other nations are following Trump out of the pact. (Guardian, WaPo)

It’s Never Too Late For EU: A group of anti-Brexit politicians and campaigners asked the European Court of Justice (ECJ) whether the UK can unilaterally cancel its withdrawal from the EU without the consent of other member states. Today an advocate general of the ECJ delivered his opinion: if a country decided to leave the EU, it should also have the power to change its mind during the two-year exit process specified in Article 50 of the EU treaty, without needing the consent of the other 27 member states — contrary to what the EU itself has argued. The advocate general’s opinions are not binding, but the ECJ tends to follow them in the majority of its final rulings. Britain’s House of Commons is set to begin five days of debates on Prime Minister Theresa May’s proposed Brexit deal, with a vote due to be held next Tuesday. The group that brought the case to the ECJ hopes that this opinion will give parliament another option when considering whether to approve May’s draft withdrawal deal. (BBC)

The Yellow Vests Will Not Rest: French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe met with cabinet ministers Tuesday morning to agree on a response to a weekend of rioting, looting and destruction in Paris by an element of the gilets jaunes (Yellow Vest) movement. After the meeting Philippe announced an immediate six month freeze on gas and electricity prices, but also warned further violence would not be tolerated. President Emmanuel Macron has repeatedly said he would not to give in to violence, but was forced to reconsider after some of the worst mayhem in Paris in half a century. Protesters vowed to continue their high-profile campaign, equating the government’s moratorium on fuel tax increases to “crumbs.” (Guardian)

If You Can’t Play Nice, Don’t Play At All: Secretary of State Mike Pompeo ended a day of meetings at NATO headquarters in Brussels with an announcement that the Trump administration would begin the formal process of withdrawing from the landmark Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty within 60 days if Russia did not come into compliance with the treaty’s terms. “The burden falls on Russia to make the necessary changes. Only they can save this treaty,” Pompeo said. NATO allies agreed unanimously with the secretary’s contention that Russia had been violating the 1987 treaty for years. (NYT)

Red Handed Under White Gloves: Senators on the Foreign Relations Committee received a classified briefing Tuesday morning from CIA Director Gina Haspel on the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi. They were not allowed to disclose details of what they heard, but their reactions reinforced reports that the CIA had correctly concluded that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) was responsible for the journalist’s killing. Republican committee chair Bob Corker said: “If the crown prince went in front of a jury he would be convicted in 30 minutes.” The Trump administration has maintained that there is no “direct evidence” of the prince’s culpability. Defense Secretary James Mattis even insisted there was no “smoking gun”, but Corker said it would take being “willfully blind” not to see the evidence, adding “There is no way anyone with a straight face could say they didn’t know what happened.”

The Senate has an upcoming vote scheduled to end US involvement in Yemen as a response to Khashoggi’s death, although there are still differences over whether the conflict in Yemen should be involved. However, Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) didn’t mince words Tuesday when he said that as long as Prince Mohammed remained at the head of government, he would oppose continuing weapons sales to Saudi Arabia, the main justification Trump has given for withholding judgment on the crown prince. The usually fervent Trump ally warned: “If the Saudi government is going to be in the hands of this man for a long time to come, I find it very difficult to do business because I think he is crazy, I think he is dangerous, and he has put the [US-Saudi] relationship at risk.“

Additional read: “2018 has been a dangerous and deadly year for journalists.” At least 45 journalists around the world have been killed this year doing their jobs.

But Everyone’s Emails: On Tuesday a spokesperson for the National Republican Congressional Committee acknowledged that the House Republicans’ campaign operation suffered a cyberattack during the 2018 midterm election cycle. Politico was first to report the breach in which email accounts of four senior NRCC aides were “surveilled for several months” and “thousands of sensitive emails [were exposed] to an outside intruder.” The spokesperson said upon discovery of the breach in April an internal investigation was launched and the FBI was notified. Top GOP officials only learned of the attack on Monday when Politico reporters began asking questions about it. President Trump had accused the Democratic National Committee of gross negligence when the DNC was attacked during the 2016 election cycle. (NPR)

Everybody’s Working For The Weakening Of The Opposing Political Party: Democrats won the governorships in Wisconsin and Michigan on November 6, but they don’t take office until next year. Meanwhile, Republican state lawmakers are working overtime in the lame-duck session to limit the powers of the newly-elected Democrats. In Wisconsin, during Scott Walker’s two terms as governor, Republicans controlled both chambers of the statehouse. Over those eight years, the GOP pushed through major policy changes, ranging from union limits, to voter ID requirements, to redistricting. Now Republicans want to make sure incoming Democrat Tony Evers can’t reverse all of their accomplishments. On Monday angry voters protested those tactics inside and outside the capital as public hearings were being held. (NPR)

Trump’s Friends Do The Darndest Things: “Manafort held secret talks with Assange in Ecuadorian embassy, sources say: Trump ally met WikiLeaks founder months before emails hacked by Russia were published” (Guardian) “Michael Flynn: Mueller recommends no prison time for ex-Trump adviser: Special counsel says former national security adviser offered ‘substantial’ help in Russia inquiry.” In 2016 Flynn led chants of “lock her up” when referencing Hillary Clinton. In 2020 will someone lead a chant to “lock him up?” (Guardian)

– “How Much Protein Do You Really Need?” (NPR) Bruh, you can never have too much protein…you need protein shakes, bars, cakes, donuts, cupcakes, etc…

– “Why the world is becoming more allergic to food: Around the world, children are far more likely than ever before to develop food allergies.” (BBC)

– “Spanish millenials are reshaping their goals to afford life: The average Spanish millennial spends more than half of their monthly income on rent. In a country where it’s hard to earn and expensive to live, something has to give.” (BBC)

– “The godfather of fake news: Meet one of the world’s most prolific writers of disinformation” (BBC)

– “The last true knight on Malta: The storied Knights of Malta shaped the Maltese capital of Valletta into a ‘city for gentlemen’, but how much longer can chivalry survive in the modern age?” (BBC)

– “YouTube top earners: The seven-year-old making $22m” (BBC)

“We all fool ourselves from time to time in order to keep our thoughts and beliefs consistent with what we have already done or decided.” – Robert B. Cialdini

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