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What happens when the person trained to spot burnout becomes its next victim?Kelly Vaughn is a Senior Engineering Manager at Zapier, the author of the After Burnout Substack, and a trained therapist. She joins hosts Ben and Andrew to share her incredibly candid journey of discovering burnout in herself. Kelly reveals how she (despite her professional understanding of burnout's mechanisms) found herself deep in its grip, recounting the slow realizations like dwindling passion, increasing cynicism, and distinct physical tolls like disrupted sleep and a loss of hunger cues.This raw conversation offers vital lessons for anyone in a high-pressure career (and let's face it: that's all of us!). As the tech landscape accelerates with AI, Kelly shares insights on managing its pressures and opportunities. She redefines ambitions for herself alongside the non-negotiables she established for her own well-being when seeking her new role. Listeners will gain powerful insights into identifying their own limits, the courage for pivotal changes, and integrating new demands without self-sacrifice.Check out:AI Code Reviews: Automate AI code reviews for every PRSurvey: Discover Your AI Collaboration StyleFollow the hosts:Follow BenFollow AndrewFollow today's guest(s):Personal Website: kvlly.com"After Burnout" Newsletter: afterburnout.co"The Modern Leader" Newsletter: modernleader.isKelly's Article: On burnout, quitting, and redefining what mattersReferenced in today's show:The FAA has resorted to buying parts on eBay because its equipment is so old, Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy says 2025-05-11 air traffic controlDOGE Is in Its AI EraIRS hopes to replace fired enforcement workers with AI Microsoft lays off about 3% of its workforce in what one executive calls a ‘day with a loSupport the show: Subscribe to our Substack Leave us a review Subscribe on YouTube Follow us on Twitter or LinkedIn Offers: Learn about Continuous Merge with gitStream Get your DORA Metrics free forever

MindsFest Tickets: https://tickets.vulcanpresents.com/e/... Promo code AJW for 20% OffIn this video I discuss the second half of the Majority Report segment on Squatters where they attack anyone who cares about the issue & pretend that these people who steal homes are victims of societyWebsite: https://www.actualjusticewarrior.com/https://linktr.ee/ActualJusticeOdysee: https://odysee.com/@actualjusticewarr...Rumble: https://rumble.com/ActualJusticeWarriorInstagram NEW:   / actualjustice  Twitch:   / actualjusticewarrior  Utreon: https://utreon.com/c/ActualJusticeWar...2nd Channel:    / ajw2dreamscometrue  TeeSpring Store: https://teespring.com/stores/actualju...New Store: https://actualjusticewarrior.myspread...Gettr: https://gettr.com/user/iamsean90Parler: https://parler.com/profile/Actualjust...https://www.minds.com/actualjusticewa...Support me on Patreon:   / seanfitzgerald  Paypal: https://www.paypal.me/Iamsean90Venmo: https://venmo.com/iamsean90Support me on Subscribe Star: https://www.subscribestar.com/seanfit...Gab: https://gab.com/Iamsean90Twitter   / iamsean90   Backup Twitter   / ajwsean  Bitchute: https://www.bitchute.com/actualjustic...Discord:   / discord  3rd:    / dudemonkeyhq  Get Storable Food: https://www.preparewithajw.comGet Pocketnet: https://pocketnet.app/actualjusticewa...Podcast Links:Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1o0q86A...Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast...Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0...Sources:Part 1 Of This Video:    • Majority Report DEMANDS You Ignore Crime  Original Video:    • Activist Completely Dismantles "Squat...  Binder Me Clip: https://odysee.com/@laurenchen:0/midt...Adverse Possession Law: https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/...Article On 2019 Changes: https://nypost.com/2024/04/07/us-news...Flores Lawsuit: https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nysc...Air BNB Squatters:    • Residents say Airbnb squatters puttin...  Squatting Turns Deadly:    • 2 suspected squatters in custody afte...  3 Year Eviction Story: https://www.cbsnews.com/newyork/news/...NYC Housing Stock: https://comptroller.nyc.gov/reports/s....Housing Vacancy: https://usafacts.org/articles/how-man...NYC Homeowners Story:    • New York City homeowners feel victimi...  #MajorityReport #EmmaVigeland #IamSean90 FAIR USE NOTICEThis video may contain copyrighted material; the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available for the purposes of criticism, comment, review and news reporting which constitute the 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. Not withstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work for purposes such as criticism, comment, review and news reporting is not an infringement of copyright.

This week we contrast what Pope Francis calls the "scourge" of clericalism and the American trend of 'rad-trad' or 'traditional' Catholicism with what Jesus actually taught in the Gospels. I hope this episode is helpful to you. If you'd like to connect with me, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠find me on Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠at my website⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, or ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠on Substack⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. If you'd like to ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠help support this podcast financially⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, there's a way to do just that ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠on my page at buymeacoffee.com⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠! Thanks for sharing, subscribing, rating, and reviewing, as this helps our community to grow. Thanks as always to my friend, Peter Vaughan-Vail, for providing the beautiful harp music you hear in this and every episode. Here are some resources I hope will help you to engage with this week's topic in a deeper way for yourself: 1. Article: On the Pope's comments on clericalism from ABC News 2. Article: Pope Francis intervenes at the Synod, calling clericalism a 'scourge' that 'enslaves' God's people from America Magazine 3. Raised Catholic ep. 4 (link and transcript): Is It Okay to Question 4. Raised Catholic ep. 22 (link and transcript): Deconstructing Catholic 5. Raised Catholic ep. 29 (link and transcript): What is Faith: 6. Raised Catholic ep. 119 (link and transcript): Who God Actually Is 7. Lyric video: Turn Your Eyes Upon Jesus, by Lauren Daigle

In this episode, we talk with Dr. Ksenija Hanaček about her research on the Polar Silk Road and extractivism and environmental conflicts in the Arctic region. Dr. Hanaček is a political ecologist and a Margarita Salas postdoctoral fellow at Global Development Studies, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki and at Institute for Science, Technology and Environment Global (ICTA), at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, where she is working on the Atlas of Environmental Justice. Her research focuses on environmental conflicts due to extractivist and mega infrastructure projects in the Arctic region. Current research includes commodity frontiers, climate coloniality and green extractivism, the Belt and Road Initiative's expansion to the Arctic (“Polar Silk Road”), nuclear supply chain and environmental justice struggles in post-Soviet spaces, and coal extraction conflicts in southwestern Siberia.  RELATED LINKSGlobal Atlas of Environmental Justice: http://envjustice.org/ [envjustice.org]Article: On thin ice–The Arctic commodity extraction frontier and environmental conflictsArticle: Nuclear supply chain and environmental justice struggles in Soviet and Post-Soviet countries 

In this video I discuss my appearance on Culture War where I went from debater to moderator in record time. I explain how Emma was wrong on crime & what I believe were her intentions with this appearance Website: https://www.actualjusticewarrior.com/ https://linktr.ee/ActualJustice Odysee: https://odysee.com/@actualjusticewarr... Rumble: https://rumble.com/ActualJusticeWarrior Instagram NEW: https://www.instagram.com/actualjustice/ Twitch: https://www.twitch.tv/actualjusticewa... Utreon: https://utreon.com/c/ActualJusticeWar... 2nd Channel: / ajw2dreamscometrue TeeSpring Store: https://teespring.com/stores/actualju... New Store: https://actualjusticewarrior.myspread... Gettr: https://gettr.com/user/iamsean90 Parler: https://parler.com/profile/Actualjust... https://www.minds.com/actualjusticewa... Support me on Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/SeanFitzgerald Paypal: https://www.paypal.me/Iamsean90 Venmo: https://venmo.com/iamsean90 Support me on Subscribe Star: https://www.subscribestar.com/seanfit... Gab: https://gab.com/Iamsean90 Twitter https://twitter.com/iamsean90 Backup Twitter https://twitter.com/AJWSean Bitchute: https://www.bitchute.com/actualjustic... Discord: https://discord.gg/c7PGFFp 3rd: / dudemonkeyhq Get Storable Food: https://www.preparewithajw.com Get Pocketnet: https://pocketnet.app/actualjusticewa... Podcast Links: Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/1o0q86A... Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast... Google Podcast: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0... Sources: Full Video: https://www.youtube.com/live/SOnfHUhU... Challenge To Sam Seder: https://twitter.com/IamSean90/status/... Disparity In Arrests NYC: https://www.manhattan-institute.org/h... Article On crime & purpose of prisons: https://www.city-journal.org/james-q-... Crime Decline Great Recession: https://www.theatlantic.com/business/... New Yorker Income Inequality Charts: https://www.newyorker.com/news/john-c... Brennan Center Mass Incarceration losing effectiveness post 2000t: https://www.brennancenter.org/our-wor... Compstat Write Up: https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/... NYPD Crime Data Referenced: https://www.nyc.gov/site/nypd/stats/r... Recessions & Crime: https://citymonitor.ai/economy/recess... Bloomberg Audio: • Bloomberg: Put Al... Video About The Long Case & TYT: • MIRRORED: Young T... #TimPool #CultureWar #IamSean90 FAIR USE NOTICE This video may contain copyrighted material; the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available for the purposes of criticism, comment, review and news reporting which constitute the 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. Not withstanding the provisions of sections 106 and 106A, the fair use of a copyrighted work for purposes such as criticism, comment, review and news reporting is not an infringement of copyright.

On today's episode I get honest about what I've been doing to hold space for myself as I go through an uncertain period in my life. I talk about finding meaning in the mundane everyday moments of life as a way to be present and connected to myself and to create safety in being me, rather than finding it outside myself.Plus it's a simple practice that you can use daily too, to bring so much more peace even when your emotions are all over the place.Listen to the podcast on Apple or Spotify.Resources mentioned in the episode:Article: On finding meaning in the mundanePractice for finding the present moment: Integrative Practice - everything is connected Podcast: Episode 19: Never Underestimate the Urge to BoltFree Connected Breathwork BundleSubstack: Join me this Monday May 1st at 7pm EST for the monthly OPEN SPACE - a group breathwork space. Register here.Or book a 1:1 PRIVATE SPACE breathwork session if you're looking to have a deeper personal space held for you. We'll set a personal intention, drop into the present moment through meditation and then breathe. Psst, you can also find me @spacebreathwork on IG, and of course here on The Breathing Space substack community. Get full access to The Breathing Space at thebreathingspace.substack.com/subscribe

My interview with Craig Morris, Olympic Slalom Coach for British Canoeing. How can embracing the idea that you don't know all the answers make you a better coach?   Article: On the wisdom of not-knowing: reflections of an Olympic Canoe Slalom coach   More information: http://perceptionaction.com/ My Research Gate Page (pdfs of my articles) My ASU Web page Podcast Facebook page (videos, pics, etc)   Subscribe in iOS/Apple Subscribe in Anroid/Google   Support the podcast and receive bonus content   Credits: The Flamin' Groovies – ShakeSome Action Mark Lanegan - Saint Louis Elegy via freemusicarchive.org and jamendo.com

On today's episode: Electric cars could help keep your air conditioners running in your house. NASA hit an asteroid! Really hard! We already know how to get to 90% renewable energy… it's that last 10% that's the problem… All that and more today on All Around Science. LINKS: [ARTICLE] Electric Vehicles Could Rescue the US Power Grid [ARTICLE] NASA's DART asteroid-smashing mission: The ultimate guide | Space [ARTICLE] The pathway to 90% clean electricity is mostly clear. The last 10%, not so much [ARTICLE] On the Road to 100% Clean Electricity: Six Potential Strategies To Break Through Last Few Percent THEME MUSIC by Andrew Allen https://twitter.com/KEYSwithSOUL http://andrewallenmusic.com

On today’s episode: Under hundreds of meters of sediment, microbes are thriving thanks to radiation from space. Why were there so few dinosaurs?... Teenagers… Worried about the polar vortex? Wait until you hear about sudden stratospheric warming!  All that and more today on All Around Science. LINKS: ARTICLE: URI researchers: Microbes deep beneath seafloor survive on byproducts of radioactive process ARTICLE: Did teenage 'tyrants' outcompete other dinosaurs? ARTICLE: On the sudden stratospheric warming and polar vortex of early 2021 THEME MUSIC by Andrew Allen https://twitter.com/KEYSwithSOUL http://andrewallenmusic.com

Raymond Tan is probably the most prolific and experienced academic ever to have his work rejected by Reviewer 2. Here, he discusses analysis of the impact of large scale Enhanced Weathering on the wider economy and environment (while being rudely interrupted). Article: On life-cycle sustainability optimization of enhanced weathering systems, The Journal of Cleaner Production https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0959652621000561

During quarantine there is only one fever you want to catch:  Tiger King Fever! This week we give insight on the characters, the plot, the social and legislative implications of the documentary and of course MURDER!  If O.J. Simpson and Donald Trump are weighing in on this, you know we have to.  Then - OCOTW: Orenthal Baskin & - WDYTYAOTW:  The UFC goes "Enter the Dragon"With No Due Respect S02E19 (Tiger King)SHOW NOTES:Joe Exotic on his King's ThroneCarol f'n BaskinDoc Bhagavan AntleJeff LoweRick KirkhamLothar from "The Rocketeer"Current Hillsborough Sheriff Chad ChronisterArticle On the Documentary and it's misleading plothttps://www.outsideonline.com/2411410/tiger-king-takedown-big-cat-industry?fbclid=IwAR2Esea0L0i4xfmffeIYo1w079odNQtueS7wCiOHoBOK-96vlpJdM2HOlKoTrump on Joe Exotichttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNHm9tK9384O.J. Simpson on Carol f'n Baskinhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zDtqXapgadkMark Levin - his face says it allhttps://www.foxnews.com/media/mark-levin-coronavirus-questions-for-fauci-birx?fbclid=IwAR3-jESj9gsoTwsAF1X3EXBFQwkPci53tWxlzm-6y00kLz5aProDuwYFIWgUFC's "Enter the Dragon" island get away

Hey team!!!Today we dive into an unknown topic that’s now considered the “new marketing” approach for companies - and that is Growth Hacking.Did you know that “Growth Hacking” is not only a new marketing philosophy/methodology/practice but it’s a VERY popular job position within startups and scale-ups...and now even for the larger organisations (just check the LinkedIn job board)!Growth Hacking took its roots from the tech startup world as a way to rapidly experiment with tactics and hacks to drive GROWTH! Because startups generally don’t have the big marketing budgets of established companies, so they have to be super smart and extremely economical with finding novel ways to drive (customer, follower or revenue) growth.In today’s episode, we give you some secret sauce growth hacks that you can apply to your career or business starting today! So if you want to check out how to up your business game - then this episode is a must-listen!!Our recommendations this week:ARTICLE: On the road to happiness by downsizing the budget by Claire Kimball (Founder of The Squiz)ARTICLE: I’ll Share My Salary Information if You Share Yours from the New York TimesMETHODOLOGY: T-Shaped Growth Hacker Model from our friends at Growth TribeTOOL: Usability Hub TOOL: OutgrowTOOL: Similiar WebTOOL: CrystalTOOL: IBM Watson - Personality InsightsSo get comfy, grab and pen and paper (as there’s heaps of tools and tips jam-packed into the ep. for you to use), and we hope you get lots out of this week’s episode!!!Plus….If you want some more sweet sweet inspo, check out our Insta page and please follow us at @growgetterspodcast !! :)And if you’re still hungry for more, we've got a MONTHLY BUMPER NEWSLETTER that'll keep you up-skilled and up-to-date on all the latest tips, models, and trends - so sign up at www.growgetterspodcast.com/newsletterYour hosts are:Award-winning brand strategist and writer, Tanya Garma (@tanyagarma)Forbes-listed startup founder and entrepreneur, Tiffany Hart (@tiffanyclairehart)

2020 began with a bombing in Iraq - ordered by President Trump - which killed one of Iran's highest ranking military officers. In this episode, we take a close look at the recent history of our relationship with the Iranian government in order to understand how we started the year on the brink of another war. Also, since our President is a total wildcard, we look at what Congress authorized for 2020 in terms of war with Iran, Iraq, and Syria.  Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Click here to contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Send Zelle payments to: Donation@congressionaldish.com Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or Donation@congressionaldish.com Use your bank’s online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536 Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Recommended Congressional Dish Episodes CD041: Why Attack Syria? CD096: Fast Tracking Fast Track (Trade Promotion Authority) CD108: Regime Change CD131: Bombing Libya CD141: Terrorist Gifts & The Ministry of Propaganda (2017 NDAA) CD156: Sanctions – Russia, North Korea & Iran CD172: The Illegal Bombing of Syria CD175: State of War CD190: A Coup for Capitalism CD191: The “Democracies” Of Elliott Abrams CD195: Yemen Bills Bill: S.1790 - National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2020 Congress.gov, December 20, 2019 Sec. 1208: Eliminates the authorization for payments that started in late 2016 “for damage, personal injury, or death that is incident to combat operations of the armed forces in Afghanistan, Iraq, Syria, Somalia, Libya, and Yemen.  Sec. 1210A: Allows the Defense Department to give the State Department and USAID money for “stabilization activities” in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, and Somalia and authorizes an additional $100 million for this year (bringing the limit up to $450 million)  Sec. 1217: Allows the Defense Secretary to use War on Terror money for paying “any key cooperating nation (other than Pakistan)” for logistical, military, or other support that nation gives to our military operations in Afghanistan, Iraq, or Syria.  Sec. 1221: Withholds at least half of the $645 million authorized by the 2015 NDAA for “military and other security forces of or associated with the Government of Iraq, including Kurdish and tribal security forces or other local security forces” for “training, equipment, logistics support, supplies, and services, stipends, facility and infrastructure repair and renovation, and sustainment” until the DoD submits a report that includes an estimate of the funding anticipated to support the Iraqi Security Forces through September 2025. The report also needs to include how much and what kind of assistance if being given to forces in Iraq by the Government of Iran. Also, a new stipulation is added saying that our military assistance authorized since 2015 “may only be exercised in consultation with the Government of Iraq.”  Sec. 1222: Changes the authorization from 2015 that allowed the Defense Department to train, equip, supply, give money to and construct facilities for “vetted elements of the Syria opposition” so that the “opposition” is no longer allowed to get the money or training. The new language eliminates all mentions of the “opposition” groups and deletes “promoting the conditions for a negotiated settlement to end the conflict in Syria” from the list of authorized purposes. The new language focuses specifically on providing assistance to combat the Islamic State and al Qaeda. It also limits the kinds of weapons that can be given to Syria groups to “small arms or light weapons” (there is a way for the Defense Secretary to waive this) and it limits the amount that can be spent on construction projects to $4 million per project or $20 million total.  Sec. 1223: Eliminates the authority for the Defense Department to fund “operations and activities of security assistance teams in Iraq” and removes the authority to pay for “construction and renovation of facilities”. The law still allows $30 million for the Office of Security Cooperation in Iraq (a $15 million funding cut). The authorization will then sunset 90 days after enactment (mid March 2020). The OSCI can’t get more than $20 million until they appoint a Senior Defense Official to oversee the office, develop a staffing plan “similar to that of other security cooperation offices in the region”, and they create a five-year “security assistance roadmap” that enables “defense institution building and reform.”  Sec. 1284: “Nothing in this Act, or any amendment made by this Act, may be construed to authorize the use of military force, including the use of military force against Iran or any other country.”  Sec. 5322: Creates a “Foreign Malign Influence Response Center” under the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which will “be comprised of analysts from all elements of the intelligence community, including elements with diplomatic an law enforcement functions” and will be the “primary organization” for analyzing all intelligence “pertaining to foreign malign influence.” The foreign countries that will specifically be reported on are, in this order, Russia, Iran, North Korea, China, and “any other country”. “Foreign malign influence” means “any hostile effort undertaken by, at the direction of, or on behalf of or with the substantial support of, the government of a covered foreign country with he objective of influencing, through overt or covert means the (A) political, military, economic or other policies or activities of the United States Government… including any election within the United States or (B) the public opinion within the United States.”  Sec. 5521: “It is the sense of Congress that, regardless of the ultimate number of United States military personnel deployed to Syria, it is a vital interest of the United States to prevent the Islamic Republic of Iran, Hezbollah, and other Iranian backed forces from establishing a strong and enduring presence in Syria that can be used to project power in the region and threaten the United States and its allies, including Israel.”A report is required within six months that will include how Iran is militarily training and funding the Syrian government led by President Bashar al-Assad and the threat that Iran’s forces pose to “areas of northeast Syria that are currently controlled by local partner forces of the United States.” The report also must outline “how Iran and Iranian backed forces seek to enhance the long-term influence of such entities in Syria through non-military means such as purchasing strategic real estate in Syria, constructing Shia religious centers in schools, securing loyalty from Sunni tribes in exchange for material assistance, and inducing the Assad government to open Farsi language department at Syrian universities.” The report must also include “How Iran is working with the Russian Federation, Turkey, and other countries to increase the influence of Iran in Syria.” The NDAA assumes the Iranian goals in Syria are "protecting the Assad government, increasing the regional influence of Iran, threatening Israel from a more proximate location, building weapon production facilities and other military infrastructure, and securing a land bridge to connect to run through Iraq and Syria to the stronghold of Hezbollah in southern Lebanon.” The report also must include descriptions of "the efforts of Iran to transfer advanced weapons to Hisballah and to establish a military presence in Syria has led to direct and repeated confrontations with Israel”, "the intelligence and military support that the United States provides to Israel to help Israel identify and appropriately address specific threats to Israel from Iran and Iranian-backed forces in Syria”, “The threat posed to Israel and other allies of the United States in the middle east resulting from the transfer of arms to… Hezbollah”, and “Iranian expenditures in the previous calendar year on military and terrorist activities outside the country, including the amount of such expenditures with respect to each of Hizballah, Houthi rebels in Yemen, Hamas, and proxy forces in Iraq and Syria.” Sec. 6706: The 2017 Intelligence Authorization (Section 501) created a committee made up of the Director of National Intelligence, Secretary of State, Secretary of Defense, Secretary of the Treasury, Attorney General, Secretary of Energy, FBI Director, and the heads of “each of the other elements of the intelligence community” for the purposes of countering “active measures by Russia to exert covert influence over peoples and government by exposing falsehoods, agents of influence, corruption, human rights abuses, terrorism, and assassinations carried out by the security services are political elites of the Russian Federation or their proxies.” This NDAA adds China, Iran, North Korea, “or other nation state” to the target list.  Sec. 6729: Orders an Intelligence Assessment into the revenue sources of North Korea, specifically requiring inquiries into “(1) Trade in coal, iron, and iron ore. (2) Fishing rights in North Korea’s territorial waters (3) Trade in gold, titanium ore, vanadium ore, copper, silver, nickel, zinc, and rare earth minerals.” They also want to know what banking institutions are processing North Korean financial transactions.  Sec. 7412:  Effective starting in June 2020, the President “shall” enact sanctions on a “foreign person” if that person gives money, material or technical support to the Government of Syria, is a military contractor working for the Government of Syria, the Russian government, or the Iranian government, sells items that “significantly facilitates the maintenance or expansion of the Government of Syria’s domestic production of natural has, petroleum, or petroleum products”, or “directly or indirectly, provides significant construction or engineering services to the Government of Syria.” If the sanctions are violated, the President “shall” use his power to “block and prohibit all transactions in property and interests in property of the foreign person” if that property “comes within the United States, are come within the possession or control of United States person.” The foreign persons will also be ineligible for visas into the United States except to permit the United States to comply with the agreement regarding the headquarters of the United Nations or to assist with US law-enforcement. Sec. 7402: Statement of Policy: …”to support a transition to a government in Syria that respects the rule of law, human rights, and peaceful co-existence with its neighbors.”  Sec. 7411: Gives the Secretary of the Treasury until late June to determine “whether reasonable grounds exist for concluding that the Central Bank of Syria is a financial institution of primary money laundering concern.” If it’s a yes, the Secretary of the Treasury “shall” impose “special measures” that could require banks to retain more records about transactions in Syria, give the government information about the people who conduct financial transactions with people in Syria, or prohibit US banks from opening accounts for Syrian banks.  Sec. 7413: Orders the President to submit a strategy to Congress by June 2020 to “deter foreign persons from entering into contracts related to reconstruction” in areas of Syria under the control of the Government of Syria, the Government of Russia, or the Government of Iran.  Sec. 7424: Authorizes the Secretary of State to “provide assistance to support entities that are conducting criminal investigations, supporting prosecutions, or collecting evidence” against those that have committed war crimes in Syria. The assistance can’t be given as long as President Bashar al-Assad is in power, can’t be used to build judicial capacities of the Syrian government, or for prosecutions in the domestic courts of Syria.  Sec. 7438: This title (Sections 7401-7438) sunsets in 5 years.    Bill: H.Con.Res.83 - Directing the President pursuant to section 5(c) of the War Powers Resolution to terminate the use of United States Armed Forces to engage in hostilities in or against Iran. Congress.gov, January 9, 2020   Bill: H. R. 1158 - Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 GPO, January 3, 2019 Sec. 9007:  No funds from this year’s funding or any other law can’t be used to “establish any military installation or base for the purpose of providing for the permanent stationing of United States Forces in Iraq” or to “exercise United States control over any oil resource of Iraq” Bill: H.R.3107 - Iran and Libya Sanctions Act of 1996 Congress.gov, August 5, 1996 Articles/Documents Article: More US service members diagnosed with traumatic brain injuries following Iran strike by Barbara Starr and Zachary Choen, CNN, January 30, 2020 Article: House Votes 'No War Against Iran,' In Rebuke To Trump by Merrit Kennedy, npr, January 30, 2020 Article: Overnight Defense: White House threatens to veto House Iran bills | Dems 'frustrated' after Iran briefing | Lawmakers warn US, UK intel sharing at risk after Huawei decision by Ellen Mitchell, The Hill, January 28, 2020 Article: T‘Demeaned and Humiliated’: What Happened to These Iranians at U.S. Airports by Caleb Hampton and Caitlin Dickerson, The New York Times, January 25, 2020 Article: The Iranian revolution—A timeline of events by Suzanne Maloney and Keian Razipour, Brookings, January 24, 2020 Document: Iran Sanctions by Kenneth Katzman, Congressional Research Service, January 24, 2020 Article: KEY ARCHITECT OF 2003 IRAQ WAR IS NOW A KEY ARCHITECT OF TRUMP IRAN POLICY by Jon Schwarz, The Intercept, January 16, 2020 Article: INSTEX fails to support EU-Iran trade as nuclear accord falters by Alexandra Brzozowski, Euractiv, January 14, 2020 Article: The Members of Congress Who Profit From War by Donald Shaw and David Moore, Sludge, January 13, 2020 Article: Under pressure, Iran admits it shot down jetliner by mistake by Nasser Karimi and Joseph Krauss, AP, January 11, 2020 Article: Jet Crash in Iran Has Eerie Historical Parallel by Karen Zraick, The New York Times, January 11, 2020 Article: U.S. STRIKE ON IRANIAN COMMANDER IN YEMEN THE NIGHT OF SULEIMANI’S ASSASSINATION KILLED THE WRONG MAN by Alex Emmons, The Intercept, January 10, 2020 Article: New Iran revelations suggest Trumps deceptions were deeper than we thought by Paul Waldman and Greg Sargent, The Washington Post, January 10, 2020 Article: On the day U.S. forces killed Soleimani they targeted a senior Iranian official in Yemen by John Hudson, Missy Ryan and Josh Dawsey, The Washington Post, January 10, 2020 Article: Venezuela: Guaido Installs Parallel Parliament After Washington Threatens More Sanctions By Ricardo Vaz, Venezuelanalysis.com, January 8, 2020 Article: US-Iran tensions: Timeline of events leading to Soleimani killing Aljazeera, January 8, 2020 Article: The Quiet Billionaires Behind America’s Predator Drone That Killed Iran’s Soleimani by Deniz Çam and Christopher Helman, Forbes, January 7, 2020 Article: U.S. contractor killed in Iraq, which led to strike on Iranian general, buried in Sacramento by Sawsan Morrar and Sam Stanton, The Sacramento Bee, January 7, 2020 Article: US won’t grant Iran foreign minister visa for UN visit by Matthew Lee, Associated Press, January 7, 2020 Article: Iran's Zarif accuses U.S. of violating U.N. deal by denying him a visa by Michelle Nichols, Reuters, January 7, 2020 Article: What Is the Status of the Iran Nuclear Agreement? by Zachary Laub and Kali Robinson, Council on Foreign Relations, January 7, 2020 Article: For Some Never Trumpers, Killing of Suleimani Was Finally Something to Like by Michael Crowley, The New York Times, January 6, 2020 Article: Who Was The Iraqi Commander Also Killed In The Baghdad Drone Strike? by Matthew S. Schwartz, npr, January 4, 2020 Article: Will There Be a Draft? Young People Worry After Military Strike by Sarah Mervosh, The New York Times, January 3, 2020 Article: Four Years Ago, Trump Had No Clue Who Iran’s Suleimani Was. Now He May Have Kicked Off WWIII. by Mehdi Hasan, The Intercept, January 3, 2020 Article: WITH SULEIMANI ASSASSINATION, TRUMP IS DOING THE BIDDING OF WASHINGTON’S MOST VILE CABAL by Jeremy Scahill, The Intercept, January 3, 2020 Article: America is guilty of everything we accuse Iran of doing by Ryan Cooper, The Week, January 3, 2020 Article: Hashd deputy Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis: Iran's man in Baghdad Aljazeera, January 3, 2020 Article: Well, that escalated quickly By Derek Davison, Foreign Exchanges, January 2, 2020 Article: After Embassy Attack, U.S. Is Prepared to Pre-emptively Strike Militias in Iraq By Thomas Gibbons-Neff, The New York Times, January 2, 2020 Article: U.S. Sanctions Have Cost Iran $200 Billion RFE/RL staff, OilPrice.com, January 2, 2020 Article: Protesters storm US embassy compound in Baghdad Aljazeera, December 31, 2019 Article: US strikes hit Iraqi militia blamed in contractor’s death Ellen Knickmeyer and Qassim Abdul-Zahra, AP, December 30, 2019 Article: Saudi Arabia oil attacks: UN 'unable to confirm Iranian involvement' BBC News, December 11, 2019 Article: Six charts that show how hard US sanctions have hit Iran by Franklin Foer, BBC News, December 9, 2019 Article: At War with the Truth by Craig Whitlock, The Washington Post, December 9, 2019 Article: Foundation for Defense of Democracies Militarist Monitor, October 18, 2019 Article: Gulf tanker attacks: Iran releases photos of 'attacked' ship BBC News, October 14, 2019 Article: US-Iran standoff: A timeline of key events Aljazeera, September 25, 2019 Article: US Offered Millions To Indian Captain Of Iran Oil Tanker Heading To Syria NDTV, September 5, 2019 Press Release: Remarks by High Representative/Vice-President Federica Mogherini following the Foreign Affairs Council by European Union External Action, July 15, 2019 Article: Pentagon nominee Esper, a former Raytheon lobbyist, must extend recusal, says Warren By Joe Gould, DefenseNews, July 15, 2019 Article: INSTEX: Doubts linger over Europe's Iran sanctions workaround By Siobhan Dowling, Aljazeera, July 1, 2019 Press Release: Chair's statement following the 28 June 2019 meeting of the Joint Commission of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action by European Union External Action, June 28, 2019 Article: Iran executes 'defence ministry contractor' over spying for CIA Aljazeera, June 22, 2019 Article: Saudi oil tankers show 'significant damage' after attack – Riyadh By Patrick Wintour, The Guardian, May 13, 2019 Article: Bolton: US deploying bombers to Middle East in warning to Iran Aljazeera, May 6, 2019 Statement: Statement from the National Security Advisor Ambassador John Bolton WhiteHouse.gov, May 5, 2019 Article: Iran responds in kind to Trump's IRGC 'terrorist' designation Aljazeera, April 8, 2019 Statement: Designation of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps as a Foreign Terrorist Organization WhiteHouse.gov, April 8, 2019 Document: The European Deterrence Initiative: A Budgetary Overview By Pat Towell and Aras D. Kazlauskas, Congressional Research Center, August 8, 2018 Article: Mike Pompeo speech: What are the 12 demands given to Iran? By Aljazeera News, May 21, 2018 Article: Trump Jr. and Other Aides Met With Gulf Emissary Offering Help to Win Election By Mark Mazzetti, Ronen Bergman and David D. Kirkpatrick, The New York Times, May 19, 2018 Article: If the Iran deal had been a Senate-confirmed treaty, would Trump have been forced to stay in? Nope. By Andrew Rudalevige , The Washington Post, May 9, 2018 Article: Trump Abandons Iran Nuclear Deal He Long Scorned By Mark Landler, The New York Times, May 8, 2018 Article: Valiant picks up another government business in $135M cash deal By Robert J. Terry, The Washington Business Journal, April 19, 2018 Article: 64 Years Later, CIA Finally Releases Details of Iranian Coup By Bethany Allen-Ebrahimian, Foreign Policy, June 20, 2017 Article: CIA Creates New Mission Center to Turn Up the Heat on Iran By Shane Harris, The Wall Street Journal, June 2, 2017 Article: CIA establishes mission center focused on North Korea By Max Greenwood, The Hill, May 10, 2017 Article: The Shadow Commander By Dexter Filkins, The New Yorker, September 23, 2013 Article: Iran and Iraq remember war that cost more than a million lives By Ian Black, The Guardian, September 23, 2010 Document: Executive Order 12959—Prohibiting Certain Transactions With Respect to Iran Administration of William J. Clinton, GPO, May 7, 1995 Document: Middle East Peace Process, Executive Order 12957—Prohibiting Certain Transactions With Respect to the Development of Iranian Petroleum Resources Administration of William J. Clinton, GPO, March 15, 1995 Additional Resources Biography: Reuel Marc Gerecht Foundation for Defense of Democracies Budget: EUROPEAN DETERRENCE INITIATIVE, Department of Defense Budget Fiscal Year (FY) 2020 By Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, March 2019 Budget: EUROPEAN REASSURANCE INITIATIVE, Department of Defense Budget Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, February 2017 Fundraising Summary: Sen. James E Risch - Idaho OpenSecrets.org Joint Resolution: Public Law 107–40 107th Congress GPO, Congress.gov, September 18, 2001 Podcast Episode: GHOSTS OF MOSSADEGH: THE IRAN CABLES, U.S. EMPIRE, AND THE ARC OF HISTORY Document: TITLE 31—MONEY AND FINANCE GovInfo.gov Video: Why I Voted Against The Sactions Bill Bernie Sanders Video: MORE THAN JUST RUSSIA — THERE’S A STRONG CASE FOR THE TRUMP TEAM COLLUDING WITH SAUDI ARABIA, ISRAEL, AND THE UAE By Jeremy Scahill, The Intercept Vote Results: ROLL CALL 33, Merchant Mariners of World War II Congressional Medal Act Clerk of House of Representatives Vote Results: ROLL CALL 34, Merchant Mariners of World War II Congressional Medal Act Clerk of House of Representatives Sound Clip Sources Press Conference: Trump tells GOP donors that Soleimani was 'saying bad things' before strike, The Hill, January 10, 2020 Hearing: From Sanctions to the Soleimani Strike to Escalation: Evaluating the Administration’s Iran Policy, United States House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs, January 14, 2020 Watch on Youtube Watch on CSPAN Witnesses DID NOT SHOW: Mike Pompeo Richard Haass, President of the Council on Foreign Relations Avril Haines, Columbia University (formerly NSA and CIA) Stephen Hadley Transcript: 44:55 Richard Haass: Here, I would highlight the American decision in 2018 to exit the 2015 nuclear agreement, the JCPOA, and the decision to introduce significant sanctions against Iran. These sanctions constituted a form of economic warfare. Iran was not in a position to respond in kind and instead instituted a series of military actions meant to make the United States and others pay a price for these sanctions and therefore to conclude they needed to be removed. It is also important, I believe, to point out here that the United States did not provide a diplomatic alternative to Iran when it imposed these sanctions. This was the context in which the targeted killing of Qassem Suleimani took place. This event needs to be assessed from two vantage points. One is legality. It would have been justified to attack Suleimani if he was involved in mounting a military action that was imminent. If there is evidence that can responsibly be made public supporting that these criteria were met of imminence, it should be. If, however, it turns out criteria were not met, that what took place was an action of choice rather than the necessity, I fear it will lead to an open ended conflict between the United States and Iran. Fought in many places with many tools and few red lines that will be observed. The President tweeted yesterday that the question of this imminence doesn't really matter. I would respectfully disagree. Imminence is central to the concept of preemption, which is treated in international law as a legitimate form of self defense. Preventive attacks though are something very different. They are mounted against a gathering threat rather than an imminent one, and a world of regular preventive actions would be one in which conflict was prevalent. 47:20 Richard Haass: First, there were other, and I believe better ways to reestablish deterrence with Iran. Secondly, the killing interrupted what I believe were useful political dynamics in both Iran and Iraq. Thirdly, U.S.-Iraqi ties were deeply strained. Fourthly, we've been forced to send more forces to the region rather than make them available elsewhere. Fifthly, given all worldwide challenges, I do not believe it is in our strategic interest to have a new war in the middle East. And six, Iran has already announced plans to take steps at odds with the JCPOA, which will shrink the window it needs to build a nuclear weapon if it decides to do so. And if this happens, it will present both the United States and Israel with difficult and potentially costly choices. 50:16 Richard Haass: Let me just make a few recommendations and I know my time is growing short. One, the United States should work closely with its allies and other signatories of the JCPOA to put together the outlines of a new agreement. Call it JCPOA 2.0 and present Iran with a new deal. It would establish longer term or better yet open-ended limits on Iran, nuclear and missile programs. In exchange for sanctions relief, Congress should approve any such agreement to remove the concern that this pack could be easily undone by any President, and such initiatives should emerge from consultation with allies. Our policy toward Iran has become overly unilateral and is less effective for it. 1:02:50 Stephen Hadley: The problem was that the strike occurred in Iraq. The fear of becoming the central battleground in a military confrontation between the United States and Iran is being used to justify calls for the expulsion of us forces from Iraq. But a U.S. withdrawal would only reward Kata'ib Hezbollah's campaign of violence, strengthen the uranium backed militias, weaken the Iraqi government, undermine Iraqi sovereignty, and jeopardize the fight against ISIS. A terrible outcome for both the United States and Iraq. To keep U.S. Forces in Iraq, Iraqi authorities will have to manage the domestic political fallout from the strike on Suleimani. U.S. Administration and the Congress can help by making public statements reaffirming that America respects the sovereignty and independence of Iraq that U.S. Forces are in Iraq to train Iraqi security forces and to help them protect the Iraqi people from a resurgent ISIS that the United States will coordinate with the Iraqi government on matters involving the U.S. Troop presence, that so long as U.S. Troops and diplomats in Iraq are not threatened, America's confrontation with Iran will not be played out on Iraqi territory, and that the United States supports the aspirations of the Iraqi people for a government that can meet their needs and expectations, and is free of corruption, sectarianism and outside influence. 1:49:30 Richard Haass: The other thing I think you heard from all three of us is the importance of repairing the U.S.-Iraqi relationship. I mean, think about it. Qasem Soleimani's principle goal was to drive the United States out of Iraq. Why in the world would we want to facilitate his success there after his death? We ought to make sure that doesn't happen. And Steve Hadley gave, I thought, a lot of good ideas about ways we could signal almost to help the Iraqi government manage the Iraqi politics. We could also look at some creative things. When I was in the Pentagon years ago, when we were building what became Central Command, we used to look at the idea of presence without stationing. There's ways to have a regular force presence without necessarily having forces be permanent. This may help the Iraqi government manage the politics of it without a serious diminuition of our capabilities. 1:58:20 Richard Haass: I think there's a fundamental difference between taking out a member of a terrorist organization and taking out an individual who is, who was an official of a nation state, who happens to use terrorist organizations to promote what the state sees as its agenda. I'm not saying it's necessarily wrong, I'm saying it's a big step. We've crossed a line here. So I think one thing this committee needs to think about is when it looks at AUMF's, none is on the books that allows us to do this as best I understand. So I think it's a legitimate question for this committee to say, do we need to think about an AUMF towards Iran that deals with this set of scenarios, where Iran would use military force to promote its ends, and also with the one that both Steve Hadley and I have talked about here, about the gathering threat on the Iranian nuclear side. 2:07:50 Avril Haines: Clearly the strike had an enormous impact on our relationship with Iraq. Iraq has come out and indicated that they did not provide consent for this particular strike on their territory. And it has brought the parliament to the point where they've actually passed to vote calling for the U.S. Forces to leave. And we've seen that the Prime Minister has indicated that in fact, they want a delegation to talk about leaving Iraq. And I think, as Dr. Haass noted, this is in many respects exactly what Solemani had wanted. And as a consequence, we're now in a position where I think it will be likely that it is unsustainable for us to have the presence that we've had. I hope that's not true. I hope that we can in fact, get through this period with them and that their domestic politics don't erupt in such a way that it makes it impossible for us to stay. 2:42:15 Rep. Adriano Espaillat: My question to you individually, this is a yes or no answer question, is whether or not you feel you gathered enough information or evidence, that from the inspectors or otherwise that you feel that Iran complied with the provisions established by the JCPOA. Mr Hass, do you feel that they complied? Yes or no? Richard Haass: Based on everything I've read, the international inspectors made the case that Iran was in compliance. Rep. Adriano Espaillat: Ms. Haines? Avril Haines: Yeah, same. Rep. Adriano Espaillat: Mr. Hadley? Stephen Hadley: So far as I know, yes. Interview: Pompeo on Soleimani Justification: I Don't Know Who Used "Imminent Threat" First, "But It Reflects What We Saw", Bret Baier with Fox News Channel Interviews Mike Pompeo, RealClear Politics, January 13, 2020 Speakers Mike Pompeo Bret Baier Transcript: Mike Pompeo: Not only when I was CIA director did I see the history and then what was the current activity for the first year and a half of this administration. But when I was a member of Congress serving on the house intelligence committee, I saw too, Suleimani's been a bad actor for decades in the region. He has the blood of hundreds of Americans on his hand. He's killed, or contributed to the killing of hundreds of thousands of people in Syria, Muslims, mostly throughout the region. This was a bad actor. And when we came to the point where we could see that he was plotting imminent attacks in the region to threaten Americans, a big attack, we recommended to the President he take this action. The president made the right decision. Press Conference: Pompeo Imposes Sanctions on Iran, Sticking to Assertion That U.S. Faced Imminent Threat, White House Press Briefing, The New York Times, January 10, 2020 Transcript: Mike Pompeo: We had specific information on an imminent threat, and that threat included attacks on U.S. embassies, period. Full stop. Reporter: What's your definition of imminent? Mike Pompeo: This was going to happen, and American lives were at risk, and we would have been culpably negligent, as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said, that we would've been culpably negligent had we not recommended the President that he take this action with Qasam Suleimani. He made the right call and America is safer as a result of that. I don't know exactly which minute, we don't know exactly which day it would have been executed, but it was very clear. Qasam Suleimani himself was plotting a broad, large scale attack against American interests, and those attacks were imminent. Press Conference: The most troubling part of Mike Lee's broadside against the Trump administrations Iran briefing, The Washington Post, January 8, 2020 Transcript: Mike Lee: They're appearing before a coordinate branch of government, a coordinate branch of government responsible for their funding, for their confirmation, for any approval of any military action they might undertake. They had to leave after 75 minutes while they're in the process of telling us that we need to be good little boys and girls and run along and not debate this in public. I find that absolutely insane. I think it's unacceptable. And so I don't know what they had in mind. I went in there hoping to get more specifics as far as the factual, legal, moral justification for what they did. I'm still undecided on that issue in part because we never got to the details. Every time we got close, they'd say, well, we can't discuss that here because it's really sensitive. We're in a skiff. We're in a secure underground bunker where all electronic devices have to be checked at the door and they still refuse to tell us. I find that really upsetting. Interview: CNN Interview with Mike Pompeo The Hill, January 3, 2020 Transcript: Mike Pompeo: We know it was imminent. This was an intelligence based assessment that drove our decision making process. Hearing: Full Committee Hearing: “U.S. Policy in Syria and the Broader Region” House Armed Services Committee, December 11, 2019 Witnesses Mark Esper - Secretary of Defense General Mark Milley - Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Transcript: 25:20 Mark Esper: Since May of this year, nearly 14,000 U.S. military personnel have deployed to the region to serve as a tangible demonstration of our commitment to our allies and our partners. These additional forces are not intended to signal an escalation, but rather to reassure our friends and buttress our efforts at deterrence. 25:40 Mark Esper: We are also focused on internationalizing the response to Iran's aggression by encouraging increased burden sharing and cooperation with allies and partners from around the world. The International Maritime Security Construct, which protects freedom of navigation in the Persian Gulf and Gulf of Oman, and the more nascent integrated air and missile defense effort led by Saudi Arabia are two such examples. Through these activities, we are sending a clear message to Iran that the international community will not tolerate its malign activities. Hearing: Review of the FY2020 Budget Request for the State Department Senate Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs, April 9, 2019 Watch on CSPAN Witnesses Mike Pompeo Transcript: 15:15 Sen. Lindsay Graham (SC): Do you agree with me that having a stabilizing force in Northeastern Syria will prevent Iran from coming down and taking over their oil? Mike Pompeo: It is an important part of our overall Middle East strategy, including our counter-Iran strategy. Sen. Lindsay Graham (SC): So, containing Iran, would include you having a policy in Syria that would keep them from benefiting from our withdrawal. Mike Pompeo: That's right. It's one piece of it. Yes. Sen. Lindsay Graham (SC): Okay. Hearing: State Department Fiscal Year 2019 Budget Request House Foreign Affairs Committee, May 23, 2018 Witnesses Mike Pompeo Transcript: 18:05 Mike Pompeo: On Monday I unveiled a new direction for the President’s Iran strategy. We will apply unprecedented financial pressure; coordinate with our DOD colleagues on deterrents efforts; support the Iranian people, perhaps most importantly; and hold out the prospect for a new deal with Iran. It simply needs to change its behavior. Speech: Pompeo vows U.S., Mideast allies will ‘crush’ Iranian operatives around the world, Heritage Foundation, May 21, 2018 Transcript: Mike Pompeo: We will apply unprecedented financial pressure on the Iranian regime. The sanctions are going back in full effect and new ones are coming. These will indeed end up being the strongest sanctions in history when we are complete. Mike Pompeo: As President Trump said two weeks ago, he is ready, willing and able to negotiate a new deal. But the deal is not the objective. Our goal is to protect the American people. Speech: Bolton: 'Our Goal Should Be Regime Change in Iran' Fox News, January 1, 2018 Transcript: John Bolton: Our goal should be regime change in Iran. Hearing: IRANIAN TERROR OPERATIONS ON AMERICAN SOIL SUBCOMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT, INVESTIGATIONS, AND MANAGEMENT and the SUBCOMMITTEE ON COUNTERTERRORISM AND INTELLIGENCE of the House Homeland Security Committee, October 26, 2011 Watch on CSPAN Witnesses: Reuel Marc Gerecht: CIA Officer who became a director at the Project for a New American Century. Also a former fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. Supported the Afghanistan regime change and Iraq regime change. Currently a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracy, which was founded after 9/11 and it funds “experts” who pushed Congress to fight the “war on terror”. Transcript: 1:30:25 Reuel Marc Gerecht: Again, I have nothing against sanctions. I think there are lots of sanctions the United States should tighten. I'm in favor of most of what we might call central bank sanctions, the Iran oil free zone. There are lots of different things you can do, but again, I just emphasize the people who rule around Iran rose up essentially through killing people. They have maintained a coercive system. It's become more coercive with time, not less. They do not respond in the same rational economic ways that we do. Iran would not look like the country it is today if they were concerned about the bottom line. So, I don't think that you are going to really intimidate these people, get their attention unless you shoot somebody. It's a pretty blunt, but I don't think you get to get around it. I think for example, if we believe that the Guard Corps is responsible for this operation, then you should hold Qasem Soleimani responsible. Qasem Soleimani travels a lot. He's all over the place. Go get him. Either try to capture him or kill him. 1:32:10 Reuel Marc Gerecht: You could aggressively harrass many of their operations overseas. There's no doubt about that. But you would have to have a consensus to do that. I mean, the need is to say the White House, the CIA would have to be on board to do that. You would have to have the approval to do that. We all know it's Washington, D C these things are difficult to do. So you may find out that this type of covert action is actually much more difficult to do than going after, say Qasem Soleimani when he travels. Cover Art Design by Only Child Imaginations Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio)

Have you ever wondered WHY people do what they do? Or maybe why YOU do what you do? One of my long time mentors, Tony Robbins, has pioneered one of the best ways to explain this exact question. Tony has created something called The 6 Human Needs, which essentially are 6 needs that drive human behavior.    As someone who has been obsessed with studying human behavior for basically my entire life, finding out these human needs completely changed my life. I finally had an answer for all my moments of self-sabotage or little behaviors I would do that I couldn’t explain. In this podcast episode I break down all 6 human needs which are: Certainty, Uncertainty, Significance, Love, Connection, Contribution, and Growth, and share with you exactly how I apply them in my life.    P.S. In light of 2020 being right around the corner, I am SO freaking excited to announce, the doors to my annual 3-day bootcamp Epically Aligned are officially OPEN & I want you to join me! This is an intensive, live 3-day workshop where I’ll be taking you through the exact goal-setting process I use to help you set up the BEST year of your life! If you’re ready to create massive momentum in 2020 and have the most aligned year of your life, join me in Epically Aligned now! In This Episode You’ll Learn:    6 Human needs that drive human behavior (6:59) Human Need #1- Certainty (9:10) Human Need #2- Uncertainty (9:49) Human Need #3- Significance (11:33) Human Need #4- Love & Connection (14:03) Human Need #5 and #6- Growth & Contribution (16:44) Questions I Answer:   Why do people do what they do? (18:05)  How have I applied the 6 human needs in my life? (23:36) What is the driver to fulfillment? (32:00) Links/Resources   Join Epically Aligned 2020 Bootcamp   Article On 6 Human Needs - Tony Robbins   Follow me on Instagram    Join our Manifestation Babe community!    Visit our website!   To see my current offers, please visit manifestationbabe.com/links  

The horror epic that spawned our preteen nightmares. Learn about the origins of the book, how it got adapted, the history of clowns, and why Stephen King loves writing the spooky stuff. SUPPORT US LINKS:Get a copy of It by Stephen King: Shop your local indie bookstoreGet a new YA book to your door every month: Book of the Month Club YABONUS LINKS:(VIDEO) The trailer for It Chapter 2: http://bit.ly/itchap2trail(VIDEO) An interview with Stephen about Ronald McDonald: http://bit.ly/clowninterview(VIDEO) A beautiful animated short about childhood from Stephen: http://bit.ly/childhoodsk(ARTICLE) About Charlie, the real man who was murdered in Bangor: http://bit.ly/charliebangor(ARTICLE) A journalist’s diary on reading the whole book: http://bit.ly/journalofit(ARTICLE) On Stephen King adaptations to film: http://bit.ly/skadaptations(ARTICLE) On the multiverse of Stephen’s books: http://bit.ly/skmultiverseCONTACT LINKS:email us any questions, comments, or curse words - illiterate@email.comfollow for silly memes on instagram - @illiteratepodgo to the website for more shows - www.podcastgod.net

Elliott Abrams, the new U.S. Special Envoy to Venezuela, along with witnesses from the State Department and USAID, testified to Congress about the Trump administration's efforts to replace Venezuela's President. In this episode, hear highlights from that hearing and gain some insight into Elliott Abrams' past regime change efforts as a member of the Reagan administration, which will help you to understand why so many people are concerned that he was picked for the Venezuela job. Please Support Congressional Dish – Quick Links Click here to contribute monthly or a lump sum via PayPal Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Send Zelle payments to: Donation@congressionaldish.com Send Venmo payments to: @Jennifer-Briney Send Cash App payments to: $CongressionalDish or Donation@congressionaldish.com Use your bank's online bill pay function to mail contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North, Number 4576, Crestview, FL 32536 Please make checks payable to Congressional Dish Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Recommended Congressional Dish Episodes CD190: A Coup for Capitalism CD186: National Endowment for Democracy CD176: Target Venezuela: Regime Change in Progress Sound Clip Sources Hearing: Venezuela at a Crossroads, House Committee on Foreign Relations, Committee on Foreign Affairs, February 13, 2019. C-SPAN YouTube Witnesses: Elliott Abrams - U.S. Special Representative for Venezuela, U.S. Department of State Sandra Oudkirk - Deputy Assistant Secretary, Bureau of Energy Resources, U.S. Department of State Steve Olive - Acting Assistance Administrator, Bureau for Latin America and the Caribbean, U.A. Agency for International Development (USAID) Sound Clips: 11:42 Rep. Michael McCaul: When Nicolas Maduro was hand picked by Hugo Chavez in 2013, it was clear that he would follow in his socialist dictatorship footsteps. Since that time, Maduro's policies, rampant corruption and violent crackdowns on peaceful political dissent have turned Venezuela into a failed state. Hyperinflation has skyrocketed. Food and medicine are scarce, and according to the United Nations, up to 3 million people have fled the country since 2014 last week, a fuel tanker and two shipping containers were placed on a bridge to block the delivery of desperately needed humanitarian aid as seen on the, uh, the screen. This act highlights how evil the Maduro regime really is. 12:34 Michael McCaul: The current crisis highlights the horrifying impact of socialism. Those who continue to preach or shows sympathy, do not understand its history and the abject suffering it has caused. 17:26 Elliot Abrams: Thank you for the opportunity to testify on our efforts to restore democracy. Protestors: Protestors yelling… 24:47 Elliot Abrams: Mr. Chairman, thank you for inviting me here today and thank you for the continuing interest, uh, and support that this committee has shown bipartisan interest in supporting the struggle for freedom in Venezuela. Protestor: Five coverage in your line. Again, that bridge was closed for years where that food was supposed to come down and when you were in charge will remind all persons in the audience any manifestations of approval or disapproval of proceedings is in violation of the rules of a house and committees. 29:47 Steve Olive: State supports local human rights defenders, civil society, independent media, electoral oversight, and the democratically elected national assembly. Over the past five years, we have provided close to $40 million in democratic democracy assistance to these groups, including the planned $15 million in fiscal year 2018 funding, which cleared Congress yesterday. 39:04 Michael McCaul: Mr Abrams, I think we really have a historic opportunity to transform what's been a, you know, socialist dictatorship that has been a humanitarian crisis into a democracy, um, supported by freedom and the, and the people. And at the same time, I think for the first time in decades, have an influence on Cuba in the western hemisphere. 43:44 Rep. Brad Sherman: Um, we've got a situation where Russia expects to be repaid a Mr. Abrams. Um, what steps are we considering to, uh, support an action by the Venezuelan people to say, okay, we owe you so much minus that two, three, $10 trillion of harm you did to our country by, uh, uh, supporting this criminal Maduro. Uh, therefore you only owe us 1 trillion instead of 2 trillion. Uh, Mr Abrams are we, discussing with the Russians how we can make it plain to, the permanent future Venezuelan government that they do not have to pay Russia and that they will not suffer any demerits, uh, in, uh, in their credit rating for western agencies. So in Western banks. Elliot Abrams: We'd begun to have those discussions. Uh, primarily, of course it would be led by treasury, but, um, the interim government and the National Assembly has said that they would repay debts. Some of those debts, I think were never approved by the National Assembly. Ultimately, it is a decision that they're going to put the most of these that they're going to have to make. Brad Sherman: But if we put the Russians on notice that we would support and require our banks to support a decision by the Venezuelan government to offset that by trillions of dollars of claims against Russia, and that we would prohibit, we might choose to prohibit our banks from looking at any credit rating, uh, that, uh, was impaired by failure to repay Russia. Elliott Abrams: Don't believe that exact message. Brad Sherman: I hope you will. 47:23 Brad Sherman: And, uh, we also have Venezuela reportedly owe China, $20 billion. Um, I know that China's policy toward Maduro is, is different than that of Russia, but, uh, uh, what is China doing now to help the legitimate government of Venezuela? Elliot Abrams: They aren't doing anything to help, uh, Mr. Brad Sherman: Are they providing any additional funds to Maduro? Elliot Abrams: No. Uh, my information is that they won't lend any more money because they're worried about getting back what they've already lent. And the message that we've passed at him is you continue to back Maduro and the economy of Venezuela descends further. You will never get paid back. 1:0439* Rep. Albio Sires: Ms. Oudkirk, can you talk to me a little bit about the oil sanctions? I know that in my reports, that Juan Guaido plans to name a new board of directors for Citco the process will require the west to legally recognize the new board members. Would a new board have access to U.S banks, accounts with proceeds from Venezuela's oil sales that have been blocked by the sanctions? Sandra Oudkirk: Thank you, Mr Congressmen. So as I noted in my remarks, the key to sanctions relief for PDVSA, um, it is the transfer of control of that company away from, uh, Maduro and his cronies and to a demo, a democratically elected representatives of the, of the Venezuelan people. It would the, with regards to Citgo, citgo operations in the United States are covered by a general license that Treasury issued on the day the sanctions were announced. So sit goes operations here in the u s um, are continuing under that, that license and that license covers them for six months from the date of announcement. The ban is on remitting, uh, payments back to, PDVSA as long as it is, uh, under, um, the illegitimate control. So if you have, Albio Sires: What would a board do, named by Guaido? What would that do? If he names a new board? Sandra Oudkirk: For Citgo? Albio Sires: Yes. Sandra Oudkirk: I will have to get back to you on the details, uh, of that. Um, I don't have the answer for you right now. I'm sorry, Albio Sires: Mr Abrams? Elliot Abrams: Well, we don't want any of the, uh, one of the funds to go to the, to the regime, so that would not be permitted. But, um, I think there's a lot of lawyers in Washington who were making a lot of money trying to figure out the answer to your question. Albio Sires: My daughter's a lawyer... My thing is if, if we are able to get this money in U.S. banks and obviously under this sanction, good dumb money be used for humanitarian purposes in Venezuela? Elliot Abrams: It can, um, all of these funds, uh, all Venezuelan government funds are in our view, a rightly available to the legitimate interim president, Mr Guaido and the National Assembly. So they can use those funds to purchase additional humanitarian assistance, right. Is a lot of procedures to go through to get them actual control of it. Uh, and they've made it clear that they want to be extremely careful. They're going to be accused of, of misusing the funds. So everything's got to be totally transparent, but in principle, yes, sure. 1:24:44 Rep. David Cicilline: I want to turn to my first series of question because I am concerned by continuing comments from the Trump administration noting that the use of military force is, as the president said, an option. And so for you Mr. Abrams. My first question is we have not, of course, the congress of the United States has not declared war on Venezuela, correct? Elliot Abrams: Correct. David Cicilline: Is there an existing statutory authorization that would allow for a military intervention in Venezuela? Yes or no? Elliot Abrams: Not to my knowledge. David Cicilline: Has Venezuela attack the United States, his territories or possessions or its armed forces? Elliot Abrams: No. David Cicilline: Has the administration increased troop deployments to countries including Columbia neighboring Venezuela at any point in the last month? Elliot Abrams: Don't believe so. David Cicilline: Are there, are there currently any plans to or discussions about moving additional combat troops to Columbia or any other country that neighbors Venezuela? Elliot Abrams: Not to my knowledge. David Cicilline: Is anyone at the White House, National Security Council, the Department of Defense or any other agency making plans for US military engagement in Venezuela? Elliot Abrams: That's a question I can't answer. I know of no such planning. David Cicilline: Well, consistent with the war powers act. I've introduced legislation that expressly prohibits the administration room taking military action in Venezuela without consulting Congress. Will you pledge that the Trump administration will not take any military action in a regarding Venezuela without consulting with Congress in accordance with the war powers act? Elliot Abrams: I don't know that I can answer that question. Mr Cicilline. A series of presidents, you know, have taken a jaundiced view, I might say, of the war powers act. So I'm really not… David Cicilline: Well, under our constitution, as you know, only congress can declare war and we have neither declared war and are granted the administration the authority to send the armed forces into hostilities in Venezuela. In my view, it would be illegal under us law, inappropriate and reckless to attempt and military intervention. The United States must show leadership in our own hemisphere and we must continue to provide aid to suffering Venezuelans. But I want to just build on Mr Keating's question because you said of the 51 countries in this coalition, we are the only one that has threatened the use of military force. And in response to a question from Mr Keating, you said, because we're the only one capable of doing it, surely you're not suggesting the other 50 countries do not have military capability to engage in a military action if they so elected do. Elliot Abrams: Well, some do and some don't. David Cicilline: So some do. And we're not the only ones that have that ability. Elliot Abrams: We have not threatened military action in Venezuela. We've said that all options are on the table. David Cicilline: My question is we're not the only one that has that capability. So when you said that to Mr Keating that was not accurate. Elliot Abrams: We are the only one with the kind of capability obviously, David Cicilline: but others have military capability and have not made the same assertion of that being an option. Isn't that correct? Elliot Abrams: I am actually not sure of the answer to that of whether of what other governments have said. David Cicilline: Okay. So Mr. Abrams, what is particularly concerning to me is that in light of the fact there is no legal authority to, uh, express the use of military force as an option. It's unclear to me how the president or anyone in the administration can claim it's an option on table because it is not. And to the extent that we are suggesting that it is, we are misleading the international community where miss me leading the people in Venezuela. So I urge you to take back the message, the administration that it is not authorized and not helpful. 1:41:03 Rep. Joaquin Castro: Uh, I have in the past supported sanctions against the Maduro regime because as Mr. Meeks mentioned, I do believe in many ways that Mr. Maduro Has oppressed his people. At the same time, I believe that the role of the United States is to promote democracy, freedom and human rights around the world. The role of the United States is not the hand pick. The next leader of Venezuela and Mr Abrams. I have a question for you. My question is whether you're aware of any transfers of weapons or defense equipment by the United States government to groups of Venezuela opposed to Nicolas Maduro since you were appointed special representative for Venezuela and I want to be respectful of you, but also honest and the reason that I asked that question. There's been a McClatchy news report of such an incident. Have you, are you aware of that news report? Elliot Abrams: I saw the report, yes. Joaquin Castro: I asked this question because you have a record of such actions in Nicaragua. You were involved in the effort to covertly provide lethal aid to the contras against the will of Congress. You ultimately pled guilty to two counts of withholding information from Congress in regard to your testimony during the Iran Contra scandal. So I asked you the question, can we trust your testimony today? : Well, you can make that decision for yourself, Mr. Castro. I can tell you that the answer to your question is no. It's a simple, uh, and unequivocal no. Uh, there has been no such transfer of arms. 1:41:50 Rep. Ilhan Omar: Mr. Adams in 1991 you pleaded guilty to two counts of withholding information from Congress regarding your involvement in the Iran Contra affair for which you were later pardoned by President George H. W. Bush. I fail to understand, uh, why members of this committee or the American people should find any testimony that you give a today to be truthful. Elliot Abrams: If I could respond to that Ilhan Omar: That wasn't a question. I said that that was not, that was not a question that was high. I reserve the right to my time. It is not. It is not right. That was not a question. On February 8th who is not permitted to reply that that was not okay. Question. Thank you for your participation on February 8th, 1982 you testified before the Senate foreign relations committee about US policy in El Salvador. In that hearing you dismiss As communist propaganda report about the massacre of El Mazote in which more than 800 civilians including children as young as two years old, were brutally murdered by us trained troops doing that massacre. Some of those troops bragged about raping a 12 year old girl before they killed them girls before they killed them. You later said that the u s policy in El Salvador was a fabulous achievement, yes or no. Do you still think so Elliot Abrams: from the day that President Duarte was elected in a free election, To this day, El Salvador has been a democracy. That's a fabulous achievement, Ilhan Omar: yes or no. Do you think that massacre, was a fabulous achievement that happened under our watch? Elliot Abrams: That is a ridiculous question. Yes or no? No, I will. Ilhan Omar: I will take that as a yes. Elliot Abrams: I am not going to respond to that kind of personal attack which is not a question Ilhan Omar: Yes or no. Would you support an armed faction within Venezuela that engages in war crimes, crimes against humanity or genocide if you believe they were serving us interest as you did in Guatemala, El Salvador and Nicaragua? Elliot Abrams: I am not going to respond to that question. I'm sorry. I don't think this entire line of questioning is meant to be real questions and so I will not reply. Ilhan Omar: Whether you under your watch, a genocide will take place and you will look the other way because American interests were being upheld is a fair question because the American people want to know that anytime we engage a country that we think about what our actions could be and how we believe our values are being fathered. That is my question. Will you make sure that human rights are not violated and that we uphold international and human rights? Elliot Abrams: I suppose there is a question in there and the answer is that the entire thrust of American policy in Venezuela is to support the Venezuelan people's effort to restore democracy to their country. That's our policy. Ilhan Omar: I don't think anybody disputes that. The question I had for you is that the interest does the interest of the United States include protecting human rights and include protecting people against genocide. Elliot Abrams: That is always the position of the United States. Ilhan Omar: Thank you. I yield back my time. 1:42:35 Joaquin Castro: I also want to ask you, I mentioned the promotion of democracy and the fact that the Venezuelan people have to pick their own leader. What is the administration strategy for encouraging elections as soon as possible in Venezuela? Elliot Abrams: Well, that is the heart of really of administration policy. That is, uh, after the Maduro regime, a short transition to an election. And that's the view of all of the 51 nations that are supporting Mr Guido. I completely agree with the way you started. It's not for us to choose the next president of Venezuela. It's for Venezuelans. We can help is a lot of other countries can help in facilitating a free election because there's, you know, there's a lot of experience. The National Democratic Institute, International Republican Institute, Freedom House and equivalents in a lot of other countries are really quite good at giving assistance. 1:45:40 Elliott Abrams: And once there is a, uh, freely elected government that can deal again with the World Bank and the IMF and a broad international programs of support, I think the Russian role will diminish very quickly. 1:47:00 Rep. Sandra Oudkirk: So one of the reasons why we licensed the continued involvement of US companies in upstream oil production in Venezuela was because the oil and gas sector is the key pillar of the Venezuelan economy and it will be going forward and keeping us the U s corporate presence there, um, with their best practices, with their adherence to all the sorts of practices that we expect here in the United States is we believe one of the best ways to ensure that in the future, Venezuela is able to return to prosperity and sort of an economy that functions normally. 1:47:59 Sandra Oudkirk: But we do believe that western involvement in the upstream oil sector, we will leave us positioned to, to have both the US private sector and the u s government assist with eventual economic recovery. And, and we are a counterweight to the Russian and the Chinese investment, which is otherwise very prevalent in that industry. 1:53:03 Greg Pence: Over 40 countries have now recognized Juan Guido as the interim president of Venezuela. 1:56:22 Steve Olive: What administrator Green and I were there in July. It was clear that there were saying, and we, and we saw it firsthand, that 90% of the Venezuelans that were coming into Colombia to get support, we're going back in to Venezuela. So they were just coming in to be able to get the vaccines or healthcare or food or, or generate some income to be able to go back into the country. And we expect that to continue until when we were allowed to bring in our humanitarian assistance into the country in a safe and efficient manner, in a manner that we can monitor where it goes, and that it makes sure that it gets to the people who are in need of it most. 1:57:24 Rep. Adriano Espaillat: Well, Mr Abrams, uh, many of our allies have expressed concern of your appointment, uh, to deal with this problem. Some carob have characterized it as being perhaps like appointing Exxon to lead a discussion on the green new deal or maybe even appointing MBS to lead a discussion on fairness in journalism and accessibility to journalists. Uh, do you feel that your past actions in Iran contract permanently impair your ability to fairly and transparently a deal in the region? Since we all know the outcome of what happened then? Do you feel that that's a major problem, baggage that you bring to the table? I don't and I've now I've been doing this job for two whole weeks. Um, and I can tell you that, uh, members of Congress have raised it. No Latin American of any nationality with whom I have dealt has raised it. And we've had lots and lots of discussions about how we're going to promote democracy in Venezuela. Elliot Abrams: I guess I should say, since I've been attacked now three times in my own defense, if you look at the written record of eight years when we came in, there were military dictatorships,and when we left in country after country after country, there had been transitions that we support it Chili's a very good example. So I think it's actually a record of promoting democracy. I think a lot of Adriano Espaillat: Respectfully, I differ with you, I think is a fact of history. We should not dig our heads in the sand and make believe that this never happened because he did. And you were at the helm of that Elliot Abrams: I was at the helm of promoting democracy in Latin America. Adriano Espaillat: You may want to characterize it that way, but I don't, I think you were involved in the Iran-Contra deal, and I think that permanently damage you to be a fair and impartial arbitrar in a conflict is leading to, to, to a humanitarian crisis of unprecedented levels in Venezuela. 2:18:26 Rep. Steve Chabot: Um, what's the state of press freedoms in Venezuela and how are we a countering the regime's propaganda and ensuring that Venezuelans are aware of the support that the u s uh, and the international community or providing? Elliot Abrams: Thank you, congressman for your question. We are providing support for independent media. Uh, we are now up to, with the approval of your current, the congressional notification notification that has now expired and we can now use our 2018 funding. We have approximately of spent about approximately $40 million or available for one of the areas is independent media. The groups that we are working with, Freedom House, uh, the International Republican Institute, the National Democratic Institute, Ndi and others are working to preserve an independent media within the country. 2:27:30 Rep. Tom Malinowski: Would you then agree as a general matter, and I know I'm sensitive to the fact that you're here representing the administration's Venezuela policies you can't necessarily speak for, for everything else, but as a general matter, would you agree that if we are going to be condemning a president who is trying to attain absolute power for life contrary to constitutions and the democratic process in Venezuela, that we should do so in other countries such as Egypt when that similar situations arise as a general matter? Sure. Elliot Abrams: I really should not respond, um, beyond the question of Ben as well. It's really not my remit at the department and not while I'm up here. Uh, you and I go back a ways and you know, that, uh, my view is generally that the United States should be supporting the expansion of democracy, um, all over the world. Video: Bolton promises to confront Latin America's 'Troika of Tyranny', The Washington Post, November 1, 2018. Video: Empire Files: Abby Martin Meets the Venezuelan Opposition, YouTube, July 30, 2017. Video: Empire Files: Abby Martin in Venezuela - Supermarkets to Black Markets, YouTube, July 11, 2017. Video: Pauly D & Vinny: The Ultimate Guidos' Official Throwback Clip, Jersey Shore, MTV (YouTube), June 1, 2017. State of the Union Address: George W. Bush - Uranium from Africa Statement, YouTube, January 28, 2003. Presidential Address: President Reagan's Address to the Nation on the Iran-Contra Controversy, YouTube, November 13, 1986. Sound Clips: President Ronald Reagan: In spite of the wildly speculative and false stories of our arms for hostages and alleged ransom payments, we did not, repeat, did not trade weapons or anything else for hostages... But why you might ask, is any relationship with Iran important to the United States? Iran encompasses some of the most critical geography in the world. It allows between the Soviet Union and access to the warm waters of the Indian Ocean. Geography explains why the Soviet Union has sent an army into Afghanistan to dominate that country, and if they could, Iran and Pakistan, Iran's geography gives it a critical position from which adversaries could interfere with oil flows from the Arab states that border the Persian Gulf, apart from geography, Iran's oil deposits are important to the long-term health of the world economy. Discussion: Elliott Abrams discusses Guatemala with Jim Lehrer, The MacNeil/Lehrer Report, YouTube, November 30, 1983. Sound Clip: 4:11 Jim Lehrer: On the killings, in 1981 as I'm sure you're aware of, the State Department said there was between 250 to 300 political killings a month in Guatemala. Can you give me any idea as to what that figure is now? Elliott Abrams: our latest figures are down to about 40 or 50 a month, which is a considerable reduction. We're not suggesting that situation of 40 or 50 a month is good, but it's a lot better and we think that kind of progress needs to be rewarded and encouraged. Jim Lehrer: And you think this sale will in fact encourage more, not less? I mean more progress, not less progress? Elliott Abrams: Yes, absolutely. Because... Jim Lehrer: Now why? Elliott Abrams: Because it shows the government that we mean it when we say that we are behind these kinds of moves and that if you make these kinds of moves were willing to support you. If we take the attitude that don't come to us until you're perfect, we're going to walk away from this problem until Guatemala has a perfect human rights record. Then we're going to be leaving in the lurch. People there who are trying to make progress and are succeeding. Jim Lehrer: Are you, do you firmly believe that the, that the key person who is trying to make progress is President Rios Montt? Elliott Abrams: Yes. Because the government, uh, policies really changed after he came in and, uh, March of last year. Uh, and he is, I think it's fair now to say practicing what he preaches. There has been a tremendous change, especially in the attitude of the government towards the Indian population, which used to be seen as an enemy and is now seen as a citizen population, as an ally in the struggle for a future of Guatemala. Additional Reading Article: The tragic life of the war criminal Elliott Abrams by Branko Marcetic, Jacobin Magazine, February 16, 2019. Article: What did Elliot Abrams have to do with the El Mozote massacre? by Raymond Bonner, The Atlantic, February 15, 2019. Article: How a bridge between Colombia and Venezuela became a part of a propaganda fight, CBC News, February 15, 2019. Article: The fight between Ilhan Omar and Elliott Abrams, Trump's Venezuela envoy, explained by Zack Beauchamp, Vox, February 15, 2019. Article: Media hype confronts reality on the Venezuela-Colombia border by Marco Terrugi, Workers World, February 15, 2019. Article: Rep. Ilhan Omar went after Elliot Abrams for lying to Congress. Then he did it again by Jon Schwarz, The Intercept, February 14, 2019. Article: El Salvador's backslide by Hilary Goodfriend, NACLA, February 14, 2019. Article: Hungry Venezuelans urge help but standoff looms over 'politicised' aid by Joe Parkin Daniels, The Guardian, February 13, 2019. Article: US-backed Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó recruits DC lobbyists as crisis deepens by Karl Evers-Hillstrom and Raymond Arke, OpenSecrets News, February 13, 2019. Article: Venezuela hopes to create non-dollar trading bloc by Nidhi Verma, Reuters, February 12, 2019. Article: Red Cross, UN slam 'politicised' USAID humanitarian assistance to Venezuela by Paul Dobson, Venezuela Analysis, February 11, 2019. Article: Western media fall in lockstep for cheap Trump/Rubio Venezuela aid pr stunt by Adam Johnson, Fair, February 9, 2019. Article: Air charter firm, client both deny role in alleged shipment of arms to Venezuela by Martin Vassolo, Tim Johnson, and David Ovalle, McClatchy DC, February 8, 2019. Article: Venezuela says plane from Miami delivered weapons for use by enemies of Maduro by Tim Johnson, McClatchy DC, February 7, 2019. Article: Venezuela says plane from Miami delivered weapons for use by enemies of Maduro by Tim Johnson, McClatchy DC, February 7, 2019. Report: Venezuela: Overview of U.S. sanctions, Congressional Research Service, February 1, 2019. Article: Washington follows Ukraine, Syria roadmap in push for Venezuela regime change by Whitney Webb, Mint Press News, January 26, 2019. Article: Battle for water rights heats up in El Salvador by Heather Gies, Truth Out, August 5, 2018. Transcript: Erain Rios Montt, former Guatemalan dictator, dies at 91, All Things Considered with host Mary Louise Kelly, NPR, April 3, 2018. Article: America's role in El Salvador's deterioration by Raymond Bonner, The Atlantic, January 20, 2018. Article: Negotiations between Venezuelan regime and opposition making "good progress," Chilean mediator says by Karina Martin, Panam Post, December 4, 2017. Article: Venezuela stops accepting dollars for oil payments following U.S. sanctions by Anatoly Kurmanaev, The Wall Street Journal, September 13, 2017. Article: CIA chief hints agency is working to change Venezuelan government by Andrew Buncombe, Independent, July 25, 2017. Transcript: The view from Langley, The Aspen Institute, July 20, 2017. Article: The dirty hand of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) in Venezuela by Eva Golinger, April 25, 2014. Article: On democracy and orchestrated overthrows in Venezuela and Ukraine by Howard Friel, Common Dreams, March 17, 2014. Article: U.S. repeals propaganda ban, spreads government-made news to Americans by John Hudson, Foreign Policy, July 14, 2013. Article: Speaking of Abrams, what did he know about genocide in Guatemala? by Jim Lobe, Lob Log, May 10, 2013. Article: Former leader of Guatemala is guilty of genocide against Mayan group by Elisabeth Malkin, The New York Times, May 10, 2013. Article: The Maya genocide trial by Peter Canby, The New Yorker, May 3, 2013. Book Review: Big fruit by Daniel Kurtz-Phelan, The New York Times, March 2, 2008. Report: USA: Below the radar - Secret flights to torture and 'disappearance', Amnesty.org, April 5, 2006. Article: What I didn't find in Africa by Joseph C. Wilson IV, The New York Times, July 6, 2003. Report: From madness to hope: the 12-year war in El Salvador: Report of the Commission on the Truth for El Salvador, United States Insitute of Peace, January 26, 2001. Article: The politics of neoliberalism in postwar El Salvador by Chris van der Borgh, JSTOR, Spring 2000. Article: Dirty hands by Benjamin Schwarz, The Atlantic, December 1998. Article: 12 years of tortured truth on El Salvador by Guy Gugliotta and Douglas Farah, The Washington Post, March 21, 1993. Article: How U.S. actions helped hide Salvador human rights abuses by Clifford Krauss, The New York Times, March 21, 1993. Article: The pardons; Bush pardons 6 in Iran affair, aborting a Weinberger trial; Prosecutor assails 'cover-up' by David Johnston, The New York Times, December 25, 1992. Article: Democracy's lies by Eric Alterman, The New York Times, November 4, 1991. Article: Contra inquiry to focus on Abrams's silent role by David Johnson, The New York Times, October 9, 1991. Report: Aid compensates for economic losses but achieves little growth, U.S. General Accounting Office, February 1991. Article: Turnover in Nicaragua; Americans laud result but differ on moral by Elaine Sciolino, The New York Times, February 27, 1990. Article: Bush's trade; Behind the transformation of Central American policy by Robert Pear, The New York Times, April 16, 1989. Article: The Reagan White House; Tower report tarnishes the luster of Abrams, point man on contra aid by Richard J. Meislin, The New York Times, March 4, 1987. Article: The White House crisis; Memos raise questions on Reagan's knowledge of contra aid operations by Jeff Gerth, The New York Times, March 2, 1987. Article: The White House crisis; Guatemala aided contras, despite denials, panel says by Richard J. Meislin, The New York Times, February 28, 1987. Article: The White House crisis; The unfolding of a secret White House policy: A clearer picture emerges by Robert Pear, The New York Times, February 27, 1987. Article: The White House crisis: The tower report inquiry finds Reagan and chief advisers responsible for 'chaos' in Iran arms deals; Reagan also blamed by Steven. V. Roberts, The New York Times, February 27, 1987. Article: The White House crisis; The deception inquiry finds Reagan and chief advisors responsible for 'chaos' in Iran arms deals; White House cast wide net in seeking aid for contras; The missing notes by Fox Butterfield, The New York Times, February 27, 1987. Article: An innocent victim of the Iran scandal by Walter F. Mondale and Frank J. Fahrenkopf Jr., The New York Times, February 23, 1987. Article: Senators challenge officials on contras by David K. Shipler, The New York Times, February 6, 1987. Article: Adding pieces to the puzzle: A new chronology of the Iran-contra affair, The New York Times, February 1, 1987. Article: Senators charge a web of deceit in Iranian affair by David E. Rosenbaum, The New York Times, January 30, 1987. Article: C.I.A. said to guide contras' military despite ban on aid by James Lemoyne, The New York Times, January 11, 1987. Article: The White House crisis: Getting supplies to the contras; U.S. got reports on contra arms by Joel Brinkley, The New York Times, December 17, 1986. Article: The White House crisis: First hint of Hasenfus; Bush staff got calls about contra plane by Gerald M. Boyd, The New York Times, December 16, 1986. Article: The White House crisis: Contacts in Central America; U.S. oversaw supplies to rebels, officials say by James Lemoyne, The New York Times, December 8, 1986. Article: The White House crisis: Voices that contradict; How contras got arms: An account from a crew by James Lemoyne, The New York Times, December 4, 1986. Article: The White House crisis: The view from Teheran; 20 planeloads of U.S. arms reported flown to Iran, The New York Times, November 29, 1986. Article: The White House crisis: President will not be called; Iran money reported diverted in '85, The New York Times, November 28, 1986. Article: White House shake-up: A task is handed to State Dept.; Israel now says it sent arms at request of U.S., The New York Times, November 26, 1986. Article: Iran payment found diverted to contras; Reagan security adviser and aide are out by Bernard Weinraub, The New York Times, November 26, 1986. Article: White House shake-up: What the lawyers say; New doubt raised on responsibility by Stephen Engelberg, The New York Times, November 26, 1986. Article: C.I.A. begins training 70 Nicaraguan rebels, The New York Times, November 20, 1986. Article: President orders sales of weapons to Iran stopped by Bernard Weintraub, The New York Times, November 20, 1986. Article: At O.A.S., many reject the contras by Stephen Kinzer, The New York Times, November 15, 1986. Article: Contras plan assault by radio by Milt Freudenheim and James F. Clarity, The New York Times, November 9, 1986. Article: Congress plans to investigate covert policies by Stephen Engelberg, The New York Times, November 9, 1986. Article: Contras to start new radio station by Stephen Engelberg, The New York Times, November 5, 1986. Article: Contra aid: Who art the planners? by Leslie H. Gelb, The New York Times, October 23, 1986. Article: Let's get the facts on Nicaragua; Is the C.I.A. involved? by Patrick J. Leahy, The New York Times, October 23, 1986. Article: U.S. again denies a Nicaragua role by David K. Shipler, The New York Times, October 16, 1986. Article: White House official linked to arms deliveries to contras, The New York Times, October 15, 1986. Article: Close aide to Bush linked to figure helping contras by Philip Shenon, The New York Times, October 13, 1986. Article: U.S. says contras get more supplies by Stephen Engelberg, The New York Times, October 12, 1986. Article: U.S. prisoner in Nicaragua says C.I.A. ran contra supply flights by James Lemoyne, The New York Times, October 10, 1986. Article: A U.S. agency used plane lost in Nicaragua by Richard Halloran, The New York Times, October 10, 1986. Article: Reagan calls plane's crew a new Lincoln Brigade by Richard Halloran, The New York Times, October 9, 1986. Article: Don't sell democracy short by Morton Kondracke, The New York Times, September 22, 1986. Article: El Salvador rejects contra training, The New York Times, August 27, 1986. Article: U.S. vetoes rebuke on aid to contras by Elaine Sciolino, The New York Times, August 1, 1986. Article: C.I.A. is assigned role of running contra activities by Bernard Gwertzman, The New York Times, July 12, 1986. Article: Overseeing of C.I.A. by Congress has produced decade of support, The New York Times, July 7, 1986. Article: Excerpts from rulings by the world court, The New York Times, June 28, 1986. Article: World court supports Nicaragua after U.S. rejected judges' role by Paul Lewis, The New York Times, June 28, 1986. Article: House votes, 221-209, to aid rebel forces in Nicaragua; Major victory for Reagan by Linda Greenhouse, The New York Times, June 26, 1986. Article: Ex-officers accuse contra chiefs of siphoning off U.S. aid money by David K. Shipler, The New York Times, June 21, 1986. Article: Millions in contra aid misused, G.A.O. says, The New York Times, June 12, 1986. Article: Contras are said to receive new arms, The New York Times, April 24, 1986. Article: C.I.A. aid to rebels reported, The New York Times, April 14, 1986. Article: Inquiry reported into contra arms, The New York Times, April 11, 1986. Article: White House tells of Honduran plea by Gerald M. Boyd, The New York Times, March 27, 1986. Article: Nicaragua denies its troops invaded Honduras by Stephen Kinzer, The New York Times, March 26, 1986. Article: Lawmakers say new raid will help cause of contras by Steven V. Roberts, The New York Times, March 26, 1986. Article: C.I.A. is reported set to channel aid to contras by Richard Halloran, The New York Times, March 18, 1986. Article: U.S. said to weigh training contras by Richard Halloran, The New York Times, March 14, 1986. Article: Reagan says the choice is between backing him or communists by Gerald M. Boyd, The New York Times, March 7, 1986. Article: U.S. is said to aid contras via Salvador by James Lemoyne, The New York Times, February 13, 1986. Article: Latin ministers urge U.S. to halt aid to contras, The New York Times, February 11, 1986. Article: C.I.A. defends contras' behavior, The New York Times, February 3, 1986. Article: In the nation; The old scare tactic by Tom Wicker, The New York Times, January 6, 1986. Article: Reagan urges arms aid for Nicaragua rebels by Bernard Weinraub, The New York Times, December 15, 1985. Article: Major news in summary; U.S. says Cubans fight in Nicaragua, The New York Times, December 8, 1985. Article: Push the Russians, intellectuals say by Robert Pear, The New York Times, November 25, 1985. Article: Latin arms trade detailed in court by Richard Bernstein, The New York Times, September 17, 1985. Article: World court hearing Nicaragua's case against U.S. by Richard Bernstein, The New York Times, September 13, 1985. Article: Nicaragua's American lawyers prepare case by Shirley Christian, The New York Times, September 8, 1985. Article: U.S. aide's ties to contras challenged by Jonathan Fuerbringer, The New York Times, September 5, 1985. Article: Role in Nicaragua described by U.S. by Gerald M. Boyd, The New York Times, August 9, 1985. Article: Nicaragua rebels getting advice from White House on operations, The New York Times, August 8, 1985. Article: House-Senate conference approves restricted aid to rebels by Steven V. Roberts, The New York Times, July 26, 1985. Article: Rights group says U.S. distorts Nicaragua reports by Susan F. Rasky, The New York Times, July 16, 1985. Article: Major news in summary; House bows on Nicaragua, The New York Times, June 16, 1985. Article: A consensus on rebel aid by Steven V. Roberts, The New York Times, June 14, 1985. Article: Key congressman to praise embargo, The New York Times, May 2, 1985. Article: The message of sanctions by Bernard Gwertzman, The New York Times, May 2, 1985. Article: Rebuff for the President by Hedrick Smith, The New York Times, April 26, 1985. Article: Nicaragua rebels accused of abuses by Larry Rohter, The New York Times, March 7, 1985. Article: Brights report on Nicaragua cites recent rebel activities by Joel Brinkley, The New York Times, March 6, 1985. Article: Nicaragua rebels reported to have new flow of arms by Philip Taubman, The New York Times, January 13, 1985. Article: A threadbare C.I.A. defense William Casey's first public statement on C.I.A.'s manual for war against Nicaragua is as peculiar as the document it tries to justify, the New York Times, November 3, 1984. Article: Rebel asserts C.I.A. pledged help in war against Sandinistas by Joel Brinkley, The New York Times, November 1, 1984. Article: Honduras key to U.S. role in Central America by Gordon Mott, The New York Times Magazine, October 14, 1984. Article: Abroad at home; Free market terrorism by Anthony Lewis, The New York Times, September 13, 1984. Article: Help to Salvador cheers U.S. aides, The New York Times, August 13, 1984. Article: The world; Reagan's war over Nicaragua by Milt Freudenheim and Henry Giniger, The New York Times, July 22, 1984. Article: CIA funding reportedly aids Duarte campaign by Julia Preston, The Boston Globe, May 4, 1984. Article: U.S. actions and statements in the dispute over Nicaragua by William G. Blair, The New York Times, April 12, 1984. Article: House group joins in opposing mining Nicaraguan ports by Bernard Gwertzman, The New York Times, April 12, 1984. Article: U.S. lifts embargo on military sales to Guatemalans by Bernard Gwertzman, The New York Times, January 8, 1983. Archive: Red, pink, white villages Chimaltenango, GWU, November 10, 1982. Article: El Salvador's land program: Fervor on both sides by Raymond Bonner, The New York Times, March 5, 1982. Article: Massacre of hundreds reported in Salvador village by Raymond Bonner, The New York Times, January 27, 1982. Article: El Salvador -- one of Ronald Reagan's first foreign-policy challenges by James Nelson Goodsell, The Christian Science Monitor, December 1, 1980. Resources Book Description: Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA by Tim Weiner, Indie Bound Encyclopedia Britannica: Boland Amendment, US Legislation Freedom House: Board and Staff Freedom House: Our History International Republican Institute: Board of Directors National Democratic Institute: Board of Directors National Endowment for Democracy: Venezuela 2017 Report ProPublica Report: Audit for period ending September 2017, International Republican Institute ProPublica Report: Tax Filings and Audits by Year, National Democratic Institute for International Affairs Search: "In the Name of Democracy" carouthers Google Book search Community Suggestions See Community Suggestions HERE. Cover Art Design by Only Child Imaginations Music Presented in This Episode Intro & Exit: Tired of Being Lied To by David Ippolito (found on Music Alley by mevio)

Quote/Excerpt: “I always tell my clients, “The extra mile is not very crowded.” If you learn to go that extra mile, you will be the thought leader. When you go home, people will say, “Oh wow, we need what you have!”   ARTICLE Intro Today my special guest is Lolly Daskal, author of The Leadership Gap. Lolly is the founder of Lead from Within, a successful leadership firm that offers custom-made programs in leadership and organizational development. She is a leadership coach, speaker and has written for a handful of online publications, including Fast Company, Huffington Post and Psychology Today. We talked about her story, how she found her uniqueness, her own gifts and strengths, how she broke through limiting beliefs from her childhood, her take on sales, and a whole lot more. We really enjoyed our conversation that we actually have decided to record a follow-up episode, so be sure to click the subscribe button above!   Body of Article On building her personal brand “People that help others become thought leaders sometimes don’t think of themselves as a brand.” “It wasn’t until somebody asked me, ‘Who are you, Lolly, in the world?’ that I realized that I might be too much behind the scenes and not so much as a brand. Then I created a website. I was like, ‘What am I going to put on my website?’ Then I started to tweet about thing that were happening with my clients, but what should I say about my clients? So I was in this what’s called an abyss. I wasn’t sure how do I take what I do and create a brand from it.” “I had to find what was different about me, what made me successful, and create the brand from there. That’s how it started, but I never knew I had to do that.” The nonlinear journey to success “I got kicked out of a lot of boardrooms. I didn’t get booked that often; I had to go to Europe to spread the message there about heart-based leadership and leading from within. It didn’t matter how many people were in your organization that everybody was a leader and everybody can have a say and that’s how you not only survive, but thrive. …It wasn’t until people saw the results that people started to trust it. It’s not so much about how I come into an organization; it’s how I leave an organization that matters. If they make money, if I can take them to the next level, if I can keep their employees engaged in a high level, that’s a win-win situation for them. How I get them there, at this point, they didn’t even care.” Leading from within “My unique thing is that lead from within; that every single person, no matter what position they’re in, no matter what business they have, they are a leader. If you’re influencing someone and you’re impacting someone, I believe you are a leader in your life. And that message was something very unique to what I was saying.” “Lead from within is a very interesting concept because if I tell you that you can be the leader in any situation that you choose to be, listen to the words I used – choose to be. That means leadership is within you, but we don’t always choose it. I found that people didn’t know what to choose. It’s one thing to tell someone you’re a leader; it’s another thing to know how to show up.” Removing limiting beliefs that hold you back “As a psychologist and a student of philosophy, what I have learned is that we are not born with limiting beliefs. We come in thinking we could do anything. If you ever look at a really young child, they do the most miraculous things because they don’t think anything is going to stop them, so they take risks, they walk into walls, they eat dirt – they do everything, right? And you’re like, “What are you doing?” There’s nothing telling them they can’t do it and it’s a NO.” “We know who we are. But what I find is, those negative messages that we have now internalized and we keep projecting all the time, that if we don’t own it, it owns us.” “Ask yourself, “Is that really true?” Because if it’s not, it’s time to get rid of it, because otherwise, it owns you. “ Lolly’s view on sales I believe sales is human-to-human connection; I don’t think of it as sales. I don’t think of I am going to sell you something. What I'm going to do is I'm going to bring you something that will impact your life for the better.   Mentions Connect with Lolly Daskal on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter. Visit Lolly’s website https://www.lollydaskal.com/ and https://www.theleadershipgapbook.com/

We have the first wave of the Trump laws! In this episode, highlights of the most impactful laws from the first three months of the 115th Congress, which include favors to the fossil fuel industry, gun industry, telecommunications industry, and defense contractors. In addition, learn about a law (that’s flown completely under the radar) that fundamentally changes how NASA operates. Please support Congressional Dish: Click here to contribute using credit card, debit card, PayPal, or Bitcoin Click here to support Congressional Dish for each episode via Patreon Mail Contributions to: 5753 Hwy 85 North #4576 Crestview, FL 32536 Thank you for supporting truly independent media! Recommended Congressional Dish Episodes CD124: The Costs of For-Profit War CD135: Education is Big Business Bills Outline S. 84: A bill to provide for an exception to a limitation against appointment of persons as Secretary of Defense within seven years of relief from active duty as a regular commissioned officer of the Armed Forces. Exempts General James Mattis from the law that prohibits anyone from serving as Defense Secretary within seven years of leaving military service (Mattis had retired less than four years before his appointment). H.R. 72: GAO Access and Oversight Act of 2017 Gives the Government Accountability Office (GAO) more power to get federal agency records for audits and investigations Requires agency heads to report their plans - not just their actions - that the agency will take when given recommendations by the GAO and requires the reports to be given to more Congressional committees Makes it easier for the GAO to sue federal agencies that don't comply Gives the GAO access to the National Directory of New Hires (NDNH) H.J.Res. 41: Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of a rule submitted by the Securities and Exchange Commission relating to “Disclosure of Payments by Resource Extraction Issuers”. Repeals an Obama administration rule requiring companies listed in the stock market to publicly report payments by the fossil fuel and mineral industries to the US or foreign governments if the payments are over $100,000 in a year. H.J.Res. 38: Disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of the Interior known as the Stream Protection Rule. Repeals a Department of Interior regulation known as the "Stream Protection Rule" which aimed to reduce pollution from coal mining by blocking mining within 100 feet of streams and requiring coal mining companies to restore the land their use to it's pre-mining condition. H.J.Res. 40: Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Social Security Administration relating to Implementation of the NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007. Repeals a Social Security Administration rule that never went into effect that would have prohibited approximately 75,000 people who receive disability checks for mental illness from buying guns. H.R. 321: Inspiring the Next Space Pioneers, Innovators, Researchers, and Explorers (INSPIRE) Women Act Orders the NASA administrator to create a plan to use current and former NASA employees to engage with K-12 female students to encourage them to pursue careers in aerospace. The plan must be submitted in 90 days. H.R. 255: Promoting Women in Entrepreneurship Act "Encourages" the National Science Foundation to recruit women to work in commercial science and engineering - S. 442: National Aeronautics and Space Administration Transition Authorization Act of 2017 Authorizes $19.5 billion for NASA operations for 2017 Declares that it will be US policy that we will support the International Space Station through at least 2024 Sense of Congress: "Commercially provided crew transportation systems" should be the primary means of transporting US astronauts to and from the International Space Station and reliance upon Russian transportation should be ended as soon as possible. Commercial providers of NASA services will have to provide "evidence-based support for their costs and schedules" only "in a manner that does not add costs or schedule delays" NASA will have to create a plan to "transition in a step-wise approach from the current regime that relies heavily on NASA sponsorship to a regime where NASA could be one of many customers of a low-Earth orbit non-governmental human space flight enterprise." The first report on progress will be due December 1, 2017 Contracts between NASA and private providers are allowed to give immunity to the private providers from lawsuits for "death, bodily injury, or loss of or damage to property resulting from launch services and reentry services carried out under the contract" for any amount over what their insurance covers. The maximum amount of insurance a provider will have to obtain is for $500 million The immunity may exclude claims resulting from willful misconduct by the private provider Establishes long term goals for NASA, which include "to enable a capability to extend human presence, including potential human habitation on another celestial body and a thriving space economy in the 21st Century." There will be a specific focus on enabling humans living on Mars Repeals provisions of law that required the government specifically to have the ability to restart the Space Shuttle program, if needed. Authorizes the NASA Administrator to conduct long-term medical monitoring and treatment of astronauts with no out-of-pocket costs for the astronauts for space flight related ailments only. H.J.Res. 44: Disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of the Interior relating to Bureau of Land Management regulations that establish the procedures used to prepare, revise, or amend land use plans pursuant to the Federal Land Policy and Management Act of 1976. Repeals a Bureau of Land Management Rule that would give the public a larger and earlier role in management plans for public land. The public would have been able to submit data & other information. The public also would have been given information as the plans were developed, allowing the public to comment during the planning process instead of after. H.J.Res. 37: Disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of Defense, the General Services Administration, and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration relating to the Federal Acquisition Regulation. Repeals a rule written by the Department of Defense, the General Services Administration, and NASA that would have made federal contractors prove their compliance with fourteen Federal labor laws, which would then be taken into consideration by agencies when awarding contracts. The contractors would also have to report their wages paid to employees to the agencies and would have limited forced arbitration of employee claims. H.J.Res. 57: Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Education relating to accountability and State plans under the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965. Repeals a Department of Education rule that would have pushed states to weigh student achievement via test scores of 95% of their students and graduation rates when determining which schools are "underperforming". The rule also would have required schools to provide parents and the public with more information on their annual report card. H.J.Res. 58: Providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Department of Education relating to teacher preparation issues. Repeals a Department of Education rule that outlined indicators that states would have to use to judge teacher performance and tied results to some Federal aid funding. H.J.Res. 42: Disapproving the rule submitted by the Department of Labor relating to drug testing of unemployment compensation applicants. Repeals a Department of Labor rule that allowed but limited the drug testing of people receiving unemployment benefits. People could only be tested if they were dismissed for substance abuse related reasons and only if their jobs required carrying a firearm, aviation flight crews, air traffic controllers, commercial drivers, railroad crews, pipeline crews, and commercial maritime crews. S.J.Res. 34: A joint resolution providing for congressional disapproval under chapter 8 of title 5, United States Code, of the rule submitted by the Federal Communications Commission relating to “Protecting the Privacy of Customers of Broadband and Other Telecommunications Services” Repeals a Federal Communications Commission rule that would have required Internet service providers to obtain our approval if they were going to share our information, and not condition service on an acceptance of data sharing, and to notify us if our data was compromised. Additional Reading Article: Congress Votes To Expand Drug Testing For Unemployment Recipients by Kelly Mcevers, NPR, March 27, 2017. Article: Why you should take a closer look at this week's NASA bill by Andrew Wagner and Nsikan Akpan, PBS, March 24, 2017. Article: Obama Education Rules Are Swept Aside by Congress by Dana Goldstein, The New York Times, March 9, 2017. Article: The Senate just voted to overturn another environmental rule - sending it to Trump's desk by Chelsea Harvey, The Washington Post, March 8, 2017. Article: Senate overturns Obama-era regulations on teacher preparation by Emma Brown, The Washington Post, March 8, 2017. Congressional Record: National Aeronautics and Space Administration Transition Authorization Act of 2017, House of Representatives, March 7, 2017. Article: Trump Signs Bill Revoking Obama-Era Gun Checks for People with Mental Illnesses by Ali Vitali, NBC News, February 28, 2017. Article: FCC Chairman Goes After His Predecessor's Internet Privacy Rules by Alina Selyukh, NPR, February 24, 2017. Article: Why Trump just killed a rule restricting coal companies from dumping waste in streams by Brad Plumer, Vox, February 16, 2017. Article: Trump signs Sasse's bill to let GAO access massive financial database by Joseph Morton, Omaha World Herald, February 3, 2017. Article: Goodbye, Stream Protection Rule by Paul Rauber, Sierra, February 1, 2017. Article: On the same day Rex Tillerson is confirmed, the House votes to kill a transparency rule for oil companies by Brad Plumer, Vox, February 1, 2017. Article: Republicans will try a little-used tactic to kill five Obama regulations this week by Brad Plumer, Vox, February 1, 2017. Press Release: Bill Johnson Leads House Effort to Protect Coal Jobs by Overturning Ill-Advised "Stream Protection Rule" by Representative Bill Johnson, January 30, 2017. Press Release: Chairman Huizenga, Senator Inhofe Move To Eliminate Resource Extraction Rule via CRA, Chairman Bill Huizenga, January 30, 2017. Op-Ed: The Congressional Review Act, rarely used and (almost always) unsuccessful by Stuart Shapiro, The Hill, April 17, 2015. References U.S. Dept of Labor: Unemployment Insurance Senator Al Franken: Arbitration Amendment OpenSecrets: Rep. Liz Cheney - Top Industries, 2015-2016 OpenSecrets: National Rifle Association - 2016 Contributions OpenSecrets: Rep. Bill Johnson - Top Industries OpenSecrets: Rep. Bill Johnson - Top Industries, 2015-2016 OpenSecrets: Rep. Bill Huizenga - 2014 Assets OpenSecrets: Rep. Bill Huizenga - Top Industries OpenSecrets: Senator Jeff Flake - Top Industries OpenSecrets: Rep. Marsha Blackburn - Career Profile OpenSecrets: Communications/Electronics - Money to Congress Sound Clip Sources Hearing: NASA: Past, Present, and Future, House of Representatives, Committee on Science, Space and Technology, February 16, 2017. Video: NASA Authorization Bill Signing, Oval Office, March 21, 2017. Cover Art Design by Only Child Imaginations

Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas is our movie for this edition of Divine SINema.  Allen and Mona take the week off and Adam and Dylan step in to discuss with Jeff this truly awful Christmas film.   Through a conversation with his sister, Kirk learns his brother-in-law, Christian, is not into Christmas this year.  We come to find out that he is struggling with the fact that Christmas Trees, Santa and presents have hijacked Christmas from Jesus and the Bible.  After finding that Christian has retreated from the party to his car, Kirk begins a conversation with him that will change everything.  They exchange “witty banter” and Kirk gives several separate mini sermons dealing with the Biblical justification of the Christmas tree and historical justification of Santa.  Ultimately Christian’s Christmas spirit is restored and the party kicks into high gear. ANNOUNCEMENTS Our next Divine SINema episode will be on Tuesday, January and we will be reviewing Christian Mingle the movie.  Yes, that’s right.  Christian Mingle.  The movie.  This movie is available on Netflix streaming. RELEVANT LINKS From Our Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas Review Jewel of the Nile (1985 Film) Romancing the Stone (1984  Film) Family Force 5 (Contemporary Christian Group) Adam Ruins Everything (YouTube Channel) Retooning the Nativity (Igniter Christmas Video)… clips from this video were used in the opening credits of Saving Christmas The Strawman Fallacy (Idea Channel Video from PBS Digital Studios) Kirk Cameron says ‘Kirk Cameron’s Saving Christmas’ is the target of an atheist conspiracy (Article) On the St. Nick Punch (Blog Post) Negan (Character from the Walking Dead) Pagan Christianity by Tyndale Momentum (Book - Amazon Affiliate Link)   From Our Recommendations National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989 Film) How the Grinch Stole Christmas (1966 Animated TV Special) The Ref (1994 Film) YOUR SUPPORT Thank you for listening to Irenicast.  If you appreciate the show please consider sharing your appreciation by rating, reviewing and/or subscribing to the podcast on iTunes, Google Play, Stitcher, or whatever platform you’re listening on.   You can also help support the show financially by going to irenicast.com/amazon to do your Amazon shopping.  This will cost you nothing, but Amazon will give a portion of the proceeds to the show. ADD YOUR VOICE TO THE CONVERSATION Join our post-evangelical conversations on faith and culture by interacting with us through the following links:   Read Us on our blog Irenicon Email Us at podcast@irenicast.com Follow Us on Twitter and Google+ Like Us on Facebook Listen & Subscribe to Us on iTunes, Google Play, Android, Stitcher, TuneIn, iHeart Radio, Spreaker and SoundCloud Speak to Us on our Feedback Page and the Post Evangelical Facebook Group See Us on Instagram Support Us on Amazon Love Us? CREDITS Intro and Outro music created by Mike Golin. This post may contain affiliate links.  An Irenicon is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com