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Showing posts with label -O-D-T-. Show all posts
Showing posts with label -O-D-T-. Show all posts

11/21/2016

Obama and the Clinton Machine to collapse economy 112116

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The Final Blow

The morning of November 9th 2016 was a sobering moment for many who saw the Trump Candidacy as an irritant while preparing Hillary Rodham Clinton for her ascension to the holy grail of Power.


A year ago, few saw the Trump campaign as a serious threat, and yet November 9th proved them all wrong and the President Elect Trump rolled up his sleeves and began the arduous task of filling a qualified Cabinet and 4000 Federal appointments.

The sobering reality that the Republicans shall be in control of all 3 branches of Government. Something that Obama and his handlers ( in conjunction with the Clinton machine and nefarious enemies  around the world cannot accept.

I have always resisted the notion of the New World Order, however it has become crystal clear that a larger shadow government does in fact control profit and loss(Pl) using  peace and war - Religion and Politics -feast or famine as tactics for citizen control to maximize their demonic outcome.

Agent Provocateurs like George Soros do the bidding of masters by surreptitiously hiring professional protestors to start an anti-Trump movement. It would not have mattered to Soros if Clinton did get in, the demonstrations and finance strategy was already in place....Soros is an enemy of the people.
His professional Protestors swoop in...whip up the crowd and fade away when the protest steam is pressured enough.....and Kennedy playing with Pipeline resistance through the Tide foundation.

Agent Provocateurs continue to perpetuate false stories and Liberal narratives in blind obedience to the Clinton & Obama Machine which continues to spew out their dis-information and threats. Clinton and Obama are now relegated to the bottom feeder level of the murky Political pool.  

Obama and his handlers in conjunction with New World Order financiers through the Clinton Foundation, have put into motion a systematic financial and social collapse for the United States and western world as a Doomsday trigger planted during the Obama administration.

Financial,Political,Social , ethical, landmines have been salted throughout the Obama administrations tenor. Landmines set to be triggered in the event " the enemy" press forward.
 
Clintons job (when elected) was to switch off the Doomsday trigger and siphon funds to the cause while systematically removing the will of the people. To provide Veto block on any Bills which could not be stopped by other methods. The Clinton machine was to be the New World Corruption Bank - Where every action had a price and citizens had no voice.

Fortunately for the hard working, tax paying,law abiding citizen,The Electoral college based upon the successful voting pattern of Donald J Trump determines that Donald J Trump is the legitimate President Elect and the New World order are being derailed.....

Since Congress has blocked Obama's ability to issue executable executive orders and the President Elect Trump team are in mutual control of the Nuclear Codes, Obama has very little opportunity  to further scuttle the mighty ship of state.

I am not an economist, and certainly not as wealthy as I wish to be. I am however a student of Politics and world financial manipulations and shifting powers. All levels of sourcing has led me to believe that even though Clinton and the DNC/New World Order failed to elevate Clinton to the White House they do have a fall back position of collapsing the economic backbone of the American industrial and financial machine.

Watch the stock markets after Trumps inauguration...you will clearly see the NWO manipulation in world events. Please support President Elect Trump and maintain positive wishes for his administration. I am confident that with Trump at the helm, he will steer a course through the artificially turbulent waters of World Politics and find calm seas and sunshine.....President Elect Donald J Trump has the business experience and the vision to recharge the great American way and return respect and prosperity to our vocabulary.


2/02/2014

Boots on the Ground 02-02-14

Iran Reveals Plan To ‘Confront U.S. Naval Forces’ Before March

Iran unveiled this week new anti-aircraft missile systems and a plan to “confront U.S. naval forces” ahead of a series of eight new war games that are scheduled to begin in March, according to multiple Iranian press reports. 

 New anti-aircraft missile simulators have been installed at Iran’s Khatam ol-Anbia Air Defense Base, according to a top Iranian military commander, who said the systems would be used to train soldiers in the art of downing enemy aircraft, according to Iranian press reports.

Iran’s Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) simultaneously announced this week that it had established a new organization for its “smart combat vessels.” The new war group was created in response to the “need for confronting U.S. naval forces,” according to Iran’s Press TV.
These announcements were made just over a month before Iran kicks off its next round of war games, which, for the first time, will include “a drill in the cyber field,” according to the state-run Fars News Agency.
Tehran’s latest round of military muscle flexing comes just days after President Barack Obama praised the recently signed nuclear accord during his annual State of the Union address. Iran’s Foreign Ministry responded to the speech by calling Obama’s comments “unrealistic and unconstructive.”
One of the Iranian generals in charge of the upcoming war games said that Tehran is constantly thinking about war.

Islamist Jurisprudence Group to Train 200 U.S. Imams

The group instructs Muslims to infiltrate positions of power for the purpose of gradually implementing sharia in America.

The California-based Assembly of Muslim Jurists of America (AMJA) is holding a conference in Texas next month where it hopes to educate 200 imams.  AMJA is an anti-American Salafist group that supports abuse of women, violent jihad and the stealthy imposition of sharia in the U.S.
AMJA’s 11th Annual Imams Conference will be held on February 21-23 in Dallas, Texas with the theme, “Islamic Home Finance in the West.” The subject is part of Sharia Finance, or economics that comply with sharia.
The organization says it has already had 150 imams sign up and it has a maximum capacity of 200. Imams lead mosques and Islamic centers and are seen as the local authority on the faith, so AMJA’s teachings can impact thousands of Muslims in North America.
AMJA’s self-description says that the organization has a “moderate approach and a rejection of extremism,” but if you read what AMJA actually says, a picture emerges.
AMJA has an online bank of fatwas, or authoritative religious determinations. They explicitly command Muslims to pursue the imposition of sharia-based governance entirely. AMJA specifically criticizes those who say parts of sharia are not applicable to today, essentially saying that America should model itself after Saudi Arabia.
It instructs Muslims to infiltrate positions of power for the subversive purpose of incrementally implementing sharia. In one translated document, AMJA says Muslim judges in non-Muslim countries must “judge by the rulings of the Sharia as much as possible, even if by a ruse.”

U.S. pilot scares off Iranians with ‘Top Gun’-worthy stunt

The U.S. Air Force has a message for Iran: Don’t mess with our drones.
In what only can be described as a scene out of Tom Cruise’s “Top Gun,” Gen. Mark A. Welsh III, Air Force chief of staff, describes how F-22 stealth jets scared off Iranian jets from a U.S. drone flying in international airspace.

The Aviationist reports that in March a U.S. MQ-1 drone came close to being intercepted by an Iranian F-4 Phantom combat plane, but the Iranian aircraft stopped short after a warning by an American pilot.
“He [the Raptor pilot] flew under their aircraft [the F-4s] to check out their weapons load without them knowing that he was there, and then pulled up on their left wing and then called them and said ‘you really ought to go home,’” Gen. Welsh said.
According to The Aviationist, the Iranians came within 16 miles of the drone.

ANGER RISING: OBAMA'S AN 'ENEMY COMBATANT' Calls to 'impeach,' 'execute' at town hall surprise congressman

Voters in Republican Rep. Jim Bridenstine’s Oklahoma district may look meek and mild, maybe even sweet, but their opinions of President Obama reveal nothing but a battleground “take-no-prisoners” attitude.

One lady, for example, said there needs to be changes in the Senate so “we can impeach the S-O-B.”
Said another: “He’s not president as far as I’m concerned. … Should be executed. He’s an enemy combatant.”
She complained that Congress is doing nothing, and that “allows this moron to make decisions.”
“He has no authority. None.”
The video was uploaded just this week, but it’s unclear when the meeting was held, and the congressman’s office was unable to provide details immediately.


At one point the congressman references “back in April 2013,” and it appears to be winter, so likely it was recorded in the past few months.
The congressman had been documenting Obama’s “lawlessness.”
“He picks and chooses which laws to enforce or not enforce. He does it by decree. … He uses foreign bodies. He uses the United Nations,” Bridenstine said.
The Republican lawmaker said as long as Democrats and Harry Reid are in the majority in the Senate, it’s very hard for the House GOP to rein in Obama.
When a constituent observed that changes in the Senate could open the door for impeachment, only not quite in those words, Bridenstine said, “You look so sweet!”

White House desperately searching for another excuse to not build Keystone XL

The long-awaited and long-delayed State Department report on the environmental impact of the Keystone XL Pipeline is in, and avers no net increase in carbon emissions. So now the Obama administration is reduced to scrambling for alternative justifications for further delay. Fox News reports:
The White House released a statement pushing back on the notion that the pipeline is now headed for speedy approval, saying Sec. of State John Kerry and other agency heads will "closely evaluate" the report in the coming weeks.
"The president has clearly stated that the project will be in the national interest only if it does not significantly exacerbate the problem of carbon pollution," White House spokesman Matt Lehrich said.
"A decision on whether the project is in the national interest will be made only after careful consideration of the SEIS and other pertinent information, comments from the public, and views of other agency heads."

Even if the bureaucrats have to move their lips while reading the report, it cannot take weeks to go over it. "Close evaluation" is what the report itself (as well as all the other reports that preceded it) was for. Keystone has been studied and re-studied for five years now, and it is self-evident that this latest response is just an excuse offered in order to keep the fundraising going among wealthy environmentalists who are big donors to the Democrats.

There are thousands of people who would become employed taxpayers if the project were given the final go-ahead. They and their families are being held hostage.

It is time for Republicans to start publicizing the human cost of Obama's faux-dithering, and featuring workers and families who are being denied gainful employment, while contrasting that with donations from wealthy Hollywood and Wall Street greenies. It also wouldn't hurt to mention (and show pictures of) horrendous railway accidents that result from transporting oil by rail, including the latest just a month ago in Casselton, ND.

Attorney General Holder Says IRS Investigation Doesn’t Warrant Special Prosecutor

On Wednesday, Sen. Cruz asked U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder to answer questions about the ongoing IRS investigation, specifically in regards to the naming of a major Obama donor as a lead investigator into IRS’s illegal targeting of conservatives.

In an exchange with Sen. Cruz at the 9:41 mark, Attorney General Holder says the IRS investigation does not warrant the appointment of a special prosecutor.

Sen. Cruz asks Attorney General Holder, “I would call upon you to carry out the tradition of independence that attorneys general have honored that office with for centuries and protect the integrity of the Department of Justice, given the political sensitivities, given the fact that individual citizens believe they are being persecuted by the Department of Justice for partisan reasons. It would further Justice and further the integrity of the Department of Justice for you to appoint a special prosecutor with a meaningful degree of independence to investigate and find out what happened, and I would suggest that any special prosecutor should have integrity beyond reproach, and not be a major Obama donor.”
General Holder responded, “I don’t think that there is a basis for us to conclude on the information as it presently exists that there is any reason for the appointment of the independent counsel…The notion that somehow this has caused a loss of faith in this Justice Department is inconsistent with the facts.”
-


Newly Released Documents Confirm DEA Involved in Cocaine Smuggling

Newly released documents and testimony from Justice Department and Drug Enforcement Agency officials now confirm the stories that the federal government has been smuggling cocaine are true. This should come as no shock to many of us who were convinced it has been going on for some time, which is why we’ve been calling for an end to the “War on Drugs.”
Business Insider reported, “An investigation by El Universal found that between the years 2000 and 2012, the U.S. government had an arrangement with Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel that allowed the organization to smuggle billions of dollars of drugs while Sinaloa provided information on rival cartels.
There have long been rumors that the federal government was engaged in drug running. One can recall the allegations against former President Bill Clinton and his cocaine trafficking in Arkansas. The feds have always denied this was going on.
However, newly released documents refute those claims.
According to a recent Next news report, an investigation conducted in Mexico found the American government allowed that country’s largest drug cartel, Sinaloa, to operate without fear of persecution. That groups is estimated to be responsible for 80 percent of the cocaine coming into the country through Chicago. In exchange, the leaders of Sinaloa provided the DEA information on rival gangs.

So, Michelle and Barack Obama: What IS the state of your union? Rumours their 21-year marriage has been racked by screaming rows, allegations of infidelity and a string of jealous fights



  • Rumours surround frostiness between the couple in recent months
  • Reports claim they are now sleeping in separate bedrooms
  • Notorious selfie with Danish PM was the 'last straw', sources claim
  • Newly-slim First Lady 'planning her own life' for after end of husband's term


  • It is the question that has been dominating Washington dinner parties for weeks – could the once-golden First Couple of the United States really be heading for the rocks?
    If rumours are to be believed, the 21-year marriage of Barack and Michelle Obama has been racked by screaming rows, allegations of infidelity and a string of jealous fights.
    While the White House has refused to comment on the reports there has been a distinct frostiness in the air between the couple in recent months.

    According to a report in the National Enquirer – which plastered ‘Obama Divorce Bombshell!’ across its front page  – the pair have been at loggerheads since last summer and are now sleeping in separate bedrooms.

    The ‘final straw’, apparently, was Michelle’s outrage when her husband publicly humiliated her by openly flirting and posing for his now infamous ‘selfie’ photograph with Denmark’s glamorous blonde Prime Minister Helle Thorning-Schmidt at Nelson Mandela’s memorial service.
    According to published reports, Mrs Obama is only standing by her 52-year-old husband until his presidency ends.

    He will then return to his home state of Hawaii while she will remain with their daughters in Washington.
    The Enquirer is famously well-connected in Washington, and has broken stories which America’s mainstream media chose to ignore, including Democratic presidential contender John Edwards’s secret love child and Bill Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinsky.
    Whether or not the gossip is true, the newly slim First Lady (she credits a vegetarian diet for a recent 10lb weight loss) seems to be soaring in self-confidence, showing off her figure in a succession of form-fitting designer gowns. 


    At her 50th birthday celebrations she was rarely by her husband’s side, with one guest saying: ‘She was working the room.
    She’s looking better than ever and was exuding a sexiness and confidence that wasn’t there before.
    ‘She’s come into her own. Only time will tell what happens next.’
    -

    10/13/2013

    Weekend 101313

    The following information is gathered through a compilation of news gathering services and news sniffer systems. All information supplied is harvested from open source material. If you wish to contribute to the daily-Weekly editions, please submit your story links to Email: SPIIIGazette@Gmail.com 

    US borrowing crisis 'days away' from danger, says World Bank head

    The president of the World Bank, Jim Yong Kim, has warned that the United States is just "days away from a very dangerous moment" because of the government's borrowing crisis.
    He urged US policymakers to reach a deal to raise the government's debt ceiling before Thursday's deadline.
    The US Treasury will start to run short of funds if no agreement is reached for it to borrow on financial markets.
    Mr Kim warned this could be a "disastrous event" for the world.
    "The closer we get to the deadline the greater the impact will be for the developing world.
    "Inaction could result in interest rates rising, confidence falling and growth slowing," said Mr Kim, speaking at the World Bank's annual meeting in Washington.



    "If this comes to pass it could be a disastrous event for the developing world and that will in turn greatly hurt the developed economies as well," he added.

    Syria rebels executed civilians, says Human Rights Watch

    Rebel forces in Syria killed as many as 190 civilians and seized more than 200 hostages during a military offensive in August, Human Rights Watch says.
    A report by the US-based group says the deaths occurred in villages inhabited predominantly by members of President Bashar al-Assad's minority Alawite sect near the coastal city of Latakia.
    It said the findings "strongly suggest" crimes against humanity were committed.
    The group has previously documented atrocities by pro-government forces.
    The report calls on the UN to impose an arms embargo on all groups where there is credible evidence of their involvement in war crimes.

    Journal connects Britain's 'White Widow' to al Shabaab terror group 

    A Kenyan intelligence report and excerpts from the personal journal of a suspected terrorist known as the “White Widow,” reveal new details about the inner workings of the al Shabaab terror network, which masterminded last month’s deadly attack on a Nairobi mall.
    Sky News obtained the 35-page report, which indicates that “White Widow” Samantha Lewthwaite is a central figure in al Shabaab, plotting several terror attacks across Kenya. The British Lewthwaite, 29, is called the “White Widow” because she was married to one of the suicide attackers responsible for the deadly bombings on a London subway and bus in 2005 that killed 52 people and injured 700 more.
    The report also indicates the group was apparently planning multiple attacks targeting Kenyan parliament buildings, UN offices in Nairobi, restaurants and a series of assassinations focusing on senior politicians within Kenya.
    The intelligence report provides a detailed breakdown of how the terror network operates throughout Africa, with recruits and cells working in a range of countries including Tanzania, Mali, South Africa, Somalia, Uganda, Burundi, and Zambia, as well as efforts in Pakistan and Yemen.

    Iran Puts Alleged Israeli Spies On Trial

    TEHRAN, Iran -- TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — A news agency in Iran says a group of suspected Israeli spies have gone on trial in the country's southeast.
    Judge Dadkhoda Salari was quoted Saturday by the semiofficial Mehr news agency as saying that the group was led by three people who hired some 60 others to conspire against Iran's ruling Islamic government.
    Salari was quoted as saying many of those charged confessed during interrogation. He said they acted against Iran's security, collected information and transferred it outside the country and assisted anti-religious establishments in Israel. He didn't provide further details, nor said when they were tried or if they were sentenced to prison.
    Iran periodically announces the arrest of suspects charged with espionage or attempts to sabotage its nuclear facilities. It normally does not release further details.

    Syrian Chemical Weapons Site Near Rebel-Held Targets Bombed By Air Force


    Syrian air force warplanes bombarded rebel-held targets close to a major chemical weapons facility on Friday in fighting that highlights the perils facing an international mission to eliminate President Bashar al-Assad's chemical arsenal.

    The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), which was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, is due to visit 20 sites across Syria to verify the destruction of 1,000 tonnes of chemical agents and precursors.

    The mission in the midst of a civil war that has killed more than 100,000 people is an unprecedented challenge for the OPCW, whose members came under fire near Damascus in August.

    The OPCW experts have visited three undisclosed sites in their first week of operation and say that Syrian authorities have been cooperating. But they will face great challenges reaching locations in rebel-held or disputed territory.

    The air raids struck the town of Safira, on the edge of a sprawling military complex believed to hold chemical weapons production facilities, after overnight clashes between rebel fighters and Assad forces in a nearby village, activists said.

    The army has fought hard to retain control of the Safira military complex and is now trying to recapture the town from rebel brigades including the al Qaeda-linked Nusra Front and Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant.

    Unless they succeed in pushing those fighters back, any attempt by the OPCW experts to visit Safira would be risky.

    "Right now it would be impossible with the clashes and the air strikes, especially as there is a strong presence of the Islamic State and the Nusra Front, who don't believe in anything called the international community," said Rami Abdulrahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

    Northern Ireland bomb alert closes Belfast motorway

    Police in Ireland still hunting for chief suspect in Derry murder after bout of dissident republican activity

    The main motorway linking Belfast to Dublin has been reopened after a bomb alert temporarily closed the M1 at the end of one of the bloodiest and most active periods of dissident republican violence in almost a year.
    While the Police Service of Northern Ireland has allowed motorists to again use the M1 between the two cities after the security shut down earlier on Saturday, their counterparts across the border are still hunting for the chief suspect in a murder that took place in Derry on Thursday morning.
    Armed Garda Síochána officers almost intercepted the ex-Real IRA prisoner Kieran McLaughlin at a farmhouse in Co Donegal late on Friday night. While they surrounded a barn in Burnfoot just across the border from Derry it is understood that the 58-year-old veteran republican had fled from the area only an hour earlier.
    McLaughlin is wanted for questioning about the murder on Thursday morning of Barry McGrory at a flat in Derry city centre. The PSNI took the unprecedented step of naming McLaughlin as the chief suspect in the killing of the father of four. An all-Ireland manhunt is still under way to track down McLaughlin, who has served several prison sentences for the Real IRA and, earlier, the Irish National Liberation Army.
    Meanwhile the PSNI are still questioning a 39-year-old man arrested in west Belfast on Friday over the murder of Kevin Kearney, whose body was found dumped in a lake in a public park on Wednesday. The dissident republican New IRA admitted responsibility for murdering Kearney.
    As well being behind two murders, dissident republicans were also responsible for a series of bomb alerts across Belfast and Derry over the last week.

    IDF uncovers Palestinian terrorist tunnel leading from Gaza to kibbutz in Israel 

    The IDF recently uncovered a Palestinian terrorist tunnel leading from the Gaza Strip to Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha, they announced on Sunday.

    The tunnel was dug in order to either kidnap civilians and soldiers, or to infiltrate the community and carry out an atrocity in it, the army believes.
    The tunnel was over 1.5 kilometers in length and represents a grave attempt by Palestinian terrorists to perpetrate an attack, army sources added.
    The entrance of the tunnel on the Israeli side was reportedly dug near a kindergarten.
    Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu praised the IDF for unearthing the tunnel, his spokesman said.
    The Coordinator of Activities in the Territories, Major-General Eitan Dangot called for Israel to stop the transfer of construction materials to the Gaza Strip following the IDF's announcement, Israel Radio reported.
    Leaders from communities near the Gaza border called for the the IDF to revoke its previous decision to pull soldiers out from deployments on frontline communities on northern and southern borders.
    The radio station cited Haim Yalin, head of the Eskol Regional Council, as commending the army's discovery, saying it prevented disaster.
    MK Omer Bar-Lev (Labor) on Sunday called on the IDF to provide maximum security to residents of communities near the border with the Gaza Strip in light of the discovery.

    Libya demands US returns al-Qaeda suspect Abu Anas al-Libi

    Tripoli: Libya's top political authority has demanded the US "immediately" hand back an alleged al-Qaeda operative its forces captured in Tripoli, as activists urged that his rights be respected.
    The country is bristling after the US operation to snatch Abu Anas al-Libi on Saturday, with the government summoning the US ambassador and Prime Minister Ali Zeidan insisting that all Libyans should be tried on home soil.
    The case has embarrassed and put the Libyan government under pressure from its critics - notably former rebel groups in the 2011 revolt that ousted and killed dictator Muammar Gaddafi. 

    Iran rejects demand to ship out uranium stockpiles



    DUBAI: Iran will not ship enriched uranium stockpiles out of the country, the Iranian deputy foreign minister said on Sunday, rejecting one key demand of world powers due to resume nuclear negotiations with Tehran this week.

    Abbas Araqchi's comment may disappoint western officials, who want Iran to ship out its stockpile of uranium enriched to a fissile concentration of 20 per cent, a short technical step away from weapons-grade material.

    However, he signalled flexibility on other aspects of Iran's uranium enrichment.

    "Of course we will negotiate regarding the form, amount, and various levels of (uranium) enrichment, but the shipping of materials out of the country is our red line," Araqchi was quoted as saying on Sunday on state television's website.

    Araqchi will be part of the Iranian delegation at nuclear talks with six world powers that are due to start in Geneva on Tuesday.

    He did not specify the 20 percent material but his comments implied that Tehran might refuse this demand.

    Since the Islamic Republic started producing 20-per cent enriched uranium in 2010 it has amassed more than the 240-250 kg of uranium gas needed for a bomb, which Israel has suggested it sees as a "red line" for possible military action against Iran.


    Obama's absence at Asia-Pacific summits lets China dominate

    President Obama's decision to skip two Asia-Pacific summits this week to deal with the U.S. government shutdown and threatened debt default allowed Chinese leaders to strut the world stage as regional superpower envoys and have their way on critical issues.

    Maritime disputes in the East and South China seas have poisoned relations among half a dozen members of the Assn. of Southeast Asian Nations, or ASEAN, which met on the Indonesian island of Bali this week, then joined the U.S., Russia and other regional powers in Brunei for the annual East Asia Summit.
    Chinese Premier Li Keqiang told the Brunei gathering Thursday that "positive, steady progress" was being made on a legally binding code of conduct to manage disputes in the South China Sea, where Beijing claims sovereignty over its islands, rich fisheries and energy resources.
    Li also said that freedom of navigation through the disputed seas "has never been an issue and will never be one."
    But in a pointed warning to the United States, Li said countries not directly involved in the territorial dispute should stay out of it.
    -

    US shutdown debate shifts to Senate

    Negotiations over how to end a political stalemate in Washington that has led to a partial government shutdown have shifted to the Senate.
    The Democratic and Republican leaders in the Senate held direct talks for the first time in weeks, but there is little sign of any breakthrough, correspondents say.
    The shutdown began when Congress missed a 1 October deadline to pass a budget.
    The US faces another deadline on Thursday to raise its debt limit.
    If a deal is not reached by then, the US faces potential default, a prospect which has caused alarm both domestically and abroad.
    Senator Dick Durbin, a Democrat, said the aim was to reach a deal on extending the debt limit before markets reopen on Monday.

    ObamaCare rates trigger more sticker shock

    Andy Mangione, who lives in Louisville, Ky. with his wife Amy and their two boys, is doing the same thing millions of people are doing --trying to figure out how much his insurance will cost under ObamaCare.
    Before the exchanges opened, his insurance company said his rates would soar. But now that there are subsidies, he's been trying for days to find out how much he would get.
    "To logically compare plans, I've been calling them every day since October 1st," says Mangione, "several times a day on some occasions. Sometimes enduring 45, 50 minute holds, half an hour holds."
    Although Kentucky officials were unable to give him a firm number on his subsidy because of repeated ITproblems, they did refer him to a Kaiser Family Foundation site, which suggests his subsidy will be $414 a month -- on a premium of $868.
    "What I'm concerned about is our doctor visits, our emergency room visits, and what I'm paying in my premium," says Mangione.
    The problem is the plan closest to what he has now will mean a 24 percent increase over his current payment-- after subsidies.
    And his co-pay for emergency room visits almost tripled -- from $125 to $350 -- an important factor for a family with two young boys.
    "They're climbing trees, they're falling out of trees. They're running around falling off their bike, they're very active. They're not unlike any other 8 and 10 year old boys," their dad says.
    The Mangiones found one plan with smaller premiums, but their doctor was out of network, ultimately making it more expensive for them.
    They're not the only ones with sticker shock.
    Members of Congress say constituents have been complaining, as they recently described some of their mail.
    Rep. John Duncan, R-Tenn., read from one constituent who said "I remember our president saying the new health care bill will reduce costs. I have my health care renewal forms, and the premium has increased about 15 percent, a $700 deductible is added, and my co-payment has increased."
    Rep.Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., also read letters from some of his constituents.
    "Mike from Hickory saw his premiums rise from $388 to $650. Phil from Forest City saw an increase, even though his policy didn't change, saw an increase of 42 percent."

    Several iconic national parks reopen with state funding

    On Saturday, the barricades at Utah’s Natural Bridges National Monument disappeared, allowing visitors to return to the tourist draw despite the government shutdown. They also came down at Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park, Arizona’s Grand Canyon and New York’s Statue of Liberty.

    What began as a sort of modern Sagebrush Rebellion — with Utah county commissioners threatening to bring in a posse and dismantle federal barricades themselves — has become an intense negotiation between Interior Secretary Sally Jewell and governors across the country eager to reopen public lands that generate valuable tourism revenue.
    The push by some of the most conservative governors in the nation to get federal workers back on the job comes as President Obama and congressional leaders struggle with how to resolve the budget impasse.
    In an interview Friday, Utah Gov. Gary R. Herbert (R) said he and Jewell worked out the agreement in the course of three or four conversations in recent days. After initially seeking permission to reopen the park and staff it with volunteers and others provided by the state, he agreed to pay for federal employees to return in order to revive the tourism that sustains several local communities near federal lands.
    “This is, for them, their livelihoods,” said Herbert, adding that he has gotten calls from governors around the country seeking his advice. “It’s not just a little bit of it, it’s all of it. And it’s seasonal. Once you lose October, you can’t make it up in January.”

    US Army plans 'Iron Man' armour for soldiers

    The US Army is working to develop "revolutionary" smart armour that would give its troops "superhuman strength".
    It is calling on the technology industry, government labs and academia to help build the Iron Man-style suit.
    Other exoskeletons that allow soldiers to carry large loads much further have already been tested by the army.
    The Tactical Assault Light Operator Suit (Talos) would have such a frame but would also have layers of smart materials fitted with sensors.
    The suit would also need to have wide-area networking and a wearable computer similar to Google Glass, the US Army said.
    Increase strength It should be made of smart material fitted with sensors to monitor body temperature, heart rate and hydration levels.
    The exoskeleton, which could be attached to arms and legs, would be likely to use hydraulics to greatly increase strength.
    "The requirement is a comprehensive family of systems in a combat armour suit where we bring together an exoskeleton with innovative armour, displays for power monitoring, health monitoring, and integrating a weapon into that," said Lt Col Karl Borjes, a science adviser at the US Army's research, development and engineering command.
    "It's advanced armour. It's communications, antennas. It's cognitive performance. It's sensors, miniature-type circuits. That's all going to fit in here, too," he added.

    Sunday talk show tip sheet

    “Meet the Press” on NBC
    • Christine Lagarde, managing director, International Monetary Fund


    • Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.)
    • Sen. Rob Portman (R-Ohio)
    • Former Defense Secretary and CIA Director Leon Panetta
    “Face the Nation” on CBS
    • Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)
    • Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.)
    • Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.)
    • Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.)
    “This Week” on ABC
    • Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.)
    • Rep. Raul Labrador (R-Idaho)
    •  Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.)
    • Former White House Senior Adviser David Plouffe
    • Senate Chaplain Barry Black
    “Fox News Sunday” on Fox
    • Sen. Bob Corker (R-Tenn.), ranking member, Senate Foreign Relations Committee
    • Sen. Joe Manchin (D-W.Va.)
    •  Rep. Jim Jordon (R-Ohio)
    • Black
    “State of the Union” on CNN
    • Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.)
    • Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine)
    • Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.)
    • Gingrich
    • Former Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer
    “Political Capital” on Bloomberg TV
    • Corker
    • Rep. Peter King (R-N.Y.)
    “Newsmakers” on C-SPAN
    • Rep. Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), ranking member, House Foreign Affairs Committee
    “Al Punto” on Univision
    • Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-Ill.)
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