kscarbel2

The plot thickens......................... ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- British spies were first to spot Trump team's links with Russia The Guardian / April 13, 2017 GCHQ alerted US agencies after becoming aware of contacts in 2015 Britain’s spy agencies played a crucial role in alerting their counterparts in Washington to contacts between members of Donald Trump’s campaign team and Russian intelligence operatives. GCHQ first became aware in late 2015 of suspicious “interactions” between figures connected to Trump and known or suspected Russian agents. This intelligence was passed to the US as part of a routine exchange of information. Over the next six months, until summer 2016, a number of western agencies shared further information on contacts between Trump’s inner circle and Russians. The European countries that passed on electronic intelligence – known as sigint – included Germany, Estonia and Poland. Australia, a member of the “Five Eyes” spying alliance that also includes the US, UK, Canada and New Zealand, also relayed material. The Dutch and the French spy agency, the General Directorate for External Security or DGSE, were contributors. GCHQ was at no point carrying out a targeted operation against Trump or his team or proactively seeking information. The conversations were picked up by chance as part of routine surveillance of Russian intelligence assets. Over several months, different agencies targeting the same people began to see a pattern of connections that were flagged to intelligence officials in the US. The issue of GCHQ’s role in the FBI’s ongoing investigation into possible cooperation between the Trump campaign and Moscow is highly sensitive. In March Trump tweeted that Barack Obama had illegally “wiretapped” him in Trump Tower. The White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, claimed the “British spying agency” GCHQ had carried out the bugging. The claims prompted an extremely unusual rebuke from GCHQ, which generally refrains from commenting on all intelligence matters. The agency described the allegations as “nonsense”. “They are utterly ridiculous and should be ignored,” a GCHQ spokesperson said. Instead, both US and UK intelligence sources acknowledge that GCHQ played an early, prominent role in kickstarting the FBI’s Trump-Russia investigation, which began in late July 2016, with the British eavesdropping agency the “principal whistleblower”. The FBI and the CIA were slow to appreciate the extensive nature of contacts between Trump’s team and Moscow ahead of the US election. This was in part due to US law that prohibits US agencies from examining the private communications of American citizens without warrants. “They are trained not to do this,” a source stressed. “It looks like the [US] agencies were asleep,” the source added. “They [the European agencies] were saying: ‘There are contacts going on between people close to Mr Trump and people we believe are Russian intelligence agents. You should be wary of this.’ “The message was: ‘Watch out. There’s something not right here.’” GCHQ’s then head, Robert Hannigan, passed material in summer 2016 to the CIA chief, John Brennan. The matter was deemed so sensitive it was handled at “director level”. After an initially slow start, Brennan used GCHQ information and intelligence from other partners to launch a major inter-agency investigation. In late August and September, Brennan gave a series of classified briefings to the “Gang of Eight”, the top-ranking Democratic and Republican leaders in the House and Senate. He told them the agency had evidence the Kremlin might be trying to help Trump to win the presidency, the New York Times reported. Brennan did not reveal sources but made reference to the fact that America’s intelligence allies had provided information. Trump subsequently learned of GCHQ’s role. US intelligence was “very late to the game”. The FBI’s director, James Comey, altered his position after the election and Trump’s victory, becoming “more affirmative” and with a “higher level of concern”. Comey’s apparent shift may have followed a mid-October decision by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (Fisa) court to approve a secret surveillance order. The order gave permission for the Department of Justice to investigate two banks suspected of being part of the Kremlin’s undercover influence operation. According to the BBC, the justice department’s request came after a tipoff from an intelligence agency in one of the Baltic states. This is believed to be Estonia. The Washington Post reported on Wednesday that the same order covered Carter Page, one of Trump’s associates. It allowed the FBI and the justice department to monitor Page’s communications. Page, a former foreign policy aide, was suspected of being an agent of influence working for Russia according to US officials. The application covered contacts Page allegedly had in 2013 with a Russian foreign intelligence agent, and other undisclosed meetings with Russian operatives, the Post said. Page denies wrongdoing and complained of “unjustified, politically motivated government surveillance”. Late last year, Comey threw more FBI resources into what became a far-reaching counter-intelligence investigation. In March he confirmed before the House intelligence committee that the agency was examining possible cooperation between Moscow and members of the Trump campaign to sway the US election. Comey and the NSA director, Admiral Michael Rogers, said there was no basis for the president’s claim that he was a victim of Obama “wiretapping”. Trump had likened the unproved allegation to “McCarthyism”. Britain’s MI6 spy agency played a part in intelligence sharing with the US. Its former chief Sir Richard Dearlove described Trump’s wiretapping claim on Thursday as “simply deeply embarrassing for Trump and the administration”. “The only possible explanation is that Trump started tweeting without understanding how the NSA-GCHQ relationship actually works,” Dearlove told Prospect magazine. In a report last month the New York Times, citing three US intelligence officials, said warning signs had been building throughout last summer but were far from clear. As WikiLeaks published emails stolen from the Democratic National Committee, US agencies began picking up conversations in which Russians were discussing contacts with Trump associates. European allies were supplying information about people close to Trump meeting with Russians in Britain, the Netherlands and in other countries. There are now multiple investigations going on in Washington into Trump campaign officials and Russia. They include the FBI-led counter-espionage investigation and probes by both the House and Senate intelligence committees. Adam Schiff, the senior Democrat on the House committee, has expressed an interest in hearing from Christopher Steele, the former MI6 officer whose dossier accuses the president of long-term cooperation with Vladimir Putin’s Moscow. Trump and Putin have both dismissed the dossier as fake. One source suggested the official investigation was making progress. “They now have specific concrete and corroborative evidence of collusion,” the source said. “This is between people in the Trump campaign and agents of [Russian] influence relating to the use of hacked material.”

In the Middle East, truth has always been an elusive commodity. We hear guesses and theories. Probably, few know the truth here, but certainly there are many groups in play who would produce/use chemical weapons, including the U.S.-supported rebels who cut the heads off of children. .

Law enforcement, including those blue jeans-fitted thugs, has no authority to remove a paying American passenger from his assigned seat who has committed no crime, at the request of United Airlines. The whims of United Airlines do not stand ahead of U.S. law.

What? Curtains? Why should the doctor get off the aircraft? United offered him a ticket. He accepted and presented payment. United accepted his payment and gave him an assigned seat - an agreement was thus consummated. He was asked to board the plane and take his assigned, purchased seat......and did so. Then, solely because of the poor management practices at United and/or its privately owned United Express partner, Republic Airlines, it needed to rush a flight crew to another city and desired, incorrectly, to remove the doctor and 3 other paying customers from the aircraft post-boarding. To say the least, any effort to reduce the customer head count by four to accommodate the 4-person flight crew should have taken place BEFORE boarding. This gentleman, in my opinion, did nothing wrong. For the record, customers (passengers) have told the media that Dr. Dao was never "belligerent" at any time.

Billy, most global airlines treat you 500 percent better than US airlines. They're among the world's worst. From Finnair to Lufthansa, from Turkish to South African, they all treat you better. And for some time now, Emirates has been the global benchmark. Unlike flying with US airlines, they treat you like a paying customer rather than cattle.

Paul, I don't believe that China has the sway over North Korea that some want to believe. They are neighbors, but China's motivation for North Korea's continued existence has, since the 1953 Korean War's cease fire agreement, has always been to have the DPRK as a "buffer zone" between it and US-controlled South Korea. China very much likes this arrangement. Particularly over the last 10-15 years, North Korea has been increasingly viewed by Beijing and its people as a pain in the behind. Beijing has failed, though not for a lack of trying, to get North Korea to set aside the military agenda and focus on its infrastructure and people (because the bad DPRK economy results in an unwelcome migration of people into China). North Korea only pays Beijing lip service, ignoring most of Beijing's advise. Anyway, I sense that China has little to no sway at this point over the DPRK, and hasn't since the founder passed away in 1994 (China did have a bond with him). China can arrange a meeting, but that's about all.

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Big Rigs / April 13, 2017 This month, more than 40 logging trucks and their drivers rallied alongside the Construction, Forestry, Mining and Energy Union (CFMEU) in a fight for the survival of the Heyfield Mill in Victoria. A strong visual reminder of the role trucking plays in any industry, it's clear the potential closure of the Heyfield Mill in a town that's home to 2000 people goes far deeper than just the end of a single company. As the current situation stands, access to areas of Central Highlands timber has been restricted due to the presence of the leadbeater's possum, listed under threatened species status. Mill owner Australian Sustainable Hardwoods, (ASH) which processes 150,000 cubic metres of timber per annum, has rejected the government's counter-offer of a three-year contract consisting of close to half the amount of timber and a $4.7million operational subsidy. As new agreements are debated and possums are surveyed, workers and trucking contractors count down to the end of the existing supply agreement, which expires on June 30, 2017. But that's all politics. For 62-year-old Gerald Conway of G&S Conway, the closure of the Heyfield Mill could mean the end of his working career and family business. Driving from the age of 18 using a special license from the police department, the local contractor started moving wood chips in 1978. "We keep busy on the chip and employ a few people - it's good work,” he said. "They keep saying there is going to be 250 people out of a job, but with all those connected there will be thousands out of work.” Like many of the contractors in town, 100% of his work comes from the mill. Both his brother and nephew are involved in logging and one of Gerald's sons, also dependent on the mill, runs three logging trucks that each come with a specialist set-up worth more than $500,000. "My son just added a Kenworth to his business. It's going to be a struggle to pay that off if the mill goes down,” he said. "We have been doing it all our lives and there are some blokes in the bush with a couple of million worth of gear they won't be able to sell.” Mr Conway, who was part of the Melbourne protest, said he wasn't too keen on one of the proposed solutions, which offered to train workers to switch to the tourism industry. "How many people are they going to take on tours to see this possum?” he sighed. When asked if he could see himself as a guide, Gerald just laughed. "I employ four blokes. I figure if they shut the mill, the rest may fold and Heyfield could pull the pin,” he said. "We've done everything all right - our trucks are geared up for carting chips, I have a specific set-up on trailer so we couldn't resell them. "May as well take 'em out and put them in the tip.” Mr Conway said he felt for others he knew who had bank debts they may be unable to pay off. "It's just a bit hard at the moment. You can't spend any money doing anything because you don't know what is next,” he said. "I know blokes who may lose their house and don't know how to do anything else, some who can't get another job at that age.” Australian Sustainable Hardwoods chief executive Vince Hurley said there were dozens of trucks involved and reliant on the day-to-day running of the Heyfield Mill. "We have many trucks that will be impacted - log trucks carting into us, which is around 42,000 B-double loads per annum,” he said. "There is also a lot of truck movement directly. We need to move stock between the green mill and processing plant, which is about 38,000 normal semi loads a year. "All of them are private subbies and contractors.” Chip trucks like Gerald's do about 1200 loads of chips for the mill per year, alongside 450 loads of sawdust. Final products like wood goods and timber also call for 15,000 outgoing loads a year. "The fact is, currently this is a good, profitable mill which makes money and employs people,” Mr Hurley said. "It is extremely frustrating for everyone. Right now we are waiting for the government to give us some answers. "Every day in this business we spend money on improvements, so if we are going to continue to operate we need to have some longevity.” For those involved, it's this uncertainty causing the most pain. "This is not a good thing - The sooner we know, the better. People are filled with anxiety. We want to resolve this for our people, suppliers and transporters,” he said. The amount of viable timber supplies remains in question, the answer dependent on which side of government is asked. But the impact of the closure - if it happens - is clear: the flow-on effects will be felt by the trucking industry. Minister for Infrastructure and Transport Darren Chester has stated he is working at a federal level to determine the future of the mill. "There is no doubt the flow-on effects of the Australian Sustainable Hardwoods sawmill closing would be felt heavily by the heavy vehicle industry,” Minister Chester said. .

TCA urges Congress to forgo any increases to 80,000-pound limit James Jaillet, Commercial Carrier Journal (CCJ) / April 12, 2017 The Truckload Carriers Association has issued a letter to lawmakers in the U.S. House and Senate asking them to retain the current 80,000-pound weight limit for tractor-trailers operating on U.S. roadways. Responding to an apparent interest by legislators eyeing an increase to a 91,000-pound, six-axle limit, TCA told lawmakers in the letter that an 11,000-pound increase in the country’s truck weight limit would “only benefit a minority of carriers, while forcing the rest of the industry either to divert critical resources into these new configurations or risk becoming obsolete.” Those in favor of the legislation, such as Rep. Reid Ribble (R-Wis.), say increasing maximum weight limits in the U.S. would boost highway safety, reduce congestion and increase trucking’s efficiency. Ribble introduced a bill in 2015 to bump the maximum weight limit to 91,000 pounds nationally. The issue has cropped up several times in recent years in both the House and the Senate as either add-ons to larger bills or standalone legislation. It doesn’t appear any new legislation has been introduced yet regarding a weight-limit increase this Congressional term. TCA seemingly is getting ahead of the looming legislative session, during which such legislation could be in play. TCA argues an increase in allowable weight limits and a sixth axle would become a de facto mandate for all carriers, as they would be pressed by market conditions to retrofit their equipment with a sixth axle and other necessary equipment to haul 91,000-pound loads, TCA says, to keep up with competitors. Such equipment updates range from $3,000 to $4,800 a trailer, TCA argues, which would cost even mid-size carriers potentially millions. Upfitting would also come with higher ongoing operating costs, the trade group argues, such as on brakes, tires and more. “Carriers are unlikely to see rate increases that fully offset the cost of moving the additional weight,” TCA argues in its letter. “Certainly no one will pay for the increased cost of fuel associated with a sixth axle, especially if it was not required for the shipment. The cost burden will fall squarely on the carrier.”

Transport Topics / April 12, 2017 Global truck- and carmaker Daimler AG said its first-quarter earnings will be significantly better than during the same three-month period in 2016. The Stuttgart, Germany-based manufacturer said all five of its major divisions earned more operating income for the quarter, year-over-year, and also improved their profit margins. The April 11 statement from Daimler was an unaudited earnings preview ahead of the formal first-quarter presentation April 26. For the corporation as a whole, operating income is expected to be 4.01 billion euros, an 86.6% surge over the 2.15 billion euros in the 2016 first quarter. Among the five divisions, Daimler Trucks is expected to increase quarterly operating profit by 29.5%, year-over-year, to 668 million euros. Operating margin is estimated to increase to 8.4% from 6.3%. Truck making is Daimler’s second-largest unit. Mercedes-Benz cars, the largest division, is headed for a 60.1% increase in operating income to 2.33 billion euros, the company said. Operating margin appears to be improving to 9.8% from 7% a year ago. The company’s other divisions are Mercedes-Benz Vans, Daimler Buses and financial services.

Volvo Trucks USA Press Release / April 12, 2017 . .

Volvo previews new VNR regional haul model Fleet Owner / April 12, 2017 Volvo Trucks North America (VTNA) offered a glimpse of the shape of trucks to come with two preview videos for its new Volvo VNR regional haul model. “The VNR is wholly reimagined inside and out. It melds a modern, connected workspace inside the cab with bold exterior lines and optimized dimensions for maximum efficiency. This is a truck built to deliver the versatility our customers need to face the challenges of the rapidly evolving North American freight network” said Göran Nyberg, president of Volvo Trucks North America. “We expect that the VNR’s bold, dynamic appearance will change antiquated perceptions of what trucks should look like.” To gauge impressions of the VNR’s streamlined exterior styling, Volvo Trucks mentioned it recently offered a sneak peek to a few people—none of whom are actors, most with no connection to the trucking industry—and filmed their reactions. Volvo Trucks noted it has been adopting automotive features to help make driving freight vehicles easier and created a state-of-the-art driving environment to help attract more drivers to the industry. New features include a proprietary steering wheel that tilts like a car’s—the first and only one in the industry—more ergonomic seats, an advanced infotainment system and a new instrument cluster with many new functions in the driver information display. An updated version of the Volvo I-Shift automated manual transmission and Volvo’s I-See predictive cruise control that memorizes road topography help shift more efficiently. Enhanced passive safety features and Volvo Active Driver Assist makes the new Volvo VNR the safest Volvo ever, according to the company. Designed and engineered expressly for regional haul applications, the new Volvo VNR was developed to be adapted to bulk transport, flatbed, liquid tankers, port drayage, and other urban pickup and delivery operations. “Volvo as a brand has always been innovative. We’re always driving progress,” said Nyberg. “Especially in this new Volvo VNR, we wanted to apply technology to meet specific needs articulated by our customers. We’re giving them a better tool to apply to the complexities of their regional haul applications.” The new Volvo VNR will make its public debut April 20 at ExpoCam in Montreal.

Volvo Trucks to Launch Regional VNR Model Heavy Duty Trucking / April 12, 2017 Saying it will "change antiquated perceptions of what trucks should look like," Volvo Trucks North America will launch its new VNR Regional Haul truck at the ExpoCam show in Montreal later this month, with new streamlined experior styling and features such as a steering wheel that tilts like a car’s. Volvo says the new truck is groundbreaking in terms of modern design. To gauge impressions of the VNR’s streamlined exterior styling, Volvo recently offered a sneak peek to a few people — none of whom are actors, most with no connection to the trucking industry — and filmed their reactions. The new videos can be seen here and here. (Volvo has had great success on Youtube in the past, most notably with its famous Jean Claude Van Damme video, which showed the actor doing a split atop two European Volvo Globetrotter trucks. The video went viral in the fall of 2013.) "The VNR is wholly reimagined inside and out. It melds a modern, connected workspace inside the cab with bold exterior lines and optimized dimensions for maximum efficiency," said Göran Nyberg, president of Volvo Trucks North America. "This is a truck built to deliver the versatility our customers need to face the challenges of the rapidly evolving North American freight network. We expect that the VNR’s bold, dynamic appearance will change antiquated perceptions of what trucks should look like.” Volvo has been adopting automotive features to help make driving freight vehicles easier and created what it says is a state-of-the-art driving environment to help attract more drivers to the industry. This design philosophy is reflected in a host of new features on the truck, Volvo says, including proprietary steering wheel that tilts like a car’s — the first and only one in the industry, according to the company — more ergonomic seats, an advanced infotainment system and a new instrument cluster with many new functions in the driver information display. Other new features include an updated version of the Volvo I-Shift automated manual transmission and Volvo’s I-See predictive cruise control that memorizes road topography help shift more efficiently. There will be enhanced passive safety features as well as the Volvo Active Driver Assist, which the company says makes the new VNR the safest Volvo ever. “Volvo as a brand has always been innovative. We’re always driving progress,” said Nyberg. “Especially in this new Volvo VNR, we wanted to apply technology to meet specific needs articulated by our customers. We’re giving them a better tool to apply to the complexities of their regional haul applications.” The new Volvo VNR will make its public debut April 20 at ExpoCam in Montreal. HDT's Jim Park will be on hand to cover the unveiling. .

Using "crystal clear" English, Trump continuously promised that on "day one" he would label China a currency manipulator. But now he has flip-flopped and thrown yet another campaign promise to the curb, alike his NAFTA promise. If you go to the Trump-Pence website, that page has been deleted ("Designate China as a currency manipulator"). Folks, this situation has been going on for many years. It hasn't suddenly and dramatically changed over a few months. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- US won't label China a currency manipulator Nikkei Asian Review / April 13, 2017 WASHINGTON (Dow Jones) -- President Donald Trump said Wednesday in an interview with The Wall Street Journal that his administration won't label China a currency manipulator in a report due this week. Trump said the reason he has changed his mind on one of his signature campaign promises is that China hasn't been manipulating its currency for months and because taking the step now could jeopardize his talks with Beijing on confronting the threat of North Korea. "They're not currency manipulators," Trump said. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Atlantic / April 14, 2017 Why does Trump no longer believe China is devaluing its currency, even though he has said so as recently as February? “It’s a very, very complex issue and I’m gonna leave it to the president to specifically answer it,” answered White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "I'm going to instruct my treasury secretary to label China a currency manipulator"

Since when do police/airport security wear grubby blue jeans? Answer: They never have. Anyway, note this new video from 0:49. The paid thug tells the doctor, the paying customer seated in his purchased seat, "You'd rather go to jail than just get off?" Jail? On what charge? .

Mercedes-Benz undecided on future diesel sales in U.S. Reuters / April 12, 2017 Daimler AG's Mercedes-Benz USA chief said the company has not decided whether to resume selling diesel vehicles in the United States. The company has not received approval from the EPA to sell 2017 model diesel vehicles. The EPA said in September 2015 that it would review all U.S. light vehicles with diesel engines following an admission from Volkswagen AG that it had installed software in vehicles that allowed them to emit up to 40 times legally permissible level of pollution. In April 2016, the U.S. Department of Justice asked Daimler to investigate the emissions certification process for its Mercedes vehicles. Dietmar Exler, president and CEO of Mercedes-Benz USA, told reporters at the New York auto show that the company's engineers are in talks with the EPA over the diesel vehicles. He said he was not aware of the status of those talks. Before the EPA declined to approve the sale of 2017 diesel models, Mercedes-Benz diesels accounted for just 2-3 percent of U.S. volume, Exler said. "No decision made one way or the other," on the future of diesel sales, he added. Exler said the automaker plans a big boost in electric vehicles, adding 10 new EVs by 2025 worldwide, including 7 or 8 coming to the United States. "That's going to be the big focus going forward," he said. He declined to comment on the status of the EPA review, saying if a "regulatory investigation is ongoing and you are not involved, it does not make sense to comment." In March, German prosecutors said they had opened an investigation into whether Daimler employees may have committed fraud in a probe tied to diesel vehicle emissions. Jaguar Land Rover, which is owned by Tata Motors, said on Wednesday it was adding a seventh diesel model for sale in the United States. The company estimates about 10-15 percent of its U.S. sales will be diesels this year. Fiat Chrysler is also still trying to win U.S. approval to sell 2017 diesel models as the U.S. government decides whether to take legal action. The EPA accused the Italian-American automaker of illegally using undeclared software to allow excess diesel emissions from 104,000 U.S. trucks and SUVs. The EPA has refused to grant Fiat Chrysler approval to sell 2017 diesel models. VW Group of America chief Hinrich Woebcken reiterated on Wednesday the company has no plans to resume sales of new diesel models in the U.S. In March, VW won approval from the EPA to sell up to 67,000 diesel vehicles from the 2015 model year, including about 12,000 in dealer inventory with approved emissions fixes. Woebcken said dealers have not yet resumed sales.

ANA is first class. I like Thai, Singapore, Cathay and Etihad as well. .