USA -department of Justice: 5 ways William Barr is turning America into a dictatorship - by Robert Reich

William Barr was installed as Attorney General specifically to turn the Department of Justice into an arm of the Trump Coverup. And we've seen him do exactly that. Barr has corrupted and politicized the Department of Justice, working hand in hand with Donald Trump to bend federal law enforcement to the president's will. Here are some of the ways Barr is helping Trump turn our democracy into a dictatorship:
  
2. Barr has green-lit an "intake process" for any information that Trump stooge Rudy Giuliani may dig up about Ukraine and the elections. That's right. Barr has given Trump's personal lawyer, who is under a Justice Department investigation that has led to charges against two of his associates, a direct line to the Justice Department to funnel dirt about Trump's political rivals.

3. Barr misled the public about the contents of the Mueller report. Before the report was released, Barr sent a memo to Congress "summarizing" its findings. In his memo, Barr claimed there was insufficient evidence for an obstruction of justice case and supported Trump's claims of "total exoneration". Robert Mueller was so infuriated by Barr's misrepresentation of his findings that he wrote a letter complaining that Barr's summary "did not fully capture the context, nature, and substance" of Mueller's investigation. Barr nonetheless held a press conference reiterating his own claims, bolstering Trump's narrative of "total exoneration," and shifting the media coverage of the report. 

4. Barr refused to accept the findings of the Inspector General report investigating the origins of the Russia probe. In December, Inspector General Michael Horowitz released his report, finding that while the Russia probe was flawed in some aspects, there was no evidence of political bias and it was justified. This, of course, contradicts Trump's narrative that the Russia probe was launched by deep-state partisan hacks determined to take him down. The day the report was released, Barr called the Russia investigation a "travesty" and claimed that there were "gross abuses …and inexplicable behavior that is intolerable in the FBI" and that he thought "there was bad faith" in the investigation. It's unprecedented for the Attorney General to so vehemently disagree with the findings of an impartial Inspector General.

5. Barr buried the whistleblower complaint that kick-started the impeachment inquiry and tried to keep it from reaching Congress. His Justice Department investigated the contents of the complaint within a narrow scope and wrapped up its investigation within a mere three weeks, finding no evidence of wrongdoing. Yet again, Barr was running interference to shield Trump from accountability.

Read the complete report at: 5 ways William Barr is turning America into a dictatorship | Salon.com

Kurds: Turkey says U.S. 'stabbed us in the back' by aligning with Kurds on Syrian border - by Nabih Bulos

In the ever-shifting landscape of the Syrian civil war, the line between allies and enemies is rarely clear.

It was further muddied this week when the U.S.-led coalition revealed plans for a 30,000-strong security force to police Syria’s northeast borders with Turkey and Iraq. The plan instantly enraged Turkey, a NATO ally of the U.S., because it would rely heavily on Kurdish fighters who are viewed as terrorists by the Turks.

“Is the duty of protecting NATO borders left to terror groups? We can protect our own borders,” said Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim, according to Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused the United States of betraying an ally and threatened to attack Kurdish “terror nests” along the border.

“Those who stabbed us in the back and appear to be our allies ... cannot prevent it,” said Erdogan, according to an Anadolu report.

The establishment of the force also stands to rankle Syria’s government and its two main allies, Russia and Iran. It could derail a rapprochement between the Kurds and Damascus, who have worked together on occasion as reluctant allies against Islamic State, as well as against rebels trying to overthrow Syrian President Bashar Assad.

With the fight against Islamic State winding down, the coalition envisions that the Border Security Force would be stationed eastward, policing the militants’ traditional smuggling route between Iraq and Syria, as well as passageways with Turkey to the north. Those were once used by the group’s foreign fighters to travel to and from its “caliphate.”

In his remarks, as reported by Anadolu, Erdogan said he did not “even think of calling U.S. President Donald Trump to discuss Syria,” adding that “as he long as he does not turn to me, I do not turn to him.”

Read more: Turkey says U.S. 'stabbed us in the back' by aligning with Kurds on Syrian border - LA Times

EU Budget Commissioner Challenges UK Loyalty to Europe

Does Britain belong in the European Union? There are plenty both in the United Kingdom and on the Continent who have their doubts. Now, with the debate over the EU's next budget raging, a European Commissioner has challenged London to decide. In Germany, Chancellor Angela Merkel is also losing her patience over the squabble.

Many in the European Union have long rolled their eyes when conversation turns to the United Kingdom. Britain is often seen on the Continent as one of the most problematic members of the 27-member club, wary of any moves that might lead toward further European integration.

Now, as the EU begins earnest negotiations aimed at passing a budget to cover the years 2014 to 2020, it appears Brussels is beginning to lose its patience. Britain this week has been adamant in its refusal to accept the budget proposal of €1 trillion made by the European Commission and has demanded that it be slashed by up to 20 percent. Other member states would also like to see the budget proposal adjusted downward, but so far, the rhetoric from London has been uncompromising.

On Friday, European Commissioner for Financial Programming and Budget Janusz Lewandowski, Poland's representative in the EU's executive, said it was time for Britain to make a fundamental decision regarding its future in the European Union. "Of course there are limits," he said in an interview with the German daily Süddeutsche Zeitung. "We can't finance more Europe with substantially less money."

Read more: EU Budget Commissioner Challenges UK Loyalty to Europe - SPIEGEL ONLINE