FBI Investigates Hillary's Email Server

NBC News reports:

The FBI is looking into the security of the private email server that Hillary Rodham Clinton used when she was secretary of state. The Washington Post also reported Tuesday that the FBI has asked Clinton lawyer David Kendall about the security of a thumb drive, containing copies of Clinton's emails, that Kendall possesses. The Post report cited two anonymous government officials, but said Kendall confirmed that the government was investigating the security of the devices. NBC News confirmed that the FBI is looking into the procedures used in the private Clinton server. The investigation involves a system, as opposed to a person. Clinton's emails have been under scrutiny since it was revealed she used a private server in her Chappaqua, New York, home while she was the top U.S. diplomat. Government and congressional investigators have been trying to determine whether she sent or received classified information on unsecured email.

Easiest Languages To Learn

According to the US State Department. More difficult languages are here.

US And Cuba To Open Embassies

Via Yahoo News:

U.S. President Barack Obama affirmed to Cuban President Raul Castro their decision to restore diplomatic relations and said the former Cold War enemies could reopen embassies in each other's capitals beginning July 20, the Caribbean country said on Wednesday. Cuba's foreign ministry cited a letter, which Obama addressed to Castro, that it received from the senior U.S. diplomat in Havana. Following 18 months of secret negotiations brokered by Pope Francis and Canada, the two leaders announced separately but simultaneously in December that they planned to reopen embassies in each other's capitals and normalize relations. U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry is expected at a flag-raising ceremony in Havana later this month, when the U.S. interests section will become a full embassy. Cuba's mission in Washington will undergo a similar upgrade.

US Embassy Celebrates Tel Aviv Pride

Tel Aviv Pride was yesterday and in the clip below US Ambassador Daniel Shapiro happily points out the gigantic rainbow flag adorning the US embassy.

US Ambassador Attends Cyprus Pride

That's US Ambassador John Koenig in the blue t-shirt. More from Gay Star News:

Several hundred people marched in the east Mediterranean island nation's 2nd annual Gay Pride parade in downtown Nicosia on Saturday. Unlike last year where scuffles broke out a small group of Orthodox Christian protesters tried to disrupt the parade, the parade went on without a hitch this time. Parade organizer and ACCEPT-LGBT Cyprus President Costas Gavrielides says although the turnout was roughly the same as the inaugural parade, societal taboos about homosexuality is fading away. He added that he's pleased the Cypriot government has approved a long-awaited civil partnership bill. Before the march, various representatives of the government, political parties, and other social organizations addressed participants and onlookers, the Cyprus Mail reported. Interior minister Sokratis Hasikos, who is known for his pioneering stance on promoting and getting legislation on civil partnerships approved by the cabinet, was met with applause.

Special US Envoy On LGBTI Rights Randy Berry To Begin Tour Of Latin America

Via White House press release:

Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTI Persons Randy Berry will travel to Chile from June 1 – 2, Argentina from June 3 – 4, Uruguay from June 4 – 5, Brazil from June 6 – 9, and the Dominican Republic from June 10 – 11 to discuss the human rights of LGBTI persons and other historically marginalized groups. During the 11 day visit, Special Envoy Berry will participate in LGBTI Pride Month activities and meet with government representatives, in addition to members of religious, business, academic, and civil society organizations.

Follow Berry on Twitter here. Below is his introduction clip.

Bill Donohue: If Only All Christians Were Gay, Then Obama Would Have Their Back

"We know that President Obama is infinitely more sensitive to the concerns of Muslims than Christians. He cites Christians by name when he wants to blame them for some historical event, but he never mentions Muslims by name for their current slaughter of innocent Christians. His Secretary of State, John Kerry, is at one with him.

"Seven months ago, the Congress created a special envoy for religious minorities in the Middle East and South Central Asia. The State Department job remains unfilled, and no one has been named to assume the post. By contrast, two months ago the State Department named Randy Berry, a homosexual who claims to be married, to the spanking new job as special envoy for the human rights of LGBT persons. Randy started two weeks ago.

"So why is it that the Middle East, which is home to the 21st century’s first genocide, commands less attention than the rights of lesbians, gays, bisexuals, and transgender persons? Because the “religious minorities” that the special envoy post is supposed to address are mostly Christians. Too bad all Christians weren’t gay—then they would have a voice in the State Department." - Bill Donohue, writing for the Catholic League.

Cuba To Be Removed From Terrorism List

The Obama administration yesterday announced that Cuba will be removed from the list of nations that sponsor terrorism. Via the New York Times:

The decision to remove Cuba from the list is a crucial step in Mr. Obama’s effort to turn the page on a Cold War-era dispute. It followed a much-anticipated meeting between Mr. Obama and President Raúl Castro of Cuba on the sidelines of the Summit of the Americas meeting in Panama over the weekend, the first such formal session between the leaders of the two countries in more than a half-century. For more than 30 years, Cuba has been on the State Department’s list of state sponsors of terrorism, a designation shared only by Iran, Sudan and Syria. Cuba’s place on the list has long snarled its access to financial markets and, more recently, emerged as a sticking point in negotiations to reopen embassies that have officially been closed for five decades. Mr. Obama ordered a review of Cuba’s status in December, when he and Mr. Castro announced that their two nations had agreed to move toward normal relations.

As recently as two years ago the United States believed that Cuba harbored terrorists from Spain's Basque separatist movement and from Colombia's FARC guerrilla group. The Tea People, as always, are furious about the change in Cuba's status.

LCR Slams Kerry On Iran Deal

The Log Cabin Republicans today published the above message in a full-page ad in Roll Call. Via press release:

“It is absolutely appalling that the negotiations taking place right now between the United States and the Iranian government have avoided any serious discussion of the horrendous human rights abuses taking place in Iran,” Log Cabin Republicans National Executive Gregory T. Angelo stated. “Given the reluctance of Democratic gay rights activists to ever level any criticism whatsoever against the Obama administration, and the absence of the brutal treatment of gays as well as women and Jews from United States diplomacy in this matter, it was incumbent upon Log Cabin Republicans to draw attention to this important issue. The deadline for a deal is looming, but it is not too late; Secretary Kerry can still make human rights an important part of these highly consequential negotiations. Anything that does not is a bad deal.”

AP Sues Feds For Clinton Emails

Via the Associated Press:

The Associated Press filed a lawsuit Wednesday against the State Department to force the release of email correspondence and government documents from Hillary Rodham Clinton's tenure as secretary of state. The legal action comes after repeated requests filed under the U.S. Freedom of Information Act have gone unfulfilled. They include one request AP made five years ago and others pending since the summer of 2013.

The lawsuit, filed in the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, comes a day after Clinton broke her silence about her use of a private email account while secretary of state. The FOIA requests and lawsuit seek materials related to her public and private calendars, correspondence involving longtime aides likely to play key roles in her expected campaign for president, and Clinton-related emails about the Osama bin Laden raid and National Security Agency surveillance practices.

"After careful deliberation and exhausting our other options, The Associated Press is taking the necessary legal steps to gain access to these important documents, which will shed light on actions by the State Department and former Secretary Clinton, a presumptive 2016 presidential candidate, during some of the most significant issues of our time," said Karen Kaiser, AP's general counsel.

The State Department says it gets over 19,000 FOIA requests per year and handles those requests in the order in which they are received. Here's what the AP is asking for:

Specifically, AP is seeking copies of Clinton's full schedules and calendars from her four years as secretary of state; documents related to her department's decision to grant a special position to longtime aide Huma Abedin; related correspondence from longtime advisers Philippe Reines and Cheryl Mills, who, like Abedin, are likely to play central roles in a Clinton presidential campaign; documents related to Clinton's and the agency's roles in the Osama bin Laden raid and National Security Agency surveillance practices; and documents related to her role overseeing a major Defense Department contractor. The AP made most of its requests in the summer of 2013, although one was filed in March 2010. AP is also seeking attorney's fees related to the lawsuit.

Today's New York Post

SOUTH KOREA: US Ambassador Slashed In Face, North Korea Applauds Attack

Via RT News:

North Korea has said the razor attack on the US ambassador to South Korea, Mark Lippert, was “just punishment” for the two countries’ joint military drills. The assault has left the US official’s face slashed, but he is now recovering. Lippert was at a breakfast forum earlier in central Seoul when the attack occurred. During the attack, Lippert was slashed in the face by an unidentified man, a witness told Reuters. Other outlets are reporting that the assailant used a razor. Outlets are reporting that the man yelled, "No drills for war," referencing joint military drills conducted by the US and South Korea.

Hillary Clinton Responds To Email Flap

Email Flap For Hillary Clinton

Via Politico:

Thousands of emails Hillary Clinton generated as secretary of state were not archived as official government records because she used a private email account to conduct State Department business, the State Department acknowledged Monday. Aides to the former secretary of state turned over 55,000 pages of emails from her personal account to the State Department in December at its request, a department official said. Clinton’s use of the personal account for work-related emails and the State Department’s effort to gain control over the information were first reported by The New York Times. Clinton did not use a State Department email account, the paper reported. “Last year, the Department sent a letter to representatives of former secretaries of state requesting they submit any records in their possession for proper preservation. In response to our request, Secretary Clinton provided the Department with emails spanning her time at the Department,” State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said in a statement.

According to the Times, the email revelation came about due to the US House investigation into Benghazi. Security appears to be the major concern:

How many emails were in Mrs. Clinton’s account is not clear, and neither is the process her advisers used to determine which ones related to her work at the State Department before turning them over. “It’s a shame it didn’t take place automatically when she was secretary of state as it should have,” said Thomas S. Blanton, the director of the National Security Archive, a group based at George Washington University that advocates government transparency. “Someone in the State Department deserves credit for taking the initiative to ask for the records back. Most of the time it takes the threat of litigation and embarrassment.” Mr. Blanton said high-level officials should operate as President Obama does, emailing from a secure government account, with every record preserved for historical purposes. “Personal emails are not secure,” he said. “Senior officials should not be using them.” Penalties for not complying with federal record-keeping requirements are rare, because the National Archives has few enforcement abilities.How many emails were in Mrs. Clinton’s account is not clear, and neither is the process her advisers used to determine which ones related to her work at the State Department before turning them over.

Feds Appoint First LGBT Rights Envoy

The State Department today appointed the first LGBT rights foreign envoy in US history.

Randy W Berry, who is gay, has been appointed to the senior role within the US State Department by President Barack Obama and Secretary of State John Kerry. He has previously served as Consul General in Amsterdam, and has also had postings for the State Department in Bangladesh, Egypt, Uganda, South Africa, and Washington DC. John Kerry said: “Randy’s a leader, he’s a motivator. But most importantly for this effort, he’s got vision. Wherever he’s served — from Nepal to New Zealand, from Uganda to Bangladesh, from Egypt to South Africa, and most recently as consul general in Amsterdam — Randy has excelled."

The HRC applauds:

“At a moment when many LGBT people around the world are facing persecution and daily violence, this unprecedented appointment shows a historic commitment to the principle that LGBT rights are human rights,” said HRC President Chad Griffin. “President Obama and Secretary Kerry have shown tremendous leadership in championing the rights of LGBT people abroad. Now, working closely with this new envoy, we’ve got to work harder than ever to create new allies, push back on human rights violators, and support the brave leaders and organizations that fight for LGBT rights around the world."

IGLHRC does the same:

“The appointment of Randy Berry as a special diplomatic envoy brings to a pinnacle the historic trend, first put in motion by the 2011 Presidential Memorandum, of integrating the rights of LGBT people into U.S. foreign policy. Having long advocated for this step forward, we at the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission celebrate its arrival and congratulate Mr. Berry on his new role. The U.S. envoy can contribute to a new era in which the conscience of governments everywhere can be focused on the destabilizing impact of prejudice and abuse that inflicts suffering on millions worldwide. Human rights should be a priority for every government in both domestic and foreign policy.

Hate groups have already denounced the creation of the position as yet another example of the Obama administration imposing its homofascist agenda on foreign countries.

Perkins Attacks John Kerry Over Creation Of US Envoy On Global LGBT Rights

"Most people probably assumed that America already had an ambassador for homosexuality: it's called the Obama administration. But now, Secretary John Kerry wants to make it official by creating a permanent position in the State Department devoted entirely to strong-arming other countries into embracing his view of homosexuality. In another major U-turn from the Bush years, the Obama administration is adding a full-time, taxpayer-funded, openly gay diplomat to the payroll whose sole purpose will be forcing the President's radical social agenda on reluctant countries. Like Hillary Clinton before him, Kerry has turned the State Department into a satellite office of the Human Rights Campaign, where the only goal seems to be exporting homosexual extremism to a world preoccupied by far more important issues." - Hate group leader Tony Perkins, via email.

Democrats Introduce Bill To Create Special International Envoy On LGBT Rights

Via Reuters:

U.S. lawmakers in both houses of Congress introduced on Thursday a bill to protect and promote the rights of the international lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community. The International Human Rights Defense Act, spearheaded by Sen. Edward Markey of Massachusetts and Rep. Alan Lowenthal of California, both Democrats, would appoint a special envoy within the U.S. Department of State to coordinate efforts to prevent discrimination and advance the rights of LGBT people worldwide. “When President Obama addressed the nation and committed to defending the human rights of the LGBT community, we made that commitment to the world,” Markey said in a statement, referring to the State of the Union address earlier this month. “With the rights of the LGBT community under attack around the globe, we must stand hand-in-hand with them in the struggle for recognition and equality everywhere," he said.

Markey introduced the same bill last year but it died in committee. Read the text of the International Human Rights Defense Act Of 2015 here.

Obama & Kerry Condemn Attack In Paris

Via CNN:

President Barack Obama strongly condemned the terror attack in Paris on Tuesday that claimed 12 lives and praised France for standing "shoulder to shoulder" in the fight against terrorism. Obama said in a statement that the U.S. would provide "any assistance" to "America's oldest ally" in bringing the terrorists to justice. Obama was briefed on the attack against French satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo on Tuesday morning and senior U.S. national security officials have been in touch with their French counterparts. Three gunmen burst into the magazine's headquarters on Tuesday morning and also fired at police officers in the streets outside while shouting "Allahu Akbar" -- God is Great in Arabic. "Time and again, the French people have stood up for the universal values that generations of our people have defended," Obama said. "France, and the great city of Paris where this outrageous attack took place, offer the world a timeless example that will endure well beyond the hateful vision of these killers."

Secretary of State John Kerry addressed the French people directly -- in both English and French -- expressing American solidarity in the face of the attacks. "We stand with you in solidarity and in commitment both to the cause of confronting extremism and in the cause which the extremists fear so much and which has always united our two countries: freedom," Kerry said in a press conference. "No country knows better than France, that freedom has a price because France gave birth to democracy itself." Kerry made similar remarks in French, proclaiming that terrorists who claim the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo is dead, are wrong. "Le pouvoir de la liberte d'expression vainquera dans la lutte contre l'obscurantisme," he said, meaning "The power of freedom of expression will be victorious in the fight against darkness." The Department of Homeland Security is "closely monitoring" the situation in Paris, a senior official from the department said in a statement.

Teabaggers Have The Cuba Sadz

TURKEY: US Diplomat Charles Hunter To Marry Local Musician Boyfriend

Charles Hunter, US Consul General to Turkey, has confirmed to the local press that he will marry his Turkish boyfriend with the ceremony to take place in Wisconsin.

Hunter was at an event at the Dutch consulate the previous day where he sang at an a capella choir. He responded to reporters' questions afterward. Naturally, almost all questions were about his affair with Turkish artist Ramadan Çaysever, and Hunter spoke about the affair for the first time. He said he "confirmed" all the reports in the press about his affair and planned marriage, but avoided elaborating on the matter. Çaysever, who frequently accompanies the Consul General at events, was absent at Tuesday night's event. Meanwhile, rumors made the rounds in the media about the top diplomat's affair. Some media outlets claimed Çaysever converted to Christianity for his partner. Milliyet, a Turkish daily, claimed Hunter asked for assignment of a bodyguard for Çaysever who has moved in with him, but has not been assigned one yet.

Hunter reportedly met Çaysever at one of his concerts. His music sounds quite like 80s Italo.