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It wasnt exactly an homage to Hillary Clinton. But she was there in spirit. On the season finale of Scandal, Clinton was an indelible source of inspiration for what was worn and what was not.

On Thursday nights two-hour episode, Melody Margaret Grant, her hair pinned back and up, stood on the west side of the Capitol and took the oath of office, becoming the countrys first female president. To get there, she traversed the kind of tortured, circuitous, blood-soaked route that is a hallmark of the Washington-based melodrama created by Shonda Rhimes. So, despite the history-making nature of her victory, it was not one that fizzed with patriotic delight. But thats how things work in Shondaland a strange, alternative reality that offered up a picture of how Jan. 20, 2017, might have look if the electoral college had voted a different way and the highest, hardest glass ceiling had not only been shattered but done with a female vice president along for the breakthrough.

The new President Grant (Bellamy Young) was sworn in wearing a navy-blue Escada coat with kimono sleeves, navy leather gloves and a red, white and blue scarf neatly wrapped around her neck. Underneath, she wore an Armani dress and blazer. Over the course of her campaign, Mellie wore a flag pin on her jacket or her dress, as all politicians do, but it seemed to get larger the closer she came to victory. By Inauguration Day, her bedazzled flag brooch, not Ann Hand but Oscar Heyman, was practically as large as the satisfied grin on her face.

Holding the Bible and gazing on approvingly was her vice president, Luna Isabella Vargas (Tessie Santiago), who was dressed in a pale pink overcoat from Sentaler, adorned with a more discreet flag pin. Vargas, by the way, was not what she seemed that sugary-sweet coat was nothing but visual misdirection and before the two-hour finale concluded, she had been blamed for the assassination of her husband, was forced to take a poison pill as punishment for her crime, and was last seen slumped on a sofa in the White House.

But back to Mellie.

This female president did not wear pantsuits, or even pants not when she was campaigning and not when she was sworn in. In fact, her only scene in trousers was during a fantasy sequence during which she dreamed about being president, says Scandal costume designer Lyn Paolo.

Mellie has always been a dress girl. First lady Mellie wore lots of floral and prints and garden-party dresses, Paolo says of the character, who divorced former president Fitzgerald Grant (Tony Goldwyn) and embarked on a solo political career. As a senator, she wore dresses with a jacket often a black jacket over a shift dress. . . . For the campaign, I thought it would be too much of a leap for her to wear pants. Her dresses became more of a sheath.

I dont know what were doing with Mellie going forward, Paolo says, but now that shes president I dont want to do anything hitting you over the head with it. So presumably, still no pantsuits.

As the outgoing fictional president prepares to leave the White House and drama continues to swirl around a possible assassination plot against Mellie, the new commander in chief stands up mid-meeting, announces she has to leave and delivers a mini monologue that surely must have been cheered by certain female politicians, their exasperated champions and ardent naysayers who believe that fashion is a distraction rather than tool of self-expression.

Mellie: I have a valet and a dresser waiting for me to finalize my outfit for the ball. For the other 44 presidents, that took all of 10 minutes, but for the lady president that means choosing a dress that will impress the New York fashion blogs without insulting the Washington conservatives. So rather than sit here and discuss the ways I might die today, Im going to go pick an outfit now so I can be done with that nonsense, so I can focus on whats really important: running the damn country.

And with that, she didnt so much as storm out of the room as walk briskly to deal with the task at hand.

Yet just beneath the surface of her cutting commentary about women and fashion, Mellie still wants to look good. Who wouldnt? But how?

How would the first female president dress for her inaugural? I spent hours pondering it, Paolo says. Rhimes actually sent me pictures of Hillary Clinton as secretary of state going to Obamas inaugural.

I really wanted the [look] to be less old Mellie. We always did a kind of Southern-belle feel, A-line, off the shoulder. I just wanted to have something about it that felt regal, Paolo says. She wanted a dress that allowed Mellie to straddle that crazy divide of looking feminine and strong. Its hard for women. And its not fair.

Paolo chose a slim, red, strapless Oscar de la Renta gown with gray and cream bugle-bead embroidery and a matching, short-sleeved shrug. Worn without the jacket it would have been more L.A., Paolo says. We would never have used it without the jacket.

The dress is body-conscious but not form-fitting. It reveals very little skin, but it isnt so buttoned up that it is matronly. It is festive but not ostentatious. It would not spark a roar of excitement among fashion aficionados, but it wouldnt generate mocking, either. And the Washington establishment would probably be just fine with it. It was also a dress that Clinton just might have worn. De la Renta, who died in 2014, was a close Clinton friend and her favorite designer.

Scandal is all fiction, of course. But fiction influences perceptions of reality. The finale was dominated by power-hungry, power-grabbing women. Within the outlandish story lines and the games of psychological chess on Scandal, women embrace power because they believe they have earned it.

They wear their power with delight. This is what that looks like in alpaca, wool and silk.

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On the season finale of "Scandal," Hillary Clinton was an indelible source of inspiration - The Denver Post

posted at 3:21 pm on May 19, 2017 by John Sexton

Friday morning the Russian embassy in the UK tweeted a meme suggesting Hillary Clinton was connected to the murder of Seth Rich. Heres the tweet:

So, first of all, theres the graphic. Who killed Seth Rich? is superimposed over the face of Hillary Clinton. Obviously, the suggestion being made is that Rich was murdered for the leak of DNC material which damaged Clinton. But it could also be taken as suggesting that Hillary herself ordered a hit on Rich.

Then theres the textwhich states that Seth Rich was #WikiLeaks informer. Thats a claim that was recently made in two stories by Fox News. According to these stories, the FBI examined Richs computer after his death and found thousands of stolen DNC emails and proof that Rich was in contact with WikiLeaks.

Ed looked at those storiesearlier this week and found them less than convincing. They require you to assume the FBI and the DC police are jointly participating in a cover-up of the real reason for Richs death. Shortly after Eds story went up, NBC News reported that two FBI agents denied the FBI had, or had ever examined,Richs computer:

Meanwhile, a current FBI official and a former one completely discount the Fox News claim that an FBI analysis of a computer belonging to Rich contained thousands of e-mails to and from WikiLeaks.

Local police in Washington, D.C., never even gave the FBI Richs laptop to analyze after his murder, according to the current FBI official.

And a former law enforcement official with first-hand knowledge of Richs laptop said the claim was incorrect. It never contained any e-mails related to WikiLeaks, and the FBI never had it, the person said.

Of course, thats what they would say if they were part of a cover-up/conspiracy. But if thats true then the family of Seth Rich must also be part of the conspiracy because they said none of this is true. Its also worth noting that the investigator quoted in that initial Fox 5 story later told Newsweek he had never seen Richs laptop and had nothing firsthand about what was on it. All of that to say, there is goodreason to believe Seth Rich was not the source of the DNCs hacked emails.

So why is the Russian embassy tweeting this? One explanation is the one I raised back when Julian Assange first hinted that Seth Rich might have been his source. Russia and Assange were clearly not happy with being linked as source and distributor of the hacked emails from the DNC, DCCC, Podesta, etc. Assange prefers to claim he is independent, not the face of a Russian government cyber effort, and Russia has always denied that it played any role in the hacking.

Recall that shortly after our government began to publicly blame Russia for the hack last year, an online figure appeared calling himself Guccifer 2.0. Guccifer 2.0 claimed he (not Seth Rich) was behind all of this. Further investigation suggested Guccifer 2.0 was not a real personat all but a Russian propaganda effort created to take credit for something the Kremlin was denying involvement in.

So a week or so after doubts began to circulate about Guccifer 2.0, Assange pours gasoline on a conspiracy theory floating around on Reddit which says Seth Rich was the real source. He never really says it outright, but he suggests it could be true. Again, the result is that Assange maintains apparent distance from Russia and Russia has someone new to blame as it continues to deny responsibility for the hack. The fact that the Russian embassy is now pushing the same story Assange was last yearshows they both prefer it to the alternative, i.e. that Russia hacked the DNC and gave the material to WikiLeaks.

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Russian Embassy tweets meme connecting Hillary Clinton to Seth Rich's murder - Hot Air

Uber has officially asked Anthony Levandowski the former head of the companys self-driving efforts and the executive at the center of the Alphabet lawsuit to waive his Fifth Amendment rights and cooperate with a courts order to turn over any files he may have downloaded including those on his personal device.

Levandowski asserted his Fifth amendment rights earlier this year seeking to protect himself if the case becomes criminal which is now a possibility.

Now, Ubers general counsel Salle Yoo is asking him to waive those rights and comply with the courts order to turn over his personal device as well as any downloaded materials he has and the names of all those he ever communicated about these files with. If he doesnt, Yoo reminds him that his employment is at-will.

If you do not agree to comply with all of the requirements set forth herein, or if you fail to comply in a material manner, then Uber will take adverse employment action against you, which may include termination of your employment and such termination would be for Cause, the letter from Uber General Counsel Salle Yoo reads.

Its a major shift in Ubers tone with Levandowski, who has a close working relationship with Uber CEO Travis Kalanick.

Importantly, thats because the court has ordered Uber to exercise the full extent of [its] corporate, employment, contractual, and other authority to cause them to return the downloaded materials and all copies, excerpts, and summaries thereof to Waymo.

Alphabet has sued Uber and its subsidiary Otto claiming that Levandowski stole 14,000 files that included the design for a key radar technology before leaving the company. Uber has disputed that it used any of Alphabets tech but it doesnt deny Levandowski may have taken the proprietary information.

Notably, Alphabet shifted the focus of its patent infringement claims to a radar prototype that Uber no longer uses instead of those that are still being developed.

Previously, Uber had asked Levandowski to voluntarily recuse himself of all work with the technology in question, lidar. That recusal has since been sanctioned by the court as part of a preliminary injunction the judge granted Alphabet.

Uber has otherwise handled Levandowski with a light touch.

Part of the reason could be that Uber CEO Travis Kalanick and Levandowski are close. In fact, as we first reported, Kalanick turned to Levandowski around the same time he launched Otto to help get Ubers autonomous cars on the road. The duo, who are also planning to attend the Indy 500 together later this month according to sources, spent a great deal of time together both prior to and during Levandowskis employment.

Kalanick even brought Levandowski along on some of his notoriously long walks, an activity the controversial CEO likes to do while hes thinking, according to a Bloomberg report,

But Levandowskis priorities protecting himself from criminal action has been in conflict with Ubers attempts to do away with this lawsuit and go ahead with its autonomous efforts.

Frankly, we obviously have a conflict here, Ubers attorney Arturo Gonzalez said to Judge Alsup during a closed-door hearing in April.

I would love to put Mr. Levandowski on the stand to explain to you what happened, because I think he has a good story to tell, Gonzalez said. But I can't force him to do that.

Now Uber is asking him to do just that.

The letter reads:

We understand that this letter requires you to turn over information wherever located, including but not limited to, your personal devices, and to waive any Fifth Amendment protection you may have. Also, the requirement that your lawyers cooperate with us and turn over information that may be in their possession may invade your attorney-client privilege. While we have respected your personal liberties, it is our view that the Courts Order requires us to make these demands of you. Footnote 9 of the Order specifically states that in complying with this order, Uber has no excuse under the Fifth Amendment to pull any punches as to Levandowski.

Heres the full letter:

The rest is here:
Uber is pressuring one of its top executives to comply with Alphabet's lawsuit - Recode

"The American and Turkish peoples have been friends and allies for many, many decades," said Trump, as he stood beside Erdogan to deliver remarks after their oval office meeting.

"We support Turkey in the fight against terror groups like ISIS and the PKK, and ensure they have no safe quarter," he added. "We also appreciate Turkey's leadership in seeking an end to the horrific killing in Syria."

Despite the apparent warmth between the two leaders, relations have been strained by the US refusal to extradite a Turkish cleric living in Pennsylvania whom Erdogan blames for orchestrating a July coup attempt against him.

Standing beside Trump, Erdogan said that Turkey would not consider any plans for Kurdish groups to be part of the region's future.

"There is no place for the terrorist organization in the future of our region, taking YPG and PYD into consideration in the region will never be accepted and it's going to be against a global agreement that we have reached," President Erdogan said.

As well as congratulating Trump on his election victory, Erdogan stressed the importance of US-Turkey cooperation."The relations between Turkey and the United States have been erected upon common democratic values and common interests," said Erdogan. "Keeping our outstanding relations stronger than ever will be very important not only for our common interests, but also stability of the globe and peace around the world."

Erdogan sought use the visit as a means of underscoring a new era in close US-Turkey ties, in fighting terrorism as well as building economic and trade opportunities, saying that he was "determined to expand relations."

"I believe my current official visit to the United States will mark a historical turn" said Erdogan, adding that he hoped to "enjoy some further gains in terms of the future."

Turkey, a NATO member, is a vital ally in the fight against ISIS, allowing the US to use its Incirlik air base in the fight against the terror group. Relations were strained, if businesslike, for the last few years as the Obama administration distanced itself from Erdogan's increasingly authoritarian rule.

"Erdogan and his allies have mounted an assault on the rule of law, particularly using sweeping state of emergency authorities to stifle fundamental rights including free speech, undermine the independence of the judiciary, and quash any opposition to their undemocratic actions," said the letter signed by Florida Republican Sen. Marco Rubio, New Jersey Democratic Sen. Robert Menendez and 15 others senators.

Trump didn't touch on any of the disagreements and instead praised Turkey's efforts in the war against ISIS and for its fight against internal terrorist attacks. He stressed that the US would "offer our support to Turkey" in its fight against terrorism and that they would "reinvigorate our trade and commercial ties."

"These are areas where we can rebuild our relationship," Trump said in comments earlier in the day.

All Trump's interactions with Erdogan are overshadowed by his family's business holdings in the country. In a 2015 interview with Breitbart News, Trump told Steve Bannon -- now his adviser -- that "I have a little conflict of interest because I have a major, major building in Istanbul."

During the presidential campaign, when Trump was calling for a ban on Muslims entering the country and floating the idea of a Muslim registry, Erdogan called for the then-candidate's name to be removed from Istanbul's Trump Towers, saying Trump had "no tolerance for Muslims."

In a separate meeting at the White House, Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, met with his Turkish counterpart, Minister of Defense Fikri Isk. According to a readout of the meeting provided to the press by the pentagon, the two men discussed efforts to combat the PKK, and the crisis in Syria.

Read more:
Trump welcomes Erdogan amid US-Turkey strains

Updated: 1:37 p.m. EDT

Casting aside his predecessors concerns about human rights abuses and the suppression of free speech in another nation, Donald Trump lavished praise on another autocratic foreign leader on Tuesday, calling it a great honor to welcome the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, to the White House.

Just hours after Trump focused his remarks on the exemplary valor of the Turkish soldier, however, Erdogans presidential bodyguards were caught on video punching and kicking protesters outside the Turkish ambassadors residence in Washington.

Images recorded by the Turkish-language service of Voice of America, a Congressionally funded broadcaster, showed the Turkish security guards battering about a dozen demonstrators, after scuffles between the protesters and Erdogan supporters.

Another witness captured video of the aftermath, as some of those injured in the attack received treatment, and an Erdogan supporter stomped on the flag of a Syrian Kurdish group that is fighting the Islamic State with the support of the United States.

Some of the Turkish officials were seen kicking prone demonstrators who had already been knocked to the pavement across from the diplomatic compound, where Erdogan had arrived a short time earlier.

One Turkish official was photographed throttling a young woman.

Far from disputing that Erdogans security team was involved in the melee, a state news agency confirmed it, reporting, inaccurately, that the presidents team had been forced to step in because the American police had failed to stop an unauthorized protest by supporters of a Kurdish terrorist group.

A pro-government newspaper, Yeni Safak, also blamed the DC police for not stifling the protest, and claimed that the Kurdish protesters had shouted racist slogans against Turkey and attacked Turkish citizens.

In fact, as video recorded just before the bodyguards charged the protesters showed, the demonstrators had been chanting Erdogan: terrorist! while holding signs decrying Turkeys repression of its Kurdish minority and the jailing of a Kurdish political leader, Selahattin Demirtas.

One pro-Erdogan journalist, Fatih Tezcan, even shared video of the attack set to thrilling music, in which it seemed to have been provoked by a woman tossing water in the direction of the presidents supporters.

Yesterday afternoon we witnessed what appeared to be a brutal attack on peaceful protesters at the Turkish ambassadors residence, Peter Newsham, the chief of Washingtons Metropolitan Police Department told reporters on Wednesday afternoon. As a result of the assault, 11 people, and one police officer, were injured.

The police chief said that his officers were scouring through video of the incident and could file charges against those responsible for the attack, but did not yet know if any of the assailants had diplomatic immunity.

Newsham also said that such repression of dissent is not something that we will tolerate here in Washington, D.C. this is a city where people should be allowed to come and peacefully protest. He noted, too, that the fact that some of the Turkish bodyguards were armed made the situation dicey for police officers.

While Erdogans guards had engaged in similar behavior during a visit to a Washington think tank last year, on that occasion the Turkish leader had not been invited to the White House by Trumps predecessor, former President Barack Obama.

Obamas United Nations ambassador, Samantha Power, and former National Security Council spokesman, Tommy Vietor, were among those who expressed disgust at images of the assault on protesters in Washington on Tuesday.

Trumps warm embrace of Erdogan, whose name he repeatedly mispronounced, seemed to continue a pattern of ignoring the repressive behavior of autocratic leaders from Vladimir Putin to Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to, briefly, Bashar al-Assad who try to cast their crackdowns on dissent as part of a broader war on Islamist terror.

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Trump Praises Erdogan, Whose Bodyguards Then Assault Protesters in ...