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President Donald Trump finally condemned white supremacists on Monday, two days after a car-ramming left one woman dead in Charlottesville, Virginia, calling racism evil. His failure to single out members of the Ku Klux Klan, neo-Nazisand other members of the white supremacist movement for so long drew criticism from across the political spectrum. By Sunday, he had only decried hatred, bigotry and violence on many sides.

His slow reaction angered his critics even more as they were in the knowledge that a range of authority figures had warned Trump of the threat that white supremacists posed months before James Alex Fields Jr. plowed his car into counter-protesters, killing Heather Heyer. An intelligence bulletin obtained by Foreign Policy, entitled White Supremacist Extremism Poses Persistent Threat of Lethal Violence and dated May 10, shows that the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security briefed Trump as recently as May, at least indirectly, about the threat of the white supremacist movement and the threat of further attacks by members of this ultra-conservative group.

We assess lone actors and small cells within the white supremacist extremist movement likely will continue to pose a threat of lethal violence over the next year, the bulletin reads.

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The FBI explicitly says in the briefing that white supremacists are to blame for the majority of domestic extremism. They were responsible for 49 homicides in 26 attacks from 2000 to 2016more than any other domestic extremist movement, the document states.

Not only have the security services warned Trump about the threat of white supremacists, but so too have his Democratic rivals and predecessors.

Barack Obama, days before Trumps election win over Hillary Clinton, took aim at Trump for refusing to decline the support of former KKK leader David Duke. If you accept the support of a Klan sympathizer, the Klan, and hesitate when asked about that support, then youll tolerate that support when youre in office, he said at a North Carolina rally.

Trump, when questioned about Dukes support on CNN in February, said: Just so you understand, I dont know anything about David Duke, OK?

White nationalists carry torches on the grounds of the University of Virginia on the eve of a planned Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia, on August 11. Alejandro Alvarez/News2Share via Reuters

Clinton herself targeted Trump for allowing far-right sympathies to creep into his campaign, as well as his hiring of Breitbart CEO Steve Bannon, who used the news website as a platform for the alt-right, the Clinton campaign said on its website. It also posted images shared by Trump and his son Donald Trump Jr. on Twitter that included Pepe the Frog, a cartoon or meme that has become a symbol associated with white supremacy, the campaign said.

In an August 2016 speech in Nevada, Clinton chastised Trump for"taking hate groups mainstream," and permittinga "radical fringe"to become prominent withintheRepublican Party. "There's no other Donald Trump. This is it," she said.

Rights groups such as the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) have warned that far-right bigots have been emboldened by the Trump presidency and criticized both Trump and the White House for failing to even mention the Charlottesville showdown when it was known that the Unite The Right march would be taking place, and met by counter-protests.

From the day he came down the escalator in the tower that bears his name, Trump consciously poured fuel on the fire, the Southern Poverty Law Centersaid in a release after the Charlottesville clashes.

Researchers from the Center for the Study of Hate and Extremism at California State University said in February that hate crimes across nine metropolitan areas of the U.S. rose more than 20 percent in 2016 because of the presidential campaign and Trumps victory.

While such hate crimes have continued to rise, Trump came under fire again in February for failing to quickly condemn anti-Semitic bomb threats and the desecration of Jewish cemeteries. He came out against the hate-fueled incidents but again was criticized for the time it took. The SPLC has pointed to his rhetoric about Mexicans (rapists), Muslims (total and complete shutdown of them entering the country), and a Black Lives Matter activist beaten up at one of his rallies in Birmingham, Alabama (maybe he should have been roughed up).

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Charlottesville: FBI, DHS, Obama and Clinton All Warned of White Supremacist Threat, but Is Trump Listening? - Newsweek

The now-defunct Facebook page of James Alex Fields Jr., the white nationalist who has been accused of second-degree murder afterreportedly ramminghis car into demonstrators in Charlottesville, Virginia, was populated by Trump memes, Pepe the Frog and even a cat.

More incongruous, at first glance, was the inclusion of Bashar al-Assad,the leader of the Syrian regime in Damascus, with the caption "undefeated." ButFields' Facebookpost belies a growing admiration amongAmericas far right for the Syrian president.

Read More:U.S. Horrified by Brutal Assassination of White Helmets, Shot Dead in Their Sleep

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Assad, who has clung to power over the course of Syrias six-year war, was pictured wearing aviator sunglasses and wearing full military uniform in the meme, published by Buzzfeed but now removed from Fields' Facebook page. While the affinity for the Muslim leader may seem unlikely, it has grown in recent months, with the "alt-right" creating images and postscriticizing President Donald Trump over his cruise missile strikes against Assads military in April,The Washington Post reported.

The white nationalist leader Richard Spencer gave his tacit backing to Assad when, in opposition to Trumps airstrikes against Assad, he led a protest against anti-fascist demonstratorsoutside the White House. The extreme rights anger as Donald Trump dropped the isolationist positions espoused by his chief strategist Steve Bannon, the former head of Breitbart.com, over the Syrian regimes use of sarin gas, led to the rise of conspiracy theories implicating the U.S. in the use of chemical weapons to provoke conflict with Damascus, Vanity Fair reported.

Syrian President Bashar al-Assad gives an exclusive interview to AFP in Damascus, the capital, on February 11, 2016. AFP / JOSEPH EID

The Syrian gas attack was done by deep state agents, alt-right blogger Mike Cernovich tweeted. Infowars, a right-wing conspiracy theory website, went as far as to blame billionaire George Soros.

Aside from the alt-rights general stance against foreign intervention, Assad is particularly liked and was branded a close ally and an amazing leader by former Ku Klux Klan leader David Duke in March this year on Twitter. Posting another image of the Syrian leader, again wearing dark glasses and military fatigues, Duke hailed Assad as a bulwark against the Islamic State militant group (ISIS).

The extreme rights fondness for Assad extends beyond his image as an ally against ISIS. He is also praised for his antipathy towardIsrael, and, by extension, the Jewish faith. The Syrian leader has regularly accused Israel of aiding terrorists fighting his army. The same terrorists fighting on Syrian soil serve Israel, even if they are not members of Israel's standing army, Assad said in an April interview with a Croatian newspaper,Haaretz reported.

Assad and his lieutenants have been accused of human rights violations and war crimes by several human rights organizations and NGOs. Leading U.N. war crimes investigator Carla Del Ponte, who last week steppeddown from her rolein frustration over the international communitys inability to try alleged war criminals, has said there is enough evidence to convict the Syrian leader.

However, Assads insouciance in the face of widespread atrocities carried out in Syria seems to be part of his appeal to the extreme right. In a video posted on Twitter, three Charlottesville protesters appear to support and even make light of the Syrian Air Force's use of barrel bombs. The crudely made explosives, which are tipped out of aircraft with little to no targeting, have caused catastrophic civilian casualties.

One protester wears a T-shirt bearing the moniker Bashars Barrel Delivery Co. Assad did nothing wrong, says Tim Gionet, a far-right social media activist. Barrel bombs, hell yeah.

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Why Do James Alex Field Jr. and US Neo-Nazis Love Syria's Bashar al-Assad? - Newsweek

Authors attending the East Hampton Author's Night on August 12, 2017.

All photos by Sonia Moskowitz/WireImage.

Robert Caro won his first of two Pulitzers for The Power Broker, his exhaustive 1974 biography of Robert Moses. His second was for volume three of his still-in-the-works study of Lyndon B. Johnsons life and career. He has few rivals in his understanding of giants of government and New Yorks building codes. When asked at Saturday nights East Hampton Library's Authors night if Donald Trump followed in the hallowed tradition of such New York-Washington power brokers, Caro smiled, shook his head, and said no.

Caro recounted a particularly stirring moment of Johnsons presidency, when the 36th president addressed Congress to introduce the Voting Rights Act: Thats when he gave this memorable speech, when he said, All of us have to overcome injustice, and we shall overcome. And Congress rose to its feet cheering and passed the Voting Rights Act. So when I say theyre rolling it back now . . . what a tragedy! I probably feel it in that context more than most people.

Undeterred by light rain, more than 2,500 guests descended on the muddy field adjacent to the Maidstone Club in East Hampton to mingle with movie stars, politicians, and authors, buy their books, and in turn support the towns library at the 13th annual event. As news of increasingly violent protests in Virginia unfolded in real time on the crowds smart phones, politics seemed to be on everyones mind.

What is Trump trying to roll back today? Caro asked rhetorically. Medicarethats Lyndon Johnson; Headstartthats Lyndon Johnson; immigrationthats Lyndon Johnson. He signed all those acts to protect students loans. . . . Everything that Trump is rolling back, Im writing about being passed by Lyndon Johnson!

In the East Hampton Village, history and legacy are treasured and preserved with a fervor at odds with the well-curated sleepiness of the town. Unsurprising, then, that many of the writers at Authors Night were promoting books that drew on the past to make sense of the tumultuous present. (The events literary luminary headlinersand honorary co-chairswere Alec Baldwin and Hilaria Baldwin. Theres nothing more important than the library, Alec Baldwin told Vanity Fair.)

Chris Whipple, author of The New York Times best seller The Gatekeepers: How the White House Chiefs of Staff Define Every Presidency, recalled the latter days of Nixons presidency to emphasize the importance of the office today. If you think back to the final days of Richard Nixon, when Nixon was talking to the oil portraits in the West Wing, and [Chief of Staff] Al Hague . . . decided to keep the nuclear codes away from him, we may be getting to that point with this president, he said.

Whipple's book, an authoritative look at the office of White House chief of staff, was released mere months before President Trump fired Reince Priebus. Nobody was more surprised than I was," Whipple said about the remarkable timeliness. "But its certainly kept me in demand.

Several tables over, across from the caterers and at the farthest possible point from the bustle around the Baldwins, the evenings most unlikely author stood ready to greet her fans. Ann Coulter was quick to embrace the distance, both physical and ideological, between her and her fellow scribes.

I think Robert Caro and I are the only ones who wrote our own books, so I dont really consider myself one of the literary luminaries, she said.

Coulter was there to promote her new book, In Trump We Trust: E Pluribus Awesome!, a title so obviously at odds at an event thrown and mostly attended by the liberal elite, and which featured books by not one but two Kennedys. Coulter said she was not exactly welcomed with open arms by the East Hampton powers that be. I wont complain, but the library did put up a huge fight about having me and refused to let me advertise . . . so I think there would be a few more books to sell if people were allowed to know I was here, but the ones who did find meover here in the back cornerwere such lovely people . . .

But I am not at all upset about it, Coulter said, not without irony.

Before the supply of ros waned, and guests and authors made their way to the private dinner parties following the reception, Dick Cavett was signing copies of his latest book, Brief Encounters: Conversations, Magic Moments and Assorted Hijinks. He mused about the prospect of interviewing the president. I would love to get him across the table, he said. He even had an opener in mind: You dont happen to have your tax returns on you, do you? I think Id open with that.

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Robert Caro, Ann Coulter, Dick Cavett, and More Weighed In on the Trump Era at East Hampton Library's Authors Night - Vanity Fair

Polands European Union future is looking increasingly uncertain as the conflict between Warsaw and Brussels continues to escalate with Witold Waszczykoskis latest attack on the bloc.

The Polish foreign minister accused Mr Juncker and co of waging a policy of harassment and discriminating against Poland.

Mr Juncker and Donald Tusk have mounted a political offensive against the government of Poland, targeting its internal judicial reforms and environmental policies.

BBCGETTY

This is only a substitute to deprive Poland of our position and to weaken our negotiating position

Witold Waszczykoski

The tussle is just one example of the EU attempting to stifle growingeuroscepticismby any means necessary.

The latest attack from Brussels came as the blocs leaders said Polands proposed new retirement law which from October 1 will allow women to retire and 60 and men at 65.

The EU said statutory retirement ages for men and women is gender discrimination.

Mr Waszczykoski said the harassment was financially motivated because of the large economy enjoyed by Poland, insisting some European Union countries cannot deal with Warsaws strong position.

He claimed france wants to limit access to its markets because Paris feels threatened by Polish builders, transport companies and tradespeople, which have been accused of undercutting local workers.

The EU had threatened to impose financial sanctions and suspend the Polands voting rights as it seeks to punish Warsaw.

But Mr Waszczykowski laughed off the suggests about the countrys share of the budget being frozen, declaring they could not remove them because they are a right.

REUTERS

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European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker greets EU Commission Chief spokesperson Margaritis Schinas

Speaking earlier to the BBC, the foreign minister said the EUs action were a smokescreen to cover up their own failures as a political project.

This is an excuse, he said. This is only a substitute to deprive Poland of our position and to weaken our negotiating position maybe in the future budget.

Mr Waszczykowski attributed the blocs action as a cover up for the uncertainty Brussels currently faces.

He claimed the EU had turned on Poland to avoid criticism for the questions they face on security and the common market after Brexit.

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European Union news Poland blasts EU over Warsaw harassment ... - Express.co.uk

David Davis, the Brexit secretary, pictured with EU chief negotiator Michel Barnier, is expected to publish a set of detailed proposals on customs arrangements this week. Photograph: Geert Vanden Wijngaert/AP

David Davis, the Brexit secretary, is expected to set out more clearly the governments hopes for a future customs deal with the European Union this week, to help inform the next round of Brexit negotiations.

With Theresa May not expected to return to her desk in Downing Street from her holiday until Thursday, the government is keen to show that preparations for Brexit have not ground to a halt.

The EU has made clear it will not discuss Britains future trading relationship including customs arrangements until it has reached agreement on several key issues, including the terms of the financial payments Britain will make on exit and the future status of the border in Northern Ireland.

But Mays spokesman said the government has concluded from the early Brexit talks that it cannot make more progress without a clearer sense of what the future relationship might look like.

Weve had the first round of the negotiation, and those talks have shown that many of the withdrawal questions can only be settled in the light of our future partnership, so now is the time to set out our approach to that partnership, to inform the upcoming negotiations, and to provide citizens and businesses at home and across Europe with a deeper understanding of our thinking.

Publishing the position paper is also aimed at sending a formal signal that at least one aspect of the bitter row within the cabinet about Britains future relationship with the EU has been resolved.

The chancellor, Philip Hammond, regarded by Conservative backbenchers as the champion of a soft Brexit, has signed up to a joint statement with Liam Fox, the international trade secretary, confirming that Britain would be outside the customs union during the post-Brexit transition phase and that at that point it would be a third country, not party to the EU treaties.

Fox was concerned that he would be unable to strike trade deals with countries outside the EU unless it was made clear that Britain did not expect to remain part of the customs union, whose members cannot strike individual trade agreements, and are expected to apply EU tariffs on imports.

Mays spokesman said: The prime minister set out in January in the Lancaster House speech the need for an implementation period, to avoid a cliff edge for business. The article by the chancellor and the international trade secretary made clear that that is the position of the government.

He added: The customs union as it currently stands has an impact on our ability to make trade deals.

Hammond appears to have conceded that remaining a member of the customs union is not possible, even as an interim arrangement while a detailed deal is finalised.

The Department for Exiting the European Union is also expected to publish a separate paper on Northern Ireland later in the week, which will inform the next round of talks as the border with the Republic of Ireland is one of the issues the EU wants resolved early.

After the last round of negotiations in Brussels last month, the EUs negotiator, Michel Barnier, expressed some frustration at the lack of detail from the British side particularly on the financial settlement.

He said: As soon as the UK is ready to clarify the nature of its commitments, we will be prepared to discuss this with the British negotiators This weeks experience has quite simply shown that we make better progress where our respective positions are clear.

Davis initially insisted Britain would like to negotiate a new trade deal alongside the exit terms, describing discussions over the phasing of the talks as the row of the summer and warning that signing up to a financial settlement early could disadvantage Britain later in the talks.

But when formal negotiations got under way in June, after the general election wiped out Mays comfortable governing majority, Britain quickly signed up to the EUs proposed timetable.

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Brexit: David Davis to set out hoped-for EU customs deal - The Guardian