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THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S possible ties to Russia have been the subject of much speculation and controversy in recent weeks.
Before he was sworn in as 45th President of the United States, the CIA found that Russia intervened in the election to help Donald Trump win – something he was reluctant to accept.
Then, on 13 February, Trump’s national security adviser Michael Flynn resigned after it was revealed he had misled Vice President Mike Pence and other top White House officials about contact he had with the Russian ambassador to the United States, Sergey Kislyak, before taking office.
At the time, Flynn admitted he “inadvertently briefed” Pence with “incomplete information” about his conversations with Kislyak.
The latest twist in the controversy involves Attorney General Jeff Sessions. During the week, it emerged Sessions failed to divulge the fact he had met Kislyak during Trump’s campaign.
The Washington Post reported he met the Russian ambassador twice last year, contradicting statements he made in Senate confirmation hearings in January.
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There were calls for Sessions to step down as AG, with Nancy Pelosi, the top Democrat in the Senate, saying his position was untenable after he lied “under oath to Congress”.
However, House Speaker and fellow Republican Paul Ryan said he saw no reason for Sessions to do so, saying lawmakers had seen “no evidence” to determine collusion had occurred between Trump’s campaign and Russian officials.
Instead, on Thursday Sessions recused himself from inquiries into Trump’s dealings with Russia. He said: “I never met with any Russian officials to discuss issues of the campaign. I have no idea what this allegation is about. It is false.”
The development has been making headlines around the world, including in Russia.
The Moscow Times reported that the Russian embassy in Washington refused to comment on the alleged meetings.
The Times translated to English part of an Interfax news agency report which said Russia Embassy press secretary Nikolai Lakhonin said meetings were held on “a daily basis in accordance with diplomatic practice”.
The website also ran an article about Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov saying the current focus on US officials’ contacts with the Russian ambassador is a “witch hunt”.
Here are some headlines from RT, which is funded by the Russian government:
RT also reported on a study by conservative media watchdog Media Research Center, which found the vast majority of Trump coverage on three of the main TV news networks in the US – ABC, CBS and NBC – is “hostile”.
NewsBusters / Twitter
NewsBusters / Twitter / Twitter
‘He loves me’
Last month, Russian officials denied claims President Vladimir Putin ordered media in the country to cut back on positive Trump material as he was getting so much coverage.
The Financial Times reports that some Russian media outlets have given more airtime to flattering coverage of Trump in recent months than they have to Putin.
The LA Times, meanwhile, translated part of an op-ed in daily newspaper Kommersant which focused on Trump’s first speech to Congress as US President, saying the address ”did not clarify” what Russia should expect from the Trump administration.
Commentator Sergei Strokan wrote that US-Russian links have become “a game of ‘He loves me, he loves me not.’”
Contains reporting from © – AFP 2017
Shane Ross is not interested in fighting. If he was he would be fighting to regulate the car insurance industry and be telling us where the income from 245,000 vehicles a day, most of them commercial that cross just one of eleven toll bridges is going.
@Tom Fennelly: The only thing they fight over is how much of a pay rise they are entitled too
@Tom Fennelly: he specifically told me that’s not his remit.
Mcgregor is an inspiration to the country. The most famous Irish man bar none. I’ll tell you what’s disturbing, hunting, horse racing, grey hound racing, bull fighting… They don’t have a choice. Mma two consenting adults throw down and suffer minimal injuries. What’s disturbing about that?
@Eoin de Barra: we don’t go much for bull fighting in Ireland Eoin…..bull$hit yes, but not bull fighting. As for “consenting adults” I think you’re on the wrong thread with that one :-)
@Eoin de Barra: He’s not an inspiration to me, or most of the people I know. I’ve never seen any of these fights, only see McGregor in news clips promoting himself and his brand, I chose not to buy into it as I am not a sheep.
@Sloop John G: good man sloop. I live in Spain. Bullfighting exists here. You’ll have to look up the meaning of consenting kid.
@Nick Drake: well done fella.
@Eoin de Barra: Yeah, minimal damage, tell that to Joao Carvalho’s family.
@Weldoninhio: people have died running half marathons. It was a freak incident.
@Eoin de Barra: People died from blunt force trauma running half marathons?? Tough 13 miles
@Weldoninhio: that was tragic for sure. But it was a freak accident. It’s not the norm for sure. Hunters shoot to kill. I think that’s a problem.
@Eoin de Barra: Hunters kill dumb animals, not humans. Should we start arresting lions for the murder of gazelles??
@Weldoninhio: more people have died from playing rugby and its blunt force trauma. Mr Ross is happy to go to those games
Most intelligent people won’t watch this farce.
@P C: you have met the McGregor fans haven’t you? They’ll definitely be watching it.
@JJ O Riordan: yeah the “McGregor Fans” are easily identified, they are the ones that dont have their heads up their backsides
@Jonny Chip: and their knuckles scrape off the ground as they walk.
@Jonny Chip: Exactly, they have their heads up McTapper’s backside.
@P C: you’ll be glued to It so
I would give Ross a small amount of respect for his views, however it’s to late to worry about McGregor, behaviour like wearing a polar bear fur coat and trying to Dance on the bonnet of someone else’s car indicates catastrophic and irreversible brain damage.
@Dave Hogan: haha brilliant.. comment of the day
@Dave Hogan: comment of the year
Mr Ross, it’s not a MMA fight its Boxing ,
@ger power1: it’s a freak show
@ger power1: It’s not boxing either. In boxing, both people need to be able to box.
Shiny new teeth and a ticket to every major sporting event in the land. It’s amazing what a Ministry will do for a man.
Pity those new teeth didn’t come with a bit of bite.
And in other news: Leo Varadkar cuts his front lawn and paschal donohue blows his nose. Wow!
@theupsidedown: Leo lives in an apartment and Pascal has no nose.
@John O’Shea: comment of the day lolol
@John O’Shea: who said anything about grass?
Ross cares about nooooo one only himself ! As much as I’m not a fan of Mc Gregor he’s twice the man Ross is and that saying something .
Good for him not pretending he likes mcgregor or MMA just because an Irish chap has done well in it. This fight is nothing to get too brotheled about
Ha ha who really cares what Shane Ross thinks about McGregor vs. Mayweather?
He’s job is to propagate sports, but with a lean towards highly lucrative ones that can bring tax revenues. Boxing and MMA typically won’t bring massive revenues in Ireland. Larger field based team sports do so his is what he will focus on for the most part.
If that changed then he’d be all over boxing , mma etc.
Deffo not going to watch now that my hero Shane Ross wont..
UPDATE: Mayweather VS McGregor cancelled after Irish minister for Sport declares he won’t watch it.
Is there a prize for worst headline ever?
the phantom: that’s a great new word “brotheled “I am stealing it of you
@Brian O Reilly: Me too.
Shane Ross… an utterly usrless and incompetent politician and aside from that comes across as an eccentric nerd who is a bit of a chancer. But as an Irish politician he isn’t in the minority unfortunately.
Shane Ross is an out of touch failed plonker ! You cannot push back a flooding tide. Cmac is huge and MMA is huge and we should be very proud that he represents our country with such passion and pride. Sure, there are elements in MMA which may appear to be unsavoury but that goes for nearly all contact sports. Ice hockey, USA football, rugby( union and league), boxing etc. His wishy washy ” I’ll be watching all the ladies rugby” etc is patronising and nauseating. Go back and do what you do best. Holding hands with Eamonn Dunphy !!!
I am to my shame going to watch it ,but at a local venue with all the other Romans
Never going to be fun watching fun watching someone (McGregor) get battered
Does anyone honestly give a fck whether Ross watches this fight or not?
Hickey knocked him out in Rio. Useless spineless worm. That said he knows farce and shit when he sees it.
@Eoin de Barra: Shane Ross should definitely do something about bull fighting in Ireland.
Who actually gives a f### what he thinks
Sean your on your own there .
have your say