Le chanteur a tenu sur sa page web à affirmer son «dégoût» pour cette vidéo qui se voulait humoristique. Il a promis que ses amis devraient se faire pardonner.

Cela se voulait drôle mais a déclenché un mouvement de protestation. Dans une vidéo tournée par des amis de Justin Timberlake, des SDF présentaient leurs félicitations aux jeunes mariés Justine et Jessica Biel. Un extrait du film, visible pendant quelques heures sur un site américain, avait soulevé l’indignation.

Timberlake, en professionnel soucieux de son image, a aussitôt réagi en publiant une lettre d’excuses sur son site web: «Je veux clarifier les choses de telle sorte que personne ne doute de ce que j’en pense. Je ne savais rien de cette vidéo et n’ai en AUCUN CAS participé à sa réalisation. Mes amis sont de bonnes personnes. Il s’agit ici d’une manque total de jugement. (…) Je pense que c’était conçu pour être drôle parce que peu d’amis ont pu venir à mon mariage (ce qui est assez drôle si vous y pensez). Cette vidéo n’a pas été diffusée à mon mariage, contrairement à des rumeurs idiotes. Nous sommes tous d’accord sur le fait que cette vidéo est très désagréable. Je vais faire en sorte que mes amis fassent au moins 100 heures de travail d’intérêt général… Boom.»

Les extraits de la vidéo, qui faisait 8 minutes en tout, ont été retirés d’internet. Justin Timberlake fait tout pour que son mariage, dont le coût a été évalué à 5 millions d’euros et les photos vendues en exclusivité à People, ne soit pas terni par une histoire de mauvais goût, surtout que les SDF de la vidéo auraient fait les acteurs pour seulement 40 dollars…

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Le nouvel album de Kylie Minogue s’intitule The Abbey Road, du nom du mythique studio de la ville de Londres. Mais le véritable pays d’adoption de cette Australienne c’est sans conteste la France, où elle a vécu jeune, connu une histoire d’amour avec Olivier Martinez, mais aussi soigné son cancer du sein en 2005. Pour elle Paris sera toujours Paris…

Kylie Minogue garde un souvenir très fort de ses années passées en France. Comme elle le rappelle dans une interview accordée au Parisien, «j’ai eu un coup de cœur immédiat pour Paris». La chanteuse australienne raconte y avoir vécu «aux alentours de 22 ans», au début des années 90. «J’avais ma carte de métro, j’allais partout… J’étais connue mais je pouvais encore circuler» se souvient-elle.

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La France lui rappelle également son amour pour l’acteur Olivier Martinez, avec lequel elle a vécu une belle histoire d’amour avant de rompre en 2007. Une période difficile pour Kylie Minogue car c’est à ce moment là qu’on lui a diagnostiqué un cancer du sein. Une maladie qu’elle a décidé de combattre en France. «J’étais avec Olivier à ce moment-là. (…) Ma famille me suppliait de rentrer en Australie. Mais les médecins me parlaient de tout ce que je devais faire pour me soigner» confie-t-elle. Pour elle, la question ne se posait même pas. «Ma vie était en Europe, à Paris avec Olivier et mon traitement s’est fait ici».

Plus récemment, Kylie Minogue a joué dans le dernier film du réalisateur français Léos Karax, Holy Motors, et avait fait le déplacement à Cannes pour présenter le film au dernier festival. Ses premiers tubes I should be so lucky et Locomotion ou plus récemment Can’t get you out of my head ont toujours reçu un accueil chaleureux du public français. Des titres que la petite bombe de 44 ans revisite aujourd’hui dans l’album The Abbey Road Sessions.

Présidé par Patrick Bruel et marqué par la projection d’un documentaire consacré au cinquantenaire de James Bond (“Everything or Nothing: The Untold Story of 007”), le 23e Festival du Film Britannique de Dinard a dévoilé son palmarès ce samedi. Déjà récompensé à Beaune et remarqué à Sundance et Berlin, “Shadow Dancer” repart avec le Hitchcock d’Or et le Prix du public.

Hitchcock d’Or

Shadow Dancer de James Marsh

Prix du Public Studio Ciné Live

Shadow Dancer de James Marsh

Prix du Scénario Allianz

Good Vibrations de Lisa Barros D’Sa & Glenn Leyburna

Prix “Coup de Coeur”

Ill Manors de Ben Drew

Prix de l’image Technicolor

Ill Manors de Ben Drew

“Shadow Dancer” – Sortie le 2 janvier 2013

Réalisé par James Marsh – Avec Clive Owen, Gillian Anderson…

Collette, jeune veuve, est une républicaine, vivant à Belfast, avec sa mère et ses frères, de fervents activistes de l’IRA. Suite à son arrestation après un attentat avorté au cœur de Londres, Mac, un agent secret du MI5, lui offre le choix : passer 25 années en prison et ainsi perdre ce qu’elle a de plus cher, son fils, ou espionner sa propre famille. Elle décide de faire confiance à Mac, et retourne parmi les siens…

Shadow Dancer

Dix jours après la démission du Pape, l’Eglise est une fois de plus bousculée par un scandale qui fait état d’un lobby gay en son sein. Le Vatican dément mais l’affaire trouble encore un peu plus une institution qui n’en avait pas besoin.

La démission du Pape, le 11 février dernier, a surpris tout le monde, urbi et orbi, mais les raisons de santé et de fatigue avancées pour justifier une telle décision étaient suffisamment convaincantes pour que personne n’aille chercher plus loin. C’était sans compter sur le quotidien italien La Repubblica qui lâche, dans son édition de jeudi, une véritable bombe: Benoît XVI aurait renoncé à sa charge après avoir découvert un lobby gay dans les murs du Vatican.

L’article, intitulé «Sexe et carrière, les chantages au Vatican derrière la renonciation de Benoît XVI», cite le cardinal espagnol Herranz, l’un des trois prélats qui ont rendu un rapport d’enquête suite au scandale du Vatileaks. Le cardinal parle de dossier «scabreux», dénonce «un réseau transversal uni par l’orientation sexuelle» et affirme que «pour la première fois, le mot homosexualité était prononcé» du côté de la place Saint-Pierre. La Repubblica précise que certaines éminences du Vatican auraient subi «l’influence extérieure» de laïcs auxquels ils seraient liés par des liens de «nature mondaine».

La goutte de vin (de messe) qui fait déborder le calice pour Benoît XVI qui annonce donc son renoncement, contrarié par de telles révélations. Federico Lombardi, porte-parole de l’Eglise, a déclaré qu’il n’y aurait aucun «démentis, ni commentaires, ni conformations» sur l’article de La Repubblica et sur d’éventuels autres parutions qui ne manqueront pas de sortir d’ici l’élection du nouveau Pape, fin mars. Il a confirmé que Benoît XVI avait démissionné pour des raisons physiques et non à cause d’une éventuelle dépression ou de contrariétés.

Ces rumeurs viennent déstabiliser un peu plus une Eglise rongée de l’intérieur par ses querelles politiques et l’affaiblissement d’une institution qui n’a pas su se moderniser ni s’adapter à l’évolution de la société. La démission du Pape a élargi encore un peu plus une brèche déjà béante dans laquelle ne manqueront pas de s’engouffrer tous les détracteurs du catholicisme.

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EU invites Turkey to the summit table

Leaders agree to discuss €3 billion deal for Ankara’s help in stemming refugee flow.

VALLETTA, Malta — EU leaders agreed Thursday to invite Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to a special summit aimed at sealing a €3 billion deal for Ankara’s help in stemming the flow of refugees from the Middle East to Europe.

European Council President Donald Tusk said the summit with Turkey would be held “as soon as possible,” most likely before the end of the year, to discuss further cooperation on migration.

“We feel confident that a mutually beneficial relationship can be established to help us confront the present crisis,” Tusk said. “We all agreed that the EU side will do what it takes to achieve this, while expecting the Turkish side to play its part.”

Under a European Commission proposal presented Thursday to EU leaders at a hastily arranged, “informal” summit in Malta, EU countries would provide €2.5 billion along with €500 million from the European Commission during 2015 and 2016.

Tusk said the Turkey plan was a major focus of the afternoon meeting, which was held after another summit of European and African heads of state and government on the migration crisis.

The proposal was presented to EU leaders by the Commission vice president, Frans Timmermans, as part of a joint action plan with Turkey, originally unveiled last month but still under discussion with Turkish authorities.

Timmermans arrived in Malta on Thursday morning from Turkey, where he held talks on the arrangement with the Turkish government. Cooperation with Ankara is considered vital to the migration issue because refugees and migrants cross the border from Turkey to Greece and from there move north through the Western Balkan route to possibly reach Germany or Sweden.

Turkey has said it would help in the effort to control the refugee flow, but its demand for money had proven controversial with several EU countries. An EU official said that on Thursday four of the largest EU countries had agreed to contribute money to the plan, though no official decision was taken since this was an informal summit.

According to a European Commission document outlining the proposed national contributions, Germany would contribute more than €500 million, the U.K. more than €400 million and France more than €380 million.

“The positive news is that all EU states agreed on fighting the root causes of the refugee flow and protecting the external borders better,” said German Chancellor Angela Merkel in a press conference after the meeting. “There was a good consensus, independent from how much the states are affected by this crisis.”

Turkey also requested the unusual EU-Turkey summit, with Erdoğan joining the bloc’s 28 leaders in Brussels for the meeting, to be held at the end of November or early December.

“We want an EU-Turkey summit as soon as possible,” Merkel said. “We have a common responsibility.”

An EU official said the date for the summit would be decided only after a new government is formed in Ankara. Earlier this month Erdoğan’s AKP party won elections to regain a parliamentary majority after months of political uncertainty.

“Turkey is waiting for a political signal from Europe to move the talks forward,” an EU official said. “For them the meeting is the most important point, more than money.”

Yet officials worry that even if agreed, the €3 billion may not be enough.

“The Turks say that the summit is important for them but it is not the most important element,” said a diplomatic source close to the talks. “And they also say the €3 billion figure is not a one-off.”

The meeting will also be an opportunity to move talks forward on Turkey’s bid to join the EU, which has been stuck for several years over concerns over Erdogan’s increasingly autocratic rule. The European Commission this week published a progress report on that bid, saying Turkey still had a lot of work to do in terms of improving the rule of law and fundamental rights if it wants to join the EU.

But at a summit in September, EU leaders agreed to revisit the accession talks with Ankara if progress were made in the refugee effort. The updated deal presented by Timmermans to EU leaders reaffirmed that the EU will also pursue talks on the enlargement process, as well as on visa liberalization for Turks hoping to travel to Europe.

According to a European Commission document, priorities for how the €3 billion in EU money will be spent “should be decided jointly with the Turkish authorities,” with “priority will be given to actions providing immediate humanitarian support” for the 2.2 million Syrian refugees who live in Turkey.

In exchange Ankara will do more to intercept smugglers, will open the labor market to Syrian refugees and education for their children and will also increase readmission of illegal migrants.

Hans von der Burchard contributed to this article.

Brussels seeks Washington’s help on refugees

Europe wants military cooperation in the Med and diplomatic pressure on Gulf states.

The European Commission has sent Washington a wish list of ways the U.S. could provide help in dealing with the migration crisis, including boosting cooperation with American military forces in the Mediterranean.

An internal document prepared by Commission staff spells out areas where the EU thinks the U.S. can help it get control the flow of refugees from the Middle East to Europe. The draft proposals include efforts to stop people-smuggling in the Mediterranean, a call for Washington to put diplomatic pressure on Gulf countries to do “significantly” more to resettle Syrian refugees, and a request that the U.S. itself taken in more asylum-seekers.

The request was sent to Washington last month, according to one EU official, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The U.S. has signaled it is ready to help the EU deal with the migration crisis — and as the issue has taken on new urgency with security concerns rising in the wake of the Paris attacks.

EU leaders, including Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker and foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini, have said the refugee crisis needs a global solution.

If the proposals are agreed, the EU and U.S. would establish an “effective liaison” between Eunavfor Med, the bloc’s newly launched mission to stop people smugglers, and the U.S. Sixth Fleet, which is also deployed in the Mediterranean.

The goal, according to the working document, is to “exchange relevant operational and tactical information.”

In recent months EU officials have been holding preliminary discussions with U.S. diplomats on how such cooperation could work, a source close the talks said.

Practical ways to work together have already been discussed with the U.S. ambassador to the EU, Anthony Gardner, said another EU official.

The document, obtained by POLITICO and first reported on by the Italian daily La Stampa, emerged as the U.S. steps up its diplomatic involvement in Europe’s migration crisis. U.S. Vice President Joe Biden on Wednesday attended a summit of southeast European leaders in Zagreb, the Croatian capital, that focused on tensions and security concerns over the flow of refugees and migrants crossing the region.

That flow shows no signs of abating. As many as 5,000 asylum-seekers and migrants will reach Greece each day from Turkey between November 2015 and February 2016, according to UNCHR, the U.N. Refugee agency.

 ‘Complementary support’

The Commission’s proposals, under the headline “Potential areas of U.S. political and operational support on international migration and refugee crisis,” are part of ongoing work between administrations in Washington and Brussels and are not yet part of an official document, EU sources said.

The European suggestions are mainly divided in two areas: political and operational support, with requests addressed to both the U.S. Departments of State and Defense.

Brussels is considering asking for Washington’s support across the geographical spectrum of the refugee crisis: from the Western Balkan route refugees take when they cross from Turkey into Greece and then head north towards Germany and Sweden; to the Syrian conflict asylum-seekers are fleeing; and also the coast of Libya, from where many migrants leave to reach Sicily.

The Greek-Turkish border has become even more relevant after the Paris attacks. Greece’s deputy prime minister for citizen protection, Nikos Toskas, confirmed on Monday that two of the suspects involved in the attacks passed through the Greek island of Leros as Syrian refugees in October.

Also included among the “the key priorities” listed in the Commission’s working document is a request for the U.S. to provide “capacity-building (training, technical equipment) for transit countries, notably in Western Balkans, for border management and processing of migrants.”

The document also includes request for the U.S. State Department to “increase the number of Syrian refugees to be resettled among the U.S. global refugee quota in 2016 and 2017.”

But this call has already been fulfilled as part of the ongoing talks between the two capitals, the source close to the talks said. In September U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry said Washington will resettle at least 85,000 refugees in fiscal 2016, which began October 1, including a minimum of 10,000 Syrians.

The issue has proven controversial with the American public as the governors of several U.S. states have said they will not accept any Syrian refugees.

On Sunday Brussels will host a meeting between the leaders of the EU’s 28 countries and the prime minister of Turkey, at which a joint action plan to stem the flow of refugees is expected to be agreed upon.

The Commission, according to the working document, is considering asking the U.S. to provide “complementary support to the priorities agreed in the EU-Turkey Action Plan on migration and refugee crisis, including on humanitarian assistance and strengthening of migration management strategy and system.”

The EU could also ask for the U.S. to “provide needs-based humanitarian assistance and protection for all affected civilians” in Iraq. Last month about 26,000 Iraqis asked for asylum in Europe, making them the third-largest group of applicants after Syrians and Afghans, according to EASO, the EU asylum office.

To deal with the situation in Libya, where the U.N. is trying to foster a political agreement between the two capitals that have been running the county after the 2011 Western military intervention, the EU asks Washington to share “relevant U.S. intelligence information on smuggler business model/networks and the situation on the Libyan coast.”

It also calls for “U.S. direct or indirect support to Libya,” for example “through U.S. programs in support of the Coast Guard in Libya” as well as through “border management” and “management of irregular migration through and from Libya.”

The document also includes a similar request involving NATO member Turkey, calling on Washington to provide support to strengthen “the interception capacity of the Turkish Coast guard” and the “capacity of Turkey to combat migrant smuggling.”

Happy Thursday and welcome to Overnight Defense. I’m Ellen Mitchell, and here’s your nightly guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond. CLICK HERE to subscribe to the newsletter.

 

THE TOPLINE: The Department of Veterans Affairs’s internal watchdog is investigating Secretary Robert WilkieRobert Leon WilkieOvernight Defense: Watchdog investigating VA chief | Allegations claim Wilkie tried to discredit aide who reported sexual assault | Dem chair working to restore Pentagon funding taken for wall | Navy chief says loss of shipbuilding funds ‘not helpful’ VA watchdog investigating allegations Wilkie sought to discredit aide who reported sexual assault VA could lead way for nation on lower drug pricing MORE over allegations that he attempted to discredit an aide to a top Democrat after she reported she was sexually assaulted at the agency’s hospital.

The department’s Inspector General Michael J. Missal told representatives in a letter Thursday that he plans to open a full probe into Wilkie. 

“This matter is a high priority for our office,” he wrote in a letter to lawmakers obtained by The Hill.

The secretary denies he asked people to look up dirt on the woman, Andrea Goldstein. Goldstein is a senior policy adviser on female veterans issue on Rep. Mark TakanoMark Allan TakanoOvernight Defense: Watchdog investigating VA chief | Allegations claim Wilkie tried to discredit aide who reported sexual assault | Dem chair working to restore Pentagon funding taken for wall | Navy chief says loss of shipbuilding funds ‘not helpful’ VA watchdog investigating allegations Wilkie sought to discredit aide who reported sexual assault California lawmakers mark Day of Remembrance for Japanese internment MORE‘s (D-Calif.) team.  

The claim against Wilkie: A senior VA official claimed Wilkie told members of his staff to discredit Goldstein’s credibility after she said a man groped and propositioned her in the agency’s D.C. Medical Center, The Washington Post reported. 

The secretary allegedly told his staff that Goldstein, who also serves as an intelligence officer in the Navy reserve, filed many complaints of sexual misconduct while serving in the Navy, three current or former senior VA officials told the Post. The sources said Wilkie would share information with his senior staff on at least six occasions. 

Goldstein counters that she filed one formal complaint against a Navy department head, who she said sexually assaulted her multiple times and was removed from his position. 

Who called for an investigation: Takano was joined by six senators on the Senate’s Veteran Affairs Committee, in calling for the investigation.

“Secretary Wilkie’s decision to cast doubt, paint the individual as dishonest, and discredit her traumatic experience demonstrates VA’s continued inability to ensure women veterans are welcomed and supported by the country they have served,” the senators wrote in a letter dated Monday.

High-profile lawyer Mark Zaid, who represents the Ukraine whistleblower, is now representing Goldstein, he announced in tweets. In one tweet directed at Wilkie, he said “We intend to ensure @DeptVetAffairs takes her concerns, & those of other assault victims, seriously.”

 

NAVY CHIEF: CUTTING SHIPBUILDING FOR NUKES, BORDER WALL ‘NOT HELPFUL’: Diverting money from the Navy’s shipbuilding budget to a nuclear agency and to fund President TrumpDonald John TrumpThe Memo: Biden seeks revival in South Carolina Congress eyes billion to billion to combat coronavirus Sanders makes the case against Biden ahead of SC primary MORE‘s border wall is “not helpful,” the Navy’s top civilian told lawmakers Thursday.

“To be frank, it’s not helpful because it takes a ship out of a plan we’re driving toward,” acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly told the House Armed Services Committee on Thursday.

“It particularly is harmful in the sense that it takes a ship out of a category of ship for which we’re going to have a hard time getting to anyway,” Modly added in an apparent reference to the Virginia-class submarine.

The Navy plans to have 355 ships in 10 years.

Ship cuts anger lawmakers: Lawmakers in both parties have been fuming that the Pentagon’s budget request for fiscal 2021 would cut the Navy’s shipbuilding by $4.1 billion from this year to fund just eight new ships. Lawmakers are upset that the budget would fund one Virginia-class submarine, not two as had been previously planned.

Earlier this month, the Pentagon told Congress it was transferring $3.8 billion from various weapons programs to its counter-drug fund in order to build Trump’s southern border wall.

Budget requests lay out an administration’s priorities for the coming fiscal year, but are not binding, as Congress has the power to set spending levels. Lawmakers have indicated they are unlikely to follow the request for shipbuilding.

The second Virginia-class submarine was cut amid pressure from other lawmakers to increase funding at the National Nuclear Security Administration, which would get a nearly 20 percent boost in funding to $19.8 billion under the administration’s budget request.

Navy leaders kept out of loop: Adm. Michael Gilday, chief of naval operations, told the committee the shipbuilding cut “happened at budget endgame very quickly,” adding that Navy officials “were informed after the decision was made.”

Even before the cut, Modly said, the Navy was projecting it would take 10 years to get 49 to 50 of the 66 attack submarines it believes it needs.

Modly, Gilday and Marine Corps Commandant Gen. David Berger told the committee Thursday they were not consulted before the final decision on the $3.8 billion transfer, though Modly added that “we knew that they were looking at a variety of different options, and then at the end those options were presented to us.”

Affected programs: The total transfer for the wall includes $911 million from shipbuilding programs, including the landing helicopter assault ship replacement program and the expeditionary fast transport program.

Navy aircraft were also hit by the reprogramming, including the F-35 fighter jet, the V-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft and the Boeing P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol plane.

Navy still committed to goal: Modly insisted the Navy remains committed to its goal of a 355-ship fleet despite the cuts.

“While this budget does slow our trajectory to a force of 355 ships or more, it does not arrest it,” Modly said. “You have my personal assurance that we are so deeply committed to building that larger, more capable, more distributed naval force within what I consider a strategically relevant time frame of no more than 10 years.”

But committee chair pessimistic: Committee Chairman Adam SmithDavid (Adam) Adam SmithOvernight Defense: Watchdog investigating VA chief | Allegations claim Wilkie tried to discredit aide who reported sexual assault | Dem chair working to restore Pentagon funding taken for wall | Navy chief says loss of shipbuilding funds ‘not helpful’ House Armed Services chairman working on bill to restore Pentagon funding taken for border wall Navy head: Cutting shipbuilding for nukes, Trump border wall ‘not helpful’ MORE (D-Wash.) said the 355 ship goal is “almost meaningless at this point” since it could take decades to achieve.

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“It is great to have goals, I suppose, and we can aspire toward that number, but at this point, it seems like just that; an aspiration doesn’t translate necessarily into a strategy,” Smith said.

 

SMITH WORKING ON BILL TO RESTORE PENTAGON FUNDING: The chairman of the House Armed Services Committee is working on a bill to “claw back” the $3.8 billion the Pentagon is redirecting from weapons programs to President Trump’s border wall, he said Thursday.

“I think we can absolutely pass a bill that says we appropriated this money for these purposes in the FY20 bill, you have taken it out of all these purposes and put it here, put it back,” Chairman Adam Smith (D-Wash.) told reporters.

“Time is of the essence, and I am right now working with leadership and others to try to get a piece of legislation to the floor as quickly as is possible,” Smith added. “They robbed the bank, and they are now running away with the money. We need to stop them before they get too far.”

On the Senate side: On Wednesday, Senate Democrats introduced their own bill to reverse the Pentagon’s shifting of funds to the wall.

The issue: Earlier this month, the Pentagon notified Congress it was taking $3.8 billion from several programs and putting the money in its counter-drug fund to be used for Trump’s wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Among the programs that are losing money to the wall are the F-35 fighter jet, MQ-9 reaper drone, the P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol plane, the C-130J transport plane, the landing helicopter assault ship replacement, the expeditionary fast transport ship and unspecified equipment for the National Guard and reserves.

Separate from NDAA: Smith said the bill he is working on would be separate from the annual defense policy bill, which he said would be “too late.” Lawmakers are expected to consider the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in the spring.

Smith said it’s “possible” Republicans could support a bill to force the Pentagon to put the money back, but that he “wouldn’t bet the mortgage on it.”

Specifically, Smith said he’s talking over bill language with the staff of Rep. Mac ThornberryWilliam (Mac) McClellan ThornberryOvernight Defense: Watchdog investigating VA chief | Allegations claim Wilkie tried to discredit aide who reported sexual assault | Dem chair working to restore Pentagon funding taken for wall | Navy chief says loss of shipbuilding funds ‘not helpful’ House Armed Services chairman working on bill to restore Pentagon funding taken for border wall Overnight Defense: Lawmakers tear into Pentagon over .8B for border wall | Dems offer bill to reverse Trump on wall funding | Senators urge UN to restore Iran sanctions MORE (R-Texas), the ranking member on the Armed Services Committee.

On Wednesday, at a hearing with Defense Secretary Mark EsperMark EsperOvernight Defense: Watchdog investigating VA chief | Allegations claim Wilkie tried to discredit aide who reported sexual assault | Dem chair working to restore Pentagon funding taken for wall | Navy chief says loss of shipbuilding funds ‘not helpful’ House Armed Services chairman working on bill to restore Pentagon funding taken for border wall Bipartisan senators say Pentagon’s effort to improve military housing falls short MORE and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Gen. Mark Milley, Thornberry blasted the Trump administration for “substituting the judgment of the administration for the judgment of Congress.”

 

MARINE COMMANDANT ORDERS REMOVAL OF CONFEDERATE PARAPHERNALIA AT BASES: The Marine Corps is calling for all paraphernalia related to the Confederacy to be removed from its bases around the world. 

Commandant Gen. David Berger made the directive in a memo to senior staff that included a list of initiatives that he is “prioritizing for immediate execution,” according to a copy obtained by Military.com. It is unclear if there is a deadline for removing paraphernalia containing Confederate symbols.

“Last week, the Commandant of the Marine Corps directed specific tasks be reviewed or addressed by Headquarters Marine Corps staff,” Capt. Christopher Harrison, a spokesman, told The Hill. “Many of the tasks were published on Twitter Friday. Other tasks not published previously are mostly administrative matters.” 

“Any official policy decisions, changes or implementation plans will be published via appropriate orders and messages,” he added. 

A fierce debate: The move comes as the presence of Confederate memorials and statues continues to spark fierce debate in the U.S. The military has also been at the center of that discussion — 10 Army bases are named after military leaders of Confederate states.

In addition, Military.com noted that the directive came just a week after a congressional hearing focused on a rise in extremism in the military. 

More than a third of all active-duty troops say they have personally witnessed an example of white nationalism or ideologically driven racism from another person within their ranks in recent months, according to survey conducted by The Military Times.

Berger’s memo also called for finding additional ways to move more women into combat roles and instructed officials to review the potential of yearlong maternity leave for female Marines. It also called for parental leave policies to be extended to same-sex partners.

 

ON TAP FOR TOMORROW

Air Force Secretary Barbara Barrett, Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein, Assistant Secretary of the Air Force for acquisition Will Roper, Space and Missile Systems Center head Lt. Gen. John Thompson and Elon MuskElon Reeve MuskOvernight Defense: Watchdog investigating VA chief | Allegations claim Wilkie tried to discredit aide who reported sexual assault | Dem chair working to restore Pentagon funding taken for wall | Navy chief says loss of shipbuilding funds ‘not helpful’ Space Adventures proposes an orbital cruise on the SpaceX Dragon The real reason SpaceX hired former top NASA official MORE will speak at the Air Force Association 2020 Air Warfare Symposium beginning at 8 a.m. in Orlando, Fla. 

Acting Navy Secretary Thomas Modly will speak at a Brookings Institution discussion on “How a Modernized Navy will Compete with China and Russia,” at 9 a.m. in Washington, D.C.

 

ICYMI

— The Hill: Bipartisan senators say Pentagon’s effort to improve military housing falls short

— The Hill: US, South Korea delay military exercises as virus spreads

— The Hill: Majority of troops in survey support transgender service members in ranks

— The Hill: Saudi military students resume US flight training: report

— The Hill: Former impeachment managers clash over surveillance bill

— The Hill: Opinion: To deter war with China, US must commit to defend Taiwan

Health authorities in Oregon have confirmed what they believe is their first coronavirus case in the state, with the diagnosis marking the third known case nationally where the patient had no previous connection to anyone else with the disease.

The report comes after two patients in California appeared to become ill with the virus through so-called community spread, where the sickness spreads in completely different communities possibly due to people unknowingly carrying the virus.

Officials at the press conference did not reveal the age or gender of the Oregon patient, who is reportedly at Kaiser Permanente Westside Medical Center in Hillsboro.

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Oregon Health Authority Director Patrick Allen said the state is still awaiting confirmation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, making the case “presumptive” for now. He also said the patient was recently at a local elementary school and is an employee at Lake Oswego School District.

The local school is set to be closed and undergo a deep cleaning before students are allowed back next Wednesday.

On Friday, the World Health Organization (WHO) increased its coronavirus risk assessment to “very high,” but said it doesn’t rise to the level of a global pandemic.

China, where the virus originated, has reported nearly 79,000 total cases of the virus, including 2,791 deaths. Outside China, WHO said there are now 4,351 cases in 49 countries, and 67 deaths.

A federal appeals court has refused to expunge the criminal record of former Maricopa County, Ariz., Sheriff Joe Arpaio after President TrumpDonald John TrumpThe Memo: Biden seeks revival in South Carolina Congress eyes billion to billion to combat coronavirus Sanders makes the case against Biden ahead of SC primary MORE pardoned him during his first year in office.

Arpaio, 87, was convicted in 2017 of criminal contempt of federal court in a racial profiling case after disobeying a judge’s order to stop immigration raids in his capacity as sheriff with county taxpayer funds. He was pardoned by Trump weeks after the conviction.

A panel of three judges on the San Francisco-based 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Thursday upheld a lower court’s decision to not set aside Arpaio’s guilty conviction.

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“The district court’s judgment dismissing Arpaio’s criminal proceeding with prejudice and denying vacatur of the finding of guilt is affirmed,” Judge Jay Bybee wrote in the ruling. “Because Arpaio’s challenges to the district court’s finding of guilt are moot, we do not address them.”

As sheriff, Arpaio drew criticism for housing some prisoners under his supervision in outdoor “tent cities” and using so-called chain gangs.

In 2010, Arpaio championed Arizona’s S.B. 1070 law, which critics said encouraged local law enforcement to racially profile Latinos. The Supreme Court struck down several provisions of the law in 2012.

The former sheriff previously ran in the Arizona Republican Senate primary to replace retiring Sen. Jeff Flake (R) but lost to Martha McSallyMartha Elizabeth McSallyAppeals court refuses to throw out Joe Arpaio’s guilty verdict after Trump pardon The Hill’s Morning Report – Presented by Facebook – Trump on US coronavirus risks: ‘We’re very, very ready for this’ GOP, Democrats hash out 2020 strategy at dueling retreats MORE, who was then defeated by Sen. Kirsten Sinema (D) in the general election. McSally was later appointed to the Senate to succeed interim Sen. Jon Kyl (R), who filled Sen. John McCainJohn Sidney McCainFox’s Britt McHenry confirms brain tumor, says she’s got ‘amazing medical team’ President Trump is weak against Bernie Sanders in foreign affairs Appeals court refuses to throw out Joe Arpaio’s guilty verdict after Trump pardon MORE‘s (R) seat following his death in 2018.

EPP tension on energy security

The European Parliament’s largest grouping is divided on how to better coordinate energy policy.

The European People’s Party’s effort to push EU institutions to cooperate more closely on energy diplomacy is creating friction between MEPs from western and central and eastern Europe, who are divided over how to reduce dependency on Russian gas.

The European Parliament’s largest grouping (a political family to which European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker, European Council President Donald Tusk and Miguel Arias Cañete, the climate action and energy commissioner, all belong), is holding a meeting beginning Thursday in Katowice, Poland.

A draft policy paper, seen by POLITICO, spells out three options for getting Brussels to speak with a unified voice on external energy security matters.

The first option calls for the creation of a new office within the European External Action Service, the EU’s diplomacy branch, which could better coordinate the work of the EU’s foreign policy chief and relevant commissioners.

The second takes a milder tone, calling on the Commission to set up “a permanent cluster” to better integrate policy,  while the third one calls only for “regular coordination” between Federica Mogherini, the EU’s foreign policy chief, and the commissioners.

MEPs from CEE countries, where gas dependency on Russia is higher, support the text calling for the creation of the special office, which they see as a tangible step towards a policy that would allow the bloc to speak with a single voice in talks with Russia and Gazprom. However, members from western and northern Europe are wary of spawning more red tape.

Officials close to MEPs from both central and western Europe have confirmed there are disagreements on this issue.

“The need for more coordination is clear but I think we don’t need to create more bureaucracy,” said group vice-president Françoise Grossetête, a French MEP who guided the draft drawn up by EPP’s working groups on economy and environment and foreign affairs together with Poland’s Jacek Saryusz-Wolski.

Grossetête, who sits on the Parliament’s environment committee and is also a member of the EU-Russia parliamentary cooperation committee, would prefer the third option. More cooperation between Mogherini and the commissioners is “indispensable,” she said.

EU foreign affairs ministers reached the same conclusion at their meeting on July 20. While they then gave a thumbs-up to the EU’s energy diplomacy action plan, which the Commission and Mogerini’s office had jointly drafted, they also said that “systematic efforts should be made for the EU to speak with one voice on major energy issues both in bilateral relations and in multilateral frameworks,” according to the minutes.

The draft EPP paper also calls for setting up a collective purchasing system at the regional level, “where member states could voluntarily introduce a common negotiating mechanism and create regional hubs for further expansion of the gas supply infrastructure.”

This is similar to a proposal from the Commission, which waters down an idea originally suggested by Tusk when he was still prime minister of Poland that called on EU countries to set up  a joint purchasing body to negotiate gas deals with Russia.

MEPs also have diverging views on this topic and will try to agree on a compromise at the meeting in Poland.

Christian Egenhofer, head of the energy and climate program at the Brussels-based Centre for European Policy Studies, said the difference of opinion among EPP members reflects long-standing divisions between EU countries on how to tackle energy issues.

“The split is along the same lines,” he said. “Member states don’t agree on most energy policy matters. They have very different views on Russia and even if you create a new office that discusses it, you don’t get around the issue of consensus.”

Around 60 of the grouping’s 218 MEPs will be in Katowice to discuss the draft text. If a compromise is found, all EPP members will then vote on the proposed policy paper during a group meeting either at the first or second parliamentary plenary sessions in Strasbourg. The first session starts on September 7.