Lima Charlie's U.S./D.C. Week-End Brief

|10th of June – Lima Charlie’s U.S./Washington End-of-Week News Briefing:

#POTUS announced he will be endorsing presumptive Democratic Nominee #HillaryClinton. Within 90 minutes of meeting with the Presidential Candidate, President Obama posted a video to Mrs. Clinton’s Facebook page citing support for the former Secretary of State: “I don’t think there’s ever been someone so qualified to hold this office…and I say that as someone who had to debate her more than 20 times.” White House Press Secretary confirmed later today that the President’s video should be taken as a joint endorsement by First Lady Michelle Obama as well.

The race to secure #POTUS2016 has officially begun. As the last big night of a historic #USPresidentialPrimarySeason came to a close, Hillary Clinton alighted upon the Brooklyn Navy Yard Tuesday night under very different circumstances from those she faced 8 years ago. Clinton took her place in history as the first woman in the U.S.’s 240-year lifespan to secure the presidential ticket of a major political party. Declaring victory in California, New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota, Clinton ended her 8-year quest for the heart of the #Democratic nomination amongst a crowd of #Brooklyn supporters, setting her sights on defeating #GOP candidate #DonaldTrump.

Despite Clinton’s victory, Vermont Senator #BernieSanders vowed to soldier on, fighting for every delegate at the Philadelphia convention. The Senator, at his own request, met with #POTUS on Thursday and walked side-by-side along the Rose Garden before taking to the podium. Sanders announced a new priority for his campaign, just 4 days ahead of the Democratic primary in Washington D.C, which he pledged he would still be competing in: making Statehood for the District a key focus of his platform in the nation’s capital. “It does not make sense,” he said, “that the state of Vermont has about the same number of residents that Washington D.C. has, except we have two US Senators and one Congressman…while D.C. does not.”

Sanders remains determined to continue raising money and making public appearances despite Clinton’s presumptive nomination and 547 pledged superdelegates, hoping to persuade unpledged superdelegates. While the nomination is unlikely, Sanders seeks that his views be reflected in the party’s official platform, such as regulation of big banks, supporting the initiative for free public college, and changes to the nomination process including the abolition of superdelegates. The Democratic Party has incentive to listen with half to three quarters of Sanders’ supporters willing to vote for Clinton. While Clinton could beat Trump with current numbers, Sanders’ support will increase this likelihood.

#RIP: An estimated 14,000 people gathered on Thursday for the funeral of legendary icon #MuhammadAli who passed away last Friday night at 74. The #Muslim services include a three-day Louisville, Kentucky memorial with a citywide cultural festival, an Islamic funeral prayer program, and a star-studded public memorial, with such dignitaries as Bill Clinton and former heavyweight champ Lennox Lewis. Ali’s eulogy will be read by comedian Billy Crystal, Bill Clinton, Bryant Gumbel, and Attallah Shabazz, Malcolm X’s eldest daughter. Just some of #LimaCharlie staff’s all-time favorite Ali quotes:

“I done wrestled with an alligator, I done tussled with a whale; handcuffed lightning, thrown thunder in jail; only last week, I murdered a rock, injured a stone, hospitalised a brick; I’m so mean I make medicine sick.”

“I should be a postage stamp, because that’s the only way I’ll ever get licked. I’m beautiful. I’m fast. I’m so mean I make medicine sick. I can’t possibly be beat.”

“Joe Frazier is so ugly that when he cries, the tears turn around and go down the back of his head.”

“I know I got it made while the masses of black people are catchin’ hell, but as long as they ain’t free, I ain’t free.”

“I said I was ‘The Greatest,’ I never said I was the smartest!”

“I’m just hoping that people understand that Islam is peace and not violence.”

“Only a man who knows what it is like to be defeated can reach down to the bottom of his soul and come up with the extra ounce of power it takes to win when the match is even.”

“Impossible is just a big word thrown around by small men who find it easier to live in the world they’ve been given than to explore the power they have to change it. Impossible is not a fact. It’s an opinion. Impossible is not a declaration. It’s a dare. Impossible is potential. Impossible is temporary. Impossible is nothing.”

“I wish people would love everybody else the way they love me. It would be a better world.”

Muhammad Ali devoted his life to helping promote world peace, civil rights, cross-cultural understanding, interfaith relations, humanitarianism, hunger relief, and the commonality of basic human values. Ali’s extraordinary philanthropic accomplishments can be found here: Muhammad Ali philanthropy

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To #Russia with love:
Meanwhile, this week 14,000 U.S. troops joined in #OperationNATOAnakonda16 – the largest military exercise since the end of the Cold War – now in full swing from 07-17 June. Stated goal: #NATO seeks to boost its presence in #Poland “defending” Europe’s Eastern flank [and send a clear message to Russia]. #Anakonda16 – conjuring the image of an enormous snake moving eastward – consists of 24 NATO and partner countries, with 31,000 soldiers, 3000 vehicles, 12 ships and 105 aircraft. The operation includes night-time helicopter assaults, tanks mobilized in endless formations, and even the deployment of U.S. 82nd Airborne paratroopers to help construct a temporary bridge over the Vistula river. #LimaCharlie team members could not stop watching this captivating high production promotional video here.

The #USArmy has just released a $2000 all-in-one SuperHuman Hearing system that not only improves a soldier’s battlefield hearing, but minimizes the noise of background weapon fire. The system is called Tactical Communication and Protective System and is currently being tested to units out in the field, allowing soldiers to hear sounds that the naked human ear could not discern. The technology is critical because past attempts at such a feat have been accompanied by a trade-off: these systems dampen the decibels of human voices and the wearer can’t tell what direction the sound is coming from—a crucial requirement in the midst of war.

In #USForeignAffairs, according to sources at #AFRICOM, the US confirmed the killing of 2 senior #AlShabaab members in Somalia Operations, including the so-called Garissa Attack mastermind Mohamad Dulyadayn, who is believed to have led the attack in Kenya in April of 2015 that killed 148 people.

The number of US weekly claims for #unemployment benefits dropped by 4,000 for the week ending on June 4, despite the addition of only 38,000 jobs in May, the smallest gain since September 2010. With claims for unemployment benefits rising every other week, the surprising drop usually reserved to job increases could be explained only by the strength in the labor market, with layoffs falling to their lowest level since September 2014. The strength of the labor market will determine when the rise of interest rates by the central bank will occur.

U.S. #oil prices fell on Thursday, after a three-day rally settling at $50.56 a barrel after hitting a new 2016 high at $51.67. Continuous threats by militants against Nigeria’s oil industry and fear that more security incidents could impact supplies worldwide, however, limited losses in crude.

The Dow Jones industrial average inched up 17.95 points and closed at 17,938.28, while the Standard & Poor’s 500 index edged up 2.72 points to 2,112.13.

The #USDollar plummeted after Friday’s jobs report, resulting in many investors settling on the notion that the Federal Reserve will not raise interest rates any time in the near future. Meanwhile, the needle hardly moved on metal prices. Gold dropped 40 cents to $1,247 an ounce, silver fell 5 cents, and copper dropped one cent.

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Lima Charlie provides global news, analysis and opinion by military veterans and service members Worldwide.