Rabu, 30 November 2016

American criticism of Cuba on human rights is total hypocrisy, given US history of terrorizing the island - Salon

Revolutionary leader Fidel Castro died this week at age 90. The former Cuban president, known as El Comandante, survived 10 U.S. presidential administrations — and also hundreds of assassination attempts by the CIA.

Many in the U.S. government criticized the socialist leader and the Republic of Cuba he helped establish after a 1959 revolution against a U.S.-backed right-wing dictatorship. Immediately after Castro's death, President-elect Donald Trump took to Twitter to dismiss Castro as a "brutal dictator"— days before the far-right demagogue made the draconian proposal that the citizenship of Americans should be revoked for burning the U.S. flag in protest (something protected by the Constitution).

In February when the U.S. government eased some of its harsh sanctions against Cuba after five decades, President Barack Obama condemned the huma n rights record of the tiny island nation. "America will always stand for human rights around the world," he insisted.

This is ludicrous to hear from the leader of a country that's now bombing[1] six Muslim-majority countries[2] and helping grind impoverished, hunger-stricken Yemen[3] into dust. Not to mention that Obama leads a superpower that imprisons the most people in the world[4],  forces refugees and migrants into privatized, for-profit, internment camp-like[5] detention centers and deports millions[6] of them. Plus the U.S. props up brutal dictatorships in the Gulf and beyond and unarmed black people are repeatedly killed by police and indigenou s "water protectors[7]" are brutalized.

Yet the hypocrisy of the U.S. criticizing Cuba over human rights is even harder to grasp when one considers that the part of Cuba with the worst human rights practices is the area controlled by the U.S.

At the Guantánamo Bay naval base, the U.S. has imprisoned hundreds of people without trial; many have been tortured. President Obama has pledged countless times to close it; he campaigned in 2008 on such a promise. Yet it remains open — with many of its former prisoners released, but still open nonetheless.

The Cuban government considers the U.S. military base at Guantánamo Bay to be on illegally occupied[8] turf. The U.S. considers Guantánamo its rightful property; after all, the U.S. seized it when it turned Cuba from a Spanish colony into a de facto U.S. colony in the bloody Spanish-American War of 1898.

Torture is by no means the only human rights abuse committed on this soil, nor are U.S. crimes from the post-9/11 period. In the early 1990s, Guantánamo Bay was used to detain Haitian refugees who had fled a regime initiated by a CIA-backed coup[9] in their impoveri shed country. The administrations of both George H.W. Bush and Bill Clinton used the HIV/AIDS scare to justify forcing tens of thousands of desperate Haitians into what a U.S. federal judge described[10] as a squalid "HIV prison camp."

The evident contradiction of American politicians making such moralistic pronouncements is further compounded by the history of U.S.-backed terrorism in Cuba.

As Salon detailed in a previous story, the U.S. has terrorized Cuba for more than 50 years[11], since Castro led the revolution that freed his country from the yolk of American imperialism. Scholar Noam Chomsky has called U.S. policy in Cuba a "terrorist campaign[12]" and a decades-long "murderous terrorist war[13]."

In 1978 Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and historian Garry Wills wrote[14] in The New York Times about the U.S. "campaign of terror and sabotage directed against Castro." Even establishment historian Arthur Schlesinger, who advised president John Kennedy and his brother Robert, spoke of the U.S. attempt to unleash "the terrors of the earth" on postrevolutionary Cuba.

Two years after the Cuban revolution of 1959, the U.S. launched a military invasion of island, attempting to violently overth row a government that it admitted was very popular and killing and wounding hundreds of Cubans, perhaps thousands according to some estimates.

Former U.S. attorney general Robert Kennedy wrote in notes about a 1961 White House meeting, "My idea is to stir things up on island with espionage, sabotage, gender disorder, run & operated by Cubans themselves." He added that that "no time, money, effort — or manpower — be spared." People at the White House meeting discussed using chemicals to incapacitate Cuban sugar workers and considered encouraging "gangster elements" on the island.

What has been the U.S. government's goal since then? Since the 1960s, it has strived to, in the words[15] of Lester Mallory, the former deputy assistant secretary of state for inter-American affairs, "bring about hunger, desperation and overthrow" of Cuba's revolutionary government, to "decrease monetary and real wages" through "disenchantment and disaffection based on economic dissatisfaction and hardship."

In order to do so, the U.S. imposed a destructive and crippling unilateral embargo on Cuba for 55 years, an embargo that has taken a huge toll on the country' civilian population and that that has been vigorously opposed by much of the international[16] community.

The U.S. pressure has not just been economic; it has often been violent. From 1959 to 2006, the CIA reportedly pursued at least 638 assassination attempts against Castro, according to Cuban intelligence. The documentary film "638 Ways to Kill Castro[17]," produced by the U.K.'s public media network Channel 4, detailed a vast array of failed murder strategies organized by the United States.

Cuban civilians have also been killed by right-wing terrorists trained by the CIA and harbored by the U.S. government: Luis Posada Carriles, called "the Osama bin Laden of L atin America," previously worked for the CIA — though the FBI later designated him a terrorist. A declassified[18] U.S. government document shows Posada Carriles likely planned the 1976 bombing of Cubana airlines' Flight 455, which killed 73 people. Today, he lives in Miami[19], according to Diario Las Américas.

Sim ilarly, when asked in "638 Ways to Kill Castro" if he had been behind the civilian airliner bombing, U.S.-backed exiled Cuban terrorist Orlando Bosch replied, "I'm supposed to say no," before going on to insist that anything is justified in war against Castro. Bosch infamously declared, "All of Castro's planes are warplanes," including civilian Cuban aircraft. Even Dick Thornburgh, U.S. attorney general under presidents Ronald Reagan and George Bush senior, called Bosch "an unrepentant terrorist." (Bosch died of old age in Miami in 2011.)

U.S. plots to destabilize and overthrow Cuba's government have continued through the Obama administration, through the terms of all presidents, regardless of party. In 2014, two more schemes were exposed — one relying on a fake Twitter-like website[20] created by the U.S. Agency for International Development to spread anti-government misinformation and another involving infiltration of Cuba's hip-hop scene[21] in an effort to stir up dissent.

In other words, after 57 years and countless foiled plots, the most powerful country in the world failed to crush a country that waged a revolution against it, and a tiny island nation that withstood its constant wrath.

Despite the incredible hardship and the concerted effort to destroy it, Cuba has endured. It still managed to create some of the best health care[22] and education systems in the world. The revolution transformed a former U.S. colony plagued by health problems, illiteracy and extremely uneven development into a country with the best education system[23] in Latin America and one with a lower infant mortality rate than that of the U.S.

Yes, Cuba does not have the standards of living of industrialized Western countries. But these countries developed their economies through centuries of colonialism, imperialism, enslavement of human beings and brutal exploitation of foreign lands. Comparisons to Cuba are almost always out of context; it is not contrasted with neighboring countries like, say, Haiti (where the U.S. has backed two coups since 1991 and where the U.S. worked with multinational corporations to block a minimum wage[24] increase to a paltry $0.62, leaving it at a mere $0.31 per hour).

There would be much to gain from a nuanced discussion of Castro's legacy — preferably one conducted by the Cuban people itself. There should be a hard look both at the enormous benefits and gains of but also at the real failures and problems with the Cuban government. Yet the U.S. is in no position to make such judgments; it has tried, ceaselessly, for more than five decades, to crush that government.

References

  1. ^ now bombing (www.salon.com)
  2. ^ Muslim-majority countries (www.salon.com)
  3. ^ impoverished, hunger-stricken Yemen (www.salon.com)
  4. ^ imprisons the most people in the world (www.nytimes.com)
  5. ^ internment camp-like (www.latimes.com)
  6. ^ deports millions (www.salon.com)
  7. ^ indigenous "water protectors (www.salon.com)
  8. ^ illegally occupied (www.washingtonpost.com)
  9. ^ CIA-backed coup (www.democracynow.org)
  10. ^ described (www.nytimes.com)
  11. ^ the U.S. has terrorized Cuba for more than 50 years (www.salon.com)
  12. ^ terrorist campaign (chomsky.info)
  13. ^ murderous terrorist war (books.google.com)
  14. ^ wrote (www.nytimes.com)
  15. ^ words (history.state.gov)
  16. ^ opposed by much of the international (www.salon.com)
  17. ^ 638 Ways to Kill Castro (www.theguardian.com)
  18. ^ declassified (www.miamiherald.com)
  19. ^ Miami (www.diariolasamericas.com)
  20. ^ fake Twitter-like website (www.washingtonpost.com)
  21. ^ infiltration of Cuba's hip-hop scene (www.reuters.com)
  22. ^ best health care (www.independent.co.uk)
  23. ^ best education system (www.huffingtonpost.com)
  24. ^ block a minimum wage (www.businessinsider.com)
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It's Open (Letter) Season on Trump: Column - USA TODAY

That's a lot of missives to The Donald — I thought I'd see what I could make of this digital tsunami.

Dear President-elect Trump:

Ever since your election, I've been asking myself[1] what I, an ordinary citizen, could do to help you prepare for the awesome burden of responsibility you're about to assume. So I decided to help out by reading your mail.

I hope you don't mind. I don't think I'm violating any federal laws here; I haven't hacked your private e-mail server or anything like that.

And I'm not acting on behalf of WikiLeaks or Edward Snowden or the Russian government.

I simply noticed that an awful lot of the people seeking your attention as you plot your White House agenda have chosen to do so by writing you open letters that are easily accessible to anyone with Internet access.

My sense that this has become the go-to format for  supplicants seeking presidential favor was confirmed when my first Google search[2] for the phrase "an open letter to President-elect Trump" yielded 24,000 results. (Since then, it has kept going up.)

That's a lot of open letters (Does anyone dash off notes meant for one person anymore?), and I figured that whoever is responsible for managing this digital tsunami could use some help sorting and summarizing it.

The range of people and organizations with urgent messages is breathtaking: In a first pass, I discovered open letters from university presidents[3], anti-abortion activists[4], rape survivors[5], the Greater Coachella Valley (Ariz.) Chamber of Commerce[6], and David Miscavige[7], royal imperial galactic sovereign and protector of galaxies, (who describes himself as a "fellow global leader" and "goodwill ambassador for the Church of Scientology," although he appears not to be on the payroll there).

There is even a website called LetterToDonaldTrump.com[8], which bills itself as "your place to leave an open letter to the 45th President-elect of the U.S."

But the authors of these missives fall roughly into one of two broad categories: people who are afraid you won't actually do any of the things you've promised to do, and people who are afraid you will.

I've tried to include examples of both groups in the sampling I've provided here. (In each case, I've included an executive summary as well as a link to the actual letter; I know how you feel about information that's been filtered by gutter-dwelling professional journalists such as myself, most of whom should have been deported long ago; although, like many of my colleagues, I like to imagine you were only kidding when you said all those thi ngs, many of which were "not nice," and even "sad!")

From Catholics

Most voters understand the difference between the aspirations presidential candidates invoke on the campaign trail and things a victorious candidate can expect to accomplish in office.

But not everyone makes this crucial distinction, as this letter from an organization called Catholic Vote[9] suggests:

You boldly offered very specific promises including 1) Defunding Planned Parenthood, 2) Nominating pro-life justices to the Supreme Court, 3) Signing new legislation to protect religious liberty, including the First Amendment Defense Act, and 4) Supporting greater access to school choice . . .Your backing of these policies, combined with your pledges to protect life and religious liberty, enabled the Trump-Pence ticket to win Catholic voters in Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Wisconsin — giving you the necessary votes to deliver victory.

The letter excerpted above hints at the disappointment some literal-minded Catholics may feel if you fail to translate their aspirations into concrete government policies,

But I wouldn't worry about it too much. After all, if you can't figure out how to repeal Roe v. Wade in the next four years, who are these voters going to turn to? Elizabeth Warren?

From Elizabeth Warren

Speaking of the senior senator from Massachusetts, it seems she has written you an open letter[10], too:

During your campaign … you promised that you would "not be controlled by the donors, special interests and lobbyists who have corrupted our politics and politicians for far too long," and that you would "drain the swamp" in Washington, D.C.  Now it is time to live up to those promises. Unfortunately, you already appear to be failing. Within days of your election, you have elevated a slew of Wall Street bankers, industry insiders, and special interest lobbyists to your transition team. Even more are rumored to be named as potential cabinet members. Based on public reports, your transition team and your potential cabinet include over 20 Wall Street elites, industry insiders, and lobbyists making decisions that could have huge implications for their clients or employers.

I think you see where Warren is going here. Warren is not your frien d.

POLICING THE USA: A look at race, justice, media[11] ​

 

From a hip-hop music magnate

Not all liberals are as eager to distance themselves from you as Sen. Warren is. Among those who hope to appeal to your progressive side is Def Jam Recordings founder Russell Simmons, who calls himself an old friend and says in his open letter [12]to you that it's time to come home to your Manhattan homeboys:

You have many progressive friends from New York. … It is time to bring them back into your circle, so you can get honest advice from people who have known you for years. Those who have surrounded you during the campaign have offered some very dangerous policies that would hurt people and the planet, which I want to believe you still care about. The far right wing and the alt-right were your most staunch supporters, but those people are not your friends and you know that. You have the chance to be the first true independent president this country has ever seen, but your radical beliefs you ran on during your campaign must be addressed.

I can hear you rolling your eyes, sir. Or maybe you were just distracted by that Saturday Night Live skit CNN keeps playing over and over. But Russell Simmons is one of those guys who may come in handy sometime in the next four years. (You know what I'm talking a bout.)

Maybe send him tickets to one of the lesser inaugural balls?

From the makers of Ben & Jerry's

An open letter affords its author the opportunity to address many target audiences besides the primary one. This missive [13]from the folks at Ben & Jerry's is a case in point, reminding a customer base that is a teensy bit more left-leaning than your own that the Vermont-based company has not abandoned them:

We stand with women, people of color, Muslims, migrants, refugees, the LGBTQ community, the poor, and others whose lives may be further compromised by the policies and rhetoric you espoused during your campaign. And we commit to stand with you if your work is toward building a more just, equitable, and sustainable world.

You get the drift, sir: Ben & Jerry's is headquartered about an hour east of Burlington, Vermont, where Bernie Sanders began his political career. They're not averse to being pleasantly surprised if you throw a few bones their way. But they're not planning to name a new ice cream flavor in your honor any time soon.

 

From Pravda

Of all the congratulatory messages pouring in from overseas, few are as sickeningly obsequious effusive as this open letter from Lisa Karpova[14], a columnist for the Russian online newpaper Pravda.ru, who gushes:

I hope you have even a small idea of the huge sigh of relief going across the globe. Your victory has saved the planet from the globalists, from Clinton and her determination to take things over the edge to the unthinkable. World War 3.

Karpova invites you to visit Moscow on May 9, the anniversary of Nazi Germany's surrender to the Soviet Union and suggests that "you will be surprised by what you find when you meet Vladimir Putin and see that Russia has a form of democracy that works for the circumstances that are unique to Russia."

A cautionary note here: While Karpova is a huge Putin fan, her online publication is no longer the official organ of the Communist Party, and it's not clear that she speaks for Putin in the same way that, say, Steve Bannon speaks for you.

But I don't think you have to worry about losing the Russian press.

P.S.: Got your text about Karpova. Not much online in the way of photos. But yes, I'll try to find out what she looks like.

From the National Press Club

A lot of the open letters I've reviewed are from various elites whose irrelevance was decisively established by your electoral victory. Their hysterical protestations of their continuing significance are typified by this plea[15] from the National Press Club, which unreasonably suggests that you should continue to observe the rules of engagement observed by the less media-savvy presidents who preceded you:

As the new leader of the free world, we expect that you will preserve longstanding traditions that ensure coverage of the Trump presidency. The idea of a press pool that covers all of the president's movements is one that dates back to the Franklin Delano Roosevelt administration. Every president of both parties has treated this important tradition with respect. The role of the press pool is critically important to our country, whose citizens depend on and deserve to know what the president is doing. This isn't about access for the press itself, it's about access for Americans in diverse communities across the country.

No need to dignify this with a response. If White House reporters want to ask you a question, they can tweet at you like anyone else.

Brian Dickerson is a columnist for  The Detroit Free Press, where this piece was first published[16]. 

You can read diverse opinions from our Board of Contributors and other writers on the Opinion front page, on Twitter @USATOpinion and in our daily Opinion newsletter. To submit a letter, comment or column, check our submission guidelines.[17][18][19] [20][21]

Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/2gbEpnW

References

  1. ^ I've been asking myself (www.usatoday.com)
  2. ^ Google search (www.google.com)
  3. ^ university presidents (www.insidehighered.com)
  4. ^ anti-abortion activists (www.womenofgrace.com)
  5. ^  rape survivors (www.thestranger.com)
  6. ^ Greater Coachella Valley (Ariz.) Chamber of Commerce (www.usatoday.com)
  7. ^ David Miscavige (otviiiisgrrr8.com)
  8. ^ LetterToDonaldTrump.com (ettertodonaldtrump.com)
  9. ^ this letter from an organization called Catholic Vote (www.catholicvote.org)
  10. ^ written you an open letter (www.warren.senate.gov)
  11. ^ race, justice, media (preview.usatoday.com)
  12. ^ his open letter  (clizbeats.com)
  13. ^ This missive  (secure.benjerry.com)
  14. ^ this open letter from Lisa Karpova (www.usatoday.com)
  15. ^ this plea (www.press.org)
  16. ^ first published (www.usatoday.com)
  17. ^ Board of Contributors (preview.usatoday.com)
  18. ^ Opinion front page (preview.usatoday.com)
  19. ^ @USATOpinion (preview.usatoday.com)
  20. ^ Opinion newsletter (profile.usatoday.com)
  21. ^ submission guidelines (preview.usatoday .com)
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3 fatalities so far in Sevier fires; 15K acres burned - WFAA.com

GATLINBURG - 7 a.m. Update (Nov. 30, 2016) Gatlinburg city officials are asking customers to conserve their use of water as much as possible.

The firefighting activities combined with the water loss from burned structure has placed a significant demand on water resources in Gatlinburg.

City leaders are also advising for customers to boil water prior to drinking it or using it for food preparation. A water boil is in place due to the heavy demand on the city's water system.

Authorities advise customers to strain water through a clean cloth to remove any sediment that may be present, and to heat the water to a boil for up to a minute to insure disinfection.

On Wednesday,  the Knoxville Police Department deployed a search and rescue team[1] to first responders in Gatlinburg and Pigeon Forge.

6 a.m. UPDATE (Nov. 30, 2016): Emergency crews worked through their second consecutive night into Wednesday morning to stop deadly fires burning in Sevier County.

A strong storm system[2] is moving through East Tennessee, and while it promises to bring plenty of rain beneficial in keeping fires from spreading -- it also brings more gusting winds that could potentially make firefighting efforts more difficult. Some areas could see anywhere from 2 to 5 inches of rain, and minor flooding could also be a concern if the rains pour in the same area for to o long.

A tornado watch is in effect for Loudon, [3]Monroe[4] and Roane counties[5] through 11 a.m. ET Wednesday.

No new information has been given on the status of the fire or the number of injuries since Tuesday afternoon. Three people in different parts of Gatlinburg where confirmed to have died between Monday and Tuesday, and more than 15,000 acres have burned in the last two nights. Officials are calling this the worst fire for Tennessee in 100 years.

The next briefing on the status of the fire and potential casualties is scheduled for 11 a.m. Wednesday.

The status of a few buildings in the Gatlinburg area that were either reported intact or were claimed by the fire can be found here. [6]

Both Sevier and Cocke County schools will be closed again tomorrow.

The Red Cross is accepting donations, and you can easily donate money to relief efforts on your mobile phone by texting "REDCROSS" to 90999.

WBIR will continue its on-air coverage of the fire starting tomorrow at 4:30 a.m. You can watch on Channel 10 or live on our Facebook page[7].

6 PM UPDATE: The National Park Service said Tuesday night the fires in Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Gatlinburg area have burned an estimated 15,000 acres so far.

Starting Wednesday, ongoing fires will be managed by a team of federal and state team members from around the nation. The team is used in times of natural disasters, according to the Park Service.

Also, the LeConte Lodge up on Mt. LeConte escaped fire damage. Historic cabins in the Elkmont Campground area saw roof damage because of high winds that struck late Tuesday and early Wednesday.

Some roof repairs will be needed, according to the Park Service.

4:15PM UPDATE: The bodies of three people have been found so far in the aftermath of this week's wildfires in Sevier County, officials said Tuesday.

Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters called the discovery "devastating news." The names of the dead have not been released while authoriti es contact family members, he said.

"We extend our prayers to the families," Waters said at a 4 p.m. press conference.

Gov. Bill Haslam said the blaze, which spread rapidly Monday afternoon, was the state's largest in the last 100 years. About 100 pieces of fire equipment on hand as well as some 400 personnel working to put out lingering fires, he said.

"This is a special place in the state of Tennessee," Haslam said. "Millions of families have come here and will continue to come here."

Many people have "heavy hearts" about the fire, the governor said, but he also pledged that Gatlinburg and areas affected by the fire will rebound. He added he had just spoken with President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President-Elect Mike Pence about the disaster.

A curfew will be in place from 6 p.m. Tuesday to 6 a.m. Wednesday in Gatlinburg, officials said.

U.S. Rep. Phil Roe of Johnson City praised emergency workers who worked late Monday and early Tu esday to clear people out from homes amid the fires.

"I'm convinced the death toll would be much higher if not for their quick decisions," Roe said.

Gatlinburg Fire Department Chief Greg Miller said firefighters were encountering multiple downed trees and power poles that impeded their progress. Roads can't be opened until blockages are cleared, he said.

Miller also noted more high winds could move in late Tuesday and early Wednesday, further complicating firefighting efforts. The projected storms are expected to bring more rain.

Firefighters still are battling hotspots in the town, he said. 

Mayor Mike Werner of Gatlinburg said both he and City Manager Cindy Ogle lost homes in the blaze.

"It's a little numbing to be honest with you to see the extent of the damage," Haslam said.

Fires broke out in so many different places, the governor said, that is was a "mini-miracle" that firefighters were able to keep the damage to what it was.< /p>

Waters said about 70 structures suffered damage in the Wears Valley area and 70 structures suffered damage in the Cobbly Nob area near Pittman Center.

Haslam said the disaster is affecting thousands.

"I have so many friends who I have heard from this morning who have said, 'I've lost my house,' " the governor told 10News.

3:58 UPDATE:  Knox County has sent a mobile unit from its forensic center to Sevier County, Michael Grider, communication director for Knox County, has confirmed. 

Grider would not say whether anyone has been killed from the fires but said the only time as unit is sent is when a local jurisdiction requests one. 

A mobile unit that often serves as mobile morgue since it can store bodies in a controlled environment.

Also, Pigeon Forge has halted evacuations and most busines ses there are now open.

3:45 PM UPDATE: The town of Gatlinburg says that because of this week's wildfires it is canceling the annual "Fantasy of Lights" Christmas parade that was set for Friday, Dec. 2.

Also, more than 120 Tennessee Army National Guard soldiers are set to arrive in East Tennessee later Tuesday to help Sevier County Emergency Management personnel with transporting  first responders. They'll also be removing "light debris" and checking on residents affected by the fires.

The soldiers are based in towns that range from Maryville to Newport to Knoxville. 

"The Tennessee National Guard is uniquely qualified to not only fight our nation's wars, but also to respond to emergency operations here at home," Maj. Gen. Max Haston, Tennessee Adjutant General, states in a news release.  "We are working closely with the Tennessee Emergency Management Agency, numerous other state agencies and the local responders in Sevier and surrounding counties to assist in whatever is required to save lives and property."

2:15 P.M. UPDATE: From Gov. Haslam:  "We will do all we can in the coming days and weeks to help these communities rebuild and recover. The state has worked with local officials to provide a coordinated, multi-agency response to help evacuate residents and visitors and contain the fires, and we are grateful to the emergency personnel who have worked tirelessly to help in these efforts."

1:30 PM UPDATE: Gov. Bill Haslam, the director of the state's emergency management agency and others are expected to review fire sites in Sevier County at 2:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Earlier Tuesday, Haslam tweeted that the state was providing "coordinated resources including National Guard to help Gatlinburg, all those affected by devastating fires in (Great Smoky Mountains National Park)."

Meanwhile Gatlinburg emergency dispatchers are aski ng that people refrain from calling 911 unless it's a dire emergency. They are swamped with calls and are struggling to keep up with demand.

12:30 PM UPDATE: Gatlinburg officials say they are not aware so far of fatalities from overnight fires, but injury reports continue to come in.

LeConte Medical Center has taken a total of 16 patients related to the fire, five or six of whom were transferred to University of Tennessee Medical Center, according to marketing manager Amanda Paletz. One person was released.

The medical center continues to receive patients, according to Paletz. LeConte Medical Center is one of the nearest treatment centers in Sevier County

According to UTMC spokesman Jim Ragonese, the hospital in Knoxville has received at least 10 patients with injuries that range from critical to minor.

Three people who suffered severe burns in the fires have been transferred to Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashv ille. They remain in critical condition, according to WSMV-TV.

Great Smoky Mountains National Park remains closed today as authorities assess the damage.

Among the many locations evacuated late Monday was the Tremont Institute, a non-profit park partner, on the Townsend side of the park.

As a precaution,  according to marketing manager Heather Davis, more than 100 students, teachers and staff from the campus were moved. They were taken by bus to Maryville church that's been designated as a Red Cross shelter.

Visiting students and teachers then were picked up by buses form their school systems and taken to their homes, according to Davis.

Tremont's staff is staying away from the site for the moment, according to Davis.

"Although there was no immediate danger of fire at Tremont, Great Smoky Mountains National Park is closed due to downed limbs and more severe destruction on the Gatlinburg side of the park. Programming will resume when it' s safe.

11 AM UPDATE: More than 400 firefighters so far have spent the past two days battling wildfires that have devastated Sevier County and led to the evacuation of 14,000 residents, destroyed hundreds of structures, burned down 70 homes and taken out large swaths of the area.

However, so far no one has died and officials have received no missing person reports. Twelve people were treated to nearby medical facilities for non-life-threatening injuries. Another 2,000 are at Red Cross shelters.

During an 11 a.m. press conference Tuesday, Sevier County and Gatlinburg leaders said first responders are still fighting what they called "a fire for the history books" and will do so for quite some time.

They are urging anyone in the area to not use WiFi devices, so that they don't "bog down" the same system that emergency personnel also are using.

"I can tell you we won't stop until we reach each and every property," said Gatlinburg Fire Chief Greg Miller. "We are grateful that the downtown area has remained largely intact."

Watch: Mayor: Gatlinburg will rebuild"[8]

Miller said on Monday some 200 firefighters throughout the region pitched in to battle the blazes. Another 212 relieved those crews on Tuesday morning.

As it stands, fires have claimed more than 150 structures in the unincorporated part of the county and more than 200 in the cities. At least 70 homes have been destroyed.

"I have never seen an event like this and it's going to take some time to recover," said Sevier County Mayor Larry Waters. "Yet we remain overwhelmed by the incredible response of this community, region and state, which we feel is indicative of how we will move forward and rebuild these cities."

Gatlinburg Mayor Mike Werner said fires have affected roughly half of his city's 10 square miles and damaged more than 100 structure.

"But Gatlinburg is a very strong, very resilient community," Werner said. "We will rebuild and we will remain the premier resort community that we are."

Gatlinburg's fire chief said the community so far has received support from people throughout the country. But, he said, they are urging residents to not return until the "emergency phase" is over.

He doesn't know at this point when that will be.

Click links below for more coverage: 

The latest information[9]

National Guard helping fire evacuees, residents asked to stay off cell phones[10]

What's damaged and destroyed?[11]

Ripley's Aquarium animals are safe[12]

Arrowmont School survives wildfire[13]

How to help wildfire victims[14]

Shelters open for wildfire evacuees[15]

Shock, horror, hope: People fleeing the flames[16]

Dolly Parton heartbroken; Dollywood closed but no damage[17]

(© 2016 WBIR)

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Dems to unload on Mnuchin - Politico

DEMS TO UNLOAD ON MNUCHIN — As expected Donald Trump plans to announce Wednesday morning (at 6:30 a.m.!) that Steve Mnuchin will be his pick for Treasury Secretary (more on him below). Democrats are set to go to war on Mnuchin both for his Wall Street resume and his actions as head of OneWest Financial during the foreclosure crisis. Will it be enough to derail the nomination? Probably not.

But it's going to make for some uncomfortable hearings and negative headlines for the new administration. And it will play into the emerging Democratic line of attack that Trump campaigned as a champion of blue collar America but will govern as a Wall Street-friendly plutocrat.

Story Continued Below

WARREN CALLS MNUCHIN "FORREST GUMP" — Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass) in a statement late Tuesday: "Steve Mnuchin is the Forrest Gump of the financial crisis — he managed to participate in all the worst practices on Wall Street. He spent two decades at Goldman Sachs helping the bank peddle the same kind of mortgage products that blew up the economy and sucked down billions in taxpayer bailout money before he moved on to run a bank that was infamous for aggressively foreclosing on families.

"His selection as Treasury Secretary should send shivers down the spine of every American who got hit hard by the financial crisis, and is the latest sign that Donald Trump has no intention of draining the swamp and every intention of running Washington to benefit himself and his rich buddies."

DNC's Adam Hodge: "So much for draining the swamp. Nominating Steve Mnuchin to be Treasury Secretary — a billionaire hedge fund manager and Goldman Sachs alumnus who preyed on homeowners struggling during the recession — is a slap in the face to voters who hoped he would shake up Washington. Trump is already heading into office as the most corrupt, conflicted, and unpopular president-elect in history, and now he's breaking his signature promise to the voters who elected him."

Oppo files on Mnuchin are bulging. Expect to see all of it in the coming weeks.

SENATE FINANCE ranking member Ron Wyden: "Given Mr. Mnuchin's history of profiting off the victims of predatory lending, I look forward to asking him how his Treasury Department would work for Americans who are still waiting for the economic recovery to show up in their communities. … I hope to learn much more about Mr. Mnuchin's views as his nomination gets a full and thorough review from the Finance Committee in the coming weeks."

DISCLOSURE COMING — "[N]ominees are required to provide the following documents for review: tax returns from the previous three years; ethics forms from the Office of Government Ethics (OGE) and the agency relevant to the nomination; an OGE public financial disclosure report; and a standard committee questionnaire"

BANKERS LIKE HIM — FSR's Tim Pawlenty: "Steve is a seasoned and results-oriented leader who is really smart, deeply interested in public policy, and understands the urgent need to boost economic growth and opportunity for everybody."

MNUCHIN IS THE MAN AT TREASURY — POLITICO's Victoria Guida and Ben White: "In a sign that … Trump is turning to Wall Street to help run his incoming government, the president-elect is expected to announce Goldman Sachs alumnus Steven Mnuchin as his pick to head the Treasury Department … If confirmed, the 53-year-old hedge fund CEO and Hollywood film producer would have a key role in shaping policies on taxes, financial regulation and the economy.

"He would be the third former Goldman executive to lead Treasury in recent decades following Henry Paulson and Robert Rubin. Mnuchin would also be the second Goldman alumnus to take a senior place in Trump's administration. Steve Bannon, the populist provocateur who will serve as one of Trump's top White House advisers, spent the early part of his career as a Goldman investment banker.

DODD-FRANK VIEW — Mnuchin shares Trump's skepticism about the sweeping 2010 Dodd-Frank Act, which fundamentally reshaped the way Wall Street works, though he hasn't gone nearly as far as the president-elect, who has said he wants to dismantle the landmark law. …

The Yale University graduate spent nearly two decades at Goldman Sachs, where he was a partner and pioneer in the bank's powerful fixed income, currency and commodities trading division. He eventually became chief information officer. He now serves as CEO of New York-based hedge fund Dune Capital.

HOW GOLDMAN SEES HIM — "Goldman executives describe him as smart and well-liked, though perhaps lacking the powerful personalities of both Rubin and Paulson, who served as CEOs of the firm.

"'I wouldn't put him in a category of people like Rubin and Paulson in terms of charisma and presence, but there is no question that he is very smart and understands markets," said one current Goldman partner who declined to be identified by name because he was not authorized to speak publicly about Mnuchin. 'It's certainly good for us to have someone who understands how the industry works.'"

BANKERS RELIEVED — CapAlpha's Ian Katz: "At least initially, this should be a relief to banks that had been concerned about Jeb Hensarling or John Allison in the Treasury post because those two have explicitly said they favor tougher capital requirements and would likely have used the job as a pulpit to influence legislation.

"We know less about Mnuchin's views on financial regulation. Like Trump, he doesn't have government experience. … Though it appears he would have enough support to get confirmed by the Senate, we expect he will take a lot of body blows in his confirmation hearing from Democrats and even some Republicans. His Goldman and hedge fund pedigree (his father was a Goldman trader) doesn't align with Trump's populist messaging, which included a campaign ad negatively portraying Goldman CEO Lloyd Blankfein"

THE GREAT PRONUNCIATION DEBATE — Everybody MM knows says it's MinOOCHin. But some contend it's MinOOshin. What say you? bwhite@politico.com[1]

UNEASY MATCH — NYT's Binya Appelbaum and Maggie Haberman: "[Mnuchin's] selection fits uneasily with much of Mr. Trump's campaign rhetoric attacking the financial industry. Mr. Trump, in a campaign ad intended as a closing argument, portrayed the chief executive of Goldman Sachs as the personification of a global elite that the ad said had 'robbed our working class.' But Mr. Mnuchin has said that he agrees with Mr. Trump's priorities, and he was an early supporter of a candidate who clearly prizes loyalty. Read more[2].

COHN CHATS UP TRUMP — Goldman Sachs President Gary Cohn met with Trump on Tuesday as the Mnuchin decision came down. Sources tell MM the Trump team reached out to Cohn, who is friendly with the president-elect's influential son-in-law Jared Kushner. Cohn is a Democrat but Bloomberg suggests he could be up for a job at Treasury or the Fed.

ROSS FOR COMMERCE — POLITICO's Adam Behsudi: "Trump is expected as soon as Wednesday to nominate billionaire private-equity investor Wilbur Ross to be his Commerce secretary. Ross, 78, is the founder of the private equity firm WL Ross & Co., known for restructuring failed companies in distressed sectors like steel, textile and coal. He has been a leading economic adviser to Trump during the campaign.

"Ross would head a department with a wide array of responsibilities, ranging from monitoring the weather to enforcing export rules for goods with military uses. He would also be in charge of implementing U.S. trade laws, on which Trump has advocated a tough line to defend against unfairly priced or subsidized imports from China and other countries." Read more[3].

ROMNEY WARMS TO TRUMP — Mitt Romney dined with Trump at Jean Gorges on Tuesday night (steak for Trump, lamb chops for Romney) and the 2012 nominee and potential Secretary of State emerged with nice things to day: "I had a wonderful evening with President-elect Trump. We had another discussion about affairs throughout the world and these discussions I've had with him have been enlightening, and interesting, and engaging. I've enjoyed them very, very much.

"I was also very impressed by the remarks he made on his victory night. … [H]e continues with a message of inclusion and bringing people together and his vision is something which obviously connected with the American people in a very powerful way. The last few weeks he's been carrying or a transition effort and I can tell you I've been impressed by what I've seen in the transition effort"

TRUMP'S INHERITED ECONOMY — Second estimate of Q3 GDP clocked in at 3.2 percent. So Trump will be taking office with record stock prices, record house prices and an economy (for now at least) growing at a pretty decent clip. President Obama, by contrast, came in with a financial crisis, the economy tanking and stocks plunging.

GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING — So no surprise on Mnuchin if you've been following our coverage. Always the favorite, winded up with the gig. Email me on bwhite@politico.com[4] and follow me on Twitter @morningmoneyben[5]. Email Andrew Hanna on ahanna@politico.com[6] and follow him on Twitter @andrewbhanna[7].

THIS MORNING ON POLITICO PRO FINANCIAL SERVICES – Lorraine Woellert on the Quicken Loans executive on President-elect Donald Trump's HUD landing team -- and to get Morning Money every day before 6 a.m. -- please contact Pro Services at (703) 341-4600 or info@politicopro.com[8].

DRIVING THE DAY — Official Mnuchin/Ross announcement expected at 6:30 a.m. … Both will be on CNBC's "Squawk Box" at 7:00 a.m. … ADP Employment report at 8:15 a.m. expected to show a gain of 169K … Personal Income and Spending at 8:30 a.m. expected to rise 0.4 percent and 0.5 percent.

** A message from The Clearing House: The just-released issue of Banking Perspectives, The Clearing House's quarterly journal, examines the rapidly-evolving world of electronic payments, including TCH's new Real-Time Payments (RTP) system – the first new payments platform in the U.S. in over 40 years. View the latest issue here: https://goo.gl/IIPFSH[9] **

MNUCHIN REACT ROUNDUP —

Paulina Gonzalez, executive director at the California Reinvestment Coalition: "We expect that the Senate will dig into Mr. Mnuchin's track record, and we imagine the many families who lost their homes at the hands of OneWest will be watching closely and will also want to share their experiences as part of any confirmation hearings."

American Bridge: "OneWest was responsible for more than a third of all reverse mortgage foreclosures in the five years following the Mnuchin purchase. Community groups called for an investigation of the outsized role the subsidiary, Financial Freedom, which had an estimated market share of 17 percent, played in the crisis.

"OneWest was found by a New York judge to have engaged in 'harsh, repugnant, shocking and repulsive' treatment of debtors and ordered to wipe out over half a million dollars of a couple's mortgage payments"

MEET MNUCHIN — Bloomberg's Max Abelson and Zachary Midler from back in August: "The son of a Goldman Sachs partner, he was publisher of the Yale Daily News, was tapped into Skull and Bones, made partner at Goldman, ran a hedge fund, and invested in Hollywood blockbusters. …

"Mnuchin had spent his career atop the elite institutions Trump voters despise, and he lacked any political experience … Mnuchin was born into a level of privilege that makes Trump's deluxe childhood look ordinary.

"His grandfather, an attorney, co-founded a yacht club in the Hamptons, and his father, Robert, was a top Goldman Sachs trader who later became an art dealer. Mnuchin followed his father to Yale, where he lived in the old Taft Hotel with Eddie Lampert, now a billionaire investor, and Sam Chalabi, whose uncle, Ahmad, later ran the Iraqi National Congress" Read more[10].

Allied Progress' Karl Frisch: "With his selection of former Goldman Sachs banker Steven Mnuchin to run Treasury and billionaire businessman Wilbur Ross to run Commerce, President-elect Trump has broken his promise to stop the 'rigged' system. He has instead sided with the Wall Street insiders, K Street lobbyists, and corrupt politicians that conspire to help each other rather than the hardworking men and women of this country.

ALSO IN THE NEWS —

TRUMP STRIKES CARRIER DEAL — POLITICO's Cogan Schneier: "Trump reached a deal with United Technologies to keep 'close to 1,000' factory jobs at the Carrier Air Conditioning plant in Indiana, the company tweeted this evening. 'We are pleased to have reached a deal with President-elect Trump & VP-elect Pence,' the company said. "More details soon."

"Carrier, which is owned by United Technologies, announced in February that it would move 1,400 jobs from Indianapolis to Mexico. Acell phone video of the announcement went viral, prompting candidate Trump to threaten to impose steep tariffs on air conditioners imported back to the U.S" Read more[11].

TREASURY WANTS TRUMP TO HONOR FSOC — POLITICO's Zachary Warmbrodt: "The Treasury Department is trying to ensure that the Trump administration understands the 'critical role' of the Financial Stability Oversight Council, a top official said today, as the panel of top regulators faces major changes under GOP leadership.

"Treasury counselor Antonio Weiss devoted a speech at the University of Pennsylvania to promoting FSOC's achievements in the context of the presidential transition. Weiss said FSOC was a 'critical nerve center during episodes of market volatility or stress' and 'the one entity that casts a clear eye on the entire financial system.' He spoke out against 'calls to dilute the council's authorities, slow down its decision-making, or dismiss its findings.'" Read more[12].

NEW TRANSITION NAMES — Via POLITICO: "Trump's transition effort added an array of new vice chairs, staff and executive committee members, including a number of prominent conservative women.

"Among the additions: Reps. Marsha Blackburn, Cynthia Lummis, Cathy McMorris Rodgers and Tom Reed; Oklahoma Gov. Mary Fallin and Sen. Tim Scott as vice chairs, along with Kathleen Troia "K.T." McFarland who Trump has appointed as a deputy national security adviser." Read more.[13]

DATA SECURITY BATTLE DRAGS INTO LAME DUCK — POLITICO's Zachary Warmbrodt: "A long-running fight over data breach legislation is heating up again in the final days of the congressional session. Yesterday 10 trade groups including the National Retail Federation and National Association of Realtors complained to House leadership about efforts by the Financial Services Roundtable to work out a compromise on a federal data security standard with the retail industry, where some players have pushed back on the prospect of new rules.

"The letter caught the attention of retiring Rep. Randy Neugebauer, who has been trying to advance a data breach bill. He said it 'continues the troubling trend of disengagement by these associations' and that the letter didn't represent 'the best interests of their millions of customers who trust their personal financial information will remain secure.'"

COMING NEXT WEEK: HOUSING EVENT — On Tues., Dec. 6th at 9:00 a.m., the National Association of Realtors and S&P Global are hosting a forum on "The Future of the U.S. Housing Market" featuring Robert Shiller among others and moderated by CNBC's Diana Olick and POLITICO's Lorraine Woellert. RSVP[14]

WELLS PRESSED — Reuters' Ross Kerber: "Investors, including the state treasurers of Connecticut and Illinois, called on Wells Fargo & Co to require an independent board chair, saying the bank needs stronger oversight in the wake of a scandal over fake customer accounts.

"Although Wells Fargo already has shuffled its leadership structure, Connecticut Treasurer Denise Nappier on Tuesday said the investor group has filed a shareholder resolution for the San Francisco bank's annual meeting next spring seeking a change in its bylaws." Read more[15].

HIGH STAKES NEGOTIATIONS — WSJ's Benoit Faucon, Georgi Kantchev and Michael Amon: "Iran and Iraq have softened their positions ahead of a crucial OPEC meeting on Wednesday, OPEC officials said, but it may not be enough to satisfy Saudi Arabia's demands for a broad-based oil-production cut.

"In last-minute negotiations, officials said, Iraq has said it would hold its output steady to secure an agreement to bolster oil prices with the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries, the 14-nation cartel that controls a third of the world's crude output. Iran has told fellow OPEC members it would be willing to freeze its production in early 2017 after clawing back the market share it lost during years of Western sanctions, the officials said." Read more[16].

CUBA'S NEW BENEFACTOR — WSJ's Nathan Hodge and Josh Chin: "While Moscow's economic and military role in Cuba is now a shadow of its former self, Beijing has grown to become Cuba's second-largest trading partner after Venezuela, which is now mired in a deep economic crisis.

"Trade between China and Cuba grew 13 percent to $1.1 billion in the first two quarters of this year, after swelling 59 percent in the previous year to reach $2.2 billion over all of 2015, according to China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Read more[17].

** A message from The Clearing House: The Clearing House is a banking association and payments company that is owned by the largest commercial banks and dates back to 1853. The Clearing House Payments Company L.L.C. owns and operates core payments system infrastructure in the United States and is currently working to modernize that infrastructure by building a new, ubiquitous, real-time payment system. The Payments Company is the only private-sector ACH and wire operator in the United States, clearing and settling nearly $2 trillion in U.S. dollar payments each day, representing half of all commercial ACH and wire volume. Its affiliate, The Clearing House Association L.L.C., is a nonpartisan organization that engages in research, analysis, advocacy and litigation focused on financial regulation that supports a safe, sound and competitive banking system. www.theclearinghouse.org[18] **

References

  1. ^ bwhite@politico.com (www.politico.com)
  2. ^ Read more (www.nytimes.com)
  3. ^ Read more (www.politico.com)
  4. ^ bwhite@politico.com (www.politico.com)
  5. ^ @morningmoneyben (www.twitter.com)
  6. ^ ahanna@politico.com (www.politico.com)
  7. ^ @andrewbhanna (www.twitter.com)
  8. ^ info@politicopro.com (www.politico.com)
  9. ^ https://goo.gl/IIPFSH (bit.ly)
  10. ^ Read more (www.bloomberg.com)
  11. ^< /a> Read more (www.politico.com)
  12. ^ Read more (www.politicopro.com)
  13. ^ Read more. (www.politico.com)
  14. ^ RSVP (ratings-events.standardandpoors.com)
  15. ^ Read more (www.reuters.com)
  16. ^ Read more (www.wsj.com)
  17. ^ Read more (www.wsj.com)
  18. ^ www.theclearinghouse.org (bit.ly)
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