Beltway Insider: Obama and The Panama Papers Fall Out; Election 2016; Journos Murdered; Elon Musk; Zaha Hadid

President Obama began his post presidency employment search this week with a stopover at University of Chicago Law School where he taught an introductory course to which he was well received. His tenure is still under consideration.

According to Gallup, President Obama's job approval, over the past week, decreased two percentage points to 51% of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President and those who disapprove of his effectiveness as President increased one percentage point to 45%.

President Obama Addresses Panama Papers

Data leaked from The Panama papers show a lack of American citizens. In fact, only four U.S. Citizens have been named. Many believe the reason behind this is simply American look toward the Cayman Islands for their tax shelter needs.

The President also acknowledge the laws, of which make some of the actions taken, murky, leaning on an ethical compass as opposed to concern over illegalities.

"It's not that they're breaking the laws, it's that the laws are so poorly designed that they allow people, if they've got enough lawyers and enough accountants, to wiggle out of responsibilities that ordinary citizens are having to abide by," President Obama said.

Panama Papers Catches UK Prime Minister

The Panama Papers, a massive data leak that divulged sensitive offshore tax shielding assets of allies, friends and world leaders including the Heads of States of five nations and public officials, and associates from more than forty other nations.

Mossack Fonseca & Co., a law firm at the center of the Panama Papers leaks, provides tax havens, shelters, for those of means looking for lenient tax laws.

In all 2.6 terabytes and close to 11.3million documents dating back to the 1970's has been released. The vast amount of data released includes in addition to the Heads of States, including Argentine President Macri of whom President Obama just visited, to staunch and loyal ally UK Prime Minister David Cameron to more than thirty Mexican Cartel leaders.

The information that has been disseminated and from all reports an unpaid whistleblower, who received nothing and has not yet disclosed an identity but used an alias of "John Doe" provided the documents at the beginning of 2015 to a regionally respected national German newspaper.

The volume of information was more than the newspaper could properly handle and give the attention and scrutiny necessary for legitimate investigative news expose. The International Consortium of Investigative Journalist, based in Washington D.C., was contacted and the documents then were sent in batches to media agencies around the world.

After proper examination, confirmation on authenticity by nearly 100 investigative journalists the documents were made public.

White House Reaction

"Based on some reports 11 million documents were released, so my guess is it's going to take the experts a little while to analyze the information.  This large volume of documents doesn't change our position, which is that there should be greater transparency in international financial transactions I can tell you in spite of the lack of transparency that exists in many of these transactions, there are determined experts at the Department of Treasury and the Department of Justice who examine these transactions and are regularly examining transactions in the international markets to determine their consistency with imposed U.S. sanctions," said Josh Earnest White House Press Secretary.

Many of the 99 Percenter or Occupy Movement believe the Mossack Fonseca exposure will have long range, serious and damaging effects on those connected. In reality it is doubtful the leaks for all will adversely affect their permanent financial standing.

U.S. Department of Justice Whistle blower Edward Snowden, in a Twitter message, describe the scandal as said, "the biggest in the history of data journalism."

UK's Cameron Caught Up In Tax Scandal

David Cameron, has been the first to admit it has not been a good week. His name and a family holding trust established by his late father Ian Cameron, of which he has stated he does not benefit from, was named in the Mossack Fonseca revelations.

The Mossack revelations also include six sitting members of the House of Lords some of whom have contributed to Cameron's Conservative Party.

A handful of protestors staged an impromptu demonstration calling for Cameron's Resignation which caused more traffic disruptions that concern for the financial actions and dealings.

Collateral Damage

The biggest fall out at this point is the resignation of Icelandic Prime Minister Sigmundur Davio Gunnlaugsson who had originally announced he would not step down. He maintained he did nothing wrong.

The most interesting at this point is the revelations of the proceeds from sale of Gold and Bullion from the 1983 London's Heathrow Brink's-Mat Robbery were laundered. 

The Actual Effect of the Panama Papers

For the thirty-two nations listed in the initial reports the long range negative effects or damage will only become issue oriented if the named participant has direct ties to the Obama White House.

President Obama has addressed the Tax system in great lengths and many of the G7 Summits have time devoted to ensuring that all pay their fair share and even enacted laws penalizing fortune 500 companies and other offenders.

For those like Argentinian President Macri, Prime Minister Cameron and Ukraine President Petro Poroshenko, enjoying the favor of the United States equates to paying one's fair share and not skirting the global taxation laws some of which are legal.

Quid pro quo alliances have not been a matter of record and receiving the favor of the United States in official matters have consequences and obligations one of which is adhering to law.

Also Beltway Insider: Obama Pardons; ISIS/Syria; Paris Terrorist Extradited; MH370; Election 2016; Jobs; Patty Duke

Election 2016 – Clinton, Trump Retain Front Runner Status Despite Primary Losses

With all eyes on New York, former New York State Senator Hillary Clinton and hometown icon and GOP Front runner Donald J. Trump are each holding strong leads against their chief rivals.

New Yorkers can be both direct and vocal both of which Senator Ted Cruz has felt the sting of harsh criticism and rebukes for his outspoken platform and ultra-right wing beliefs.

Upstate New York, a more rural area and closer to the standard demographic that has been the foundation of Cruz' constituency could bring his numbers up somewhat. Although a win for the Canadian born, nationalized citizen seems an impossibility.

Clinton, invoking memories of her eight years a New York Senator, could bring her delegate count to under the three hundred mark with a solid showing and proportionate award. Senator Sanders continues to build a coalition of change although a win in New York seems unlikely.  

With eight days out Clinton has a 15-point lead in most polls over Sanders. Trump is enjoying a considerably higher lead over his rival Senator Ted Cruz with considerably less at stake.

New York State residents head to the polls April 18 and hold a big payday for the democrats with 291 Delegates including 247 pledged delegates. Republicans have a pool of 95 delegates. Both are awarded proportionately.  

Six Journalists Murdered

Nazimuddin Samad, 26, a master's candidate, law student, well known blogger and free thinker, at the University of Jaggannath in the capital of Bangladesh was murdered by Islamic State affiliates for expressing secular views on his website.

The machete murder of Samad marks the sixth publisher or journalist Killed in Bangladesh in the last 14 months.  Samad was known for monitoring the emergence of Islamic State Terrorist in the Sub-Sahara region and essentially naming names.

Ansar al-Islam, the Bangladesh division of al Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent, or AQIS, has claimed responsibility for the recent killing of the blogger.

Mukto-Mona, a friend wrote on his Facebook page "Today, on April 6, 2016, at approximately 9 pm in the evening, Nazimuddin Samad, a student of the Jagannath University, was hacked to death by unknown assailants in Dhaka's Sutrapur. Nazimuddin was a courageous freethinker; he was vocal in his support for a secular and humane Bangladesh. As he was returning from his university a few young men, who came there on a motorcycle, intercepted him at the Ekrampur crossing and started hacking him with their machetes. In the end, they made sure that Nazimuddin would die by shooting him in the head. Witnesses said the assailants shouted "Allahu Akbar" as they killed Nazimuddin."

The first Bangladesh journalist murder occurred January 2015 and essentially went unnoticed as Islamic State affiliated. It was the same month January 7, 2015, the Charlie Hebdo massacre propelled the Islamic State Terrorists to the forefront of the world's psyche.

Samad's death marks the sixth murder of secularists writers or publishers in Bangladesh in the past 14 months.

Elon Musk Enters Space Race

Elon Musk, CEO and product architect of Tesla Motors, after several failed attempts has successfully landed the Falcon 9, the first multi-use payload rocket, on an at sea floating platform through telemetry guidance.

The payload rocket, which for any person who has seen Ridley Scott's recent triumph The Martian starring Matt Damon, understands the payload rocket for each supply mission use takes months to build and costs upwards of $60million dollars each for a completed launch.

Musk, who is also the CTO and CEO of SpaceX, has created, tested and finally successfully landed the first reusable payload rocket which, as a prototype, signals the beginning of changes in the world's space programs.

The cost itself brings space travel back to the forefront as each launch of the reusable, which according to Musk, can be used between nine and ten times and just hosed down after use. With a cost of less than one million per launch the realization of an actual manned MARS mission is fast becoming a reality.

Musk set out to design a reusable payload with the belief that cost efficient technologies will increase space transportation and a belief that the colonization of MARS is within reach.

Zaha Hadid

Zaha Mohammad Hadid an Iranian born, British educated, architect died recently from a heart attack suffered during a routine hospital stay in Miami, Florida, where she was undergoing treatment for bronchitis.

Hadid's place in the architecture community has been well noted and her life, struggles and accomplishments eulogized.  She was 65 and unbelievably was coming into a season of even greater productivity.

The only Muslim to ever win the coveted Pritzker Award, Hadid left an imprint across the globe with projects in Glasgow, Azerbaijan, Vienna, Germany, Austria, Spain, Scotland, Saudi Arabia, Milan, Turks & Caicos, Hong Kong, Belgium, Seoul, London, Milan and the United States.

Some of her building designs were well received, stunning and visual masterpieces, others were met with criticisms, project revisions resulting in original designs being scraped and projects lost.

Hadid received nearly two dozen distinctions, awards and recognitions throughout her career the last being the Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) Gold Medal, awarded by the British Government in 2016.

Hadid died March 31, 2016.

For more information on President Barack Obama: www.whitehouse.gov

Sources: Whitehouse.gov, Wikipedia.com,

#JeSuisParis

Haute Tease