Beltway Insider: Obama Meets with Royals, Saudis; Election; Ohio Massacre/Sinaloa Connection; Prince, Doris Roberts

President Obama and U.K. Prime Minister David Cameron presented a united front while the current Syrian peace accord unravels, hanging precariously in the balance, with reports of 33 civilians killed this week as rebel forces were confronted by Assad's military.

According to Gallup, President Obama's job approval, over the past week, remained consistent at 50% of those polled who approve of his effectiveness as President and those who disapprove of his effectiveness as President also remained consistent at 46%.

Obama Meets with Royals, Saudis; Her Majesty at 90

President Obama spent the week traveling to Saudi Arabia and London to meet with Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth, Prime Minister David Cameron, and enjoyed dinner with William and Kate at their home.

The Gulf countries has seen an increase in internal hostilities and the encroaching Islamic State terror organization has created the need for the president to confirm the coalition and loyalty of the Saudi's and Gulf countries.

The underlying concern is that the Gulf Nations are not actively engaged in the degrade and destroy campaign. The President attended the Gulf Summit to ensure and reassure the Gulf Nations understood the need for their support as the war against ISIS continues.

Outside of the Saudi government and Iran who is committed to the Nuclear War Deal, the remainder of the nations are burdened with internal hostilities and concerns over factions uprising in the same manner as the Arab Spring. The unrest and government distrust has not ceased.

The religious and generational hatred creates a heightened sense of instability in this region and this is not new. The United States has the choice of working with all, a few, or narrowing the relationship, and with that American financial assistant, even further.

Celebrating London

President Obama also meet the future King of England this week, Prince George, clearly the most effective royal, as he greeted the President, charming in his pajamas and robe, on what be his last visit to the United Kingdom before he leaves office in January 2017.

Prime Minister David Cameron, understanding the effectiveness of President Obama, brought the current EU Referendum into the conversation allowing the president to speak to the people of the United Kingdom on what may be a very close vote.

Clearly, the relationship of the Allies is one defined by the late Winston Churchill, as special friends. To draw one special friends into an internal argument is asking one to alienate himself from one half of the population.  

"I think the Brexit vote, which, if I'm a citizen of UK, I'm thinking about it solely in terms of how this helping me, how this helping the UK economy, how is it helping create jobs here, that's the right way to think about it. I do also think this vote will send a signal about whether the kind of prosperity we've built together will continue, or whether the forces of division end up being more prominent.  That's part of the reason why it's relevant to the United States, and why I have the temerity to weigh in," the president said.

The leaders also discussed the Degrade and Destroy platform and global commitments, the counterterror measures taken and in place and of course the deterioration of the Syrian Peace Accord and Russian President Putin's inability to reign him Assad.

As always the President and Prime Minster Cameron remained united, at least in front of the media, hammering out any differences before the step forward. The two leaders also reminisced over the times they have spent during the last six years sending a strong signal of finality.

Capturing the Queen

Annie Leibowitz was summoned to take the royal photographs capturing the four generations of the with Queen Elizabeth, Prince Charles, Prince William and Prince George for release as collector's edition postage stamps. Additionally, Queen Elizabeth was photographed with her daughter Anne, Princess Royal, and her grandchildren.

Ohio Massacre – Deadly Drug Deal?

Ohio State Attorney General Mike DeWine has released some additional statements regarding the carnage in Ohio. Calling the perpetrators, the "annihilator" he explained each victim was shot in the head, some while they slept next to their children.  Initial reports led the public to believe the family did not suffer or have any knowledge of the final moments of life.

911 tapes have been released and paint a much different picture. According to transcripts one of the homes according to the caller "had blood all over the house" and her brother-in-law looked "like someone beat the crap out of him."

With that chaotic of a scene most would say the brother-in-law awoke or stumbled on the killer and fought for his life. Hopefully, he landed a few solid blows or in some way caused injury to the killer and DNA will place an unknown type at the scene. It's also possible the brother in law was beaten post mortem.

She indicated the door of the home was locked when she arrived "but knew where the key was so she went in and they were lying on the floor." Someone else obviously knew where the key was also.

Timeline

The news broke Friday morning of a Mass Shooting in Southern Ohio. After the initial reports the details began to change from random and mass casualty to calculated a targeted hit on a single family.

Sheriff deputies were telephoned after a local girl reported two bodies during her normal routine of feeding the animals. Two bodies were found at the first crime scenes. After the discovery neighbors concerned the others couldn't be reached told the deputies to check the other homes. Which coincides with family members 911 tapes. Five more bodies were found. It wasn't until welfare check were made on other members of the Rhoden family that an eighth and final body was discovered.

Authorities had released limited information, seven members of the Rhoden Family of Union Hill Road in Pike County Ohio had been murder, execution style, some while they slept. The revelation of a mother murdered sleeping with her four day old infant beside her became the most troubling and fixating detail.

The four separate crime scenes, revealed the same deadly scene. A cold blooded killer or team of killers, like the ending to Oliver Stone's classic Scarface, they were everywhere and left no one. Depravity only runs so deep apparently as the killers allowed the four day old infant, a six-month old baby and a three-year-old toddler to live.

By early afternoon the death toll reached eight. The remaining members of the Rhoden family were gathered in a local church where they were informed of the unfolding situation, offered police protection, questioned and provided with immediate needs services.

The victims are husband-to-be and father Frankie Rhoden, his fiancée Hannah Hazel Gilley, young mother Hanna May Rhoden, grandmother Dana Lynn Rhoden, her ex-husband Christopher Rhoden, Kenneth Rhoden, Gary Rhoden, and 16-year-old Chris Rhoden Jr.

Grow Operations Found

Ohio Drug Laws have not progressed as quickly as the 23 other states who have decriminalized or legalized the possession, usage and cultivation of Marijuana. The grow operations if had been discovered would have landed members of the Rhoden Family in prison.

The methodical, heinousness of the crimes are in no way dimmed due to the grow operations discovered. If anything these newly discovered facts should shed additional light on the perpetrators of this animalistic viciousness.

The theories narrow somewhat with the discoveries of grow facilities. A 10,000 square foot grow facility in Colorado can take in 1million legal dollars a week. With Medical Marijuana and legal sales, not abating, even after the glut in the market grow facilities became the next frontier in the distribution market. Utilizing the simple dynamic of retail sales, inventory is purchase, delivered and sold. In the weed market, payment is made at inventory purchase. Security has always remained the chief concern in any legal grow operation.

Riding the curve of the national trend to legalize marijuana sales and distribution other legal states require personal growth of what is sold. Cultivating Marijuana for sale and distribution is, in legal states, where the money becomes serious as store fronts can buy any amount, in state, and often buy inventory on a weekly basis for upwards of $100,000K per visit per person.

With the discovery of the Grow Operations, riding the curve of legal changes would have put the Rhoden family as one of the first and possibly only grow operations in Southern Ohio able to handle the legal demand making them millionaires multiple times over in a very short time.

As the details are released the crime sounds like Juarez or Monterrey, Mexico or the Sinaloa Cartel protecting turf.

Also Beltway Insider: Obama, Allies Meet; Syria/Refugees/Counterterror; Election; Rings of Fire; Invictus; Kobe Bryant

Election 2016: Trump, Clinton Win Big In New York

Hillary Clinton and Donald J. Trump handily won their home states is last week's New York State Primary race. The hard won victory comes in the midst of intense and heated debates.

Upcoming Primary Races/Delegates Available

Upcoming Primary races include both winner take all on the Republican side and contrary to some published information democratic delegates remain proportionally awarded.

Democrats

Hillary Clinton has retained the frontrunner position and continues to speak to crowds in unifying terms hoping to bring the run from challenger Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders to an end.

New York State, the former senator's home state supported her bid for the presidency overwhelming handing her 58% of the vote and a solid 18% lead over challenger Bernie Sanders. The victory, which seemed sure from the beginning initiates a final phase in winning outright the nomination to represent the democratic party in the race for the presidency. 

Sanders, who repeated drew larger and more apparently supportive crowds across each of his campaign locations from Coney Island to Washington Square park, secured a solid 42% of the vote. The solid showing, while not a victory over the Clinton machine, adds much needed momentum as the democratic race heads into the crucial five state winner take all primaries.

Clinton enters Tuesday's race 59 delegates away from 2,000 with the magic number for clinching the nomination outright at 2,383. As all Democratic Primary delegates are awarded proportionately, in every state, Mrs. Clinton should win the nomination before the June 7 California primary.

Pollsters are predicting Mrs. Clinton will secure victories in each of Tuesday's five state race that includes Delaware with 21 delegates, Connecticut, 55; Rhode Island, 24; Maryland, 95; Pennsylvania with 189.

Clinton should secure victories in Pennsylvania, Maryland, and Connecticut, and with that the larger portion of delegates. Clearly she will be past the 2000 and nearing 2200 delegates.

Senator Sanders who is continuing to draw large crowds across the nation in every states should take Rhode Island and Delaware.

Republican Primaries

Republican Presidential candidates Donald J. Trump and Ted Cruz have continued to badger the other to larger crowds with neither ignoring the personal ad hominem attacks and focusing on the issues at hand, the platform and the all-important convention strategy.

A Republican contested convention, will be a first and more importantly allows the nation and world to see the touted democratic system of politics at work. The people are speaking, repeatedly, across all states and declaring their choice for a candidate. They are either tired of politics as usual, ensuring a Clinton victory, using reverse psychology or a little of the three.

For whatever reason, it is expected Donald J. Trump will win Maryland, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Delaware. Pennsylvania remains a tossup between Cruz and Kasich. Add proximity to Ohio to the mix, Kasich could pull an upset and adding the Santorum effect voters could back Senator Cruz.

Revolutionary Musician Prince Dies

Prince, whose impact across the world was not seen until his death, was cremated yesterday in a small ceremony near his Paisley Park home where he was found earlier this week unresponsive in an elevator.

His uniqueness and generosity, which was never spoken of or discussed was seen from members of the Minnesota neighborhood where he would often invite local fans, the old, young, of all races to his home to hold concerts and dances. His community cared for him and he them.

The world cried purple this week. Known as the one of the world greatest musicians and talents, when the news of his untimely death was released tributes began to show his depth and reach.

In addition to buildings, monuments, even Niagara Falls becoming a beautiful Purple. The search engine Goggle rained purple. Tributes from President Obama, Mick Jagger, Bruce "The Boss" Springsteen, Madonna, Elton John, Spike Lee, Maya Rudolph, Wyclef Jean, Nile Rodgers, Missy Elliot, Billy Idol, Katy Perry Belinda Carlisle, Quincy Jones, Courtney Love Cobain, Chaka Khan, Gene Simmons, Justin Timberlake, Boy George, The Apollo Theater, The Minnesota Twins, Oprah, Ellen, and this is only a few of the hundreds, thousands of twitter messages.

Neighbors near his Paisley Park Compound were so distraught they could barely speak or comprehend as his kindness was overwhelming. Prince touched all peoples regardless of color, gender, nationality. He will be missed.

Doris Roberts, Star of Stage, Screen and Television Dies

Doris Roberts, star of stage, screen and television passed away this week of natural causes. She was 90.

Her career, spanning nearly seven decades was capped by her iconic role as the Marie Barone, the doting mother of one favored son, Robert, played by Brad Garrett, and her other son Raymond, played by Ray Romano, in the sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond.

Her work on the earned her seven Emmy nominations and four wins, for the meddling mother-in-law and matriarch of the Long Island Family. She also earned an Emmy for her role on the television medical drama St. Elsewhere.

Roberts began her television career in 1951 and her film career began in 1961. Always known as a supporting player, fame came when she was cast as Marie Barone. She auditioned and beat out 100 other actresses for the role.

Ray Romano, star and EP of Everybody Loves Raymond said, "Doris Roberts had an energy and a spirit that amazed me.  She never stopped.  Whether working professionally or with her many charities, or just nurturing and mentoring a green young comic trying to make it as an actor, she did everything with such a grand love for life and people and I will miss her dearly."

She was eulogized by friends, family, colleagues and CBS after news of her passing became public.

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

Sources: Whitehouse.gov, Wikipedia.com,

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