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Hill & Knowlton has terminated its FARA registration at the Justice Dept, capping a 43-year track record of representing of some of world’s most infamous characters.
During its glory years, the firm filed registration statements for Adnan Khashoggi, a key figure in the Iran-Contra arms-for-hostage scandal; Marc Rich & Company, whose head was indicted on tax evasion, wire fraud and racketeering charges but pardoned by Bill Clinton on his last day in office; Bank of Credit & Commerce, which was known as Bank of Crooks & Criminals; People’s Republic of Angola, which had a government that Ronald Reagan wanted to overthrow; Chile in the aftermath of the dictatorship of Augusto Pinochet; Gazprom, Russian energy giant; and Citizens for a Free Kuwait, a front group set up by exiled Kuwaiti royals urging the US to oust Saddam Hussein from their country.
H&K took on the Japan External Relations Organization at a time when Americans worried that the Japanese were buying key US assets such as Rockefeller Center, People’s Republic of China as it bid for most favored nation trading status, OPEC, Saudi Arabia, Saudi Aramco, Petroleos de Venezuela and Airbus.
At H&K's swashbuckling best, the legendary Bob Gray led its PA operation. He was the topic of one of the best books ever written about PR: “The Power House: Robert Keith Gray and the Selling of Access and Influence in Washington.”
Vice chair Frank Mankiewicz, another giant, backstopped Gray. Before H&K, he served as Robert F. Kennedy’s press secretary during his presidential run and was president of NPR. Mankiewicz earned a coveted spot on President Nixon’s enemies list.
Future H&K foreign agent activities will be reported on Burson Group’s registration. It’s truly the end of an era.
Move on from Iran, Donald.... A Reuters/Ipsos poll found that most Americans want the US to end its involvement in Israel’s conflict with Iran.
Only one in three Americans supported the attacks on Iran’s nuclear sites, while 45 percent opposed the action.
Half of Americans disapprove of Trump’s handling of Iran, compared to 35 percent of respondents who support his actions.
Nearly seven in ten (69 percent) want us to avoid any military action in the Middle East, unless the US is directly threatened.
Trump should ignore the crazed ramblings of Iran supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei who congratulated his people for a victory over the US and Israel.
One wonders how the 86-year-old defines “victory.”
Opportunity abounds for adventurous PR firms. North Korea is opening its first beach resort on July 1 as a “prelude to the new era in tourism,” according to its state run media outlet. That begs the question: When was the old era of tourism?
"Dear Leader" Kim Jong Un presided over the June 24 opening ceremony of Wonsan Kalma, which features a 2.5 mile stretch of beach. Its hotels supposedly can accommodate 20K visitors.
Wonsan Kalama will officially open to North Korean guests on July 1 followed by visitors from Russia and China.
If Kim is serious about cashing in on the opening of the resort, which he calls one of the country’s “greatest feats” of the year, he’s going to need to attract western travelers. North Korea in February temporarily allowed some British, French, German and Australian tourists into the country.
Kim may be shopping for a travel PR firm pretty soon. He may even get a plug from his good buddy Trump who pitched the Korean leader on the potential for tourism in The Hermit Kingdom.
Will there be a Trump-branded hotel in Wonsan some day? Eric and Don, Jr. have some homework to do.
Donald Trump is 100 percent correct that he has lousy PR but that's only because his policies stink and are hurting Americans... Will billionaires or civil society groups shape the future of AI regulations?... "Evidence in an Age of Doubt" is the timely theme of this year's investigative film festival put on by the 100Reporters group. 
WPP CEO Cindy Rose works to manage shareholder expectations ahead of the Oct. 29 release of financials. Don't expect a miracle turnaround... Kudos to Skydance chief David Ellison for keeping CNN CEO Mark Thompson on the job. Now he has to expend Thompson's contract... Vast majority of Americans want federal government to regulate AI. They obviously don't trust the "super intelligence" president to oversee AI.
Don’t believe what your eyes see and ears hear is the mantra of Donald Trump who claims his propaganda advertising designed to boost his fragile ego are “clearly not campaign ads”... Democratic National Committee steps up outreach to Jewish Americans as antisemitism rises and traditional support for Israel tanks. 
The Trump administration's crackerjack team designed America.gov, which puts all services offered by US agencies under a single AI roof. What could possibly go wrong?... ESG pioneer Starbucks jumps off the sustainability train in favor of corporate cost-cutting... Perception of press freedom plummets to all-time low, according to Gallup survey.
China's president Xi Jinping won the PR battle over Donald Trump as the American groveled before his guest of honor on the tarmac of Joint Base Andrews. Trump’s kowtowing to Xi is a sign of both his personal weakness and of America’s decline on the global stage.
