House passes Trumpcare 2.0. “The House on Thursday narrowly approved legislation to repeal and replace major parts of the Affordable Care Act, as Republicans recovered from their earlier failures and moved a step closer to delivering on their promise to reshape American health care without mandated insurance coverage.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/04/us/p ... .html?_r=0
Delta airlines employee allegedly threatens couple with arrest, loss of their children, after they refuse to give up their child’s seat to a standby passenger and are asked to leave the plane. “So this is a federal offense. You and your wife could be in jail and your kids will be in foster care.”
http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/cal ... er-n755141
Additional felony charges for Trump inauguration protesters. “While some property damage did take place and several police officers were reportedly injured, DC prosecutors seek to hold everyone liable who was present at a First Amendment protected assembly for the actions of a few individuals. ”
https://rightsanddissent.org/news/activ ... rotesters/
Pennsylvania judge rules that landowners can be arrested for trespassing on their own land. “Huntingdon County residents protesting the construction of (Energy Transfer Partners subsidiary) Sunoco’s Mariner East 2 pipeline across their land now face arrest on their own property due to a rarely imposed court order known as a “writ of possession”.”
https://stateimpact.npr.org/pennsylvani ... -arrested/
Trump “religious liberty” executive order blocks tax prosecution of religious groups for political activity, requests exemptions from contraception coverage, but does not legalize religion-based discrimination. “Earlier this week, as rumors of an intended executive order spread, groups like the American Civil Liberties Union, the Human Rights Campaign, and the National Center for Transgender Equality circulated statements slamming the administration’s intention to give religious organizations a “license to discriminate” against women and LGBT people—issues that are arguably not addressed at all by the final version of the order.”
https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/ar ... er/525354/
Trump compliments Australia on their universal health insurance system, Sanders pounces. “Thank you, Mr. President. Let us move to a Medicare-for-all system that does what every other major country on earth does – guarantee healthcare to all people at a fraction of the cost per-capita that we spend.”
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing- ... healthcare
Settlement reportedly reached in water slide decapitation. “At the time of Caleb’s death, Kansas was known for its light regulation of amusement park rides. But last month, Republican Gov. Sam Brownback signed off on legislation that beefs up the state’s requirements.”
https://nypost.com/2017/05/04/family-of ... s-for-20m/ Apparently setting up an amusement park ride was easier than voting in Kansas.
House Trumpcare bill also blocks Medicaid funds for Planned Parenthood. “The House bill, which would repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, would prevent Medicaid from reimbursing Planned Parenthood for preventive health services like contraception, Pap smears and sexually transmitted infection screenings.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/hea ... 397686eea7
Senator Dianne Feinstein re-introduces legislation requiring FBI “back door” to encryption programs. “As Apple and many security experts have noted, a back door law enforcement uses is a weakness others can exploit, too. Knowing there’s a built-in security weakness will attract hackers, and eventually someone will find the crack—or someone will leak it.”
https://www.macobserver.com/analysis/se ... door-bill/
Families of San Bernadino attack victims blame social media. “Without defendants Twitter, Facebook and Google (YouTube), the explosive growth of ISIS over the last few years into the most feared terrorist group in the world would not have been possible.”
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-sanbe ... SKBN1802SL Here’s a tip for their lawyers: If George W. Bush had not invaded and occupied Iraq….
International group of experts formed to defuse risk of use of nuclear weapons. “Global Zero’s executive director Derek Johnson said the chill in U.S.-Russia relations required the anti-nuclear movement to change its focus (from disarmament) to “what we can do to stop one of these things from going off”.”
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/ ... uclear-war
Tillerson reportedly tells State Department employees that “freedom, human dignity, the way people are treated” take second place to national security goals. “…those are our values. Those are not our policies.”
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/ ... rst-agenda
Trumpcare cuts to Medicaid could bankrupt states when boomers start filling nursing homes. “If Medicaid were to remain an entitlement, states would automatically receive increased federal funds to cover these greater costs as baby boomers age. Under the AHCA, the per-capita payments to states will increase far too slowly to cover them.”
https://theintercept.com/2017/05/04/hou ... ing-homes/
Awarding government contracts to U.S. companies does not always translate into more American jobs. “Of the 50 U.S. companies given the largest government contracts, 28 shipped jobs overseas between 1995 and 2015…”
http://www.ibtimes.com/political-capita ... tudy-finds
Woman reportedly claiming in civil lawsuit that she was recruited into sex work while working at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort. “Giuffre, formerly Roberts, claims she was 15 and working as a towel girl at Trump’s posh Palm Beach club when she was recruited nearly two decades ago into sexual slavery by socialite Ghislaine Maxwell, then (Jeffrey) Epstein’s girlfriend.”
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/0 ... ing-237983
Former Fox News correspondent claims she was fired within 24 hours of reporting sexual discrimination on employee hotline. “Jessica Golloher, who covers the Middle East and North Africa for Fox News Radio Network, says in the lawsuit that instead of addressing complaints, Fox is using the harassment hotline “to paint targets on the backs of employees”.”
http://www.rawstory.com/2017/05/reporte ... t-hotline/
151 million phone records collected by NSA in 2016 were reportedly for tracking only 42 targets, while Section 702 internet targets numbered 106,469, but CIA claims it does not know how many Americans it ran searches on. “Because the NSA collects data on numbers that are “two hops” away from a targeted phone, records would be collected from any number that called or was called by the target number, and then every number each of those numbers interacted with.”
https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/201 ... sa-others/
Swiss government accused of planting spy in German tax agency to find out who was leaking info on tax-dodging Germans with Swiss bank accounts. “The state (of North Rhine-Westphalia) has bought 11 CDS of data since 2010 and paid 17.9 million euros ($19.59 million) to informants. It has recovered nearly 7 billion euros in tax revenue which would have been lost.”
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-swiss ... SKBN18028Y
NYPD allegedly withholding information on use of facial recognition technology. “Despite the fact that numerous agencies disclosed similar information about policies, procedures, training, audits, contracts, and agreements relating to their use of facial recognition technology, the NYPD determined in January 2017 that it was unable to find any records responsive to the Center’s detailed records requests.”
https://theintercept.com/2017/05/02/nyp ... are-suing/
Woman found guilty of disrupting Sessions confirmation hearing after resisting her removal for laughing. “…Code Pink activist Desiree Fairooz was arrested in January after she laughed at a claim from Sen. Richard Shelby (R-AL) that Sessions’s history of “treating all Americans equally under the law is clear and well-documented”.”
https://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics ... department
Even after reforms, NSA still collected more than 151 million phone records of Americans in 2016. “Under the old system, it collected potentially “billions of records per day,” according to a 2014 study.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/02/us/p ... cords.html
Progressive religious leaders tell Trump not to allow discrimination based on sexual preference. “Our faiths compel us to oppose legislation that seeks to stigmatize and marginalize transgender people in particular, legitimize discrimination against all lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people, or abuse the notion of religious freedom to deny basic rights and protections to others.”
http://religiousinstitute.org/national- ... btq-bills/
West Virginia city sues pharmaceutical companies over corporate drug dealing in opioids. “The drug wholesalers shipped 423 million pain pills to West Virginia between 2007 and 2012, earning $17 billion in net income, according to a complaint filed Jan. 19 in Cabell Circuit Court.”
http://wvrecord.com/stories/511075675-c ... d-epidemic
Trump meets with president of Palestinian Authority, says peace deal is likely. Abbas: “…it’s about time for Israel to end its occupation of our people and of our land after 50 years.”
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/pol ... 101237076/
Russia and Turkey agree to set up “conflict-free” zones in Syria, Trump also reportedly on board. “In a news conference with Erdogan, Putin said he supported the creation of the safe zones — in which he said “aircraft will not operate” — in an effort to support a Syrian cease-fire.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/pu ... story.html
FBI director says he revealed reopening of Clinton email investigation before the election because it was… closed, but didn’t reveal Trump/Russia investigation because it was still (and is still) ongoing. “I commented, as I explained earlier, on October 28 in a letter that I sent to the chair and ranking [members] of the oversight committees that we were taking additional steps in the Clinton email investigation because I had testified under oath repeatedly that we were done — that we were finished there.”
http://www.businessinsider.com/comey-ex ... sia-2017-5
China places restrictions on online news sites. “Online news outlets and mainstream broadcasters operating in China will soon need to obtain official government licenses to operate legally, the country’s internet regulator, the Cyberspace Administration of China (CAC), has announced.”
http://www.ibtimes.co.uk/chinese-govern ... es-1619801
They’re back! House to vote on another Obamacare “repeal and replace” bill. “Republican leaders and the White House spent the day Wednesday hunting for votes and are believed to be within striking distance of passing the measure.”
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/house-ho ... d=47191544 Nice to know that one of the highest priorities of our elected officials is taking away people’s health insurance coverage….
National Geographic gets 1,771 pages of completely blacked-out documents in response to its Freedom of Information Act request about deletion of USDA animal abuse website. “The records in U.S. Department of Agriculture’s online animal welfare database allowed journalists, investigators, and the public to look up inspection reports and violations of animal welfare laws.”
http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017 ... t-release/
Minster of the Environment in the Philippines ousted over mines closed due to water pollution, blames political corruption. “I’m disappointed because clearly there are business influences that have maneuvered the decision.”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-39797113
Law would require Congressional approval to launch nuclear first strike. “The Constitution gives the power to declare war to Congress, and we should not allow President Trump—or any president—to use nuclear weapons except in response to a nuclear attack against the U.S. or our allies.”
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/ ... r-football
Apparently tired of peace, Japan’s ruling conservative party wants to amend constitution. “Under (prime minister) Abe’s watch, parliament in 2015 voted into law a defense policy shift that could let troops fight overseas for the first time since 1945, but any formal constitutional revision would require the backing of two-thirds of members of both houses of parliament and a majority of voters in a referendum.”
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan ... SKBN17Z0BH
No charges for officers involved in Alton Sterling shooting. “The decision not to charge the officers has raised concerns among civil rights activists that the Sessions-led DOJ under Trump will not aggressively go after officers who are accused of misconduct.”
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/ ... baton.html
Barrett Brown released from prison, still unclear why he was rearrested. “Barrett Lancaster Brown transferred from home confinement to Federal Correction Institute (FCI) Seagoville in Texas yesterday, April 27, 2017, but we can not disclose the reason(s) for a specific inmate’s transfer of locations.”
https://gizmodo.com/barrett-browns-lawy ... 1794803977
Supreme Court may hear case of man sentenced to prison for six years because software predicted he would re-offend. “The report in Mr. Loomis’s case was produced by a product called Compas, sold by Northpointe Inc. It included a series of bar charts that assessed the risk that Mr. Loomis would commit more crimes.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/01/us/p ... .html?_r=1
D.C. approves Newsham as police chief, despite accusations of mass arrests. “On Monday, Newsham’s critics continued a last-ditch appeal to slow down the council’s vote as they criticized the department’s arrest of more than 200 people during Inauguration Day protests that turned violent. The group contends that bystanders and law- abiding protesters were swept up indiscriminately.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/pu ... story.html
Legal hurdles often prevent effective prosecution of police officers for use of excessive force. “The Slager trial was an example, one among many, of how poorly the legal system functions as a remedy or a deterrent for bad police shootings, which some law enforcement professionals now refer to as “lawful but awful”.”
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/201 ... carolina-2
Gallery of persecuted and assassinated journalists on World Press Freedom Day. “Imprisoned, tortured, murdered: journalists doing their jobs become the targets of governments, drug cartels, or “ideological fighters”.
http://www.dw.com/en/world-press-freedo ... g-38671165
Most of the French voters who backed leftist candidate Melenchon say they will not vote for Macron. “About a third of members of far-left politician Jean-Luc Melenchon’s political movement will cast their second round French presidential election vote for centrist Emmanuel Macron, results showed, with the remainder planning to cast a blank vote or abstain.”
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-franc ... SKBN17Y1WG I think I’ve seen this movie before….
Trump to reportedly sign “religious liberty” executive order allowing business and individuals to discriminate against the public based on their religious views. “The American Civil Liberties Union… signaled that it would sue if Trump “signs an order that would allow religion to be used as an excuse to discriminate”. ”
http://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/02/trump-re ... o-sue.html
Public schools increasingly segregated by race and wealth. “In their analysis of large districts, Owens, Reardon, and Jencks found that segregation between poor and non-poor students in public schools grew more than 40 percent from 1991 to 2012. Rising residential segregation by income has fueled that growth, as most children attend their local public school.”
https://www.theatlantic.com/education/a ... ce/524103/
What does it cost to buy a vote in Congress? “The results indicate that for every $100,000 that Democratic representatives received from (the financial industry), the odds they would break with their party’s majority support for the Dodd-Frank legislation increased by 13.9 percent.”
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/ ... eks-answer
Immigration detention centers may be designated as “childcare facilities” to allow longer periods of incarceration if legislation written by private prison firm is passed. “Republican State Rep. John Raney admitted to the Associated Press that Geo Group officials wrote the legislation.”
https://theintercept.com/2017/05/02/pri ... -detained/
Police now admit car was driving away when 15 year-old passenger was fatally shot by Texas officer. “Shots from his rifle pierced the front side passenger window, hitting Edwards in the front seat, according to Edwards’ family attorneys, Lee Merritt and Jasmine Crockett.”
http://www.wgem.com/story/35299792/poli ... n-is-fired None of the news outlets seem to be reporting exactly what kind of rifle was involved. Video reportedly exists but has not been released to the public.
Lawyers for Democratic Party say they have no legal obligation to hold fair primaries. “… attorneys representing the DNC claim that the Democratic National Committee would be well within their rights to “go into back rooms like they used to and smoke cigars and pick the candidate that way.”
http://observer.com/2017/05/dnc-lawsuit ... upporters/ “The DNC is now openly admitting that it deceived and manipulated the American people into a situation where they’re both unable to elect third parties and unable to select who will run against the GOP. All so that they won’t have to give Bernie supporters back their 27 bucks.”
https://medium.com/@caityjohnstone/dnc- ... ccc01ad3bd
Principal complains about racism, is allegedly investigated for ties to communists. “In November, the John Jay Campus girls’ volleyball coach told (Principal) Bloomberg the team was “singled out, humiliated and treated like criminals by the school safety agents at another, predominately white school”.”
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/edu ... -1.3116075
Ten of thousands march on May Day, dozens arrested. “Tens of thousands across the country peacefully chanted, picketed and protested Monday against President Donald Trump’s immigration and labor policies on May Day, despite a small pocket of violent unrest in the Pacific Northwest.”
http://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/02/arrests- ... trump.html
L.A. County Sheriff’s Dept. reportedly promotes employees disciplined for misconduct to high-ranking positions. “You can’t promote people with [misconduct] problems but then fire lower-level people for those same issues.”
http://www.latimes.com/local/california ... story.html
White House reportedly exploring ways to sue media over negative news coverage. “White House press secretary Sean Spicer confirmed Monday that the Trump administration is actively—and in his words “substantively”—reviewing the nation’s libel laws as it explores ways it could more easily sidestep First Amendment protections and target press coverage or news stories it deems objectionable.”
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/ ... s-freedoms
Dallas area officers who fatally shot teenage passenger in moving car reportedly violated federal guidelines. “Jordan (Edwards, 15,) was in the passenger seat of a car authorities say was being driven backwards in an “aggressive manner” when a Balch Springs, Texas, officer opened fire.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... moving-car
Australian man detained at border reportedly ends up overstaying his visa by one hour, is taken to detention center. “Sydney man Baxter Reid, 26, was in the US on a five-year visa and had travelled to Canada as part of a requirement for him to exit and re-enter America every six months to keep his visa valid.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... y-one-hour
First quarter GDP growth less than 1%. “The US economy turned in the weakest performance in three years in the January-March quarter as consumers sharply slowed their spending.”
https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... rch-report
Facebook accused of targeting teens for advertising based on their emotional state. “Internal documents from Facebook obtained by “The Australian” appear to show executives at the company monitoring the content of posts and comments to discern the mood of users—information which could then be provided to advertisers.”
http://www.ibtimes.com/facebook-ad-priv ... et-2532913
Most Americans reportedly favor cutting military spending. “Given their druthers, voters surveyed by PPC said they’d prefer to cut the 2017 Obama defense budget by $41 billion — not increase it by $54 billion.”
http://www.ibtimes.com/military-costs-u ... ew-2532678
Republican House member Chaffetz reportedly gets surgery for pre-existing foot injury, but it’s covered because he’s got Obamacare. “President Donald Trump has promised to protect guarantees for people with pre-existing conditions, but a GOP amendment would allow states to opt out of those Obamacare protections.”
http://www.rawstory.com/2017/05/chaffet ... ot-injury/
Afghan civilian casualties at record high. “Conflict-related civilian casualties reached their highest levels since the U.N. began documenting them in 2009, the report states, with 3,498 civilians killed and 7,920 injured.”
http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/ ... cord-highs
Venezuelan government proposes new political body. “(President) Maduro, 54, has triggered an article of the constitution that creates a super-body known as a “constituent assembly”…. Only half of the 500-member assembly, or less, would be elected and political parties would not participate, he said.”
https://www.yahoo.com/news/venezuelan-l ... 44943.html
100 days of chaos and controversy: Trump claims his administration “has been just about the most successful in our country’s history”, untainted by special interests. “For too long, politicians cared more about special interests than they did about a very successful future for all Americans.”
http://www.11alive.com/news/politics/tr ... /435151828
Schumer: Trump has abandoned working families. “…Trump has swapped populism for plutocracy, spending the first 100 days governing from the far right on behalf of the powerful corporations and special interests he once stumped against.”
https://www.usatoday.com/story/opinion/ ... 100990506/ Something that Democrats would NEVER do!
Hundreds of thousands march for action on climate change. “At the marquee event, the Peoples Climate March in Washington, D.C., approximately 150,000 to 200,000 people made their way down Pennsylvania Avenue on their way to encircle the White House.”
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/04/29/th ... icies.html
Turkey blocks Wikipedia, apparently considering the website a threat to its national security. “It cited a law that allows it to block access to individual web pages or entire websites for the protection of public order, national security or the well-being of the public.”
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-turke ... SKBN17V06Q
Brazilian unions declare general strike over government’s austerity policies. “(President) Temer’s efforts to pass pension and labour reforms have deeply angered many Brazilians.”
http://www.smh.com.au/world/brazil-grip ... vv96j.html
Woman shot during police anti-terror raid in London. “According to eyewitnesses, the front door of the house in Harlesden Road was wide open at the time of the arrest – and the hallway could be seen covered in blood after the shooting.”
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/do ... t-10314226
Some ASEAN members plead for de-escalation of North Korea standoff. “We have to caution everybody, including those who’d give the advice to the two players, because you have nuclear warheads to just show restraint.”
https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/arti ... ink-of-war Pope Francis agrees. “I call on them, and I will call on them, as I have on leaders of different places, to work to resolve their problems through diplomatic avenues.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/29/worl ... .html?_r=0
Delta pilot allegedly hit passenger while breaking up fight. “As the women tussle on the ground, the pilot steps in and appears to grab one woman’s arm and then delivers a blow.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/29/us/d ... woman.html
Trump tax plan might result in people declaring themselves corporations. “After Kansas eliminated its state tax on pass-through income, the number of people taking advantage of the exemption soared, leading to hundreds of millions of dollars in lost revenue for state coffers.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/28/upsh ... tions.html
Trump has reportedly played golf 19 times during his first 100 days, versus 1 for Obama, 0 for W. and 7 for Bill Clinton.
http://www.businessinsider.com/why-amer ... olf-2017-4
Trump and Pence both call mainstream media “fake news” in speeches. “Trump has frequently assailed news outlets that cover his administration critically as “fake news”.
http://thehill.com/homenews/administrat ... days-rally
BBC tech program investigates U.S. company’s home email server claiming to be “world’s most secure” email solution. “Mr Moore said the Nomx was an “overpriced and outdated mail server” and used one of the “most insecure PHP applications” he had ever encountered.”
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-38934822 According to the BBC World News’ “Click” TV program, the CEO of Nomx is reportedly a former F-35 fighter tech project manager. After watching the program, I had to wonder if the government is hiring incompetent employees or if Nomx is an undercover law enforcement project targeting people who are worried about email security. The default password was “password” and the user is reportedly not prompted or required to change it, for example. The memory is not encrypted, so if someone were to have a “sneak and peek” warrant to perform a secret search of your home and they opened the device and removed the card, they would reportedly have all of your unencrypted emails.
NSA reportedly drops program that allowed government to examine your email if it included the word “Putin” (or, from her previous phone tapping experience, apparently even “Merkel”). “Now, the NSA statement says, it “will no longer collect certain internet communications that merely mention a foreign intelligence target…. Instead, NSA will limit such collection to internet communications that are sent directly to or from a foreign target.”
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/ ... rveillance
Former CEO of anti-choice law firm appointed to Department of Health and Human Services. “It is unacceptable that someone with a history of promoting myths and false information about women’s health is appointed to a government position whose main responsibility is to provide the public with accurate and factual information.”
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/ ... y-hhs-post
Fourth Arkansas death penalty prisoner apparently in distress during lethal injection execution. “According to Associated Press state editor Kelly Kissel, Williams convulsed and shook 15 to 20 times over a period of 10 to 20 seconds. Afterwards, he continued to gasp and made an audible groaning sound until about 10:59 a.m., the witnesses said.”
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/ ... onvulsions
Trump calls legislative process “a bad thing for the country”. “President Donald Trump took aim at the D.C. gridlock during an interview on Fox News Channel’s “The First 100 Days” on Friday evening, blasting the existing system in Congress as “archaic”.”
http://ijr.com/2017/04/859573-trump-bla ... -progress/
25 years after Rodney King beating, use of excessive force by police is still an unresolved issue. “When I began doing police misconduct cases in 1981, people would say, ‘An officer would never do that’…. Video has made it clear that it does happen.”
http://www.ibtimes.com/rodney-king-la-r ... ng-2532089
South Korea refuses to pay $1 billion for U.S. anti-missile missile deployment. “Seoul retorted that under the Status of Forces Agreement that governs the US military presence in the country, South Korea would provide the THAAD site and infrastructure while the US would pay to deploy and operate it.”
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/04/s ... 55034.html
Trump unable to fill venue for “100 days” speech. “President Trump claimed his 100-day rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday night broke attendance records, though journalists pointed out rows of empty seats at the expo center where the event was held.”
http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing- ... mpty-seats Obviously the “fake news” mainstream media has photoshopped these pictures, just like they did at Trump’s inauguration!
Fox News tweets extremely misleading economic figures blaming/giving credit to presidents for the legacies of their predecessors. “The (official) unemployment rate peaked at 10 percent in October 2009 and began to fall shortly after, hitting 4.8 percent when Obama left office in January 2017.”
http://www.rawstory.com/2017/04/social- ... st-tweets/
Writer warns that Trump administration has been testing the limits during their first 100 days. “For now he remains an autocratic leader stuck with a democratic society and “what’s left of a democratic government,” she said, but “a serious crisis such as a terrorist attack or an economic crash” could provide Trump with the impetus he needs “to strip citizens of their rights”. ”
http://www.rawstory.com/2017/04/authori ... -to-fight/ It worked for Bush!
Woman reportedly hospitalized by machete-wielding conservative in Kentucky coffee shop. “He asked somebody what their political affiliation was, they said ‘Republican,’ and the guy said, ‘You are safe’”.
http://www.kentucky.com/news/local/crim ... 44794.html
More than 5,700 U.S. troops to be deployed to Europe and Afghanistan. “About 1,700 soldiers from two different units will deploy to Afghanistan…”
https://www.armytimes.com/articles/army ... 0-soldiers
Pentagon is reportedly investigating former Trump national security advisor Mike Flynn’s income from foreign sources. Flynn allegedly “accepted tens of thousands of dollars of fees from Russian sources, including RT, the Kremlin-funded television network.”
https://www.democracynow.org/2017/4/28/ ... n_payments
College that restricted activist passing out Constitutions to tiny free speech zone gets sued. “The Pierce College’s free speech zone takes up 616-square feet of the school’s 426-acre campus. This means that the free speech zone is just .003% of (the college’s) campus.”
http://jeffersonmuzzles.org/
Off duty security company employee allegedly pepper sprays man for taking free cookies. “Knutsen told police he didn’t see the free cookies sign and sprayed the man accidentally.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/national ... story.html
Delaware police reportedly used explosives in attempt to dislodge suspect from home. “SkyForce10 video shows the home’s windows, garage door and front door were blown out and debris are all over the lawn in the aftermath of the standoff.”
http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/loc ... 83513.html
Israeli missiles reportedly hit Damascus, Syria airport. “Just before the apparent Israeli missile strike, at least three cargo jets from Iran probably landed at the Damascus airport, said Ian Petchenik, a spokesman for the flight-tracking website FlightRadar24.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/mi ... story.html
Students who used vouchers for private school tuition tended to have lower test scores says study. “D.C. students who used vouchers had significantly lower math scores a year after joining the program, on average, than students who applied for a voucher through a citywide lottery but did not receive one. For voucher students in kindergarten through fifth grade, reading scores were also significantly lower.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/ed ... story.html
Man kicked off Delta flight, questioned by FBI, after using restroom while taxiing. “The plane taxied to the runway and the passengers were told it was third in line to take off. This is a time when you’re supposed to remain seated. But the wait extended to about 30 minutes…”
http://www.jsonline.com/story/news/colu ... 100885528/
Family of Tempe teen fatally shot while fleeing unarmed robbery upset at lack of action against police officer. “Court documents say (the officer) ran nearly parallel to Hollins before commanding him to “Stop, or I’m gonna shoot you”.”
http://www.azcentral.com/story/news/loc ... 100989994/
Lawyers who witnessed mistaken Philadelphia police shooting of unarmed delivery man were reportedly told to go away by officers. “It’s astounding that in a case which the city has acknowledged culpability, paying $4.4 million and changing the training protocol for the entire police force, that there are absolutely no recriminations for either police officer.”
http://www.philly.com/philly/news/penns ... lland.html
Trump administration officials refuse to guarantee that middle-class taxpayers will not see a tax increase to cover huge cuts for corporations and the wealthy. “I can’t make any guarantees until this thing is done and on the president’s desk.”
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/ ... ddle-class
31% of Americans aged 18-34 are reportedly living with their parents. “This data correlates with a drop in marriage and birthrates.”
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... ustainable
Released journalist Barrett Brown, who was sentenced to five years in prison in connection with leak of hacked Stratfor intelligence contractor files, rearrested before PBS interview. “Several weeks ago, Brown was told by his check-in officer that he needed to fill out permission forms before giving interviews.”
https://theintercept.com/2017/04/27/for ... interview/
NRA members will reportedly have to disarm if they want to hear Trump speak. “According to CNN’s Kevin Liptak, members will not be able to pack heat when the president speaks at the National Rifle Association Convention in Atlanta on Friday.”
http://www.rawstory.com/2017/04/secret- ... on-speech/ I thought it was Obama who was coming for our guns?
Hong Kong pro-democracy activists arrested for protest last November. “Hong Kong police arrested nine pro-democracy activists on Thursday over a protest outside China’s representative office in November, a move some said was a bid to stifle opposition before Chinese President Xi Jinping’s expected visit in July.”
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-hongk ... SKBN17T0HA
Mexican senate passes law to address kidnappings and “disappearances”. “The government’s human rights agency says 32,236 people have gone missing across the country over the past two decades.”
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wir ... m-47070950
Former federal prosecutor refusing to comment on Trump associate’s alleged ties to Russian organized crime. “Kaminsky’s office ignored repeated requests for comment on whether he believes the remaining material in Sater’s court files should now be unsealed — considering the paramount national interest in uncovering any connections between the Trump campaign and Russian mobsters, oligarchs, and political leaders, including Putin.”
http://whowhatwhy.org/2017/04/27/govern ... -mob-ties/
Trump tax plan would be a windfall for the wealthiest. “The president would eliminate the estate tax and alternative minimum tax, a parallel system that primarily hits wealthier people by effectively limiting the deductions and other benefits available to them — both moves that would richly benefit Mr. Trump.”
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/26/us/p ... -plan.html
Labour Party’s Jeremy Corbyn says Conservatives are “strong against the weak and weak against the strong” in UK parliament debate. “…when it comes to the Prime Minister and the Conservatives, they only look after the richest, not the rest.”
http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/t ... k-10298445
U.S. test fires ballistic missile, no reports of threats of sanctions by other countries. “The U.S. Air Force test-fired an intercontinental ballistic missile which traveled over 4,000 miles before splashing down in the South Pacific after launching early Wednesday from a base in California.”
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/04/26/ai ... ornia.html
U.S. comes in 43rd in press freedom ranking. “(Reporters Without Borders) singled out campaigns by President Donald Trump in the U.S. and the Brexit campaign in the U.K. to explain the drop by those two countries in its rankings. Both campaigns “were marked by high-profile media bashing, a highly toxic anti-media discourse that drove the world into a new era of post-truth, disinformation, and fake news.”
https://www.usnews.com/news/best-countr ... roup-warns
Trump administration will allow military to determine troops levels in Iraq and Syria. “Bringing the authority really back here where it’s historically been enables military commanders to be more agile, to more quickly and efficiently support partners, to have more rapid decision-making, and to keep units together.”
http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-pe ... d=47044082
Supreme Court justices grill government lawyers in case involving revocation of U.S. citizenship, point out that not admitting to driving over the speed limit could put naturalized citizens at risk. “One question on the naturalization form, for example, asks citizenship applicants to disclose any and all crimes, offenses or attempts to break the law for which they haven’t been arrested — ever.”
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/joh ... 6db1dd9bda
FCC proposes ending “net neutrality”rules, allowing internet service providers to sell faster internet connections at higher prices. “The head of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission on Wednesday proposed overturning the landmark 2015 Obama-era net neutrality rules that prohibit broadband providers from giving or selling access to certain internet services over others.”
http://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/26/fcc-chai ... rules.html
Woman allegedly sexually assaulted by Uber driver. “Prosecutors say the woman had been attending a company gathering in Newport Beach and her colleagues requested an Uber ride to take her home.”
http://www.reuters.com/article/us-uber- ... SKBN17T041
Seven Hartford, CT police officers found guilty of using excessive force, some face “remedial training”. “A West Hartford police camera appears to show Hartford officers kicking or stomping one of the two suspects, who was in handcuffs, police said. The suspects, Ricardo Perez, 34, of Hartford, and Emilio Diaz, 38, of Hartford, had to be hospitalized.”
http://www.nbcconnecticut.com/news/loca ... 55394.html
Colorado Springs settles excessive force lawsuit over passenger dragged from car. “According to an internal investigation of the incident, Nelson was suspicious that the brothers, who are black, were involved “in some drug activity or some kind of criminal activity”.”
http://www.csindy.com/coloradosprings/c ... id=5296561
Trump decides not to withdraw U.S. from NAFTA trade deal. “President Trump agreed not to terminate NAFTA at this time and the leaders agreed to proceed swiftly, according to their required internal procedures, to enable the renegotiation of the NAFTA deal to the benefit of all three countries.”
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business ... story.html
Trump orders review of “National Monument” nature areas. “Americans have already deemed these places as too beautiful, too fragile, and too unique for extraction. It would be unconscionable if we let Trump hand them over to his polluter cronies and campaign contributors.”
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/ ... -monuments
Sanders reintroduces bill to raise minimum wage to $15/hour. “In 2015, Sanders introduced similar legislation with just five co-sponsors. On Wednesday, he boasted 21, in addition to lead co-sponsor Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.).”
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/ ... -who-arent
Trump will not release his tax returns, says Treasury secretary during tax plan launch. “The president has released plenty of information, and I think has given more financial disclosure than anybody else. I think the American population has plenty of information on his taxes.”
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/2 ... hin-237642
Trump tax plan is a return of Reagan’s “voodoo economics”. “Reagan’s tax cuts and higher defence spending were certainly accompanied by higher growth but they did not pay for themselves. Far from it. The US ran high budget deficits and the national debt spiralled.”
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... n-the-hill While in Kansas, there was little growth and budget deficits spiraled. “On the horizon both for the Legislature and Brownback is a state budget shortfall of more than $1 billion through June 2019.”
http://cjonline.com/news/local/2017-04- ... udget-bill
Wrong people executed in Oklahoma say investigators, “systemic flaws” in its death penalty system. “It is undeniable that innocent people have been sentenced to death in Oklahoma.”
https://theintercept.com/2017/04/26/inn ... concludes/
Would-be revolutionary Eric Frein sentenced to death. “He was found guilty last week of murder and terrorism. On Wednesday the jury deliberated for five hours before returning a death sentence.”
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39728188
Florida legislators apologize for abuse at reform school. “…a forensic investigation carried out by the University of South Florida… identified 55 graves sites at the Jackson County facility, although there were only official records for 24 burials.”
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/politic ... 74259.html
Ivanka Trump reportedly starting foundation to benefit female entrepreneurs. “…First Daughter Ivanka Trump is starting her very own foundation that she will operate while working inside the White House — and she’s reportedly already securing money from foreign governments.”
http://www.rawstory.com/2017/04/ivanka- ... ts-report/
9,000 Turkish police officers suspended over alleged Gulen ties. “The latest purge comes just over a week after President Erdogan narrowly won a controversial referendum on increasing his powers.”
http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39723371
ACLU supports Ann Coulter’s right to speak. “The heckler’s veto of Coulter’s Berkeley speech is a loss for the 1st Amendment,” ACLU National tweeted on Wednesday. “We must protect speech on campus, even when hateful.”
http://www.rawstory.com/2017/04/we-must ... ey-speech/
Kurds and Turks exchange artillery fire over Syrian border. “Turkey reported four of their army outposts along the border came under attack from artillery and mortar fire, though they denied any casualties were inflicted. They responded by carrying out heavy artillery strikes against the Kurdish town of Darbasiya.”
http://news.antiwar.com/2017/04/26/turk ... ss-border/
Iraqi officials reportedly seize $500 million Qatari ransom at airport. “It is now clear that the money was ransom for 24 Qataris, several of them leading members of the Qatari royal al-Thani family, and two Saudis who had been hunting with falcons with official permission in supposedly safe southern Iraq when they were kidnapped 16 months ago by a Shia militia task force.”
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/worl ... 03946.html
Anonymous reports of massive North Korean nuclear weapons build-up impossible to verify but still receiving wide coverage. “Once again, the essential antecedents of war are being established based on anonymous “experts” and “officials,” and hardly anyone notices, much less pushes back.”
http://fair.org/home/nyts-impossible-to ... -by-media/
Maoist rebels in India kill 23 security personnel in ambush. “”When you allow multinational companies and private corporations to carry out mining projects in the name of development in areas populated by indigenous communities this uprising is bound to happen,” (says) E. N. Rammohan, a former police officer, who has chronicled the Maoist rebellion.”
http://www.dw.com/en/india-struggles-to ... a-38598839
Indigenous protesters dispersed by police in Brazil. “… more than 3,000 indigenous people demonstrated in front of Congress Tuesday, protesting ongoing theft of their land and resources, which they say has worsened under President Michel Temer.”
https://www.democracynow.org/2017/4/26/ ... e_congress
"When and if fascism comes to America... it will be called, of course, ‘Americanism'." - Halford Luccock
"Liberty without socialism is privilege and injustice. Socialism without liberty is slavery and brutality."
— Mikhail Bakunin