Some recent news stories that got my attention

1
Trump’s nominee to lead CIA says he “absolutely” won’t follow orders if instructed to waterboard prisoners or use other unapproved forms of “enhanced interrogation”. http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/tru ... an-n706156

Six times more bus parking permits reportedly requested for Women’s March on Washington than for Trump inauguration. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/loc ... ens-march/

Hedge fund manager and former Goldman Sachs employee Anthony Scaramucci reportedly appointed as a top Trump advisor. http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/20 ... house.html Apparently this is one hedge fund manager who is not part of a “global power structure that is responsible for the economic decisions that have robbed our working class, stripped our country of its wealth and put that money into the pockets of a handful of large corporations and political entities,” to quote a Trump campaign ad. https://www.salon.com/2016/11/07/watch- ... -campaign/

Evanston police finally release video of violent October 2015 arrest of a black Ph.D student accused of stealing his own car. The suspect exits his car with his hands up at the 9:00 minute mark on the linked police video, and is then taken down by shouting group of officers. Some audio has apparently been edited out. https://dailynorthwestern.com/2017/01/1 ... e-student/

13 Democrats, including Cory Booker, reportedly side with Republicans to block consumer access to cheaper imported drugs. “Abilify, a drug to treat depression, is more than $2,636 for a 90-day supply in the U.S. but only $436 in Canada.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... ce-gouging

176 retired military officers urge Trump not to torture. “Most importantly, torture violates our core values as a nation.” http://www.voanews.com/a/retired-us-mil ... 70259.html

Federal prosecutors to criminally charge six Volkswagen executives over emissions cheating, ” a substantial turn by a departing administration that is trying to remake its image of being soft on corporate crime”. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/11/busi ... minal.html

Senator asks Rex Tillerson about Exxon’s alleged cover-up of evidence linking fossil fuels to climate change. “Since I’m no longer with ExxonMobil, I’m in no position to speak on their behalf.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... on-hearing

The B Street Band, ‘America’s number one Bruce Springsteen cover band’, to perform at Trump inauguration. http://www.rawstory.com/2017/01/trump-f ... over-band/

Four Republican lawmakers have repeatedly removed an art panel-selected student painting from a Capitol wall because they don’t like the content. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/pow ... f-control/

Bankers face criminal charges over exchange rate fixing! “The indictments come after years of criticism against the [Obama] Justice Department for securing multibillion-dollar corporate penalties without holding individuals to account.” https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... gging-case Now, let’s see if anyone actually goes to jail.

Merchants unable to charge customers a surcharge for using credit cards claim this violates their free speech, take their case to Supreme Court, which agrees to hear it. “They are forcing the merchant to speak in a particular way.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/10/busi ... peech.html

Attorney General nominee Sessions says rise is crime is due to criticism of police. “…morale has been affected. And it’s impacted the crime rates in Baltimore, crime rates in Chicago, I don’t think there’s any doubt about it…” http://fusion.net/story/379781/jeff-ses ... p-hearing/

Carl’s Jr. employee tells Congress that after seven years with the company she is paid $8.75 an hour and has to rely on housing assistance, food stamps, and Medicaid to support herself and her children. “If I didn’t survive on these things, I would be homeless…” http://www.motherjones.com/politics/201 ... jr-hardees

Two experts claim DNC emails were likely leaked, not hacked. “Because NSA can trace exactly where and how any “hacked” emails from the Democratic National Committee or other servers were routed through the network, it is puzzling why NSA cannot produce hard evidence implicating the Russian government and WikiLeaks.” http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/opinio ... story.html

Army and National Guard reportedly involved in planning to contain Trump inauguration protesters. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc ... story.html

Obama mentions failure to enact stricter gun control laws and failure to liberalize immigration among his regrets. http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/01 ... l-leg.html

Navy destroyer operating off the coast of Iran fires “warning shots” at Iranian patrol boats. http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/01/09 ... ormuz.html

American citizen captured with Taliban in Afghanistan was reportedly required to withdraw allegations of torture and agreed to gag order as part of plea deal. http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/3 ... -his-story

Michigan motorist allegedly gets ticket for letting his unattended car warm up in his driveway. http://www.clickondetroit.com/news/rose ... n-driveway

Jewish community centers in at least six states reportedly receive bomb threats. http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nati ... story.html

Judge rules that family can’t sue San Francisco for protecting illegal immigrant who killed their daughter from deportation, but allows them to pursue case against BLM employee who left loaded pistol in car. “San Francisco’s so-called “sanctuary policy” bars city employees from cooperating with federal immigration officials in deportation efforts.” https://www.salon.com/2017/01/09/judge- ... immigrant/

7 activists reportedly arrested in Tampa park for feeding the homeless. “The hunger enforcement officers are here.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... s-homeless

Law prohibits James Mattis from taking post of secretary of defense, if Congress chooses to enforce it. “But so far only one Democratic senator, Kirsten Gillibrand, has come out against the waiver, calling civilian control of the military “fundamental to the American democracy”.” https://theintercept.com/2017/01/09/the ... exception/

Kansas Gov. Brownback tells Trump it may take time for tax cuts to boost U.S. economy. “Since the governor approved a reduction in personal income taxes and cut non-wage business income taxes for small-business owners in 2012, Kansas has fallen [far] behind the national average in terms of job creation and personal income growth.” https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... x-ambition

Journalist, music critic and civil liberties activist Nat Hentoff dies at 91. http://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/07/nyreg ... -dead.html

Watchdog group sues Coca-Cola over health claims. Coke execs have allegedly claimed, “There is no scientific evidence that connects sugary beverages to obesity.” https://gizmodo.com/5-of-the-most-egreg ... 1790823505

German authorities and local press debunk Breitbart story claiming mob of 1,000 Muslims attacked police and set fire to Germany’s oldest church. “…the roof never caught fire, there was no “mob of Muslims” in the street and the church is not Germany’s oldest.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/01/police- ... to-church/
"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

Re: Some recent news stories that got my attention

3
Another batch. You can catch more frequent updates here: https://progressivenewsservice.wordpress.com

As President Obama leaves office, he makes final request to Congress to close Guantanamo Bay prison. “He has long said the facility “undermines national security” by serving as a source of propaganda for terrorists and a drain on military resources.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/che ... uantanamo/

Stealth bombers and drones hit IS training camps in Libya. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/19/us/p ... libya.html

Orlando shooting suspect claims he was beaten by police. “During a brief hearing, Loyd said he planned to represent himself in court, denied resisting arrest and said arresting officers “took my eye” and broke his jaw and nose.” http://edition.cnn.com/2017/01/19/us/or ... -shooting/

Trump’s nominee to head Dept. of Energy says he regrets his previous call to abolish the agency. “My past statements made over five years ago about abolishing the Department of Energy do not reflect my current thinking.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/business ... story.html

Canadian tourists fined, jailed for breaking rules in U.S. national parks after posting pictures and videos on social media. The charges included disorderly conduct by creating a hazardous condition, foot travel in a thermal area, commercial photography without a permit, use of a drone in a closed area, and riding a bike in a wilderness area. “Both men will serve a week in jail and pay more than $2,000 in fines, restitution, community service payments and fees.” http://trib.com/lifestyles/recreation/c ... 83887.html

Trump’s Treasury Dept. nominee allegedly “…failed to disclose nearly $100 million of his assets on Senate Finance Committee disclosure documents and forgot to mention his role as a director of an investment fund located in a tax haven…” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/19/us/p ... ation.html

Green Party recounts: Huge fees were intended to discourage recounts, judges struck down recounts in two states, many votes were recounted using the same machines. “The big lesson learned is that our elections are not verifiable.” http://whowhatwhy.org/2017/01/18/stein- ... age-audit/

Security at Trump inauguration “will most likely cost more than $100 million”. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/18/us/p ... paper&_r=0

In final press conference, Obama tells media their work is critical if democracy is to function. “…you’re supposed to be skeptics, you’re supposed to ask me tough questions. You’re not supposed to be complimentary, but you’re supposed to cast a critical eye on folks who hold enormous power.” http://www.independent.co.uk/voices/bar ... 34451.html

Donald Trump did not invent the slogan “Make American Great Again” – it was Ronald Reagan (or one of his speech writers). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FjkX_IBYQHw Although Bill Clinton now claims the phrase contains hidden racism, he reportedly used it himself while campaigning, as recently as in 2008. “In a campaign ad for his wife in 2008, Mr. Clinton said, “It’s time for another comeback, time to make America great again.” http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/201 ... again-in-/

Two die in clash over demolition of Bedouin homes in Israel, hundreds protest. http://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/1.765752 and http://www.i24news.tv/en/news/israel/so ... in-village

Missing Kansas City college student was reportedly pulled over for improper lane change before disappearing. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/toni-anders ... nsas-city/

Man who ran fake news site and who brought the internet “BREAKING: “Tens of thousands” of fraudulent Clinton votes found in Ohio warehouse”, “Hillary Clinton Blames Racism for Cincinnati Gorilla’s Death”, “Early Morning Explosion in DC Allegedly Leaves Yet Another DNC Staffer Dead”, “NYPD Looking to Press Charges Against Bill Clinton for Underage Sex Ring”, “Protesters Beat Homeless Veteran to Death in Philadelphia”, and “Hillary Clinton Files for Divorce in New York Courts” was reportedly an aide to a Republican state legislator. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/md ... story.html and https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/18/us/f ... arris.html

Obama administration revises CIA rules on search and retention of information collected on Americans. “The new guidelines do not impose any requirement that C.I.A. officials obtain a warrant before using an American’s identifier to pull up nonpublic communications to, from or about that American, a step some lawmakers have proposed.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/18/us/p ... a-cia.html

Activist says Women’s March on Washington should have been named the People’s March. https://www.salon.com/2017/01/18/the-wo ... h-instead/ This article could also have been entitled, “Why the Democratic Party lost the election”.

JP Morgan Chase reportedly agrees to pay $55 million mortgage discrimination settlement. “…minorities were charged more for home loans than white borrowers with the same credit profile, paying tens of millions of dollars in additional mortgage costs, the complaint said.” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-jpmor ... SKBN1521TY

CIA posts declassified documents online. “Although all of the documents in Crest were part of the public record before Tuesday, they could only be inspected by visiting the National Archives in Maryland in person.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... ble-online

Comedian asks people which they prefer, Obamacare or the Affordable Care Act. “I believe with Obamacare the premiums are too high, so I believe in the Affordable Care Act.” http://fusion.net/story/381265/jimmy-ki ... acare-aca/

No journalists allowed in Trump International Hotel during inauguration week. Hookers are probably protected by local ordinances however. http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... ation-week

Indigenous anti-logging activist reportedly assassinated in Mexico. http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... n-american

Record temperatures recorded worldwide for third year in a row. http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... w-its-2016

Candidate for leadership of Democratic National Committee reportedly refuses to say whether or not he would accept contributions from corporations and lobbyists. https://theintercept.com/2017/01/18/tom-perez-dnc/

Judge rules that government must release remaining Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse photos. http://www.rawstory.com/2017/01/us-must ... udge-says/

Oklahoma prosecutor drops charges against deaf motorist who was reportedly beaten by troopers after not obeying their commands. http://www.rawstory.com/2017/01/oklahom ... ldnt-hear/

Julian Assange’s lawyer says Obama’s commutation of Manning’s sentence is not the sort of clemency his client had in mind, extradition deal is off. http://www.rawstory.com/2017/01/assange ... onditions/

Hospitalized protester reported set himself on fire in front of Trump International Hotel. “…we’ve elected someone who is completely incapable of respecting the Constitution of the United States.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/01/anti-tr ... -dc-hotel/

Rikers Island jail reportedly shackling prisoners to desks for 7 hours a day. “You are either in your cell or you are chained to a desk.” Jail officials say inmates get one hour of recreation and are not shackled while showering. http://www.rawstory.com/2017/01/new-yor ... urs-a-day/

New wave of bomb threats hits 27 Jewish community centers in 17 states. http://www.haaretz.com/us-news/1.765875

Obama refuses to release indigenous activist Leonard Peltier. ““We are deeply saddened by the news that President Obama will not let Leonard go home,” said Margaret Huang, executive director of Amnesty International USA.” https://www.democracynow.org/2017/1/18/ ... lemency_by

Congressional Budget Office estimates 18 million will lose their health insurance if Congress cancels Obamacare, resulting in a total of 44 million without insurance. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/17/us/p ... .html?_r=0

Nigerian air force accidentally bombs refugee camp, killing more than 100 including aid workers. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/worl ... /96668002/

Trump’s 40% approval rating lowest for an incoming president in 40 years (apparently when polling on this topic began). https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics ... story.html Trump calls these polls “rigged”. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/poli ... /96660980/

Ft. Lauderdale shooting suspect originally told investigators he was under government mind control when he plotted the shooting, then reportedly said he was inspired by IS internet propaganda. “The FBI is examining Santiago’s computers and other devices as well as those of family members, but so far agents have not confirmed any terrorism ties.” http://www.syracuse.com/us-news/index.s ... state.html

Abortion rate hits 40-year low thanks to family planning and contraception. “Abortion is going down, and births aren’t going up.” http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/ ... roe-v-wade

The Trump voter turned protester. “Under the watchful eyes of roughly a dozen police officers, Robinson, alongside some 50 other protestors holding up signs and wearing green “swamp monster masks,” decried Trump and his multiple cabinet picks who are Goldman Sachs alumni.” http://fortune.com/2017/01/17/donald-tr ... man-sachs/

After Trump’s nominee for Secretary of the Interior says there is still “a lot of debate” on whether or not climate change is real, Bernie Sanders pounces. “Actually, there’s not a lot of debate… There is a debate on this committee, but not within the scientific community.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... te-science

500+ environmental, civil rights, public health, and pro-democracy organizations issue statement opposing Trump’s pick for EPA chief. “Given Scott Pruitt’s long record of insulating industrial polluters from even the most basic environmental safeguards, anyone that breathes air and drinks water should be aggressively opposed to this man leading the EPA.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... ent-pruitt

Trump’s Homeland Security nominee allegedly failed to disclose positions with defense contractors and lobbying firm. “General Kelly had no knowledge that he was listed on any of these websites and we are actively looking into the matter with close coordination with the Office of Government Ethics and the Homeland Security and Government Affairs Committee.” https://theintercept.com/2017/01/17/hom ... ntractors/

Former Blackwater CEO Erik Prince allegedly advising Trump transition team. “In July, Prince told Trump’s senior advisor… Steve Bannon, at the time head of Breitbart News, that the Trump administration should recreate a version of the Phoenix Program, the CIA assassination ring that operated during the Vietnam War” to target people accused of funding IS. https://theintercept.com/2017/01/17/not ... e-shadows/

Former CIA agent calls out Director Brennan for Trump battle. “In my 40 years of following politics, I have never seen a director of CIA attacking a president-elect.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/01/ex-cia- ... -campaign/

Ticket scalper says he’s unable to make a profit reselling tickets to Trump inauguration. “It looks like I’m stuck with them, I might even have to go.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/01/nobody- ... n-tickets/

Comedian mocks Trump’s claim that Americans will be “beautifully covered” by health insurance after Obamacare is replaced. “Don’t worry, if you are losing your Obamacare you will be beautifully covered, either by insurance or six feet of dirt.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/01/stephen ... t-of-dirt/

Morton County Sheriff’s dept. responds to press inquiry about missile launcher deployed at Standing Rock protest. “The N.D. National Guard does have an Avenger system employed in support of the Dakota Access Pipeline Protest. These systems are used strictly for observation of ungoverned encampments to help protect private property and maintain public safety.” http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2 ... stors.html

Italy sentences 8 in absentia to life in prison for Operation Condor murders. “Operation Condor… was a Cold War era campaign by U.S.-backed right-wing dictatorships in South America that killed scores of left-leaning opponents.” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-italy ... SKBN1512XR

Taibbi on Trump: “He’s… everything that’s excessive and vulgar and disgusting and tasteless and cheap and greedy about American culture.” https://www.democracynow.org/2017/1/17/ ... chronicles

Man killed by motorist while attacking Arizona trooper was reportedly the boyfriend of the woman killed in the roll-over accident, still unclear why he attacked the officer. The trooper “arrived at the rollover scene about 55 miles west of downtown Phoenix to find Pennelas-Escobar holding his injured girlfriend, 23-year-old Vanessa Monique Lopez-Ruiz, on the edge of the roadway.” http://www.whio.com/news/national/autho ... 6oW0lcR0O/ The trooper was responding to an unrelated report of shots fired “and happened upon the rollover crash. He was setting up flares when the suspect shot him, officials said.” http://edition.cnn.com/2017/01/13/us/ar ... index.html

Contributions to Clinton Global Initiative have reportedly “dried up”, charity will cease operations on April 15th. Critic claims “…this was more than just a charity. This was a way for the Clintons to network and really peddle influence due to their positions in leadership.” http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/201 ... donations/

74% of Americans want Trump to release his income tax returns. http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... ax-returns

Muslim-Americans say they were questioned by FBI the day before the election. “We basically discovered that it was a nationwide sweep,” Shibly said. “Simply based on their faith and ethnicity.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... lance-cair

The Santa Clausification of Dr. Martin Luther King. “…King was not just a fighter for racial justice, he also fought for economic justice and against war.” https://theintercept.com/2017/01/16/wha ... eaves-out/

British Armed Forces minister accuses Labour leader Corbyn of collaboration with Russia for urging better relations with Russia, de-militarization of border. https://theintercept.com/2017/01/16/jer ... on-border/

Many of the men who committed acts of terrorism in the U.S., so called “known wolves”, had prior contacts with federal law enforcement agencies. “…there appears to be a pattern emerging: more and more disturbed individuals who commit mass atrocities had many prior interactions with national security agents.” http://whowhatwhy.org/2017/01/12/fort-l ... -violence/

Only journalist to interview Oswald assassin Jack Ruby was later found dead in her home, her notes on the assassination missing. “If the wrong people knew what I know now, it would cost me my life.” http://whowhatwhy.org/2017/01/13/death- ... knew-much/

The man the FBI called “most dangerous Negro of the future of this nation” was also a target of the NSA. “Originally introduced as a way to keep track of terrorists and drug traffickers, (the NSA’s) Minaret evolved into a project for monitoring Vietnam War critics like King.” http://rare.us/story/martin-luther-king ... y-the-nsa/
"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

Re: Some recent news stories that got my attention

4
More news:

Trump administration pivots on 20% tax on Mexican imports after it’s pointed out that the tax would just be passed on to U.S. consumers. “Mucho Sad,” one Senator tweeted. https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation ... story.html

Trump’s chief strategist: “The media here is the opposition party. They don’t understand this country.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... -trump-fox

Holocaust survivor remembers how the genocide started. “The Nazi newspapers showed Jews with big noses either dressed as Russian communists or American capitalists in top hats. Either way you couldn’t win.” http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-suffolk-38730273

French Socialist candidate Benoît Hamon offers party new ideas. “Hamon says the digital age calls for a new social model in which the resulting shrinking workload is spread out more, people get more leisure time, and companies who use robots to replace employees pay taxes on the wealth they create. And while critics say France’s 35-hour work week is too short, he wants to cut it further.” http://www.france24.com/en/20170122-fra ... n-policies

Number of people charged with “felony journalism” at inauguration reportedly rises to seven, little mainstream press coverage however. “This is in stark contrast to how the event would be covered if it were to happen overseas. No doubt headlines would scream “Journalists Among Dozens Arrested by Trump Regime” or “Crackdown on Resistance Marchers as Far-Right Government Takes Power.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/01/mainstr ... urnalists/

9/11 hijackers were from Saudi Arabia (15), United Arab Emirates (2), Egypt (1) and Lebanon (1), but none of those countries are on Trump’s blacklist. https://www.bloomberg.com/graphics/2017 ... -interest/

British prime minister condemns torture, reminds Trump that most Muslims are not terrorists, and says imperialism is dead. “…the days of Britain and America intervening in sovereign countries in an attempt to remake the world in our own image are over.” http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStor ... p-45054987

Canadian military rejects use of torture. “Torture is against the Canadian Armed Forces (code of) conduct. It’s against the Geneva Convention.” https://www.yahoo.com/news/canada-milit ... 01588.html

Draft of executive order to examine reopening of secret CIA “black site” prisons apparently leaked to the press. “If Mr. Trump signs the draft order, he would also revoke Mr. Obama’s directive to give the International Committee of the Red Cross access to all detainees in American custody.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/25/us/p ... .html?_r=0

Fake government Twitter accounts spring up to defend the environment. “Honestly, if we’re building walls, Florida could really use one around its entire coastline.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/ene ... -research/

Article 4 of the 25th amendment to the Constitution describes how an “unfit” president can be removed from office. “It stipulates how a vice president, together with a majority of the cabinet, can inform Congress that the president is “unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office”.” http://www.cbsnews.com/news/an-obscure- ... president/

Pentagon tweets have people talking. “From refugee to #Marine. @USMC Cpl Ali J. Mohammed takes the fight to the doorstep of those who cast his family out.” “Social media postings sometimes provide an important window into a person’s #mentalhealth. Know what to look for.” http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/per ... ee-n712066

Trump reportedly claims intelligence officials told him torture works. “Trump said that he asked top intelligence officials whether waterboarding and other forms of torture work, and “the answer was yes, absolutely”.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... tely-works

Greenpeace activists hang “RESIST” banner over White House. http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... hite-house

EPA data reportedly to be subjected to “political review” before being released to the public. “The communications director for Donald Trump’s transition team at the EPA, Doug Ericksen, said on Wednesday the review also extends to content on the federal agency’s website, including details of scientific evidence showing that the Earth’s climate is warming and man-made carbon emissions are to blame.” https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... cal-review

Trump’s wall could cost $31 billion, take 40,000 workers five years to build. “Steer said the workforce would probably be drawn mostly from the Mexican side of the border as semi-skilled construction wages are much lower and there are more Mexican settlements close to the border. “There would be a certain irony of getting Mexicans to build it.”” https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... st-winners Actually, the cost would very likely exceed $31 billion because the firm doing the estimate is considering the Rio Grande to be a sufficient natural barrier to immigration that a wall would not be needed along it.

Trump advisor Steve Bannon reportedly registered to vote in Florida AND New York. “(Bannon’s pal Andy) Badolato, who was also registered to vote at the home with his adult sons, declined at the time to answer questions on whether Bannon actually lived at the property, which is required under the registration rules of the Florida division of elections.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... oter-fraud

Senior Trump staffers reportedly using private email accounts. “The rnchq.org email address used by the Bush administration is now hosting active Trump staff email addresses, verifiable through the Simple Mail Transfer Protocol.” http://europe.newsweek.com/trump-emails ... 8191?rm=eu

Iraqi government and U.S. intelligence officials puzzled by Trump’s comments to CIA employees about seizing Iraq’s oil. “…former CIA Director and Defense Secretary Robert Gates told NBC: “I have no clue what he’s talking about.” http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 45106.html

50,000 gallon oil spill reported in Saskatchewan, indigenous tribal land said to have been contaminated. https://www.democracynow.org/2017/1/25/ ... n_pipeline

Man who fatally shot Arizona trooper’s assailant comes forward. “Police say Pennelas-Escobar had rolled his car on Interstate 10 before he inexplicably attacked (Officer) Andersson, who had stopped to help…. Pennelas-Escobar had no known criminal history.” http://www.cbsnews.com/news/thomas-yoxa ... re-by-god/

Secret Service agent in trouble after reportedly posting on Facebook that she would rather go to jail than take a bullet for Trump. “She also posted a photo of Princess Leia from Star Wars with the words, “A woman’s place is in the resistance”.” http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing- ... -for-trump

U.S. drops into “flawed democracy” category of international survey. “America’s score fell to 7.98 last year from 8.05 in 2015, below the 8.00 threshold for a full democracy, the EIU announced in a report on Wednesday.” http://www.cnbc.com/2017/01/25/us-is-no ... warns.html

Sanders and Senate Democrats float $1 trillion public infrastructure spending plan. “Advisers to Trump have said they would rely on federal tax credits and public-private partnerships rather than federal spending to pay for a new infrastructure program.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics ... story.html However, many economists think the Trump administration’s for-profit plan is unworkable. “…it will function largely as a giveaway to contractors on projects that would have happened anyway.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/business ... story.html

14 Democrats voted to approve Trump’s nominee for director of the CIA, despite opposition from Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International. https://theintercept.com/2017/01/23/14- ... o-torture/

Class action lawsuit filed in response to harsh police tactics at D.C. demonstrations. Police allegedly encircled and attacked “not only protesters who had engaged in no criminal conduct, but also members of the media, attorneys, legal observers, and medics … (Officers) proceeded to indiscriminately and repeatedly deploy chemical irritants, attack the individuals with batons, and throw flash-bang grenades…” http://www.politico.com/blogs/under-the ... uit-233942

Trump reportedly repeats his claim that he lost the popular vote (by almost 3 million votes) because of massive voter fraud by illegal aliens. “Two sources confirmed to NBC News that Trump spent about the first 10 minutes of his bipartisan meeting with congressional leaders at the White House talking about the campaign and about how 3 million to 5 million “illegals” voted in the election, causing him to lose the popular vote.” http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/white-h ... te-n711136

Silicon Valley prepping for the apocalypse. “Reid Hoffman, the cofounder of LinkedIn and a notable venture capitalist, told the New Yorker he estimates more than 50% of Silicon Valley billionaires have bought some level of “apocalypse insurance,” like an underground bunker.” http://www.businessinsider.com/silicon- ... ers-2017-1

Trump’s plan to increase fossil fuel production only has the support of 27% of the public. “A Pew Research survey published Monday found that 65 percent of Americans “give priority to developing alternative energy sources, compared with 27 percent who would emphasize expanded production of fossil fuel sources.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... renewables

South Dakota legislators unhappy with anti-corruption voter initiative reportedly plotting “emergency” legislation to make generous gifts from lobbyists legal again. “The South Dakota Government Accountability and Anti-Corruption Act makes it illegal for lawmakers to receive more than a total of $100 annually from lobbyists in the form of “any compensation, reward, employment, gift, honorarium, beverage, meal, food, or other thing of value made or given directly or indirectly”.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/01/south-d ... thics-law/

Trump establishes new national holiday. “One of Donald Trump’s first acts as president was to personally issue Proclamation 9570, which designates the day of his inauguration, January 20, 2017 as National Day of Patriotic Devotion.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/01/trump-d ... buzzwords/

White House staffer says documents proving Trump has transferred ownership of his business empire to his oldest sons “are not public”. http://www.rawstory.com/2017/01/sean-sp ... usinesses/
"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

Re: Some recent news stories that got my attention

6
More news:

Trump promises to abolish law that prohibits churches from endorsing political candidates. “President Donald Trump on Thursday vowed to free churches and other tax-exempt institutions of a 1954 U.S. law banning political activity, drawing fire from critics who accused him of rewarding his evangelical Christian supporters and turning houses of worship into political machines.” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-t ... SKBN15H2M4 I don’t think presidents have the power to strike down laws though – he’d better check with his new attorney general on this one.

White House advisor reportedly invents “fake news” massacre during interview to justify travel ban. “Despite Conway’s allegations, there was no massacre in Bowling Green, and, according to the FBI’s statement on the matter, there was no plan for a terror attack in that city.” http://www.businessinsider.com/bowling- ... ump-2017-2

House of Representatives votes to restore gun purchasing rights to people deemed mentally incapable of handling their Social Security benefits. “There is, simply put, no nexus between the inability to manage money and the ability to safely and responsibly own, possess or use a firearm.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... -disorders

Berkeley protesters try to justify shutting down alt-right event. “If you try to come to our communities openly advocating harm to us, our neighbors, family, friends or others in our community, then you will be driven out.” http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/S ... 905117.php

Mug shot of suspect in murder of Denver transit security guard shows he may have been beaten, although some news accounts quote unnamed witnesses saying his face was swollen before the shooting. http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/02/02/mo ... ficer.html

Trump’s new CIA director chooses deputy director who is reportedly deeply implicated in torture scandal and coverup. “Gina Haspel oversaw the torture of two terrorism suspects and later took part in an order to destroy videotapes documenting their brutal interrogations at a secret prison in Thailand.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/02/us/p ... iland.html and https://theintercept.com/2017/02/02/tru ... -director/

Federal judge rules that FEC did not fairly handle Green and Libertarian Parties presidential debate exclusion complaint. She called the 15 percent polling threshold for third-party candidates “arbitrary and capricious.” https://www.rt.com/usa/376135-debates-u ... ns-greens/ and http://ballot-access.org/2017/02/01/u-s ... nance-law/

Jury unable to reach verdict in trial of environmental activist who presented “climate emergency” defense. “…one or more jurors refused to convict Ward on charges of sabotage and burglary for breaking into and shutting down a Kinder Morgan pipeline near Anacortes, Washington last year.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... t-no-crime

Trump threatens to cut off federal funds to UC Berkeley for cancelling alt-right speaker. “Roughly 1,500 people turned out to protest Yiannopoulos, who has gained notoriety for inflammatory writings and statements against women, Muslims, and LGBTQ people.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... university

“At least 70” students at suburban Houston high school reportedly made Hitler salutes during class photo. “…a student who witnessed the incident but asked to remain anonymous said students were shouting “Heil Hitler” and “Heil Trump”. http://www.click2houston.com/news/cypre ... r-pictures

Conservative think-tank VP: Trump turned off recording equipment during Putin phone call. “…while the Kremlin produced a detailed 10-paragraph readout of the call, the White House released only a vague one-paragraph statement saying that Trump received a “congratulatory call from Russian President Vladimir Putin.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/02/foreign ... recording/

Treasury Department eases sanctions on Russia but Trump tells journalists it didn’t. “Asked about the easing of sanctions during a meeting with Harley Davidson execs this afternoon, Trump shrugged and said: “I haven’t eased anything.” http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news ... ns-9747341

Russian anti-corruption activist in coma after organ failure. “Opposition activist and journalist Vladimir Kara-Murza is on life support in a medically induced coma, his wife said…. Some are concerned that the Kremlin critic may have been deliberately poisoned.” http://thehill.com/policy/international ... ure-report This is reportedly the second time this has happened to him.

Americans more likely to be killed by tourists than refugees. “In the past 41 years, no American has been killed on US soil by a terrorist from any of the seven countries included in President Donald Trump’s controversial executive order on immigration.” http://www.businessinsider.com/what-is- ... -ban2017-1

Man who shot protester outside Milo Yiannopoulos speech was apparently a UW student. http://komonews.com/news/local/reports- ... -a-student

Yiannopoulos speech at UC Berkeley cancelled due to large, rowdy protest, UCLA speech also cancelled. http://time.com/4657553/milo-yiannopoul ... est-troll/

Pentagon admits civilian casualties possible in Yemen SEAL raid “after images of dead women and children were shared on social media allegedly from the raid…” http://www.latimes.com/politics/washing ... story.html Raid reportedly had initially targeted one dwelling, ended up destroying “much of the village”. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/01/worl ... tions.html

Trump accused bullying Mexico’s president during phone call, in which he allegedly “suggested to [Peña Nieto] that if they are incapable of combating [narco trafficking] he may have to send troops to assume this task.” http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-en ... ing-2017-2

Wealthy Trump advisor Peter Thiel has allegedly obtained dual U.S./New Zealand citizenship and bought property in the country. “The venture capitalist joins a growing list of super rich Americans who are preparing for a doomsday event amid fears of a popular uprising and collapse of the government.” http://www.inquisitr.com/3942006/super- ... -preppers/

Federal judge rules that immigrants with valid visas must be admitted. “The order came in response to a complaint filed on behalf of (Yemeni immigrants who) have been stuck in an airport in Djibouti since President Trump issued his executive order on Friday…” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/01/us/p ... .html?_r=0

Texas mayor tells constituents she is transgendered. “With a population of 670, New Hope is a small town in Collin County, which is considered one of the most conservative suburban areas in Texas.” http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2017/02 ... id-fierce/

5 year-old boy detained at Dulles airport was allegedly handcuffed, is a U.S. citizen from Maryland. http://metro.co.uk/2017/01/31/boy-5-han ... a-6417601/ Tweet from Maryland’s U.S. Senator, Chris Van Hollen: “This 5-yr-old U.S. citizen & Maryland resident is not a threat to our country. Donald Trump’s executive order is.” https://twitter.com/ChrisVanHollen/stat ... 7980079108

75 Dakota Access pipeline protesters arrested for camping on private property. https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/02/us/d ... ested.html

Trump companies paid a reported $12.8 million by Trump campaign. “The FEC reports show that Trump’s campaign paid his businesses for everything from office suites and hotel stays to payroll, security and office supplies, revealing an integrated business and political operation that was without precedent in modern American presidential politics.” http://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/t ... ess-234489

Deutche Bank hit with $630 million fine over money laundering. “The FCA said Deutsche’s anti-money laundering (AML) controls were not tough enough to stop the bank being used by unidentified customers to transfer approximately $10bn from Russia to offshore bank accounts “in a manner that is highly suggestive of financial crime”.” https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... ing-claims

Domestic terrorism investigations have revealed that many right-wing extremist groups have “active links to law enforcement officers”. “Although these right-wing extremists have posed a growing threat for years, federal investigators have been reluctant to publicly address that threat or to point out the movement’s longstanding strategy of infiltrating the law enforcement community.” https://theintercept.com/2017/01/31/the ... forcement/

Trump administration planning to rebrand Countering Violent Extremism program to focus only on Islamic terrorists, will no longer target violent white nationalist groups. http://www.rawstory.com/2017/02/trump-a ... at-report/

Trump’s Supreme Court nominee allegedly quoted Henry Kissinger for his Columbia University graduation photo. “The illegal we do immediately; the unconstitutional takes a little longer.” https://twitter.com/bfouhy/status/82677 ... 60/photo/1

Trump-owned golf course ordered to refund deposits of former members. “A federal judge has ordered a golf club owned by President Donald Trump to refund nearly $6 million to members who said Trump’s team essentially confiscated refundable deposits after taking over the country club in 2012.” http://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/t ... uit-234494

Some Republican lawmakers reportedly dodging constituents with questions about repeal of Obamacare. http://www.rawstory.com/2017/02/virgini ... -to-event/

Massive demonstrations in Romania after politicians try to decriminalize corruption. “…the decree would, among other things, decriminalize abuse-of-power offences in which the sums involved are less than 200,000 lei ($48,000). ” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-roman ... SKBN15F29F

Protest by civil servants in Rio de Janeiro over unpaid wages turns violent. “Protesters included police officers who haven’t been paid fully for months, sanitation workers, pensioners and staff from the state court system.” https://www.yahoo.com/news/anti-austeri ... 56283.html

Housing and foreclosure crisis not addressed in presidential campaign. “Today the majority of poor renting families in America spend half of their income on housing, and at least one in four over 70 percent to paying rent and keeping the lights on.” http://whowhatwhy.org/2017/01/30/crises ... rdability/

An Inconvenient Sequel: Truth to Power: “Through a masterful combination of just enough science and statistics, persuasive documentary footage and time-lapse photography, and a well-narrated story of one man doing something on behalf of us all, (this follow-up Al Gore documentary) makes a case (for the immanent danger of global warming) that almost no one can dispute — if they watch it.” http://whowhatwhy.org/2017/02/02/dont-a ... -disaster/

Legislators around the country drafting laws to restrict and discourage protests. “Minnesota lawmakers are pushing an anti-protest bill that would allow cities to sue protesters in order to charge them for the cost of policing the demonstrations.” https://www.democracynow.org/2017/2/1/h ... _sweeps_us

Third British man dies fighting with Kurdish leftists. “Ryan Lock, 20, from Chichester, West Sussex, died last month during an offensive against the Isis-held city of Raqqa, the group’s de facto capital.” http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world ... 06371.html Although fighting against IS, he had apparently been previously wounded in a Turkish airstrike. http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/br ... ng-9733350

Germany Chancellor rejects Trump appointee’s accusation that Germany manipulates the euro. Germany “continues to exploit other countries in the EU as well as the US with an ‘implicit Deutsche Mark’ that is grossly undervalued,” claimed Peter Navarro, head of Trump’s National Trade Council. http://www.bbc.com/news/business-38811461

Third wave of bomb threats hits Jewish community centers in 11 states. http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/jew ... de-n715086

Foreign leaders reach out to Trump at their peril. “If you rush to the White House to offer a weak hand of friendship, you guarantee exploitation.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/30/worl ... .html?_r=0

Amnesty International accuses Philippine police of systematic killings of suspects. “Police officers routinely bust down doors in the middle of the night and then kill in cold blood unarmed people suspected of using or selling drugs.” http://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-38823938

Democrats accused Trump nominees of lying to Congress. “We have great concern that Sen. Hatch is asking us to vote on two nominees today who have out-and-out lied to our committee.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... ttee-votes

White House spokesman accuses press of confusing Trump into calling his “extreme vetting” executive order a “ban”. “I think that the words being used (by the president) to describe it are derived from what the media is calling this.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... travel-ban

Senior Trump aide: “The environmental movement is, in my view, the greatest threat to freedom and prosperity in the modern world.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... at-freedom

President of EU includes U.S. in list of threats to their alliance. “European Union President Donald Tusk’s diplomatic bombshell listed the Trump administration as a threat alongside China, Russia, terrorism and radical Islam…” http://edition.cnn.com/2017/01/31/polit ... ion-trump/

Comedian: “At Dulles Airport, a 5-year-old Iranian boy was detained for hours and kept from his mother. Or as Kellyanne Conway calls it, “alternative day care”.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/art ... ding-dory/

Four states reportedly suing federal government over travel ban. “The executive order is harmful, discriminatory and unconstitutional. It discriminates on the basis of religion and national origin.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... e-lawsuits

L.A. charter school reportedly under investigation. “When I asked for basic supplies, I couldn’t get those things, yet you have money for this expensive party? … For a public school it was not normal.” http://www.latimes.com/local/education/ ... story.html

Reuters poll: Only 31% of Americans say Trump travel ban makes them feel safer, while 26% say they feel less safe. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-t ... SKBN15F2MG

Trump Supreme Court nominee allegedly an even stricter constructionist than Scalia. “Scalia generally approved of the idea that statutory ambiguity should be resolved in favor of (government) agencies, a principle known as Chevron. But Gorsuch takes a far less charitable view of this idea.” https://qz.com/899622/trumps-us-supreme ... ifference/ Gorsuch reportedly the only dissenter against a decision that upheld the arrest of a 13 year-old student for burping in gym class. “My colleagues suggest the law permits (the handcuffing and arrest of the student) and they offer ninety-four pages explaining why they think that’s so. Respectfully, I remain unpersuaded.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/ans ... ion-class/

White House allegedly boycotting CNN. “The last time an administration official was on CNN’s Sunday public affairs show “State of the Union” was Conway on January 8.” http://www.politico.com/story/2017/01/t ... ess-234455

Approximately 900 State Department employees have allegedly signed “dissent memo” on Trump travel ban. http://www.rawstory.com/2017/01/about-9 ... mo-source/

White House spokesman says U.S. will never target its citizen abroad, but statement released later says, “US policy regarding the possible targeting of American citizens has not changed” which means the assassinations are back on. http://news.antiwar.com/2017/01/31/whit ... -citizens/

Post-coup attempt purge has hit 94,867 Turks says labor minister. “…critics say (the purge) has broadened to target any political opposition to President Tayyip Erdogan.” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-turke ... SKBN15F12G

New York City cab drivers were on strike during travel ban protest, Uber accused of not honoring the strike. https://www.democracynow.org/2017/1/30/ ... ort_strike

Acting U.S. attorney general dismissed after refusing to defend Trump travel ban, says she was unsure “…that the executive order is lawful”. http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/poli ... /97264996/

Local official says death toll in U.S. raid in Yemen was 41 militants and 16 civilians (8 women and 8 children). “Sources in the region said the raid targeted the houses of three tribal chiefs linked to al-Qaeda… But the provincial official said Apache helicopters also struck a school, mosque and a medical facility used by al-Qaeda members.” http://www.middleeasteye.net/news/41-qa ... -891194626

Three migrants dead, one hospitalized in one week, apparently due to carbon monoxide poisoning while camping in freezing weather. “Migrants at the camps use stoves and heaters to keep warm in the freezing cold, but the devices can produce toxic fumes.” http://europe.newsweek.com/third-migran ... 0511?rm=eu

Presidential spokesman on travel ban: “Everyone that needed to be part of the process was consulted.” http://thehill.com/homenews/administrat ... was-killed Spicer: “What we couldn’t do was telegraph our position ahead of time to ensure that people (didn’t flood) in before that happened, before it went into place.” Journalist: “If suspected terrorists were able to “flood” into the country before this order went into place, wouldn’t they have done so already?” https://www.salon.com/2017/01/30/trumps ... precedent/

Trump administration officials defend Holocaust Remembrance Day statement that did not mention Jews. “Either this is an administration that can never admit it’s wrong, which is not a good thing, or there are people in the White House who think the Holocaust should be de-Judaized.” https://www.salon.com/2017/01/31/donald ... t-deniers/ Ironically, the author of this article throws around the phrase “conspiracy theory” as an insult, suggesting that everything that happens in the world must be taken at face value, while she herself is promoting a “conspiracy theory” in her article – that Trump is pandering to white nationalists by not mentioning Jews in his statement!

Acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement also replaced. “…no explanation was given for Daniel Ragsdale’s job being given to Thomas Homan.” http://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-sudde ... mas-homan/

1.6 million people in the U.K. have reportedly signed a petition opposing Theresa May’s invitation of Donald Trump for a State Visit. http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/queen ... it-n714571

Trump signs executive order requiring agencies to revoke two regulations for every new regulation they impose. “It’s horrifying that even after the Wall Street crash, the massive BP oil spill, and numerous other public health and safety disasters across the country due to a lack of strong regulations, Americans will once again have to pay the price for the consequences of corporate recklessness, greed, and lawbreaking.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... egulations

The Intercept publishes vast collection of apparently leaked FBI documents, including rules for dealing with informants, internet spying guidelines, loopholes in laws restricting FBI activities, how to get journalists’ phone records without a warrant, rules for aerial surveillance of homes, and rules for spying on student groups and professors, among others. https://theintercept.com/series/the-fbis-secret-rules/

The grandmother of Jared Kushner (Trump’s son-in-law and top aide) shared the details of her desperate experiences as a refugee from Nazi-occupied Poland in an interview now catalogued by the U.S. Holocaust Museum. “There was no place that you could legally go to. It was very hard to get a visa to the United States; it would take years and years…. The doors of the world were closed to us.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... -holocaust

Jeff Sessions reportedly grilled Sally Yates during confirmation hearing on whether she would be strong enough to stand up to President Obama. “You have to watch out because people will be asking you to do things and you need to say “no”. You think the Attorney General has the responsibility to say “no” to the President if he asks for something that’s improper?” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/01/watch-j ... s-nominee/

White House spokesman implied 5 year-old detainee could have been a threat when asked by a journalist if it was really necessary to detain him. “… to assume that just because of someone’s age or gender or whatever that they don’t pose a threat would be misguided and wrong.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/01/sean-sp ... -a-threat/

Study finds link between school shootings and economy. “…researchers at Northwestern found two periods of increased gun violence in U.S. schools: 1992 to 1994, and 2007 to 2013. Both periods came when unemployment was rising as the economy faltered.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/01/us-scho ... ity-study/

Man who claimed 3 million voted illegally in 2016 election is reportedly registered to vote in three states. http://www.thedailybeast.com/cheats/201 ... tered.html

Trump tells journalist U.S. discriminated in favor of Muslim refugees. “If you were a Muslim you could come in, but if you were a Christian, it was almost impossible…” http://thehill.com/homenews/administrat ... e-priority

Denver police commander tells protesters they cannot exercise their right to free speech without a permit, and that even displaying the Constitution requires a permit. http://www.rawstory.com/2017/01/denver- ... ee-speech/
"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

Re: Some recent news stories that got my attention

7
Trump tweet: “The FAKE NEWS media (New York Times, NBC, ABC, CBS, CNN) is not my enemy, it is the enemy of the American People!” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/pos ... an-people/

Scott Pruitt confirmed to head Environmental Protection Agency. “Attorney General Pruitt made his name opposing EPA rules that protect human health and the environment, fighting against clean air and clean water, disregarding the science behind the EPA’s protections for human health and the environment, on behalf of for-profit special interests, not the public interest.” http://edition.cnn.com/2017/02/17/polit ... index.html

Ford moving Mexico auto jobs to another Mexican plant. “…the small car production originally planned for the discontinued San Luis Potosi plant is shifting to an existing Ford Mexican assembly plant, not returning to the U.S.” http://money.cnn.com/2017/02/17/news/co ... an-plants/

Trump’s approval rating drops to 40% or less, lowest since at least Eisenhower. “Gallup’s daily poll, which is based on a three-day rolling average, has Trump’s approval rate at 38 percent and his disapproval rate at 56 percent, with a 3-point margin of error.” http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politic ... ts-n722701

Group of senators wants U.S. companies to release info about where their employees are located. “It’s hard to hold companies accountable for gaming the system and shipping jobs overseas when it’s not even known where their employees are located.” http://www.computerworld.com/article/31 ... oring.html

Detained Dreamer’s lawyer accuses ICE of altering his client’s statement by erasing key words in order to incriminate him. “It is one of the most serious examples of governmental misconduct that I have come across in my 40 years of practice.” http://fusion.net/story/387463/ice-accu ... paperwork/

Obama administration’s SEC chair reportedly goes back to work at corporate law firm after claiming she was retiring from the firm in her ethics disclosure form. “White will be a “senior chairwoman” at Debevoise, representing corporate clients in government investigations and negotiations.” https://theintercept.com/2017/02/17/a-c ... ppy-place/

Oklahoma restaurant reportedly fires 12 employees for observing “Day Without Immigrants” strike. “You and your family are fired. I hope you enjoyed your day off, and you can enjoy many more. Love you.” http://ktul.com/news/local/catoosa-rest ... immigrants

Doctor believes Trump may be suffering from neurosyphilis. “Commonly recognized symptoms include irritability, loss of ability to concentrate, delusional thinking, and grandiosity,” said Beutler. “Memory, insight, and judgment can become impaired. Insomnia may occur. Visual problems may develop, including the inability of pupils to react to the light. This, along other ocular pathology, can result in photophobia, dimming of vision, and squinting. All of these things have been observed in Trump. Dementia, headaches, gait disturbances. and patchy hair loss can also be seen in later stages of syphilis.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/02/trumps- ... se-doctor/

CIA director denies rumors that agency is withholding sensitive intelligence from Trump. “The CIA does not, has not, and will never hide intelligence from the President, period.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/02/trump-r ... hheld-cbs/

Deep State and Trump administration allegedly engaged in “death match of American political power”. “While definitions vary, the Deep State includes the CIA, NSA, Defense Intelligence Agency, and components of the State Department, Justice Department, Department of Homeland Security, and the armed forces.” http://www.alternet.org/trump-vs-deep-state

Leaked memo allegedly reveals that Trump is getting very short, simple daily briefings from CIA. “Presumably, the memo’s guidelines—less material, less nuance, less dissent—were developed in response to Trump’s reactions to the materials he has received.” http://www.motherjones.com/politics/201 ... rief-short

Flynn reportedly told FBI that he did not discuss Obama administration sanctions on Russia during call with Russian ambassador. “In a recent interview with the Daily Caller, Flynn said he didn’t discuss “sanctions” but did discuss the Obama administration’s expulsion of 35 Russian diplomats (who) it said were “intelligence operatives”.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/na ... story.html

Intelligence community Trump leaks: helping or hurting democracy? “It is a story not about rogue intelligence agencies running amok outside the law, but rather about the vast domestic power they have managed to acquire within it.” https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/ar ... mp/516780/

Former Ohio congressman Dennis Kucinich says intelligence community trying to sabotage peace with Russia.”…and at the bottom of that is money, is an agenda for somebody to cash in on the conflict between the U.S. and Russia…” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZEks0N66vM

Bi-partisan congressional Cannabis Caucus formed to protect states rights on marijuana legalization. “Its goal is to keep federal policies from standing in the way of states that have passed legislation that allows the medical and recreational use of marijuana.” http://www.ktuu.com/content/news/Rep-Yo ... 27323.html

Fifth American reportedly dies fighting with the YPG in Syria. “…a Turkish airstrike west of Manbij killed a 27-year-old American named Michael Israel, an anarchist from Lodi, California, who had recently posted a photo of himself on Facebook wearing a YPG uniform and stomping on a Confederate flag.” http://www.rollingstone.com/politics/fe ... te-w466069

FBI arrests white supremacist who was allegedly plotting terror attack. “A 29-year-old white supremacist from South Carolina allegedly plotting an attack inspired by Charleston church shooter Dylann Roof was arrested by federal agents in an FBI sting this week.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ben ... cd34bf9312

Man shot by Kentucky state trooper during domestic disturbance call dies. “Police say Huntzinger drove directly at the trooper, who opened fire. Coyle, a 16-year state police veteran, wasn’t injured.” http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/02/17/ke ... -dies.html

Protests planned for April 15th to demand that President Trump release his tax returns. “Trump and his associates have repeatedly claimed that people “don’t care” about the returns—a claim that has been disproved multiple times over. http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... n-momentum

Two congressional Hispanic Caucus members reportedly ejected from ICE hearing. “On Thursday, Democratic Representatives Luis Gutiérrez of Illinois and Norma Torres of California said Republicans asked them to leave a meeting with the agency’s acting director, Thomas Homan, about the rash of raids on immigrant communities.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... ng-ejected

Trump winery reportedly files new request for permission to hire 23 foreign workers. “Trump Vineyard Estates, LLC is looking to hire the workers under the federal H-2 visa program at a rate of $11.27 per hour. The H-2 visa program provides temporary work visas, allowing US employers to hire foreign laborers.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/02/trump-w ... -3-months/

Congressional Black Caucus tweets response to Trump request for meeting. “Hi, @realDonaldTrump. We’re the CBC. We sent you a letter on January 19, but you never wrote us back. Sad! Letter: https://t.co/58KiuHmITF — The CBC (@OfficialCBC) February 16, 2017” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/02/you-nev ... meet-them/

ICE agents reportedly pounce on Latino men leaving homeless shelter. “Oscar Orlando Ramirez, Marvin Roach and Thermon Brewster told Covering the Corridor that they were leaving Rising Hope Mission Church’s hypothermia shelter on Feb. 8 when about a dozen ICE agents descended on them and other Latino men.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/02/ice-age ... a-shelter/

Saudi jets reportedly hit two funerals in Yemen in 48 hours. “Saudi warplanes have been repeatedly criticized by human rights groups for deliberate attacks on civilians, with many thousands of civilians killed in such attacks.” http://news.antiwar.com/2017/02/16/saud ... civilians/

CIA allegedly attempted to infiltrate and hack all the major French political parties during that country’s 2012 elections. “The CIA officially ordered its agents to penetrate all the major political parties in France and their electronic systems before the country’s 2012 presidential election, WikiLeaks revealed with a cache of agency documents made public on Thursday.” https://sputniknews.com/science/2017021 ... wikileaks/

German Chancellor Angela Merkel claims she learned only two years ago that the country’s intelligence agency was spying on allies. “…the scandal widened in March 2015 with reports that the BND had helped the NSA eavesdrop on EU targets including the French presidency and foreign ministry as well as the European Commission.” https://www.yahoo.com/news/merkel-says- ... 09827.html

Andy Puzder drops out of labor secretary confirmation process as his chances dim. “He was quoted by Business Insider as saying he wanted to try robots at his restaurants, because “They’re always polite, they always up-sell, they never take a vacation, they never show up late, there’s never a slip-and-fall, or an age, sex or race discrimination case.” http://www.startribune.com/puzder-s-nom ... 413865353/

Trump floats “one state” solution to Israel-Palestine conflict. “In what was tantamount to a radical shift in US policy, Trump moved from a 20-year-old approach to the Palestinian issue into unknown territory, seemingly offering Israelis and Palestinians a choice between one state or two.” http://edition.cnn.com/2017/02/16/opini ... re-miller/

Steep rise in number of hate groups says civil rights group. “The report says hate groups in the United States nearly tripled, from 34 in 2015 to 101 last year.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/national ... story.html

Trump accuses intelligence agencies of leaking classified information to the press. “The real scandal here is that classified information is illegally given out by ‘intelligence’ like candy. Very un-American!” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/don ... 2d2b1af73b Intelligence agencies preparing to “go nuclear” on Trump after his tweets about leaks. “He will die in jail.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/02/he-will ... urce-says/ Sounds like we’re about to find who is really in charge.

Large group of NYPD officers reportedly taser unarmed pregnant woman for resisting arrest. She was apparently being arrested for not letting officers enter her apartment without a search warrant. “…two officers knocked on her door and attempted to enter her apartment to investigate an allegation that she and her sister had been fighting inside—which she denied. After reportedly asking the officers for a warrant to enter her apartment, Rosario was pulled into the hallway.” http://fusion.net/story/386918/dailene- ... -stun-gun/

Trump unveils proposed changes to Obamacare program, cutting enrollment period in half while increasing premiums and deductibles. “Today the insurance lobby got its wish list.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... n-coverage

Woman who sought protection order from a Texas court against her partner is reportedly arrested by ICE agents. “…ICE allegedly arrested the woman after receiving a tip from her alleged abuser.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/02/ice-det ... e-partner/

More intelligence community melodrama as former CIA official reportedly calls Trump “the gravest threat to our institutions and our government since 1861”. “It’s graver than World War II, when Hitler never actually threatened our institutions or occupation of Washington.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/02/former- ... civil-war/

Congressman planning to introduce bill that would assign a psychiatrist to the White House. “…the National Defense Authorization Act, which was supported by over 300 members of Congress on a bipartisan basis, required incoming military recruits to get a mental health exam. Keep in mind, the president is also the commander-in-chief of our armed forces, and he can launch 4,000 nuclear weapons in a matter of minutes.” https://www.democracynow.org/2017/2/15/ ... oduce_bill

Trump is pushing the wrong approaches for reducing crime say police chiefs, who oppose “dragnet enforcement of lower-level offenses”. “…the new administration is out of step with evidence that public safety depends on building trust, increasing mental health and drug addiction treatment, and using alternatives to prosecution and incarceration.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/12/us/p ... ities.html

Judge reportedly rules that Dakota Access pipeline construction can continue. “…Boasberg told the two native tribes who had filed the motion that because there was no crude actively flowing through it, the pipeline didn’t actually pose an immediate environmental risk.” http://fusion.net/story/386573/judge-da ... -boasberg/

Republican committee members reportedly block release of Trump’s tax returns. “The effort failed with a 23-15 vote, despite attempts by Democrats on the committee to frame the issue as a matter of national security amid lingering questions over what role the Trump’s investments are playing in his presidential decision-making.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... umps-taxes

New Arizona execution protocol allegedly says that prisoners’ lawyers are allowed to provide the execution drugs to be used on their clients, which the state is currently unable to obtain. “It’s not legal for me as a lawyer to go out and procure drugs for a client. So legally it’s impossible and ethically as well, my job is to make sure that my client’s rights are protected and not to work with the state to ensure that it carries out the execution …” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... tion-drugs

Trump opponents are reportedly talking tax resistance.”Not long after Trump was elected, Robinson sat down with her accountant and discussed legal ways to pay negligible federal income tax, instead making extra payments into her tax-deferred pension plan and still paying her local and state taxes and Medicaid and Medicare contributions.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... test-trump

More “alternative facts” from the the Trump administration. “A case cited by the White House as evidence that non-citizens cast illegal votes in American elections did not actually involve any non-citizens voting, the latest in a series of misleading statements on the subject by the administration.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... ee-sanders

Sikh temple takes in Oroville refugees. “This is our religion. If anybody has a big problem, we invite everybody. We’re open. Come here.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... le-shelter

Leaking is apparently not a problem when it serves the intelligence community’s agenda. “The only reason the public learned about Flynn’s lie is because someone inside the U.S. government violated the criminal law by leaking the contents of Flynn’s intercepted communications.” https://theintercept.com/2017/02/14/the ... -felonies/

ICE says 680 arrested during nationwide roundup, claims 75% were criminals. “…immigration attorneys were quick to stress that the category of “criminal alien” is extremely broad and can include people whose only offenses are immigration violations.” https://theintercept.com/2017/02/14/ice ... e-to-come/

NAACP speaker’s mic turned off while testifying against workplace discrimination bill. “I would note that the only man of color to testify on this bill basically had the mic cut off of him,” she told Lant, “and I would ask that you would allow him to speak.” He didn’t. http://www.stltoday.com/news/local/govt ... d42d3.html

Canadian border town suspends school trips to the U.S. “We don’t want to have some student turned back at the border, or even held up for a period of time.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/13/worl ... .html?_r=0

Illegal aliens reportedly fleeing into Canada to avoid arrest. “Several refugees have suffered frostbite after trekking for hours in sub-zero weather, and aid organizations are overwhelmed.” https://www.democracynow.org/2017/2/14/ ... igrants_in

Black liberation activist released after 35 years in Indiana prisons. “I’ve seen a lot of people get executed.” https://www.democracynow.org/2017/2/14/ ... r_35_years

Steve Mnuchin confirmed as secretary of the treasury. “When millions of American families were losing their jobs, homes, savings, pensions and hope, Steven Mnuchin was making a fortune off their misery.” http://thehill.com/policy/finance/31933 ... -secretary

Trump and Japanese prime minister Abe deal with North Korean missile launch at restaurant table in crowded Trump resort. “Trump fan takes selfie with the guy carrying the “nuclear football” and posts his face and ID on his FB. This is not supposed to happen.” http://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-dealt ... ed-nearby/

Boeing machinists in South Carolina voting in closely watched union election. “It was freedom from strikes and escalating wages, a Boeing executive said in 2010, that was the overriding motivation for the company to place its new production line for 787 Dreamliners in South Carolina rather than Washington.” https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... udge-match

Researchers discover that deep sea creatures have high levels of banned chemicals. “Not only are (the pollutants) in every single sample, regardless of species, depth, trench, whatever, the concentrations are extraordinarily high.” http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017 ... /97846814/

Kris Kobach fails to deliver proof of massive illegal voting. “(CNN) host Kate Bolduan asked Kobach repeatedly if he had found actual cases of illegal voting. He wouldn’t say, but said he would have “more information at the end of the month.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/kri ... a129edcacb

Researcher says humans now the primary agents of climate change. “The human magnitude of climate change looks more like a meteorite strike than a gradual change.” https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... ral-forces

Bernie Sanders event in West Virginia cancelled when National Guard says political events are prohibited at their facilities. “…the state’s National Guard announced the meeting, which was slated to be aired on MSNBC‘s “All In with Chris Hayes,” would not be able to take place at the Welch National Guard Armory two days before it was scheduled to occur.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... ll-streets

Six TSA employees accused of helping smuggle 20 tons of cocaine into the U.S. “U.S. Attorney Rosa Emilia Rodríguez-Vélez said the defendants smuggled suitcases containing at least 8 to 15 kilograms each of the drug through the TSA security system at the Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/dr- ... o-airport/

Author of Trump travel ban, senior policy advisor Stephen Miller, shares some “alternative facts” with the media. “A district judge in Seattle cannot force the president of the United States to change our laws and our Constitution because of their own personal views.” And on voter fraud, “George, it is a fact – and you will not deny it – that there are massive numbers of noncitizens in this country who are registered to vote.” http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nati ... story.html

600 reportedly arrested so far in illegal migrant roundup. ““All these people are in violation of some sort of immigration law.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/12/nyre ... -city.html

Obamacare repeal sparking backlash as members of Congress hold meetings with their constituents. ““Republicans are making the same mistakes Democrats made in 2009. They are moving so quickly that they are creating needless anxiety and opposition.” http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/201 ... fight-rep/

Missouri KKK leader found dead in national forest, police are investigating. “Frank Ancona, 51, who was an imperial wizard of the Traditionalist American Knights near St. Louis, was found with a gunshot wound to his head…” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/kkk ... a129ebc1b8 and http://abcnews.go.com/US/proclaimed-kkk ... d=45439758

Break-away leftist candidate Andrés Manuel López Obrador gaining support in Mexico. “The former Mexico City mayor, narrowly beaten in Mexico’s two previous presidential elections, is now widening his lead in opinion polls ahead of next year’s contest.” https://www.wsj.com/articles/mexican-pr ... 1486900805

U.S. born NASA scientist with a U.S. passport swept up in travel ban, forced to turn over his “restricted access” phone and password. “Once they took both my phone and the access PIN, they returned me to the holding area with the cots and other sleeping detainees until they finished copying my data.” https://gizmodo.com/border-agent-demand ... 1792275942

List of all 40,000+ names of Stalin’s “state security” secret police released. “…the NKVD men responsible for carrying out Stalin’s “Great Terror” of 1937 and 1938, in which about 1.5 million people were arrested and 700,000 shot.” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/ ... error-nkvd

Trump executive order gives local law enforcement agencies authority to charge suspects with immigration violations. “Armed with their 287(g) designation, the local officers also have the authority to charge any person arrested for state or local crimes with immigration violations and also to detain and transport that person to an ICE-approved detention facility.” http://europe.newsweek.com/texas-sherif ... 5476?rm=eu

Trump and Republican Party both allegedly post same fake Abraham Lincoln quote. “And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/02/pres-tr ... -birthday/ How about a real Lincoln quote? “Don’t interfere with anything in the Constitution. That must be maintained, for it is the only safeguard of our liberties.” (August 27, 1856. Speech at Kalamazoo, Michigan)

Afghan civilians reportedly killed in NATO airstrikes. “Mr. Dawod said the airstrikes destroyed houses near a mosque where Taliban fighters were staying and killed a total of 22 civilians.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/11/worl ... .html?_r=0

7 killed, about 327 wounded during violent protests in Baghdad. “Iraqi security forces fired tear gas and rubber-coated bullets at thousands of supporters of Muqtada al-Sadr, an influential Shia leader, who were demonstrating on Saturday near Baghdad’s Green Zone to press for electoral changes.” http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/02/p ... 44671.html

Germany moves 300 tons of gold reserves from New York back to Germany. “The gold was earned by West Germany from trade surpluses in the 1950s and 1960s, but was never moved out of the United States due to fear of invasion by the Soviet Union.” http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... -York.html

French anti-brutality protests over alleged baton-rape of suspect turn violent. "Cars and refuse bins were torched in a night of violence on Feb. 7 and disturbances resumed on Saturday, and again in the early hours of Sunday." http://www.41nbc.com/2017/02/12/police- ... aris-riot/
"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

Re: Some recent news stories that got my attention

8
Vandals desecrate Jewish cemetery near St. Louis. “…local police confirmed about 100 headstones had been toppled at Chesed Shel Emeth Society cemetery in University City, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis.” https://mic.com/articles/169083/jewish- ... ainst-jccs UPDATE: Number of damage headstones increased to about 180. http://www.ksdk.com/news/local/180-head ... /410194492

Memphis police reportedly have Black Lives Matter activists under surveillance. “Sometimes they sit outside our offices, sometimes they sit outside our house.” http://www.ibtimes.com/spying-black-liv ... ts-2495421

Trump guidelines will reportedly greatly expand the number of illegal immigrants targeted for deportation. “Undocumented immigrants arrested for traffic violations or shop-lifting will be targeted along with those convicted of more serious crimes.” http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-39042712

Trump reportedly raised more money from small donors than Bernie Sanders (44%), Barack Obama (28%) or Hillary Clinton (22%). “Trump and the joint fundraising committee he established with the Republican National Committee (RNC) collected 69% of its individual donations from people who gave $200 or less, according to the analysis by the non-partisan Campaign Finance Institute.” http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/poli ... /98208462/

Scientists rally to “Make America Smart Again”. “Hundreds of scientists and their supporters rallied in (Boston’s) historic Copley Square on Sunday, demanding that the Trump administration accept empirical reality on issues such as climate change and highlighting the centrality of objective information to making policy.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/ene ... in-boston/

Some Homeland Security employees reportedly unable to log in after “domain controller credentials” expire. “We are working to track all device certificate issuance and expirations to ensure future lapses of service do not occur.” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-c ... SKBN160240

U.S. projected to have lowest life expectancy of any high-income country, possibly due to lack of access to health care. “Among predictions for high-income countries, the lowest life expectancy at birth is likely to be in the US, with an average of 83.3 years for women and 79.5 years for men — similar to Mexico and Croatia.” http://edition.cnn.com/2017/02/21/healt ... y-by-2030/

Single-payer health plan would save billions say medical researchers. “The authors estimate that a streamlined, publicly financed single-payer program would save $504 billion annually on health care paperwork and profits, including $220 billion on insurance overhead, $150 billion in hospital billing and administration and $75 billion doctors’ billing and paperwork.” http://www.commondreams.org/newswire/20 ... are-annals

Lawmakers demand declaration of war on Islamic State. “For over 15 years, Congress has been missing in action and derelict in our duty to provide congressional oversight over military action. The Constitution is clear: The American people deserve a voice on matters of war and peace.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... -check-war

Constituents holding town hall meetings, whether or not their representatives show up. “We have a cardboard cutout of Marsha… so they’ll be directing their questions to that picture.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... d-cut-outs

Connecticut couple fined by city of Stamford for not removing racist graffiti from their garage door. “…the couple decided to leave it up until police found the person who painted it as a reminder to their community that one of their neighbors had been targeted by a racially motivated hate crime.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/02/couple- ... h-culprit/

Son of drug kingpin Pablo Escobar claims his father told him CIA helped him ship cocaine into the United States. “He had direct relations with the CIA… the person who sold the most drugs to the CIA was Pablo Escobar.” http://www.inquisitr.com/3995210/did-pa ... -says-yes/

Thousands turn out across the country for “Not My President Day”. “The events on the federal holiday didn’t draw nearly as many people as the million-plus who thronged the streets following the Republican president’s inauguration a month earlier, but the message was similar.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/national ... story.html

Writer claims 4chan brought the world memes, Anonymous, the Gamergate backlash against feminism, Milo Yiannopoulos, the alt-righting of Pepe the Frog and President Trump. “It is a culture of hopelessness, of knowing “the system is rigged”…. For these young men, voting Trump is not a solution, but a new spiteful prank.” https://medium.com/@DaleBeran/4chan-the ... .y41jy7icg

Enemy number one for some Democrats: Susan Sarandon. “On February 15, Sarandon tweeted a question to Deray McKesson, who interviewed DNC chair candidate Tom Perez, asking if Perez supported re-enacting the ban on donations from lobbyists that former DNC chair Debbie Wasserman Schultz rescinded to help Clinton’s fundraising efforts…. Sarandon’s question was met with abrasive responses from McKesson, Clinton’s supporters, Clinton propaganda hit man Peter Daou, The Nation’s Joan Walsh, and Center for American Progress CEO Neera Tanden.” http://observer.com/2017/02/susan-saran ... -meltdown/

11 more Jewish community centers targeted by bomb threats. “The FBI and Department of Justice have said they are “investigating possible civil rights violations in connection with the threats”… http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/bom ... 77b3ecfec4

Thousands of anti-Trump demonstrators hit the streets… in London. “With thousands of people demonstrating against President Trump outside Parliament, British lawmakers on Monday debated whether to deny him a formal state visit because — in the eyes of nearly two million Britons in an online petition — it would “cause embarrassment to Her Majesty the queen”. ” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/20/worl ... .html?_r=0

Secretary of Defense seeks to reassure Iraqi government after Trump comments. “We’re not in Iraq to seize anybody’s oil.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/02/20/worl ... trump.html

Afghan Taliban is not on the government’s list of terrorist groups. “There is no doubt that the Taliban occasionally attacks civilians intentionally, not accidentally, and that’s the definition of terrorism.” http://www.voanews.com/a/afghan-taliban ... 32453.html Even though Greenpeace, PETA and the Thomas Merton Center (peace group) were. “…the FBI, without due reason to believe that Greenpeace or PETA were going to engage in violent activity, were devoting government resources to monitoring both of them — and in the case of Greenpeace, actually putting its members on the Terrorist Watch List.” http://www.treehugger.com/corporate-res ... -list.html

Trump lawyer reportedly met with former Trump business associate Felix Sater and representative of pro-Russia Ukrainian party pushing “peace plan”. “The Times reported that the meeting was called to discuss a peace plan being pushed by a Ukrainian lawmaker, Andrey Artemenko, who is associated with a former Ukrainian leader backed by Russian president Vladimir Putin and advised by Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign chairman.” http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/tru ... an-n723386 Ukrainian ambassador protests secret peace plan. “We are not trading our territories. We are not going to say, ‘Let us abandon Crimea and in return let us see peace in Donbas’.” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/ ... peace-plan Cohen reportedly has said he did, and didn’t, deliver the secret peace plan to the White House. http://www.rawstory.com/2017/02/busted- ... aine-deal/

CPAC cancels Yiannopoulos speech after alleged pedophilia comments emerge. “Due to the revelation of an offensive video in the past 24 hours condoning pedophilia, the American Conservative Union has decided to rescind the invitation.” http://www.politico.com/story/2017/02/t ... ape-235204

11 passengers reportedly walked through unmanned TSA checkpoint at JFK and boarded their planes, none of whom were apparently terrorists. “What you have is 11 people, unscreened, who boarded unknown flights to unknown destinations.” http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/tsa ... -1.2977418

13 arrested at anti-Trump protest in Portland, ACLU rep says police used excessive force during arrests. “(People performing acts of civil disobedience) are people who are intentionally breaking the law with the hope of getting arrested. What they’re not hoping for is to be beaten by the police at the same time.” http://katu.com/news/local/13-arrested- ... n-portland

FEC chairwoman announces resignation. “…what we are left with is an agency mandated to ensure transparency and disclosure that is actually working to keep the public in the dark.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... ill-resign

Fatal police encounters reportedly setting records in 2017. “At least 181 people were killed by police as of Monday, compared to 162 in 2016, 154 in 2015 and 126 in 2014 (during the same period), according to the Killed By Police database, which appeared to be slightly more up to date than one maintained by the Washington Post.” http://www.ibtimes.com/police-shootings ... ds-2484915

Turkish airstrikes reportedly kill 34 Kurdish leftists in Iraq. “The strikes targeted militants in Iraq’s Zap region and were conducted shortly after midnight and before noon, the military said in a statement.” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-turke ... SKBN15Z17F

Austerity not working in Greece. “Rescue funds from the European Union and International Monetary Fund saved Greece from bankruptcy, but the austerity and reform policies the lenders attached as conditions have helped to turn recession into a depression.” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-euroz ... SKBN15Z1NM

Influx of refugees from the United States reportedly straining Canadian immigration system. “Asylum seekers cross illegally because Canada’s policy under the Canada-U.S. Safe Third Country Agreement is to turn back refugees if they make claims at border crossings.” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-i ... SKBN15Z26N

Watchdog group warns of corporate takeover of federal government. “When he says he’s deregulating every industry in America, he means it, and it’s been a remarkable gift from the administration to corporate America.” https://www.democracynow.org/2017/2/20/ ... _a_look_at

Man reportedly files lawsuit claiming he was tortured in Montgomery County Jail in Dayton, Ohio. “You cannot find any training manual that will tell you it is allowable to pepper-spray somebody who is restrained.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/pos ... air-again/

Israeli solider sentenced to 18 months for executing wounded Palestinian. “The Palestinian, Abdel Fattah al-Sharif, was lying on the ground and already unarmed when Azaria shot him in the head.” http://abcnews.go.com/International/wir ... r-45625939

Some states reportedly passing electric vehicle fees proposed by fossil fuel interests. “Wyoming, Colorado, Virginia, Nebraska, Missouri, Washington, North Carolina, Idaho, Georgia, and Michigan have all implemented yearly fees on electric and hybrid vehicles that vary from $50 to $300 per driver per year.” http://www.sierraclub.org/compass/2017/ ... ectric-car

Former Philippine policeman says he was part of a Duterte death squad. “Arturo Lascanas, a retired Davao policeman, said on Monday he had previously killed a radio host critical of Duterte at the behest of a driver and close aide of the mayor, and that Duterte had paid money to police for carrying out assassinations.” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-phili ... SKBN15Z0C8

Former Uber employee claims multiple female employees were told it was a manager’s “first offense” when they complained about sexual harassment. http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/2017 ... /98142146/

Pence mentions Jews in tweet after visit to Dachau labor camp. “Moving and emotional tour of Dachau today. We can never forget atrocities against Jews and others in the Holocaust.” http://www.dw.com/en/pence-visits-dacha ... a-37626315

More than 100 employees reportedly fired after participating in protest against Trump immigration policies. “Employees working at restaurants and day cares in New York, Florida, Tennessee and Oklahoma, among other states, were fired after they did not show up to work to participate in the demonstration.” http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing- ... ay-without

Thousands turn out for “Today, I Am a Muslim Too” rally. “New Yorkers by the thousand, representing myriad backgrounds and faiths, converged on Times Square on Sunday, heeding a music mogul’s calls to let Muslims know their fellow Americans stood by them.” http://edition.cnn.com/2017/02/19/us/to ... -new-york/

Michigan Civil Rights Commission: Flint water crisis result of “systemic racism”, a “complete failure of government”. http://patch.com/michigan/detroit/syste ... sis-report

Oliver Stone tells audience at Writers Guild awards: “In the 13 wars we’ve started over the last 30 years and the $14 trillion we’ve spent, and the hundreds of thousands of lives that have perished from this earth, remember that it wasn’t one leader, but a system, both Republican and Democrat.” https://variety.com/2017/film/news/oliv ... 201992317/

Homeland Security reportedly wants to hire 15,000 more employees and deputize local law enforcement for crackdown on illegal immigration. “Under the draft guidelines, Kelly seeks to “expeditiously hire” 10,000 more enforcement agents and 5,000 Border Patrol officers.” http://time.com/4676187/trump-immigrant ... -migrants/

U.S. sub reportedly launches four missiles from submarine off west coast in test, world does not freak out, U.N. Security Council is not convened, no threats of sanctions. “When armed, the three-stage Trident missiles carry eight independently targeted nuclear warheads.” http://timesofsandiego.com/military/201 ... nia-coast/

Increase in searches of electronic devices at U.S. borders raises concerns. “Border agents have long had the right to search travelers’ physical luggage without a warrant, and that interpretation has been expanded to include digital devices, ACLU staff attorney Nathan Freed Wessler said.” http://abcnews.go.com/International/wir ... y-45577070

Indigenous leader assassinated in Honduras. “The murder of Jose de los Santos is added to (those of other) Tolupan ethnic leaders in (recent) years, such as… Maria Enriqueta Matute, Armando Funez Medina and Ricardo Soto Funez, who (where shot) while participating in a peaceful protest against… mining… and logging by their territory.” http://www.plenglish.com/index.php?o=rn ... sassinated

Man dies after arrest at Honolulu airport. “Even after he was detained, there was still a struggle and the suspect remained combative and at that point is when he became unresponsive.” http://www.hawaiinewsnow.com/story/3453 ... e-man-dead

Republican senator John McCain tells Trump to lay off the press. “…if you want to preserve democracy as we know it, you have to have a free and many times adversarial press. And without it, I am afraid that we would lose so much of our individual liberties over time. That’s how dictators get started.” http://edition.cnn.com/2017/02/18/polit ... dictators/

Oakland man dies after shoot-out with police. “Records obtained by the Express, however, reveal that the Oakland police had responded to two (previous) reports of gunfire involving Enjaian (a white computer engineer) in the past eight days. The police did not arrest or detain him on either occasion, despite physical evidence and witness statements.” http://www.eastbayexpress.com/SevenDays ... t-his-home

Republican lawmakers reportedly dodging constituents. “…as the opposition has grown more organized, Republicans have responded in kind, developing an elaborate array of evasive maneuvers to help them dodge unsympathetic constituents altogether.” https://www.yahoo.com/news/republicans- ... 21658.html

Trump appoints reported “dark money” guru Mike Dubke as White House communications director. “Long before Citizens United and other Supreme Court decisions helped trigger the proliferation of such outfits, (Dubke’s group) went around the country advocating for and against candidates at the state and federal level and promoting the pet issues of its wealthy corporate and individual donors — who, of course, could remain unidentified under IRS rules.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/tru ... a89a7a2b10

World Bank prepares to bail out Mongolia after economic transition to capitalism goes off track again. “This marks the sixth time since 1990 that the IMF has bailed out Mongolia, the most recent a stand-by agreement in 2009-2010, according to an e-mail from IMF spokesman Keiko Utsunomiya.” https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... 5b-bailout

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau reportedly under siege. “Facing attacks under each branch of government, and with Congress’s ability to adopt resolutions challenging any new regulations, the CFPB finds itself facing a somewhat precarious future.” http://thehill.com/blogs/pundits-blog/f ... government

Some “Water Protectors” reportedly facing federal charges. “The charges against Rattler, Angry Bird and three others could carry up to 15 years in federal prison and stem from a standoff with police on 27 October 2016 during which law enforcement deployed armored vehicles and pepper spray and ultimately arrested 141 people.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... ew-arrests

New Maricopa County sheriff says he will no longer detain suspected undocumented aliens beyond their release dates as former sheriff Arpaio reportedly did, due to the questionable legality of the practice. http://www.rawstory.com/2017/02/arizona ... ease-date/

U.S. admits it used depleted uranium munitions in Syria. “Foreign Policy magazine reported this week that Air Force A-10 attack planes fired more than 5,000 rounds of 30mm depleted uranium rounds during a pair of assaults on convoys in an ISIS-controlled part of eastern Syria in November 2015.” https://www.democracynow.org/2017/2/17/ ... s_in_syria
"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

Re: Some recent news stories that got my attention

10
CDFingers wrote:Most folks don't have to go anywhere else if they follow Silas here.

CDFingers
Actually, it's better to visit my website here: https://progressivenewsservice.wordpress.com

I don't post everything here, sometimes there are long breaks between my visits, and it helps me feel like I'm not wasting my time. My site gets very few visitors.
"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

Re: Some recent news stories that got my attention

11
SilasSoule wrote:
CDFingers wrote:Most folks don't have to go anywhere else if they follow Silas here.

CDFingers
Actually, it's better to visit my website here: https://progressivenewsservice.wordpress.com

I don't post everything here, sometimes there are long breaks between my visits, and it helps me feel like I'm not wasting my time. My site gets very few visitors.
bookmarked

CDFingers
Crazy cat peekin' through a lace bandana
like a one-eyed Cheshire, like a diamond-eyed Jack

Re: Some recent news stories that got my attention

12
SilasSoule wrote: Constituents reportedly putting pictures of “missing” representatives on milk cartons. “His repeated failure to schedule a town hall points to one, unavoidable conclusion: Congressman Paul Cook is missing. Help us find him.” http://www.mediaite.com/online/missing- ... own-halls/
The milk carton thing is cute but Cook isn't at risk of losing his seat, he won last November with 62% of the vote. Dems don't run any strong opposition candidates against him. Reports are that the RNC advised not to do town meetings but contact constituents in other ways.

Mark Sanford (R-SC) speaking of his town hall meetings says “This wasn’t an artificial crowd, it wasn’t manufactured,” he said. “It was real people with real concerns.” Sanford was the former SC governor who had to resign over an affair.

SilasSoule wrote: U.S. projected to have lowest life expectancy of any high-income country, possibly due to lack of access to health care. “Among predictions for high-income countries, the lowest life expectancy at birth is likely to be in the US, with an average of 83.3 years for women and 79.5 years for men — similar to Mexico and Croatia.” http://edition.cnn.com/2017/02/21/healt ... y-by-2030/
Surprisingly South Korea came out #1.

We still have a high infant mortality rate compared to Canada and Europe, countries with more inclusive health systems. Stats are per 1,000 live births.
http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SP.DYN.IMRT.IN
"Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their own facts." - Daniel Patrick Moynihan

Re: Some recent news stories that got my attention

13
Texas Republicans used race to gerrymander elections districts says federal court. “Politically motivated redistricting is legal (!), but redistricting with an intent to reduce the influence of minority voters — either by “packing” those voters into a district, or “cracking” them among multiple districts — is not.” http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/ ... ally-drawn Check out the map of Texas’ 35th state representative district!

64 year-old Florida man charged with arson after allegedly attempting to set convenience store run by Indian-Americans on fire. “St. Lucie County Sheriff Ken Mascara said the accused tried to set the store on fire because he thought the owners were Muslim, CNN reported.” https://www.wionews.com/world/convenien ... rida-13299

Famines due to lack of access to food, not lack of food, says expert. “…in 1981 economist/philosopher Amartya Sen published “Poverty and Famines: An Essay on Entitlement and Deprivation,” which showed that famines actually resulted when food was available but some groups could not access it.” https://www.salon.com/2017/03/12/famine ... k-of-food/

U.S. reportedly asks Cambodia to repay loan made to 70’s U.S. puppet government. “…(Prime Minister) Hun Sen said the money his country owed the US was incurred by the Lon Nol government that came to power in a 1970 coup backed by Washington, and that it was spent on arms used against the Cambodian people.” http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-12/c ... or/8347120 I suggest Cambodia send Washington a bill for the destruction caused by the U.S. bombing of Cambodia during the Vietnam War.

Trump’s taste in interiors is “dictator chic” says author. “A design expert says that anyone who is bewildered by the origins of Pres. Donald Trump’s over-the-top, gold-plated aesthetic need look no further than the palaces of Saddam Hussein, Muammar Gaddafi and the Philippines’ Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/dictato ... o-like-it/

Police in Rotterdam, Netherlands violently disperse pro-Erdogan Turkish protesters. “Several demonstrators were beaten by police with batons.” http://www.jpost.com/Middle-East/Dutch- ... ion-483942

Chinese court and law enforcement officials say prosecuting human rights activists was one of their key achievements. “Zhou and Hu were among 300 (human) rights lawyers and activists arrested or interrogated in a sweeping crackdown that began on July 9, 2015.” http://www.scmp.com/news/china/policies ... ists-their

More than 650 children reportedly killed in Syria in 2016. “There was no letup to attacks on schools, hospitals, playgrounds, parks and homes last year as the Syrian government, its opponents and the allies of both sides showed callous disregard for the laws of war.” http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/syria-chil ... -1.4022119

Republican Congressman Steve King reportedly tweets approval for Dutch anti-immigration politician: “We can’t restore our civilization with somebody else’s babies.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... mmigration

Italian band bound for SXSW music festival reportedly questioned for 4 hours, handcuffed, jailed overnight and deported because they lacked proper visas. When Homeland Security officials were asked “whether the use of prison cells and handcuffs is standard operating procedure for musicians arriving without a proper visa”, the agency responded, “…it is standard procedure for any traveler who is deemed inadmissible and is awaiting return travel to be taken to a detention center until return travel is available.” http://www.fox25boston.com/news/sxswbou ... /501673957

Republican House member urges colleagues not to scrap Obamacare. “I’m afraid that if they vote for this bill, they’re going to put the House majority at risk next year.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/tom ... 71826d31bd

Muslims in 85 U.S. cities hold “Meet a Muslim” encounters. “…a Pew Research Center survey found that 62 percent of Americans had never met a Muslim. “We want to change that… People fear what they don’t know.” http://www.cleveland.com/metro/index.ss ... s_dow.html

Wikileaks claims CIA leaker “told the organization that there are policy questions in urgent need of public debate” such as “whether the CIA’s hacking capabilities exceed its mandated powers” and the “problem of public oversight of the agency”. http://www.thesunchronicle.com/news/nat ... 849ff.html

U.S. reportedly war gaming attack on North Korean leadership. “South Korean news outlets report that the SEALs, who will join the exercise for the first time, will simulate a “decapitation attack,” or a strike to remove North Korea’s leadership.” http://www.businessinsider.com/us-navy- ... rea-2017-3

Facebook tells developers not to use social media data for surveillance. “Facebook announced Monday that it will add a clarification to its developer policy that will prohibit developers from using Facebook and Instagram data in surveillance tools.” http://www.ibtimes.com/social-media-sur ... ce-2507289

Senator claims NSA is using FISA as a “backdoor” to spy on Americans. “They are targeting foreigners. But they are doing it purposefully to get to Americans.” https://theintercept.com/2017/03/13/ran ... -warrants/

Pentagon proposal would expand number of “temporary battlefields”. “It is… uncertain how such designation would square with the War Powers Resolution, a much-eroded 1973 law that permits presidents to launch military hostilities for 60 days before needing congressional approval.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... hite-house

Secretary of State Tillerson allegedly used email alias to discuss climate related matters while CEO of Exxon Mobil. “The attorney general’s office said in a letter on Monday that it found Tillerson had used an alias email address under the pseudonym “Wayne Tracker” from at least 2008 through 2015.” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-t ... SKBN16L06J

Poland to seek extradition of Minnesota carpenter who was allegedly an SS commander in occupied Poland. “According to the Minneapolis Star Tribune, one report “uncovered evidence that Karkoc ordered his men in 1944 to attack a Polish village in which dozens of civilians were killed, contradicting statements from his family that he was never at the scene.”” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wor ... -massacre/

Customs and Borders Protection agents claiming to have the right to seize phones of citizens and demand their passwords. “Within seconds (of refusing to hand over his phone), he was surrounded: one man held his legs, another squeezed his throat from behind. A third reached into his pocket, pulling out his phone. McCormick watched her boyfriend’s face turn red as the officer’s chokehold tightened.” http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ame ... ne-n732746

Trump administration reportedly allowed CIA to make its own drone strikes. “The CIA, which operates under covert authorities, wasn’t required to disclose the number of suspected terrorists or civilian bystanders it killed in drone strikes. The Pentagon, however, must publicly report most airstrikes.” http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/03 ... rikes.html

Congressional Budget office estimates 14 million Americans would lose health insurance coverage under Trumpcare in 2018, rising to 24 million by 2026. “The coverage losses projected by the CBO could make the bill’s path to passage incredibly steep.” http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/32 ... hcare-plan Bernie Sanders warns “thousands of Americans will die”. http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/32 ... s-will-die

Few Guantanamo prisoners were actually members of al-Qaeda, says study. “Only 8% of the detainees were characterized as al Qaeda fighters,” according to the study, while 40 percent had “no definitive connection with al Qaeda” and 18 percent had “no definitive affiliation with either al Qaeda or the Taliban.” http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/3976 ... no-justice

Bill in Congress would allegedly create additional hurdles for class-action lawsuits. “When black people tried to challenge (segregation) laws, Southern courts prevented them from bringing class actions, saying that, because the laws did not mention race, collective action was impermissible. That meant each black student seeking to integrate an all-white school had to bring an individual case. If he won, relief applied only to him and no other student.” https://www.themarshallproject.org/2017 ... ping-block

Egyptian authorities allegedly told political prisoner, ““Tweets can lead to demonstrations, and demonstrations can lead to revolution, and that will bring down the regime and create martyrs.” So if you are tweeting, you are like a terrorist.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/14/maga ... .html?_r=0

Steve Bannon was reportedly a liberal in college. “Old friends, acquaintances, and roommates who spoke to The Daily Beast described Bannon in his Virginia Tech undergraduate days as a “Jerry Brown liberal” who was a devotee of rock artists and jam-bands such as the Grateful Dead and Bruce Springsteen.” http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2 ... s-man.html

Republicans reportedly introduce bills in House and Senate that would allow internet companies to sell their customers’ browsing history. “Internet service providers already store their customers’ browsing history, and they’ve lobbied Congress for years for the ability to sell that highly valuable data.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/republi ... rotection/

Did Trump selectively leak one year of his own tax returns? “… on cue, Trump’s son Donald Jr tweeted at 10.08pm: “Thank you Rachel Maddow for proving to your #Trump hating followers how successful @realDonaldTrump is & that he paid $40mm in taxes! #Taxes”.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... c-analysis

Edward Snowden says Trump has the power to stop warrantless surveillance. “If Donald Trump wants to take this seriously, he needs to fix the problem that everyone in America’s communications are being collected right now, without a warrant, and they’re going into the bucket, and they’re protected by very lax internal policy regulations, and this simply is not enough.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... uld-fix-it

Assistant NYPD police chief under investigation over real estate deals with the mob. The deals reportedly involved “… a series of complicated transactions for an apartment building that actually resulted in the mob essentially owing the chief’s wife more than $650,000.” http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc ... -1.2995263

Lawsuit alleges that Monsanto employees “ghostwrote” scientific studies. “ Plaintiffs claim that Monsanto’s toxicology manager ghostwrote parts of a scientific report in 2013 that was published under the names of several academic scientists, and his boss ghostwrote parts of another in 2000.” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-monsa ... SKBN16M01N

Pence denies rumors of coup plot. “Two (intelligence community) officials close to Pence stated privately this month that they are planning on a Pence takeover.” http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politic ... -1.2997723

Canadian scout group boycotting U.S. over discrimination. “While the United States is a frequent destination for Guiding trips, the ability of all our members to equally enter this country is currently uncertain.” http://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/14/healt ... -ban-trnd/

Mass burial ground discovered near Veracruz, Mexico by mothers’ group looking for their children. “So far, Diaz said, searchers have found about 125 pits that contain about 253 bodies. Nobody knows when the burials began, but Diaz said some were quite recent.” http://www.cbsnews.com/news/250-skulls- ... -official/

Trumpcare premiums would reportedly be more than 750% higher for some low income, older Americans than under Obamacare says Congressional Budget Office. “Under Obamacare, (a 64 year-old making $26,500 a year) would… pay $1,700 in (annual) premiums for insurance. But under the Republican bill, he would pay $14,600 — more than half his annual income.” http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/ ... emiums-age Republican AHCA would also “…slash $880 billion in federal funds from Medicaid in the next 10 years”, reportedly breaking a Trump pledge to avoid cuts to the program. http://www.vox.com/2017/3/13/14914812/t ... icaid-cuts

Still unclear how many were killed in Kabul hospital attack. “A retired general who is currently a member of Parliament, Nazifa Zaki, also disputed the official figure. “I believe 200 people were martyred in the hospital.”” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/15/worl ... ttack.html

Trump advisor accused of ties to Nazi-aligned group. “Sebastian Gorka, President Trump’s top counter-terrorism adviser, is a formal member of a Hungarian far-right group that is listed by the U.S. State Department as having been “under the direction of the Nazi Government of Germany” during World War II, leaders of the organization have told the Forward.” http://forward.com/news/national/366181 ... -as-sworn/

Trump budget to include $4.1 billion for Mexican border wall. “Mulvaney said that the figure comprises the president’s request for $1.5 billion in a supplemental spending bill and $2.6 billion in his fiscal year 2018 budget.” http://www.ibtimes.com/trump-mexico-wal ... ll-2509377

Military requests an additional 1,000 troops for Syria conflict. “To strengthen its hold in Syria against the Islamic State group militants, the U.S. military has plans to deploy up to 1,000 more troops into northern Syria in the coming weeks.” http://www.ibtimes.com/who-winning-syri ... es-2509516

Second judge issues restraining order over Trump travel ban. “The history of public statements continues to provide a convincing case that the purpose of the Second Executive Order remains the realization of the long-envisioned Muslim ban.” http://www.ibtimes.com/trump-travel-ban ... er-2509523

Trump appoints another Goldman Sachs executive to his administration. “Donovan’s now-boss, Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin, also worked at the investment bank. National Economic Council director Gary Cohn; White House senior counselor for economic initiatives Dina Powell; and chief strategist Steve Bannon also formerly held positions within the very institution that Trump pointed to on the campaign trail as a symbol of Wall Street corruption and greed. Jay Clayton, Trump’s nominee to lead the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), was a Goldman Sachs attorney.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... ury-deputy

Petition calls for members of Congress to give up their $5,000 to $10,000 government health insurance subsidies. “Highlighting the hypocrisy of members of Congress who benefit from large healthcare subsidies at the same time that they work to kick millions of Americans off of their health coverage, a man who lost his father to cancer because he was uninsured has created a petition demanding an end to those subsidies for lawmakers.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... healthcare

Wrongful death lawsuit alleges worker was killed by malfunctioning robot. “The robot shouldn’t have gone into that section in the first place, and, furthermore, shouldn’t have tried to place a hitch assembly in a fixture that already had one loaded, per the lawsuit…” http://www.foxnews.com/tech/2017/03/15/ ... -work.html

Trump orders review of fuel efficiency standards. “Automakers, through their lobbying groups, have said the Obama rules were too expensive and could cost American jobs.” https://finance.yahoo.com/news/big-win- ... 37929.html

Climate change is real says defense secretary Mattis. “Climate change is impacting stability in areas of the world where our troops are operating today.” https://www.salon.com/2017/03/15/trumps ... e_partner/

Trump operative Roger Stone, who had contacts with Assange and Guccifer 2.0 during the presidential campaign, claims Florida hit and run was to prevent him from testifying before Congress. “If I testify, it is going to prove that this whole narrative on which I believe surveillance of the president was based, i.e. that the Trump campaign was infiltrated by the Russians, is false.” http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... t-run.html

911 callers put on hold in Dallas due to phone glitch. “…at one point on March 6, there were 360 emergency calls on hold. Only days later, that record was dwarfed by a new one: 442 callers placed on hold for an average of 38 minutes.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/mor ... or-deaths/

Japanese labor authorities refer “death by overwork” case to prosecutors. “The employee worked more than 100 hours of overtime monthly just before his death, according to an internal investigation by Panasonic.” http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/0 ... -employee/ I believe Japan’s national broadcaster, NHK, reported that he worked 180 hours of overtime, which would be about 11 hours a day, seven days a week.

Leaked Trump tax return from 2005 is reportedly marked “Client Copy”. “(Some) reporters have highlighted how the returns are stamped with the words “Client Copy” and that Trump has a history of pitching and leaking favorable stories about himself to the press.” http://thehill.com/homenews/administrat ... ax-returns

$3,000,000 missile reportedly used to shoot down $200 drone. “No further details of the encounter – such as where or how recently it took place – were given, but Gen Perkins did describe the party that launched the missile as “a very close ally”.” http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-39277940

Irish prime minister urges Trump not to deport the 50,000 Irish citizen living and working illegally in the U.S. ““We would like this to be sorted,” Mr. Kenny said, calling for these people to be given a path to citizenship.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/16/us/p ... trump.html White Christians? No problem! (sarcasm alert)

U.S. military admits it bombed village of al-Jena in Syria, denies targeting mosque. “A US official confirmed that American planes conducted an airstrike along the border of the provinces of Idlib and Aleppo but said they struck a building, where it was believed an al Qaeda meeting was underway, and killed “several terrorists”.” http://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/17/middl ... ing-syria/

Group of academics, retired military officers and ministers to investigate CIA’s “extraordinary rendition” program. “The initially secret anti-terrorism program saw suspects captured and sometimes kidnapped, then transferred to locations in countries where they were interrogated and often tortured outside the reach of U.S. law.” https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states ... on-program

Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch reportedly defended Bush administration’s indefinite detention and torture policies. “He was also part of teams that helped draft speeches on national security for Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales and an op-ed published by USA Today, under his supervisor’s byline, defending President Bush’s warrantless surveillance program and his use of a signing statement to claim a right to bypass the Detainee Treatment Act’s provision banning torture.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/15/us/p ... o-bay.html

California judge throws out murder conviction of 62 year-old man who had served 32 years in prison. “Citing “cumulative errors,” a prosecutor Wednesday conceded that Wilson, 62, had been deprived of his right to a fair trial.” http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-m ... story.html

British equivalent of the NSA rejects accusations that it spied on Donald Trump at the request of then President Obama. “‘Three intelligence sources have informed Fox News that President Obama went outside the chain of command (to spy on Trump). He didn’t use the NSA, he didn’t use the CIA … he used GCHQ,'” (White House press secretary Sean) Spicer told journalists.” http://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/17/polit ... ap-denial/

Israeli jets reportedly strike targets in Syria, Syria claims one jet shot down with missile. “The Israeli military said its warplanes struck several targets in Syria and were back in Israeli-controlled airspace when several anti-aircraft missiles were launched from Syria toward the Israeli jets.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/mi ... story.html

Trump budget also reportedly cuts ALL government funding for PBS, NPR and National Endowment for the Arts. “The budget plan, which calls for the elimination of four independent cultural agencies — the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Institute of Museum and Library Services, and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting — also would radically reshape the nation’s cultural infrastructure.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyl ... story.html

Trump’s budget proposal reportedly includes deep cuts in infrastructure spending. “Trump’s budget outline hits hardest at surface transportation by eliminating a $500-million-a-year program that was created in the federal stimulus package of 2009 to finance a wide range of projects, from replacing bridges to building street car lines. The budget also would cut funding for new rail or bus lines.” http://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/16/polit ... structure/

Strongsville, Ohio police release dashcam video of fatal shooting of unarmed motorist. “Footage… shows the officer’s cruiser ramming the van before the officer exits his vehicle and seconds later opens the van door. Three seconds later, the officer shoots Evans…” http://www.chroniclet.com/news/2017/03/ ... rsuit.html

Mentally ill man shot by Crockett County deputies after blocking exit ramp. “The statement from the (Tennessee Bureau of Investigation) also says that Hess was “refusing officer commands and making erratic statements,” and the situation escalated after Hess “attempted to use his vehicle to strike the officers at least twice.” https://www.rt.com/usa/381208-hess-face ... ve-killed/

San Jose police open fire on naked man during car chase. “When the suspect refused to stop, (San Jose Police Sgt. Enrique) Garcia said that multiple officers fired at the suspect.” http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2017/0 ... -san-jose/

Trump administration authorizes steep collection fees for students who default on some student loans. “At issue was a Minnesota woman who was charged $4,547 in fees for defaulting on $18,000 in student loans.” http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation- ... 00463.html It’s much more difficult for underemployed, impoverished people who have been taken to the cleaners by an educational institution to declare bankruptcy than it is for billionaire real estate moguls who speculated away millions on bad business deals, but it is possible. “The student loans must prevent her from maintaining a “minimal” standard of living, she needs to demonstrate a good-faith effort to maximize income and limit expenses, and she must show that her hardship is likely to continue for a “significant portion of the repayment period”. https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... -from-easy

International concern for Mosul’s civilian population far less than for citizens of Aleppo. “For instance, The New York Times dedicated only two major stories to the offensive this month, yet flooded its pages with heartrending stories during the siege of Aleppo. In addition, coalition actions in Mosul that result in civilian casualties, like the destruction of hospital complexes, are depicted as justified or unintentional, compared to the portrayal of Syrian and Russian strikes in east Aleppo as intentional war crimes when similar complexes were hit or civilians killed.” https://consortiumnews.com/2017/03/17/c ... ed-cities/

Ralph Nader on Trump budget that boosts military spending while slashing domestic programs: “The mask is off. The fangs are now out.” https://www.democracynow.org/2017/3/17/ ... _budget_as

Disney agrees to wage settlement for Florida theme-park employees who made less than minimum wage after costume and uniform charges were deducted from their paychecks. “The company also failed to compensate employees for duties performed before the designated start of their shifts and failed to maintain accurate payroll records, the US Labor Department said Friday…” https://www.bostonglobe.com/business/20 ... story.html

Military’s nude photo scandal expands to gay porn sites. “The images reportedly depict men in uniforms from every branch on microblog Tumblr sites, with some showing the men participating in sex acts.” http://www.ibtimes.com/gay-porn-sites-n ... ys-2510691

Boeing vice president nominated for deputy secretary of defense post. “Shanahan was also vice president and general manager of Boeing’s Missile Defense Systems and vice president and general manager for the aerospace giant’s Rotorcraft Systems in Philadelphia. …including the Bell-Boeing V-22 Osprey tiltrotor, the CH-47 Chinook and the AH-64D Apache attack helicopter.” http://www.ibtimes.com/who-patrick-shan ... se-2510194

Judge rules citizen has no right to request a special prosecutor in Chris Christie “Bridgegate” scandal. “It is the responsibility of the prosecutor to investigate and prosecute crime. The role of the victim or the concerned citizen is to report knowledge of criminal activities to law enforcement.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/no-spec ... tie-judge/

Boat and helicopter reportedly involved in attack on Somali refugees fleeing Yemen, at least 40 dead. “Mohamed al-Alay, a coast guard officer in the Houthi-controlled Hodeidah area, told Reuters the refugees, carrying official UNHCR documents, were on their way from Yemen to Sudan…” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-yemen ... SKBN16O0UI

Fox News poll: Bernie Sanders is the most popular politician in the United States, with a 61% approval rating. Approval ratings for the others mentioned in the poll were, “Vice President Mike Pence (47 percent); President Donald Trump (44 percent); Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass), with 39 percent; House Speaker Paul Ryan (37 percent); House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (33 percent); Senate Minority Leader Charles Schumer (26 percent); and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (20 percent).” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... can-voters

Government declassifies some nuclear weapons test videos, posts them on YouTube. “An estimated 10,000 films exist; 4,200 scanned; and roughly 750 declassified. Now, 64 have been uploaded to YouTube as part of a digitization effort led by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (LLNL) physicist Greg Spriggs, who is hoping to use the videos to analyze the weapons’ data and dissuade their future use.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... ade-public

Still no answer from NSA on the number of Americans under “accidental” surveillance. “Under the Bush Administration and the first two years of the Obama Administration, it was not possible to conduct these back-door, warrantless searches of law-abiding Americans. Then the Obama Administration sought to change the rules and obtained authority to conduct them…. So the question really is what exactly is the privacy impact of these warrantless searches for Americans?” https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20170 ... -nsa.shtml

Federal judge rules that FBI does not have to release information about its surveillance of journalists. “The suit came two years after The Associated Press revealed that the Justice Department had secretly seized telephone records for as many as 20 lines used by the AP’s reporters and editors as part of an investigation in 2013 into the leak of a Yemeni-based terror plot. The DOJ has also investigated phone records of a Fox News correspondent as well as a Washington Post reporter.” https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/201 ... dge-rules/

Trump refuses to shake Angela Merkel’s hand during press conference. “President Donald Trump has stood by claims he was wiretapped under Barack Obama, telling visiting German Chancellor Angela Merkel: “At least we have something in common, perhaps.” (The Obama administration apologized for tapping Merkel’s phone.) http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39310801

Democrats accuse head of Homeland Security of refusing to answer their questions on immigration enforcement. “To not even get a response,” said House Democratic Caucus Vice Chair Linda Sánchez (Calif.), “we feel like we are sending letters into a black hole.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... -dhs-chief

Consumers Union gives Trumpcare five Fs. “The report card was less than positive; in fact, the legislation got failing marks across the board.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... are-gets-f

https://progressivenewsservice.wordpress.com
"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

Re: Some recent news stories that got my attention

15
Thanks, CD Fingers and Elmo! Here's another batch:

Republicans botch Obamacare repeal and replace, dealmaker-in-chief fails to close the deal, many breathe a sigh of relief at not losing their health insurance. “Thwarted by two factions of fellow Republicans, from the center and far right, House Speaker Paul Ryan said President Barack Obama’s health care law, the GOP’s No. 1 target in the new Trump administration, will remain in place “for the foreseeable future”.” http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nati ... story.html Best headline: “The Art of the Fail: How Trump’s health care bill died”

Freelance journalist describes mass arrest at Trump inauguration. “They know what they’re doing,” accused Chris Aulerich, 29, who said he was a prison guard while serving in the Marines. He speculated that officers would open the doors (of the police van) only upon reaching a legal limit. “Their first words are gonna be, ‘Wow, it’s hot in here.'”…. “”Come on!” (a detainee) shouted. “What are they trying to do, kill us?!?”…. And then the rear door opened. “Damn,” the officer remarked. “It’s hot in here.” https://freedom.press/news/what-happene ... uguration/

House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes reportedly refusing to disclose his source on Trump surveillance claim to other members of the committee. “Nunes on Wednesday that he had seen reports that suggest that agencies had collected intel on members of Trump’s transition team through routine surveillance of foreign targets.” http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing- ... his-source

Due to current mass surveillance practices, communications of Trump campaign and administration officials almost certainly collected says activist. “… if the FBI decided to investigate you, even informally, it would, as a matter of routine practice,search through all of its collected information, including databases stuffed with information collected under Section 702, for you, any American, and anyone else in the world — without a warrant to collect initially or one to search it specifically for you.” http://www.slate.com/blogs/future_tense ... gally.html

Philadelphia state house special election will be subject of election fraud investigation, winning Democratic Party write-in candidate reportedly received 73.5% of the vote. “Some of the issues the Task Force is investigating include the use and placement of candidate write-in stamps, electioneering inside the polling place, illegal voter assistance, and individuals writing on posted sample ballots.” http://www.philly.com/philly/news/polit ... ation.html

Two demonstrations in D.C. in April to call for action on climate change. March for Science, April 22nd https://www.marchforscience.com/event-details/ and People’s Climate Movement March for Jobs, Justice and the Climate, April 29th https://peoplesclimate.org/

D.C. police say 501 girls have gone missing so far in 2017. “What the community is alarmed about — we had a 10-year-old girl missing the other day, but there was no amber alert… We just feel like, you know, if this was a white person or from another neighborhood, there would be more alarm about it.” http://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/24/us/mi ... ington-dc/

Former CIA director claims Mike Flynn discussed possibility of handing over Turkish opposition leader to Erdogan regime. “Woolsey told the paper that he arrived in the middle of the conversation, but said the basic idea was a “covert step in the dead of night to whisk this guy away”.” http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/03 ... -says.html

Alex Jones retracts “Pizzagate” child sex ring story. “Jones, a staunch supporter of Donald Trump during the presidential campaign, offered no comment or apology to Clinton or Podesta for outlandish statements about their alleged involvement in the abuse of hundreds of children.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyl ... story.html

Poll shows public wants less military spending and security, more spending on education. “The gaps between the public’s proposed budget and the Trump administration’s budget are quite substantial,” said survey director Steven Kull of the University of Maryland, “especially when it comes to military spending.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/won ... om-trumps/

Comedian from Singapore granted asylum in the U.S. after jail term. “He was accused of hurting the religious feelings of Muslims and Christians in the multi-ethnic city-state; Yee is an atheist. However, many of his blog and social media posts criticized Singapore’s leaders.” http://www.ocregister.com/articles/sing ... sylum.html

As death rates plummet for white Europeans, Canadians and Australians, death rates for white Americans remain steady after slight dip in late 1990s. “Fifteen years ago, middle-aged whites in the United States were neck and neck with their German counterparts. Now, middle-aged white Americans are 45 percent more likely to die than middle-aged Germans.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/won ... n-opioids/

Supporters of “Medicare for all” national health insurance plan urge Democrats to go on the offensive after Trumpcare fail. “For all the improvements under the ACA, primarily the expansion of Medicaid and crackdown on some insurance abuses, the ACA still left 28 million without health coverage, and millions more struggling with un-payable medical bills and escalating out of pocket costs.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... dicare-all

Trump’s son Eric says he will give his father quarterly updates on the family’s business interests, which the president has allegedly failed to completely divest himself of. “This of course makes no difference for conflict of interest purposes because it is his ownership of the businesses that creates conflicts of interest, regardless of who manages them.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... f-interest

Louisiana deputy found guilty of manslaughter in death of six year-old boy. “Video from a police officer’s body camera shows the father, Christopher Few, had his hands raised inside his vehicle while the two deputies collectively fired 18 shots.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... boys-death

Poll shows 53% of Americans now oppose oil drilling on federal land. “The results marked the first time since the research organization began posing the question in 2012 that the percentage opposed to opening public lands for drilling outnumbered those who favored it…” http://www.ibtimes.com/where-oil-found- ... ns-2514690

Baltimore’s mayor blocks $15/hr. minimum wage after passage by city council. “The measure would (have boosted) pay for about 100,000 workers, or 27 percent of the city’s workforce…” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/baltimo ... imum-wage/

Israeli-American teenager arrested in connection with bomb threats against American Jewish groups. ““He’s the guy who was behind the JCC threats,” Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said, referring to the scores of anonymous calls phoned into Jewish community centers.” http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nationa ... -1.3006540

Insurance rates for women would skyrocket if insurance companies are allowed to sell plans that do not cover childbirth. “A repeal of the essential (insurance) benefits would allow insurance carriers to once again sell two separate plans, with premiums up to 70% higher for women purchasing maternity coverage… (women) could face out-of-pocket costs of around $15,000 if they were to become pregnant and give birth without coverage.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... e-care-act

Another opponent of President Putin assassinated. “Voronenkov becomes the latest in a string of Russian critics of President Vladimir Putin and the Russian government who were killed or injured in mysterious circumstances. ” http://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/23/europ ... ov-killed/

BBC World News reporter brags about British police state, tells viewers that authorities will use information from the city’s video cameras and license plate readers to track the movements of the Westminster attacker prior to the incident, collect DNA samples from his car to see who else had been inside it (they must have a fairly large DNA database for this to be useful), and arrest the man’s associates. Unfortunately, I can’t source this on the internet, but I did find this: “The Metropolitan Police’s top anti-terror officer confirmed police had searched six addresses and made seven arrests, and the Met later released a tweet to say they had made an eighth arrest…. They have been working right through the night, looking into his background, and how he got hold of the vehicle, where the vehicle has been in the last day or two, and who may, or may not, have helped him.” https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/h ... 44946.html “Ten people were arrested and several addresses raided in London and Birmingham in connection with the attack…. Five properties were still being searched and 16 searches had already concluded, Acting Deputy Commissioner Mark Rowley said. He said 2,700 items were seized overnight, including “massive amounts” of computer data.” http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39355108 But the guy is being described as a “lone wolf” with no known ties to terrorist groups. “It is still our belief, which continues to be borne out by our investigation, that this attacker acted alone and was inspired by international terrorism.” http://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/mi ... m-12785976

Former Clinton campaign manager John Podesta accuses FBI of glaring double standard. “FBI Director James Comey announced a new development in the investigation of Clinton’s use of a private email server days before the election, but remained silent about an ongoing investigation over links between Donald Trump’s campaign and Moscow.” http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39371209

Keystone XL pipeline gets State Department approval. “We greatly appreciate President Trump’s Administration for reviewing and approving this important initiative and we look forward to working with them as we continue to invest in and strengthen North America’s energy infrastructure.” http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/ ... l-interest

Senate reverses internet data privacy measure. “With today’s vote, Senate Republicans have just made it easier for American’s sensitive information about their health, finances and families to be used, shared, and sold to the highest bidder without their permission.” http://thehill.com/policy/technology/32 ... egulations

37% of Americans say they could not come up with $100 for an unexpected medical emergency. “Health savings accounts, which accompany high-deductible health plans, are a key part of Republican plans for the repeal and replacement of the Affordable Care Act.” http://www.marketwatch.com/story/forget ... 2017-03-21

Random mutations due to DNA copying errors, not heredity or environmental factors, are responsible for most cancers say researchers. “For example, skin cells have a baseline level of mutations due to random mistakes, and exposure to ultraviolet light can add even more mutations, leading to cancer.” http://www.livescience.com/58393-cancer ... takes.html

Wikileaks: CIA has been messing with iPhones ever since they were launched. “Named ‘Dark Matter’, the latest release shows that that CIA has been infecting iPhones since shortly after the product’s launch in June 2007, and in some cases “interdicted mail orders and other shipments” to open, infect, and resend devices leaving the United States.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... hones-2008

Democrat challenges Trump to honor his “Buy American” slogan. “The choice for the Republican establishment in Washington is clear: Do you stand with American manufacturers and workers or do you support spending taxpayer dollars on Chinese and Russian steel for American water infrastructure projects?” http://www.ibtimes.com/political-capita ... n-promises

Estimated “thousands” of civilian casualties during Mosul offensive. “No precise toll of civilian casualties has been given but a prominent Iraqi politician said last week that the number could be as high as 3,500 dead since the attack on western Mosul started in mid-February.” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-midea ... SKBN16S1KO

Trump administration communications “incidentally monitored” by intelligence services after election claims House Intelligence Committee chairman. “Mr Nunes said the incidental collection was legal but his main concern was that people involved had been unmasked in the reports.” http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39358363

White supremacist upset about inter-racial relationships allegedly stabbed random black man to death. “White supremacist James Jackson, 28, wanted maximum exposure for his crime, telling investigators he rode 200 miles on a bus from Baltimore because New York is the “media capital of the world”.” http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/man ... -1.3005263

Supreme Court unanimously rejects Neil Gorsuch decision that public schools need only provide a minimal level of education to disabled students. ““I was bound by circuit precedent,” Gorsuch told the (confirmation hearing) committee.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics ... story.html

Unnamed government sources claim Russian agents and Trump associates may have coordinated release of hacked information about Clinton. “The FBI has information that indicates associates of President Donald Trump communicated with suspected Russian operatives to possibly coordinate the release of information damaging to Hillary Clinton’s campaign, US officials told CNN.” http://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/22/polit ... -russians/

Senate reduces time employers must keep workplace injury records from five years to six months. “Former OSHA officials say that doesn’t provide enough time to identify recurring problems with particular employers or industries.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/rep ... 38c62f1fc9

Teens accused Border Protection agent of sexual assault. “ACLU attorneys said federal authorities so far have not pursued criminal charges against the officer and they do not know if any disciplinary action was taken.” http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-m ... story.html

Kentucky becomes second state to pass “Blue Lives Matter” law classifying attacks on police as hate crimes. “Using hate crimes laws that have historically been developed to give protection to people of color from distinct forms of violence motivated by prejudice, including police violence, is a particularly disconnected and non-responsive policy choice.” http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/attac ... le/2618150

Defense Secretary asks Senate for $30 billion increase in defense spending. http://thehill.com/policy/defense/overn ... horization

Secret Service reportedly requested an additional $60 million for Trump security. “Nearly half of the additional money, $26.8 million, would pay to protect President Donald Trump’s family and private home in New York’s Trump Tower, the documents show, while $33 million would be spent on travel costs…” http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nati ... story.html

Exxon Mobil says it deleted many of Tillerson’s “Wayne Tracker” emails since they were not labelled as “personal”. “Tillerson was the only (employee) who used a secondary account, and ExxonMobil is aware of no email account, other than the Wayne Tracker account, for which this issue has arisen.” http://www.businessinsider.com/rex-till ... man-2017-3

17,000 AT&T employees strike in California and Nevada, union claims the company “has shown disrespect to the bargaining process by changing the work assignments of workers without bargaining as required by federal law.” https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/201 ... on-strike/

Researchers say white working class in U.S. is struggling and dying young as drug overdoses, alcohol-related liver disease and suicide surge. “Ultimately, we see our story as about the collapse of the white, high-school-educated working class after its heyday in the early 1970s, and the pathologies that accompany that decline.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/national ... story.html Could this have something to do with, oh, I don’t know, free trade and de-industrialization of the economy?

Use of facial recognition software raising privacy concerns. “In the future, will you call the police if, seconds after seeing you, an officer’s body camera will scan your face and search it against various government databases?” https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions ... story.html

Qualified immunity case, which will test the 007-like permission police officers have to use deadly force, even when they are in the wrong, could have big impact on policing, 2nd and 4th amendment rights. “…given that about 36 percent of U.S. households own a gun, even if we assume that just 1 in 100 police raids target the wrong house or are based on bad information, that works out to 180 to 360 gun owners… who are wrongly raided by police each year…. that’s a lot of incidents in which things could go horribly wrong.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the ... mendments/

Lawyers for terror suspects ask for investigation into government spying. “Defense lawyers want the judge to order prosecutors to find out if any U.S. intelligence agencies have been listening in on their meetings with their clients, phone calls and conversations, or reading their email.” http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation- ... 64833.html

Gorsuch reportedly involved in George W. Bush administration work-around to evade torture ban. “In their interpretation, the president could lawfully override statutes in which he decided Congress had impermissibly encroached upon wartime authorities that the Constitution exclusively assigned to him.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/21/us/p ... ement.html

An estimated 465,000 dead in six years of civil war in Syria, another 145,000 reportedly missing. “The international community is now focusing on the fight with ISIS. But the revolution in Syria did not start about ISIS, it started with Syrian people whose democracy was repressed.” http://europe.newsweek.com/sixth-annive ... 7181?rm=eu

Reports of large numbers of civilian casualties in Mosul. “…houses are really close together and so you can have a case where an ISIS sniper is on a house and the Americans are dropping bombs on the house and killing everybody inside including families that are cowering in the basement…” https://theintercept.com/2017/03/22/war ... and-yemen/

Head of House Intelligence Committee investigating Russian interference in election reportedly briefs Trump on investigation. “Chairman Nunes is deeply compromised, and he cannot possibly lead an honest investigation.” http://thehill.com/homenews/house/32534 ... p-briefing

U.S. troops reportedly dropped behind IS front lines. “The Syrian Democratic Forces said the US airlifted several Marines and SDF fighters by helicopter into Islamic State-held territory, capturing four villages, and cutting the main artery running between the terrorist group’s self-proclaimed capital of Raqqa and the western countryside.” http://www.timesofisrael.com/us-marines ... -in-syria/

Agriculture agent calls great plains wildfires “our Hurricane Katrina”, says federal government response has been weak and hampered by bureaucracy. “The governors of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas have declared emergencies, and members of Congress from the affected states have toured the damaged area and promised help.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/20/us/b ... .html?_r=0

Book claims New Zealand troops and U.S. helicopters killed Afghan villagers in 2010 raid. “(Hit and Run) says New Zealand SAS troopers, backed by US helicopters and Afghan commandos, raided two villages but that ultimately 21 people were killed and wounded, none of whom were insurgents and most of whom were women and children.” http://www.abc.net.au/news/2017-03-22/f ... me/8377546

Julian Assange claims CIA hacking tools represent only 1% of leaked CIA material. “We have only published one percent of the material; 99 percent of the material is still to go.” http://www.dw.com/en/assange-only-1-per ... a-38080292

Judge rules that forcing man to decrypt his hard drives does not violate his 5th amendment protection against self-incrimination, suspect will continue to be held indefinitely until he complies. “…the authorities said they already know there’s child porn on the drives, so Rawls’ constitutional rights aren’t compromised.” https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/201 ... es-appeal/

EPA accused of withhold study claiming herbicide ingredient glyphosate is not carcinogenic. “…when the lawsuit was submitted earlier this month, it had been over 205 days since the request and the EPA had neither submitted any documents nor made a determination on the request.” http://whowhatwhy.org/2017/03/22/epa-de ... formation/ It’s been almost two years since I filed a FOIA request with the State Department for information on the unnamed American who died after being arrested by Tokyo police. I have yet to receive any information. English language news media refused to touch the story when I reached out to them after the incident was reported by the Japanese press.

Lawyer who sued Trump administration over immigration policies reportedly detained at airport. “…(my) passport was scanned through the CBP system, clearly confirming my identify and that that passport was issued by the U.S. Passport Agency in New York…. another CBP officer (escorted) me to a separate security room, where my vetting continued and where I was asked to produce additional proof of identity so that they can confirm who I was.” https://www.democracynow.org/2017/3/22/ ... etained_at

Company of former Trump campaign manager accused of receiving $750,000 from pro-Russian Ukrainian party disguised as computer invoice. “(Ukrainian) lawmaker Serhiy Leshchenko published a 2009 invoice purportedly signed by Manafort that shows a $750,000 payment for 501 computers to a company called Davis Manafort. The money came from a Belize-registered offshore company via a bank in the Central Asian state of Kyrgyzstan.” https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/world/ ... story.html

Sharp drop in calls for police assistance from Los Angeles undocumented alien community says police chief. “Reports of sexual assaults and domestic violence among Los Angeles’ Latino population have plummeted since the beginning of the year, amid fears that immigrants in the country illegally could face deportation if they interact with police or appear in court, the city’s police chief said Tuesday.” http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/03/22/lo ... e-say.html

Some Republican lawmakers are suddenly concerned about warrantless surveillance after Trump supporters are caught up in it. Nunes: “The big problem I see here is that you have an American citizen who had his phone calls recorded.” http://www.slate.com/articles/technolog ... about.html

NSA officials deny city-wide electronic dragnet deployed during Salt Lake City Olympics. “The Wall Street Journal, citing unnamed sources, was the first to report in 2013 that the NSA and FBI “monitored the content of all email and text communications in the Salt Lake City area,” around the 2002 Games.” http://www.sltrib.com/news/5075989-155/ ... rveillance

Nominee for Washington D.C. police chief position accused of overseeing excessive use of force during inauguration demonstrations. “On January 20, 2017, MPD indiscriminately assaulted and illegally arrested a large group including peaceful demonstrators, legal observers, journalists, passersby, and others.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/new ... 7abd95741d

Lawyer for the late Sergei Magnitsky reportedly seriously injured in fall from fourth floor of building. “…Mr Gorokhov was due to appear in an appeals court in Moscow on Wednesday to contest its refusal to investigate allegations of organised crime.” http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39347461

First “black site” prisoner to appear in court. “The judge in the Sept. 11 war crimes case has agreed to hear testimony next week from forever prisoner Abu Zubaydah, the guinea pig in the CIA’s post- 9/11 interrogation program who has never been charged with a crime and never been allowed to speak in public.” http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation- ... 57118.html

Sears and Kmart may fold without cash infusion says owner. “Our historical operating results indicate substantial doubt exists related to the company’s ability to continue as a going concern.” http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/bus ... /99479726/

Dakota Access pipeline reportedly vandalized. “Someone used a torch to cut open a piece of the 1,172-mile oil pipeline on March 13 or earlier in Iowa’s Mahaska County…. There was a similar complaint on March 17 about a section in South Dakota’s Lincoln County…” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/dak ... 38c62d9880

Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign manager, reportedly pitched scheme to influence U.S. on behalf of Putin. “Manafort proposed in a confidential strategy plan as early as June 2005 that he would influence politics, business dealings and news coverage inside the United States, Europe and the former Soviet republics to benefit the Putin government…” https://apnews.com/122ae0b5848345faa881 ... government

Michigan sued over plan to reimburse private schools for meeting state health and safety standards. “Our state constitution specifically bans this type of budget action, and we simply cannot allow it.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/groups- ... lic-money/

Former chairman of Colorado Republican Party reportedly charged with voter fraud. “According to the criminal complaint, Curtis tampered with a 2016 General Election mail-in ballot, signing his wife’s name, which led to the forgery charge.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/busted- ... -election/

White Florida court official allegedly posted on Facebook that black prosecutor who refused to ask for the death penalty for a suspect “should be tarred and feathered if not hung from a tree.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/florida ... h-penalty/

Trump’s attorneys reportedly sent “cease and desist” letter to 17 year-old who designed website where people can attack pictures of Trump with cat paws. “… I think it’s, pardon my French, f%$#ing outrageous that the president of the United States has his team scouring the internet for sites like mine to send out cease and desists and legal action claims if we don’t shut down.” http://observer.com/2017/03/trump-cease ... unch-site/

House Intelligence Committee member says circumstantial evidence of collusion between Trump campaign and Russia. “There is circumstantial evidence of collusion. There is direct evidence, I think, of deception and that’s where we begin the investigation.” http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politic ... ns-n735391

FBI director confirms investigation underway into Russian interference in 2016 election. “FBI Director James B. Comey acknowledged Monday that his agency is conducting an investigation into possible coordination between the Kremlin and the Trump campaign in a counterintelligence probe that could reach all the way to the White House and may last for months.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/na ... story.html

Former North Carolina police chief detained for 90 minutes at airport. “It doesn’t take 1½ hours to check someone out when you have their passport.” http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ex- ... on-n735546

New Zealand expels U.S. diplomat after embassy refuses to waive diplomatic immunity. “(Colin White) was wanted for questioning by police (over a physical altercation), but the embassy refused to release him from diplomatic immunity, so he could not be arrested.” http://www.dw.com/en/us-diplomat-ejecte ... a-38016563

U.S. Court of Appeals to hear third party case against Commission on Presidential Debates. “The plaintiffs sued the CPD, arguing that it violated federal antitrust laws by essentially ensuring that the major parties have a monopoly over presidential elections.” https://ivn.us/2017/03/17/presidential- ... sion-fire/

Judge reportedly gives local police search warrant for browsing history of entire population of Edina, Minnesota in search for bank swindler who Googled a victim for identity theft. “Cops figure if they could just find out who in that affluent suburb has Googled that name, they’d narrow their suspect list right down.” http://www.citypages.com/news/edina-pol ... /416319633

Chinese park installs facial recognition system in bathroom stalls to prevent theft of toilet paper. “…visitors now need to make eye contact with a computer before the dispenser spits out a serving of TP. The facial recognition program keeps the dispenser from offering another round to the same person…” http://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/20/world ... tion-trnd/ Must be the world’s most expensive toilet paper! Or else they are having trouble finding legitimate uses for this technology.

Indianapolis kids win robotics competition, bad losers reportedly tell them to “Go back to Mexico!” “… they see us and they think we’re not going to be competition. Then we’re in first place the whole day, and they can’t take it.” http://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/nati ... /99301384/

Norway is the happiest country in the world according to survey, U.S. ranks 14th. “All of the top countries rank highly on all the main factors found to support happiness: caring, freedom, generosity, honesty, health, income and good governance.” http://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsod ... -nicaragua

Former IRA commander turned politician Martin McGuinness dies at 66. “He was pivotal in bringing the republican movement towards a position of using peaceful and democratic means.” https://www.theguardian.com/politics/20 ... ister-dies

First daughter Ivanka Trump to get White House office, but will not be a government employee. “…ethics watchdogs immediately questioned whether she is going far enough to eliminate conflicts of interest, especially because she will not be automatically subjected to certain ethics rules while serving as a de facto White House adviser.” https://secure.politico.com/story/2017/ ... use-236273

Leftist candidates in France’s presidential election unwilling to unite forces. “Theoretically, if their expected votes could somehow be added together, then either Hamon or Melenchon might have a shot of making the May runoff of the two-round presidential vote. But with both standing and splitting votes on the left between them, polls suggest they are effectively fighting between themselves for fourth and fifth place…” http://www.dailymail.co.uk/wires/ap/art ... paign.html

What happens if you actually exercise your right to free speech in the United States? Former Super Bowl quarterback Colin Kaepernick is still unemployed. “When Kaepernick refused to stand for the national anthem last season as a protest against injustice and inequality, many people underestimated the damage he risked inflicting on his NFL career.” http://www.theroot.com/has-the-nfl-blac ... 1793448222

Google reported funding extremist groups through YouTube advertisements, advertisers not happy. “Sandals Resorts, the luxury holiday operator, is advertised next to a video promoting al-Shabaab, the East African jihadist group affiliated to al- Qaeda.” http://www.theweek.co.uk/82721/google-b ... -extremism

U.S. and Saudi Arabia block G20 statement on importance of efforts to fight climate change. “Climate change is out for the time being.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... -statement

Earth’s climate moving into “uncharted territory” say climate scientists. “Earth is a planet in upheaval due to human-caused changes in the atmosphere.” https://www.theguardian.com/environment ... -territory

The Pentagon has allegedly never been audited. “The result is an astounding $10,000,000,000 in taxpayer money that has gone unaccounted for since 1996.” https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... y-spending

No Africans able to get visas for California’s “African Global Economic and Development Summit”. “…every single African citizen who requested a visa was rejected, according to organizer Mary Flowers.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... ade-summit

L.A. county social workers face criminal charges in death of 8 year-old boy. “Prosecutors alleged that caseworkers Clement and Stefanie Rodriguez and supervisors Kevin Bom and Gregory Merritt ignored evidence of repeated abuse and minimized Gabriel’s injuries.” http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-m ... story.html

White House press secretary claims Paul Manafort “played a very limited role for a very limited amount of time” in the Trump campaign. “Manafort served as (Trump’s) campaign chairman for a period of 99 days from May 19 to Aug. 19 (2016).” http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/spicer-c ... d=46261623

House Intelligence Committee chairman Devin Nunes allegedly tells journalist he has never heard of Carter Page or Roger Stone. “Nunes just told me he’s never heard of Carter Page or Roger Stone. And he’s in charge of the investigation?” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/gop-int ... ne-report/

Family wins lawsuit against Tulsa jailers who let prisoner who walked into the jail die of neglect after his neck was broken, but no one charged. “(Video) footage… showed a paralyzed (Elliott) Williams, lying naked on his back and grasping for food and water that detention officers dropped out of his reach.” http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2 ... death.html

Somalia blames Saudi coalition for attack on refugee boat. “Somalia has blamed the Saudi-led coalition for an attack on a boat off Yemen’s coast that killed at least 42 Somali refugees.” https://www.independent.co.uk/news/worl ... 37456.html

2,063 more people reportedly detained by Turkish authorities. “…999 of those were suspected of links to the autonomy-seeking PKK…. Another 966 were detained for suspected ties to the U.S.-based Muslim cleric Fethullah Gulen…” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-turke ... SKBN16R0RI

Former Haitian president Jean-Bertrand Aristide survives apparent assassination attempt. “Aristide’s U.S. lawyer, Ira Kurzban, said the shots were apparently “fired by uniformed police directly at the vehicle in which President Aristide was a passenger.”” http://abcnews.go.com/International/wir ... e-46265449

Trump allegedly asked military to be less careful about killing civilians. “…in the request, he asks the military to consider drawing back limits to their civilian casualty policy.” https://www.democracynow.org/2017/3/20/ ... eaths_from

Supreme Court nominee Gorsuch reportedly argued against divestment from businesses operating in then-apartheid South Africa. “Committee and coalition members seem willing to sacrifice the large income from the endowment—which goes to pay for our need-blind admissions policy, among other things.” https://www.independent.co.uk/news/worl ... 56706.html



U.N. secretary general reportedly tells Western Asia U.N. office to remove report calling Israel an “apartheid regime” from its web site. “Authored by Richard Falk, a former U.N. special rapporteur for the Palestinian territories known for harsh criticism of both Israel and the United States, and Virginia Tilley, a professor of political science at Southern Illinois University, the report concluded that Israel has created an apartheid regime aimed at maintaining domination over the Palestinians.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/un ... story.html

DNC official and CNN commentator Donna Brazile admits forwarding town hall questions to Clinton campaign.”In the (Time magazine) essay, Brazile said she will “forever regret” the decision to leak the questions to the Clinton campaign.” http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/03 ... -camp.html

Glenn Greenwald alleges Russians, FBI and CIA all intervened in U.S. presidential election. The election “was almost a proxy war… for unseen forces.” http://www.mediaite.com/online/it-was-p ... of-russia/

Clinton Foundation reportedly received $2.35 million in donations from Uranium One chairman’s family foundation. “Those contributions were not publicly disclosed by the Clintons, despite an agreement Mrs. Clinton had struck with the Obama White House to publicly identify all donors. Other people with ties to the company made donations as well.” https://www.nytimes.com/2015/04/24/us/c ... 50423&_r=0 Bill Clinton also reportedly received $500,000 for a speech to a Russian bank in Moscow.

Experts debunk Trump’s claim that Germany owes “vast sums of money” to NATO and the U.S. “…NATO decided to make the 2 percent requirement mandatory just a couple of years ago. The alliance gave all member states until 2024 to reach that goal, and Germany is on track.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wor ... -for-nato/

Director of ultra-nationalist elementary school who received huge discount on state land claims he received $8,800 donation from prime minister Abe’s wife, untrue says prime minister. “…opposition lawmakers said the school principal, Yasunori Kagoike, told them Akie (Abe) had donated 1 million yen ($8,800) in 2015.” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-japan ... SKBN16O0HB

Paul Ryan reportedly tells interviewer he has been dreaming about scaling back health care for the poor since he was a frat boy. “Sending it back to the states, capping its growth rate. We have been dreaming of this since I have been around, since you and I were drinking at a keg.” http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2017/03/ ... n-medicaid

Author of H-1B visa bill says the program has been hijacked. “Morrison says he is outraged by the way companies are abusing loopholes to outsource jobs to low-cost foreigners — and sometimes even pressuring the displaced American workers to train their replacements.” http://www.cbsnews.com/news/are-h-1b-vi ... bor-costs/

Appeals court denied tribes’ request to block activation of Dakota Access pipeline until lawsuit is resolved. “The company is wrapping up construction work under the lake and has said oil could start flowing between Monday and Wednesday.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... -court-oil

Poll: 71% of Americans oppose mass deportation of illegal immigrants, 60% say top priority should be “developing a plan to allow those in the U.S. illegally who have jobs to become legal residents”. http://i2.cdn.turner.com/cnn/2017/image ... ration.pdf

Organizers cancel Philadelphia’s largest Cinco de Mayo festival due to deportation fears. “The annual parade through South Philadelphia has taken place in late April or early May for the last decade and is the city’s largest Cinco de Mayo celebration.” http://www.nbcphiladelphia.com/news/loc ... 56053.html

No charges for Miami-Dade corrections officers who left prisoner in hot shower for almost two hours. “The medical examiner, Emma Lew, attributed Rainey’s death to a combination of his schizophrenia, heart disease and confinement in the small shower space.” http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation- ... 91843.html

Group estimates thousands of civilians in Iraq and Syria have died in 1,000 U.S. coalition airstrikes. “Airwars best estimates suggest the US-led air campaign against so-called Islamic State has so far killed at least 2,590 civilians in Iraq and Syria since 2014.” https://airwars.org/news/1000th-allegation/

Canadian citizens tortured by foreign governments win settlements after Canada admits sharing “information” about them which led to their detention. “All three men have denied any involvement in terrorism and none has ever been charged.” http://www.startribune.com/canada-pays- ... 416473853/

Right-wingers who say Trumpcare/AHCA falls short of a total repeal of Obamacare are getting far more press coverage than single-payer advocates says media watchdog. “…even though (single-payer/national health insurance) has popular support, corporate media mostly ignore it. When it is covered, it is usually dismissed.” http://fair.org/home/media-find-room-fo ... gle-payer/

Illinois Congressman reportedly arrested at Chicago ICE office. “Gutiérrez says the group refused to leave the Chicago office of Immigration and Customs Enforcement… after the agency’s regional director refused to answer his questions about the Trump administration’s plans for immigration sweeps and mass deportation.” https://www.democracynow.org/2017/3/16/ ... fter_being
"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

Re: Some recent news stories that got my attention

16
Senate committee reportedly refuses to grant Michael Flynn immunity in Russian election hacking investigation. “The Senate Intelligence Committee turned down the request by former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn’s lawyer for a grant of immunity in exchange for his testimony, two congressional sources told NBC News.” http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/sen ... nn-n741061

Arkansas planning to execute 8 prisoners over 11 days using controversial drug cocktail. “…in several midazolam executions, death row inmates were seen writhing or gasping as they died.” http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/ ... ace-method

Revocation of FCC privacy rule opens up customer browsing history to law enforcement says former Justice Department expert. “By adding a single short paragraph to an application for a court order through the Stored Communications Act (this wouldn’t even a require a search warrant), the FBI would be able to order your ISP to divulge every website you have contacted and every app you have used.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions ... 58b7888a82

Journalists sue to get off President’s kill list. “(Bilal) Kareem, a U.S. citizen reporting from Syria in recent years, claims in the suit that he has “narrowly avoided being killed by five separate air strikes” over the past year.” https://secure.politico.com/blogs/under ... ist-236738

Former CIA interrogator and co-architect of the agency’s “enhanced interrogation” program, James Mitchell, does a homey, “softball” interview with BBC’s Hard Talk, in which he claims the program was necessary because of a wave of pending, catastrophic attacks, possibly including nuclear weapons. He claims many such attacks were successfully stopped due to the program, a view completely rejected by the Senate’s “torture report”, which interviewer Zeinab Badawi fails to point out to him. See old CNN story on the Senate’s report here: http://edition.cnn.com/2014/12/09/polit ... re-report/ Among his other claims, waterboarding is not painful and it is not torture because the Justice Department said it wasn’t. Badawi fails to ask him if he’s ever heard of the Geneva Conventions or Nuremberg trials, or ask why the U.S. tried Japanese interrogators for war crimes for waterboarding American prisoners. Mitchell also claims that mall cops have more latitude during interrogations than CIA agents! I’ll be sure to report it here the next time I see a news story about a mall cop accused of waterboarding a shoplifter or holding him naked in a frigid room and dousing him with ice water. Interview here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p04xtpwr News story here: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39444081

New York mayor Bill de Blasio announces eventual closure of Rikers Island jail. “It is one of the world’s largest corrections and mental institutions and has been called the world’s largest penal colony.” http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2017 ... /99886116/

Mexico City campaign aims to reduce sexual harassment on public transportation by sensitizing men. “Nearly 6 million people take the Mexico City subway each day and women are molested on a regular basis.” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexic ... SKBN1720DJ

Trump administration releases reports on appointee wealth and financial interests. Spicer: “I think one of the really interesting things that people are going to see today — and I think it’s something that should be celebrated — is that the president has brought a lot of people into this administration, and this White House in particular, who have been very blessed and very successful.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/31/us/p ... -show.html

Man who hit bus in Texas, killing 13, allegedly told witness he was texting while driving. “Texas is unusual in that it has no statewide ban on texting while driving.” http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nati ... story.html

Trump declares April “National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month”. “President Donald Trump, who has been publicly accused of sexual assault by more than 15 women and was caught on tape boasting he could grab women “by the pussy” without their consent, has officially proclaimed April 2017 to be National Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/don ... 77f78755d1

Five immigrants reportedly show up for appointment at government office, are arrested. “Employing a newly aggressive approach, federal immigration authorities arrested five people Wednesday at the Lawrence (Massachusetts) office of US Citizenship and Immigration Services, an office where immigrants can seek legal residency. ” https://www.bostonglobe.com/metro/2017/ ... story.html

Man fatally shot by New Jersey state troopers while fleeing questioning. The man “…appeared to be injecting heroin, the New Jersey Attorney General’s office said Friday. As the troopers moved in to talk with him, he drove off…” http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/new ... -1.3015433

Man who tussled with Chicago area police officer had LSD in his system, was shot in the back, says coroner’s report. “The report shows (Michael) Musson had gunshot wounds on the upper right side of his back, the lower right side of his abdomen and the back of his lower right leg. He also had a graze wound on his left hip.” http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/l ... story.html

Roy, Utah police release body cam video of police fatally shooting fleeing suspect. “The officers — whose identities have not been released — responded to a call from a convenience store clerk reporting that a man was loitering and “acting suspiciously,” said White.” http://www.sltrib.com/news/5124489-155/ ... ra-footage

Woman in critical condition after Idaho state police open fire on fleeing vehicle. “…Shaylee Williamson, 21, of Pocatello, was seriously wounded when state police opened fire on the car she was a passenger in after the driver, Rocco Chacon Jr., 24, of Pocatello, decided to drive away from the troopers trying to arrest him, authorities said.” http://idahostatejournal.com/members/in ... 9310b.html

Man fatally shot by police officer while running away from Nashville traffic stop was hit twice in the back and once in the hip according to autopsy. “The autopsy report for Jocques Clemmons, the 31-year-old man shot and killed by a Metro police officer in February, confirms he was shot three times and grazed once by a bullet.” http://wkrn.com/2017/03/30/autopsy-conf ... azed-once/

“People’s Filibuster” rallies will oppose Gorsuch appointment to Supreme Court. “With Democratic Party resistance to President Donald Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch still in flux, American voters are taking to the streets on Saturday to stage a “People’s Filibuster” against the conservative judge.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... er-gorsuch

Gorsuch asked to identify his “dark money” supporters. “In a strongly-worded open letter, six Democratic senators demanded Thursday that Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch disclose the identities of donors behind the right-wing dark money group spending millions to push for his confirmation.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... nomination

Student loan borrowers who took public service jobs sue after Department of Education reverses approvals. “The plaintiffs held jobs that they initially were told qualified them for debt forgiveness, only to later have that decision reversed — with no evident way to appeal, they say.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/30/busi ... wsuit.html

Leaked Trump NAFTA proposal reportedly disappointing. “Trump and members of his administration are proving that they will always prioritize CEOs over the working men and women who have suffered from NAFTA’s punishing trade policy.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... punch-face

Sessions changes his tune, now admits crime rates are actually low. “Murder rates are half of what they were in 1980. We have driven the violent crime rate down to almost half of what it was at its peak.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... rime-rates

ACLU offers tips for those facing “digital strip searches” at U.S. borders. ““The ideal thing to do is to leave your main phone and laptop at home and go across the border with a burner phone,” said Sinha, referring to a simple device that doesn’t have your email or social media apps on it.” Other experts say you can also delete your contacts and apps, and then reinstall them after traveling. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... to-protect

Some Republicans admit that previous Obamacare repeal efforts were a sham. “We knew the president, if we could get a repeal bill to his desk, would almost certainly veto it. This time we knew if it got to the president’s desk it would be signed.” https://theintercept.com/2017/03/31/rep ... obamacare/

Canada turning away more American citizens at the border, possibly due to increased sharing of criminal records. “The rate at which Americans were denied entrance into Canada across the U.S.-Canadian border surged over 31 percent last year, with 30,233 U.S. citizens being turned away throughout 2016, Canada Border Services Agency figures stated. That’s up from 23,052 stops the year before – and just 7,509 in 2014.” http://www.ibtimes.com/how-move-canada- ... es-2518745

CIA used “obfuscator/packer” to evade anti-virus programs and confuse investigators. “While the code can insert any language text or sequence of characters into the code, or English text, the point appears to be more about eliminating the original intent of coders than causing an incorrect attribution.” http://thehill.com/policy/cybersecurity ... anti-virus

Federal appeals court blocks release of Gitmo force feeding videos. “The three-judge court in Washington said in its ruling that the public interest in what happens at the prison housing US terror suspects is trumped by “the government’s compelling interest in guarding national security.”” https://www.yahoo.com/news/us-court-blo ... 00990.html

ICE accused of holding U.S. citizen for three weeks. ““He said, ‘Hey, I’m a citizen!’ And basically they said, ‘Tell it to the judge.’” But Aguilar didn’t get to see a judge.” https://theslot.jezebel.com/ice-detains ... 1793890197 818 U.S. citizens were reportedly held in ICE detention centers between 2007 and 2015. “A separate NPR review of court records showed that in dozens of similar cases, Americans asserted their citizenship only to be sucked into a system they should have never been a part of.” http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/ ... e-deported

FBI did not expose Trump’s Russia connections to protect organized crime investigation, say journalists. “…for more than three decades the FBI has had Trump Tower in its sights. Many of its occupants have been targets of major investigations, others have been surveilled, and yet others have served as informants. One thing many of them have in common is deep ties to organized crime — including the Russian mafia.” http://whowhatwhy.org/2017/03/27/fbi-ca ... mp-russia/

Cisco engineers reportedly leapt into action after Wikileaks revealed intelligence community hacking of their hardware. “Senior Cisco managers immediately reassigned staff from other projects to figure out how the CIA hacking tricks worked, so they could help customers patch their systems and prevent criminal hackers or spies from using the same methods, three employees told Reuters on condition of anonymity.” http://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/29/cisco-cy ... leaks.html

Former CIA analyst says Trump was probably right about “wiretap”. “…we suspect that much more may be learned about the special compartmented surveillance program targeted against top US national leaders if Rep. Nunes doesn’t back down and if Trump doesn’t choose the road most traveled – acquiescence to America’s Deep State actors.” http://original.antiwar.com/mcgovern/20 ... ssia-gate/ Names of officials who assembled documents leaked to Nunes are also leaked. “After assembling reports that showed that Trump campaign officials were mentioned or inadvertently monitored by U.S. spy agencies targeting foreign individuals, Cohen took the matter to the top lawyer for the National Security Council, John Eisenberg. The third White House official involved was identified as Michael Ellis, a lawyer who previously worked with Nunes on the House Intelligence Committee but joined the Trump administration as an attorney who reports to Eisenberg.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/na ... story.html

Rights group condemns Arkansas’ “ag-gag” law which criminalizes whistle-blowing. “The bill is so sweeping that it would also gag employees who try to expose the abuse of children at a daycare center.” http://bordc.org/news/defending-rights- ... -arkansas/

Elevated section of I-85 in Atlanta collapses. “The fire, which started around 6:30 p.m. ET, broke out near the Buford-Spring Connector. Around 7 p.m. the northbound lanes collapsed.” http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nati ... /99849834/

March heat wave in India kills 5. “Akola recorded 44.1 degrees Celsius (111 F) and Wardha, Nagpur and Chandrapur have recorded 43 degrees (109 F).” http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/5-dead-i ... ia-1675299

Venezuelan Supreme Court revokes powers of country’s parliament. “Maduro has essentially ruled Venezuela by decree since late 2015, when his unpopular government was trounced in parliamentary elections and his opponents took control of congress.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/th ... story.html

Geneva Film Festival highlights human rights films “Silent War” (rape as a weapon in Syria), “I Am Not Your Negro” (bio of James Baldwin), “500 Years” (genocide against native population of Guatemala) and films by Cambodian director Rithy Panh on Khmer Rouge atrocities. http://www.sfgate.com/news/media/Geneva ... 808976.php

Some airlines to offer business class customers loaner electronic devices on flights affected by laptop ban. “The specially purchased computers will be available to business-class travelers from next week, Qatar Air said Thursday…. Abu Dhabi-based Etihad said earlier on its website that it will hand out Apple Inc. iPads to its premium guests.” https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... to-u-s-ban Another example of how life’s little problems are eased for the business class. Did you know they have showers at airports for business travelers too?

Double-mastectomy rates vary widely across the U.S. “… between 2010 and 2012, among women ages 20 to 44 with cancer in one breast, about 15 percent had both breasts removed in the District of Columbia, compared to about 49 percent in South Dakota.” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-healt ... SKBN17136P

Leading cause of illness and disability is depression says World Health Organization. “The current state is that depression is neither being identified nor treated adequately anywhere in the world.” http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/h ... -1.3014312

Sanders discusses “dark money” with investigative journalist. “Sen. Bernie Sanders on Thursday sat down with investigative journalist Jane Mayer to discuss the threat that secretive and undisclosed campaign financing—exemplified by the outsized influence of powerful billionaires like Charles and David Koch—continues to have on U.S. democracy and what should be done to push back.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... te-book-it

Secretary of Education DeVos says education should be like transportation. “DeVos, a vocal advocate for school choice, drew a comparison between consumers picking ridesharing services like Uber or Lyft over a taxi to parents electing to send their kids to private or charter schools over public schools.” https://finance.yahoo.com/news/betsy-de ... 00031.html So is the government going to pay for my rideshare, or do the less affluent still need to take the bus? Will teachers be hired like Uber drivers? Who pays for their classrooms? Where do the profits from public-funded tuition vouchers go?

Pence breaks tie in Senate, allows states to selectively exclude healthcare providers from Title X programs. “The measure repeals an Obama-era rule that blocks states from defunding healthcare providers for political reasons.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... ng-program

Deaths of pedestrians up 25% since 2010, smartphones suspected. “Researchers said there doesn’t appear to be any other variable besides increased smartphone usage, which can lead to distracted walking and driving, that could explain the spike.” http://www.ibtimes.com/walking-dead-are ... hs-2518006

State Department employees allegedly told not to speak to Secretary of State Tillerson or make eye contact with him. “Most of his interactions are with an insular circle of political aides who are new to the State Department.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/na ... story.html Being shunned, or is he used to being treated like a pharaoh at Exxon Mobil?

Appeals court rules that revealing disciplinary records of officer who put Eric Garner in a chokehold would put officer at risk, union official agrees. “The release of police officers’ personnel files poses a grave safety risk for police officers and their families.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/court-l ... ds-secret/

Former NSA director blames Russian fake news posts for Democratic Party split. “Senator, I think what they were trying to do was drive a wedge within the Democratic Party between the Clinton group and the Sanders group.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/russian ... l-witness/ Thanks, I needed a good laugh.

Senate witness tries to link Russian crackdown on cyber spies to U.S. election hacking. “There’s been more dead Russians in the past three months that are tied to this investigation who have assets in banks all over the world. They are dropping dead, even in western countries.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/follow- ... l-witness/ See “Russian spy purge after suspected leaks to U.S. intelligence” for a more likely explanation. http://money.cnn.com/2017/02/01/news/fs ... y-arrests/

Kansas Gov. Brownback vetoes Medicaid expansion bill, lawmakers plotting veto override vote. “The veto sparked an immediate debate and attempt to override it in the House, but Democrats and moderate Republicans quickly backed down and tabled the matter, nervous that more time was needed to rally the necessary 84 votes.” http://cjonline.com/news/state-governme ... hone-their

U.S. military officials claim IS is forcing civilians into buildings in Mosul and then intentionally attracting coalition fire. They are even setting off their own explosions at precisely the same time to frame coalition forces. “Armed ISIS fighters forced civilians into a building, killing one who resisted, and then used this building against (Iraqi counter-terrorist forces).” http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/wor ... 39788.html

Tipster claims 500 bodies buried in secret mass grave in Veracruz, Mexico. “…experts have identified only two of the 253 bodies exhumed since searches began in August at the site in the hilly fields known as Colinas de Santa Fe. Those bodies were identified largely because the victims were found with ID cards.” https://www.yahoo.com/news/tips-back-se ... 07130.html

U.S. reportedly offering more support for Saudi coalition attacks on Yemen as the country teeters “on the brink of famine”. “Now, the U.S. wants to… become more involved, particularly in an offensive that the Emiratis, the UAE, who are part of the Saudi-led coalition, are looking to launch on the Red Sea Coast, particularly on the port of Hodeidah, which is a vital supply line for northern Yemen, which is the most densely populated part of the country, which relies heavily on that route for the import of food.” https://www.democracynow.org/2017/3/30/ ... itary_role

Members of Congress who voted to revoke FCC privacy rules for internet service providers reportedly received campaign donations from internet service providers. “…here is a list of the lawmakers who voted to betray you, and how much money they received from the telecom industry in their most recent election cycle.” http://www.theverge.com/2017/3/29/15100 ... -fire-sale

Rights group says unconstitutional presidential power to imprison citizens accused of “terrorism” without a trial urgently needs to be revoked. “Sections 1021 and 1022 (of the 2012 NDAA) authorized President Obama, and now authorize President Trump, to order the arrest and indefinite detention–without charge or trial–of anyone labeled a “suspected terrorist” or “belligerent”. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/thi ... 33072b39be

Federal judge blocks Trump travel ban until issue is decided in court. “Watson’s order Wednesday blocks Trump’s travel ban until the state lawsuit works its way through the courts.” http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/worl ... /99793954/

Christie aides sentenced to 18 and 24 months in connection with “Bridgegate” scandal. “The sentencing of two former aides to New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie for creating traffic jams at the busiest bridge in the U.S. for political revenge may not prevent the scandal from hanging over the Republican’s final year in office.” http://www.sacbee.com/latest-news/article141630069.html

State Department employee accused of concealing gifts from Chinese agents. “The Justice Department said that between 2011 and 2016, agents for the People’s Republic of China gave Claiborne’s family tens of thousands of dollars in gifts…, including cash, electronics, trips, an apartment and tuition at a Chinese fashion school.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/pu ... story.html

Undocumented immigrant shows her tax return in social media video, challenges President Trump to do the same. “A 2016 study by the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy found that undocumented immigrants pay nearly $12 billion a year in state and local taxes.” http://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/28/us/dr ... axes-trnd/ They also have federal income tax withheld from their paychecks, but rarely file for refunds.

EPA refuses to ban the pesticide chlorpyrifos aka Lorsban. “”The chance to prevent brain damage in children was a low bar for most of Scott Pruitt’s predecessors, but it apparently just wasn’t persuasive enough for an administrator who isn’t sure if banning lead from gasoline was a good idea.” http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nati ... story.html

Senate investigating election hacking. “Warner and Burr both stressed the importance of exposing the activity of Russian hackers, which Warner said included reports of “upwards of 1,000 paid Internet trolls” who spread false negative stories about Clinton.” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-t ... SKBN1702UI

Trump tax plan “a tax paradise for himself and other very rich people”. “Under his plan, those in Trump’s personal sub-class of ultra-rich business owners would get an even more lavish break– a tax rate of just 15%.” http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2 ... rence.html

U.S. becoming increasingly involved in multiple conflicts. “Two months after the inauguration of President Trump, indications are mounting that the United States military is deepening its involvement in a string of complex wars in the Middle East that lack clear endgames.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/29/worl ... -east.html

“People’s Summit” to be held in Chicago from June 9-11. “Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) will headline a major progressive conference later this spring that aims to galvanize the resistance to President Donald Trump into a larger movement for a just world.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... les-summit

Nuclear contractor Westinghouse, reportedly $9.8 billion in debt, files for bankruptcy. “… it is unclear whether the company will be able to complete any of its projects, which in the United States are about three years late and billions over budget.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/29/busi ... .html?_r=0

George W. Bush on Trump inauguration speech: “That was some weird shit.” http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/20 ... ation.html

Oregon man’s home vandalized after he is mistake him for a Muslim. “”I’m not Muslim. I just grow a beard.” http://www.ibtimes.com/man-mistaken-mus ... sm-2517686

GOP candidate reportedly comes up with novel explanations for global warming. “… the earth moves closer to the sun every year–you know the rotation of the earth,” Wagner said. “We’re moving closer to the sun.” and “We have more people,” he said. “You know, humans have warm bodies. So is heat coming off?” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/gop-can ... o-the-sun/

Interior Secretary allegedly hints that border wall will be built on Mexican side of the Rio Grande River. “We’re not going to put it on our side and cede the river to Mexico. And we’re probably not going to put it in the middle of the river.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/trump-i ... ll-report/

Furloughed Fox commentator Napolitano says he still believes GCHQ spied on Trump at request of the Obama administration. “Napolitano, the news network’s senior judicial analyst, defended his March 14 report, saying his “sources stand by it”.” http://thehill.com/homenews/media/32635 ... ews-return

Senator says he’s waited 5 weeks for reply from Homeland Security to his letter on phone searches at borders. “The senator wrote that the searches not only violate civil liberties but could reduce international business travel or force companies to outfit employees with “burner” laptops and mobile devices, “which some firms already use when employees visit nations like China”.” http://www.motherjones.com/politics/201 ... r-airports

Privacy activist will try to buy internet browsing histories of GOP politicians who voted to revoke privacy rules. “Once the law is signed by President Trump, geolocation data along with browsing history data will again be on the market for ISPs. That means a company with dedication and resources could likely, with a reasonable degree of certainty, pinpoint Blackburn, Pai, Ryan, or anyone they seek to take down based on their browsing data and IP address alone.” http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2 ... -hers.html

Trump declares parts of Somalia areas of “active hostilities”. “President Donald Trump granted the U.S. military more flexibility in conducting operations in Somalia on Wednesday, declaring the country a “war zone” and easing restrictions that protect civilians.” http://www.ibtimes.com/us-war-africa-tr ... ia-2518050

Trump signs executive order to roll back “Clean Power Plan” signed by Obama to meet Paris Climate Agreement targets. http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/presiden ... d=46417599 U.S. joins Syria, Uzbekistan and Nicaragua as only countries to reject the Paris agreement. http://www.wri.org/blog/2017/01/6-envir ... watch-2017

Trump promises to create jobs mining “really clean coal”. “While it’s true that in pilot schemes up to 90% of carbon has been removed from fossil fuel emissions, the technology is super, super expensive.” http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/politics/r ... p-10117678

Mother upset by invasive, 2 minute TSA pat-down of her son at Dallas-Fort Worth airport. “In total, the pat-down took approximately two minutes, and was observed by the mother and two police officers who were called to mitigate the concerns of the mother.” http://www.fox4news.com/news/244311013-story I tried to watch the mother’s video of the search, which she posted on Facebook, four times. After about 30 seconds it stopped playing each time. Suspicious. Was this search really routine, or was it used as a means of “punishing” a difficult citizen, through her child?

House passes bill allowing internet service providers to sell your web browsing data, bill now goes to Trump for likely signature. “The vote overturned rules passed in October by the Federal Communications Commission that tightened limits on what internet service providers (ISPs) could do with their users’ data.” http://www.motherjones.com/politics/201 ... dvertisers More details on what this will reportedly allow. https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/03/f ... rotections

Democratic Party allegedly photoshops picture from demonstration to remove socialist party slogan from sign. “Although the PSL poster seen in the DNC tweet retained the line “Trump is the symptom” from the original, it omitted the next two lines: “Capitalism is the disease” and “Socialism is the cure”.” http://www.snopes.com/democrats-socialist-party-poster/

Homeland Security’s “Countering Violent Extremism” program to focus only on Muslims, would ignore more dangerous white supremacist groups. “The Trump administration wants to revamp and rename a U.S. government program designed to counter all violent ideologies so that it focuses solely on Islamist extremism, five people briefed on the matter told Reuters.” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-t ... SKBN15G5VO

California charges anti-abortion activists with 15 felonies for undercover investigation of Planned Parenthood. “We will not tolerate the criminal recording of confidential conversations.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/mor ... -felonies/ Journalists, animal cruelty activists and anti-corporate film-makers beware! Of course this doesn’t apply to law enforcement agencies.

Former hedge fund manager whose clients were burned in Madoff ponzi scheme falls from Manhattan luxury hotel. “The father-of-two financier, who was married to his second wife, plummeted 20 floors before hitting a fourth floor terrace, according to the NYPD, and died at the scene.” http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... hotel.html

Republicans bat down attempts to force Trump to release his tax returns. “At a sometimes fiery 2-1/2-hour hearing that careened from lawmaker concerns over political corruption and national security to privacy rights and tax accounting, the House Ways and Means Committee voted 24-16 along party lines to oppose a Democratic resolution that sought the release of 10 years of Trump’s tax returns to the House of Representatives.” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-t ... SKBN16Z332

Manafort Cyprus bank accounts reportedly closed after bank investigation. “Manafort… was associated with at least 15 bank accounts and 10 companies on Cyprus, dating back to 2007, the sources said. At least one of those companies was used to receive millions of dollars from a billionaire Putin ally, according to court documents.” http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/manaf ... ag-n739156

Jared Kushner allegedly met with head of sanctioned Russian state bank. “VEB is a state-owned Russian corporation formed in 2007 that is closely tied to the Russian government. Its chairman is appointed by the Russian president. The Russian prime minister is chairman of the bank supervisory board.” http://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/27/polit ... -to-putin/

100 year-old woman evicted by San Francisco sheriff’s office dies. “It was clear all along that this woman was not going to survive this eviction.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... anada-dies

App that tracks U.S. drone strikes rejected by Apple for 13th time. “Five years ago I made a simple iPhone app. It would send you a push notification every time a U.S. drone strike was reported in the news. Apple rejected the app… calling it “excessively objectionable or crude content”.” https://theintercept.com/2017/03/28/aft ... e-strikes/

Bernie Sanders blasts overtime as average workweek hits 47 hours. “Millions of Americans today are overworked, underpaid and under enormous stress…. And here we are, 100 years (after the labor battles that won a 40 hour week), living in the most technologically advanced economy in human history, and we still don’t have a 40-hour workweek!” http://www.ibtimes.com/bernie-sanders-s ... ut-2516518

ICE agents who shot Chicago man may have raided wrong home, man’s daughter says no one at the home is undocumented and the family has lived there for 30 years. “They didn’t say anything. They just came in and pointed pistols in our faces.” http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nationa ... -1.3011036

Police union leaders in Chicago reportedly laughed nervously when Trump asks them to find out which cops didn’t vote for him. “Who are they? Who are they? Find out who they are, please, and let us know.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/watch-p ... e-for-him/

Investigators say Manafort’s cash purchases of homes through shell companies, followed by large loans being taken out on the properties, “raises yellow flags”. “…experts explained that money launderers often purchase properties in cash through shell companies, and then take out “clean” money against those real estate investments through bank loans.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/paul-ma ... s-experts/

Some of Trump’s business associates in Russia allegedly have links to organized crime. “The president and his companies have been linked to at least 10 wealthy former Soviet businessmen with alleged ties to criminal organizations or money laundering.” http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/worl ... /98321252/

Nunes allegedly got info on intelligence community Trump surveillance from White House source. “The new revelation that the information actually came from a meeting held on the grounds of the White House intensified questions about what prompted Mr. Nunes to make the claim about the intelligence gathering, and who gave him the information.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/27/us/p ... .html?_r=0

U.S. ambassador to U.N. Nikki Haley says U.S. opposes ban on nuclear weapons, will boycott negotiations, implies other countries don’t understand the risks. “Do they really understand the threats that we have?” https://secure.politico.com/story/2017/ ... ban-236544 Japan will also boycott U.N. nuclear disarmament talks. “More than 30 other countries have announced plans to skip the negotiations, including Japan, the only country to have suffered a nuclear attack, in 1945.” http://www.dw.com/en/worlds-nuclear-pow ... a-38149665

Amnesty International warns U.S. coalition on civilian deaths in Mosul. “Disproportionate attacks and indiscriminate attacks violate international humanitarian law and can constitute war crimes.” http://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-39411102

Constitutional rights group sues government for information on suspicionless searches of travelers’ electronic devices at borders. “The indiscriminate search of Americans’ electronic devices at the border raises serious constitutional questions… Subjecting that information to unfettered government scrutiny invades the core of individual privacy and threatens free inquiry and expression.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/tru ... -s-border/ and “These searches are extremely intrusive and government agents shouldn’t be conducting them without cause.” https://www.theguardian.com/law/2017/ma ... -passwords

White House asks for $999 million to build 62 miles of Mexico border wall. “According to various estimates, the (entire) wall may cost anything between from $12 billion to over $20 billion, CNN reported.” http://www.ibtimes.com/trump-border-wal ... ll-2516096 Leader of Senate Democrats says there’s no rush to fund Trump’s border wall. “…let’s give the president a chance to get Mexico to pay (for) it. Isn’t that what he told everybody, that we weren’t going to pay (for) it?” http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/week-tra ... -rep/story

Number of white Americans in prison reportedly up from 41.9% of inmate population in 2000 to 48.3% currently, even though the white population of the country fell from 70.9% to 61.6% of the total during the same period. “It’s… reasonable to speculate that the race and education-specific trends noted by Case and Deaton — increased alcohol and opioid addiction in particular — are related to those within the jail system.” http://www.twincities.com/2017/03/27/am ... ng-whiter/

He’s back! House Republican leader Ryan pledges to continue the crusade against Obamacare. “We’re not going to just all of a sudden abandon health care and move on to the rest. We are going to move on with rest of our agenda, keep that on track, while we work the health care problem.” http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/ryan-rev ... d=46408759

Use of facial recognition technology much more widespread than most people realize, few limits on law enforcement according to Congressional testimony. “I’m frankly appalled,” said Rep. Paul Mitchell (R-Mich.). “I wasn’t informed when my driver’s license was renewed my photograph was going to be in a repository that could be searched by law enforcement across the country.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... ng-reveals

ICE agents reportedly shoot Chicago man during raid. “My dad doesn’t have any guns… He just opened the door and they just shot him.” http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/1- ... 81913.html

Calls between lawyers and their imprisoned clients reportedly recorded by Leavenworth prison officials and phone service contractor, recordings found in possession of prosecutors. “At least 700 attorneys are believed to have been recorded without their knowledge, the investigator’s report submitted to a federal court said.” http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2 ... finds.html

Mass arrests at anti-Putin protests in Russia. “…the rally’s organizers and independent monitors claimed that some 20,000 showed up and at least 880 people were detained in the capital alone by heavily armed, baton-wielding riot police officers.” http://www.latimes.com/world/europe/la- ... story.html Outrageous! It’s only a matter of time until the Russian police start shooting people…

U.S. State Department condemns mass arrests of protesters in Russia. “Detaining peaceful protesters, human rights observers, and journalists is an affront to core democratic values.” https://secure.politico.com/story/2017/ ... tin-236524 America will not tolerate mass arrests of protesters, human rights observers and journalists by militarized police! In other countries.

Teen blogger who received asylum in U.S. after being jailed for YouTube video rants in Singapore was held longer by U.S. immigration than by his own government. “The US Department of Homeland Security had opposed Yee’s asylum application, saying the Singapore government had legitimately prosecuted Yee.” http://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/ ... -asylum-us

Democrats still in denial? Joe Biden regrets not running for president. “I had planned on running for president and although it would have been a very difficult primary, I think I could have won.” https://variety.com/2017/biz/news/joe-b ... 202016785/ Sorry Joe, only one person in the race could have defeated The Trumpster, and your party wouldn’t even let him be Hillary’s vice president. Sad!

Leader of France’s far-right “National Front” party says sanctions on Russia should be lifted. “Russian President Vladimir Putin held an unprecedented meeting with French presidential contender Marine Le Pen at the Kremlin Friday, hours after the National Front leader had urged a joint fight against terrorism and an end to European Union sanctions against his country.” https://www.bloomberg.com/politics/arti ... -terrorism

Teens wearing leotards/leggings/yoga pants barred from boarding United flight, another child passenger allowed to board after putting on a dress. “We want people to be comfortable when they travel as long as its neat and in good taste for that environment.” https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation ... story.html Terrorists now using spandex to bring down planes?

Scuffles erupt at pro-Trump rallies around the country between supporters and protesters, some arrested. http://www.entertainment-news.online/20 ... s-arrests/

Woman reportedly arrested for third time for trying to enter White House grounds. “A woman was arrested early Sunday after scaling a fence near the White House — the third time she has been taken into custody near the presidential residence in less than a week, the Secret Service said.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/wo ... story.html Trump has groupies? Must be the hairstyle.

Republican senator tells constituents to “bring it on” when he is up for election in 2020. “…he told voters that their boos and anger weren’t persuading him to change his positions.” http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congres ... it-n738521

Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers reportedly arrested 26 parolees in Fort Worth as they reported for community service. “These individuals were following the law by showing up to do their community service. In the act of doing the right thing they were rounded up like cattle.” http://www.star-telegram.com/news/local ... 12703.html

Wikileaks disputes Apple’s claims that it fixed vulnerabilities exploited by CIA. “EFI [Extensible Firmware Interface] is a systemic problem, not a zero-day [vulnerability in software or hardware that can be exploited to hack systems and is often later patched.]” https://www.rt.com/viral/382237-wikilea ... arkmatter/

Trump spends weekend at Trump National Golf Club in “meetings”. “It was not immediately clear from pool reports who the president was planning to meet with.” http://thehill.com/homenews/administrat ... r-meetings

Sanders to introduce single-payer health insurance bill. “The Vermont senator said Sunday that he was willing to work with both Democrats and Republicans to provide “insurance for all,” two days after the GOP leadership’s American Health Care Act was pulled from the House floor to avoid a legislative defeat.” http://www.newsweek.com/bernie-sanders- ... ill-574403

Iraqi VP calls Mosul siege a “humanitarian catastrophe”. ““The recent high death toll among civilians inside the Old City forced us to halt operations to review our plans,” a Federal Police spokesman said.” https://www.independent.co.uk/news/worl ... 50136.html

Jewish groups protest lobbying organization that supports Israeli “settlers”. “The activists, who oppose AIPAC’s support for the policies of the current Israeli government on the settlements, carried signs and chanted calls to end the occupation.” http://www.haaretz.com/us-news/1.779615

Some media outlets accused of going after black VICTIM of white supremacist stabbing by detailing his previous offenses, tacking on unrelated story about attack on New York City police by black suspect from Baltimore. “The reader is provided with no indication of (the suspect’s) criminal record, or whether there was any attempt to find it out, but somehow the rap sheet of the murder victim was primed and ready to go.” http://fair.org/home/black-man-stabbed- ... -by-media/

Appeals court rules that deputy who knocked on man’s door and then shot him was justified because the man was holding a gun – the officer was looking for a suspect in the neighborhood. “(The deputy) failed to identify himself as a law enforcement officer at any point. He had no warrant and no reason to suspect that Scott or his girlfriend had committed a crime. He did not attempt to engage with Scott at all after he opened the door; he simply shot him dead.” http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_slatest/ ... _sued.html

Bill would make Trump log his visitors when staying at his resorts. “Amid reports Saturday that President Donald Trump would spend his afternoon “holding meetings” at a golf course he owns in Virginia, grassroots support is growing for a new bill introduced late this week that would force the president to provide visitor logs for Trump-owned properties where he conducts official government business.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... ite-houses

Los Angeles police reportedly fatally shoot man fleeing area where gunshots had been heard. “They tried to stop the person and a shooting occurred, the statement read…. Additional details about the incident were not immediately available.” http://www.nbclosangeles.com/news/local ... 82783.html

Estimated amount of oil spilled by North Dakota pipeline triples to 530,000 gallons. “The site of the spill is roughly 150 miles from Cannon Ball, where protesters aligned with the Standing Rock Sioux tribe camped out in opposition to the Dakota Access pipeline for months.” http://www.cnbc.com/2017/03/24/north-da ... mated.html

“Retail apocalypse” as thousands of shops close. “More than 3,500 stores are expected to close in the next couple of months.” http://www.businessinsider.com/the-reta ... ica-2017-3

1.1 million defaulted on their student loans in 2016, raising the total number of student loan borrowers in default to 4.2 million. “Despite a booming stock market and falling unemployment, student loan borrowers in today’s economy are still struggling.” http://www.marketwatch.com/story/more-t ... 2017-03-14

Watch out! Obamacare is exploding! “U.S. President Donald Trump said on Friday that Obamacare was “exploding” after Republican lawmakers shelved legislation that would have dismantled the healthcare law. ” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-o ... SKBN16W00V

Palm Beach County Republican Party reportedly rents Mar-a-Lago ballroom for $150,000, Melania Trump makes an appearance. http://www.rawstory.com/2017/03/melania ... -ballroom/

14 Chicago police officers reportedly escaped punishment for misconduct because police officials “forgot”. “Guilty, but forgotten, the officers and their cases languished in a sort of disciplinary purgatory as officials failed to ensure that the punishments were meted out.” http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/watc ... story.html
"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

Re: Some recent news stories that got my attention

18
Republicans decide to go “nuclear” to end debate over Gorsuch Supreme Court appointment. “The controversial changes to Senate rules, made along partisan lines, allows filibusters of Supreme Court picks to be broken with only 51 votes rather than 60.” http://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/06/polit ... l-gorsuch/

Twitter refuses to reveal user info on Trump critic who appears to be an immigration employee. “A copy of the summons filed with the lawsuit says the records are needed for an investigation to ensure compliance with duties, taxes and fines and other customs and immigration matters.” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-twitt ... SKBN1782PH

Russian court bans “Putin with makeup” image under law that prohibits violating a citizen’s dignity. “In the photograph, Putin has painted eyes, red lips and the caption reads, “They say there are many of them, but there aren’t any among the people I know.”” https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/wor ... 100120306/

74% of Americans polled say lack of opportunity is a bigger cause of poverty than lack of hard work. “The findings show that by a margin of nearly three-to-one, respondents said that blocked opportunities, not personal decisions or lack of hard work, consign people to poverty.” http://www.sparcchub.org/wp-content/upl ... Report.pdf

More Chinese, Mexican and French millennials own homes than their American peers. “A recent report from HSBC found that 70% of millennials in China and 46% of Mexican millennials own a home versus 35% of young adults in the U.S.” http://www.marketwatch.com/story/nearly ... 2017-04-06

Western darling and Nobel Prize winner Aung San Suu Kyi denies “ethnic cleansing” of Muslim minority has occurred in Myanmar. “I don’t think there is ethnic cleaning going on.” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/ ... -cleansing

General strike over government austerity policies disrupts Argentina. “Protesters… clashed with police during marches over government austerity measures as labor unions challenged the president…” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/ ... -inflation

Nationwide “Medicare for All” day of action planned for Saturday, April 8th. “Participants in the day of action will ask their representatives to support HR 676, the Expanded and Improved Medicare for All Act, which would replace the Affordable Care Act (ACA) or Obamacare with a streamlined plan that researchers estimate will save about $500 billion annually, PNHP said.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... ce-april-8

Trump budget reportedly cuts all Amtrak funding. “The president’s so-called “skinny budget” will eliminate all federal funding for Amtrak’s national train network, meaning 220 cities will lose all passenger service…” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... 220-cities

Richest Americans live 15 years longer than poorest Americans, health care system partially to blame. “Researchers said these disparities appear to be worsened by the American health system itself, which relies on for-profit insurance companies, and is the most expensive in the world.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... y-lifespan

Trump did not obtain Congressional authorization for Syria missile strike. “While we all condemn the atrocities in Syria, the United States was not attacked.” https://www.thenation.com/article/trump ... orization/

Hillary Clinton reportedly called for attack on Syrian airfields. “I really believe we should have and still should take out his air fields and prevent him from being able to use them to bomb innocent people and drop sarin gas on them.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/04/hillary ... ctly-that/

Islamic State propagandist killed in airstrike was U.S. man from Boston. “Abousamra, 35, was born in Paris but brought up in Boston, Massachusetts, where he studied computer science…” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-midea ... SKBN1782I0

30,000 Mexicans missing, 100,000 killed in drug violence in last ten years. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-mexic ... SKBN1782XN

Supreme Court nominee Neil Gorsuch accused of plagiarism. “In the most striking example, Gorsuch, in his book (The Future of Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia), appears to duplicate sentences from an Indiana Law Journal article written by Abigail Lawlis Kuzma without attributing her.” https://secure.politico.com/story/2017/ ... urt-236891

Steve Bannon no longer on National Security Council, unclear why. “A senior White House official told NBC News that the changes were not the result of any “power struggle” within the administration.” http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/ste ... il-n742926

278 bodies reportedly removed so far from site of March 17th Mosul airstrike. “Lt. Gen. Stephen Townsend, the top U.S. general commanding the fight against Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, has said that there was “at least a fair chance” that the U.S.-led coalition was responsible for the strike, but if so, it was “an unintentional accident of war, and we will transparently report it to you.”” http://www.latimes.com/world/middleeast ... story.html Since IS does not have any aircraft besides drones, I think there is more than a “fair chance” that this was a coalition airstrike.

Muslim man dies after being beaten by “cow vigilantes” in India. “Gangs of “cow protectors” have been implicated in killing at least 10 people in the past two years as the welfare of the animal has become an increasingly charged issue in Indian politics.” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/ ... protectors

Secret Service agent suspended after allegedly “meeting” with prostitute. “A Secret Service agent on Vice President Pence’s detail has reportedly been suspended after meeting with a prostitute at a Maryland hotel.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/mor ... rostitute/ No information yet on what was discussed during this meeting.

Supreme Court ruling in Riley v. California likely protects citizens from electronic device searches at borders. “…when the government asserted the so-called “incident to arrest” exception to justify searching a cell phone without a warrant during or immediately after an arrest, the Supreme Court called foul.” https://www.eff.org/deeplinks/2017/04/b ... nd-devices

Northern Cheyenne Nation sues Dept. of Interior over proposed coal leases on federal land. “The tribe’s March 30 lawsuit said coal mining near the reservation would cause “significant environmental and socioeconomic harms to the Tribe”.” https://indiancountrymedianetwork.com/n ... blic-land/

Pepsi “protest” ad angers activists, meme counterattack launched. “If only Daddy would have known about the power of #Pepsi. pic.twitter.com/FA6JPrY72V — Be A King (@BerniceKing) April 5, 2017″ and “”Yo Kendall, im gonna need you to come through with a pepsi, these cops are wildin” pic.twitter.com/dOpKnTq8LU — Kim Jong Tun (@ignant_) April 5, 2017″ https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the ... ous-memes/

Australian consumer watchdog agency sues Apple over allegedly attempting to establish a phone repair monopoly. “Denying a consumer their consumer guarantee rights simply because they had chosen a third party repairer not only impacts those consumers but can dissuade other customers from making informed choices about their repair options including where they may be offered at lower cost than the manufacturer.” http://www.ibtimes.com/apple-inc-sued-o ... ty-2521579

Company that makes tasers changes its name to Axon. “Taser International Inc., maker of the eponymous device used by police to stun and incapacitate a person temporarily, is changing its name to Axon as it pushes further into the software business.” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-t ... SKBN177265

Massachusetts bans 8,000 Uber and Lyft drivers after “lifetime” background checks. One driver “…did not pass the state background check because of a 25-year-old (continuance without a finding) for assault and battery he received after a fight with a family member.” http://money.cnn.com/2017/04/05/technol ... ackground/

Few details released in Goshen, Indiana police shooting that killed suspect and wounded bystander. “Smith, the state police spokesman, said he could not confirm the man fired at officers…. Smith also could not say whether the man gestured toward police or had the shotgun with him after he exited his Durango in the Double D’s parking lot…. Neither the suspect nor the second injured person had been identified Wednesday afternoon.” http://www.southbendtribune.com/news/pu ... 34a2c.html

Police release video of fatal Oklahoma City police shooting. “Seeton allegedly disregarded the officers’ commands to stop and reversed the car in the direction of the officials, causing them to shoot.” http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... oting.html

Vallejo, California police to investigate beating of suspect captured on video. “A video of the incident taken by a bystander and posted on social media shows Muniz-Bottomley striking Hall with a flashlight as Hall lay on the ground and again when another officer arrives.” https://patch.com/california/benicia/of ... ing-arrest

Man hit with police car for riding his bicycle on the wrong side of the road sues for loss of his eye. “The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Fresno last week, says Leeds used his patrol car to knock Valdez off his bicycle. The officer then punched Valdez several times in the face and torso.” http://www.fresnobee.com/news/local/art ... 31693.html

NBA player injured during NYPD arrest reportedly wins $4 million settlement. “During his arrest on April 8, 2015, outside the 1 Oak nightclub in Manhattan, (Thabo) Sefolosha suffered a broken fibula and ligament damage, causing him to miss the rest of the regular season and the playoffs.” http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/news/th ... lb0ipjgb1b

Rutland, Vermont man sues after allegedly being arrested at gunpoint, pulled from the cab of his truck, for speeding. “A request for all videos of the incident was made by Mr. Elnicki through his attorney only to be told that none existed.” https://vtdigger.org/2017/03/29/lawsuit ... ffic-stop/

Miami-Dade police officers apparently caught falsifying a police report. “The family of a man accused of resisting arrest and battery on an officer says the charges are incorrect and a surveillance camera recorded the true story.” http://wsvn.com/news/local/man-accused- ... innocence/

Las Vegas reportedly pays $199,000 settlement to three men who were mistaken for burglars and arrested. “Police also shot and killed a family dog during the incident.” http://www.ktvn.com/story/35015302/las- ... for-199000

Republicans fail to reach agreement on second attempt to repeal Obamacare. “…late night talks between Pence and members of competing factions of the House Republican caucus stalled and no deal was reached.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... compromise

Trump speaks out on behalf of Bill O’Reilly as sponsors of The O’Reilly Factor pull their ads over sexual harassment allegations. “I don’t think Bill did anything wrong.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... ent-claims

Who is more unpopular than Donald Trump? Only “…20 percent of Americans viewed White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer favorably, and just 11 percent held a positive opinion of Chief Strategist Steve Bannon.” http://www.ibtimes.com/do-americans-tru ... nt-2521176

Trump supporter’s “model citizen” husband deported to Mexico. “Beristain’s wife, Helen, last month told Indiana Public Media that she voted for Trump in November because she supported his policies on deporting undocumented immigrants.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/04/indiana ... to-mexico/

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach ordered to turn over “secret immigration plan” to court. “Magistrate Judge James O’Hara is requesting that the memo be produced for in camera review as part of a suit challenging a Kansas law asking for proof of citizenship requirements for those registering to vote.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/04/judge-o ... -to-trump/

Breitbart reporter allegedly jumps to Sputnik network, “a news organization owned and operated by the Russian government”. “I’m on the Russian payroll now…” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/04/former- ... y-sputnik/

Gay men allegedly being arrested, disappearing in Chechnya, government spokesman says it’s not true because there are no gay men in the country. “Some are allegedly being arrested, tortured and killed by police because of their sexuality.” http://www.euronews.com/2017/04/06/chec ... y-campaign

U.S. reportedly conducted 70 airstrikes on Yemen in March, 20 more so far in April. “(Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula) gained considerable territory after the Saudi invasion, because the focus of the invasion was on chasing the Shi’ites out of southern Yemen, and little effort was made to secure broad chunks of rural territory…” http://news.antiwar.com/2017/04/05/us-l ... t-weekend/

Noam Chomsky calls complaints about Russian interference in U.S. elections “a joke”. “Half the world is cracking up in laughter. The United States doesn’t just interfere in elections. It overthrows governments it doesn’t like, institutes military dictatorships.” https://www.democracynow.org/2017/4/4/c ... s_laughing

Turkey accuses newspaper of “asymmetric war methods”. “(Cumhuriyet) started an intense perception operation targeting the government and president of the republic …” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-turke ... SKBN1771TX

Anti-brutality “Cop Watch” activist accuses NYPD officers of illegal search, destruction of evidence during one of his multiple arrests for filming police. “They’d rather tamper with the evidence, which they did, and have this audio erased, than have this go out into the community.” http://gothamist.com/2017/04/04/bronx_a ... f_cops.php

Russians claims Syria nerve agent deaths were caused when rebel stockpile was hit by airstrike, which they did not carry out. White House press secretary blames Obama. “White House press secretary Sean Spicer told reporters Tuesday that the attack is a “consequence of the past administration’s weakness and irresolution”.” http://www.wcvb.com/article/russia-says ... ry/9233663

Former UK conservative leader threatens war over Gibraltar, Spanish warship cruises through the island’s territorial waters. “The dramatic stand-off happened 48 hours after former Conservative leader Michael Howard implied that Prime Minister Theresa May would use military force if Spain attempted to reclaim the British territory.” https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/3259092/g ... lord-west/

New Maricopa County, Arizona sheriff to close Joe Arpaio’s prison camp. “Authorities hope shuttering Tent City will serve as a step toward rebranding their county and state.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/mor ... wear-fame/

Rights groups worried Justice Department will abandon police reforms. AG Sessions: “It is not the responsibility of the federal government to manage non-federal law enforcement agencies.” http://www.phillyvoice.com/civil-rights ... on-police/

Man fatally shot in shower may have been drunk, entered wrong house by accident. “… Rosa and friends apparently hit some bars in the Belfair area and then visited a friend’s home two doors down from the property Fanning owns…. around 5 a.m. Rosa left the house to get some air, and “according to those guys he never came back”… http://www.king5.com/news/local/wrong-p ... /428578252 The business owner had reportedly posted a “trespassers will be shot” sign.

Payless Shoe Source files for bankruptcy, will close 400 stores. “It’s the 10th retailer to file this year, continuing the industry on its pace for the highest number of such filings since 2009, according to a recent study by AlixPartners.” http://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/04/payless- ... uptcy.html “If the working class burns, retail burns with us!”

Ralph Lauren to close dozens of Polo stores. “Ralph Lauren announced on Tuesday it would close its flagship Polo store in New York in less than two weeks.” http://www.businessinsider.com/ralph-la ... ing-2017-4

Investigation shows car insurance costs more if you live in a predominantly minority urban neighborhood. “A new report suggests that people living in urban minority neighborhoods could be paying as much as 30 percent more for car insurance, but an industry group says the report’s findings are flawed.” http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nati ... story.html

No longer realistic for college students to pay their own way through college, most can only cover 1/3 the cost now. “Firstly, the value of the minimum wage, a good indicator of the pay of a part-time college student job, has declined in constant dollars (which include inflation) over the past several years. At the same time, the price of college has jumped.” http://www.marketwatch.com/story/yet-an ... 2017-04-04

“Palms and crocodiles” in the arctic possible if current level of fossil fuel use continues. “Research published in Nature Communications finds that if fossil fuel use continues unabated, the atmosphere could revert “to values of CO2 not seen since the early Eocene (50 million years ago)”…” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... id-century Sounds like it’s a good time to buy some future beachfront property near Sacramento or Atlanta.

180 theaters world-wide show “1984” on April 4th. “There’s a central line from (George Orwell’s) book about the freedom to say that two plus two equals four, even when the government is telling you that two plus two equals five.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... ening-1984

British and American conservatives are motivated by a desire for more freedom – for the business class. “…(Trump) intends to remove funds from the tiny U.S. Chemical Safety Board, which investigates lethal industrial incidents. Discovering what happened and why would impede freedom.” https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... mp-freedom

Chinese taboo on politicians playing golf may limit bonding activities during Xi’s U.S. visit. “The government has shuttered a sixth of the country’s golf courses since 2011, amid an ongoing crackdown on graft that has seen thousands of officials sacked. Membership fees at courses are often several times the annual salary of even high-level cadres.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... xi-jinping

Many senior Trump staffers allegedly linked to Koch funded organizations. “Newly disclosed ethics forms reveal that a significant number of senior Trump staffers were previously employed by the sprawling network of hard-right and libertarian advocacy groups financed and controlled by Charles and David Koch, the conservative duo hyper-focused on entrenching Republican power, eliminating taxes, and slashing environmental and labor regulations.” https://theintercept.com/2017/04/04/koch-trump-wh/

Trump’s Food and Drug Administration nominee has reportedly received almost $45,000 from firms which profit from the opioid drug industry since the beginning of 2016. “Gottlieb (has) argued that the DEA should not treat corporate pharmaceutical firms like street drug dealers.” https://theintercept.com/2017/04/04/sco ... eb-opioid/ That’s right, laws are only for the little people.

Justice Department blocks release of business emails of Trump’s anti-trust nominee. “(The International Business Times) request specifically asked the government to release any email correspondence between antitrust regulators and Delrahim’s lobbying firm email address.” http://www.ibtimes.com/political-capita ... t-nominees

Poll: 75% of Americans unwilling to let law enforcement monitor their internet activity. “According to the March 11-20 survey, 32 percent said intelligence agencies such as the FBI and National Security Agency are conducting “as much surveillance as is necessary” and 7 percent said they wanted more surveillance. Another 37 percent of adults said agencies are “conducting too much surveillance on American citizens.” The remaining 24 percent said they did not know.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/04/most-am ... psos-poll/ Interesting order of listing those results, Reuters!

Facebook loses appeal over government search warrants to uncover disability fraud. “Judge Rowan Wilson dissented, saying the decision deprived Facebook of “any meaningful recourse” against the “en masse” data seizure, including from high school students who had the misfortune of knowing people suspected of disability fraud.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/04/new-yor ... challenge/

Trump allegedly made video call to shady Russian oligarch’s birthday bash . “Trump has denied having any “dealings” with Russia, but he has dealt with oligarchs, the uber-rich industrialists who emerged – with the Kremlin’s blessing – after the collapse of the Soviet Union.” http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politic ... 84709.html

New F-35 fighter still has issues. “There remain “hundreds” of critical performance deficiencies and maintenance problems, the report says.” https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/04/0 ... f35_again/

Legislation to require warrants for border searches of electronic devices introduced in House and Senate. “The bill makes it illegal to access the contents of a device belonging to a U.S. citizen or permanent resident without probable cause and a warrant, and specifies that border agents can’t hold people for more than four hours to try to get them to unlock their phone or give up their data.” https://theintercept.com/2017/04/04/law ... -s-border/ I think that should probably read “probable cause OR a warrant”.

Trump supporter Erik Prince allegedly met secretly with Putin ally on behalf of Trump administration. “The United Arab Emirates arranged a secret meeting in January between Blackwater founder Erik Prince and a Russian close to President Vladi­mir Putin as part of an apparent effort to establish a back-channel line of communication between Moscow and President-elect Donald Trump, according to U.S., European and Arab officials.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/na ... story.html

Lawsuit alleges Sumter, South Carolina police shot unarmed motorist 17 times in the back after struggle with officers. “One of the officers moved away from the decedent (while he was still laying on the ground and not moving) and at least three (3) Sumter Police officers made the conscious decision to utilize inappropriate and improper use of deadly force by firing their service weapons indiscriminately at least twenty-four (24) times directly at and into the decedent.” http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/sou ... ck-n739501

U.N.human rights investigators find U.S. anti-protester laws troubling. “Nineteen U.S. states have introduced bills that would curb freedom of expression and the right to protest since Donald Trump’s election as president, an ” alarming and undemocratic” trend, U.N. human rights investigators said on Thursday.” http://www.newsweek.com/un-sees-alarmin ... est-577216

Protesters in Paraguay riot after secret Senate meeting to allow country’s president another term in office. “Protesters stormed and set fire to Paraguay’s Congress on Friday after the Senate secretly voted for a constitutional amendment that would allow President Horacio Cartes to run for re-election.” http://www.myrepublica.com/news/17482/?categoryId=35

More mass arrests of protesters in Russia during second round of protests. “Police in Moscow detained about three dozen people at unauthorized rallies in the Russian capital on Sunday, a week after anti-government protests broke out across the country.” http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/04/02 ... empts.html

Thousands turn out in Paris to protest police shooting of Chinese Parisian. “About 6,000 people took part in angry protests in Paris on Sunday (Apr 2) against the death of a Chinese man shot and killed when police responded to a call at his apartment last month, police said.” http://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/wor ... 46802.html

Trump administration issues stern warning over abuse of H-1B visa program as it begins accepting hundreds of thousands of applications from companies seeking to hire foreign workers. “Computer programmers and other tech workers complain that companies use H-1B workers from Asia to undercut Americans — going so far as to lay off U.S. workers and forcing them to train their foreign replacements who are hired for far less pay.” http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/201 ... ricans-ov/

Back from the dead – Trump administration reportedly negotiating for second whack at Obamacare repeal, plan would reportedly cut costs for the healthy by raising premiums for those who need care. “The change would allow insurers to once again charge sick people higher premiums than the healthy…. This would also mean that insurers could stop covering services that tend to attract patients who use more medical care, like maternity coverage and mental health services.” http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/ ... ealth-care

Washington man fatally shoots intruder caught taking a shower at one of his businesses. “Fanning left the building to retrieve a Smith and Wesson .45-caliber handgun, then returned and shot the intruder three times through the shower curtain, according to court documents.” http://www.thenewstribune.com/news/loca ... 72759.html

Kansas legislature narrowly fails to override Governor Brownback’s veto of Medicaid expansion, which would have provided health insurance coverage to low income Kansans. “The state House voted 81-44 to override Brownback’s veto of the measure…. But supporters needed three more votes, or 84 in the 125-member chamber, for the two-thirds majority necessary to overturn the governor’s action.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/national ... story.html

Trump repeals internet privacy rules. “Supporters of the rules argue that without the regulations, broadband providers will be able to sell information about where you’ve been online, what you’re buying, the apps you’re using and where you’re located to marketers and other third parties, like insurance companies.” https://www.cnet.com/news/trump-signs-b ... acy-rules/

Fired whistle-blower to receive huge settlement, gets his job back. “A federal regulator on Monday ordered Wells Fargo to pay $5.4 million to a former manager who said he was fired in 2010 after reporting to his supervisors and to a bank ethics hotline what he suspected was fraudulent behavior.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/03/busi ... -osha.html

“Climbdown in Caracas”: Venezuelan Supreme Court restores legislative powers to country’s congress. “Venezuela’s president and Supreme Court backed down Saturday from an unprecedented move to strip congress of its legislative powers that had sparked widespread charges that the South American country was no longer a democracy.” http://www.cnbc.com/2017/04/02/venezuel ... power.html

Bomber in St. Petersburg subway attack allegedly had links to jihadists. “The (Interfax) news agency said he died in a suicide blast and was identified through his remains.” http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39486640

In response to report that Trump can now withdraw money at anytime from trust set up to prevent conflicts of interest, White House spokesman reportedly comments, “…the entire point” of setting up such a trust “is so somebody can withdraw money.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... rump-trust

Coalition of media organizations is posting financial disclosures of Trump appointees online. “So far, we’ve received less than half of the roughly 180 financial disclosures White House officials said they have processed. But the moment we get them, you will, too.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... -so-we-did

NYPD undercover officers reportedly infiltrated inner circle of Black Lives Matter activists. ““The documents uniformly show no crime occurring, but NYPD had undercovers inside the protests for months on end as if they were al-Qaida,” said David Thompson, an attorney of Stecklow & Thompson, who helped sue for the records.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... undercover

Russian spy ring reportedly tried to recruit former Trump campaign advisor. “According to the court documents, (Victor) Podobnyy tried to recruit Carter Page, an energy consultant working in New York at the time, as an intelligence source.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... -files-spy

Chemical weapons attack in Syria kills 58. “Pin-point pupils and a lack of the odor associated with more commonly used chlorine gas was among the evidence cited for the nerve gas (sarin), which is banned as a weapon of mass destruction under international law.” https://www.independent.co.uk/news/worl ... 65816.html

Obama’s National Security Advisor, Susan Rice, reportedly accessed “unmaked” NSA intercepts involving Trump and people close to him. “If an American is accidentally intercepted or two foreigners are caught talking about an American, that name is supposed to be redacted in intelligence reports and replaced by a description like “U.S. citizen 1”.” http://circa.com/politics/accountabilit ... associates

Brooklyn prosecutor reportedly admits to faking judges’ signatures on wiretap orders, allegedly monitored cell phones of love interest and rival. “For nearly 16 months, Lenich cut judges’ signatures from real documents and put them on fabricated wiretap orders that would let (her) monitor the pair’s cellphones.” http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc ... -1.3017960

Fox News and Bill O’Reilly have reportedly paid out $13 million to settle harassment allegations. “The payments by Fox on behalf of Ailes and O’Reilly are the focus of an ongoing investigation by the U.S. attorney general’s office in New York.” http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nati ... story.html
"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

Re: Some recent news stories that got my attention

19
United Airlines reportedly summons “aviation” police to remove passenger from flight to make room for United employees. “Some clips appear to show that the man was left bleeding from the head after his face was smashed against an armrest during the scuffle.” http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2017/04/1 ... light.html The man was apparently a doctor who told the airline he had to be at the hospital the next day for work. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=32tSYyNC9Lc I’m sorry, but the United States is the only country in the world where this could possibly happen.

Masked deputies flank Florida sheriff who threatens in video, “Enjoy trying to sleep tonight wondering if tonight’s the night our SWAT team blows your front door off the hinges”. “Some internet commenters have compared footage from the sheriff’s video ― which shows him flanked by heavily armed officers in ski masks ― to videos made by ISIS operatives, which also often feature armed men wearing ski masks.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/flo ... 64d91864db

Federal judge rules that Texas’ voter ID law was intended to discourage minority voters from voting. “Dealing Texas another rebuke over voting rights, a judge Monday again ruled that Republican lawmakers purposefully designed a strict voter ID law to disadvantage minorities and effectively dampen their growing electoral power.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/national ... story.html

“Thousands” of executions in China make it an outlier in world-wide trend of drop in death penalties. “…excluding China, the number of executions worldwide in 2016 was down 37% from the previous year with 1,032 executions…” http://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/10/opini ... n-amnesty/

Trump accused of spending more time playing golf and vacationing than other presidents. “After years of criticizing former President Barack Obama for playing golf and going on private getaways, President Trump has already done more of both in his first 81 days than Mr. Obama, as well as former Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton.” https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/201 ... aways.html

Fort Collins, Colorado police officer body slams girlfriend of man involved in bar fight. “Officers used a standard arrest control to subdue her.” http://www.thedenverchannel.com/news/tr ... utside-bar video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=01l-I5QZKIw

Computer security firm links use of CIA hacking tools to “Longhorn” hackers. “Victims’ computers were located in the Middle East, Europe, Asia, Africa — and at one point, even the U.S., where the CIA is barred from conducting electronic surveillance.” http://www.computerworld.com/article/31 ... tries.html

Hackers publish password to stolen NSA hacking tools. “Annoyed with the U.S. missile strike last week on an airfield in Syria, among other things, hacker group Shadow Brokers resurfaced on Saturday and released what they said was the password to files containing suspected National Security Agency tools they had earlier tried to sell.” http://www.csoonline.com/article/318860 ... tools.html

AG Sessions protects junk forensic science, announces abolition of National Commission on Forensic Science. “The reason the National Commission on Forensic Science has been so important is that it includes leading independent scientists, allowing an unbiased expert evaluation of which techniques are scientifically valid and which are not. ” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/ ... department

Transparency groups sue Trump administration for White House and Mar-a-Lago visitor logs. “It would be a significant setback to efforts to give the public insight into who influences the White House if this policy (to make visitor logs public) were to be discontinued or limited.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/ ... sitor-logs

Small Iowa newspaper wins Pulitzer for agricultural pollution coverage. “(Three Iowa) counties fought the federal lawsuit (over excessive nitrogen in agricultural waste water) using money provided by undisclosed sources. The newspaper worked with the Iowa Freedom of Information Council to force the release of documents showing funding came from the Farm Bureau and other agricultural groups.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... -companies

New York to stop charging teens under 18 as adults. “Putting aside the fact that psychologists will testify that 16- and 17-year-olds often are not mentally mature, the reality of putting a 16- or 17-year-old in the same facility as hardened adult criminals is, on its face, cruel and unusual.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... ult-prison

Conservative groups placing ads against cutting drug prices allegedly funded by pharmaceutical industry. “…unbeknownst to readers, the organizations have undisclosed financial ties to the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), the umbrella lobbying group that represents the biggest names in the drug industry, including Merck, Pfizer, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Purdue Pharma, and Eli Lilly.” https://theintercept.com/2017/04/10/dru ... astroturf/

Uber reaches settlement with Federal Trade Commission over claims made to drivers. “Ridesharing service Uber will pay $20 million to settle allegations from U.S. regulators, who said the company mislead drivers on their potential earnings and financing options, according to a release Thursday from the Federal Trade Commission.” http://www.ibtimes.com/uber-pays-20-mil ... ms-2478144

Kurdish group claims IS killed fleeing Mosul residents, hung their bodies from electrical poles. “According to the (Kurdish Security Council), the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, killed 140 civilians who were fleeing the besieged city and hung their bodies on electrical poles in the neighborhoods of Eslah Zirai and Tanak…” http://www.ibtimes.com/isis-iraq-hangs- ... ht-2522515

White House press secretary Spicer appears confused about goal of U.S. intervention in Syria. “The goal for the United States is twofold. It’s, one, to make sure we destabilize Syria — destabilize the conflict there, reduce the threat of ISIS. But then, secondly, is create the political environment, not just within the Syrian people, but I think you can have — work with Russia in particular to make sure that they understand that Syria, backed up by Russia’s own accounting, should be held accountable for the agreements that its made with respect to its international agreements on chemical weapons alone.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/04/the-goa ... st-policy/

Witnesses claim Jacksonville, Florida police used excessive force when arresting anti-war protesters. “A Friday evening protest against the U.S. military action in Syria erupted into violence at Hemming Park downtown and resulted in the arrests of six people, one of whom was hospitalized.” http://jacksonville.com/news/public-saf ... over-syria

Group lobbying on behalf of Saudis finally registers with government, reportedly claims it represented the country without any written contract or correspondence. “Capitol Media Group’s March 31 registration, however, came months after its efforts for Saudi Arabia began last year, but just two days after a group of 9/11 families and survivors filed a complaint with the (Department of Justice) alleging broad misconduct by lobbyists for Saudi Arabia—including the failure of many of them to register.” https://28pages.org/2017/04/10/saudi-ar ... nst-jasta/

Multiple airstrikes involving civilian casualties reported in Iraq. “The journalistic monitoring group Airwars says dozens of civilians have reportedly been killed in Iraq over the last week by airstrikes carried out by either the U.S.-led coalition or the U.S.-backed Iraqi military.” https://www.democracynow.org/2017/4/10/ ... _last_week

Use of Raytheon missiles in Syria strike reportedly boosts company’s stock, enriching investor Donald Trump. “As stocks surged, Raytheon added about $1 billion to its market value Friday morning.” https://www.democracynow.org/2017/4/10/ ... ting_trump

Syria’s allies warn against additional attacks. “International allies of the Syrian government, including Russia, Iran and Hezbollah, have vowed to retaliate against any future attacks against the Syrian regime.” https://www.democracynow.org/2017/4/10/ ... an_airbase

Keystone pipeline operator says much more oil leaked than initially reported. “Nearly 17,000 gallons of oil has leaked in South Dakota since Saturday, pipeline owner TransCanada says – up from the 187 gallons the company initially reported to federal authorities.” https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/20 ... an-thought

Unemployed Wisconsin man with 30 traffic citations declares war on the government. “When you look at the (manifesto), it is a laundry list of injustices he believes government and society and the upper class have put … onto the rest of the citizens. He believes that the government, and law enforcement in particular, are acting as terrorists and are enslaving the people and creating this environment that he finds unacceptable. …” http://www.gazettextra.com/20170407/man ... police_say and http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/04/08/ma ... cians.html

Hacker reportedly activates Dallas emergency sirens. “The sirens started sounding at 11:42 p.m. Friday and continued until 1:17 a.m. Saturday.” https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/201 ... 100212412/

Green and Republican candidates allege election interference by Democrats in Philadelphia special election. “The voters for the special election were told by election board workers and representatives of the Democratic City Committee that they were only allowed to vote for the (Democratic Party’s) write-in, [Vazquez], and no other candidate,” the suit claims. “Voters were threatened or intimidated if it was thought they were going to vote for another candidate.” http://www.philly.com/philly/news/polit ... ction.html

Flashback to 2014: U.S. uses chemical weapon agent on its own citizens. “…tear gas is a chemical agent banned in warfare per the Chemical Weapons Convention of 1993, which set forth agreements signed by nearly every nation in the world — including the United States.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/mor ... rotesters/

Department of Education hack resulted in leak of personal data of financial aid applicants, was used to file fake tax returns. “The commissioner said fewer than 8,000 of these returns were processed, and refunds were issued totaling $30 million.” http://www.wfmz.com/business/national-a ... /442260086

U.S. ambassador to U.N. admits regime change is one of the goals of intervention in Syria. “So what we’re trying to do is obviously defeat ISIS. Secondly, we don’t see a peaceful Syria with Assad in there. Thirdly, get the Iranian influence out. And then finally move towards a political solution…” http://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/09/middl ... aftermath/

Second Trump loyalist, K.T. McFarland, booted from National Security Council. “Trump appointed McMaster, a U.S. Army lieutenant general, as his new national security adviser in February and gave him authority to remake the National Security Council as he saw fit.” https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/pol ... 100257332/

Wikileaks claims CIA copied Russian organized crime malware used to steal financial information from computers. “The persistence method, and parts of the installer, were taken and modified to fit our needs.” http://www.computerworld.com/article/31 ... yment.html

Trump nominee appointed to Supreme Court after Senate rule change. “Judge Neil Gorsuch was confirmed Friday as the 113th justice to serve on the nation’s highest court. The final vote was 54-45, mostly along party lines.” http://www.npr.org/2017/04/07/522902281 ... reme-court

U.S. spy agencies routinely unmask Americans caught up in foreign surveillance. “The U.S. government’s foreign surveillance sweeps up American lawmakers and their staffers so routinely now that Congress is alerted as often as once a month that its employees involved in intercepted conversations have been unmasked and their identities shared with intelligence or law enforcement agencies, Circa has learned.” http://nation.foxnews.com/2017/04/06/ci ... once-month

Some states planning to issue “two-tier” driver’s licenses to meet REAL ID requirements (allowing their residents to opt out), 10 states still not on board with “de facto national identity card”. “Starting in January 2018, driver’s licenses issued by those states will not be accepted as identification at Transportation Security Administration checkpoints at airports.” https://rightsanddissent.org/news/real-id-getting-real/

Federal judge approves Baltimore police reform agreement, denies Trump administration’s requested stay over AG Session’s concerns it may make Baltimore “a less safe city”. “The consent decree was negotiated during the closing days of the Obama administration after a federal investigation found rampant abuse by Baltimore police, including unlawful stops and use of excessive force against black people.” http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/04/07/ba ... tions.html Less safe for who?

22 federal marshals reportedly guarding Secretary of Education DeVos at cost of almost $1 million a month. “Previous education secretaries have been protected by a team of department employees, many of whom were Secret Service veterans.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/ed ... story.html

Appliance and electronic retailer hhgregg going out of business after failing to find a buyer. “Under the agreement, liquidators will sell items at the remaining 132 stores and 14 distribution centers.” http://fox59.com/2017/04/07/hhgregg-ann ... ind-buyer/

Blue Cross affiliate drops out of Iowa health insurance exchange for individuals. “There are lots of Obamacare marketplaces right now — such as in nearly all of Alabama, for example — where the Blue Cross Blue Shield plan is the only remaining insurance option.” http://www.vox.com/policy-and-politics/ ... hca-repeal

Battle over access to abortion taking place at the state, not federal, level. “In 2016, 50 new antiabortion laws were passed in the US at the state level, bringing the total of new state laws since 2010 to 338, according to data from the Guttmacher Institute.” http://www.businessinsider.com/state-ab ... hts-2017-2

Pentagon officials accuse Russia of follow-up airstrike on hospital, to cover up evidence of chemical attack. “The U.S. military is investigating whether Russia bombed a hospital in Syria in order to destroy evidence of this week’s chemical attack attributed to President Bashar al-Assad’s forces, senior military officials told the Associated Press on Friday.” https://www.salon.com/2017/04/07/did-ru ... ly-strike/

Consumer debt on track to hit 2008 record. “The New York Federal Reserve had announced earlier in April that in 2017 total household debt will reach its previous peak of $12.68 trillion, which it reached in the third quarter of 2008.” http://www.marketwatch.com/story/us-hou ... 2017-04-03

Trump missile strike on Syria wins him support among his opponents, criticism from his supporters. Laura Ingraham tweets: “Missiles flying. Rubio’s happy. McCain ecstatic. Hillary’s on board. A complete policy change in 48 hrs.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/07/us/p ... syria.html

Sanders warns Trump to avoid another “quagmire”. “If there’s anything we should’ve learned from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, in which the lives of thousands of brave American men and women and hundreds of thousands of Iraqi and Afghan civilians have been lost and trillions of dollars spent, it’s that it’s easier to get into a war than get out of one.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... s-quagmire

Some say Syria attack “wag the dog” convenient for Trump administration. “In a column on Friday, The Nation‘s Greg Grandin pointed out that with the one assault, the president successfully splintered the Democratic resistance, won the praise of the media, and changed the story of his friendly relations with the Kremlin.” http://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/0 ... dog-moment “…the same establishment leaders in U.S. politics and media who have spent months denouncing him as a mentally unstable and inept authoritarian and unprecedented threat to democracy are standing and applauding him as he launches bombs at Syrian government targets.” https://theintercept.com/2017/04/07/the ... ing-syria/

Stories about a power struggle within the Trump administration between extremists and moderates is fake news says White House spokeswoman. “Once again this is a completely false story driven by people who want to distract from the success taking place in this administration.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/04/white-h ... arratives/

Spicer dodges questions about whether Trump is still concerned about Syria intervention leading to a war with Russia. “During the campaign, Trump warned that action against the Assad regime could result or devolve into World War III…. Is the president at all concerned with that happening?” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/04/sean-sp ... art-wwiii/

U.S. allies who are boycotting U.N. negotiations on nuclear disarmament say use of chemical weapons in Syria is “barbaric” and “should be punished because it is a war crime”. http://www.rawstory.com/2017/04/us-alli ... -on-syria/

Dr. Martin Luther King’s April 4, 1967 anti-Vietnam War speech was widely criticized in its time and is little known today. “…we have been repeatedly faced with the cruel irony of watching Negro and white boys on TV screens as they kill and die together for a nation that has been unable to seat them together in the same schools. So we watch them in brutal solidarity burning the huts of a poor village, but we realize that they would hardly live on the same block in Chicago. I could not be silent in the face of such cruel manipulation of the poor.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/04/50-year ... ts-of-war/

Some lawmakers want conclusive proof of Syrian government responsibility for gas attack. “I think we all can assume Assad was responsible, but that’s an assumption at this time.” https://www.usnews.com/news/articles/20 ... mbed-syria

Steve Bannon reportedly argued against Syria strike. “Two sources close to Bannon told me the former Breitbart executive chairman argued against the strike — not because of its questionable constitutionality, but on the grounds that it doesn’t advance Trump’s America First doctrine.” http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/20 ... uence.html

Basque separatists disarm. “Founded in 1959 out of anger among Basques at political and cultural repression under General Francisco Franco, ETA (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna – Basque Country and Freedom) gained notoriety as one of Europe’s most intractable separatist groups.” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-spain ... SKBN1790YK

Federal Bureau of Land Management changes website photo banner from nature hike to coal seam. “On the top of its home page, the Bureau of Land Management, which manages more than 200 million acres of public land under the U.S. Department of the Interior, swapped out a photo of a young boy and his companion backpacking across a mountain meadow in favor of one showing a massive coal seam at a mine in Wyoming.” http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/ ... n-homepage
"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

Re: Some recent news stories that got my attention

20
Poll: Trump least popular modern president but would still beat Clinton if election were held again today. “A new Washington Post poll that declares President Trump as “the least popular president in modern times,” waits until the second to last paragraph to reveal another tidbit: He’d still beat Hillary Rodham Clinton if the election were held today and in the popular vote, not just Electoral College.” http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/wash- ... le/2621016

Prisoner with cancer petitioned for early release, prison officials reportedly blocked his petition from reaching a judge. “Some bureaucrat in the BOP or the U.S. Department of Justice felt that Rice had not served enough time behind bars, and refused to pass his petition along to the judge ― regardless of the fact that his case met their own criteria that should have forced them to do so.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/a-d ... ce58980e82

Hundreds of thousands around the world march for science. “Saturday’s marches in over 600 cities around the world—including a massive march in Washington, D.C.—mark an unprecedented mobilization of researchers and experts who are fighting back against President Donald Trump’s war on (climate) science.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/ ... ound-world

Trump administration reportedly willing to keep subsidizing Obamacare for low income Americans if Democrats will fund border wall. “Mulvaney told Bloomberg Live on Friday that White House officials have told Democrats they’re willing to fund $1 in Obamacare subsidies for every $1 that’s provided for the border wall as both parties look to avert a government shutdown next Friday.” http://www.politico.com/story/2017/04/2 ... all-237469 I thought Mexico was going to pay for this.

Israel reportedly strikes pro-government militia base in Syria. “Three fighters from the pro-government National Defence Forces (NDF) were killed and at least two more were wounded in the attack, an NDF official told AFP news agency.” http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/04/d ... 29975.html

More than 100,000 Windows computers may be infected by NSA backdoor access program. “…people should know that there’s growing consensus that from 30,000 to 107,000 Windows machines may be infected by DoublePulsar.” https://arstechnica.com/security/2017/0 ... -backdoor/

90 more civilians reportedly killed during battle for Mosul. “An Iraqi Rapid Response officer said the victims had been caught in the fight between the militants and Iraqi forces trying to capture Al-Thawra district in the city’s western side.” http://aa.com.tr/en/middle-east/90-civi ... cer/803158

White House budget official hints that president may not sign government funding bill without border wall money in it. “We don’t know yet,” said the White House budget director, Mick Mulvaney, on Fox News Sunday. “We are asking for our priorities.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... t-shutdown

Man sues Zion, Illinois police over shooting, video shows officer shooting him through the driver’s window as he speeds away. “Devon Davidson, 25, became the third man to be shot by Zion police in fewer than two years’ time when Officer Paul Sage shot him through the window of his car around 11 p.m. on July 26, 2016.” http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/man-wh ... no-threat/

Ohio lawsuit alleges police used excessive force during arrest when officers rammed plaintiff’s motorcycle during chase, beat him during arrest. “…Woolf then was struck with a Taser and drive stunned repeatedly before McCord followed up with a kidney punch. The complaint alleges that the other officers, including five who were not identified in the suit, participated in excessive force, including “sadistically stomping on (his) scrotum”.” http://www.the-review.com/local%20news/ ... sive-force

Man arrested at gunpoint for “loitering” outside his family’s business wins $20,000 settlement from city of Camden, New Jersey. “When he went inside the store, his suit claims, Miles pointed her gun at him and later slammed him against an ice machine and struck him.” http://www.nj.com/camden/index.ssf/2017 ... xcess.html

Jury awards Virginia man $150,000 in excessive force arrest case. “The dash cam footage from Danville Police shows multiple law enforcement officers trying to arrest Wyatt.” http://wset.com/news/local/jury-finds-l ... sive-force

American Airlines flight attendant accused of striking a female passenger holding a baby with a stroller he was confiscating. “An American Airlines attendant has been suspended after smacking a mother with a baby stroller on board a domestic flight Friday afternoon, according to passengers.” http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nationa ... -1.3088209

FBI agents allegedly using intercepted NSA Section 702 data like a search engine for warrantless surveillance. “If we require our agents to write a full justification every time — think about if you wrote a full justification every time you used Google.” https://theintercept.com/2017/04/21/in- ... as-google/

Federal appeals court rules that if police throw you on the ground, knee you in the back, handcuff you and injure your face by rubbing it into the pavement because you would not answer their questions, the Fifth Amendment does not protect you. “Are you ready to talk to me now?” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/vol ... questions/

Trump orders review of H-1B visa program. “Some industry observers think the new rules will have little impact on tech companies playing by the rules but could have a much more damaging effect on IT outsourcing giants like Tata Consultancy Services and Infosys who Trump (supporters) say have violated the principles of the H-1B visa program by allowing employers to bring in lower-skilled workers at well below market rates to replace American workers.” http://www.mercurynews.com/2017/04/18/t ... b-program/ It’s not just Trump supporters who are upset when U.S. students, who have invested huge sums in higher education, are passed over by companies hiring low wage foreign workers.

Bernie Sanders continues his quixotic quest to push the Democratic Party to the left. “I think it needs to make clear that it is prepared to take on Wall Street and the billionaire class and the fossil fuel industry in a very unambivalent way.” http://www.npr.org/2017/04/22/525089501 ... mmon-goals

Death penalty is more about politics than justice says writer. “It was (Bill) Clinton who jump-started the death penalty in (Arkansas) with an execution in 1990, the first in more than two decades. Clinton would then ride his blue-dog-Democrat, law-and-order reputation to the White House.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the ... nd-unfair/

Underemployment, student loan debt and low wages result in yet another retail chain biting the dust. “Women’s apparel retailer Bebe Stores Inc. said it’s closing its remaining 168 stores, the latest in a string of retailers shutting physical outlets.” http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-b ... story.html

Power outages hit New York and San Francisco during Friday’s morning rush hour, both cities blame local mechanical problems. “Commuters in San Francisco and New York both showed up to work late Friday morning for the same reason: power failures.” https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles ... -francisco It could happen!

British isles go coal-free. “Friday was the first full day since the height of the Industrial Revolution that Britain did not burn coal to generate electricity, a development that officials and climate change activists celebrated as a watershed moment.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/21/worl ... icity.html

Wikileaks publishes CIA document on the agency’s “Weeping Angel” hack that turned TVs into listening devices. “It was designed to “pretend” to turn itself off by deactivating the screen and front LED lights, while using the television’s built-in microphone to record conversations, CNET’s report alleged.” http://www.businessinsider.com/wikileak ... gel-2017-4

Diet soda linked to increased risk of stroke and dementia. “A study published in the American Heart Association journal Stroke found a daily diet soda puts a person at three times the risk of dementia and stroke compared to someone who drinks less than one a week.” https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nat ... 100736786/

Protecting indigenous communities also protects the environment. “If you want to take care of the forest, you need to invest in us—indigenous peoples—because no one takes better care of the forest than we do.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/ ... ate-forces

Trump administration reportedly planning to charge Julian Assange. “During President Barack Obama’s administration, Attorney General Eric Holder and officials at the Justice Department determined it would be difficult to bring charges against Assange because WikiLeaks wasn’t alone in publishing documents stolen by Manning. Several newspapers, including The New York Times, did as well.” http://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/20/polit ... index.html

Trumpcare 3.0 would sacrifice consumers with pre-existing conditions to lower rates for the healthy. “CNN reported Wednesday that some members of the Trump administration are hoping for a win on healthcare before the president reaches his 100-day milestone.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/ ... ting-worse

Journalists offer tips on how to protect your privacy at protests. “You might not be aware that just by showing up, you can open yourself up to certain privacy risks — police often spy on protesters, and the smartphones they carry, and no matter how peaceful the demonstration, there’s always a chance that you could get detained or arrested, and your devices could get searched.” https://theintercept.com/2017/04/21/cyb ... a-protest/

Republican Party accused of selling access in return for campaign donations. “Documents obtained by The Intercept and the Center for Media and Democracy show that the National Republican Senatorial Committee and the National Republican Congressional Committee are both telling donors that in exchange for campaign contributions, they will receive invitations to special events to meet with congressional staff including chiefs of staff, leadership staffers, and committee staffers.” https://theintercept.com/2017/04/20/staff-for-sale/

Hundreds of convicted terrorists reportedly roaming the streets of the United States. “The release of people convicted on terrorism-related charges with little if any monitoring by law enforcement might suggest U.S. government officials believe they can be fully rehabilitated following minor prison terms. A more likely explanation is that many of these so-called terrorists weren’t particularly dangerous in the first place.” https://theintercept.com/2017/04/20/mor ... since-911/

Egyptian military accused of executing detainees. “The Egyptian army has been accused of carrying out extrajudicial killings in Sinai province, with a leaked video purportedly showing soldiers executing detainees and then staging events to make the deaths appear to be casualties of a gun battle.” http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/04/a ... 55148.html

20 reportedly killed in Caracas political turmoil. “Two days of huge protests on the streets of Caracas against the socialist government of President Nicolas Maduro spilled into a violent Thursday night in several parts of the city, with residents in El Valle witnessing repetitive gunfire, street barricades set aflame and more than two dozen businesses looted.” https://www.yahoo.com/news/venezuela-op ... 57854.html

Mental health professionals claim Trump is paranoid and delusional. “We have an ethical responsibility to warn the public about Donald Trump’s dangerous mental illness.” https://www.independent.co.uk/news/worl ... 94316.html

Journalists investigating Trump inauguration donors say the numbers don’t add up. “…a deep dive into Trump’s Federal Election Committee filing, spearheaded by the Huffington Post’s Christina Wilkie, presents evidence that a large number of donors used “phony records” or are “front groups”. http://www.rawstory.com/2017/04/phony-n ... -of-fraud/

North Carolina woman who cast a vote for Donald Trump while impersonating her dead mother will not face voter fraud charges. “A letter from the district attorney’s office in Catawba County, included in the audit report, said prosecutors will not charge the woman because she believed the vote “was not a fraudulent act,” she did not have a prior criminal record, and the mother was alive during part of the absentee voting period”.” http://www.newsobserver.com/news/politi ... 71264.html

Articles on George W. Bush’s recent political rehabilitation tour are suspiciously spun in his favor says media watchdog. “Only one article makes vague reference to the Iraqis killed and injured (Washington Post’s Philip Kennicott opaquely mentions ”the trauma here and in Iraq”), but none note the specific number of deaths—with serious estimates ranging from 500,000 to 1 million—that resulted from Bush’s war of aggression.” http://fair.org/home/whats-wrong-with-t ... i-victims/

New York Times accused of right-wing columnist bias. “Ideas like single-payer healthcare and free college are dismissed as pie-in-the-sky fantasies, while climate denial, anti-Arab bigotry and anti-woman vitriol are, according to Times editors (Huffington Post, 4/14/17), bringing a “new perspective to bear” that “further widens” the “vibrant diversity of opinions” the paper presents.” http://fair.org/home/at-nyt-climate-den ... ayer-does/

Pipeline construction workers reportedly spill 2 million gallons of chemicals in Ohio. “The pipeline is being constructed by Energy Transfer Partners, the same company that built the Dakota Access pipeline, which faced months of resistance from the Standing Rock Sioux and members of hundreds of other indigenous tribes and their allies.” https://www.democracynow.org/2017/4/21/ ... rill_fluid

Dow Chemical allegedly asking Trump administration to ignore scientific studies on pesticides. “Peer-reviewed scientific studies have linked even small amounts of the chemicals to low birth weight and brain damage in children.” https://www.democracynow.org/2017/4/21/ ... pesticides

Turkey reportedly arresting referendum protest organizers. “Turkish authorities arrested dozens of opposition members Wednesday morning at dawn in a government crackdown against those questioning the legitimacy of Sunday’s referendum.” https://www.democracynow.org/2017/4/20/ ... m_protests

Dissident Chinese communist Li Rui turns 100. “China still lacks democracy. This is its biggest problem.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wcV-bWku9Zs “Mao’s way of thinking and governing was terrifying. He put no value on human life. The deaths of others meant nothing to him.” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2005/ ... athanwatts

Police raid home of organizer of Trump inauguration protests, reportedly based on undercover police infiltration of the group. “Facilitating public meetings is a First Amendment-protected activity.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/dc ... story.html

Political extremists clash at Berkeley “Patriot’s Day” rally. “About 250 police officers were deployed to the scene by mid-afternoon after officials sought assistance from the neighboring Oakland Police Department.” http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-m ... story.html

CIA director declares war on Wikileaks. “We can no longer allow Assange and his colleagues the latitude to use free speech values against us… It ends now.” https://theintercept.com/2017/04/19/ass ... y-clinton/

Leaks of surveillance of politicians reportedly delaying re-authorization of intelligence spying powers. “(Section 702) allows the government acting inside the United States to collect communications between foreign targets overseas and Americans without getting a FISA warrant [or any other kind of warrant], which is what was required previously when an American was on one end of the conversation.” http://www.npr.org/2017/04/17/524393106 ... ce-program

Police reportedly teaching children to inform on their parents. “I thought the police would come get the drugs and tell them that drugs are wrong. They never said they would arrest them.…” https://reason.com/archives/2017/04/16/ ... ist-report

Turkish voters narrowly approve increased powers for their president in disputed referendum, Trump congratulates Turkish leader Erdogan on his victory. “The White House was… silent about the long-term implications of the referendum, which some experts have likened to a deathblow to democracy in Turkey.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/04/17/us/p ... .html?_r=0

Fox News ends its relationship with Bill O’Reilly after sexual harassment allegations. “After a thorough and careful review of the allegations, the company and Bill O’Reilly have agreed that Bill O’Reilly will not be returning to the Fox News Channel.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyl ... story.html

Details on donations to Trump inauguration released. “Many of the companies that donated (the $106.7 million for Trump’s inauguration)… have significant matters pending before the U.S. government or have been invited to White House events.” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-t ... SKBN17M00Q

Carrier group that government claimed was headed for Korea was actually headed for Australia. “The USS Carl Vinson was actually headed south from Singapore to participate in a four-day military exercise with the Australian Navy that only ended Tuesday.” http://abcnews.go.com/International/tim ... d=46888209

Massive Air Force bomb used to kill 36 IS militants in Afghanistan. “Crunched down – and in the most cold-blooded terms – that means the US military has expended some 5% of its stockpile of MOABs to kill three dozen Isis members at a cost of almost $450,000 per individual.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... fghanistan

Eric Frein found guilty of shootings of state troopers, reportedly wanted to spark a revolution. “…only passing through the crucible of another revolution can get us back the liberties we once had”. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... -guilty-of

Mother of four American citizen children deported to Mexico. “Maribel Trujillo, a mother of four American children from Fairfield, Ohio, who has never committed any crime in the 15 years she has lived in the US, has been deported to Mexico in the latest sign that the Trump administration is indiscriminately targeting undocumented immigrants.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... l-trujillo

Legal action blocks 3 of Arkansas’ planned 8 executions, but drug distributor is also claiming state bought one component of lethal injection series from them under “false pretenses”. “In McKesson’s case, the firm accused the Arkansas Department of Corrections of knowingly deceiving the distributor to obtain 100 vials of vecuronium bromide the firm distributes for Pfizer…” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/pos ... tion-drug/

First Dreamer/DACA immigrant deported. “Montes had left his wallet in a friend’s car, so he couldn’t produce his ID or proof of his DACA status and was told by agents he couldn’t retrieve them. Within three hours, he was back in Mexico…” https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/wor ... 100583274/

DNC’s Perez passes up chance to go populist. “…what we have to do as Democrats is to articulate very clearly that Donald Trump’s vision for America is a vision for the top one percent of the one percent. It’s a vision that’s divisive.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/ ... name-enemy

IRS to turn over unpaid tax bills to debt collectors. “All too often, consumers are being mistreated by debt collectors and now taxpayers are at risk of that in the collection of tax debt.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/ ... collectors

Despite refusal to release visitor logs, Trump administration officials have met with at least 190 corporate executives. “As best anyone can decipher what’s going on at the White House, the CEOs are in charge now—and they are predictably advocating their narrow, short-term profitability interests, not what’s in America’s interest.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/ ... eos-report

French presidential race tightens as “the Bernie Sanders of France” surges in the polls. “But there is a major difference between Sanders and Mélenchon. The American chose to run within an existing political party, while the Frenchman seeks to compete against them.” https://theintercept.com/2017/04/18/fra ... the-polls/

Trump administration policies reportedly favor the financial interests of one of his top advisors. “The moves that help Blackstone have occurred while Schwarzman has been able to simultaneously sculpt federal policy and circumvent conflict-of-interest laws.” http://www.ibtimes.com/political-capita ... make-money

Royalty payments for Governor Cuomo’s memoir seem suspiciously generous. “… he received a total of $783,000 from HarperCollins in book sales over the past three years, a number that would translate to royalty payments of nearly $244.69 per copy.” http://www.ibtimes.com/political-capita ... 200-copies

Health and Human Service deputy secretary Eric Hargan would reportedly have to recuse himself on a host of issues due to conflicts of interest. “…he would have to recuse himself on “any particular matter involving specific parties that is directly and substantially related to [his] former employer or former clients,” which include generic drug makers, health system software and management businesses, regional hospital systems, a health care marketplace, private surgeons and emergency services and a bank “with a division dedicated exclusively to hospitals”. http://www.ibtimes.com/political-capita ... nsive-ties

University allegedly charging students $45,000 a year in tuition, but some professors quality for poverty programs. “If it were not for Social Security, I would not be able to both eat and pay my rent.” http://whowhatwhy.org/2017/04/18/fordha ... -medicaid/

Boston bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev may have been a government informant. “According to McPhee, “seasoned investigators” from the Boston area told her that Tsarnaev wasn’t questioned because he was “too valuable as an asset” to the FBI to be investigated for the murder of three drug dealers.” http://whowhatwhy.org/2017/04/17/eviden ... on-bomber/

High profile may have doomed Steve Bannon. “He was damned the moment he was cast as a puppeteer. That means there’s a puppet in the equation, and no politician is going to accept that designation…” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/04/dead-st ... cover-nyt/

“Mother of All Bombs” did not apparently wipe out IS fighters. “U.S. troops are still battling suspected Islamic State fighters near the site where a massive bomb was dropped in eastern Afghanistan last week, a U.S. military official said on Wednesday.” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-afgha ... SKBN17L27R

Military may be overstating effectiveness of anti-missile system. “The experts warn that there has been very limited testing of the missile defense system, and even in those tests, which are in ideal situations and not real world conflicts, the system has only succeeded three times out of nine.” http://news.antiwar.com/2017/04/19/expe ... esnt-work/

Allies new about Nazi death camps early in the war. “…few scholars have picked up on the fact that as early as December 1942, various Allied governments were releasing statements explicitly condemning the Nazis for exterminating the European Jews.” http://www.dw.com/en/un-holocaust-files ... a-38498671

Bodies in the Tigris hint that Iraqi security forces or victims of IS may be executing suspected supporters. ““Most of it is score-settling.” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-midea ... SKBN17L1X9



Another United passenger, who paid full price for first class seat, says a United employee threatened what would happen to him if he refused to get off the plane to accommodate a “more important” passenger. “They said they’d put me in cuffs if they had to.” http://www.latimes.com/business/lazarus ... story.html

Daily Mail apologizes for stories about Melania Trump’s past, agrees to settlement. “Trump sued the Daily Mail in Britain and Mail Online in the United States over an August 2016 article, which ran in the newspaper under the headline “Racy photos and troubling questions about his wife’s past that could derail Trump”.” http://www.cbsnews.com/news/melania-tru ... publisher/

Republican North Carolina legislator allegedly posts that Lincoln was similar to Hitler. “And if Hitler had won, should the world just get over it? Lincoln was the same sort (of) tyrant, and personally responsible for the deaths of over 800,000 Americans in a war that was unnecessary and unconstitutional.” http://www.wral.com/nc-lawmaker-likens- ... /16640853/

Sacramento, California police officer caught on video beating man accused of jaywalking. “(Sacramento) police… said there were “insufficient grounds” to charge Cain with jaywalking.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/pos ... aywalking/

Witnesses say man dragged from United flight was not being “disruptive and belligerent”. “The Cummingses both said Dao never raised his voice when speaking to the officers and airline officials, and that reports that Dao acted belligerent are simply not true.” http://edition.cnn.com/2017/04/12/trave ... ff-flight/ and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dk2Y_VL5e7s

PBS documentary examines impact of WWI on American society, writer notes parallels to United States today. “Creel was masterful in controlling the narrative of the conflict at home and spreading the view that if you weren’t actively down with the war effort, then you were disloyal.” http://www.motherjones.com/media/2017/0 ... -takeaways

United Airlines has reportedly spent $41 million on lobbying members of Congress over last 10 years. “A MapLight/International Business Times review of records kept by the Center for Responsive Politics found that during the last two-year session of Congress, the airline spent $7.26 million to fight legislation that included measures to create minimum airline seat sizes; require airlines to allow families to sit together on flights; and prohibit airlines from charging customers to use an airplane bathroom.” http://www.ibtimes.com/political-capita ... ts-2524734

Bernie Sanders is the most popular U.S. Senator in the country among his constituents. “His socialist outlook was appealing to a large section of society, especially the youth, earning him an approval rating of 75 percent in his home state of Vermont.” http://www.ibtimes.com/bernie-sanders-m ... ll-2523812

Facebook video claims to show Gwinnett, Georgia police officer kicking handcuffed suspect in the head. http://www.rawstory.com/2017/04/blood-s ... mans-face/

IS allegedly cutting an ear off of deserters instead of executing them. “The source said it was significant that the group did not execute the delinquent members as it… used to do since operations to retake Mosul launched in October, adding that the new punishment was apparently adopted as the group was shrinking in numbers.” http://www.iraqinews.com/iraq-war/islam ... l-battles/

Japanese ships reportedly joining U.S. flotilla headed for North Korea. “Citing two well-placed sources who spoke on condition of anonymity, Reuters and the Kyodo news agency said several destroyers from Japan’s maritime self-defence forces would join the USS Carl Vinson and its battle group as it enters the East China Sea.” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2017/ ... orth-korea

Former Trump campaign manager was reportedly paid more than $1 million on behalf of former pro-Russian Ukrainian president. “The Associated Press is… reporting that financial records show… Paul Manafort received at least $1.2 million in payments for doing political consulting work for former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.” https://www.democracynow.org/2017/4/12/ ... _president

Phoenix, Arizona police fatally shoot fleeing suspect. “He refused the commands and refused to come out of his vehicle, and he began to ram the officers’ vehicles.” http://www.12news.com/news/local/valley ... /430881579



White House press secretary refers to Nazi death camps as “holocaust centers” after reporter challenges his statement that Hitler did not use chemical weapons. “I understand your point. Thank you. I appreciate that. He brought them into the Holocaust centers, I understand that. I was saying in the way that Assad used them where he went into town, dropped them into the middle of town. I appreciate the clarification.” http://thehill.com/blogs/in-the-know/in ... tion-camps Actually, Spicer is technically correct. Hitler used poison gas as a method of mass execution of prisoners, not as a weapon, in the sense of something lethal used in combat.

United CEO finally apologizes for airline having passenger dragged off plane. “Two days after a uncooperative passenger was grabbed and dragged by a security officer from a United Airlines plane, triggering an uproar and social-media videos viewed by millions, the airline’s CEO issued a full-throated apology for what he called the “horrific event”.” http://www.bizjournals.com/denver/news/ ... munoz.html

United reportedly assured federal regulators that all ticketed passengers are guaranteed seats. “Every ticket, of course, guarantees a passenger a seat on the plane, with no additional mandatory seat-assignment charges.” http://www.ibtimes.com/political-capita ... guaranteed

Overweight? Have you tried cancer? “The story headline, “How This Woman Lost 44 Pounds Without *ANY* Exercise,” had the lighthearted tone of a piece dealing with healthy eating tips or calorie-counting shortcuts, but instead profiled a woman whose body image improved after she went through a series of health scares.” https://www.bostonglobe.com/lifestyle/2 ... story.html

Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court granted warrant to FBI to monitor Trump advisor. “The government’s application for the surveillance order targeting Page included a lengthy declaration that laid out investigators’ basis for believing that Page was an agent of the Russian government and knowingly engaged in clandestine intelligence activities on behalf of Moscow, officials said.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/na ... story.html

Mexican journalist seeking asylum in U.S. after receiving threats is reportedly to remain in custody. “After Mendez Pineda passed his “credible fear” interview, Spector sought to have him released on parole while his client’s case was pending.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/04/mexican ... der-trump/

Some news organizations rushing to investigate United Airlines VICTIM. “This man is in fact a 69-year-old doctor from Kentucky who himself has had run-ins with the law.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/04/msnbc-s ... h-the-law/ Because anyone who has had a “run-in” with the law becomes a second class citizen who deserves whatever happens to them?

Dashcam video of fatal arrest of Harris County, Georgia teen released. “The Georgia Bureau of Investigation said (Nicholas Dyksma) died from a combination of the stun gun, “compression of the neck and torso” and “acute” methamphetamine intoxication.” http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/das ... ce-n728906

Columbus, Ohio police officer reportedly reassigned after video emerges of him kicking handcuffed suspect in the head. “The suspect, Demarko Anderson, appears to be on the ground with an officer on top of him. Another officer comes from outside of the frame and kicks Anderson in the face.” http://nbc4i.com/2017/04/10/video-shows ... -the-head/

After proposing cutting all funds for PBS, White House reportedly requests Muppets for Easter egg roll. “Sesame Workshop spokesperson Elizabeth Weinreb Fishman revealed that one costumed character would be appearing at the event, a departure from the multitude of Muppets that have showed up for the roll in recent years.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/04/white-h ... s-funding/

All 18 editorial/analysis articles in five of the biggest circulation newspapers are reportedly supportive of Trump missile strike. “Five major US newspapers—the New York Times, Washington Post, USA Today, Wall Street Journal and New York Daily News—offered no opinion space to anyone opposed to Donald Trump’s Thursday night airstrikes.” http://fair.org/home/five-top-papers-ru ... -critical/ An amazing coincidence!

Gitmo legal staff sue over carcinogenic work environment. “The filing came after a former Guantánamo attorney asked the Pentagon in July 2015 to investigate whether the war court compound was linked to seven cases of cancer among service members and civilians who’d worked there.” http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation- ... 62284.html

Those opposing increase in Turkish president’s power say they have little access to media. ““No” supporters have complained of threats and bans from the authorities, and a report by one non-governmental group said television coverage of the “yes” campaign had been ten times more extensive than that of the opposition.” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-turke ... SKBN17D235

“Slave markets” reportedly operating in Libya. “Victims told (the International Organization for Migration) that after being detained by people smugglers or militia groups, they were taken to town squares or car parks to be sold.” http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-africa-39567632
"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

Re: Some recent news stories that got my attention

21
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

Re: Some recent news stories that got my attention

22
Trump fires FBI director Comey, Schumer demands special prosecutor for Russia investigation. “Without such an independent probe, Schumer said, “every American will rightly suspect that the decision to fire Director Comey was part of a cover-up”.” http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/0 ... ion-238180

White House press secretary says Trump administration ignored Yates’ warning on Flynn “…because she was a top Justice Department official in the Obama administration and, Mr. Spicer insisted, a supporter of Hillary Clinton.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/09/us/p ... .html?_r=0

Jimmy Carter says he voted for Bernie Sanders at Democratic convention. “On Monday, Carter, 92, told an audience in Georgia that he had voted for Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) over the former secretary of state.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/mor ... supporter/

Police clash with passengers at Fort Lauderdale International airport after multiple flight cancellations. “Video footage shows deputies struggling with travelers. Some were pulled aside from the crowd, while others were taken to the ground and placed in handcuffs.” http://edition.cnn.com/2017/05/09/us/sp ... ellations/

NYPD accused of removing Palestinian rights activists from Washington Square Park where they were leafleting. “When Makkawi and Barylka asked why they were being removed, an officer stated that the leafleting was causing the pro-Israel ravers “anxiety”.” http://palestinelegal.org/news/2017/5/5 ... wy9yf4bnpu

Left candidate wins South Korean presidential election. “South Korea might see a sharp departure from recent policy under Moon, who favors closer ties with North Korea, saying hard-line conservative governments did nothing to prevent the North’s development of nuclear-armed missiles and only reduced South Korea’s voice in international efforts to counter North Korea.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/as ... story.html

U.S. will provide arms to Syrian opposition militias for Raqqa campaign. “The move also reinforces the idea that the entire Syrian Democratic Force, Syrian Kurds (YPG) and the Syrian Arab Coalition, has the backing of the U.S.” http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/off ... ds-n756886

Court reportedly orders Spirit airlines pilots to make additional flights. “In court documents, the Miramar-based carrier said the pilots’ refusal to accept junior assignments or pick up available “open time flying” led to the system wide flight cancellations that have hit operations at key cities such as Fort Lauderdale, Chicago O-Hare, Detroit and Las Vegas the hardest.” http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/fl ... story.html

IS beheads alleged Russian government spy. “I was supposed to infiltrate the special services of the caliphate and the leadership of the caliphate.” http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/05/09 ... n-spy.html

Nuclear waste storage tunnel collapses at Hanford Site. “The tunnels in question were storing rail cars that once carried radioactive nuclear fuel from reactors to production facilities, back when the site was still used to manufacture nuclear weapons.” http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/ ... gton-state

Rust belt men hit hardest by de-industrialization of U.S. economy. “All the men here are either on drugs or unemployed.” https://www.theatlantic.com/business/ar ... lt/525888/

Ibuprofen and other similar pain relievers sharply increase risk of heart attack says study. “The likelihood of experiencing a heart attack was calculated to increase by an average of 20% to 50%, compared with someone not taking the drugs, regardless of the dosage and amount of time the medications are taken.” http://edition.cnn.com/2017/05/09/healt ... ack-study/

States with tough voter ID laws had lower voter turnout. “While states with no change to voter identification laws witnessed an average increased turnout of +1.3 percent from 2012 to 2016, Wisconsin’s turnout (where voter ID laws changed to strict) dropped by -3.3 percent.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/ ... 2748-votes Story mentions elderly woman who let her driver’s license lapse and was turned away at the polls.

Trump feeling the heat over Russia investigation? “trump changed his twitter header to push back on the russia story, showing he’s not concerned about it and its NOT A BIG DEAL AT ALL”. https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... ter-banner

Insurance industry may have lobbied for exclusion of people with pre-existing conditions from Trumpcare, a group which makes up an estimated 27% of the population. “The insurance companies would’ve looked with a lot of nervousness at the measure that repealed the insurance mandate penalty…. coupled with the AHCA’s “dramatically” cutting subsidies that help low-income people purchase health insurance, (which) would inevitably leave insurers with smaller, disproportionately unhealthy and expensive markets.” http://www.ibtimes.com/political-capita ... ve-lobbied

Reporter allegedly arrested after asking Trumpcare architect Tom Price about the bill. “Price’s speech was about the opiod epidemic, but according to Tegethoff, (Dan Heyman) was arrested when asking a supposedly off-topic question about the bill.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/05/watch-r ... re-repeal/

Newark Airport CBP agents claim they were sexually assaulted by co-workers. ““Once the lights go out, they grab you up like a gang, and they forcibly throw you on the table and one officer ended up mounting me and pretty much riding me like a horse,” one officer told NBC 4.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/05/newark- ... le-report/

Americans without health insurance actually are more likely to get sick and die. “…the emergency room may stop the bleeding, but… people without health insurance may have challenges controlling diabetes or high blood pressure.” http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/nation- ... 54364.html

Court rules that California agency doesn’t have to release information on water wells. “Nothing in the House report says that protecting oil and gas companies was the House’s only concern.” http://www.mcclatchydc.com/news/politic ... 38579.html

United Airlines ticket agent allegedly cancels man’s reservation after he tries to record their dispute over a baggage fee. “The 37-year-old Oza was flying home to San Francisco at 4 a.m. when the ticket counter agent charged him $300 to check a bulky bag that had cost $125 on the way there.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/05/watch-u ... e-dispute/

FBI director reportedly learned of his firing from TV news reports. “…while he spoke to a crowd of his employees, television screens broke the news that the F.B.I. director was out.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/05/comey-l ... es-report/

Black American Airlines passenger who bought first class tickets for her and her white traveling companion, is instead allegedly seated at the back of the plane while the white woman is seated in first class. “It was baffling and hurtful that the crew seemed completely aware of what they were doing and just didn’t care.” http://www.theroot.com/how-american-air ... 1795045431

Anti-Muslim incidents reportedly up by 57% between 2015 and 2016. “CAIR’s accounting includes a wide variety of bias incidents, from assaults and street harassment, to employment discrimination, to what the group considers inappropriate targeting or questioning by the FBI.” http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/05/c ... 28648.html

Israeli government reportedly ends long-running public broadcasting news program. “The program was canceled ahead of the long-anticipated launch of a new public broadcaster, which (Prime Minister) Netanyahu has stripped of its news division.” https://www.yahoo.com/news/49-years-isr ... 24077.html

American environmentalist killed in Mexico. “The U.S. Embassy confirmed on Tuesday the death of Gordon Strom and declined to comment further out of respect for his family.” https://www.yahoo.com/news/american-man ... 05197.html Interesting that sometimes U.S. embassies release the names of Americans killed abroad and sometimes they don’t. I’m still waiting for a response to an FOIA request I filed in April 2015 requesting the name of an American who went into a coma and died after being arrested by Tokyo police in February of 2015.

FCC reportedly rolled back limits on how many news stations one company can own. “The Sinclair Broadcast Group is reportedly nearing a $4 billion deal to purchase Tribune Media, which would give it control of more than a third of the country’s local TV stations.” https://www.democracynow.org/2017/5/9/p ... air_set_to

Federal oversight of police departments needed for reforms says expert. “Sessions doesn’t want the federal government meddling in local policing. But federal meddling in local policing is why Slager is facing a felony charge.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the ... l-slagers/

17 U.S. states now have laws punishing organizations that boycott Israel. “Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed a law on Tuesday that prohibited state agencies from contracting with companies that boycott Israel…. “Any anti-Israel policy is an anti-Texas policy.” http://forward.com/fast-forward/370725/ ... of-israel/

Study shows that marijuana improves cognitive functioning in old rats. “…these results reveal a profound, long-lasting improvement of cognitive performance resulting from a low dose of THC treatment in mature and old animals.” http://www.newsweek.com/cannabis-mariju ... ine-596160

Trump administration reportedly attempting to destroy evidence of intent to commit religious discrimination. “Minutes after a reporter asked White House press secretary Sean Spicer why President Donald Trump’s campaign website still broadcast his call for a “total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States,” that page went blank, according to reports on Monday afternoon.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/ ... s-call-ban

Republicans accused of lying about impact of Obamacare repeal. “Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price told CNN on Sunday that the bill’s $880 billion cuts to Medicaid would “absolutely not” result in millions losing coverage. That was after he made the claim on NBC‘s “Meet the Press” that coverage for people with pre-existing conditions will be “more affordable” under Trumpcare. …(while House Speaker Paul Ryan told) reporters “no matter what, you cannot be denied coverage if you have a pre-existing condition.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/ ... s-and-spin Yeah, and a communist burned down parliament, and then Germany was attack by Poland.

Detention camps for illegal migrants lack adequate medical resources, resulting in deaths. “Raúl Ernesto Morales-Ramos, detained in California and ravaged by cancer, begged for treatment. He was given ibuprofen.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... are-deaths

Warren Buffet says cutting staff is a proven capitalist method for increasing profits. “People live better when there is more output per capita.” https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... d-unilever Unless you are unfortunate enough to be an employee.

ACLU sues for Yemen raid details. “On Monday, the ACLU filed suit against the Trump administration to try and uncover basic information about the raid — who was killed, how the raid was approved, and its legal basis.” https://theintercept.com/2017/05/08/acl ... -in-yemen/

Halliburton board member reportedly made large donation to Colorado Republican super PAC before legislators blocked anti-fracking bill. “Soon after the contribution from Halliburton board member J. Landis Martin, Republican lawmakers lined up against the legislation.” http://www.ibtimes.com/political-capita ... ry-2536297

Protesters clash over removal of Confederate statues in New Orleans. “Instead of just taking them down, Mr. Suber, an African-American activist and organizer, would like to see the city pass out sledgehammers and “let everybody take a whack — just like the Berlin Wall.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/07/us/n ... ments.html

Think tank claims huge donations from Lockheed Martin and other military contractors are not in any way a conflict of interest. “Five of (the Center for Strategic and International Studies)’s ten major corporate donors (“$500,000 and up”) are weapons manufacturers: Besides Lockheed Martin, they are General Dynamics, Boeing, Leonardo-Finmeccanica and Northrop Grumman.” http://fair.org/home/lockheed-martin-fu ... -missiles/

Officer who shot Texas fifteen year-old Jordan Edwards charged with murder. “As a car with five black teenagers inside drove away from the house, Mr. Oliver, who is white, fired his AR-15 rifle, fatally striking Jordan Edwards, a freshman at Mesquite High School, in the head, according to the police and the law firm representing the Edwards family.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/05/us/r ... wards.html The source on the type of rifle used is the law firm representing the boy’s family. Other reports mention 3 shots being fired, precisely the number fired in a burst by the M4 automatic rifle.

No journalists reportedly allowed at Kushner EB-5 visa promotion in China. “Organizers barred journalists on Sunday from a publicly advertised event in Shanghai that offered Chinese investors the chance to get U.S. immigrant visas if they put money in a real estate project linked to the family of President Donald Trump’s son-in-law.” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-china ... SKBN1830E7

Pope Francis doesn’t think “mother of all bombs” is an appropriate name for a weapon. “A mother gives life and this one gives death, and we call this device a mother. What is going on?” http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39830311

Oklahoma passes “emergency” law which includes harsh penalties for protesters who trespass as part of a “conspiracy”, and for groups that organize such protests. “Significantly, the statute also implicates any organization “found to be a conspirator” with the trespasser, threatening collaborator groups with a fine “ten times” that imposed on the intruder — as much as $1 million in cases involving damage.” https://theintercept.com/2017/05/06/okl ... nizations/

Trump budget reportedly cuts drug control agency’s funding by 95%. “As a candidate, Mr. Trump talked regularly about the country’s drug addiction problem and said drugs were a reason that a wall was needed along the border with Mexico.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/05/us/p ... .html?_r=0

Scientists reportedly fired from EPA advisory board. “A spokesman for the E.P.A. administrator, Scott Pruitt, said he would consider replacing the academic scientists with representatives from industries whose pollution the agency is supposed to regulate, as part of the wide net it plans to cast.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/07/us/p ... board.html

Trump refuses to bail out Puerto Rico, territory declares bankruptcy. “The (Fiscal Oversight Board) has chosen to turn Puerto Rico into the next Argentina.” http://money.cnn.com/2017/05/03/news/ec ... ankruptcy/

Air Force “space plane” returns to earth after 718 day mission. “Outside experts generally agree with the Air Force’s claims (that the vehicles are being used for space flight research), saying it’s unlikely that the X-37B is doing anything aggressive or nefarious on orbit.” http://www.space.com/36420-x-37b-space- ... nding.html

Privacy activists put up billboards attacking members of Congress who voted to let broadband providers sell user data. “The billboards—paid for through a crowdfunded campaign—encourage viewers to contact the lawmakers’ offices and ask why they voted against their constituents’ privacy rights.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/ ... rs-erected

Black residents of Madison County, Mississippi allegedly being subjected to unlawful searches. “Black people… are living under a permanent state of siege, subjected to repeated unlawful and humiliating searches at police roadblocks, at pedestrian “checkpoints” and even in their homes, according to a class-action lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... lu-lawsuit

Eric Trump allegedly told golf writer that Russians were funding Trump golf courses. “…we don’t rely on American banks. We have all the funding we need out of Russia.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... hor-claims

Assassination plot against North Korean leader could be real says writer. “…the US never totally abandoned the strategy, simply changing the terminology from assassination to targeted killings… Aerial bomb attempts on leaders included Libya’s Muammar Gaddafi in 1986, Serbia’s Slobodan Milosevic in 1999 and Iraqi president Saddam Hussein in 2003.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... orth-korea

Comedian under investigation for blasphemy – in Ireland. “English comedian, actor and author Stephen Fry is being investigated for blasphemy, for a two-year-old interview on Irish television in which he said that if God created our misery-filled universe, then God is a mean-spirited, stupid and selfish maniac.” http://www.timesofisrael.com/comedian-s ... sh-maniac/

Texas governor Abbott signs “show your papers” law. “The law will also allow police officers to ask about a person’s immigration status during any legal detention, which could include a routine traffic stop.” https://www.dallasnews.com/news/texas-p ... es-ban-law

81 civilians reportedly killed, another 86 injured in Mosul airstrike. “Iraq’s army denied targeting civilians, saying it instead targeted an ISIS bomb factory.” https://www.democracynow.org/2017/5/8/h ... e_on_mosul
"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

Re: Some recent news stories that got my attention

23
Trump threatens Comey not to talk to the press, White House refuses to comment on recording of conversations. “James Comey better hope that there are no ‘tapes’ of our conversations before he starts leaking to the press!” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/12/us/p ... .html?_r=0

China making huge investments in renewable energy. “China added 35 gigawatts of new solar generation in 2016 alone. “That’s almost equal to Germany’s total capacity, just in one year.”” http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017 ... vironment/

Trump administration in no rush to make decision on climate change policies says Tillerson. “We’re not going to rush to make a decision. We’re going to work to make the right decision for the United States.” http://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/us ... 48088.html

Japanese man apparently leaps to his death after being accused of “groping” woman on train by taking her hand. “He had been brought to the station office after a female passenger in her 30s complained that he had grabbed her hand while sitting beside her on a Keihin-Tohoku Line train.” https://japantoday.com/category/crime/t ... er-fleeing

NSA hacking tool re-purposed by criminals to extort money from people who haven’t updated their Windows software. “Some experts say the attack may be have been built to exploit a weakness in Microsoft systems that was identified by the NSA and given the name EternalBlue.” http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-39901382

Fake bank accounts created by Wells Fargo employees may number 3.5 million. “Keller Rohrback, a law firm for the plaintiff customers, said the higher estimate reflects “public information, negotiations, and confirmatory discovery”.” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-wells ... SKBN1882UV

Detroit unveils new streetcars after 61 year break in service. “This has been an effort of Democrats, Republicans — well, we had one Republican speak today (Gov. Rick Snyder), for-profits and not-for profits,” he said. “We should probably get a Nobel Prize.” http://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/l ... 101573838/

New Yorker lampoons Comey firing with cover showing former FBI director being dragged off plane. “That cartoon tries to make a point that Mr. Comey had no intention of giving up his seat.” http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ ... story.html Not a very good analogy, but funny.

Trump administration drops lawsuit against Canadian mine project. “If the Trump administration’s strategy is to put a foreign mining company first—and America’s greatest wild salmon fishery dead last—then sadly it’s succeeding.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/ ... -watershed

Noam Chomsky tells BBC that Republican Party is the most dangerous organization in world history due to its climate policies. “Is ISIS dedicated to trying to destroy the prospects for organised human existence? What does it mean to say not only are we not doing anything about climate change but we’re trying to accelerate the race to the precipice?” https://www.independent.co.uk/news/worl ... 30086.html I think I’d rather face Republicans than Roman Legions, the Mongol “Golden Horde”, the Nazis or Stalinists, but I see his point.

Female college students reportedly leaving college with much less debt than males. “After analyzing nearly 6,000 private scholarships in its database, the personal finance site Nerdwallet found in 2013 that women qualified for four times as many scholarships as men did, indicating an abundance in women-specific awards seeking to close historic gaps in opportunity.” http://www.ibtimes.com/who-pays-millenn ... en-2538286

Raided Republican fundraiser reportedly has links to former senior Trump advisors. “The headquarters of Strategic Campaign Group Inc. (SCG), a Republican fundraising firm in Maryland, was raided Thursday by the FBI, following which reports surfaced linking its senior advisor Dennis Whitfield to Roger Stone and Paul Manafort.” http://www.ibtimes.com/dennis-whitfield ... ul-2537898

Company claims its new electric vehicle batteries will fully charge in 5 minutes. “The battery is made of nano-materials in a layered structure, made of special organic compounds manufactured by the company.” http://www.ibtimes.com/ev-battery-charg ... rs-2538062

Trump tells interviewer he may release his tax returns after he leaves office. “Maybe I’ll release them after I’m finished because I’m very proud of them actually.” http://heavy.com/news/2017/05/trump-tax ... y-birther/

Conservative lawmakers in Oklahoma propose turning migrant children over to the feds to cut education expenditures. “They believe rounding up students in a manner that could lead to their deportation would save the state $60 million dollars.” http://www.news9.com/story/35410542/okl ... er-to-feds

North Korea demands that U.S. and South Korea turn over anyone involved in Kim Jong Un assassination plot. “The security ministry has vowed to “ferret out” anyone involved in the alleged plot, which it called “state-sponsored terrorism”.” http://wjla.com/news/nation-world/north ... t-culprits But its completely different from the Kim Jong-nam assassination….

Sessions revokes Department of Justice guidelines aimed at reversing mass incarceration, will reinstate harsher sentences. “The new policy is expected to lead to more federal prosecutions and an increase in the federal prison population.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/na ... story.html

Lawsuit alleges FBI agents arrested Chinese researcher for espionage based on faulty evidence. “And he said he would like an apology — for storming his house with guns drawn, handcuffing him in front of his children and casting suspicion over his life.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/10/us/p ... .html?_r=0

Legislators introduce bills to encourage worker coops. One bill would set up “a U.S. Employee Ownership Bank to provide $500 million in low-interest rate loans and other financial assistance to help workers purchase businesses through an employee stock ownership plan or a worker-owned cooperative.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/ ... -ownership

Kris Kobach to lead national commission to fight alleged voter fraud. “The panel is nothing but a pretext for disenfranchising Americans, said Dale Ho, director of the ACLU’s Voting Rights Project.” http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics ... 10457.html

Members of Congress still don’t know how many Americans have had their private communications inadvertently captured by government surveillance. “I and other members of Congress have been seeking an answer to this question since 2011. We posed the question again in the context of the reauthorization of Section 702.” http://www.ibtimes.com/prism-upstream-s ... ed-2506277

Former Nuremberg prosecutor warns, “War makes murderers out of otherwise decent people.” https://fee.org/articles/nurembergs-las ... t-message/

Trump tells interviewer, “This was set up by the Democrats. There’s no collusion between me and my campaign and Russians. The other thing is, the Russians did not affect the vote, and everybody seems to think that.” http://thehill.com/homenews/administrat ... d-russians

Mexican “disappeared” activist reportedly murdered. “The group Citizen Community in Search of the Disappeared in Tamaulipas, to which Miriam Rodriguez belonged, said she was killed Wednesday night while at her home in the town of San Fernando in Tamaulipas state.” https://www.yahoo.com/news/mexican-acti ... 43938.html

The idea of a Trump appointed FBI director is scary, but Comey was no friend of the Constitution either. “Under Comey’s command the FBI engaged in a whole of host of outrages against the Bill of Rights, primarily directed at dissidents and minority communities not suspected of any wrongdoing.” https://rightsanddissent.org/news/five- ... netheless/

Journalist arrested while trying to question Secretary Price reportedly charged with “willful disruption of government processes”. “In a news conference after his release, Heyman said that he held his phone out to Price and asked him repeatedly whether domestic violence would be treated as a pre-existing condition that health insurance companies would no longer need to cover under draft legislation sponsored by the Republican Party that passed the U.S. House of Representatives on May 4.” https://cpj.org/2017/05/journalist-arre ... uestio.php

After Comey firing, Trump hosts Russian ambassador and foreign minister at White House. “It was all smiles Wednesday when President Trump welcomed Russia’s foreign minister and U.S. ambassador to the White House.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wor ... d-kislyak/

Oakland city council passes ordinance requiring city approval of purchase or use of surveillance technology by city agencies. “This ordinance is all about genuine public safety – for all of us who live, work in, and visit Oakland.” https://rightsanddissent.org/news/oakla ... ordinance/

Comey allegedly asked Justice Department for additional personnel for investigation into Russian interference in U.S. presidential election before being fired. “His appeal, described on Wednesday by four congressional officials, was made to Rod J. Rosenstein, the deputy attorney general, whose memo was used to justify Mr. Comey’s abrupt dismissal on Tuesday.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/10/us/p ... .html?_r=0

EU legal advisor says Uber should be treated as a transportation company, not a computer matching service for drivers and passengers. “The Uber electronic platform, whilst innovative, falls within the field of transport: Uber can thus be required to obtain the necessary licenses and authorizations under national law.” http://money.cnn.com/2017/05/11/technol ... ope-court/

Woman claims United Airlines flight attendants made her pee in a cup at her seat because the seat belt light was on. “After explaining that I have an overactive bladder and would either need to use the restroom or pee in a cup, I was handed a cup by flight attendants.” http://www.sfgate.com/national/article/ ... 136499.php

Taxi companies fined for gouging immigrants fleeing to Canada. “(New York) Attorney General Eric Schneiderman on Wednesday announced a $2,500 court judgment against Northern Taxi and its owner/operator, Christopher Crowningshield, for charging refugees as much as $300 or more for a taxi ride from Plattsburgh to the Canadian border. It normally costs between $50 and $75.” http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/sta ... -1.3154066

L.A. rights groups say they were shut out of police reform negotiations. “We should be the first, not the last, to be considered in creating reform measures.” http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-m ... story.html

Australian man sent back to U.S. by Canadian border guards, and then arrested for not having a valid visa because it expired during questioning, is released. “…Baxter Reid, who spent more than two weeks locked up in a US federal detention (center)… has been released from custody.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... s-released

Dakota Access pipeline already leaking oil. “Although state officials said the 6 April leak was contained and quickly cleaned, critics of the project said the spill, which occurred as the pipeline is in the final stages of preparing to transport oil, raises fresh concerns about the potential hazards to waterways and Native American sites.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... t-oil-leak

White police officer who was fired for not shooting mentally ill black suspect sues for wrongful termination. ““When a police [officer] exercises restraint – and sometimes we don’t see that as much as we like to – that’s something that should be praised rather than punished,” said Mader’s attorney, Tim O’Brien.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... ed-lawsuit

Conservative group backing boycotts – of media outlets that criticize Trump. “Ford… rejected (a National Center for Public Policy Research) shareholder proposal asking specifically for a review of Ford’s advertising on outlets such as Politico, the New York Times, CNN, the Washington Post, NBC, ABC and CNBC.” http://www.ibtimes.com/political-capita ... ical-trump

Montana losing its glaciers. “…on average, the glaciers have retreated by 39 percent, with some ice formations losing up to 85 percent of their size.” http://www.ibtimes.com/climate-change-k ... rs-2537440

Anti-government protesters in Venezuela throw poop at police. “Many carried stones and so-called “Poopootov cocktails” – feces stuffed into small glass bottles – that they threw when National Guard troops blocked their path, firing gas and turning water cannons on the crowds.” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-venez ... SKBN1862V3

Trump allegedly decided to fire Comey, and then ordered Justice Department officials to come up with a memo. “Several White House officials said that Trump ordered Sessions and Rosenstein to explain in writing the case against Comey.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/05/inside- ... mes-comey/

Former CIA official says it was not a good idea to let Russians in the Oval Office with cameras and other equipment. http://www.rawstory.com/2017/05/former- ... al-office/

Summary execution of fuel theft gang member by Mexican soldiers is allegedly captured on surveillance camera. “The security camera footage first published by Diario Cambio purportedly depicts part of the military’s encounter with fuel pipeline thieves that the government said left 10 dead in the central state of Puebla.” http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article ... proar.html
"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

Re: Some recent news stories that got my attention

24
Unnamed “federal investigator” also claims that Seth Rich leaked DNC emails to Wikileaks. ““I have seen and read the emails between Seth Rich and WikiLeaks,” the federal investigator told Fox News, confirming the MacFadyen connection.” http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/05 ... -says.html

Comey reportedly claimed in memo that Trump asked him to drop Flynn/Russia investigation. “I hope you can let this go.” http://edition.cnn.com/2017/05/16/polit ... omey-memo/

Anti-Erdogan protesters reportedly bloodied by his supporters during protest outside Turkish embassy in Washington. “They think they can engage in the same sort of suppression of protest and free speech that they engage in in Turkey.” http://edition.cnn.com/2017/05/16/polit ... h-embassy/

New Jersey police officers reportedly paid a median salary of $105,000 a year. “Englewood, for instance, has a median household income of $75,074. Englewood cops, however, were paid a median salary of almost twice that amount –$142,561.” http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2017/0 ... _town.html

Cruise ship condos give multi-millionaires a place to escape to. “… every one of the 165 luxury apartments on board — worth between $3 million for a studio and $15 million for a three-bedroom pad — are owned by residents who must have a net worth of $10 million. At least.” http://edition.cnn.com/2017/05/08/trave ... are-meter/

Coal executive who served a year in prison on misdemeanor charge after mine explosion killed 29 asks Trump to spare other coal executives from a similar fate. “Former Massey CEO Don Blankenship has asked President Donald Trump to resist attempts in Congress to enhance criminal penalties for coal executives who violate mine safety and health standards.” http://wvpublic.org/post/blankenship-as ... coal-execs

Trump allegedly asked Comey to charge journalists who publish classified information. “Alone in the Oval Office, Mr. Trump began the discussion by condemning leaks to the news media, saying that Mr. Comey should consider putting reporters in prison for publishing classified information, according to one of Mr. Comey’s associates.” http://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/16/trump-al ... press.html

Facebook ads key to Trump and Brexit wins. “Those in charge of the digital campaigns for Donald Trump’s Republican Party and the political consultant behind Leave EU’s referendum strategy are clear the social network was decisive in both wins.” http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-39830727

Self-administered abortion pills after on-line doctor screening found safe for 90% of women who responded to survey. “The researchers said less than 10 percent reported symptoms of a potentially serious complication like very heavy bleeding, fever or persistent pain, comparable to the rates for women who seek medical abortions at clinics where abortion is legal.” http://www.nbcnews.com/health/health-ne ... lt-n760576

Britain’s Labour Party unveils its new “For the many, not the few” program. “The manifesto includes pledges to raise taxes on the wealthy, nationalize public services, build affordable housing, invest in education, and, in what became a viral crowd favorite, install free WiFi on trains.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/ ... lobal-left

Trump counter-terrorism official reportedly wants to hide transcript of Trump’s discussion with Russians. “For the purpose of transparency, the White House should share a transcript of the meeting with the House and Senate intelligence committees.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/ ... old-russia

FBI agents reportedly made fake documentary about Bundy family in order to collect evidence. “The story of the FBI’s fake documentary crew, revealed in more than 100 hours of video and audio recordings obtained by The Intercept, offers an unprecedented window into how federal law enforcement agents impersonate journalists to gain access to criminal suspects.” https://theintercept.com/2017/05/16/the ... dy-family/

Christian group holds banquet at Trump International Hotel the day after VP Pence speaks to their group. “Summit organizers told The Intercept that “800-plus” people attended the dinner.” https://theintercept.com/2017/05/16/mik ... ump-hotel/

Artist projects “Pay Trump Bribes Here” on the side of Trump International Hotel. “Bell’s efforts lasted around 10 minutes before a security guard walked up to his van and stood in front of his projector…” http://www.ibtimes.com/trump-could-be-v ... ns-2539370

Congresswoman demands classified briefings “so that Congress can at least know as much as Russian leaders”. http://www.rawstory.com/2017/05/gop-law ... -russians/

Death toll in Venezuelan protests climbs to 42. “Hundreds of thousands of people have taken to the streets in recent weeks, angry about food shortages, a medical crisis and soaring inflation.” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-venez ... SKCN18C1UN

Intelligence community leakers complain about Trump’s sharing of highly sensitive information with Russians while broadcasting details around the world via media reports. “The partner… has access to the inner workings of the Islamic State…. Trump went off script and began describing details of an Islamic State terrorist threat related to the use of laptop computers on aircraft.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/na ... story.html

Syrian government accused of executing thousands at prison and burning the bodies in ovens. “Not only has the Syrian government committed mass atrocities at its (Saydnaya) military prison complex outside Damascus, but for years, it has also added to the structure in order to burn and secretly dispose of thousands of its victims’ remains.” http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/ ... s-u-s-says

Sixth Mexican journalist murdered in 2 1/2 months. “Valdez is at least the sixth journalist to be murdered in Mexico since early March, an unusually high number even for one of the world’s deadliest countries for media professionals.” http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nati ... story.html

Trump calls criticism of excessive use of force by police “unfair defamation and vilification”. “… I want you to know that patriotic Americans of all backgrounds truly support and love our police.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/pos ... ification/

Bank employee resigns after Congressman complains to her employer about her off-the-job political activity. “Avelenda wasn’t fired, but she told WNYC that Frelinghuysen’s letter and the blowback it created contributed to her decision to resign.” https://thinkprogress.org/rodney-frelin ... de8d42cb79

Another alt-right, torch-lit protest to protect a Confederate statue. “This event involving torches at night in (Robert E.) Lee Park was either profoundly ignorant or was designed to instill fear in our minority populations in a way that hearkens back to the days of the KKK.” http://edition.cnn.com/2017/05/15/us/ch ... ests-trnd/

South Carolina high school student dies from caffeine overdose. “The teen consumed three caffeine-laced drinks — a cafe latte, large Diet Mountain Dew and an energy drink — in a two-hour period before collapsing in his classroom at Spring Hill High School on April 26, (the county coroner) said.” http://edition.cnn.com/2017/05/15/healt ... -caffeine/

Police officer allegedly suffers fentanyl overdose from touching powder during traffic stop. “Green patted Buckel down, noticing he was covered in a white powdery substance, which is now believed to be fentanyl — an opioid that can be absorbed through the skin.” http://www.cbsnews.com/news/officer-nea ... stop-ohio/ Like when you get high from your friend smoking marijuana?

Bridgeport, Connecticut police accused of letting 15 year old car theft suspect bleed to death. “Nobody called an ambulance. Nobody treated his wounds. They let him bleed out on the concrete.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... ead-police

Concord, California agrees to pay settlement in police dog mauling case. “…even though Valentine was not trying to escape, Switzer released his police dog, who inflicted deep puncture wounds and lacerations to Valentine’s extremities, injuries that required emergency surgery, according to the lawsuit.” http://www.eastbaytimes.com/2017/05/15/ ... e-lawsuit/

U.S. reportedly has less than 5% of the world’s population but almost 25% of the world’s prisoners. “Without a strong national movement, the bold reforms needed at the state and local level cannot emerge.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/ ... e-and-fair

Why leftist populism is not the “alt-left”. “Bernie Sanders, Jeremy Corbyn, and Jean-Luc Mélenchon all have wide bases, built through campaigns around a social-democratic program in favor of worker protections, a social safety net, and more popular engagement in the decisions that affect ordinary people’s lives. That’s not extreme politics…” https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfr ... rists-fail Not to mention (as often seems to happen) Jill Stein of the Green Party.

Trump’s tax cuts: A look at what happened in Kansas. “When (Gov.) Brownback outlined his plan in 2012, he, too, said the tax cuts would pay for themselves…. Instead, Goossen claims, the money has gone to a small group of wealthy Kansans while the state’s budget has been left with a roughly $1bn shortfall.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... c-disaster

Protests and clashes as Palestinians observe Nakba Day. “Palestinians commemorated the 69th anniversary of the Nakba, the “day of catastrophe”, in which Israel was officially declared a state following the forced removal of more than 750,000 Palestinians from their homes and the destruction of over 500 villages and towns.” http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/05/p ... 23701.html

Immigration agent reportedly visited NYC public school. “A federal immigration agent showed up at a Queens elementary school last week looking for a fourth grader, but was turned away at the door, a city spokesman said.” http://newyork.cbslocal.com/2017/05/14/ ... ns-school/

Proposed class action lawsuit accuses Walmart of failing to accommodate pregnant employees. “…employees have filed a lawsuit accusing the retailer of treating thousands of pregnant workers as “second-class citizens” by rejecting their requests to limit heavy lifting, climbing on ladders and other potentially dangerous tasks.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/05/workers ... ant-women/

Some banned drugs are likely more effective for treating depression, PTSD and other diseases than current medications. “For those with obsessive-compulsive disorder, psilocybin is shown to reduce symptoms significantly. Studies have catalogued the relief of end-of-life anxieties, alcoholism and depression with psilocybin. But doctors cannot prescribe it.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/05/a-neuro ... and-xanax/

U.S. airstrikes reportedly kill 30 in Syrian border town, after 12 farm workers were allegedly killed by accident earlier in the week. “… at least 30 civilians including 11 children and six women were killed, and that the toll could rise because of people trapped under debris.” https://www.yahoo.com/news/us-led-strik ... 27539.html

Private investigator claims slain DNC employee was in touch with Wikileaks. “Rod Wheeler, a private investigator hired by the Rich family, suggests there is tangible evidence on (Seth) Rich’s laptop that confirms he was communicating with WikiLeaks prior to his death.” http://www.fox5dc.com/news/local-news/254852337-story

Vietnamese activist charged with “abusing democracy rights to infringe state interests”. “At least 112 bloggers and activists are serving prison sentences in Vietnam for exercising their rights to the basic freedoms of expression, assembly, association, and religion, New York-based Human Rights Watch said in January.” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-vietn ... SKCN18B1JX

Democratic National Committee even less popular than Trump. “Trump currently has a 45.1 percent favorability rating, one of the lowest for any president in the history of polling. But Democrats fare worse. The DNC has only a 38.8 percent favorability rating.” https://www.salon.com/2017/05/13/the-dn ... ald-trump/

Sales of Confederate flag memorabilia up sharply after Charleston mass shooting. “Barber says he saw a 10-fold spike in sales after a white supremacist known for his embrace of the Confederate flag shot and killed nine people in a historically black church in Charleston, S.C. in 2015.” http://www.npr.org/2017/05/04/526539906 ... -flags-fly

White nationalist leader reportedly brings tiki torch to Robert E. Lee statue protest. “Spencer was not shown addressing that gathering, but he tweeted a photo of himself standing in the crowd carrying what appeared to be a bamboo tiki torch.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/vi ... story.html

Lawmakers call on Trump to turn over Comey tapes. “Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said Trump must immediately provide Congress with any tapes and warned that destroying existing tapes would violate the law.” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-t ... SKCN18A0TU

Family says they were removed from Jet Blue flight over where to stow birthday cake. “A Port Authority spokeswoman confirmed to The Washington Post on Saturday that two officers responded to the incident but that no arrests were made.” http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ ... story.html

Ohio fines controversial pipeline company over chemical spills. “Pipeline operator Energy Transfer Partners has been fined $430,000 by the Environmental Protection Agency of Ohio for environment pollution violations.” http://www.nasdaq.com/article/energy-tr ... s-cm788439

Ecuador concerned with slow pace of Sweden’s case against Assange. “It also raised recent comments from members of US President Donald Trump’s administration on the case, including CIA boss Mike Pompeo who described Wikileaks as a “hostile intelligence service”, suggesting this constituted an “obvious risk” for Mr Assange.” http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-39914495



Trump administration signs free trade deal with China. “The agreement is seen as an indication that US President Donald Trump is adopting a less confrontational approach with Beijing than he promised during last year’s election campaign.” http://www.bbc.com/news/business-39894119

Deaf woman traveling to Hawaii detained for no apparent reason, then jailed and deported. “At the detention center, which is near the airport, she again asked for an American Sign Language interpreter, but didn’t receive one, the complaint said. Instead, staff members tried to ask her questions by using a Japanese translator on the phone, but the woman can’t hear people talking on the phone…” https://www.washingtonpost.com/national ... story.html

Michelle Obama says kids should get healthy food for lunch at school, even if they don’t like it. “Kids don’t like math either. What are we going to do? Stop teaching math?” http://www.cbsnews.com/news/michelle-ob ... -decision/

For-profit bail bond companies only allowed to operate in U.S. and the Philippines, are a money maker for multinational insurance companies. “While bail-bond services are often associated with the myriad small storefronts that can be found in poor communities across the country, many of them, the report finds, are actually run by large global insurance companies.” https://www.theatlantic.com/business/ar ... ds/526542/

Comey offers to testify in public. “Though James Comey, the former director of the FBI whose firing by President Donald Trump sparked political uproar this week, has reportedly declined an invitation to testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee behind closed doors about his controversial ouster, he is reportedly willing to answer lawmakers’ questions in open session if given the opportunity.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/ ... and-public

Sonoma State University police refuse to identify officer who shot fleeing suspect twice in the back. “Authorities claim he was reaching for a gun in his waistband moments before the officer shot him.” http://www.pressdemocrat.com/news/69887 ... e-shooting Luckily for the officer, the man was accidentally facing in the wrong direction.

Man sues after being attacked by police dog during traffic stop. “The video does depict Mr. Cicco getting out of his vehicle with both hands palms out and raised and then he only retreats into his vehicle as officer releases the K-9.” http://pittsburgh.cbslocal.com/2017/05/ ... ffic-stop/

Man claims officers dragged him out of his car window because they were angry, breaking his arm in three places. “There was absolutely no need for officers to drag defendant through the open window.” https://dailygazette.com/article/2017/0 ... una-police

Former Bush Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice admits interventions in Iraq and Afghanistan were not about establishing democracies. “We didn’t go to Iraq to bring democracy to Iraq, we went to Iraq to overthrow Saddam Hussein…” http://www.newsweek.com/us-war-middle-e ... ice-608640

Thailand threatens legal action if Facebook refuses to remove anti-monarchists posts. “More than 100 people found posting, sharing or even liking critical Facebook posts about the monarchy have been prosecuted since the country’s military government seized power in 2014.” https://www.independent.co.uk/news/worl ... 31846.html

U.S. and Iraqi airstrikes allegedly kill more than 60 civilians in one day. https://www.democracynow.org/2017/5/12/ ... es_tuesday

Argentine protesters march against reduced sentences for prisoners from U.S.-backed “Dirty War”. “…tens of thousands of people poured into the streets Wednesday to protest a Supreme Court ruling in favor of a member of a dictatorship-era paramilitary group who was convicted of kidnapping and torturing people during Argentina’s so-called Dirty War.” https://www.democracynow.org/2017/5/12/ ... _torturers

Mexican drug war ranked as second deadliest conflict after civil war in Syria. “The third, fourth and fifth most dangerous countries were Iraq, Afghanistan and Yemen.” https://www.democracynow.org/2017/5/12/ ... hind_syria
"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

Re: Some recent news stories that got my attention

25
Human Rights Watch asks Congress not to pass “Back the Blue” law. “This bill does nothing meaningful to protect officers from danger. Instead, it protects police departments from liability, and removes incentives for those departments to monitor themselves and improve the quality of their policing.” https://www.hrw.org/news/2017/05/23/let ... k-blue-act

New York Civil Liberties Union sues police over Millions March cell phone disruptions. “The lawsuit comes after members of the group reported a number of suspicious issues with their cellphones while attending protests.” http://www.vocativ.com/432838/activists ... sruptions/

Millions of Americans will lose their health insurance under Trumpcare says Congressional Budget Office report. “The score from the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) projects that the bill would cut the deficit by $119 billion but result in 23 million people uninsured by 2026.” http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/33 ... care-score

AG Session reportedly omitted meetings with Russian ambassador on security clearance form. “The staffer was instructed by the FBI not to list any contacts related to Senate business.” http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/2 ... nce-238796

Trump has “fantastic” meeting with Pope Francis. “…the White House and the Vatican highlighted terrorism, climate change and peace as agenda items covered.” http://edition.cnn.com/2017/05/24/polit ... ican-city/

Reporter allegedly knocked to the ground, has his glasses broken by Republican candidate in Montana. “I’m sick and tired of you guys!” http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politic ... er-n764421

Trump Organization allegedly says tracking income from foreign sources is “not practical”. “To fully and completely identify all patronage at our Properties by customer type is impractical in the service industry and putting forth a policy that requires all guests to identify themselves would impede upon personal privacy and diminish the guest experience of our brand.” https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/ar ... ts/527997/

Republican governor of Vermont vetoes recreational marijuana law. “If Vermont’s bill had not been vetoed, it would have been the first state to legalize recreational marijuana via a legislative body, not a public referendum.” http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/ ... l-pot-bill

Guess who’s paying for the border wall? “After making the need for a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border a central campaign theme, President Trump has asked Congress for just $1.6 billion to start building 74 miles of barriers.” http://www.npr.org/2017/05/24/529904884 ... udget-plan

San Antonio police officer caught on video punching 14 year old girl repeatedly, including in the face. “The video appears to show the girl move toward the officer before he hits her for the first time. He then strikes her again, causing her to fall into people standing nearby. He appears to hit her again before he and other officers arrest her.” http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/v ... -1.3192816

Congress asks German bank if Trump real estate loans linked to Russia. “Democrats on the U.S. House Financial Services Committee said on Wednesday they had sent a letter the previous day to Deutsche Bank Chief Executive Officer John Cryan seeking details of internal reviews to determine if Trump’s loans for his real estate business were backed by the Russian government.” http://www.newsweek.com/trump-deutsche- ... ing-615151

Tesla reportedly had an 8.8 worker injury rating at some facilities in 2015. “Animal slaughterhouses, sawmills, and psychiatric hospitals on average reported lower rates of safety incidents.” http://www.latimes.com/business/autos/l ... story.html

Treasury Secretary Mnuchin asks Congress to raise limit on government debt. “I urge you to raise the debt limit before you leave for the summer.” http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/05 ... limit.html

Government employee accused of leaking secrets used by hedge fund. “The SEC legal complaint said the hedge fund paid political intelligence firms where Blaszczak worked at least $193,000 during a 19-month period.” https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/20 ... 102108000/

Two drug counselors die of apparent drug overdose. “Toxicology tests for both counselors were positive for heroin and fentanyl.” http://abc7chicago.com/news/da-drug-cou ... e/2031996/

LA police officer gets probation in beating case. “Prosecutors took the rare step of filing a criminal charge against Los Angeles Police Officer Richard Garcia, who had kicked, punched and elbowed the man as he was held down on a South L.A. street.” http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-m ... story.html

5 civilians reportedly killed in latest Yemen SEAL raid. “…Nasser al-Adhal, identified as being approximately 70-years-old and partially blind, was the first one shot by the U.S. soldiers when he mistook them for arriving guests and came out to greet them… The four other villagers were killed when they started to argue with the Navy SEALs after the shooting of Nasser al-Adhal.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/ ... -continues

HUD Secretary Ben Carson says poverty is a state of mind. “I think poverty to a large extent is also a state of mind. You take somebody that has the right mindset, you can take everything from them and put them on the street and I guarantee in a little while they’ll be right back up there.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/ ... state-mind

Trump budget allegedly does not take into account loss of tax revenue due to tax cuts, counts benefits of economic recovery twice. “It is the rough equivalent of trying to raise $10,000 for a project expected to produce $100,000 in revenue, and telling investors the profit will total $100,000. It won’t, because you have to account for the cost.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/23/us/p ... ficit.html

Trump nominee for EPA enforcement post was reportedly lobbyist for Superfund polluters. “She is the classic revolving door appointment.” https://theintercept.com/2017/05/24/don ... polluters/

DEA accused of lying to Congress about fatal shootings in Honduras. “…the report states that the DEA falsely characterized the deaths of four Hondurans as a shootout with drug traffickers despite proof on video that DEA-led forces fired on unarmed civilians.” https://theintercept.com/2017/05/24/dea ... port-says/

New intelligence sharing rules for Israeli spy agencies after Trump leaked info to Russians. “Israeli defense chief Avigdor Liberman told Army Radio on Wednesday, “I can confirm that we did a spot repair…” https://www.voanews.com/a/israel-us-int ... 68845.html

UK official complains about U.S. leaks in Manchester bombing. “… U.S. media organizations like ABC and Reuters revealed that “U.S. officials” informed them that a suicide bomber was suspected in the attack. His name followed within hours, which presented complications for police attempting to investigate the crime.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/05/irritat ... er-attack/

Airstrike west of Raqqa, Syria reportedly kills 16 civilians. “The Observatory said that some 225 civilians, among them 44 children, were killed by US-led strikes between April 23 and May 23.” http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/la ... ee81427f61

5 killed, 286 arrest during political unrest in Bahrain. “Five people were killed in Bahrain on Tuesday after police opened fire on a protest by supporters of a top cleric in a Shiite village, the interior ministry said, in the latest unrest to hit the Sunni-ruled Gulf state.” https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/20620 ... on-protest

Venezuelan government plans to rewrite country’s constitution. “A Supreme Court judge on Tuesday criticized the socialist administration’s bid to rewrite the constitution amid a deepening political crisis.” https://www.yahoo.com/news/venezuelas-m ... 57333.html

Protesters tell McDonald’s shareholders they want a $15 minimum wage. “Your children can afford to live great lives while my three girls behind me are struggling.” http://www.nbcchicago.com/news/local/fi ... 99543.html

Media watchdog says major media outlets failed to mention that Saudi arms deal is connected to war in Yemen. “The famine and brutal two-year-long war in Yemen being waged by the Saudis that has killed over 10,000 civilians wasn’t mentioned once in reports of the $300 billion deal to Saudi Arabia by CNN (5/19/17, 5/20/17), Washington Post (5/19/17), The Independent (5/19/17), New York Daily News (5/20/17), CNBC (5/20/17, 5/22/17), CBS News (5/20/17), Business Insider (5/20/17), Time (5/20/17), Fox News (5/20/17), Reuters (5/20/17), ABC News (5/20/17), Fortune Magazine (5/20/17) or Chicago Tribune (5/20/17).” http://fair.org/home/arms-deal-stories- ... -used-for/

Trump EPA transition team leader reportedly tells conservatives that Obama climate change measures being reversed too slowly. “This is an impending disaster for the Trump administration.” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-t ... SKBN18I196

Trump airstrikes in Syria unconstitutional say legislators. “Airstrikes are an act of war. Atrocities in Syria cannot justify departure from Constitution, which vests in Congress power to commence war.” https://www.thenation.com/article/donal ... this-week/

San Francisco man charged with felony over Facebook comment. “Peralta, a 35-year-old activist and musician, didn’t think twice about the 23 January Facebook thread until two months later, when he learned that police had issued a warrant for his arrest – accusing him of threatening to kill law enforcement.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... SApp_Other

Man found not guilty by jury sent to prison by judge anyway for alleged (but apparently unspecified) probation violation in a separate case. “…despite the fact police never recovered the weapon, stolen money, or any other evidence connecting him to the robbery, (the judge) declined to release Mr Chatman, who remains in prison for violating the terms of his first probation order.” https://www.independent.co.uk/news/worl ... 44326.html

Possible FBI director Joe Lieberman reportedly ok with waterboarding, mass surveillance and detention without trial. “Throughout his career, Lieberman has demonstrated disrespect for constitutional safeguards and a wide, almost authoritarian deference to the federal government’s law-enforcement and military powers.” https://www.thenation.com/article/joe-l ... nightmare/

Trump budget reportedly cuts an estimated $274 billion from anti-poverty programs over ten years. “The domestic spending cuts would be redirected to a large increase in defense, border security, and immigration enforcement spending.” http://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-relea ... -programs/

CIA told FBI about contacts between Trump campaign and Russia says former CIA director Brennan. “It should be clear to everyone that Russia brazenly interfered in our 2016 presidential election process.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/na ... story.html

Trump reportedly praised Philippine president Duterte for anti-drug campaign which has involved thousands of extrajudicial killings. “President Trump praised President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines in a phone call last month for doing an “unbelievable job on the drug problem”…” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/23/us/p ... kdown.html

Fox News retracts Seth Rich/Wikileaks story after threat of legal action. “They need to retract the story or issue an apology or the family will consider other options, including legal, to clear their son’s name and get Fox to do what’s right.” http://money.cnn.com/2017/05/17/media/s ... index.html

Chinese student who praised free speech and democracy in University of Maryland commencement speech gets hammered by her government and some Chinese citizens for “bolstering negative Chinese stereotypes”. “Are speeches made there not examined for evaluation of their potential impact before being given to the public?” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wor ... -backlash/ In fact, they probably are, but they are only required to be changed if they offend American sensibilities.

After Flynn refuses to turn over Russia documents to Congress, new subpoenas issued targeting business records. “…a business does not have a right to take the Fifth if it’s a corporation.” http://www.politico.com/story/2017/05/2 ... ena-238725

Trump administration ordered to release names of former lobbyists in his administration who were granted waivers from “swamp draining” order. “Trump signed an executive order in January banning executive branch appointees from working on a “particular matter” they lobbied on within the two previous years.” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/tru ... 0cc01fd23f

Justice Department claims Fiat Chrysler used emission test cheating software. “The lawsuit states nearly 104,000 vehicles are “equipped with software functions that were not disclosed to regulators during the certification application process, and that the vehicles contain defeat devices”.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/business ... story.html

FCC net neutrality battle heats up with Comcast “cease and desist” order against Comcastroturf.com. “If companies like Comcast are funding this type of illegal activity (the posting of fake public comments on the FCC’s website), their customers and the general public deserve to know about it,” the website says. “If they’re not funding it, they should condemn these fake comments and tell the FCC to disregard them.” https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/201 ... t-website/

Federal appeals court allows mass surveillance lawsuit against NSA to proceed. “Wikimedia has plausibly alleged that its communications travel all of the roads that a communication can take, and that the NSA seizes all of the communications along at least one of those roads.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/ ... rveillance

23 anti-corruption protesters arrested at Pennsylvania capitol. “Pennsylvania is one of only 10 states that does not have any limitations on gifts to public officials.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/ ... ng-reforms

Trump secretary of commerce Wilbur Ross finds absence of protesters in Saudi Arabia “fascinating”. “Bruce Riedel, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution in the Center for Middle East Policy, told CNBC afterwards that Saudi Arabia is among the “most repressive” of free speech in the Middle East…” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/ ... udi-arabia

Georgia residents say they were jailed because cop THOUGHT they had used marijuana. “Okay, so when I do a drug test, I’ll be free to go, correct?” “You’re going to jail, ma’am. Okay? I don’t have a magical drug test that I can give you right now.” http://www.khou.com/news/nation-now/the ... /439206628

Trump signs $109 billion military deal with Saudis. “Ultimately, the two sides were able to reach an agreement on a weapons package that amounts to nearly $110 billion in tanks, fighter jets, combat ships and the THAAD missile defense system, according to the White House.” http://edition.cnn.com/2017/05/19/polit ... ed-martin/

Homeland Security-bound Sheriff Clarke accused of failing to note direct quotations in his masters thesis. “In each of the 47 instances, Clarke appears to have attributed sources in footnotes but failed to use quotation marks around language that was lifted verbatim or partially verbatim.” http://www.businessinsider.com/sheriff- ... sis-2017-5

Several former CIA agents tell New York Times reporter (!) that China killed off the agency’s Chinese informants. “It is not clear whether the CIA was hacked or whether a mole helped the Chinese to identify the (sources), officials told the paper.” http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39989142

CIA was reportedly working to develop tech suspected to have been used in Michael Hastings crash according to Wikileaks files. “The trove of secret information, which allegedly comes from the CIA’s Cyber Intelligence Center, suggests US spies have explored hacking into vehicles remotely to carry out “undetectable assassinations”. https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/3038085/m ... wikileaks/

Man wanted for tampering with drug test fatally shot after license plate reader tips off police. “Boak ignored their commands, police said, driving the truck into an officer and pinning him against another vehicle.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/pu ... story.html

Man claims police broke his jaw after argument over signing release papers. “Police said Johnson was taken to Heritage Valley Beaver hospital for treatment of the injuries he suffered at the police station.” http://www.timesonline.com/news/local_n ... 0d45a.html

Two men sue Trenton, New Jersey police department over excessive force in separate incidents. “To justify the unconstitutional misconduct, the Trenton Police Department charged Derry with multiple charges which were baseless and false,” Whalen wrote. “For example, they charged him with weapons offenses, even though Dwayne had no weapon and no weapon was found at the scene.” http://www.trentonian.com/article/TT/20 ... /170519825

Additional Exxon subpoenas issued in climate change coverup case. “Investigators have taken depositions of company executives and issued additional subpoenas to determine whether the company may have destroyed evidence connected to an alias email used by former Exxon CEO Rex Tillerson.” https://insideclimatenews.org/news/1905 ... ey-general

Department of Justice orders non-profit legal assistance group to stop helping immigrants. “The letter demanded that NWIRP drop representation of its clients and close down its asylum-advisory program.” https://www.thenation.com/article/the-a ... er-attack/

Why Trump went to Saudi Arabia: Saudis to invest billions in U.S., shoring up Trump’s re-election prospects. “Prince Salman walked Trump through the Powerpoint slideshow (Booz Allen Hamilton) prepared, outlining a plan to invest at least $200 billion in American infrastructure and open up new business opportunities for U.S. companies inside the kingdom.” http://www.alternet.org/grayzone-projec ... ction-fund

Philippine president says Chinese leader threatened war over South China Sea oil. http://www.reuters.com/article/us-south ... SKCN18F1DJ

Sweden drops Assange rape investigation. “The announcement means the outspoken WikiLeaks leader no longer faces sex crime allegations in Sweden, although British police say he is still wanted for jumping bail in Britain in 2012.” http://www.stltoday.com/news/swedish-pr ... a8949.html

Trump allegedly told Russian diplomats that firing of “crazy” FBI director relieved pressure of election investigation. “I’m not under investigation.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/19/us/p ... comey.html

Fighters escort airliner after altercation with passenger. “A pair of Hawaii Air National Guard fighter jets were sent to escort an American Airlines flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu on Friday after a disturbance was reported on the flight.” http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/fig ... lu-n762401 …because if it had been a hijacking and the plane had been heading towards a major city, they might have had to shoot it down? Or because when the guy saw the escorts he would give up and sit down?

“Doomsday” seed vault flooded by melting permafrost. “The vault was built in a mountain on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen in the Svalbard archipelago, 800 miles away from the North Pole.” https://www.engadget.com/2017/05/19/mel ... eed-vault/

Federal appeals court rules that drone hobbyists don’t have to register their toys with the government. “Kavanaugh wrote that the FAA’s rule violates Section 336 of the (FAA Modernization and Reform Act), which states that the FAA “may not promulgate any rule or regulation regarding a model aircraft.” https://patch.com/district-columbia/was ... ourt-rules

Real Salem “witch hunt” resulted in 20 executions. “When it was all over, 141 suspects, both men and women, were tried as witches. Nineteen were executed by hanging. One was pressed to death by heavy stones. Several more perished in harsh prisons.” http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2017 ... ump-tweet/ Ah, the good old days, when America was a fundamentalist Christian nation!

Legal experts say arms sales to Saudi Arabia likely illegal due to huge civilian casualties in Yemen. “Continued sale of arms to Saudi Arabia ― and specifically of arms used in airstrikes ― should not be presumed to be permissible…” http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/sau ... cdba53e3de

Department of Education plans to go back to previous student loan servicing monopoly. “ACS Education Services was once the sole company charged with managing the government’s education loan portfolio, a role that critics of the company said led to widespread failures in customer service and loan consolidations.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/gra ... contracts/

Researchers suspect Fiat Chrysler installed emissions test cheating software on some of its diesel vehicles. “Academic researchers on both sides of the Atlantic said separately this week that they had found that Fiat Chrysler’s diesel vehicles had suspiciously high pollution levels and that there was evidence the company had used a so-called defeat device, software intended to allow a vehicle to pass official emissions tests but to pollute more when driven on the highway.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/19/busi ... sions.html

Air conditioning becoming more common in Seattle, Washington apartments. “As Seattle summers keep getting hotter and hotter, a once-unthinkable perk for renters here has become more commonplace: air conditioning.” http://www.seattletimes.com/business/re ... arms-race/

U.S. has embarrassingly high rate of deaths due to medically preventable causes say researchers. “The U.S. was tied with Estonia and Montenegro, far below other wealthy nations such as Norway, Canada, and Australia, in the study’s ranking of 195 countries.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/ ... king-rates

U.S. wages not rising despite low official unemployment rates. “Standard economic theory tells us that wage growth and unemployment are intimately linked. Wage growth slows when the unemployment rate rises and increases when the unemployment rate falls.” http://www.businessinsider.com/slow-wag ... ers-2017-5

Special Operations Command reportedly submits urgent request for 350 tube launched kamikaze drones. “The company bills the device as a “miniature flying lethal missile (that) can be operated manually or autonomously”.” http://www.defenseone.com/technology/20 ... IS/137987/

Jared Kushner is reportedly “person of interest” in Russia investigation. “White House officials have previously acknowledged contacts between Russian officials and Mr Kushner, as well as with Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson.” https://www.independent.co.uk/news/worl ... 45916.html

Busload of Mexican federal police officers robbed in Morelos. “A statement late Thursday says the officers did not resist in order to avoid injuries or loss of life.” https://www.yahoo.com/news/gunmen-rob-b ... 46823.html

20,000 refugees after gun battles in Central African Republic. “At least 20 people have been killed and several dozen wounded since the unrest in Bria began on Tuesday, said U.N. mission spokesman Herve Verhoosel.” https://www.yahoo.com/news/20-000-flee- ... 46514.html

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi worried about Justice Department control of Trump special counsel. “I’m concerned that Director Mueller will still be subject to the supervision of the Trump-appointed leadership at the Justice Department.” https://www.democracynow.org/2017/5/19/ ... dependence

Reporter claims he was grabbed by FCC bodyguards after asking FCC Commissioner Michael O’Rielly a question. “… two FCC security guards reportedly pinned Donnelly against the wall until O’Rielly had passed.” https://www.democracynow.org/2017/5/19/ ... g_question

Trump calls investigation into his campaign’s ties to Russia a “witch hunt”, denies asking Comey to drop Flynn investigation. “U.S. President Donald Trump, striking a defiant tone on Thursday after days of political tumult, denied asking former FBI Director James Comey to drop a probe into his former national security adviser and decried a “witch hunt” against him.” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-t ... SKCN18E1P7

Members of Trump team met with Russians 18 times during campaign but failed to disclose it. “Reuters reported on Thursday that Flynn and other Trump campaign advisers were in contact with Russian officials and others with Kremlin ties in at least 18 calls and emails during the last seven months of the presidential race.” http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politic ... -1.3175933

Tulsa police officer who shot unarmed man with his hands up is found not guilty. “A jury has acquitted Tulsa police Officer Betty Jo Shelby, who killed unarmed motorist Terence Crutcher in an encounter that was captured on video by a police helicopter last September.” http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/ ... e-crutcher

Roger Ailes, Fox News founder, dead at 77. “He took ideological and partisan talking points and called it ‘news.’ That is the brilliance and the detriment of how Ailes has impacted the news industry.” http://www.latimes.com/business/hollywo ... story.html

Hundreds of Tesla factory workers have reportedly been taken away in ambulances. “Before the company reduced the average time of a workday in October 2016, workers said they routinely worked 12-hour shifts, six days a week.” https://www.theguardian.com/technology/ ... -elon-musk

As many as ten poisoned with botulism after eating nachos from gas station. “From the preliminary testing of the cheese, it was positive for botulism,” said Dr. Oliva Kasirye, a health inspector with the Sacramento County Public Health Department, who has been part of the on-going investigation.” http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2017/05/ ... -outbreak/

Legislators seeks details on Trump’s foreign income. “Senate Democrats said President Donald Trump’s company could be “effectively a pass-through for income” that violates the Constitution’s two Emoluments Clauses, and demanded that the Trump Organization hand over details about its operations since its chief took office.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/ ... -him-money

Elizabeth Warren tries to pin down Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin on pledge to restore firewall between commercial and investment banking. “When asked repeatedly “what does it mean to be in favor of 21st century Glass-Steagall if it doesn’t mean breaking apart” banks, Mnuchin responded that it’s “actually a complicated question” and said he’s “happy to follow up and discuss” with Warren at a later date.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/ ... king-banks

Yale dean placed on leave over “white trash” restaurant review. “To put it quite simply: if you are white trash, this is the perfect night out for you!” http://www.ibtimes.com/june-chu-yale-un ... ws-2541026

Household debt reaches record high. “After increasing for 11 straight quarters, aggregate household debt toppled the previous peak in 2008, reaching a total of $12.73 trillion in the first three months of 2017, according to a quarterly report released Wednesday by the Federal Reserve Bank of New York.” http://www.ibtimes.com/can-students-pay ... ds-2540547

Former tech CEO gets 15 days after reportedly sending his partner to the hospital several times. “The alleged beatings were so brutal, Rastogi was hospitalized several times, including an ER visit when she was eight months pregnant with their child.” http://www.ibtimes.com/sexism-silicon-v ... eo-2540524

Aaron Hernandez cited 70 times for disciplinary offenses while in prison. “I spoke to him the night before (his suicide) and he was so, you know, ‘Daddy’s going to be home’…” http://www.ibtimes.com/aaron-hernandezs ... ns-2541071

U.S. airstrike hits Syrian government allied forces after threatening U.S. allies. “The Syrian forces, in several vehicles including at least one tank, were near the Jordanian border and deemed a threat to coalition partners on the ground, a Pentagon official said.” http://www.foxnews.com/world/2017/05/18 ... syria.html

President Erdogan reportedly oversaw attack on D.C. protesters. “… Ferad says that the words “dalın diyor, Servet abi dalın diyor” can be heard coming from the presidential guard just after Erdogan is seen speaking with his bodyguard. That translates to “he says attack brother Servet, he says attack.”” http://dailycaller.com/2017/05/18/audio ... ers-video/

Judge in El Salvador reopens Archbishop Romero murder case. “Romero, then archbishop of San Salvador, was shot dead in 1980 by a right-wing death squad as he celebrated Mass in a hospital chapel.” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-el-sa ... SKCN18E2SO

Colombian human rights groups asks International Criminal Court for investigation of Chiquita executives implicated in funding of paramilitary group. “Declassified documents obtained recently by the National Security Archive through a freedom of information request for the first time name 14 Chiquita executives involved in the scandal.” https://www.yahoo.com/news/colombians-s ... 16688.html



D.C. police show extreme restraint, let Turkish government employees run wild during attack on protesters. “Video appeared to show Erdogan’s bodyguards hitting and kicking protesters and pulling out guns as D.C. police tried to intervene.” https://www.voanews.com/a/erogan-suppor ... 54182.html

Justice Department appoints special counsel in Trump campaign investigation. “Congressional Republicans and Democrats praised the Justice Department’s decision to appoint Robert S. Mueller III as special counsel to investigate possible coordination between Trump associates and Russia in the 2016 campaign — sparking a rare moment of bipartisanship on Capitol Hill over a politically charged issue.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpos ... story.html

Trump decides to keep “worst deal ever” with Iran. “Mr Trump… criticised the terms of the deal made by Mr Obama – at one point claiming his “number one priority” if elected would be “to dismantle the disastrous deal”.” http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-39950827

Milwaukee County Sheriff David Clarke says he’s accepted position as an assistant secretary of Homeland Security. “Seven workers at the county jail he oversees are at the center of a criminal investigation into the dehydration death last year 38-year-old Terrill Thomas, an inmate who prosecutors say was deprived of water as punishment.” https://www.usnews.com/news/politics/ar ... d-security

Chelsea Manning released from prison after serving seven years of a 35 year sentence for leaking Iraq video, diplomatic cables to Wikileaks. “Among the material Manning leaked was a 2007 gunsight video of a U.S. Apache helicopter firing at suspected insurgents in Iraq, killing a dozen people, including two Reuters news staffers.” http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-w ... SKCN18D1HF As well a van driver who tried to assist the wounded. “A 2007 military investigation had cleared everyone involved of wrongdoing, and the military claimed it had no knowledge of how the two children got injured.” https://www.rt.com/usa/388729-collatera ... wikileaks/

VW engineers reportedly sought approval from company executives for emissions cheating software. “…internal company emails and memos, which were reviewed by The New York Times, indicate that engineers wanted approval from top managers to deploy the illegal software almost from the beginning, with regular status reports noting that high-level signoff was necessary.” https://www.nytimes.com/2017/05/17/busi ... sions.html

House bill would give state “fusion centers” access to more information on Americans. “That the bill is considered “non-controversial” by the House leadership is a testament to how little regard they have for the Fourth Amendment rights of the citizens they were elected to represent.” https://www.cato.org/blog/stealth-fusio ... aring-bill

Trump complains about bad press. “No politician in history, and I say this with great surety, has been treated worse or more unfairly.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/201 ... ia-scandal Have they claimed you’re not really a U.S. citizen? That you’re a Muslim? A socialist? That you’re going to round up your opponents in detention camps? Allow the country to be occupied by U.N. troops? Set up “death panels” to decide who gets health care?

Oil company allegedly made $7.2 million in donations to Colorado political groups in run up to 2016 elections, politicians blocked laws to make public locations of wells and pipelines and to keep oil and gas wells away from schools. “Accidents happen with these, and it just doesn’t make any sense to put something that can explode a couple hundred feet away from a playground.” http://www.ibtimes.com/political-capita ... ing-fossil

Companies can take huge tax deductions for government fines and settlements. “Of the ten biggest settlements announced by the Justice Department, Environmental Protection Agency, Securities and Exchange Commission and Department of Health and Human Services between 2012 and 2014, $48 billion of the $80 billion those companies forked over was eligible for tax deduction, according to a 2015 study by the nonprofit U.S. Public Interest Research Group.” http://www.ibtimes.com/political-capita ... -bill-make

7 year-old special education student in Texas reportedly hit with baton, tasered and handcuffed by police after his detention at elementary school. http://www.rawstory.com/2017/05/texas-p ... mily-says/

Israel reportedly demolishes Bedouin village for 113th time. “The villagers return and rebuild after each demolition.” http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/05/i ... 43632.html

Israel was reportedly source of classified intelligence Trump shared with Russians. “The New York Times has reported that Israel was the source of highly classified intelligence that President Trump reportedly disclosed to Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak at the White House last week.” https://www.democracynow.org/2017/5/17/ ... o_russians
"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."
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