Salisbury News: 08/03/16

Wednesday, August 03, 2016

In Poll After Poll Trump Leads Clinton Among Independents

General election polls of the nation and battleground states consistently show Republican nominee Donald Trump besting Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton among independent voters.

This lead among independent/non-party affiliated voters for Trump is also found in polls where Clinton leads overall. For example, in the most recent poll of national voters from Public Policy Polling, Clinton leads Trump 46 percent to 41 percent. Among independent voters, however, Trump leads 42 percent to 35 percent.

In another recent national poll from CNN/ORC, Trump leads Clinton 44 percent to 39 percent. This poll has Trump leading Clinton by 18 percent among independents, 46 percent to 28 percent. Libertarian candidate Gov. Gary Johnson has 15 percent of the independent support in this poll.

A poll of voters nationally released last week from YouGov has Clinton ahead of Trump 40 percent to 38 percent. That same poll has Trump leading with independent voters 38 percent to 26 percent.

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Hogan and Franchot to Encourage Shopping During Tax-Free Week, August 14-20

State Sales Tax Waived for Qualifying Clothing and Footwear Under $100

ANNAPOLIS, Md. – Governor Larry Hogan will join Comptroller Peter Franchot in Frederick on Wednesday, August 10, to promote and maybe do a little shopping in advance of the annual Shop Maryland Tax-Free Week, which takes place August 14-20. During that week, any single, qualifying article of clothing or footwear priced $100 or less – regardless of how many items are purchased at the same time – will be exempt from the state’s 6 percent sales tax.

“I’m delighted Governor Hogan will join me to let Marylanders know about an opportunity to keep more of their hard-earned money as they shop back-to-school sales for their children or themselves,” Comptroller Franchot said. “A break on the cost of clothing and shoes can make a real difference and help stretch family budgets. Local retailers also benefit with increased foot traffic.”

In addition to Frederick, the Comptroller will be promoting Tax-Free Week with visits to stores in Takoma Park, Baltimore, Frederick, Towson and Cambridge. Cailey Locklair Tolle, president of the Maryland Retailers Association, or Maddy Voytek, legislative and membership assistant at the MRA, will join the Comptroller at several businesses.

“Tax-free week is an excellent opportunity for Marylanders to take advantage of apparel and footwear tax savings priced at less than $100 per item,” Tolle said. “The week provides a much-needed boost to brick-and-mortar retailers in our state and we encourage all consumers to support their local businesses.”

Report: Hillary Clinton’s Campaign Mgr John Podesta Sat on Board of Company that Bagged $35 Million from Putin-Connected Russian Govt Fund

Hillary Clinton’s campaign chairman John Podesta sat on the board of a small energy company alongside Russian officials that received $35 million from a Putin-connected Russian government fund, a relationship Podesta failed to fully disclose on his federal financial disclosures as required by law.

That’s one of the many revelations from a 56-page report released late Sunday titled “From Russia with Money: Hillary Clinton, the Russian Reset, and Cronyism” by the non-partisan government watchdog group, the Government Accountability Institute (GAI). Breitbart Executive Chairman Stephen K. Bannon holds the same title in GAI and Breitbart News Senior Editor-at-Large Peter Schweizer serves as GAI’s president.

Both the New York Post and the Wall Street Journal ran stories on the newly released report late Sunday evening.

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8th Annual Berlin Peach Festival Set For Saturday

BERLIN — The 8th Annual Berlin Peach Festival will be held Saturday, Aug. 6, from 11 a.m.-4 p.m., on the grounds of the Calvin B. Taylor House Museum, 208 North Main Street. Admission is free. Rain date for the festival will be Sunday, Aug. 7, from 11 a.m.-4 p.m.

Mayor Gee Williams will officially open the festival with help from Little Miss and Little Mister Berlin Peach 2015. The Boy Scouts from Troop 261 will present the colors. All afternoon, attendees will be able to stroll among the displays, demonstrations and sales tables. There will be delicious peaches for sale from a variety of Mid-Atlantic growers.

Vendors include debidean jewelry, Bogan Pottery, Patricia Rouch (American Girl doll clothes), Angela Rocco Photography, Creatively Bent (jewelry), Love, Byrd Soap, Mudboy Guitar Works, Kimpressions Designs, Jenoc Designs (wooden bowls) and Cheryl Young (stained glass).

Demonstrations feature Linda Davis’ baskets and quilted goods, Ocean Breeze Alpacas (knitting, spinning and fiber arts), Wes Townsend’s Back Street Apiary and Tiffany Nichols (master gardener). Food vendors include the Arcadia Questers, Baked Desserts Café & Gallery, Buckingham Presbyterian Church and the Worcester County Developmental Center. Information booths will include the Harrison family with informal talks about its nursery business in the early 20th century.

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The Emerging Trumpian Majority

First of Three Parts

1. Populists vs. Elitists

Something big is happening in American politics—bigger than this election. And so even if we can’t precisely predict the winner this November, we can know the general contours of American politics in the decades to come: populists on one side, elitists on the other.

But first, let’s start by thinking about what we’ve seen at the party conventions in the last two weeks: the Republicans nominating Donald Trump and the Democrats nominating Hillary Clinton. And maybe it’s best if we’re sitting down, because the changes are such that we could get dizzy.

Here’s the July 28 headline in The Washington Post: “We are witnessing a visceral shift in the way the parties speak to the country.” The story continued, “The country’s two major political parties, emerging from their conventions to square off in the general election, are speaking to Americas unrecognizable to each other in voices that sound like a political and ideological role reversal.”

“Role reversal”? Well, actually, that’s overstated: The Republicans are still on the right, and the Democrats are still on the left. In Trump’s Cleveland, for example, the police were the heroes, frequently applauded by GOP delegates, as well as by speakers; yet in Hillary’s Philadelphia, the cops were regarded with stony silence.

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Former Md. Atty. Gen. Joe Curran tries to stop robber with cane

BALTIMORE (WUSA9) — Former Maryland Attorney General Joe Curran is still fighting crime at 85 years old, according to a statement from the Attorney General’s Office.

Joe Curran, Jr., Assistant Vice President of Claims, remembered July 11. On that day, he witnessed a robbery and an assault, and then tried to stop the suspect using his cane.

“As long as I’ve lived, I’ve never seen anything like that happen,” Curran said. “I’ve never seen anyone being attacked like that.”

He said he was at the dry cleaners picking up shirts when as he was leaving, he overheard a man asking the female clerk behind the counter how much it cost to have shirts and a suit cleaned.

But Curran forgot his cane on the counter by the cash register and returned to the store to retrieve it.

“When I walked back in, I noticed the man who had inquired about pricing was now standing behind the counter and had the female clerk in a chokehold,” Curran said.

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Multi-Drug Resistant TB Spikes 75 Percent in Massachusetts

The number of cases of very dangerous, multi-drug resistant (MDR) tuberculosis (TB) reported in Massachusetts spiked 75 percent in 2015, to seven cases, up from four in 2014, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health.

In 2015, 87 percent of the 192 cases of active TB diagnosed in Massachusetts (167 out of 192) were foreign-born, a rate significantly higher than the foreign-born rate across the country that year, which was 66 percent.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health provided no information on how many of the seven cases of MDR TB in 2015 and four cases in 2014 were foreign-born. However, of the 9,421 cases of active diagnosed in the United States in 2014, 91 were classified as MDR. 88 percent of those cases (80 out of 91) were foreign-born. The CDC did not report how many of those foreign-born cases of MDR TB were resettled refugees.

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Officials welcome 3-wheelers on Md. roads

WASHINGTON — The autocycle, a type of three-wheeled vehicle, is now welcome on Maryland roads. The state’s transportation secretary held a news event Monday to introduce the latest vehicle to join Maryland’s transportation mix.

“They have merged together a healthy motorcycle and a very foxy-looking car,” said Maryland Transportation Secretary Pete Rahn. “It’s just fun.”

Autocycles are subject to the federal safety standards that apply to motorcycles. But they have three wheels and features common to cars, such as a steering wheel, foot pedals to control speed, seat belts and permanent seats that don’t require drivers or passengers to sit astride.

Virginia approved the vehicles in 2014; it was among the first of about 20 states that now allow the vehicles under various rules.

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Hillary can’t stop lying even when she doesn’t have to

Give Hillary Clinton this much: She’s absolutely fearless about lying on national television.

On Fox News Sunday, she again claimed she did nothing wrong in relying on that home-brewed e-mail server, and never sent or received classified material. Then she declared that FBI Director James Comey has confirmed her statements on the matter as truthful.

When Chris Wallace noted that Comey said just the reverse, she countered: “Director Comey said that my answers were truthful and what I’ve said is consistent with what I have told the American people.”

Her aides later “clarified” that she was citing Comey’s statement that she hadn’t lied to the FBI. But the bureau chief’s on record saying her repeated public claims are false:

“Secretary Clinton said there was nothing marked classified on her e-mails . . . Was that true?” asked Rep. Trey Gowdy at one hearing. “That’s not true,” Comey replied.

On top of that, Comey said, FBI agents found 110 e-mails in 52 e-mail chains with “classified information at the time they were sent or received.” That includes eight chains deemed “top secret” and 36 “secret.”

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Maryland Lays Out Reasons Against New Trial In ‘Serial’ Case

ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A Baltimore judge was wrong to consider “a novel standalone claim” about the reliability of cellphone tracking evidence in granting a new trial for a man whose murder conviction was re-examined in a popular “Serial” podcast, the Maryland attorney general’s office says.

Appealing the decision to retry Adnan Syed, attorneys for the state contend that retired Baltimore Circuit Court Judge Martin Welch should not have ruled that his initial attorneys were constitutionally deficient because they failed to bring into evidence a warning from AT&T.

The cover sheet says: “Outgoing calls only are reliable for location status. Any incoming calls will NOT be considered reliable information for location.” The first three words — “Outgoing calls only” — are underlined in the fax AT&T sent to Baltimore police.

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ANSWER: Find The Hidden Cat

Click 'READ MORE' below to see the answer

Right Wing Nationalist Set To Win Rerun Austrian Presidential Race

Freedom Party candidate Norbert Hofer has widened his lead in a Gallup poll ahead of October’s repeat election for the Austrian presidency.

Hofer lost by a whisker in May to former Greens party leader Alexander van der Bellen in an election that Austria’s constitutional court this month ordered re-run given vote count irregularities.

A series of Islamist attacks in Europe and Britain’s decision to leave the EU since the original vote have shuffled the political deck in neutral Austria.

The poll published by the Oesterreich paper on Sunday showed the midpoint of the wide range of support for Hofer at 52 percent — one point higher than a poll in early July found — versus 48 percent for van der Bellen.

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Palestinian Goads Little Boy Into Throwing Stones, Urges Israelis: ‘Shoot Him and Kill Him!’

In a video clip posted on social media this week, a Palestinian man is seen encouraging a small child, possibly three-years-old, to throw stones at armed Israeli border policemen, and yells at the Israelis to shoot the boy.

“Shoot him and kill him!” the man shouts, adding that the Israelis are after all “familiar with shooting and killing kids.” He also offers to “bring the other one” – evidently another child.

The man, possibly the boy’s father, prods the seemingly reluctant child, wearing red shorts and holding a Palestinian flag, in the direction of the troops, and tells him, “Raise up the flag!”

Then he tells the child to throw stones at the policemen.

Neither the troops nor the child comply with the man’s wishes: A police officer offers a hand and high-fives the youngster. The child picks up several stones, tosses them near the verge of the road, as the policemen look on.

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'Campus Carry' goes into effect as Texas remembers UT Tower shootings 50 years later

Concealed handgun license holders in Texas can carry their weapons into public university buildings, classrooms and dorms starting Monday, a day that also marks 50 years after the mass shooting at the University of Texas' landmark clock tower.

The campus-carry law pushed by Gov. Greg Abbott and the Republican legislative majority makes Texas one of a handful of states guaranteeing the right to carry concealed handguns on campus.

Texas has allowed concealed handguns in public for 20 years. Gun rights advocates consider it an important protection, given the constitutional right to bear arms, as well as a key self-defense measure in cases of campus violence, such as the 1966 UT shootings and the 2007 shootings at Virginia Tech.

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Three Injured In Frederick Co. Crash

Three people were injured this morning in a Frederick County crash on I-70, including a nurse who stopped to help the crash victims and fell from the bridge into the Monocacy River.

The injured are identified as Charles H. Williams, 53, of Baltimore, Md., who was driving a dump truck loaded with concrete, Douglas L. Sexton Jr., 58, of Sparrows Point, Md., who was driving a tractor trailer loaded with asphalt, and Angela M. Weir, 47, a nurse at the University of Maryland Shock Trauma Center, who stopped to help the crash victims. Williams and Weir were both flown by Maryland State Police helicopters to the UM Shock Trauma Center where they are undergoing treatment. Sexton was transported by ambulance to Meritus Hospital for treatment.

At 4:44 a.m. today, the Frederick Barrack received a call from a motorist reporting a commercial truck was traveling westbound on I-70 without any lights illuminating the truck. Minutes later, as troopers attempted to locate the truck, a tractor trailer loaded with asphalt struck the rear of the dump truck while both were traveling westbound on I-70 at the Monocacy River bridge.

After impact, the tractor trailer struck the right concrete wall of the bridge before jack-knifing and catching fire. The dump truck overturned and spilled much of its load of concrete. Both vehicles and the debris field stretched across the width of the bridge, requiring troopers to close the westbound lanes of the interstate.

Angela Weir and her husband were traveling eastbound on I-70 when they saw the crash that had just occurred. Being a trauma nurse, she stopped to assist in providing emergency care to the crash victims. Apparently unaware there was no median between the east and westbound lanes at the scene, Weir fell more than 75 feet into the Monocacy River when she leaped over the bridge wall to attempt to cross to the westbound lanes and the crash scene. Her husband called 911 immediately. A responding trooper pulled her from the water to shore. A Maryland State Police flight paramedic arrived simultaneously and assisted with her care before she was flown from the scene.

Troopers from the North East Barrack are attempting to locate two missing juveniles who ran away from their residences in Cecil County, Maryland. The juveniles are believed to be together and possibly en-route to the North Carolina area. Anyone with information regarding Kaitlin Alexis Leister (15 years old) or Jaden Casey Lawton (16 years old) should immediately contact the Maryland State Police North East Barrack at 410-996-7800.

UPDATE:

Two (2) Missing Cecil County Juveniles Located UnharmedAugust 4, 2016

Troopers from the North East Barrack successfully located two missing juveniles who ran away from their residences in Cecil County, Maryland earlier today. The two juveniles who were identified as Kaitlin Alexis Leister (15) and Jaden Casey Lawton (16) were found together in the woods in the area of 471 Doctor Jack Road unharmed.

Mother Of Benghazi Victim: Hillary Clinton 'Kills People'

Patricia Smith, mother of one of the Americans who was killed in the Benghazi terrorist attack said on Monday that Hillary Clinton “kills people.”

Appearing on “CNN Newsroom with Brooke Baldwin” in the wake of Clinton’s Fox News Sunday interview where the Democratic nominee criticized Smith’s recollection of events surrounding her son Sean’s death, Smith said, “I’m very much against the way I was treated. I was treated like dirt. I don’t think the Khan family was treated that way but I was treated like dirt, I was called a liar.”

Clinton “went on TV many times, and nodding her head thinking that she is so wonderful and she knows everything and I know nothing and I was just imagining this. I don’t imagine my son getting killed. I don’t imagine that at all. But why would she say that to me and what would she say to the Khans?”

Later Smith added, “We have a rotten government.”

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Route 50 Drawbridge Gates Damaged By Winds; Lane Closures, Flooding Make Monday Night Traffic A Nightmare

OCEAN CITY — The severe storm that popped up unexpectedly in and around the resort area late Monday afternoon created a domino-effect of sorts around the downtown area that snarled traffic well into Monday evening.

The late Monday afternoon storm included several inches of rain in a short amount of time, a tornado warning, hail and flash flooding in and around the downtown area prone to high water during even modest weather events. Ocean City officials had already cut off traffic to south of the Route 50 Bridge when an accident occurred at the base of the span, further complicating the heavy volume of traffic pouring into the resort. Route 50 eastbound was at a standstill and, anecdotally, a typical 10-minute run from West Ocean City into Ocean City turned into an hour.

Complicating the issue even further was damage caused to the two drawbridge gates on the westbound side of the bridge. State Highway Administration officials said on Monday the two drop-down gates on the westbound side of the bridge that prevent traffic from crossing when the drawbridge is open were snapped off by heavy winds during the sudden Monday afternoon storm and needed to be repaired, causing SHA to close a portion of the westbound lanes on the bridge.

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JUST IN: President Obama Grants 214 Commutations

The President made grants of commutation of sentences to the following 214 individuals:

· Timothy Adams – Hartsville, SC

Offense: Conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute and distribute cocaine base (crack); Middle District of North Carolina

Sentence: Life imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release (August 2, 1995)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to a term of 360 months' imprisonment.

· Asher Adkins – Columbia City, IN

Offense: Distribution of methamphetamine and aiding and abetting (two counts); distribution of methamphetamine (three counts); use or carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime (two counts); distribution of more than 100 grams of methamphetamine (two counts); Northern District of Indiana

Sentence: 624 months’ imprisonment; five years' supervised release (January 3, 2000)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016.

· Jamonte L. Allison – Carbondale, IL

Offense: Conspiracy to distribute five grams or more of "crack cocaine"; Southern District of Illinois

Sentence: 240 months' imprisonment; 10 years' supervised release; $500 fine (September 6, 2005)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on December 1, 2016.

· Joe Alvarado – Ogden, UT

Offense: Possession with intent to distribute methamphetamine (two counts); possession of a firearm and ammunition by convicted a felon; District of Utah

Sentence: Life imprisonment (October 13, 2004)

Commutation Grant: Prison sentence commuted to expire on August 3, 2018, conditioned upon enrollment in residential drug treatment.
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NY Fed Finds 15% Of Americans Have Negative Net Worth; Student Loans Contibute To Record US Wealth Inequality

Two weeks ago, the White House released a report that led to loud heckles among the more pragmatic economic community. As the WSJ described its conclusion: "he growing stack of $1.3 trillion in student debt is helping, not hurting, the U.S. economy" (there was much more in the full report which to many was nothing short of propaganda seeking to spin a $1.3 trillion debt bubble into a good thing).

Today, none other than the NY Fed took the White House to task with a surprisingly accurate (to an extent) analysis, based on a Survey of Consumer Finances, according to which not only do student loans contribute substantially to an emerging problem in US society, namely rising negative household net worth, but is also a key driver behind wealth inequality.

This is how the NY Fed explains the methodology:

With respect to assets, we ask respondents how much money is in their defined contribution plan(s)—including 401(k), 403(b), 457 or thrift savings plans—and Individual Retirement Arrangement accounts, which cover the most common channels through which Americans save for retirement. We also ask the respondents about their total savings and investments, such as money in their checking accounts, stocks, and other financial instruments they may possess. Homeowners are asked to self-appraise the current value of their home. Finally, we ask for self-appraised valuations of any additional land, businesses, vehicles, or other assets the respondent’s household may own. The measure of total assets is then the sum of financial wealth, retirement wealth, home value, and other assets.

With respect to debt, we ask respondents about their home mortgages and home equity lines of credit, as well as non-housing personal debt in categories such as credit card, student loans, and auto loans, among others. The sum of all these debts constitutes our measure of total debt. We classify households as having negative wealth if their total debt exceeds their total assets, according to our measurements.

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Update-Subject Arrested Troopers Seek Public’s Help Locating Robbery Subject

Laurel – The Delaware State Police have arrested Devontae L. Massey, 24 of Laurel early this morning after troopers received information on his whereabouts. He was charged with Robbery 2^nd and Theft under $1,500.00, for an incident that occurred on July 6, 2016, as well as Assault 3^rd after an incident that occurred, Wednesday July 27, 2016 around 4:00 a.m. at the Greenwood Inn (12036 Sussex Highway, Greenwood) when he assaulted a 29-year-old female in the parking lot and then fled prior to law enforcement arrival. He was arraigned at JP3 and committed to Sussex Correctional Institution on $3,250.00 secured bond.

Released:080316 1250

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**Original Release**

Troopers Seek Public's Help Locating Robbery Suspect

Can you find the hidden cat? No giving clues or the answer in comments please. The answer will be posted later today

Hillary’s Latest Headache: Skolkovo

The subject of Russia’s influence in American politics has been a hot topic of late, particularly as the MSM continues to link Donald Trump to Vladimir Putin and the DNC hack. However, a report published by the Government Accountability Institutepresents a new twist in the Kremlin-US political ties. It all started with the 2009 “Russian reset” touted by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

As detailed in a WSJ op-ed by Peter Schweizer (author of the GAI report), after President Obama visited Russia in 2009, both nations agreed to “identifying areas of cooperation and pursuing joint projects and actions that strengthen strategic stability, international security, economic well-being, and the development of ties between the Russian and American people.”

One such project was Skolkovo, an “innovation city” of 30,000 people on the outskirts of Moscow, billed as Russia’s version of Silicon Valley. As chief diplomat, Hillary was in charge of courting US companies to invest in this new Russian city. Russia, on the other hand, had committed to spend $5 billion over the next three years (2009-12).

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U.S. Border Protection Agcy. Advertises SAFE ZONES for Illegal Aliens

Just about any illegal alien can avoid arrest by following these simple rules, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) advertises in a post on its website’s homepage.

Providing a virtual "how-to" guide for illegal aliens in its“Sensitive Locations FAQs,” CBP explains that immigration laws are not to be enforced at any of a wide range of designated “sensitive locations” – so that illegal aliens may be “free” to live their lives “without fear or hesitation”:

“The policies provide that enforcement actions at or focused on sensitive locations such as schools, places of worship, and hospitals should generally be avoided, and that such actions may only take place when (a) prior approval is obtained from an appropriate supervisory official, or (b) there are exigent circumstances necessitating immediate action without supervisor approval. The policies are meant to ensure that ICE and CBP officers and agents exercise sound judgment when enforcing federal law at or focused on sensitive locations, to enhance the public understanding and trust, and to ensure that people seeking to participate in activities or utilize services provided at any sensitive location are free to do so, without fear or hesitation.”

“This policy is designed to ensure that these enforcement actions do not occurat nor are focused on sensitive locations such as schools and churches” without meeting special exceptions, the ICE Sensitive Locations Policy states.

Locations covered by these policies include, but are not limited to:
Schools, such as known and licensed daycares, pre-schools and other early learning programs; primary schools; secondary schools; post-secondary schools up to and including colleges and universities; as well as scholastic or education-related activities or events, and school bus stops that are marked and/or known to the officer, during periods when school children are present at the stop;
Medical treatment and health care facilities, such as hospitals, doctors’ offices, accredited health clinics, and emergent or urgent care facilities;
Places of worship, such as churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples;
Religious or civil ceremonies or observances, such as funerals and weddings; and
During public demonstration, such as a march, rally, or parade.

So, almost any illegal alien can escape arrest by either walking with a second person (a march), attending some type of class, or finding a nearby church, medical facility or school bus stop.

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DNC Prays to 'God of Many Names'

Methodist pastor invokes one world religion

An invocation by a Methodist pastor at the Democratic National Convention last week called on Hillary supporters to pray to a “God of many names.”

“O God of many names, we know that You call us to work hard to bring people together,” Reverend Bill Shillady opened his remarks during the last night of the Democratic National Convention.

The comments carry eerily ominous tones portending a one world religion, in which one prescribed “God” would rule all, and dovetail sentiments espoused by Pope Francis calling for “a new humanity” and insisting Christians and Muslims both “worship the one God…”

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Trump Blasts CNN: Soon to be ‘least trusted name in news’ if they keep Shilling for Hillary

Trump has previously labeled CNN the “Clinton News Network”

GOP presidential candidate Donald Trump slammed cable news network CNN on Monday in a series of tweets accusing them of shilling for Democrat opponent Hillary Clinton.

Ranting about the unfair coverage and constant barrage of attacks from the “Most Trusted Name in News,” Trump blasted the network, its reports and its anchors for openly backing the former Secretary of State.

Trump also warned that if the network continued their dishonest reporting, it would soon see its “trustworthiness” sink like that of “Crooked” Hillary Clinton.

Attention