How to judge the effectiveness of the economic recovery since 2008 is a challenge?
Many laud the Federal Reserve for it's actions to stave off a possible depression. The Federal Reserve's policies have certainly helped to promote new record highs in financial assets across the spectrum. These policies have resulted in a great rise in household net worth yet has created the fewest net new full time jobs and real income increases since WWII. The chart below shows the household net worth (the combined valuation of all privately held stock, real estate, bonds, etc.) as a percentage of disposable income (what is left after paying taxes) and calls out the decelerating full time job creation.
But as Ray Dalio noted yesterday HERE, the recovery is only a recovery for the wealthy. As the chart below from the Fed's own Survey of Consumer Finances shows, all the record growth in household net worth has gone to the top 20% of income earners since 2007 while the remainder have seen declining net worth.
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DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Saturday, October 28, 2017
Central Banks Are Now Cornered
Central Banks are in VERY serious trouble.
By creating a bubble in sovereign bonds, which I call The Everything Bubble, they were hoping to corner all risk.
The problem with this, is that in order to create this bubble, they had to print trillions of dollars worth of money and use this money to buy bonds. And that money printing (now to the tune of $15 trillion) has unleashed inflation.
Why is this a problem?
Because inflation makes bond prices FALL as bond yields rise to accommodate the higher inflation rate. And when bond prices fall, the bond bubble bursts.
Take a look at high yield/junk bonds. We’re right at the bull market trendline.
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By creating a bubble in sovereign bonds, which I call The Everything Bubble, they were hoping to corner all risk.
The problem with this, is that in order to create this bubble, they had to print trillions of dollars worth of money and use this money to buy bonds. And that money printing (now to the tune of $15 trillion) has unleashed inflation.
Why is this a problem?
Because inflation makes bond prices FALL as bond yields rise to accommodate the higher inflation rate. And when bond prices fall, the bond bubble bursts.
Take a look at high yield/junk bonds. We’re right at the bull market trendline.
More
Fusion GPS scandal: Clinton, DNC broke campaign finance law with dossier funding, complaint says
The revelation that Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee helped fund a salacious anti-Trump dossier last year is raising new legal questions for the Clinton team — with a watchdog group filing a formal complaint alleging they hid the payments from public view.
The Campaign Legal Center filed the complaint Wednesday with the Federal Election Commission, accusing the DNC and Clinton’s campaign committee of breaking campaign finance law by failing to accurately disclose the money spent on the Trump-Russia dossier.
“Questions about who paid for this dossier are the subject of intense public interest, and this is precisely the information that FEC reports are supposed to provide,” Brendan Fischer of the Campaign Legal Center said in a statement to Fox News.
The Washington Post reported this week — and Fox News confirmed — that the political consulting firm Fusion GPS was retained last year by Marc E. Elias, an attorney representing the DNC and the Clinton campaign. The firm then hired former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele to write the now-infamous dossier.
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The Campaign Legal Center filed the complaint Wednesday with the Federal Election Commission, accusing the DNC and Clinton’s campaign committee of breaking campaign finance law by failing to accurately disclose the money spent on the Trump-Russia dossier.
“Questions about who paid for this dossier are the subject of intense public interest, and this is precisely the information that FEC reports are supposed to provide,” Brendan Fischer of the Campaign Legal Center said in a statement to Fox News.
The Washington Post reported this week — and Fox News confirmed — that the political consulting firm Fusion GPS was retained last year by Marc E. Elias, an attorney representing the DNC and the Clinton campaign. The firm then hired former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele to write the now-infamous dossier.
More
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/10/26/fusion-gps-scandal-clinton-dnc-broke-campaign-finance-law-with-dossier-funding-complaint-says.html
Krieger Rages "'America First' Is A Joke. Wall Street Wins Again"
I know I must sound like a broken record by now, but Wall Street owns the U.S. economy and until that’s dealt with, the American public will continue to be preyed upon voraciously and lawlessly by some of the most unethical parasites the world has ever seen. Obama was a historical disaster on this issue, coddling and protecting banker oligarchs every step of the way. Trump’s no different.
The latest evidence that things are getting even worse came last evening when the U.S. Senate voted to deliver Wall Street another gift on a silver platter.
Rather than summarize what happened, let’s turn to two of the best resources on such topics, journalist David Dayen and finance focused website Wall Street on Parade.
First, here are a few excerpts from David’s latest article published at The Intercept, After Day of Feuding, Jeff Flake and Bob Corker Join Trump to Upend a Major Consumer Protection:
With national attention focused Tuesday morning on a mushrooming feud between President Trump and Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., followed by a feud in the afternoon between Trump and Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., the Senate gift-wrapped the biggest present Congress has so far bestowed upon Wall Street in the Trump era.
With a razor-thin margin, the Senate passed a resolution to nullify a signature regulation from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which banned forced arbitration provisions. Such clauses, tucked into the fine print of contracts that nobody reads, deny consumers the ability to contest claims through a class-action lawsuit, and can allow banks and other financial institutions to rip off their customers with virtual impunity.
Both Sens. Corker and Flake, along with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., joined in the effort to give Trump a major win, even if it will hurt many of his own voters. Consumer advocates had hoped that moderate Republicans Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine would block the GOP effort. They did not.
The vote was split 50-50, which required Vice President Mike Pence to break the tie.
More
The latest evidence that things are getting even worse came last evening when the U.S. Senate voted to deliver Wall Street another gift on a silver platter.
Rather than summarize what happened, let’s turn to two of the best resources on such topics, journalist David Dayen and finance focused website Wall Street on Parade.
First, here are a few excerpts from David’s latest article published at The Intercept, After Day of Feuding, Jeff Flake and Bob Corker Join Trump to Upend a Major Consumer Protection:
With national attention focused Tuesday morning on a mushrooming feud between President Trump and Sen. Bob Corker, R-Tenn., followed by a feud in the afternoon between Trump and Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., the Senate gift-wrapped the biggest present Congress has so far bestowed upon Wall Street in the Trump era.
With a razor-thin margin, the Senate passed a resolution to nullify a signature regulation from the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, which banned forced arbitration provisions. Such clauses, tucked into the fine print of contracts that nobody reads, deny consumers the ability to contest claims through a class-action lawsuit, and can allow banks and other financial institutions to rip off their customers with virtual impunity.
Both Sens. Corker and Flake, along with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., joined in the effort to give Trump a major win, even if it will hurt many of his own voters. Consumer advocates had hoped that moderate Republicans Lisa Murkowski of Alaska and Susan Collins of Maine would block the GOP effort. They did not.
The vote was split 50-50, which required Vice President Mike Pence to break the tie.
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Farmer dead after cow rebels against him
This was one mad cow.
A Georgia farmer was killed Wednesday morning when a cow he was attempting to move ultimately turned against him, according to the Rome-News Tribune.
The cow reportedly rammed farmer Nathan William Paris against a fence, causing massive chest trauma.
First responders attempted to revive the 72-year-old farmer to no avail. He was rushed to an emergency room where he was pronounced dead.
“It’s the first time in a long time that I can recall a death attributed to a farm animal,” Floyd County Coroner Gene Proctor told the Rome-News Tribune.
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A Georgia farmer was killed Wednesday morning when a cow he was attempting to move ultimately turned against him, according to the Rome-News Tribune.
The cow reportedly rammed farmer Nathan William Paris against a fence, causing massive chest trauma.
First responders attempted to revive the 72-year-old farmer to no avail. He was rushed to an emergency room where he was pronounced dead.
“It’s the first time in a long time that I can recall a death attributed to a farm animal,” Floyd County Coroner Gene Proctor told the Rome-News Tribune.
More
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/10/26/farmer-dead-after-cow-rebels-against-him.html
J. Edgar Hoover: "Need To Convince Public That Oswald Is Real Assassin"
Amid the thousands of new files released yesterday - though less than expected - were two intriguing memos to, and from, FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover on November 24th, 1963 - the day that Jack Ruby killed Lee Harvey Oswald as the gunman was being transported to the Dallas County Jail after the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
In a memo issued by Hoover, he appeared to be particularly concerned that the public would have to be compelled to believe that Oswald was a lone actor - not part of a larger conspiracy.
"There is nothing further on the Oswald case except that he is dead."
In the 1964 Warren Report on Kennedy's assassination, NBC notes, Hoover was firm in stating that he hadn't seen "any scintilla of evidence" suggesting a conspiracy - a sentiment he expressed in other public forums, as well, but not in words as blunt as those he used the day Oswald was killed.
Referring to Nicholas Katzenbach, the deputy attorney general at the time, Hoover dictated:
"The thing I am concerned about, and so is Mr. Katzenbach, is having something issued so we can convince the public that Oswald is the real assassin."
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In a memo issued by Hoover, he appeared to be particularly concerned that the public would have to be compelled to believe that Oswald was a lone actor - not part of a larger conspiracy.
"There is nothing further on the Oswald case except that he is dead."
In the 1964 Warren Report on Kennedy's assassination, NBC notes, Hoover was firm in stating that he hadn't seen "any scintilla of evidence" suggesting a conspiracy - a sentiment he expressed in other public forums, as well, but not in words as blunt as those he used the day Oswald was killed.
Referring to Nicholas Katzenbach, the deputy attorney general at the time, Hoover dictated:
"The thing I am concerned about, and so is Mr. Katzenbach, is having something issued so we can convince the public that Oswald is the real assassin."
More
Which Major U.S. Cities Have the Highest Sales Tax Rates?
The Tax Foundation issued the ranking, which looks at rates as of July 1 in U.S. cities with populations over 200,000.
Combined state and local sales tax rates in Long Beach and Chicago check in at 10.25 percent, according to the foundation's report. Contributing to that total rate is a local sales tax of 3 percent in Long Beach and 4 percent in Chicago. State tax accounts for the rest.
Baton Rouge and New Orleans, Louisiana and Birmingham and Montgomery, Alabama are next on the list with combined sales tax rates of 10 percent. In both of the Alabama cities, 6 percent of the total rate is local and 4 percent is state. In the Louisiana cities, the rate is evenly divided at 5 percent state, 5 percent local.
The chart below shows the 13 cities with the highest combined rates.
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The End of Ron Burgundy? FCC Kills Local Newsroom Requirement
Over the last six months, the Federal Communications Commission has eliminated requirements that have kept local news broadcasting a mainstay of local television, culminating with a vote on Tuesday that removed a requirement for local broadcasters to maintain newsrooms in the communities they serve. The outcome will likely be the elimination of many American communities’ primary lens for understanding the impact of local politics and policies, as well as a primary source of guidance when emergencies occur.
Until today, the so-called “main studio rule” required “each AM, FM, and television broadcast station to maintain a main studio located in or near its community of license … to ensure stations would be accessible and responsive to their communities,” according to the FCC. In Tuesday’s 3-to-2 party line vote, the FCC chose to eliminate that rule two years shy of its 80th birthday.
Without the main studio rule, national corporations that own most local television broadcast stations—NBC Universal, Tribune Media and Sinclair Broadcast Group—can eliminate the overhead costs of a local studio and produce programming out of their main offices in New York, Chicago, and the Baltimore suburbs, respectively.
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Until today, the so-called “main studio rule” required “each AM, FM, and television broadcast station to maintain a main studio located in or near its community of license … to ensure stations would be accessible and responsive to their communities,” according to the FCC. In Tuesday’s 3-to-2 party line vote, the FCC chose to eliminate that rule two years shy of its 80th birthday.
Without the main studio rule, national corporations that own most local television broadcast stations—NBC Universal, Tribune Media and Sinclair Broadcast Group—can eliminate the overhead costs of a local studio and produce programming out of their main offices in New York, Chicago, and the Baltimore suburbs, respectively.
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Think you have a housing problem? Why Philly says it doesn't
Does your city have an affordable housing shortage? Many cities think they have one, but one Philadelphia councilman says if you’re focused on housing, you’re focusing on the wrong problem.
He says a housing problem is really a jobs problem. If you could raise the standard of living through better jobs, homes, he says, would be affordable.
Of course, that may be an over-simplification. A city can’t survive with tech workers alone. But he does have a point that’s worth exploring. There are two sides to the affordable housing equation, and the jobs side often has untapped potential.
Philadelphia was one of the five inaugural winners of our Smart Cities Council Readiness Challenge Grants. Act now to apply for one of our 2018 grants. — Kevin Ebi
If your city had a shortage of affordable housing in 2010, it’s probably in an affordable housing crisis today, according to a new analysis by mortgage lender Freddie Mac.
The report finds that the number of apartments within reach of very low income people has dropped by 60% over that period of time. In some states — North Carolina, Washington, Florida, Georgia and California, in particular — it found almost no units they could afford.
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He says a housing problem is really a jobs problem. If you could raise the standard of living through better jobs, homes, he says, would be affordable.
Of course, that may be an over-simplification. A city can’t survive with tech workers alone. But he does have a point that’s worth exploring. There are two sides to the affordable housing equation, and the jobs side often has untapped potential.
Philadelphia was one of the five inaugural winners of our Smart Cities Council Readiness Challenge Grants. Act now to apply for one of our 2018 grants. — Kevin Ebi
If your city had a shortage of affordable housing in 2010, it’s probably in an affordable housing crisis today, according to a new analysis by mortgage lender Freddie Mac.
The report finds that the number of apartments within reach of very low income people has dropped by 60% over that period of time. In some states — North Carolina, Washington, Florida, Georgia and California, in particular — it found almost no units they could afford.
More
WSJ Editorial Board: Robert Mueller Should Resign from Russia Probe
The Wall Street Journal’s editorial board called Thursday for FBI Special Counsel Robert Mueller to step down from his role in investigating alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election, saying that he lacks the “critical distance” to analyze recent revelations about the FBI’s role in the saga.
“It is no slur against Mr. Mueller’s integrity to say that he lacks the critical distance to conduct a credible probe of the bureau he ran for a dozen years,” the Journal’s editorial board wrote. “He could best serve the country by resigning to prevent further political turmoil over that conflict of interest.”
The board was writing in response to recent reports that suggest the FBI uncovered evidence of the Russian bribery and money laundering in the U.S. ahead of a 2010 decision by the Obama administration to green-light the partial sale of the Canadian firm Uranium One to Russian energy giant Rosatom. The deal transferred control of 20 percent of U.S. uranium stocks to the Russians.
More here
“It is no slur against Mr. Mueller’s integrity to say that he lacks the critical distance to conduct a credible probe of the bureau he ran for a dozen years,” the Journal’s editorial board wrote. “He could best serve the country by resigning to prevent further political turmoil over that conflict of interest.”
The board was writing in response to recent reports that suggest the FBI uncovered evidence of the Russian bribery and money laundering in the U.S. ahead of a 2010 decision by the Obama administration to green-light the partial sale of the Canadian firm Uranium One to Russian energy giant Rosatom. The deal transferred control of 20 percent of U.S. uranium stocks to the Russians.
More here
Trump Temporary Travel Ban Ends
Donald Trump’s temporary ban on refugees came to an end on Tuesday, but with it came a new executive order from the president that enacts “extreme vetting” on individuals seeking to enter the U.S. from 11 nations deemed hostile to America. As a senior official further explained, “There will be a general resumption of refugee admissions under this exec order, while that review is ongoing refugee admissions from the 11 countries will be considered on a case by case basis and poses no threat to the welfare of the United States.”
Recall that Trump’s initial order was aimed at reviewing and strengthening the refugee vetting process that had come under increased criticism during Barack Obama’s time in office. The new vetting process comes with enhanced screening and security protocols, with officials prioritizing cracking down on drug offenders, human traffickers, smugglers and individuals tied to terrorist organizations or activities.
The new vetting measures include the addition of new fraud detection officers who will be deployed overseas to help assist current vetting officials. “It’s not in our interest to bring people into our country with views hostile to the United States,” said a senior administration official. That should be a no-brainer, but it wasn’t under Obama.
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Kimberley Strassel: The Fusion GPS bombshells have just begun to drop
The confirmation this week that Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee paid an opposition-research firm for a “dossier” on Donald Trump is bombshell news. More bombshells are to come.
The Fusion GPS saga isn’t over. The Clinton-DNC funding is but a first glimpse into the shady election doings concealed within that oppo-research firm’s walls. We now know where Fusion got some of its cash, but the next question is how the firm used it. With whom did it work beyond former British spy Christopher Steele ? Whom did it pay? Who else was paying it?
This probe of the Democratic Party’s Russian dalliance has a long, long way to go.
The answers are in Fusion’s bank records. Fusion has doggedly refused to divulge the names of its clients for months now, despite extraordinary pressure. So why did the firm suddenly insist that middleman law firm Perkins Coie release Fusion from confidentiality agreements, and spill the beans on who hired it?
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The Fusion GPS saga isn’t over. The Clinton-DNC funding is but a first glimpse into the shady election doings concealed within that oppo-research firm’s walls. We now know where Fusion got some of its cash, but the next question is how the firm used it. With whom did it work beyond former British spy Christopher Steele ? Whom did it pay? Who else was paying it?
This probe of the Democratic Party’s Russian dalliance has a long, long way to go.
The answers are in Fusion’s bank records. Fusion has doggedly refused to divulge the names of its clients for months now, despite extraordinary pressure. So why did the firm suddenly insist that middleman law firm Perkins Coie release Fusion from confidentiality agreements, and spill the beans on who hired it?
More
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2017/10/27/kimberley-strassel-fusion-gps-bombshells-have-just-begun-to-drop.html
John Lewis wishes a 'Happy Birthday' to 'Madame President' Hillary Clinton
Democratic Rep. John Lewis (Ga.) wished a happy birthday to "Madame President Hillary Clinton" on Tuesday afternoon, even though Clinton is not actually president of the United States.
President Donald Trump won the 2016 presidential election, defeating Clinton with an upset victory in November. But that did not stop Lewis from describing Clinton as the commander in chief on her 70th birthday.
Happy Birthday, Madame President @HillaryClinton
Lewis was one of dozens of members of Congress who boycotted Trump's inauguration in January.
http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/10/27/john-lewis-wishes-happy-birthday-to-madame-president-hillary-clinton.html
DoD Plans Solar-Storm-Based National Blackout DRILL In November
According to The National Association for Amateur Radio (ARRL), elements of the US Department of Defense (DOD) will simulate a “communications interoperability” training exercise across the United States on November 04-06.
The announcement released on October 24 has not been widely distributed to the media, because the drill is simulating a total grid collapse and could spark public fear.
Explained by Army MARS Program Manager Paul English,
“This exercise will begin with a national massive coronal mass ejection event which will impact the national power grid as well as all forms of traditional communication, including landline telephone, cellphone, satellite, and Internet connectivity,”
In July, we warned about the US government quietly preparing for a massive coronal mass ejection with the passage of an Executive Order - “Coordinating Efforts to Prepare the Nation for Space Weather Events”.
Back in April 2017, we wrote an article titled ‘Yesterday’s Broad Power Outage Likely Caused By Geomagnetic Storm‘. While everyone thought terrorism was to blame, we correctly pointed out that large power failures in major US cities were due to an intense geomagnetic storm registering 8-10 on K-Planetary Index.
The US Department of Defense headquarters entity will work with the US Army and US Air Force-MARS organizations and the Amateur Radio community to request status reports for 3,143 US counties. During the exercise, communication frequencies will use HF NVIS, VHF, UHF, and non-internet-linked Amateur Radio repeaters.
More here
[This is the same weekend that Antifa protests are planned. --Editor]
The announcement released on October 24 has not been widely distributed to the media, because the drill is simulating a total grid collapse and could spark public fear.
Explained by Army MARS Program Manager Paul English,
“This exercise will begin with a national massive coronal mass ejection event which will impact the national power grid as well as all forms of traditional communication, including landline telephone, cellphone, satellite, and Internet connectivity,”
In July, we warned about the US government quietly preparing for a massive coronal mass ejection with the passage of an Executive Order - “Coordinating Efforts to Prepare the Nation for Space Weather Events”.
Back in April 2017, we wrote an article titled ‘Yesterday’s Broad Power Outage Likely Caused By Geomagnetic Storm‘. While everyone thought terrorism was to blame, we correctly pointed out that large power failures in major US cities were due to an intense geomagnetic storm registering 8-10 on K-Planetary Index.
The US Department of Defense headquarters entity will work with the US Army and US Air Force-MARS organizations and the Amateur Radio community to request status reports for 3,143 US counties. During the exercise, communication frequencies will use HF NVIS, VHF, UHF, and non-internet-linked Amateur Radio repeaters.
More here
[This is the same weekend that Antifa protests are planned. --Editor]
Gulf War Syndrome DNA Damage Found by Rutgers, VA Scientists
Gulf War Syndrome is one of the medical mysteries of our time. Thousands of veterans of the 1990-1991 conflict have debilitating fatigue, insomnia, cognitive problems, and headaches – but there’s never been a definitive explanation, diagnostic – or treatment.
But the damage has now been identified in the DNA of affected veterans – potentially leading to cures,reports a team of scientists from Rutgers Medical School and the Veterans Affairs New Jersey Health Care System in the online journal PLoSONE.
The deepest dive into the mitochondrial DNA may help explain how elusive the symptoms are, they write.
“Mitochondrial dysfunction among veterans with (Gulf War Illness) may help explain, in part, the persistence of this illness for over 25 years,” they write. “Chemical and environmental exposures during deployment may have provided the initial insult to mtDNA and accumulation of damage.
“Damaged mtDNA may subsequently impact the efficiency of electron transport chain complexes and activity, resulting in enhanced reactive oxygen species and further damage of mtDNA,” they write.
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But the damage has now been identified in the DNA of affected veterans – potentially leading to cures,reports a team of scientists from Rutgers Medical School and the Veterans Affairs New Jersey Health Care System in the online journal PLoSONE.
The deepest dive into the mitochondrial DNA may help explain how elusive the symptoms are, they write.
“Mitochondrial dysfunction among veterans with (Gulf War Illness) may help explain, in part, the persistence of this illness for over 25 years,” they write. “Chemical and environmental exposures during deployment may have provided the initial insult to mtDNA and accumulation of damage.
“Damaged mtDNA may subsequently impact the efficiency of electron transport chain complexes and activity, resulting in enhanced reactive oxygen species and further damage of mtDNA,” they write.
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Britain OKs Making Babies From DNA of 3 People in Some Cases
Britain's fertility regulator has approved controversial techniques allowing doctors to create babies using DNA from three people - what it called a "historic" decision to help prevent a small number of children from inheriting potentially fatal diseases from their mothers.
The regulator's chair, Sally Chesire, on Thursday described it as a "life-changing" moment for families who might benefit from the treatment.
"Parents at very high risk of having a child with a life-threatening mitochondrial disease may soon have the chance of a healthy, genetically related child," she said in a statement.
The new procedures are intended to fix problems linked to mitochondria, the energy-producing structures outside a cell's nucleus. Faulty mitochondria can result in conditions including muscular dystrophy, major organ failure and severe muscle weakness.
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The regulator's chair, Sally Chesire, on Thursday described it as a "life-changing" moment for families who might benefit from the treatment.
"Parents at very high risk of having a child with a life-threatening mitochondrial disease may soon have the chance of a healthy, genetically related child," she said in a statement.
The new procedures are intended to fix problems linked to mitochondria, the energy-producing structures outside a cell's nucleus. Faulty mitochondria can result in conditions including muscular dystrophy, major organ failure and severe muscle weakness.
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More Expensive National Parks May Threaten Access to Nature
The proposed entrance fee increase could price out minority and low-income Americans, experts warn.
Under a new proposal from the National Park Service, 17 of the most popular U.S. national parks could see entrance fees for weeklong passes increase from around $25 to $30 to $70 for a single private vehicle.
Fees would also increase to $50 per motorcycle and $30 per person on bike or foot. The near doubling in park fees is expected to generate an additional $70 million annually, which the NPS says would pay for the parks' neglected infrastructure.
Fee increases would go into effect during the five-month season that parks are most visited. The exact duration of these peak seasons vary by park but generally begin in late spring.
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Under a new proposal from the National Park Service, 17 of the most popular U.S. national parks could see entrance fees for weeklong passes increase from around $25 to $30 to $70 for a single private vehicle.
Fees would also increase to $50 per motorcycle and $30 per person on bike or foot. The near doubling in park fees is expected to generate an additional $70 million annually, which the NPS says would pay for the parks' neglected infrastructure.
Fee increases would go into effect during the five-month season that parks are most visited. The exact duration of these peak seasons vary by park but generally begin in late spring.
More
What Is Considered Middle Class? Are You in America's Middle Class?
Middle-class income is between 67 percent and 200 percent of the average median income. That's according to the Pew Research Center. There's no official U.S. government definition of middle-class income, as there is of the federal poverty level.
The average median income is exactly in the middle of the range of incomes. Half of Americans make more and the other half make less. The U.S. Census Bureau reported that the average median income was $56,516 per household in 2015.
A household is any group of people who live together.
Using the Pew Research percentages, that means households making less than $37,866 are low income. Households earning at least $113,032 are high income.
Current Middle-Class Income Range
What proportion of the 125.8 million U.S. households falls into each income range? The Census Bureau ranges don't coincide exactly with the Pew definitions, but this will give you a general idea.
The table below shows that 32 percent of households are low income. They earn less than $35,000 a year. They fall within Pew's low-income range of $0-$37,866 per year. Within this low-income group are those who live below the federal poverty line. That means 22 percent of all households earn less than $25,000 a year.
Around 42 percent of households are middle class. They earn between $35,000 and $100,000 a year.
A little more than 26 percent of households earn more than $100,000 a year.
More
The average median income is exactly in the middle of the range of incomes. Half of Americans make more and the other half make less. The U.S. Census Bureau reported that the average median income was $56,516 per household in 2015.
A household is any group of people who live together.
Using the Pew Research percentages, that means households making less than $37,866 are low income. Households earning at least $113,032 are high income.
Current Middle-Class Income Range
What proportion of the 125.8 million U.S. households falls into each income range? The Census Bureau ranges don't coincide exactly with the Pew definitions, but this will give you a general idea.
The table below shows that 32 percent of households are low income. They earn less than $35,000 a year. They fall within Pew's low-income range of $0-$37,866 per year. Within this low-income group are those who live below the federal poverty line. That means 22 percent of all households earn less than $25,000 a year.
Around 42 percent of households are middle class. They earn between $35,000 and $100,000 a year.
A little more than 26 percent of households earn more than $100,000 a year.
More
Noncitizens Voted In PA Elections
A Pennsylvania election official confirmed Wednesday that noncitizen immigrants illegally voted in elections hundreds of times since 2000, casting doubt on the state’s ability to screen out ineligible voters on its election roles.
Jonathan Marks, commissioner for Pennsylvania’s Bureau of Commissions, Elections and Legislation, told a state legislative committee that an agency analysis found 544 improper ballots cast between 2000 through 2017.
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Jonathan Marks, commissioner for Pennsylvania’s Bureau of Commissions, Elections and Legislation, told a state legislative committee that an agency analysis found 544 improper ballots cast between 2000 through 2017.
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Pentagon Recommends Requiring Women to Sign Up for Draft
The report, obtained by the Washington Times, said the Selective Service System would increase enrollment by 11 million people if the U.S. required women to sign up for the draft.
“It appears that, for the most part, expanding registration for the draft to include women would enhance further the benefits presently associated with the Selective Service System,” the report said.
Only male citizens and immigrants between the ages of 18 and 25 are currently required to sign up for the draft, according to the Selective Service System website.
More here
McConnell Advances Six Judicial Nominees, Base and Republicans Push for More
Senate Republicans confirmed one federal judge on Thursday and set the stage to confirm five more judges next week, including to federal appeals courts across the nation. While these are victories for President Donald Trump, conservatives caution senators that this week’s developments are a good start, but not enough to satisfy them when it comes to the federal courts.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) filed for cloture on five judicial nominees, one to the federal trial court in Washington, D.C., and the other four to the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Third, Sixth, Seventh, and Tenth Circuits. The federal appeals courts are just one step down from the U.S. Supreme Court.
McConnell lamented that despite the fact that “the well-qualified men and women the president has nominated enjoy substantial bipartisan support,” Democrats are abusing Senate rules and precedent to create “partisan procedural hurdles” that cannot deny the ultimate outcome of confirmation but can burn up hundreds of hours of time that could go to other priorities.
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Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) filed for cloture on five judicial nominees, one to the federal trial court in Washington, D.C., and the other four to the U.S. Courts of Appeals for the Third, Sixth, Seventh, and Tenth Circuits. The federal appeals courts are just one step down from the U.S. Supreme Court.
McConnell lamented that despite the fact that “the well-qualified men and women the president has nominated enjoy substantial bipartisan support,” Democrats are abusing Senate rules and precedent to create “partisan procedural hurdles” that cannot deny the ultimate outcome of confirmation but can burn up hundreds of hours of time that could go to other priorities.
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Washington, Lee memorials to be removed from church sanctuary in effort to be 'welcoming' to all
Christ Church Alexandria’s vestry says move was to provide ‘welcoming’ worship space for all
An historic Episcopal parish where George Washington frequently worshiped has decided to remove a memorial plaque honoring the nation’s first president, saying the decision was out of a desire to provide a “welcoming” worship space for all visitors. The church will also remove a similar memorial plague honoring Robert E. Lee, the commander of Confederate Army of Northern Virginia.
The vestry of Christ Church in Alexandria, Virginia, announced its unanimous decision in an Oct. 26 letter, The Republican Standard website reported Thursday. The letter suggests that while initially the concern was over honoring the Confederate military leader, Washington’s slave ownership was a factor in the decision to remove his plaque as well.
“We understand that both Washington and Lee lived in times much different than our own, and that each man, in addition to his public persona, was a complicated human being, and like all of us, a child of God,” Christ Church’s vestry said. “Today, the legacy of slavery and of the Confederacy is understood differently than it was in 1870. For some, Lee symbolizes the attempt to overthrow the Union and to preserve slavery. Today our country is trying once again to come to grips with the history of slavery and the subsequent disenfranchisement of people of color.
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An historic Episcopal parish where George Washington frequently worshiped has decided to remove a memorial plaque honoring the nation’s first president, saying the decision was out of a desire to provide a “welcoming” worship space for all visitors. The church will also remove a similar memorial plague honoring Robert E. Lee, the commander of Confederate Army of Northern Virginia.
The vestry of Christ Church in Alexandria, Virginia, announced its unanimous decision in an Oct. 26 letter, The Republican Standard website reported Thursday. The letter suggests that while initially the concern was over honoring the Confederate military leader, Washington’s slave ownership was a factor in the decision to remove his plaque as well.
“We understand that both Washington and Lee lived in times much different than our own, and that each man, in addition to his public persona, was a complicated human being, and like all of us, a child of God,” Christ Church’s vestry said. “Today, the legacy of slavery and of the Confederacy is understood differently than it was in 1870. For some, Lee symbolizes the attempt to overthrow the Union and to preserve slavery. Today our country is trying once again to come to grips with the history of slavery and the subsequent disenfranchisement of people of color.
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Why doesn’t Hillary’s ‘dossier’ trick count as treason?
What’s the difference between the infamous Russian dossier on Donald Trump and that random fake-news story you saw on Facebook last year? The latter was never used by America’s intelligence community to bolster its case for spying on American citizens nor was it the foundation for a year’s worth of media coverage.
Then again, you get what you pay for. We now know Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee paid as much as $9 million for the discredited dossier on Trump.
According to the Washington Post, a lawyer named Marc Elias, who represented both the 2016 Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee, had hired Fusion GPS, a DC firm working on behalf of the Russian government to soften sanctions at the time, to provide opposition research for them. The firm then hired a former British spy named Christopher Steele who reportedly purchased salacious rumors about Trump from the Russians.
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Then again, you get what you pay for. We now know Hillary Clinton and the Democratic National Committee paid as much as $9 million for the discredited dossier on Trump.
According to the Washington Post, a lawyer named Marc Elias, who represented both the 2016 Clinton campaign and the Democratic National Committee, had hired Fusion GPS, a DC firm working on behalf of the Russian government to soften sanctions at the time, to provide opposition research for them. The firm then hired a former British spy named Christopher Steele who reportedly purchased salacious rumors about Trump from the Russians.
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Mueller facing new Republican pressure to resign in Russia probe
Special Counsel Robert Mueller is facing a fresh round of calls from conservative critics for his resignation from the Russia collusion probe, amid revelations that have called into question the FBI’s own actions and potentially Mueller’s independence.
This week’s bombshell that a controversial anti-Trump dossier was funded by the Democratic National Committee and Clinton campaign has Republicans asking to what extent the FBI – which received some of the findings and briefly agreed to pay the same researcher to gather intelligence on Trump and Russia – used the politically connected material.
Hill investigators also are looking into a Russian firm’s uranium deal that was approved by the Obama administration in 2010 despite reports that the FBI – then led by Mueller – had evidence of bribery involving a subsidiary of that firm.
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This week’s bombshell that a controversial anti-Trump dossier was funded by the Democratic National Committee and Clinton campaign has Republicans asking to what extent the FBI – which received some of the findings and briefly agreed to pay the same researcher to gather intelligence on Trump and Russia – used the politically connected material.
Hill investigators also are looking into a Russian firm’s uranium deal that was approved by the Obama administration in 2010 despite reports that the FBI – then led by Mueller – had evidence of bribery involving a subsidiary of that firm.
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Cops knew about Sandy Hook shooter’s plot for years
Adam Lanza expressed his desire to commit the Sandy Hook massacre years before the tragedy took place — and when a witness alerted police, cops said there was nothing they could do, newly released FBI documents reveal.
In 2008, the witness, whose name has been redacted, heard Lanza (inset) say that he had access to assault weapons and planned to kill students at the elementary school, along with his mother, Nancy Lanza, according to a cache of documents released this week.
“Lanza allegedly [said] that he planned to kill his mother and children at Sandy Hook in Newtown, Connecticut,” the document reads.
The revelation was first reported by The New York Times on Thursday.
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In 2008, the witness, whose name has been redacted, heard Lanza (inset) say that he had access to assault weapons and planned to kill students at the elementary school, along with his mother, Nancy Lanza, according to a cache of documents released this week.
“Lanza allegedly [said] that he planned to kill his mother and children at Sandy Hook in Newtown, Connecticut,” the document reads.
The revelation was first reported by The New York Times on Thursday.
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Carlos Reyes: Wasserman Schultz’s Possible Link to Russia Dossier
A GOP challenger to Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz wants the former Democratic National Committee (DNC) chairwoman “to come clean on her knowledge of payments” for the so-called Russia dossier.
“When you talk about draining the swamp, it starts with DWS,” Carlos Reyes, a congressional candidate for Florida’s District 23, tells Breitbart News.
In a press statement, Reyes says the report that the DNC, under Wasserman Schultz’s leadership, funded the Russia dossier “raises important questions.”
“What did Debbie Wasserman Schultz know when she approved the payment of $3.6 million dollars to Marc E. Elias of the Perkins Coie law firm for the Kremlin assisted research project?” the Miami-born, Cuban American asks. Wasserman Shultz has, however, denied knowing about the arrangement by both the DNC and Hillary Clinton campaign to fund the opposition research that led to an FBI investigation into possible collusion between Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and the Russian government.
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“When you talk about draining the swamp, it starts with DWS,” Carlos Reyes, a congressional candidate for Florida’s District 23, tells Breitbart News.
In a press statement, Reyes says the report that the DNC, under Wasserman Schultz’s leadership, funded the Russia dossier “raises important questions.”
“What did Debbie Wasserman Schultz know when she approved the payment of $3.6 million dollars to Marc E. Elias of the Perkins Coie law firm for the Kremlin assisted research project?” the Miami-born, Cuban American asks. Wasserman Shultz has, however, denied knowing about the arrangement by both the DNC and Hillary Clinton campaign to fund the opposition research that led to an FBI investigation into possible collusion between Donald Trump’s presidential campaign and the Russian government.
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America showers Hillary with side-splitting birthday wishes
It’s Hillary Clinton’s 70th birthday Thursday, and Americans are sending her the hilarious birthday wishes she deserves – complete with uranium cakes, orange jumpsuits, deleted emails and even a surprise FBI informant to crash the party.
To celebrate her role in the Uranium One scandal in which Russia was given control of one-fifth of uranium mining in the U.S., former Trump adviser Sebastian Gorka sent the former first lady a special radioactive cake:
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Nolte: Hillary Colluded with Russians to Rig Election Against Trump
Although her lackeys in the media are trying to tell us that “opposition research” is the usual-usual for presidential campaigns, the Clinton campaign paying Fusion GPS millions of dollars to fabricate dirt against Trump, is nothing even close to standard operating procedure. If it was, the Clinton campaign would not have spent a full year lying to everyone about their role in producing what is now widely known as The Discredited Anti-Trump Russian Dossier.
Before we get to the proof of Hillary colluding with Russia, we need to debunk off a few of the narrative-myths the liars in the mainstream media continue to hurl.
Read more here
AG Sessions Blasts Judges for Blocking Trump's Executive Orders
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Thursday ripped federal judges for blocking executive orders issued by President Donald Trump, Politico reports.
"Some judges have failed to respect our representatives in Congress and failed to appropriately respect the prerogatives and perspectives of the executive branch," he said at a Heritage Foundation conference.
Sessions singled out federal district court Judge Nicholas Garaufis for saying that the Trump administration's decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program was "heartless," instead of making a legal argument against it.
"Rather than address that question, the court said the government 'can't come into court to espouse a position that is heartless. ' He didn't say it was unlawful. He said, 'I don't like your policy,'" the attorney general said.
"A judge's comments on policy like this is offensive, and it's disrespectful of the legislative and executive branches and to the fine attorneys in the Department of Justice . . . The Constitution gives judges no right to veto a president's actions because they disagree on policy grounds.
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"Some judges have failed to respect our representatives in Congress and failed to appropriately respect the prerogatives and perspectives of the executive branch," he said at a Heritage Foundation conference.
Sessions singled out federal district court Judge Nicholas Garaufis for saying that the Trump administration's decision to end the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals Program was "heartless," instead of making a legal argument against it.
"Rather than address that question, the court said the government 'can't come into court to espouse a position that is heartless. ' He didn't say it was unlawful. He said, 'I don't like your policy,'" the attorney general said.
"A judge's comments on policy like this is offensive, and it's disrespectful of the legislative and executive branches and to the fine attorneys in the Department of Justice . . . The Constitution gives judges no right to veto a president's actions because they disagree on policy grounds.
More here
The Coming Russia Bombshells
A judge may order Fusion GPS to give House investigators its bank records.
The confirmation this week that Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee paid an opposition-research firm for a “dossier” on Donald Trump is bombshell news. More bombshells are to come.
The Fusion GPS saga isn’t over. The Clinton-DNC funding is but a first glimpse into the shady election doings concealed within that oppo-research firm’s walls. We now know where Fusion got some of its cash, but the next question is how the firm used it. With whom did it work beyond former British spy Christopher Steele ? Whom did it pay? Who else was paying it?
The answers are in Fusion’s bank records. Fusion has doggedly refused to divulge the names of its clients for months now, despite extraordinary pressure. So why did the firm suddenly insist that middleman law firm Perkins Coie release Fusion from confidentiality agreements, and spill the beans on who hired it?
Because there’s something Fusion cares about keeping secret even more than the Clinton-DNC news..
More here
The confirmation this week that Hillary Clinton’s campaign and the Democratic National Committee paid an opposition-research firm for a “dossier” on Donald Trump is bombshell news. More bombshells are to come.
The Fusion GPS saga isn’t over. The Clinton-DNC funding is but a first glimpse into the shady election doings concealed within that oppo-research firm’s walls. We now know where Fusion got some of its cash, but the next question is how the firm used it. With whom did it work beyond former British spy Christopher Steele ? Whom did it pay? Who else was paying it?
The answers are in Fusion’s bank records. Fusion has doggedly refused to divulge the names of its clients for months now, despite extraordinary pressure. So why did the firm suddenly insist that middleman law firm Perkins Coie release Fusion from confidentiality agreements, and spill the beans on who hired it?
Because there’s something Fusion cares about keeping secret even more than the Clinton-DNC news..
More here
Hollow Apologies from the IRS Won’t Prevent Future Discrimination and Abuse
HOUSTON, TX - True the Vote founder Catherine Engelbrecht has released the following statement regarding the recent announcement of settlements in the Linchpins of Liberty v. United States and NorCal Tea Party Patriots v. IRS cases.
“The settlements are notable in that, for the first time, the IRS admitted their discrimination against conservative groups was wrong and unlawful. But what is to prevent it from happening again?
Hollow apologies from the IRS won’t prevent future discrimination and abuse. The American people deserve more”, said Engelbrecht, “True the Vote welcomes the Department of Justice’s offer to enter into settlement negotiations in our case, provided that the outcome produces meaningful protections for all organizations. Regardless of your political viewpoint, no one should ever be subjected to what we were put through.”
“True the Vote believes that an injunction is needed against the IRS to ensure that in the future, under Republican or Democrat administrations, political opponents are not targeted by the IRS for discriminatory and unlawful treatment,” said True the Vote attorney, Jim Bopp.
As of today, True the Vote’s lawsuit against the IRS remains unsettled.
(TrueTheVote)
“The settlements are notable in that, for the first time, the IRS admitted their discrimination against conservative groups was wrong and unlawful. But what is to prevent it from happening again?
Hollow apologies from the IRS won’t prevent future discrimination and abuse. The American people deserve more”, said Engelbrecht, “True the Vote welcomes the Department of Justice’s offer to enter into settlement negotiations in our case, provided that the outcome produces meaningful protections for all organizations. Regardless of your political viewpoint, no one should ever be subjected to what we were put through.”
“True the Vote believes that an injunction is needed against the IRS to ensure that in the future, under Republican or Democrat administrations, political opponents are not targeted by the IRS for discriminatory and unlawful treatment,” said True the Vote attorney, Jim Bopp.
As of today, True the Vote’s lawsuit against the IRS remains unsettled.
(TrueTheVote)
JFK Release: Second Shooter, UK Tipoff, CIA Media Infiltration, and LBJ Fingered In Coup
While yesterday’s pre-planned release of JFK files was significantly neutered at the request of the CIA and FBI, enraging Lou Dobbs among others, the 2800+ files which were released have been poured over extensively, revealing evidence of a second shooter, a massive CIA infiltration of the MSM, a tipoff phone call received 25 minutes before the assassination, and Soviet intelligence indicating the assassination was a coup involving LBJ among other things.
Summary of findings so far:
Two shooters, one escaped:
J. Edgar Hoover's comments suggest Oswald wasn't a shooter:
The evening of the assassination, J. Edgar Hoover told Lyndon Johnson’s aide, Walter Jenkins, “The thing I am concerned about, and so is Mr. Katsenbach, is having something issued so we can convince the public that Oswald is the real assassin.”
Christian College Makes Patriotism Course Mandatory
College of the Ozarks, a private Christian college in Missouri, is making it mandatory for all freshman to register for a military science class designed to encourage patriotism, Time magazine reported.
The course is called Patriotic Education and Fitness. It combines the college's prior physical education and patriotism requirements and adds military training. It will include rifle marksmanship, land navigation, and rope climbing, according to the magazine. It also will cover military customs and flag protocol, Time reported.
"We think there needs to be a more intentional program regarding our country and especially the military," College of the Ozarks President Jerry Davis told Time. "We don't think the military has been properly recognized, and students in general need to know more about the place of the military in the democracy."
"To train a better citizen, so to speak — I don't think there's a better way to do that than to remind students of the importance of the military and to be respectful of the country in which we live. Otherwise, this division that we all see in this culture will do great damage to the United States."
More here
The course is called Patriotic Education and Fitness. It combines the college's prior physical education and patriotism requirements and adds military training. It will include rifle marksmanship, land navigation, and rope climbing, according to the magazine. It also will cover military customs and flag protocol, Time reported.
"We think there needs to be a more intentional program regarding our country and especially the military," College of the Ozarks President Jerry Davis told Time. "We don't think the military has been properly recognized, and students in general need to know more about the place of the military in the democracy."
"To train a better citizen, so to speak — I don't think there's a better way to do that than to remind students of the importance of the military and to be respectful of the country in which we live. Otherwise, this division that we all see in this culture will do great damage to the United States."
More here
Major Virginia Newspaper Endorses Republican Gillespie for Governor
The Richmond Times-Dispatch, one of Virginia's biggest newspapers, on Friday endorsed Republican Ed Gillespie for governor.
In the last Virginia gubernatorial election, the Times-Dispatch did not endorse any candidate.
Gillespie is facing off against Democratic Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam for the office currently held by Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D.), a close friend of Bill and Hillary Clinton.
"Republican Ed Gillespie has run an energetic, inclusive, moderate-conservative, solutions-oriented campaign," the endorsement reads. "His detailed, in-depth proposals reflect a refreshing respect for the intelligence of the voters."
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In the last Virginia gubernatorial election, the Times-Dispatch did not endorse any candidate.
Gillespie is facing off against Democratic Lt. Gov. Ralph Northam for the office currently held by Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D.), a close friend of Bill and Hillary Clinton.
"Republican Ed Gillespie has run an energetic, inclusive, moderate-conservative, solutions-oriented campaign," the endorsement reads. "His detailed, in-depth proposals reflect a refreshing respect for the intelligence of the voters."
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Top Dems denied knowledge of payments to FusionGPS
Hillary Clinton's campaign chairman John Podesta and former Democratic National Committee chairwoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz both privately denied to congressional Russia investigators that they had any knowledge about an arrangement to pay for opposition research on President Donald Trump, three sources familiar with the matter told CNN.
The interviews happened before this week's disclosure that the Clinton campaign and DNC paid for the research. Senate investigators may seek to further question the two top Democrats and dig deeper on the origins of the so-called Trump dossier, one of the sources briefed on the matter said.
Their remarks to congressional investigators raise the stakes in their assertion that they knew nothing about the funding because it's against the law to make false statements to Congress.
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The interviews happened before this week's disclosure that the Clinton campaign and DNC paid for the research. Senate investigators may seek to further question the two top Democrats and dig deeper on the origins of the so-called Trump dossier, one of the sources briefed on the matter said.
Their remarks to congressional investigators raise the stakes in their assertion that they knew nothing about the funding because it's against the law to make false statements to Congress.
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WBAL anchor Lacee Griffith has water break on live TV, later gives birth to baby girl
In a Facebook Live video Thursday, Griffith said she was running in her heels to the anchor desk to deliver the traffic, when she felt her water break.
“I just am getting to the desk and [anchor Jason Newton] is looking at me like, ‘What is happening? … I didn’t know what was happening because this was my first baby.” said Griffith, from her bed in Sinai Hospital in Baltimore. When it was her cue, Griffith said she could barely put together a sentence.
“I was trying to do my best to say something that made any sense.”
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Man Accused of Setting Up Hidden Camera in Target Changing Room
A man from Appleton, Wisconsin, was charged on Monday with placing a hidden camera to film women undressing in a changing room at a local Target store and other places.
Among other charges, Andrew R. Persen, 28, was charged with ten counts of filming women without consent as well as counts of invasion of privacy, and posting a sexually explicit image without consent, according to the Appleton Post-Crescent.
Target made itself vulnerable to such crimes in April 2016 when top managers decided to open its changing room and bathrooms to people of both sexes while claiming that distinctions between men and women do discriminate against people who claim to be “transgender.” The resulting consumer disgust sharply reduced the company’s sales and stock value.
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Among other charges, Andrew R. Persen, 28, was charged with ten counts of filming women without consent as well as counts of invasion of privacy, and posting a sexually explicit image without consent, according to the Appleton Post-Crescent.
Target made itself vulnerable to such crimes in April 2016 when top managers decided to open its changing room and bathrooms to people of both sexes while claiming that distinctions between men and women do discriminate against people who claim to be “transgender.” The resulting consumer disgust sharply reduced the company’s sales and stock value.
More here
Student arrested after double homicide on school campus
A Grambling State University student was arrested Thursday in a shooting that killed another student and his friend after a fight on the Louisiana college's campus.
Jaylin M. Wayne, a 19-year-old freshman from St. Louis, faces first-degree murder charges for the killing of Grambling junior Earl Andrews and Monquiarious Caldwell, both 23 and from Farmerville, Louisiana.
Williams said the shooting followed an altercation that started inside a dorm room and continued in a courtyard about midnight Tuesday.
According to reports Andrews was shot first before his friend Caldwell, who was not enrolled at Grambling, rushed to help him.
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Jaylin M. Wayne, a 19-year-old freshman from St. Louis, faces first-degree murder charges for the killing of Grambling junior Earl Andrews and Monquiarious Caldwell, both 23 and from Farmerville, Louisiana.
Williams said the shooting followed an altercation that started inside a dorm room and continued in a courtyard about midnight Tuesday.
According to reports Andrews was shot first before his friend Caldwell, who was not enrolled at Grambling, rushed to help him.
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Steve Bannon: ‘Establishment Republicans Are in Full Collapse’; ‘Out of Ideas, Guts, and Money’
Former White House chief strategist Steve Bannon tells theFinancial Times that “establishment Republicans are in full collapse” and are “out of ideas, guts, and out of money” against the populist and economic nationalist primary challengers targeting GOP incumbents in 2018.
His comments came one day after Arizona Senator Jeff Flake, an outspoken critic of President Trump and a fixture of the Beltway Republican establishment, declared he would not seek re-election.
Bannon, who has been recruiting a slate of conservative populist candidates to primary Republican incumbents, has warned that no incumbent up for re-election in 2018 is safe other than Texas Senator Ted Cruz.
These GOP challengers hope to retain the Republican Senate majority under new leadership opposed to the current Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
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His comments came one day after Arizona Senator Jeff Flake, an outspoken critic of President Trump and a fixture of the Beltway Republican establishment, declared he would not seek re-election.
Bannon, who has been recruiting a slate of conservative populist candidates to primary Republican incumbents, has warned that no incumbent up for re-election in 2018 is safe other than Texas Senator Ted Cruz.
These GOP challengers hope to retain the Republican Senate majority under new leadership opposed to the current Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
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How The Elite Dominate The World: They Buy Politicians, And Incumbents Almost Always Win
Once we wake up to how the game is being played, then we will have a real shot at changing thing
Once we wake up to how the game is being played, then we will have a real shot at changing things.
For decades, the elite have been pulling the strings behind the scenes in both major political parties. That is why nothing has ever seemed to change very much no matter which party has been in power. The agenda of the elite has always seemed to march forward, and ordinary people like us have always been frustrated that we can’t seem to make a difference. But now a shift seems to be taking place. Donald Trump took on the establishment in both major parties, and he miraculously won the presidency. Down in Alabama, the elite spent more than 30 million dollars to defeat Roy Moore, and he still defeated Luther Strange. A political awakening is taking place, and I can’t wait to see what happens during the mid-term elections in 2018.
In Part I and Part II of this series, I talked about how the elite use debt as a tool of enslavement. In Part III, I went over how the elite use the colossal media corporations they own to control what we think. Today, I want to talk about their influence in the realm of politics.
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Once we wake up to how the game is being played, then we will have a real shot at changing things.
For decades, the elite have been pulling the strings behind the scenes in both major political parties. That is why nothing has ever seemed to change very much no matter which party has been in power. The agenda of the elite has always seemed to march forward, and ordinary people like us have always been frustrated that we can’t seem to make a difference. But now a shift seems to be taking place. Donald Trump took on the establishment in both major parties, and he miraculously won the presidency. Down in Alabama, the elite spent more than 30 million dollars to defeat Roy Moore, and he still defeated Luther Strange. A political awakening is taking place, and I can’t wait to see what happens during the mid-term elections in 2018.
In Part I and Part II of this series, I talked about how the elite use debt as a tool of enslavement. In Part III, I went over how the elite use the colossal media corporations they own to control what we think. Today, I want to talk about their influence in the realm of politics.
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FBI wrote RFK memos about a Marilyn Monroe affair book
An FBI report warning Robert F. Kennedy about a book regarding his alleged affair with Marilyn Monroe was among the thousands of new JFK assassination documents that President Trump ordered be made public on Thursday.
The 11-page FBI document, categorized under 'Miscellaneous Records of the Church Committee,' contains multiple memos — including one from then FBI director J. Edgar Hoover to Kennedy himself — written during a two-week period in 1964, regarding Frank A. Capell's book, 'The Strange Death of Marilyn Monroe.'
According to the memos, Capell — who lived on Staten Island, New York — had gone to the New York FBI field office on July 2, 1964, to alert them that he was writing the 70-page book, which would be published on July 10, 1964 and sell for $2.00 a copy.
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The 11-page FBI document, categorized under 'Miscellaneous Records of the Church Committee,' contains multiple memos — including one from then FBI director J. Edgar Hoover to Kennedy himself — written during a two-week period in 1964, regarding Frank A. Capell's book, 'The Strange Death of Marilyn Monroe.'
According to the memos, Capell — who lived on Staten Island, New York — had gone to the New York FBI field office on July 2, 1964, to alert them that he was writing the 70-page book, which would be published on July 10, 1964 and sell for $2.00 a copy.
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Gorka: Deep State Withholding of JFK Files "Stinks to High Heaven"
Trump blamed for keeping documents secret despite being furious about it
Former Deputy Assistant to the president Sebastian Gorka says the deep state’s move to withhold many of the JFK files “stinks to high heaven,” and that Donald Trump had nothing to do with it.
2,800 records relating to the assassination of John F. Kennedy were released by the National Archives yesterday, but more have been held back and will be reviewed during a 180-day period. According to Trump confidant Roger Stone, CIA director Mike Pompeo is responsible for the documents being kept secret.
Gorka said it was “fake news” that Trump had any role in ‘covering-up’ the release of the documents, telling host Lou Dobbs, “This is nothing to do with President Trump, this is the FBI and the CIA requesting to redact some of the documents.”
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Former Deputy Assistant to the president Sebastian Gorka says the deep state’s move to withhold many of the JFK files “stinks to high heaven,” and that Donald Trump had nothing to do with it.
2,800 records relating to the assassination of John F. Kennedy were released by the National Archives yesterday, but more have been held back and will be reviewed during a 180-day period. According to Trump confidant Roger Stone, CIA director Mike Pompeo is responsible for the documents being kept secret.
Gorka said it was “fake news” that Trump had any role in ‘covering-up’ the release of the documents, telling host Lou Dobbs, “This is nothing to do with President Trump, this is the FBI and the CIA requesting to redact some of the documents.”
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LEGENDARY COMMENTS BY GEORGE CHEVALLIER 10-28-17
Halloween
This used to be a holiday second only to Christmas to children of my generation. I can well remember “Trick or Treating” in the neighborhood where I now live. My home base was on the corner of Church and Truitt Streets. We always headed east toward East Salisbury School. The treats were better and we didn’t have to venture through the “tough” section near Naylor Street. Yes, it was not wise to go there even 60 years ago. When we went to the movies on Saturday afternoon, we walked quickly and purposefully.
The treats were bountiful on the streets I walked. We used to start off with a standard brown grocery bag. They hadn’t invented those fancy cloth pumpkins with a handle yet. I always had to go back home and get another bag because the first one was full. We never worried about tainted candy, razor blades in apples or anything that would hurt us. And Mom never checked our “stash” for objectionable objects. We had enough candy and other goodies to last a week. People would bake cookies especially for Halloween and wrap them neatly in waxed paper. We never liked it when somebody, with all good intentions, would drop an apple in our bag and crush the cookies. I will always remember this house on the corner ofSaratoga Street and Phillips Avenue. They used to give out quarters. Now, remember that in the 1950’s, a quarter was a lot of money. In fact, you could buy five candy bars with a quarter.
Since my birthday was October 30, I always got a nice costume as a birthday present. Since most grade schools only went to the 6th grade, I got to enjoy Halloween for the two extra years at St. Francis. During my last year at St. Francis, 1956, I represented the school for a Halloween party on WBOC-TV. I dressed up as an old lady and really put a lot in that costume. Of course, all the other kids were at least two years younger than I was and when I won the first prize, they gave me a plastic train, something I had outgrown several years ago. But, I had the same enthusiasm as the man in the “Christmas Story” movie when he won the “leg lamp”. I had won FIRST PRIZE.
Nowadays, several organizations put on a Halloween party for the children and their efforts are rewarded by the shrieking children throughout the evening.
I used to sit at home waiting for the Trick or Treaters to come around, but I just turn my lights out now. Out of the 35 or 40 who came to the door toward the end, I might have known two. The rest were “bussed” in, and some didn’t even bother to wear a costume. They just stuck a bag in your face and expected you to fill it.
A recent good memory is the year my son, Mike, was too old to go out with the younger children. We dressed him up as a scarecrow and had him sit on a bale of hay in the front yard. He would scare the bejeebers out of the Trick or Treaters when they came to the door, and we really had some laughs with that gimmick.
I think door-to-door Trick or Treating is a thing of the past. We were unfettered and free to gather as much booty as we could carry home. The gaiety of the old Halloweens when the neighbor was filled with little gremlins I knew is something I will always miss.
Cecil County executive charged with DUI
ELKTON, Md. — Cecil County Executive Alan Judson McCarthy was charged with driving under the influence of alcohol Thursday night, the 11 News I-Team has learned.
Maryland State Police said a trooper saw a car weaving back and forth across the center and side lines of Route 213 between Locust Point and Elk Forest roads shortly after 11 p.m. The trooper stopped the vehicle on southbound Route 213 near Spears Hill Road.
State police said the trooper smelled a strong odor of alcohol when he approached the driver.
"There was strong evidence of alcohol when the trooper made the initial traffic stop," Maryland State Police spokesman Ron Snyder said. "There was no one else in the car. No one was injured."
The I-Team has learned that the driver was identified as McCarthy, 69, of Chesapeake City.
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Maryland State Police said a trooper saw a car weaving back and forth across the center and side lines of Route 213 between Locust Point and Elk Forest roads shortly after 11 p.m. The trooper stopped the vehicle on southbound Route 213 near Spears Hill Road.
State police said the trooper smelled a strong odor of alcohol when he approached the driver.
"There was strong evidence of alcohol when the trooper made the initial traffic stop," Maryland State Police spokesman Ron Snyder said. "There was no one else in the car. No one was injured."
The I-Team has learned that the driver was identified as McCarthy, 69, of Chesapeake City.
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KGB Thought LBJ Could Have Been Behind JFK Assassination, Unsealed Docs Reveal
Revelations lend credence to false flag theories
The Soviet Union theorized that President Lyndon B. Johnson could have been behind JFK’s assassination – and also feared Moscow could be blamed and attacked, according to documents in a major release of files related to Kennedy’s slaying on Thursday.
The Dec. 1, 1966 FBI memo, which relayed unconfirmed speculation,noted that sources said the KGB “was in possession of data purporting to indicate President Johnson was responsible for the assassination of the late President John F. Kennedy.”
The memo, which was forwarded to the White House by FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover with the all-caps title: “REACTION OF SOVIET AND COMMUNIST PARTY OFFICIALS TO THE ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY”
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The Soviet Union theorized that President Lyndon B. Johnson could have been behind JFK’s assassination – and also feared Moscow could be blamed and attacked, according to documents in a major release of files related to Kennedy’s slaying on Thursday.
The Dec. 1, 1966 FBI memo, which relayed unconfirmed speculation,noted that sources said the KGB “was in possession of data purporting to indicate President Johnson was responsible for the assassination of the late President John F. Kennedy.”
The memo, which was forwarded to the White House by FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover with the all-caps title: “REACTION OF SOVIET AND COMMUNIST PARTY OFFICIALS TO THE ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT JOHN F. KENNEDY”
Read more
Former Baltimore Detective Admits to Invading Homes, Robbing Citizens on the Job
The robberies he described included home invasions and taking citizens’ property while executing search warrants.
According to WBAL, Gondo confessed to stealing “probably $100,000” in drugs, cash, and firearms. He is one of eight members of the GTTF facing federal charges for the alleged robberies and invasions and theft of overtime as well. He agreed to testify against the other members in hopes of receiving a reduced sentence.
He testified that his partner, Jemell Rayam, was especially focused on home invasions, that “he had experience running into people’s homes to rob [them].” Gondo said they would use a tracking device to know when the homeowner was away; that is when they would go inside:
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[Related: Alleged heroin ring protected by Baltimore police detective]
Brexit Boom: Manufacturing Jobs Rise 24 Per Cent, Growth Accelerates
CV-Library research indicates that British manufacturing has seen a 24 per cent increase in advertised vacancies over the last 12 months.
“It’s great to see that employers in the manufacturing sector are remaining positive,” said the independent job board’s founder and managing director, Lee Biggins, according to a Manufacturing Management report.
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“It’s great to see that employers in the manufacturing sector are remaining positive,” said the independent job board’s founder and managing director, Lee Biggins, according to a Manufacturing Management report.
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The One Paragraph You Need To Read From The JFK Assassination Files That May Change Everything
TruePundit.com warns that one haunting paragraph unearthed from 3,000 never-before-seen documents will shake Patriots to their core about the assassination of President John F. Kennedy.
Or perhaps worse. Make that haunting three paragraphs.
This is not pretty.
But it is likely President Donald Trump understands what Kennedy comprehended, which now appears to have led to his murder:
The out-of-control shadow government in this country threatens the fabric and the future of the United States.
See for yourself.
As a reminder, here is the position of the alleged shooter explained...
So how do 'they' explain this...
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Or perhaps worse. Make that haunting three paragraphs.
This is not pretty.
But it is likely President Donald Trump understands what Kennedy comprehended, which now appears to have led to his murder:
The out-of-control shadow government in this country threatens the fabric and the future of the United States.
See for yourself.
As a reminder, here is the position of the alleged shooter explained...
So how do 'they' explain this...
More
Salisbury Maryland Police Department Crime Report 10-26-17
100 Block W MAIN ST
00532-BURG:ATTEMPTFORCENTNORES
Oct 26, 2017
around 5 PM
Theft
200 Block CANAL PARK DR
00660-THEFT: BICYCLES
Oct 26, 2017
around 4 PM
Theft
700 Block ROLAND ST
00690-THEFT: ALL OTHER
Oct 26, 2017
around 3 PM
Breaking & Entering
400 Block JEFFERSON ST
00511-BURGLARY: FORCENT, RES
Oct 26, 2017
around 2 PM
Theft of Vehicle
200 Block N DIVISION ST
00710-M/V THEFT: AUTOS
Oct 26, 2017
around 12 PM
Assault with Deadly Weapon
E CHURCH ST & LINWOOD AV
00410-ASSAULT: FIREARM
Oct 26, 2017
around 11 AM
Breaking & Entering
400 Block SNOW HILL RD
00512-BURGLARY: FORCENT, NONRES
Mandalay Bay Security Guard Jesus Campos Fled For Mexico
A while ago we heard that Jesus Campos, the Mandalay Bay security guard who was shot by the Vegas gunman was supposed to do Fox News interviews…
and then mysteriously bailed.
Then no one could find him. Not even his union rep. It’s like he disappeared into thin air.
He then MAGICALLY REAPPEARED on Ellen, of all shows, which everyone agreed was super weird.
Turns out in the time he “mysteriously vanished” he fled to Mexico…. despite being recently SHOT and a KEY WITNESS.
I dunno guys…. it smells fishy to me.
According to this:
Jesus Campos, the Mandalay Bay security guard who’s a key witness in the Las Vegas shooting, skipped town just days after the massacre, a new report reveals.
On Wednesday, Fox News’ Tucker Carlson received a document showing that Campos reentered the country from Mexico a week after the shooting.
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and then mysteriously bailed.
Then no one could find him. Not even his union rep. It’s like he disappeared into thin air.
He then MAGICALLY REAPPEARED on Ellen, of all shows, which everyone agreed was super weird.
Turns out in the time he “mysteriously vanished” he fled to Mexico…. despite being recently SHOT and a KEY WITNESS.
I dunno guys…. it smells fishy to me.
According to this:
Jesus Campos, the Mandalay Bay security guard who’s a key witness in the Las Vegas shooting, skipped town just days after the massacre, a new report reveals.
On Wednesday, Fox News’ Tucker Carlson received a document showing that Campos reentered the country from Mexico a week after the shooting.
More
Conservatives Slam Networks ‘Censoring’ Uranium One Scandal
Media Research Center (MRC) President Brent Bozell is leading a team of a dozen conservative leaders demanding the major broadcast networks fulfill their “duty to the American public” and end the censorship of the Obama-Clinton-Russia (“Uranium One”) uranium deal.
In similar letters sent Thursday to the presidents of ABC News, CBS News, and NBC News, the conservative leaders noted MRC research documenting how the networks have virtually ignored the Uranium One scandal involving the Obama Administration and Hillary Clinton:
“The Uranium One scandal is an instance of actual collusion between the Obama administration and the Russian government.”
“The Hill also reported that Russian nuclear officials had routed millions of dollars to the Clinton Foundation while Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State. Her role was significant, because as Secretary of State, she was critical to the approval of the sale of Uranium One to the Russian-state firm, Rosatom.”
“Your networks have been obsessed with the desire to find collusion between Russia and the Trump Administration.”
More here
In similar letters sent Thursday to the presidents of ABC News, CBS News, and NBC News, the conservative leaders noted MRC research documenting how the networks have virtually ignored the Uranium One scandal involving the Obama Administration and Hillary Clinton:
“The Uranium One scandal is an instance of actual collusion between the Obama administration and the Russian government.”
“The Hill also reported that Russian nuclear officials had routed millions of dollars to the Clinton Foundation while Hillary Clinton was Secretary of State. Her role was significant, because as Secretary of State, she was critical to the approval of the sale of Uranium One to the Russian-state firm, Rosatom.”
“Your networks have been obsessed with the desire to find collusion between Russia and the Trump Administration.”
More here