Stress will kill you. Most people know this intuitively. Stress weakens your immune system. Stress allows your body to be more easily controlled by pathogens.
A recent study compared two sets of mice. One set had a certain stress receptor cell, and one set did not. Normal mice exposed to stress had a higher rate of disease than mice exposed to stress who lacked the stress receptor cell. This held true for both psychological and physiological stress.
Mental and physical stress caused the same harmful reaction in the cells and led to disease. The cells trigger allergic reactions which cause inflammation. This can lead to heart disease, asthma, irritable bowel syndrome, and lupus. But it also weakens the immune system’s ability to fight off things like common colds and flu.
Think about it. Don’t you always seem to get sick at the worst time? You have a big meeting, presentation, or event coming up. Maybe you are getting ready for a vacation, stressed about flying, traveling, or making sure you get everything done before leaving.
Psychological stress makes it easier for germs and viruses to harm you, to control your cells in the way that benefits them.
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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
Friday, February 09, 2018
Crews stocked 1,100 trout today in Queen Anne's, Wicomico and Worcester counties
Beaverdam Creek, Wicomico County: 450 golden/rainbow trout
Shad Landing Pond, Worcester County: 450 golden/rainbow trout
Unicorn Branch, Queen Anne's County (two per day): 200 golden/rainbow trout
How to beat diabetes in 12 weeks
Every person with type 2 diabetes longs for one thing: a cure.
It would mean an end to the strict drugs regime which maintains blood sugar levels and keeps blood pressure low.
And more than that, an end to living every day with the knowledge that the disease will cut life short, and could lead to a range of horrific problems from heart attacks and strokes to kidney failure, blindness and losing a limb.
What every person with diabetes wants is their health back.
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It would mean an end to the strict drugs regime which maintains blood sugar levels and keeps blood pressure low.
And more than that, an end to living every day with the knowledge that the disease will cut life short, and could lead to a range of horrific problems from heart attacks and strokes to kidney failure, blindness and losing a limb.
What every person with diabetes wants is their health back.
More
Compounds in beer can prevent a host of diseases
It's not what you would consider to be a healthy drink.
But research suggests drinking beer could actually lower your blood pressure, slash your weight and prevent diabetes.
Xanthohumol, found in hops - a key ingredient of beer, could reverse damage done by consuming high-fat diets, scientists claim.
Such diets lead to metabolic syndrome - a cluster of conditions including obesity and high blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol.
But trials on mice fed high-fat foods, mimicking a Western diet, showed that giving them the flavonoid could curb some of the conditions.
A derivative of the compound was 'especially potent' in reducing insulin resistance - the driving factor that leads to type 2 diabetes.
More
But research suggests drinking beer could actually lower your blood pressure, slash your weight and prevent diabetes.
Xanthohumol, found in hops - a key ingredient of beer, could reverse damage done by consuming high-fat diets, scientists claim.
Such diets lead to metabolic syndrome - a cluster of conditions including obesity and high blood pressure, blood sugar and cholesterol.
But trials on mice fed high-fat foods, mimicking a Western diet, showed that giving them the flavonoid could curb some of the conditions.
A derivative of the compound was 'especially potent' in reducing insulin resistance - the driving factor that leads to type 2 diabetes.
More
Why the current media hype about getting your flu shot - read the last paragraph to understand the media hype
CDC — INFLUENZA DEATHS: REQUEST FOR CORRECTION (RFC)
US data on influenza deaths are false and misleading. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) acknowledges a difference between flu death and flu associated death yet uses the terms interchangeably. Additionally, there are significant statistical incompatibilities between official estimates and national vital statistics data. Compounding these problems is a marketing of fear—a CDC communications strategy in which medical experts "predict dire outcomes" during flu seasons.
The CDC website states what has become commonly accepted and widely reported in the lay and scientific press: annually "about 36 000 [Americans] die from flu" (www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease.htm) and "influenza/pneumonia" is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States (www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/lcod.htm). But why are flu and pneumonia bundled together? Is the relationship so strong or unique to warrant characterizing them as a single cause of death? David Rosenthal, director of Harvard University Health Services, said, "People don't necessarily die, per se, of the [flu] virus—the viraemia. What they die of is a secondary pneumonia. So many of these pneumonias are not viral pneumonias but secondary [pneumonias]." But Dr Rosenthal agreed that the flu/pneumonia relationship was not unique. For instance, a recent study (JAMA 2004;292: 1955-60[Abstract/Free Full Text]) found that stomach acid suppressing drugs are associated with a higher risk of community acquired pneumonia, but such drugs and pneumonia are not compiled as a single statistic. CDC states that the historic 1968-9 "Hong Kong flu" pandemic killed 34 000 Americans. At the same time, CDC claims 36 000 Americans annually die from flu. What is going on?
Meanwhile, according to the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), "influenza and pneumonia" took 62 034 lives in 2001—61 777 of which were attributed to pneumonia and 257 to flu, and in only 18 cases was flu virus positively identified. Between 1979 and 2002, NCHS data show an average 1348 flu deaths per year (range 257 to 3006). The NCHS data would be compatible with CDC mortality estimates if about half of the deaths classed by the NCHS as pneumonia were actually flu initiated secondary pneumonias. But the NCHS criteria indicate otherwise: "Cause-of-death statistics are based solely on the underlying cause of death... defined by WHO as `the disease or injury which initiated the train of events leading directly to death.'" In a written statement, CDC media relations responded to the diverse statistics: "Typically, influenza causes death when the infection leads to severe medical complications." And as most such cases "are never tested for virus infection...CDC considers these [NCHS] figures to be a very substantial undercounting of the true number of deaths from influenza. Therefore, the CDC uses indirect modelling methods to estimate the number of deaths associated with influenza." CDC's model calculated an average annual 36 155 deaths from influenza associated underlying respiratory and circulatory causes (JAMA 2003;289: 179-86[Abstract/Free Full Text]). Less than a quarter of these (8097) were described as flu or flu associated underlying pneumonia deaths. Thus the much publicised figure of 36 000 is not an estimate of yearly flu deaths, as widely reported in both the lay and scientific press, but an estimate—generated by a model—of flu-associated death. William Thompson of the CDC's National Immunization Program (NIP), and lead author of the CDC's 2003 JAMA article, explained that "influenza-associated mortality" is "a statistical association between deaths and viral data available." He said that an association does not imply an underlying cause of death: "Based on modelling, we think it's associated. I don't know that we would say that it's the underlying cause of death." Yet this stance is incompatible with the CDC assertion that the flu kills 36 000 people a year—a misrepresentation that is yet to be publicly corrected. Before 2003 CDC said that 20 000 influenza-associated deaths occurred each year. The new figure of 36 000 reported in the January 2003 JAMA paper is an estimate of influenza-associated mortality over the 1990s. Keiji Fukuda, a flu researcher and a co-author of the paper, has been quoted as offering two possible causes for this 80% increase: "One is that the number of people older than 65 is growing larger...The second possible reason is the type of virus that predominated in the 1990s [was more virulent]." However, the 65-plus population grew just 12% between 1990 and 2000. And if flu virus was truly more virulent over the 1990s, one would expect more deaths. But flu deaths recorded by the NCHS were on average 30% lower in the 1990s than the 1980s.
More
US data on influenza deaths are false and misleading. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) acknowledges a difference between flu death and flu associated death yet uses the terms interchangeably. Additionally, there are significant statistical incompatibilities between official estimates and national vital statistics data. Compounding these problems is a marketing of fear—a CDC communications strategy in which medical experts "predict dire outcomes" during flu seasons.
The CDC website states what has become commonly accepted and widely reported in the lay and scientific press: annually "about 36 000 [Americans] die from flu" (www.cdc.gov/flu/about/disease.htm) and "influenza/pneumonia" is the seventh leading cause of death in the United States (www.cdc.gov/nchs/fastats/lcod.htm). But why are flu and pneumonia bundled together? Is the relationship so strong or unique to warrant characterizing them as a single cause of death? David Rosenthal, director of Harvard University Health Services, said, "People don't necessarily die, per se, of the [flu] virus—the viraemia. What they die of is a secondary pneumonia. So many of these pneumonias are not viral pneumonias but secondary [pneumonias]." But Dr Rosenthal agreed that the flu/pneumonia relationship was not unique. For instance, a recent study (JAMA 2004;292: 1955-60[Abstract/Free Full Text]) found that stomach acid suppressing drugs are associated with a higher risk of community acquired pneumonia, but such drugs and pneumonia are not compiled as a single statistic. CDC states that the historic 1968-9 "Hong Kong flu" pandemic killed 34 000 Americans. At the same time, CDC claims 36 000 Americans annually die from flu. What is going on?
Meanwhile, according to the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), "influenza and pneumonia" took 62 034 lives in 2001—61 777 of which were attributed to pneumonia and 257 to flu, and in only 18 cases was flu virus positively identified. Between 1979 and 2002, NCHS data show an average 1348 flu deaths per year (range 257 to 3006). The NCHS data would be compatible with CDC mortality estimates if about half of the deaths classed by the NCHS as pneumonia were actually flu initiated secondary pneumonias. But the NCHS criteria indicate otherwise: "Cause-of-death statistics are based solely on the underlying cause of death... defined by WHO as `the disease or injury which initiated the train of events leading directly to death.'" In a written statement, CDC media relations responded to the diverse statistics: "Typically, influenza causes death when the infection leads to severe medical complications." And as most such cases "are never tested for virus infection...CDC considers these [NCHS] figures to be a very substantial undercounting of the true number of deaths from influenza. Therefore, the CDC uses indirect modelling methods to estimate the number of deaths associated with influenza." CDC's model calculated an average annual 36 155 deaths from influenza associated underlying respiratory and circulatory causes (JAMA 2003;289: 179-86[Abstract/Free Full Text]). Less than a quarter of these (8097) were described as flu or flu associated underlying pneumonia deaths. Thus the much publicised figure of 36 000 is not an estimate of yearly flu deaths, as widely reported in both the lay and scientific press, but an estimate—generated by a model—of flu-associated death. William Thompson of the CDC's National Immunization Program (NIP), and lead author of the CDC's 2003 JAMA article, explained that "influenza-associated mortality" is "a statistical association between deaths and viral data available." He said that an association does not imply an underlying cause of death: "Based on modelling, we think it's associated. I don't know that we would say that it's the underlying cause of death." Yet this stance is incompatible with the CDC assertion that the flu kills 36 000 people a year—a misrepresentation that is yet to be publicly corrected. Before 2003 CDC said that 20 000 influenza-associated deaths occurred each year. The new figure of 36 000 reported in the January 2003 JAMA paper is an estimate of influenza-associated mortality over the 1990s. Keiji Fukuda, a flu researcher and a co-author of the paper, has been quoted as offering two possible causes for this 80% increase: "One is that the number of people older than 65 is growing larger...The second possible reason is the type of virus that predominated in the 1990s [was more virulent]." However, the 65-plus population grew just 12% between 1990 and 2000. And if flu virus was truly more virulent over the 1990s, one would expect more deaths. But flu deaths recorded by the NCHS were on average 30% lower in the 1990s than the 1980s.
More
Hey, feminists, Quincy Jones just called Ivanka Trump a ‘motherf—’
Quincy Jones, a legend in the music industry, has just called Ivanka Trump a “motherf—.”
What else to say — except maybe, where are all the screaming feminists and pink-hatted anti-President Donald Trump protesters now?
Jones made the eye-opening remark in an interview with Vulture, which opened its piece rather laughably — considering what’s to come — this way: “In both music and manner, Quincy Jones has always registered — from afar anyway — as smooth, sophisticated and impeccably well-connected.”
It’s a rollicking, rolling interview, well worth the read.
And here’s the part about the Trump family:
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What else to say — except maybe, where are all the screaming feminists and pink-hatted anti-President Donald Trump protesters now?
Jones made the eye-opening remark in an interview with Vulture, which opened its piece rather laughably — considering what’s to come — this way: “In both music and manner, Quincy Jones has always registered — from afar anyway — as smooth, sophisticated and impeccably well-connected.”
It’s a rollicking, rolling interview, well worth the read.
And here’s the part about the Trump family:
More
The Senate eyes a ride on the Trump train
Whether his critics like it or not, President Trump has a knack for creating productive political spectacle that can engage the voting public on a grand scale. Mr. Trump is also a master of media tactics — not surprising, since he was a famous commodity on reality TV for years and is deft at producing buzz-worthy tweets and lasting narratives. Journalists, in act, simply can’t get enough of Mr. Trump, even if he infuriates them. The president is flexible — comfortable on late-night TV, the global stage, a jumbo rally or among the faithful. Mr. Trump, in fact, will address the 66th Annual National Prayer Breakfast on Thursday.
All this multitasking is considered an asset by an increasing number of strategists.
“While conventional wisdom holds that Donald Trump will be a drag on Republican chances of maintaining control of the House, those vying to expand the party’s majority in the Senate are embracing the president as a unique asset in the upcoming campaigns,” writes Caitlin Huey-Burns, a national political reporter for Real Clear Politics.
“Unlike the House map, the Republicans’ path to success in the upper chamber runs through 10 states Trump won in 2016 — five of them by double-digit margins. But beyond those favorable fundamentals, the GOP is looking to the president to lead something of a mass-marketing campaign against well-known Democratic incumbents,” she continues. “Party operatives see the president’s penchant for coining catchy — and pejorative — nicknames, along with his made-for-television campaign rallies, as particularly helpful through the long primary process, helping to define the opposition while Republicans pick their nominees.”
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All this multitasking is considered an asset by an increasing number of strategists.
“While conventional wisdom holds that Donald Trump will be a drag on Republican chances of maintaining control of the House, those vying to expand the party’s majority in the Senate are embracing the president as a unique asset in the upcoming campaigns,” writes Caitlin Huey-Burns, a national political reporter for Real Clear Politics.
“Unlike the House map, the Republicans’ path to success in the upper chamber runs through 10 states Trump won in 2016 — five of them by double-digit margins. But beyond those favorable fundamentals, the GOP is looking to the president to lead something of a mass-marketing campaign against well-known Democratic incumbents,” she continues. “Party operatives see the president’s penchant for coining catchy — and pejorative — nicknames, along with his made-for-television campaign rallies, as particularly helpful through the long primary process, helping to define the opposition while Republicans pick their nominees.”
More
Planned Parenthood kept aborted babies alive to harvest heart, brain: ex-technician
In an undercover video released Wednesday, a former technician for a tissue-harvesting company details how an aborted baby was kept alive so that its heart could be harvested at a California Planned Parenthood facility, raising more legal questions about the group’s practices.
Holly O’Donnell, a former blood and tissue procurement technician for the biotech startup StemExpress, also said she was asked to harvest an intact brain from the late-term, male fetus whose heart was still beating after the abortion.
A StemExpress supervisor “gave me the scissors and told me that I had to cut down the middle of the face. And I can’t even describe what that feels like,” said Ms. O’Donnell, who has been featured in earlier videos by the Center for Medical Progress, a pro-life group that previously had released six undercover clips involving Planned Parenthood personnel and practices.
More/Video
Holly O’Donnell, a former blood and tissue procurement technician for the biotech startup StemExpress, also said she was asked to harvest an intact brain from the late-term, male fetus whose heart was still beating after the abortion.
A StemExpress supervisor “gave me the scissors and told me that I had to cut down the middle of the face. And I can’t even describe what that feels like,” said Ms. O’Donnell, who has been featured in earlier videos by the Center for Medical Progress, a pro-life group that previously had released six undercover clips involving Planned Parenthood personnel and practices.
More/Video
IRS overpaid nearly $3.5 billion in Obamacare tax credits in 2017, can’t recoup money
The IRS overpaid nearly $3.5 billion in Obamacare tax credits last year that it cannot recoup because of constraints built into the program, frustrating Republicans who have failed to repeal the health care law but say that money could have been spent on programs for veterans or infrastructure.
A Treasury watchdog said the government paid out roughly $24 billion in Obamacare subsidies in the heart of the 2017 tax-filing season, with $5.8 billion in overages. Of that, just $2.3 billion was clawed back, leaving $3.5 billion in outstanding excess payments.
“The overpayments were that much?” said Rep. Phil Roe, Tennessee Republican.
He said he is trying to expand an assistance program for older veterans and their caregivers. “I can think of a lot of things I can use $3.5 billion dollars for,” he said.
Most Obamacare exchange customers receive taxpayer-funded subsidies to help cover their premiums.
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A Treasury watchdog said the government paid out roughly $24 billion in Obamacare subsidies in the heart of the 2017 tax-filing season, with $5.8 billion in overages. Of that, just $2.3 billion was clawed back, leaving $3.5 billion in outstanding excess payments.
“The overpayments were that much?” said Rep. Phil Roe, Tennessee Republican.
He said he is trying to expand an assistance program for older veterans and their caregivers. “I can think of a lot of things I can use $3.5 billion dollars for,” he said.
Most Obamacare exchange customers receive taxpayer-funded subsidies to help cover their premiums.
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Walgreens adopts new ‘Transgender Inclusion’ bathroom policy nationwide
Walgreens has become the latest company to allow people to choose which bathrooms to use without regard for their biological sex.
According to an NBC News report Wednesday, the policy grew out of a complaint made by a customer to the ACLU’s Southern California chapter about being denied the bathroom she wanted to use.
A Walgreens employee and the Los Angeles store’s manager last year refused to let Jessie Meehan use the women’s room because she “dressed like a man,” the ACLU chapter said in a statement issued this week.
“I am a woman. I identify as female,” Ms. Meehan said in a video posted by the chapter and on YouTube. “She can’t tell me which one to use.”
As a result of calls from the ACLU chapter’s lawyers, the drugstore giant issued a “Transgender Inclusion” policy for all 8,000 stores nationwide, the liberal organization said.
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According to an NBC News report Wednesday, the policy grew out of a complaint made by a customer to the ACLU’s Southern California chapter about being denied the bathroom she wanted to use.
A Walgreens employee and the Los Angeles store’s manager last year refused to let Jessie Meehan use the women’s room because she “dressed like a man,” the ACLU chapter said in a statement issued this week.
“I am a woman. I identify as female,” Ms. Meehan said in a video posted by the chapter and on YouTube. “She can’t tell me which one to use.”
As a result of calls from the ACLU chapter’s lawyers, the drugstore giant issued a “Transgender Inclusion” policy for all 8,000 stores nationwide, the liberal organization said.
More
'Consumer Reports' Says Roku, Samsung Smart TVs Have Security Vulnerabilities
Roku devices and Samsung smart TVs have easy-to-exploit security vulnerabilities, according to testing carried out by Consumer Reports.
"We found that a relatively unsophisticated hacker could change channels, play offensive content, or crank up the volume," the magazine says. "This could be done over the web, from thousands of miles away."
Consumer Reports points out that suddenly having channels change could be confusing or even frightening to someone who was unaware of why it was happening.
A smart TV is highly customizable and allows users to watch Internet-based sites like Netflix or Hulu on their televisions; however, the access to the Internet exposes them to hackers more than older TVs.
Consumer Reports found vulnerabilities in a TCL TV model using the Roku system, and they say it is also present in other models running the Roku platform. This is how the hackers could get in, according to Consumer Reports:
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"We found that a relatively unsophisticated hacker could change channels, play offensive content, or crank up the volume," the magazine says. "This could be done over the web, from thousands of miles away."
Consumer Reports points out that suddenly having channels change could be confusing or even frightening to someone who was unaware of why it was happening.
A smart TV is highly customizable and allows users to watch Internet-based sites like Netflix or Hulu on their televisions; however, the access to the Internet exposes them to hackers more than older TVs.
Consumer Reports found vulnerabilities in a TCL TV model using the Roku system, and they say it is also present in other models running the Roku platform. This is how the hackers could get in, according to Consumer Reports:
More
Donald Trump’s Top 7 Accomplishments in His First Year as President
While the news media and the President’s biggest critics have understandably focused on Trump’s latest controversial tweets and statements along with sketchy claims made about him by anonymous sources, he has done a shockingly good job of actual governance. In fact, if any 2016 candidate other than Trump had gotten this much done in his first year, Republicans would be calling him another Reagan. With that said, it’s time to give a little credit where credit is due…
Honorable Mentions: Winning A Government Shutdown, Repealing Obama’s Net Neutrality Rules, Cutting Regulations, Repealing The Individual Mandate, Getting Cooperation From China On North Korea, Pulling Out Of The Paris Climate Agreement, Reduction In Illegal Immigration, Reinstating The Mexico City Policy On Abortion
7) Moving The American Embassy To Jerusalem: The Israeli/Palestinian conflict is a Gordian Knot that will probably never be solved short of one side or the other being driven away at the point of a gun, but if it is ever going to be fixed, a dose of reality is needed. Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump ALL promised to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, but only Trump delivered. He then followed that up with yanking aid from the Palestinians until they come to peace talks. Will it bring both sides together? Probably not, but acknowledging that Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel and punishing the Palestinians for bad behavior has a much better chance of getting results than catering to Palestinian fantasies and pretending both sides are equally at fault for their conflict.
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Honorable Mentions: Winning A Government Shutdown, Repealing Obama’s Net Neutrality Rules, Cutting Regulations, Repealing The Individual Mandate, Getting Cooperation From China On North Korea, Pulling Out Of The Paris Climate Agreement, Reduction In Illegal Immigration, Reinstating The Mexico City Policy On Abortion
7) Moving The American Embassy To Jerusalem: The Israeli/Palestinian conflict is a Gordian Knot that will probably never be solved short of one side or the other being driven away at the point of a gun, but if it is ever going to be fixed, a dose of reality is needed. Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, Barack Obama and Donald Trump ALL promised to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, but only Trump delivered. He then followed that up with yanking aid from the Palestinians until they come to peace talks. Will it bring both sides together? Probably not, but acknowledging that Jerusalem will remain the capital of Israel and punishing the Palestinians for bad behavior has a much better chance of getting results than catering to Palestinian fantasies and pretending both sides are equally at fault for their conflict.
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The 40 Iron Laws of Politics in America
1) Liberals care much more about policies that make them feel good about themselves than they do about policies that actually make life better for people.
2) That person in politics being compared to Hitler is really not very much like Hitler at all.
3) The bigger government gets, the worse it serves the people.
4) While they are in office, all Republican Presidents will be portrayed by the Left as either evil, crazy, racist, stupid or some combination thereof.
5) For every actual racist act and comment in politics, there are 500 people being falsely called bigots because Democrats believe it benefits them politically.
6) The first concern of politicians is always keeping their job and making the country a better place is not even a close second.
7) The richest, most powerful people in society will ALWAYS find ways to corrupt politicians. That means the best way to limit the power of those people over government is to keep the government small and limited in scope. The bigger and more powerful the government becomes, the more power ends up being given to people with the money to pay politicians to further their interests.
8) The liberal mainstream media covers every story differently based on whether it benefits Republicans or Democrats.
9) The more partisan a district or state, the less responsive the representatives will be to their constituents and the more responsive they will be to special interest groups that can potentially organize and finance a strong primary challenger.
10) You don’t win competitive elections by becoming more pure; you win by securing your base and convincing people on the fence to come over to your side.
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2) That person in politics being compared to Hitler is really not very much like Hitler at all.
3) The bigger government gets, the worse it serves the people.
4) While they are in office, all Republican Presidents will be portrayed by the Left as either evil, crazy, racist, stupid or some combination thereof.
5) For every actual racist act and comment in politics, there are 500 people being falsely called bigots because Democrats believe it benefits them politically.
6) The first concern of politicians is always keeping their job and making the country a better place is not even a close second.
7) The richest, most powerful people in society will ALWAYS find ways to corrupt politicians. That means the best way to limit the power of those people over government is to keep the government small and limited in scope. The bigger and more powerful the government becomes, the more power ends up being given to people with the money to pay politicians to further their interests.
8) The liberal mainstream media covers every story differently based on whether it benefits Republicans or Democrats.
9) The more partisan a district or state, the less responsive the representatives will be to their constituents and the more responsive they will be to special interest groups that can potentially organize and finance a strong primary challenger.
10) You don’t win competitive elections by becoming more pure; you win by securing your base and convincing people on the fence to come over to your side.
More
GE Just Signaled The Next Crisis (And Nobody's Paying Attention)
Earlier this month, General Electric took a $6.2 billion charge to its insurance unit for the fourth quarter. And the company said it will set aside another $15 billion over seven years to bolster reserves at GE Capital.
The charge had to do with long-term care policies (to pay for nursing homes and other late-life care) GE holds on its books.
So, one of the oldest and most highly-regarded companies in America just made a small, $21 billion miscalculation. Oops.
Keep in mind, GE’s entire market cap is only $140 billion.
The insurance charge, along with costs tied to the US tax plan, led GE to a $9.64 billion loss in the fourth quarter.
Then last week, GE announced the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was investigating the company’s accounting practices(specifically how the company books revenue from long-term service contracts on things like power-plant repairs and jet-engine maintenance).
But this isn’t GE’s first run in with the SEC…
More
The charge had to do with long-term care policies (to pay for nursing homes and other late-life care) GE holds on its books.
So, one of the oldest and most highly-regarded companies in America just made a small, $21 billion miscalculation. Oops.
Keep in mind, GE’s entire market cap is only $140 billion.
The insurance charge, along with costs tied to the US tax plan, led GE to a $9.64 billion loss in the fourth quarter.
Then last week, GE announced the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) was investigating the company’s accounting practices(specifically how the company books revenue from long-term service contracts on things like power-plant repairs and jet-engine maintenance).
But this isn’t GE’s first run in with the SEC…
More
Donald Trump is teaching Republicans how to fight
It’s an observation so strikingly true that you wonder why you didn’t think of it earlier. “Donald Trump,” a friend said the other day, “is teaching the Republican Party how to fight and how to win.”
The evidence is everywhere every day, and it was on vivid display Tuesday night. The president remains in a fighting mood, determined to keep punching his way forward.
The Trump way starts with the passage of the historic tax cuts despite tiny Republican majorities in Congress and scare tactics from the left. Before passage, polls showed the public was strongly opposed — but Trump pulled, pushed and bullied his party over the finish line.
The roaring results, with millions of workers already getting bonuses, pension boosts and pay hikes, vindicate his determination.
More
The evidence is everywhere every day, and it was on vivid display Tuesday night. The president remains in a fighting mood, determined to keep punching his way forward.
The Trump way starts with the passage of the historic tax cuts despite tiny Republican majorities in Congress and scare tactics from the left. Before passage, polls showed the public was strongly opposed — but Trump pulled, pushed and bullied his party over the finish line.
The roaring results, with millions of workers already getting bonuses, pension boosts and pay hikes, vindicate his determination.
More
Fact-Check: Yes, NYC Terrorists Entered U.S. Through Chain Migration, Visa Lottery
During his second State of the Union Address, President Donald Trump reminded the audience that, “in recent weeks, two terrorist attacks in New York were made possible by the visa lottery and chain migration.” While he did not mention the terrorist attacks in question – and did not note the radical Islamic ideology that inspired both of them – this appears to be a reference to terrorists Sayfullo Saipov and Akayed Ullah.
Fact-Check: TRUE
Saipov, 29, rented a vehicle and used it to mow down pedestrians in New York on Halloween this year, killing eight and injuring 11. Saipov entered the country from Uzbekistan through the Diversity Visa Lottery in 2010. According to the State Department, anyone from “countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States” is eligible to enter the lottery.
Akayed Ullah, 27, attempted a suicide bombing in a subway tunnel under New York’s Port Authority Bus Terminal on December 11. Ullah failed, injuring only himself. He entered the United States from Bangladesh with an F43 family immigrant visa in 2011. This visa allows extended family members to sponsor relatives abroad and let them in, a process known as “chain migration.”
More
Fact-Check: TRUE
Saipov, 29, rented a vehicle and used it to mow down pedestrians in New York on Halloween this year, killing eight and injuring 11. Saipov entered the country from Uzbekistan through the Diversity Visa Lottery in 2010. According to the State Department, anyone from “countries with historically low rates of immigration to the United States” is eligible to enter the lottery.
Akayed Ullah, 27, attempted a suicide bombing in a subway tunnel under New York’s Port Authority Bus Terminal on December 11. Ullah failed, injuring only himself. He entered the United States from Bangladesh with an F43 family immigrant visa in 2011. This visa allows extended family members to sponsor relatives abroad and let them in, a process known as “chain migration.”
More
Dems offer us a Clinton and a Kennedy — will they ever learn?
Yes, the party of the people — the poor, the disenfranchised, the overworked and underpaid, the allies of Black Lives Matter and #MeToo — has two of its most entitled dynastic figures front and center.
Will they never learn?
Hours before President Trump’s first State of the Union address, Hillary Clinton dumped a lengthy, cover-your-ass statement on Facebook. This, four days after news broke that Clinton refused to fire a known sexual harasser on her 2008 campaign despite a top female adviser encouraging her to do so.
Initially, Clinton said she had been “dismayed” by the complaint, but encouraged by the young woman who came forward.
“I called her today to tell her how proud I am of her,”Clinton tweeted, “and to make sure she knows what all women should: we deserve to be heard.”
Hillary Clinton, would-be shatterer of the last glass ceiling: That is a low bar.
As usual, once public sentiment actually seeped in, Clinton addressed the issue in more detail. Hence the 18-paragraph-long disquisition on Facebook.
Seems someone’s thinking about running again.
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"We Choose Debt..."
I’ve long held a working theory that US voters are completely predictable in Presidential elections.
The idea is that Americans almost invariably tend to swing wildly every few election cycles, voting for the candidate who is as close to the opposite of the current guy as possible.
Let’s go back a few decades to, say, Jimmy Carter.
In 1976, the country was sick and tired of the corruption, scandal, and disgrace of Richard Nixon’s administration (which at that point had been inherited by Gerald Ford).
Jimmy Carter was pretty much the opposite of Richard Nixon– a youthful outsider versus an aging crony.
After four years of economic disaster, Americans swung in the opposite direction from Carter, choosing an older, polished conservative in Ronald Reagan who represented strength and stability.
That trend lasted for twelve years– two terms with Reagan, and one term with his successor George HW Bush, after which the country swung in the other direction again– to Bill Clinton.
Clinton was another young, energetic liberal, pretty much the opposite of the elderly, curmudgeonly Bush.
After eight year of Clinton and his personal scandals, the country swung again to George W. Bush, a God-fearing, fundamental conservative who wouldn’t cheat on his wife. He represented Clinton’s opposite.
And after eight years of war and economic turmoil, the country swung once again to Bush’s opposite– a youthful, charismatic, black outsider.
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The idea is that Americans almost invariably tend to swing wildly every few election cycles, voting for the candidate who is as close to the opposite of the current guy as possible.
Let’s go back a few decades to, say, Jimmy Carter.
In 1976, the country was sick and tired of the corruption, scandal, and disgrace of Richard Nixon’s administration (which at that point had been inherited by Gerald Ford).
Jimmy Carter was pretty much the opposite of Richard Nixon– a youthful outsider versus an aging crony.
After four years of economic disaster, Americans swung in the opposite direction from Carter, choosing an older, polished conservative in Ronald Reagan who represented strength and stability.
That trend lasted for twelve years– two terms with Reagan, and one term with his successor George HW Bush, after which the country swung in the other direction again– to Bill Clinton.
Clinton was another young, energetic liberal, pretty much the opposite of the elderly, curmudgeonly Bush.
After eight year of Clinton and his personal scandals, the country swung again to George W. Bush, a God-fearing, fundamental conservative who wouldn’t cheat on his wife. He represented Clinton’s opposite.
And after eight years of war and economic turmoil, the country swung once again to Bush’s opposite– a youthful, charismatic, black outsider.
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Watch the incredible prayer Eagles players said on field after Super Bowl win
By now it is well-known that the Philadelphia Eagles have built a strong sense of brotherhood in the locker room through their Christian faith.
The team was quick to give God the glory after their Super Bowl victory, with coach Doug Pederson, quarterback Nick Foles and a plethora of other players openly sharing their faith in postgame interviews.
Now, thanks to NFL RedZone host Scott Hanson, we can see a video of the post-Super Bowl prayer shared between the Eagles brothers.
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The team was quick to give God the glory after their Super Bowl victory, with coach Doug Pederson, quarterback Nick Foles and a plethora of other players openly sharing their faith in postgame interviews.
Now, thanks to NFL RedZone host Scott Hanson, we can see a video of the post-Super Bowl prayer shared between the Eagles brothers.
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Declassified Grassley Document Confirms FISA Memo's Explosive Claims
A declassified document from the Senate Judiciary Committee confirms that the FBI "relied heavily" on an unverified dossier in order to obtain FISA surveillance warrants on one-time Trump advisor Carter Page
Unredacted portions of the document reveal the FBI's extensive involvement with the creator of the dossier, former UK spy Christopher Steele
Despite Steele lying to the FBI which led to the agency ending their relationship, they still used his unverified memo and vouched for his reputation to obtain the FISA warrants
The unredacted memo clarifies that the FBI notified the FISA court of the dossier's political origins "to a vaguely limited extent"
The FBI has withheld the notes from their meetings with Steele
Steele received information for an unpublished second dossier from the Obama State Department led by John Kerry at the time
Much of the information in this "Grassley Memo" matches with the contents of the "Nunes Memo" released by the House Intelligence Committee last Friday.
A largely unredacted version of a criminal referral made against Fusion GPS operative Christopher Steele reveals several new bombshells, and confirms that the FBI heavily relied on an unverified dossier created by the former UK spy - along with a Yahoo News article which used Steele's information, to obtain a FISA surveillance warrant on one-time Trump advisor Carter Page.
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Unredacted portions of the document reveal the FBI's extensive involvement with the creator of the dossier, former UK spy Christopher Steele
Despite Steele lying to the FBI which led to the agency ending their relationship, they still used his unverified memo and vouched for his reputation to obtain the FISA warrants
The unredacted memo clarifies that the FBI notified the FISA court of the dossier's political origins "to a vaguely limited extent"
The FBI has withheld the notes from their meetings with Steele
Steele received information for an unpublished second dossier from the Obama State Department led by John Kerry at the time
Much of the information in this "Grassley Memo" matches with the contents of the "Nunes Memo" released by the House Intelligence Committee last Friday.
A largely unredacted version of a criminal referral made against Fusion GPS operative Christopher Steele reveals several new bombshells, and confirms that the FBI heavily relied on an unverified dossier created by the former UK spy - along with a Yahoo News article which used Steele's information, to obtain a FISA surveillance warrant on one-time Trump advisor Carter Page.
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Pat Buchanan Sees A 'Never-Trump' Press In Near-Panic
“The people have a right to know,” the professors at Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism hammered into us in 1962.“Trust the people,” we were admonished.
Explain then this hysteria, this panic in the press over the release of a four-page memo detailing one congressional committee’s rendering of how Trump-hate spawned an FBI investigation of Republican candidate and President Donald Trump.
What is the press corps afraid of? For it has not ceased keening and caterwauling that this memo must not see the light of day.
Do the media not trust the people? Can Americans not handle the truth?
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Memo Reveals Deep State/Media Coordination: Yahoo! News Article Cited by FBI Based on Steele Leaks
The FBI and DOJ used a news article published on Yahoo! News to bolster its case for surveillance of Trump campaign associate Carter Page, deliberately omitting or unaware that the information in the article had the same source as the infamous “dossier” itself, according to the House Intelligence Committee memo released Friday.
If the memo’s assertions are true, the FBI and DOJ knew that the Democratic National Committee-funded Fusion GPS dossier and its author, former British spy Christopher Steele, were motivated by political bias against Donald Trump. They also likely knew that the article in question, Michael Isikoff’s September 23, 2016 “U.S. intel officials probe ties between Trump adviser and Kremlin,” merely repeats the information Steele made in his dossier.
With the dossier, which also included an outlandish story of Trump committing a series of urological sex acts in a Moscow hotel, increasingly called into question, DOJ and FBI officials backed it up with Isikoff’s story explicitly denying the fact it had the exact same sourcing – Steele – and presented it as corroboration.
If the memo, crafted and released largely through the efforts of Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-CA), proves true, these officials then either deliberately misled the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) to get a FISA warrant against Page or were themselves unaware that Isikoff was using Steele as his own source.
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If the memo’s assertions are true, the FBI and DOJ knew that the Democratic National Committee-funded Fusion GPS dossier and its author, former British spy Christopher Steele, were motivated by political bias against Donald Trump. They also likely knew that the article in question, Michael Isikoff’s September 23, 2016 “U.S. intel officials probe ties between Trump adviser and Kremlin,” merely repeats the information Steele made in his dossier.
With the dossier, which also included an outlandish story of Trump committing a series of urological sex acts in a Moscow hotel, increasingly called into question, DOJ and FBI officials backed it up with Isikoff’s story explicitly denying the fact it had the exact same sourcing – Steele – and presented it as corroboration.
If the memo, crafted and released largely through the efforts of Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes (R-CA), proves true, these officials then either deliberately misled the U.S. Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court (FISC) to get a FISA warrant against Page or were themselves unaware that Isikoff was using Steele as his own source.
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#MeToo movement lawmaker investigated for sexual misconduct allegations
California Assemblywoman Cristina Garcia — whose high-profile advocacy of the #MeToo movement earned her national media notice — is herself the subject of a state legislative investigation in the wake of a report that she sexually harassed and groped a former legislative staffer.
In December, when Time magazine announced that “Silence Breakers” who spoke out against sexual harassment were its Persons of the Year, Garcia’s face was prominently included in the art accompanying the cover story.
But Daniel Fierro of Cerritos told POLITICO that in 2014, as a 25-year-old staffer to Assemblyman Ian Calderon, he was groped by Garcia, a powerful Democratic lawmaker who chairs the Legislative Women’s Caucus and the Natural Resources Committee.
He said she cornered him alone after the annual Assembly softball game in Sacramento as he attempted to clean up the dugout. Fierro, who said Garcia appeared inebriated, said she began stroking his back, then squeezed his buttocks and attempted to touch his crotch before he extricated himself and quickly left.
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In December, when Time magazine announced that “Silence Breakers” who spoke out against sexual harassment were its Persons of the Year, Garcia’s face was prominently included in the art accompanying the cover story.
But Daniel Fierro of Cerritos told POLITICO that in 2014, as a 25-year-old staffer to Assemblyman Ian Calderon, he was groped by Garcia, a powerful Democratic lawmaker who chairs the Legislative Women’s Caucus and the Natural Resources Committee.
He said she cornered him alone after the annual Assembly softball game in Sacramento as he attempted to clean up the dugout. Fierro, who said Garcia appeared inebriated, said she began stroking his back, then squeezed his buttocks and attempted to touch his crotch before he extricated himself and quickly left.
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France: Migrant Crisis Spirals Out Of Control
Hundreds of Africans and Asians armed with knives and iron rods fought running street battles in the northern port city of Calais on February 1, less than two weeks after French President Emmanuel Macron visited the area and pledged to crack down on illegal immigration.
The clashes plunged Calais — emblematic of Europe's failure to control mass migration — into a war zone and reinforced the perception that French authorities have lost control of the country's security situation.
The mass brawls, fought in at least three different parts of Calais, erupted after a 37-year-old Afghan migrant running a human trafficking operation fired gunshots at a group of Africans who did not have money to pay for his services. Five Africans suffered life-threatening injuries.
Within an hour, hundreds of Eritreans, Ethiopians and Sudanese took to the streets of Calais and attacked any Afghans they could find. More than a thousand police officers using batons and tear gas were deployed to restore order. Two dozen migrants were hospitalized.
French Interior Minister Gérard Collomb described the level of violence in Calais as "unprecedented." He attributed the fighting to an escalating turf war between Afghan and Kurdish gangs seeking to gain control over human trafficking between Calais and Britain, which many migrants view as "El Dorado" because of its massive underground economy. Each day around 40 ferries depart Calais for Britain.
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The clashes plunged Calais — emblematic of Europe's failure to control mass migration — into a war zone and reinforced the perception that French authorities have lost control of the country's security situation.
The mass brawls, fought in at least three different parts of Calais, erupted after a 37-year-old Afghan migrant running a human trafficking operation fired gunshots at a group of Africans who did not have money to pay for his services. Five Africans suffered life-threatening injuries.
Within an hour, hundreds of Eritreans, Ethiopians and Sudanese took to the streets of Calais and attacked any Afghans they could find. More than a thousand police officers using batons and tear gas were deployed to restore order. Two dozen migrants were hospitalized.
French Interior Minister Gérard Collomb described the level of violence in Calais as "unprecedented." He attributed the fighting to an escalating turf war between Afghan and Kurdish gangs seeking to gain control over human trafficking between Calais and Britain, which many migrants view as "El Dorado" because of its massive underground economy. Each day around 40 ferries depart Calais for Britain.
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The death knell for unions? Supreme Court gets to decid
A $45 monthly fee could end up costing big labor billions. Public unions are getting nervous, while those who don’t like how they operate are claiming the free lunch may be over soon.
An explosive case regarding government employees and the First Amendment that the Supreme Court will hear on Feb. 26 could redefine the relationship between public unions and workers.
Petitioner Mark Janus works at the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services and didn’t like that a certain amount was deducted from his paycheck — he didn’t believe he should be forced to pay union dues or fees just to be allowed to work for the state. He didn’t agree with the 1.3 million-member AFSCME union’s politics, and so believed, under the First Amendment, he couldn’t be forced to contribute.
In his court filing, Janus quotes Thomas Jefferson, who said to “compel a man to furnish contribution of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves, is sinful and tyrannical.”
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An explosive case regarding government employees and the First Amendment that the Supreme Court will hear on Feb. 26 could redefine the relationship between public unions and workers.
Petitioner Mark Janus works at the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services and didn’t like that a certain amount was deducted from his paycheck — he didn’t believe he should be forced to pay union dues or fees just to be allowed to work for the state. He didn’t agree with the 1.3 million-member AFSCME union’s politics, and so believed, under the First Amendment, he couldn’t be forced to contribute.
In his court filing, Janus quotes Thomas Jefferson, who said to “compel a man to furnish contribution of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves, is sinful and tyrannical.”
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http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/02/09/death-knell-for-unions-supreme-court-gets-to-decide.html
A Comment Worthy Of A Post 2-9-17
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During past meetings, Heath has opposed $50,000, calling it too low.
“I liken it to the business world. I was asked by one of the councilmen what the salary would be for a CEO with a $58 million company (the city’s annual budget). It would be between $65,000 and $80,000 depending on the company,” he said.
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You liken it to the business world? What dumb councilman asked that dumb question because the Mayor is not a CEO that runs a $58 million company. Jake Day hired and inexperienced community organizer that has absolutely no experience running a city. Then the idiot hires TWO inexperienced deputy administrators with NO EXPERIENCE running a city. The additional deputy administrator was hired because he/she was going to be responsible the Folk Festival. A couple of weeks later Jake Day hires some clown working at the Wicomico Day Center to run the National Folk Festival. I don't know about you, but how can a part-time employee working in a daycare center with kiddy's know how to run a large National Folk Festival.
You see Jackie Man, this is why Jake Day doesn't deserve a pay raise. He knew going into the job that it was a part-time mayor's position so again he should only get part-time pay. As a matter of fact, he should donate his current pay to some of the city council members because they are the ones that are underpaid.
The Other Secret Dossier
A State Department official reportedly passed on a second Trump 'Dossier,' written by one of Hillary Clinton's sketchiest supporters.
State Dept. Official Reportedly Passed On Second Trump ‘Dossier’ Written by One of Clinton’s Most Discreditable Supporters
Last week, the Guardian reported the FBI is looking at a second Trump “dossier,” in addition to the one compiled by former British spook Christopher Steele at the behest of the Clinton campaign. The second dossier is allegedly compiled by Cody Shearer. “One source with knowledge of the inquiry said the fact the FBI was still working on [the ‘Shearer dossier’] suggested investigators had taken an aspect of it seriously,” notes the Guardian. “It raises the possibility that parts of the Steele dossier, which has been derided by Trump’s supporters, may have been corroborated by Shearer’s research, or could still be.”
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State Dept. Official Reportedly Passed On Second Trump ‘Dossier’ Written by One of Clinton’s Most Discreditable Supporters
Last week, the Guardian reported the FBI is looking at a second Trump “dossier,” in addition to the one compiled by former British spook Christopher Steele at the behest of the Clinton campaign. The second dossier is allegedly compiled by Cody Shearer. “One source with knowledge of the inquiry said the fact the FBI was still working on [the ‘Shearer dossier’] suggested investigators had taken an aspect of it seriously,” notes the Guardian. “It raises the possibility that parts of the Steele dossier, which has been derided by Trump’s supporters, may have been corroborated by Shearer’s research, or could still be.”
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Soros Pumps Cash into Brexit Reversal Campaign
George Soros, the billionaire globalist and convicted insider trader, has been unmasked as a major backer behind a campaign to stop Brexit.
The Hungarian-American financial speculator, infamous as ‘The Man Who Broke the Bank of England’ for his role in Black Wednesday in the United Kingdom, has ploughed £400,000 into Gina Miller’s former Best for Britain campaign, The Telegraph reports.
Miller previously dragged the government through the courts to establish that it could not implement the British public’s vote to Leave the European Union without a second authorising vote in the Remainer-dominated Houses of Parliament. She also used Best for Britain to encourage tactical voting for parliamentary candidates with an “open mind” on Brexit during the 2017 snap election.
She had denied she wanted to actually reverse the referendum result, but leaked details of a national advertising campaign which will launch this month drops this pretence, with its explicit goal being to “wake the country up and assert that Brexit is not a done deal. That it’s not too late to stop Brexit.”
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The Hungarian-American financial speculator, infamous as ‘The Man Who Broke the Bank of England’ for his role in Black Wednesday in the United Kingdom, has ploughed £400,000 into Gina Miller’s former Best for Britain campaign, The Telegraph reports.
Miller previously dragged the government through the courts to establish that it could not implement the British public’s vote to Leave the European Union without a second authorising vote in the Remainer-dominated Houses of Parliament. She also used Best for Britain to encourage tactical voting for parliamentary candidates with an “open mind” on Brexit during the 2017 snap election.
She had denied she wanted to actually reverse the referendum result, but leaked details of a national advertising campaign which will launch this month drops this pretence, with its explicit goal being to “wake the country up and assert that Brexit is not a done deal. That it’s not too late to stop Brexit.”
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Another Person Killed By An Illegal
Twice-deported Guatemalan involved in fatal car crash that killed 2 men in Indianapolis also faces federal immigration charges
INDIANAPOLIS — A previously deported citizen of Guatemala, who was arrested Sunday for being involved in a fatal car accident that killed an NFL player and another man, was federally charged with illegally re-entering the U.S. after having been deported, which is a felony.
U.S. Attorney Josh Minkler, Southern District of Indiana, announced these charges Tuesday in Indianapolis.
According to the criminal complaint, Manuel Orrego-Zavala, aka Manuel Orrego-Savala, 37, was arrested Feb. 4, 2018, by law enforcement in Indianapolis for being involved in a fatal accident on Interstate Highway 70.
At the time of his arrest, Orrego-Zavala provided law enforcement authorities with the alias, “Alex G. Cabrera.” But officers with U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) soon learned — through cooperation and information sharing with the Indianapolis Metro Police Department — his true identity was Manuel Orrego-Zavala, a citizen of Guatemala.
The complaint further states Orrego-Zavala was arrested by deportation officers with ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in October 2006, and removed from the U.S. to Guatemala in January 2007. Upon his removal, Orrego-Zavala was prohibited from legally re-entering the U.S. for 10 years.
In March 2009, he was again arrested by ERO. In May 2009, he was removed to Guatemala and prohibited from legally re-entering the U.S. for 20 years.
INDIANAPOLIS — A previously deported citizen of Guatemala, who was arrested Sunday for being involved in a fatal car accident that killed an NFL player and another man, was federally charged with illegally re-entering the U.S. after having been deported, which is a felony.
U.S. Attorney Josh Minkler, Southern District of Indiana, announced these charges Tuesday in Indianapolis.
According to the criminal complaint, Manuel Orrego-Zavala, aka Manuel Orrego-Savala, 37, was arrested Feb. 4, 2018, by law enforcement in Indianapolis for being involved in a fatal accident on Interstate Highway 70.
At the time of his arrest, Orrego-Zavala provided law enforcement authorities with the alias, “Alex G. Cabrera.” But officers with U.S. Immigration and Custom Enforcement (ICE) soon learned — through cooperation and information sharing with the Indianapolis Metro Police Department — his true identity was Manuel Orrego-Zavala, a citizen of Guatemala.
The complaint further states Orrego-Zavala was arrested by deportation officers with ICE Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) in October 2006, and removed from the U.S. to Guatemala in January 2007. Upon his removal, Orrego-Zavala was prohibited from legally re-entering the U.S. for 10 years.
In March 2009, he was again arrested by ERO. In May 2009, he was removed to Guatemala and prohibited from legally re-entering the U.S. for 20 years.
Democrat-Donating FBI Agent Who Resigned Now Works At CNN
The FBI special agent who claimed in a blistering New York Times op-ed that a series of “relentless attacks” launched by Republicans against the bureau has spurred him to resign made his first appearance Monday at his new gig.
Joshua Campbell, a former assistant to ex-FBI Director James Comey, is now a “law enforcement analyst” for CNN.
Campbell’s transition from the FBI to the cable news giant took less than 48 hours, the Daily Caller pointed out.
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Joshua Campbell, a former assistant to ex-FBI Director James Comey, is now a “law enforcement analyst” for CNN.
Campbell’s transition from the FBI to the cable news giant took less than 48 hours, the Daily Caller pointed out.
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Parkside Incident
Joe, the incident at Parkside makes the 3rd “near miss” this week in Wicomico County schools. I have not heard the rest of the story on the Parkside incident however a police response at that level is significant. I keep thinking is the county doing enough? Is Wicomico County prepared for a “Critical Incident” at one of our schools or simultaneously events at multiple schools? The CDC reports that 90% of schools in the US have an “Active Killer Event” policy in place that is “drilled”, “hot washed” and refined/improved on a regular basis “the CDC found nearly 90 percent of public schools had a written plan for responding to school shootings, and 70 percent of those schools had drilled students on the plan” . Wicomico County schools conduct fire drills on a monthly basis. History tells us there has not been a fatal fire in a US school since 1958. When fire drills are conducted in the county schools there is no use technology to determine the appropriate escape route so, month after month a potentially deadly escape route is being committed to muscle memory by both the students and the staff. Below is a recommended preparedness guide that was created by FEMA in response to the tragic events occurring in our public schools. In just the first 32 days of this year there was some type of significant “Hostile Event” with firearms in 12 US schools.
I felt compelled to send you this information because so much is at stake. One of the comments on your site was parents were in the dark. FEMA/DHS created “guidance/best practices” on ways to leverage social media to keep the public informed during a critical incident as well as mining social media “Open Source Intelligence Gathering” for clues that a significant event may be in the planning or near execution stage.
I pray that we never have a serious event in one of our schools however I worry that if we do, we will not be prepared to respond. The CDC quote come from Campus Magazine.
I felt compelled to send you this information because so much is at stake. One of the comments on your site was parents were in the dark. FEMA/DHS created “guidance/best practices” on ways to leverage social media to keep the public informed during a critical incident as well as mining social media “Open Source Intelligence Gathering” for clues that a significant event may be in the planning or near execution stage.
I pray that we never have a serious event in one of our schools however I worry that if we do, we will not be prepared to respond. The CDC quote come from Campus Magazine.
FBI lovers texts: Obama wanted info on Clinton email probe
President Donald Trump trumpeted the release of new private texts from a pair of FBI lovers that said former President Obama wanted to know 'everything' about the FBI's Hillary Clinton email probe.
An FBI lawyer wrote in a newly revealed text to her lover in late 2016 that then-president Barack Obama wanted updates on the Hillary Clinton email investigation.
Two months before the presidential election, Lisa Page wrote to fellow FBI official Peter Strzok that she was working on a memo for then-FBI director James Comey because Obama 'wants to know everything we're doing.'
Obama had said five months earlier during a Fox News Channel interview that he could 'guarantee' he wouldn't interfere with that investigation.
President jumped on the news, sending out an all-caps tweet about it. ''NEW FBI TEXTS ARE BOMBSHELLS!' Trump wrote.
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An FBI lawyer wrote in a newly revealed text to her lover in late 2016 that then-president Barack Obama wanted updates on the Hillary Clinton email investigation.
Two months before the presidential election, Lisa Page wrote to fellow FBI official Peter Strzok that she was working on a memo for then-FBI director James Comey because Obama 'wants to know everything we're doing.'
Obama had said five months earlier during a Fox News Channel interview that he could 'guarantee' he wouldn't interfere with that investigation.
President jumped on the news, sending out an all-caps tweet about it. ''NEW FBI TEXTS ARE BOMBSHELLS!' Trump wrote.
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US special forces spent three weeks testing border wall prototypes — the results couldn’t be better
What did they find?
According to the Associated Press, the commandos and CBP finished a three-week test this week and found the new walls “should stop border crossers.”
Commandos and agents attempted “to breach and scale the eight models in San Diego, using jackhammers, saws, torches and other tools and climbing devices” but were unable to breach the walls each time, a U.S. official anonymously told the AP.
The testing was conducted on eight different wall proposals and was designed to identify the strengths and weaknesses of each design. The best design, the officials concluded, was a see-through steel barrier topped by concrete. The government prefers this design because it allows agents to see through the wall at ground level, while the concrete at the top makes scaling the wall exponentially more difficult.
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Judge Nap Wants Trump To Release Dem Memo To Send Intelligence Community ‘Through The Roof’
Fox News legal analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano said he hopes President Donald Trump allows the Schiff FISA memo to be released and thinks it will drive the intelligence community crazy.
“I hope he releases it because it will show who’s spinning, who’s exaggerating,” Napolitano said on Fox & Friends Tuesday. “It will also show … raw intelligence. There’s everything in there. If you like Donald Trump, you are going to find some stuff in there. If you don’t like Donald Trump, you’re going to find some stuff in there. So the pressure, once this Democratic memo comes out, the pressure will build for the raw intelligence on which the Republican memo is based and on which the Democratic memo is based to come out.”
“That will send the intelligence community through the roof,” he added. “Because this stuff is never ever made public.”
WATCH:
“I hope he releases it because it will show who’s spinning, who’s exaggerating,” Napolitano said on Fox & Friends Tuesday. “It will also show … raw intelligence. There’s everything in there. If you like Donald Trump, you are going to find some stuff in there. If you don’t like Donald Trump, you’re going to find some stuff in there. So the pressure, once this Democratic memo comes out, the pressure will build for the raw intelligence on which the Republican memo is based and on which the Democratic memo is based to come out.”
“That will send the intelligence community through the roof,” he added. “Because this stuff is never ever made public.”
WATCH:
Dem Sen. Mark Warner texted with Russian oligarch lobbyist to contact dossier author
Sen. Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee who has been leading a congressional investigation into President Trump's alleged ties to Russia, had extensive contact last year with a lobbyist for a Russian oligarch who was offering Warner access to former British spy and dossier author Christopher Steele, according to text messages obtained exclusively by Fox News.
"We have so much to discuss u need to be careful but we can help our country," Warner texted the lobbyist, Adam Waldman, on March 22, 2017.
"I'm in," Waldman, whose firm has ties to Hillary Clinton, texted back to Warner.
Secrecy seemed very important to Warner as the conversation with Waldman heated up March 29, when the lobbyist revealed that Steele wanted a bipartisan letter from Warner and the committee’s chairman, North Carolina Republican Sen. Richard Burr, inviting him to talk to the Senate intelligence panel.
Throughout the text exchanges, Warner seemed particularly intent on connecting directly with Steele without anyone else on the Senate Intelligence Committee being in the loop -- at least initially. In one text to the lobbyist, Warner wrote that he would "rather not have a paper trail" of his messages.
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http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/02/08/democratic-sen-mark-warner-texted-with-russian-oligarch-lobbyist-in-effort-to-contact-dossier-author-christopher-steele.html
"We have so much to discuss u need to be careful but we can help our country," Warner texted the lobbyist, Adam Waldman, on March 22, 2017.
"I'm in," Waldman, whose firm has ties to Hillary Clinton, texted back to Warner.
Secrecy seemed very important to Warner as the conversation with Waldman heated up March 29, when the lobbyist revealed that Steele wanted a bipartisan letter from Warner and the committee’s chairman, North Carolina Republican Sen. Richard Burr, inviting him to talk to the Senate intelligence panel.
Throughout the text exchanges, Warner seemed particularly intent on connecting directly with Steele without anyone else on the Senate Intelligence Committee being in the loop -- at least initially. In one text to the lobbyist, Warner wrote that he would "rather not have a paper trail" of his messages.
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http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/02/08/democratic-sen-mark-warner-texted-with-russian-oligarch-lobbyist-in-effort-to-contact-dossier-author-christopher-steele.html
REPORT: Dem Memo Peppered With ‘Sources And Methods’ That Need To Be Redacted
Democratic lawmakers’ rebuttal memo to their Republican counterparts includes references to “sources and methods” that need to be redacted, Fox News reports.
Lawmakers of the House intelligence committee voted to declassify the Democratic memo late Monday, giving President Donald Trump five days to conduct a national security review of the document. This national security review will include a review of sources and methods which officials say must be withheld from the public for intelligence concerns.
The memo was compiled in response to its Republican counterpart who released a memo that alleges broad abuse of FISA authority by top officials in the Department of Justice and the FBI. Democratic lawmaker Adam Schiff, who played a key role in compiling the document, said he fears “political redactions” from the White House during the intelligence review.
Fox News, however, reports that information was specifically put into the document in order to force the White House’s hand and play into a narrative of obfuscation.
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Lawmakers of the House intelligence committee voted to declassify the Democratic memo late Monday, giving President Donald Trump five days to conduct a national security review of the document. This national security review will include a review of sources and methods which officials say must be withheld from the public for intelligence concerns.
The memo was compiled in response to its Republican counterpart who released a memo that alleges broad abuse of FISA authority by top officials in the Department of Justice and the FBI. Democratic lawmaker Adam Schiff, who played a key role in compiling the document, said he fears “political redactions” from the White House during the intelligence review.
Fox News, however, reports that information was specifically put into the document in order to force the White House’s hand and play into a narrative of obfuscation.
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No Shutdown: Congress Passes Two-Year Budget Deal
Update: just before 6am ET on Friday, the House joined the Senate in passing the budget deal that would fund the government through March 23, sending legislation to President Trump that would end a brief shutdown of the government that began at midnight.
The bill passed in a 240-186 vote despite opposition from most Democrats, who had sought a firmer commitment from Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) that he will bring immigration legislation to the floor for a vote that would protect immigrants who came to the United States as children from deportation. House Democrats just barely made up for the defections on the GOP side. A total of 73 Democrats voted for the legislation, while 67 Republicans voted against it.
As The Hill reports, Democrats tried to make GOP leaders sweat. They held out their votes until the final minutes, until it was clear that a majority of the GOP conference supported it. At first, Republicans were the only ones casting votes as Democrats sat largely in silence. Then the "no" votes ominously began piling up, only for enough Democrats to eventually neutralize the GOP defections.
Gamesmanship from both parties was repeatedly on display, with Democrats warning Republicans they could not count on the minority delivering votes. Republicans, for their part, repeatedly played it cool in public, offering confidence the measure would pass despite opposition from conservative Republicans who said the new spending added too much to the deficit.
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The bill passed in a 240-186 vote despite opposition from most Democrats, who had sought a firmer commitment from Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) that he will bring immigration legislation to the floor for a vote that would protect immigrants who came to the United States as children from deportation. House Democrats just barely made up for the defections on the GOP side. A total of 73 Democrats voted for the legislation, while 67 Republicans voted against it.
As The Hill reports, Democrats tried to make GOP leaders sweat. They held out their votes until the final minutes, until it was clear that a majority of the GOP conference supported it. At first, Republicans were the only ones casting votes as Democrats sat largely in silence. Then the "no" votes ominously began piling up, only for enough Democrats to eventually neutralize the GOP defections.
Gamesmanship from both parties was repeatedly on display, with Democrats warning Republicans they could not count on the minority delivering votes. Republicans, for their part, repeatedly played it cool in public, offering confidence the measure would pass despite opposition from conservative Republicans who said the new spending added too much to the deficit.
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Troopers Seek Publics Assistance in Identifying Theft Suspect
The incident occurred on Wednesday, February 7, 2018 at approximately 8:10 p.m., when the above pictured suspect entered a walk in freezer at the rear of JD Shuckers restaurant located at 20750 John J. Williams Highway. Troopers responded to the restaurant on Thursday, February 8, 2018 and made contact with the manager. The manager advised that after becoming aware that shrimp was missing, she reviewed the video surveillance cameras and came across the suspect walking in the freezer and then approximately two minutes later walking out of the freezer carrying a 5lb. bag of shrimp.
The suspect is described as a black male wearing glasses and overalls.
Anyone with information regarding the identity of the pictured suspect or the incident is asked to please contact Cpl/2 J. Serratore at Troop 7 by calling 302-644-5020. Information may also be provided by calling Delaware crime stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333 or via the internet at http://www.delaware.crimestoppersweb.com
Congress passes budget deal to reopen government
The House passed a two-year budget deal just before dawn on Friday, matching Senate action hours earlier and ending a brief federal government shutdown.
By a vote of 240-186 that finished at 5:33 a.m., the House approved a spending plan that overcame opposition from deficit-hawk conservatives and liberals, unhappy that the bill didn’t include protections for Dreamers — undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children.
“Ultimately neither side got everything it wanted in this agreement, but we reached a bipartisan compromise that puts the safety and well-being of the American people first,” House Speaker Paul Ryan said in a statement moments after passage.
The federal government shut down at the stroke of midnight after the Senate couldn’t pass the spending bill, over objections of Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky).
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By a vote of 240-186 that finished at 5:33 a.m., the House approved a spending plan that overcame opposition from deficit-hawk conservatives and liberals, unhappy that the bill didn’t include protections for Dreamers — undocumented immigrants brought to the United States as children.
“Ultimately neither side got everything it wanted in this agreement, but we reached a bipartisan compromise that puts the safety and well-being of the American people first,” House Speaker Paul Ryan said in a statement moments after passage.
The federal government shut down at the stroke of midnight after the Senate couldn’t pass the spending bill, over objections of Sen. Rand Paul (R-Kentucky).
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Delmar VFW Feb.9th and 10th Events
OYSTER FRITTERS and/or CHICKEN SALAD DINNER
The public is invited to an Oyster Fritters and/or Chicken Salad Dinner on Friday, February 9, from 6 - 8 PM sponsored by the Delmar VFW Auxiliary, at 200 West State St., Delmar, MD.
The menu includes your choice of 2 vegetables from the following: seasoned string beans, homemade potato salad, homemade macaroni and cheese, seasoned turnip greens, apple sauce, and pickled beets, along with a dinner roll and coffee or tea. Desserts are also available. The price varies according to the platter combination chosen.
Call 410-896-3722 for carry outs after 4 PM. All proceeds benefit the many local charities and organizations supported by the Delmar VFW Auxiliary.
VALENTINE'S DAY DANCE FEBRUARY 10
The Wild Turkey Federation invites the public to a Valentine's Day Dance on Saturday, February 10, from 8 PM to 12 midnight, at the Delmar VFW Post, 200 West State St., Delmar,MD.
Music is provided by the "Front Page News" band. The cost is $10 per person, with all proceeds benefitting the Wild Turkey Federation.
The public is invited to an Oyster Fritters and/or Chicken Salad Dinner on Friday, February 9, from 6 - 8 PM sponsored by the Delmar VFW Auxiliary, at 200 West State St., Delmar, MD.
The menu includes your choice of 2 vegetables from the following: seasoned string beans, homemade potato salad, homemade macaroni and cheese, seasoned turnip greens, apple sauce, and pickled beets, along with a dinner roll and coffee or tea. Desserts are also available. The price varies according to the platter combination chosen.
Call 410-896-3722 for carry outs after 4 PM. All proceeds benefit the many local charities and organizations supported by the Delmar VFW Auxiliary.
VALENTINE'S DAY DANCE FEBRUARY 10
The Wild Turkey Federation invites the public to a Valentine's Day Dance on Saturday, February 10, from 8 PM to 12 midnight, at the Delmar VFW Post, 200 West State St., Delmar,MD.
Music is provided by the "Front Page News" band. The cost is $10 per person, with all proceeds benefitting the Wild Turkey Federation.
Barry Donadio To Address Salisbury University College Republicans
Barry Donadio, a Maryland Republican Politician will speak on February 20th to the general membership of the Salisbury University College Republicans and other Republican constituents in Salisbury, Maryland. Elements of the Wicomico County Republican Club and Republican Central Committee are expected to attend. The Salisbury University College Republicans requested Donadio to speak and will be hosting his appearance which begins at 8:30 pm. The event is being held at Perdue Hall in room 348.
Mr. Donadio said; “ I am proud that the Salisbury University College Republicans has invited me to speak to their membership. I am delighted that they asked me to speak on one of my favorite subjects, the second amendment.”
Donadio has an impeccable background. He led an honorable career in the Volunteer Ambulance Service, Volunteer Fire Department, the Military, Law Enforcement, and the United States Secret Service. He was assigned to the White House during the Bush and Obama Administrations. He also served in multiple Middle Eastern war zones during his career. In 2013, he authored the book “ TWA Flight 800 First Responder Witness Account”. This is an account describing his actions during the rescue of TWA Flight 800 on July 17th 1996. In 2014, he was elected to the Queen Anne’s County Republican Central Committee in Maryland. He currently serves as President of Public Security LLC, which is a reputable and trusted private security and investigation firm licensed in Maryland and New York.
He is also a Maryland State Police certified pistol instructor that offered free training for the entire MDGOP. In January 2017, he was appointed the Sergeant At Arms of the Maryland Republican Party for a two year term. Donadio has publicly taken strong stances on the second amendment. He has also supported and endorsed pro second amendment Republican Politicians and candidates for office in recent years.
Most recently, he filed candidacy for Queen Anne’s County Commissioner in the 2018 election.
WaPo Casts Doubt on Democratic Prospects in 2018 Midterms
Dems’ generic polling lead has evaporated, casting doubt on so-called “blue wave”
A columnist for the Washington Post has warned Democrats not to be overconfident about the prospect of a wave election carrying them to control of Congress, suggesting most waves “break before they reach the shore.”
“Conditions look particularly good for taking back the House. Off-year elections in a president’s first term nearly always cost his party some seats, and President Trump’s historically low approval ratings are an especially heavy weight for Republicans,” wrote Karen Tumulty. “The fact that so many GOP incumbents are in a rush to retire is no mere coincidence.”
“So what could go wrong for Democrats in 2018? Plenty, actually.”
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A columnist for the Washington Post has warned Democrats not to be overconfident about the prospect of a wave election carrying them to control of Congress, suggesting most waves “break before they reach the shore.”
“Conditions look particularly good for taking back the House. Off-year elections in a president’s first term nearly always cost his party some seats, and President Trump’s historically low approval ratings are an especially heavy weight for Republicans,” wrote Karen Tumulty. “The fact that so many GOP incumbents are in a rush to retire is no mere coincidence.”
“So what could go wrong for Democrats in 2018? Plenty, actually.”
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North Korea 'Months Away' From Ability to Hit US With Nuke
North Korea is only months away from obtaining the capability to hit U.S. territory with a nuclear weapon and must be disarmed, a U.S. envoy said, dismissing Pyonyang's diplomatic thaw with South Korea as a "charm offensive" that fooled no one.
In a diplomatic showdown at a U.N.-sponsored Conference on Disarmament Tuesday, North Korea responded by blaming Washington for escalating confrontation, saying it was deploying nuclear assets including aircraft carriers near the divided peninsula and was considering a pre-emptive strike against Pyongyang.
"North Korea has accelerated its provocative pursuit of nuclear weapons and missile capabilities, and expressed explicit threats to use nuclear weapons against the United States and its allies in the region," U.S. disarmament ambassador Robert Wood told the Geneva forum.
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In a diplomatic showdown at a U.N.-sponsored Conference on Disarmament Tuesday, North Korea responded by blaming Washington for escalating confrontation, saying it was deploying nuclear assets including aircraft carriers near the divided peninsula and was considering a pre-emptive strike against Pyongyang.
"North Korea has accelerated its provocative pursuit of nuclear weapons and missile capabilities, and expressed explicit threats to use nuclear weapons against the United States and its allies in the region," U.S. disarmament ambassador Robert Wood told the Geneva forum.
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U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration emergency schedules all illicit fentanyls in an effort to reduce overdose deaths
WASHINGTON – The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration this week placed all illicit fentanyl analogues not already regulated by the Controlled Substances Act into Schedule I—the category for substances with no currently accepted medical use—for two years, with the possibility of a one-year extension. This action is expected to reduce these substances’ flow into the country and slow the alarming increase in overdose deaths linked to synthetic opioids.
“DEA is committed to using all of its tools to aggressively fight and address the opioid crisis and growing fentanyl problem plaguing the United States,” said DEA Acting Administrator Robert W. Patterson. “By proactively scheduling the whole class of illicit fentanyl substances simultaneously, federal agents and prosecutors can take swift and necessary action against those bringing this poison into our communities.”
A fentanyl analogue is a substance intended for human consumption that is substantially similar in its chemical makeup and effects to fentanyls already listed in Schedule I. Fentanyl is often mixed with heroin and other substances (such as cocaine and methamphetamine) or used in counterfeit pharmaceutical prescription drugs. As a consequence, users who buy these substances on the illicit market are often unaware of the specific substance they are actually consuming and the associated risk.
Anyone who possesses, imports, distributes, or manufactures any illicit fentanyl analogue will be subject to criminal prosecution in the same manner as for fentanyl and other controlled substances. This will make it easier for federal prosecutors and agents to prosecute traffickers of all forms of fentanyl-related substances.
The Federal Register notice is available here:https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/02/06/2018-02319/schedules-of-controlled-substances-temporary-placement-of-fentanyl-related-substances-in-schedule-i
“DEA is committed to using all of its tools to aggressively fight and address the opioid crisis and growing fentanyl problem plaguing the United States,” said DEA Acting Administrator Robert W. Patterson. “By proactively scheduling the whole class of illicit fentanyl substances simultaneously, federal agents and prosecutors can take swift and necessary action against those bringing this poison into our communities.”
A fentanyl analogue is a substance intended for human consumption that is substantially similar in its chemical makeup and effects to fentanyls already listed in Schedule I. Fentanyl is often mixed with heroin and other substances (such as cocaine and methamphetamine) or used in counterfeit pharmaceutical prescription drugs. As a consequence, users who buy these substances on the illicit market are often unaware of the specific substance they are actually consuming and the associated risk.
Anyone who possesses, imports, distributes, or manufactures any illicit fentanyl analogue will be subject to criminal prosecution in the same manner as for fentanyl and other controlled substances. This will make it easier for federal prosecutors and agents to prosecute traffickers of all forms of fentanyl-related substances.
The Federal Register notice is available here:https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2018/02/06/2018-02319/schedules-of-controlled-substances-temporary-placement-of-fentanyl-related-substances-in-schedule-i
Illegal immigrant deported 44 times in 15 years tops feds' list
He is the world’s most persistent illegal immigrant: One Mexican managed to get deported 44 times in 15 years — which means he also managed to sneak back across the border at least that many times.
The runner-up was ousted 40 times from 2001 to 2015. No. 3, 4 and 5 on the list were deported 35, 34 and 31 times, respectively, according to data provided to The Washington Times by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
While those are the most extreme cases, repeat-illegal immigrants were back in the news this week after police said a twice-deported man was driving drunk in Indiana on Sunday morning when he plowed into pro football player Edwin Jackson and his Uber driver, killing them both.
President Trump tweeted about the “disgraceful” death and called the killing “one of many such preventable tragedies.”
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The runner-up was ousted 40 times from 2001 to 2015. No. 3, 4 and 5 on the list were deported 35, 34 and 31 times, respectively, according to data provided to The Washington Times by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
While those are the most extreme cases, repeat-illegal immigrants were back in the news this week after police said a twice-deported man was driving drunk in Indiana on Sunday morning when he plowed into pro football player Edwin Jackson and his Uber driver, killing them both.
President Trump tweeted about the “disgraceful” death and called the killing “one of many such preventable tragedies.”
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Breaking News: The federal government shutdown is over. The House has approved a budget bill that will raise spending by hundreds of billions of dollars.
With the House’s approval, before Friday’s workday, the government will reopen before most Americans knew it closed, with a deal to provide $300 billion in additional funds for this fiscal year and next to for military and non-military programs, disaster relief for the victims of last year’s hurricanes and wildfires, and a higher statutory debt ceiling.
Obama, Holder Conspire Against Republicans in Battleground States
An organization founded by former President Barack Obama and Attorney General Eric Holder has pledged to pour millions of dollars into key races in several battleground states as part of a plan to erode Republican control over the critical redistricting process.
The National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC), founded by Holder last year, hasfocused a significant amount of resources on gubernatorial seats, state legislative races, and other state-level races in an effort to chip away at Republican control of the redistricting process - specifically, Holder cited a desire to deny Republicans state government trifectas, where a single party controls the governorship and an entire legislature.
"From my perspective, success is if you break a trifecta," Holder said. "I don’t think that in December of 2018, you measure success only by whether you have assumed control of a particular state."
In Ohio, the NDRC has pledged to support the Democratic candidate in the contentious race to replace term-limited Republican Governor John Kasich, as well as the Democratic candidates for State Auditor and Secretary of State (both offices are currently held by Republicans, as Senator Sherrod Brown is the only Democrat currently elected to state-wide office).
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The National Democratic Redistricting Committee (NDRC), founded by Holder last year, hasfocused a significant amount of resources on gubernatorial seats, state legislative races, and other state-level races in an effort to chip away at Republican control of the redistricting process - specifically, Holder cited a desire to deny Republicans state government trifectas, where a single party controls the governorship and an entire legislature.
"From my perspective, success is if you break a trifecta," Holder said. "I don’t think that in December of 2018, you measure success only by whether you have assumed control of a particular state."
In Ohio, the NDRC has pledged to support the Democratic candidate in the contentious race to replace term-limited Republican Governor John Kasich, as well as the Democratic candidates for State Auditor and Secretary of State (both offices are currently held by Republicans, as Senator Sherrod Brown is the only Democrat currently elected to state-wide office).
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From out of the slime, Sidney Blumenthal rears his head again
When the question of who cooked up the gross, repulsive contents of the Steele Dossier is asked, is anyone surprised the name of Hillary Clinton's consigliere, Sid Blumenthal, comes up?
Blumenthal has that kind of mind, and sure enough we read of him again. This time, there's a new memo, created by Senate Republicans Chuck Grassley and Lindsey Graham about the creation of the Steele dossier, and apparently one of the contributors was Sid Blumenthal. According to Fox News:
Last month, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., made a criminal referral regarding Steele to the FBI. The referral, parts of which were declassified Monday, included a reference to "a foreign source [who] gave information to an unnamed associate of Hillary and Bill Clinton, who then gave information to an unnamed official in the Obama State Department, who then gave the information to Steele."
In another section, the referral stated that Steele received information from "a foreign sub-source who is in touch with (redacted), a contact of (redacted), a friend of the Clintons, who passed it to (redacted).'"
Rep. Trey Gowdy, who sits on the House Intelligence Committee, strongly hinted to Fox News that the "friend of Hillary Clinton" was Blumenthal:
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Blumenthal has that kind of mind, and sure enough we read of him again. This time, there's a new memo, created by Senate Republicans Chuck Grassley and Lindsey Graham about the creation of the Steele dossier, and apparently one of the contributors was Sid Blumenthal. According to Fox News:
Last month, Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, and Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., made a criminal referral regarding Steele to the FBI. The referral, parts of which were declassified Monday, included a reference to "a foreign source [who] gave information to an unnamed associate of Hillary and Bill Clinton, who then gave information to an unnamed official in the Obama State Department, who then gave the information to Steele."
In another section, the referral stated that Steele received information from "a foreign sub-source who is in touch with (redacted), a contact of (redacted), a friend of the Clintons, who passed it to (redacted).'"
Rep. Trey Gowdy, who sits on the House Intelligence Committee, strongly hinted to Fox News that the "friend of Hillary Clinton" was Blumenthal:
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Retired history teacher believes he looks like Cheddar Man
When Adrian Targett, a retired history teacher from Somerset, walked in to his local news-agent’s yesterday morning, he was startled to see a familiar face staring up at him.
That face, appearing on the front page of several newspapers, belonged to a distant relative of his — around 10,000 years distant, actually — known as Cheddar Man.
Found in Gough’s Cave in Cheddar Gorge in 1903, Cheddar Man is the oldest complete skeleton to be discovered in the UK, and has long been hailed as the first modern Briton who lived around 7,150 BC.
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That face, appearing on the front page of several newspapers, belonged to a distant relative of his — around 10,000 years distant, actually — known as Cheddar Man.
Found in Gough’s Cave in Cheddar Gorge in 1903, Cheddar Man is the oldest complete skeleton to be discovered in the UK, and has long been hailed as the first modern Briton who lived around 7,150 BC.
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Photos of first Winter Olympics in 1924
The black and white snaps from the 1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix in the French Alps show a scene that seems a world away from the multi-billion pound event about to begin in Pyeongchang.
In 1924 a total of 258 athletes from 16 nations took part in the inaugural Winter Games and the first medal was won by the American Charles Jewtraw in the 500m speed-skating.
In a sign of the times, Britain's curling team were decked out in baggy knickerbockers, ties and hats in the event where they won gold.
Fast forward 94 years and there will be 2,900 athletes from 92 countries competing in South Korea across 102 events that will be broadcast around the globe.
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Republican Fiscal Hawks Revolt Against Budget Deal, Suspension Of Debt Ceiling
As more details emerged about today's bipartisan Senate budget deal, which will lift spending caps by $300 billion above the current limit and which prompted today's sharp Treasury selloff, it was revealed that the agreement would suspend the federal debt ceiling through March 1, 2019.
This, together with the generous spending terms which are sure to blow out the US budget deficit even more than recent troubling forecasts such as those from Goldman, which recently predicted US debt issuance would more than double, rising from $488bn in 2017 to $1,030 billion in 2018...
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This, together with the generous spending terms which are sure to blow out the US budget deficit even more than recent troubling forecasts such as those from Goldman, which recently predicted US debt issuance would more than double, rising from $488bn in 2017 to $1,030 billion in 2018...
GOP Senate Candidate Kingston Mocks Warren’s ‘Nevertheless She Persisted’ Anniversary
BOSTON — Businessman John Kingston, one of three Republicans angling for the party nod to challenge Democratic U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren in November, recognized on Wednesday the one-year anniversary of the Warren’s “nevertheless, she persisted,” Senate floor moment with a playful series of statements.
A year ago, Warren was repeatedly asked by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to refrain from “impugning” a fellow member, a violation of Senate rules, during then-Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions’s confirmation process to become U.S. Attorney General. The full Senate eventually voted to silence Warren.
After the vote McConnell reminded the Cambridge Democrat that she was provided with several warnings, and added in a since-famous comment that became both a rallying cry for feminists on the left and a fund-raising tool for Warren’s campaign, “nevertheless, she persisted.”
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A year ago, Warren was repeatedly asked by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to refrain from “impugning” a fellow member, a violation of Senate rules, during then-Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions’s confirmation process to become U.S. Attorney General. The full Senate eventually voted to silence Warren.
After the vote McConnell reminded the Cambridge Democrat that she was provided with several warnings, and added in a since-famous comment that became both a rallying cry for feminists on the left and a fund-raising tool for Warren’s campaign, “nevertheless, she persisted.”
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