Florida ‘code red’ active shooter drill with “fake guns” went live, several eyewitnesses suggest. Did police use the wrong type of ammo (i.e. live rounds I.L.O. blanks) or did another element capitalize on the drill by hijacking it and taking it hot?
PARKLAND, Fla. (INTELLIHUB) — Many credible sources, including students, parents, and teachers of the school have openly admitted on camera that they were told at one point or another prior to the Valentine’s Day shooting that a “code red” active shooter drill would be taking place.
Stoneman Douglas H.S. Freshman Kelsey Friend told CNN on Thursday, that she heard whispers from fellow classmates on the day of the shooting that police would be conducting an active shooter drill using “fake guns.”
“We had rumors going around the school that police would do a fake code red with fake guns, not actual, but sounding real and I thought at the beginning that this just wasn’t real and that this was just drills […] until I saw my teacher dead on the floor.”
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Saturday, February 17, 2018
Media ignoring crucial factor in Florida school shooting
Here we go again. A horrific mass shooting occurs. Everyone is in shock and grief. Democrats blame guns and Republicans. Pundits urge the public, “If you see something, say something.” And everyone asks, “Why?”
As information about the perpetrator emerges, a relative confides to a newspaper that the “troubled youth” who committed the mass murder was on psychiatric medications – you know, those powerful, little understood, mind-altering drugs with fearsome side effects including “suicidal ideation” and even “homicidal ideation.”
Yet the predictable response from the press is always the same – not only a total lack of curiosity, but disdain for any who ask the question, as though connecting psychiatric meds to mass shootings is pursuing a “conspiracy theory.”
Here’s a good way to tell whether or not something is a conspiracy theory: If it’s true, it’s not a conspiracy theory.
In the case of Nikolas Cruz, the 19-year-old Florida mass-shooter, his mother’s sister, Barbara Kumbatovich, told the Miami Herald that she believed Cruz was on medication to deal with his emotional fragility.
This is strikingly similar to reports right after the 2013 school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut..
Fact: A disturbing number of perpetrators of school shootings and similar mass murders in our modern era were either on – or just recently coming off of – psychiatric medications.
More here
As information about the perpetrator emerges, a relative confides to a newspaper that the “troubled youth” who committed the mass murder was on psychiatric medications – you know, those powerful, little understood, mind-altering drugs with fearsome side effects including “suicidal ideation” and even “homicidal ideation.”
Yet the predictable response from the press is always the same – not only a total lack of curiosity, but disdain for any who ask the question, as though connecting psychiatric meds to mass shootings is pursuing a “conspiracy theory.”
Here’s a good way to tell whether or not something is a conspiracy theory: If it’s true, it’s not a conspiracy theory.
In the case of Nikolas Cruz, the 19-year-old Florida mass-shooter, his mother’s sister, Barbara Kumbatovich, told the Miami Herald that she believed Cruz was on medication to deal with his emotional fragility.
This is strikingly similar to reports right after the 2013 school massacre in Newtown, Connecticut..
Fact: A disturbing number of perpetrators of school shootings and similar mass murders in our modern era were either on – or just recently coming off of – psychiatric medications.
More here
Networks: Trump Made It Easier for Mentally Ill to Buy Guns
Fresh off their disinformation campaign in the immediate aftermath of the Parkland, Florida school shooting in which they falsely claimed there had been 18 school shootings this year, the three major network news outlets (ABC, CBS, and NBC) moved on to another fake news topic they wanted to push on the American people: President Trump and the GOP made it easier for mentally ill people to buy guns.
The accusation that a bill designed to remove restrictions and allow the mentally ill to purchase guns was passed by the GOP and signed by President Trump had long been debunked. As the National Review’s Charles C.W. Cooke wrote over a year ago, what got removed was “in layman’s terms: The rule would have allowed bureaucrats within one of our federal agencies to bar American citizens from exercising a constitutional right — and on the highly questionable grounds that to be incapable of managing one’s finances is, by definition, to be a ‘mental defective.’”
And the bill wasn’t even supported by the NRA. But it was supported by the liberal ACLU and the American Association of People with Disabilities. Yet that didn’t stop the networks from pushing lies and being appalled that the President wasn’t exploiting the situation to push gun control as their previous president did.
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The accusation that a bill designed to remove restrictions and allow the mentally ill to purchase guns was passed by the GOP and signed by President Trump had long been debunked. As the National Review’s Charles C.W. Cooke wrote over a year ago, what got removed was “in layman’s terms: The rule would have allowed bureaucrats within one of our federal agencies to bar American citizens from exercising a constitutional right — and on the highly questionable grounds that to be incapable of managing one’s finances is, by definition, to be a ‘mental defective.’”
And the bill wasn’t even supported by the NRA. But it was supported by the liberal ACLU and the American Association of People with Disabilities. Yet that didn’t stop the networks from pushing lies and being appalled that the President wasn’t exploiting the situation to push gun control as their previous president did.
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Justice Clarence Thomas says he's 'worn down' with victimhood culture
Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas said in a rare public appearance Thursday he’s exhausted with how everyone seems to consider themselves a victim these days.
“At some point, we’re going to be fatigued with everybody being the victim,” Thomas, the second African American to serve on the Supreme Court, said during an on-stage interview at the Library of Congress in Washington.
Thomas, a conservative appointed to the bench in 1990 by President George H.W. Bush, recalled recently being with a young black woman in Kansas who told him, “I’m really tired of having to play the role of being black. I just want to go to school.”
“I just get worn down,” Thomas said.
The justice said his grandfather had a tough life but never considered himself a victim..
“At some point, we’re going to be fatigued with everybody being the victim,” Thomas, the second African American to serve on the Supreme Court, said during an on-stage interview at the Library of Congress in Washington.
Thomas, a conservative appointed to the bench in 1990 by President George H.W. Bush, recalled recently being with a young black woman in Kansas who told him, “I’m really tired of having to play the role of being black. I just want to go to school.”
“I just get worn down,” Thomas said.
The justice said his grandfather had a tough life but never considered himself a victim..
Baltimore County jury awards $37M to family of police shooting victim
The family of a Maryland woman who was fatally shot by police in 2016 after a six-hour standoff in her apartment was awarded more than $37 million Friday.
The jury took several hours to reach its decision in the case of Korryn Gaines, 23, who was shot by police Cpl. Royce Ruby, the Baltimore Sun reported.
The family had filed its civil lawsuit against the Baltimore County government and Ruby, the newspaper reported.
The jury of six women found that the first shot, which killed Gaines and wounded her then 5-year-old son, Kodi, was not reasonable and violated their civil rights under state and federal statutes, according to the newspaper.
Baltimore County government attorney Mike Field issued a statement afterward saying the county was disappointed with the decision and was reviewing all options, including a possible appeal.
Ruby was previously cleared of criminal wrongdoing by the State's Attorney. He wasn't charged and has since been promoted.
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http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/02/16/baltimore-county-jury-awards-37m-to-family-police-shooting-victim.html
The jury took several hours to reach its decision in the case of Korryn Gaines, 23, who was shot by police Cpl. Royce Ruby, the Baltimore Sun reported.
The family had filed its civil lawsuit against the Baltimore County government and Ruby, the newspaper reported.
The jury of six women found that the first shot, which killed Gaines and wounded her then 5-year-old son, Kodi, was not reasonable and violated their civil rights under state and federal statutes, according to the newspaper.
Baltimore County government attorney Mike Field issued a statement afterward saying the county was disappointed with the decision and was reviewing all options, including a possible appeal.
Ruby was previously cleared of criminal wrongdoing by the State's Attorney. He wasn't charged and has since been promoted.
More
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/02/16/baltimore-county-jury-awards-37m-to-family-police-shooting-victim.html
Cummings: Mueller's Russia Indictments Indicate Trump Cover-Up
The federal indictment of several Russians announced Friday proves President Donald Trump was involved in a "criminal conspiracy," said Maryland Democrat Rep. Elijah Cummings.
Cummings released a statement through the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, of which he is the ranking Democrat.
"For all of those who have been asking, 'Where is the evidence of a crime?' — this is it. This is the criminal conspiracy," Cummings said. "This is what President Trump and his allies have repeatedly called a 'hoax' and 'fake news.' This is what they tried to cover up. This is what we might never have known if President Trump had been successful in shutting down this investigation."
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[Note to Elijah-- Rosenstein: Americans listed in Mueller indictment were ‘unwitting’ pawns]
Cummings released a statement through the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, of which he is the ranking Democrat.
"For all of those who have been asking, 'Where is the evidence of a crime?' — this is it. This is the criminal conspiracy," Cummings said. "This is what President Trump and his allies have repeatedly called a 'hoax' and 'fake news.' This is what they tried to cover up. This is what we might never have known if President Trump had been successful in shutting down this investigation."
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[Note to Elijah-- Rosenstein: Americans listed in Mueller indictment were ‘unwitting’ pawns]
ADL, Public, Media 'Duped' on Shooter's Supremacist Ties
White nationalist trolls "duped" the public – and many news media outlets – with fake news reports the alleged shooter in this week's Parkland, Florida, school shooting was tied to hate groups, forcing law enforcement to debunk the connections.
And the Anti-Defamation League bears a burden of blame, according to Politico.
"All of our evidence seems to point to the ADL getting this wrong," online misinformation researcher Joan Donovan of New York City's Data & Society told Politico.
According to the report, the fake news began with the ADL's statement on ties between the shooter and the Republic of Florida Militia's Jordan Jereb.
Both ABC News and the AP reported they had spoken with those with "knowledge of Cruz's ties to ROF," although not specifying whether the interactions might have come with individuals on social media.
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And the Anti-Defamation League bears a burden of blame, according to Politico.
"All of our evidence seems to point to the ADL getting this wrong," online misinformation researcher Joan Donovan of New York City's Data & Society told Politico.
According to the report, the fake news began with the ADL's statement on ties between the shooter and the Republic of Florida Militia's Jordan Jereb.
Both ABC News and the AP reported they had spoken with those with "knowledge of Cruz's ties to ROF," although not specifying whether the interactions might have come with individuals on social media.
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In-Person License Renewal Cuts Dementia-Linked Crashes
Older adults with dementia may be less likely to get in car crashes when they’re required to renew their driver’s licenses in person, a U.S. study suggests.
Laws requiring doctors to report dementia patients and get their licenses revoked didn’t appear to influence the proportion of crash hospitalizations involving people with dementia, however, researchers report in the journal Neurology.
The study team analyzed state laws designed to keep cognitively impaired drivers off the road, including mandates that doctors report patients to state licensing officials as well as requirements for people to renew licenses in person, get vision exams or take road tests. Researchers also looked data on 136,987 crash hospitalizations for drivers age 60 or older in 37 U.S. states from 2004 to 2009.
In states with in-person license renewal, hospitalized crash victims were up to 38 percent less likely to have dementia than in other states. When states had vision testing as part of in-person renewals, crash victims were up to 28 percent less likely to have dementia.
“In-person renewals and vision testing offered the most significant safety benefit,” said lead author Yll Agimi, who conducted the research while at the University of Pittsburgh.
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Laws requiring doctors to report dementia patients and get their licenses revoked didn’t appear to influence the proportion of crash hospitalizations involving people with dementia, however, researchers report in the journal Neurology.
The study team analyzed state laws designed to keep cognitively impaired drivers off the road, including mandates that doctors report patients to state licensing officials as well as requirements for people to renew licenses in person, get vision exams or take road tests. Researchers also looked data on 136,987 crash hospitalizations for drivers age 60 or older in 37 U.S. states from 2004 to 2009.
In states with in-person license renewal, hospitalized crash victims were up to 38 percent less likely to have dementia than in other states. When states had vision testing as part of in-person renewals, crash victims were up to 28 percent less likely to have dementia.
“In-person renewals and vision testing offered the most significant safety benefit,” said lead author Yll Agimi, who conducted the research while at the University of Pittsburgh.
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Lee Smith: Everything Media Accuse Trump of Doing with Russia, Obama Actually Did
Smith, senior fellow at the Hudson Institute, joined SiriusXM’s Breitbart News Tonight for a Thursday interview with Breitbart News’s Senior Editors-at-Large Rebecca Mansour and Joel Pollak to discuss his latest article, “The Media Stopped Reporting the Russia Collusion Story Because They Helped Create It.”
Smith highlighted the Washington Post’s Anne Applebaum, the Atlantic’s Jeffrey Goldberg, and the New Yorker’s David Remnick as hypocritical news media figures in their criticisms of the Trump administration’s supposed appeasement of Russia and Vladimir Putin after ignoring actual appeasement of Russia and Vladimir Putin across eight years of the Obama administration.
On March 26, 2012, then-President Barack Obama told then-Russian President Dmitri Medvedev that he would have “more flexibility” in shaping U.S. foreign policy toward Russia after that year’s presidential election:
(More/video)
Nolte: Catastrophic Law Enforcement Failures Abound as MSM Target NRA for Massacre
Anyone looking for proof that the disgraced American media could not care less about dead children need only take a few minutes to survey the various national news platforms. While the jaw-dropping list of local and federal law enforcement failures continues to mount, all of our corrupt media’s energy is focused on blaming the completely innocent NRA for Wednesday’s school-shooting massacre.
All the way back in September, the FBI was informed that a YouTube user named Nikolas Cruz was publicly bragging about wanting to become a “professional school shooter.” On Wednesday, a guy named Nikolas Cruz murdered 17 people in a Florida high school.
The FBI admits they received this tip but claims that even though they had the shooter’s real name they could not track him down. Google owns YouTube, and yet we are supposed to believe that the combined resources of Google and the FBI did not develop into a lead?
And here is where the FBI’s excuse becomes paper thin and the failure of local law enforcement even more indefensible…
Since 2010, on 39 occasions — 39! — Broward County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the home of Nikolas Cruz..
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All the way back in September, the FBI was informed that a YouTube user named Nikolas Cruz was publicly bragging about wanting to become a “professional school shooter.” On Wednesday, a guy named Nikolas Cruz murdered 17 people in a Florida high school.
The FBI admits they received this tip but claims that even though they had the shooter’s real name they could not track him down. Google owns YouTube, and yet we are supposed to believe that the combined resources of Google and the FBI did not develop into a lead?
And here is where the FBI’s excuse becomes paper thin and the failure of local law enforcement even more indefensible…
Since 2010, on 39 occasions — 39! — Broward County Sheriff’s deputies were called to the home of Nikolas Cruz..
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Remington Entering Controlled Fall, Files Bankruptcy in 2018
Remington, one of the biggest and oldest names in the gun industry, is seeking out financiers to help it enter a controlled bankruptcy. The company, headquartered in Madison, North Carolina, owes $950 million in near-term loans and bonds due in two years or less.
Until then Remington will keep their doors open, although they will probably need to take a new approach toward how the company is run. Last year Remington’s gun sales were down by 27 percent for nine months and the company took a $28 million loss overall.
According to multiple reports Remington’s sales are down even though gun sales and background checks continue to boom, with over 2 million background checks run in January 2018 already.
“Historically, January is sluggish, but we were up over 10 percent from last January, so our outlook for the year is bright,” said Justin Anderson, director of marketing for Hyatt Guns. “While sales nosedived last February as the result of the presidential election, we don’t expect the same drop off this year. We are continuing to see new customers buying guns and we expect more new shooters to become customers this year.”
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Until then Remington will keep their doors open, although they will probably need to take a new approach toward how the company is run. Last year Remington’s gun sales were down by 27 percent for nine months and the company took a $28 million loss overall.
According to multiple reports Remington’s sales are down even though gun sales and background checks continue to boom, with over 2 million background checks run in January 2018 already.
“Historically, January is sluggish, but we were up over 10 percent from last January, so our outlook for the year is bright,” said Justin Anderson, director of marketing for Hyatt Guns. “While sales nosedived last February as the result of the presidential election, we don’t expect the same drop off this year. We are continuing to see new customers buying guns and we expect more new shooters to become customers this year.”
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Some Common-Sense Solutions To Stop School Shootings
Today we need to talk about some common-sense solutions to stop school shootings.
The blood hadn’t even dried yet … and legislators like Chris Murphy and Dick Blumenthal were already preaching their anti-gun message. But the blood of these children is directly on the hands of these “lawmakers.”
Why, you ask? Because they look at tragedy as a way to get re-elected. They COULD have done something … but instead they worked on feel-good legislation that was dead on arrival simply because they knew it would rally their base.
Let me teach you how to save lives.
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The blood hadn’t even dried yet … and legislators like Chris Murphy and Dick Blumenthal were already preaching their anti-gun message. But the blood of these children is directly on the hands of these “lawmakers.”
Why, you ask? Because they look at tragedy as a way to get re-elected. They COULD have done something … but instead they worked on feel-good legislation that was dead on arrival simply because they knew it would rally their base.
Let me teach you how to save lives.
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CIA ARGUES THE PUBLIC CAN’T SEE CLASSIFIED INFORMATION IT HAS ALREADY GIVEN TO FAVORED MAINSTREAM REPORTERS
Intelligence officials can selectively release classified information to trusted journalists while withholding the same information from other citizens who request it through open records laws, CIA lawyers argued Wednesday.
In a motion filed in New York federal court, the CIA claimed that limited disclosures to reporters do not waive national security exemptions to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. Intelligence and law enforcement agencies frequently deny records requests on the basis of protecting sensitive national security information, one of nine exemptions written into the federal FOIA law.
The case stems from lawsuit against the CIA by New York-based independent journalist Adam Johnson, who had used FOIA to obtain emails between the agency’s public information office and selected reporters from the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post and The New York Times. The emails the CIA provided to Johnson were redacted, leading him to question why he was not allowed to see the same information that had been given to uncleared reporters.
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In a motion filed in New York federal court, the CIA claimed that limited disclosures to reporters do not waive national security exemptions to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests. Intelligence and law enforcement agencies frequently deny records requests on the basis of protecting sensitive national security information, one of nine exemptions written into the federal FOIA law.
The case stems from lawsuit against the CIA by New York-based independent journalist Adam Johnson, who had used FOIA to obtain emails between the agency’s public information office and selected reporters from the Wall Street Journal, the Washington Post and The New York Times. The emails the CIA provided to Johnson were redacted, leading him to question why he was not allowed to see the same information that had been given to uncleared reporters.
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RENEWED AND CANCELED TV SHOWS 2017-2018
IS YOUR FAVORITE SHOW COMING BACK OR NOT? CHECK THIS COMPREHENSIVE LIST TO FIND OUT.
Check the list to see if your favorite television shows have gotten a new season or have gotten the boot in this list of TV renewals and cancellations.
Latest update (2/16): So You Think You Can Dance (Fox) – Renewed; Rupaul’s Drag Race (VH1) – Renewed; No Activity (CBS All Access) – Renewed; Disjointed (Netflix) – Canceled; Midnight, Texas (NBC) – Renewed; Grace and Frankie (Netflix) – Renewed
$100,000 Pyramid (ABC) – Renewed
12 Monkeys (SyFy) – Canceled (after fourth season)
13 Reasons Why (Netflix) – Renewed
48 Hours (CBS) – Renewed
60 Days In (A&E) – Renewed
60 Minutes (CBS) – Renewed
9-1-1 (Fox) – Renewed
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Check the list to see if your favorite television shows have gotten a new season or have gotten the boot in this list of TV renewals and cancellations.
Latest update (2/16): So You Think You Can Dance (Fox) – Renewed; Rupaul’s Drag Race (VH1) – Renewed; No Activity (CBS All Access) – Renewed; Disjointed (Netflix) – Canceled; Midnight, Texas (NBC) – Renewed; Grace and Frankie (Netflix) – Renewed
$100,000 Pyramid (ABC) – Renewed
12 Monkeys (SyFy) – Canceled (after fourth season)
13 Reasons Why (Netflix) – Renewed
48 Hours (CBS) – Renewed
60 Days In (A&E) – Renewed
60 Minutes (CBS) – Renewed
9-1-1 (Fox) – Renewed
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Subject: 5 Terrible Things the Media Communicates to Every Potential School Shooter
In the coming days, we will hear a familiar profile about the Broward County school shooter. (No, I will not name him, for the reason below.) He was mentally deficient. He was a loner. He expressed violent tendencies. And likely, if the pattern holds, he was prescribed some kind of drugs to control his behavior.
But there is also a media behavioral profile for these situations, and it is perfectly matched to the desires of a deranged person who would like to go out in a blaze of glory.
Here is what the media coverage conveys to every potential shooter out there:
1. You will be famous
But there is also a media behavioral profile for these situations, and it is perfectly matched to the desires of a deranged person who would like to go out in a blaze of glory.
Here is what the media coverage conveys to every potential shooter out there:
1. You will be famous
No, there haven’t been 18 school shootings in 2018. That number is flat wrong.
The stunning number swept across the Internet within minutes of the news Wednesday that, yet again, another young man with another semiautomatic rifle had rampaged through a school, this time at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High in South Florida.
The figure originated with Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit group, co-founded by Michael Bloomberg, that works to prevent gun violence and is most famous for its running tally of school shootings.
“This,” the organization tweeted at 4:22 p.m. Wednesday, “is the 18th school shooting in the U.S. in 2018.”
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The figure originated with Everytown for Gun Safety, a nonprofit group, co-founded by Michael Bloomberg, that works to prevent gun violence and is most famous for its running tally of school shootings.
“This,” the organization tweeted at 4:22 p.m. Wednesday, “is the 18th school shooting in the U.S. in 2018.”
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Every Liberal Gun Control Argument Eviscerated by a Single Cartoon
Every Liberal Gun Control Argument Eviscerated by a Single Cartoon
Today’s example of an entertainment elite who’s not fit to tie the shoes of the average American he looks down upon is horror novelist Stephen King, who’s developed something of a reputation over the years for being particularly venomous even by the Left’s standards. So quick to assert the moral high ground, in fact, that he doesn’t particularly care whether he looks like a moron in the process.
Last night, the Daily Wire’s Ryan Saavedra highlighted the following exchange between King and Republican strategist Rick Wilson:
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State Department Nominee Confirms FBI Was Blocked From Arresting Chinese Security Officials
The nominee for a key State Department Asia policy-making post confirmed Thursday the State Department took part in preventing the FBI from arresting Chinese intelligence officials for conducting illegal activities in New York recently, but asserted she did not take part in the decision.
Susan Thornton, a career foreign service officer widely viewed among Republicans as favoring conciliatory policies toward China, testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that if confirmed, her policies toward China at State would closely resemble the soft-line policies of the Obama administration.
Thornton, currently acting assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific affairs was nominated for the key China post by Trump in December.
While acting secretary, she has taken positions toward China that sought to avoid upsetting relations with Beijing, according to administration officials who have taken part in inter-agency discussions with her.
For example, in addition to opposing the FBI arrests of four Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS) intelligence officials last October, Thornton also worked during inter-agency meetings to prevent the White House from imposing reciprocal restrictions Chinese embassy construction in retaliation for China for blocking the importation of parts into China needed for repairs at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.
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Susan Thornton, a career foreign service officer widely viewed among Republicans as favoring conciliatory policies toward China, testified before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that if confirmed, her policies toward China at State would closely resemble the soft-line policies of the Obama administration.
Thornton, currently acting assistant secretary of state for East Asia and Pacific affairs was nominated for the key China post by Trump in December.
While acting secretary, she has taken positions toward China that sought to avoid upsetting relations with Beijing, according to administration officials who have taken part in inter-agency discussions with her.
For example, in addition to opposing the FBI arrests of four Chinese Ministry of State Security (MSS) intelligence officials last October, Thornton also worked during inter-agency meetings to prevent the White House from imposing reciprocal restrictions Chinese embassy construction in retaliation for China for blocking the importation of parts into China needed for repairs at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing.
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RUSH LIMBAUGH: Gen. Flynn Indictment Part of 'One of the Most GIGANTIC Political SCANDALS of our LIFETIME'
On his nationally-syndicated radio program Tuesday, Rush Limbaugh explained why he believes the indictment of former National Security Adviser Ret. Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn is a major component to understanding why special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia probe is “one of the most gigantic political scandals of our lifetime.”
On Monday, Byron York of the Washington Examiner reported former FBI Director James Comey told congressional investigators he did not believe Flynn lied during an unannounced interview with agent Peter Strzok on January 24th, 2017.
Partial transcript via rushlimbaugh.com.
RUSH: After hearing from Comey, these members of Congress “came away with the impression that Flynn would not be charged with a crime pertaining to the January 24 interview” with the FBI. “Nine months later, with Comey gone and special counsel Robert Mueller in charge of the Trump-Russia investigation, Flynn pleaded guilty to one count of making false statements to the FBI in that January 24 questioning. What happened? […]
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On Monday, Byron York of the Washington Examiner reported former FBI Director James Comey told congressional investigators he did not believe Flynn lied during an unannounced interview with agent Peter Strzok on January 24th, 2017.
Partial transcript via rushlimbaugh.com.
RUSH: After hearing from Comey, these members of Congress “came away with the impression that Flynn would not be charged with a crime pertaining to the January 24 interview” with the FBI. “Nine months later, with Comey gone and special counsel Robert Mueller in charge of the Trump-Russia investigation, Flynn pleaded guilty to one count of making false statements to the FBI in that January 24 questioning. What happened? […]
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ACLU Plans to Challenge Ohio’s Abortion Ban on Fetuses With Down Syndrome
The American Civil Liberties Union on Thursday announced plans to legally challenge a recently passed Ohio law that bans abortions after a prenatal test shows the fetus has or might have Down syndrome.
The ACLU said it will argue the law, which Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R.) signed in December, is unconstitutional, infringes upon a woman's right to make her own reproductive decisions, and does nothing to "address discrimination against people with disabilities."
"This ban is just another thinly veiled attempt to push abortion out of reach and interfere in a woman's personal decision," said Freda Levenson, legal director of the ACLU of Ohio. "What this law does is to deny women's constitutional right to make their own reproductive decisions, and it also interferes with women's relationships with their doctors, by making it harder to have honest and informed conversations."
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The ACLU said it will argue the law, which Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R.) signed in December, is unconstitutional, infringes upon a woman's right to make her own reproductive decisions, and does nothing to "address discrimination against people with disabilities."
"This ban is just another thinly veiled attempt to push abortion out of reach and interfere in a woman's personal decision," said Freda Levenson, legal director of the ACLU of Ohio. "What this law does is to deny women's constitutional right to make their own reproductive decisions, and it also interferes with women's relationships with their doctors, by making it harder to have honest and informed conversations."
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More than a third of all US ex-cons who can’t vote live in Florida. Why?
A judge found that the vote restoration process in Florida used arbitrary means to decide who is worthy. The state has until Feb. 12 to come up with remedies to the constitutional violations.
The first time the Florida poet Devin Coleman voted was also his last.
It was 2000, Gore v. Bush – when his was among millions of votes in play as the US Supreme Court called the winner and set the eventual arc of American affairs.
Not long thereafter, Mr. Coleman was involved in a fight at a house party. His arrest led to eventual burglary charges, a prison sentence, and the revocation of his right to vote.
Nearly two decades later, Coleman, now 39, is a father, published author, public speaker, and college graduate. But he says his disenfranchisement has shaded those successes.
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The first time the Florida poet Devin Coleman voted was also his last.
It was 2000, Gore v. Bush – when his was among millions of votes in play as the US Supreme Court called the winner and set the eventual arc of American affairs.
Not long thereafter, Mr. Coleman was involved in a fight at a house party. His arrest led to eventual burglary charges, a prison sentence, and the revocation of his right to vote.
Nearly two decades later, Coleman, now 39, is a father, published author, public speaker, and college graduate. But he says his disenfranchisement has shaded those successes.
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VA chief of staff retires after lying about secretary's Europe trip
A statement from the VA said she "elected to retire" after the report, but also said the department was opening a "formal investigation" into her actions.
As she was planning Shulkin's trip to Europe last year, Wright Simpson was told Shulkin would need to receive an award of some kind in order to justify having the VA pay for his wife's travel.
Shulkin was not going to receive an award, but Wright Simpson altered an email to say he would be attending a "special recognition" dinner to justify paying for Shulkin's wife to attend.
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At federal prisons, hundreds of civilian staffers assigned guard duty
When Kristan Morgan joined the U.S. Bureau of Prisons three years ago, the 30-year-old nurse expected to spend her days caring for the chronically sick and injured inside the nation's largest correctional system.
What she didn't expect: Being abruptly plucked from the busy medical unit in Tallahassee to pull guard duty in cell blocks — including a wing for solitary confinement.
"We get a radio and set of keys, and we don't know which keys fit which doors," said Morgan, who often reports to guard duty in scrubs and running shoes because there are no extra officer uniforms.
Hundreds of secretaries, teachers, counselors, cooks and medical staffers were tapped last year to fill guard posts across the Bureau of Prisons because of acute officer shortages and overtime limits, according to prison records reviewed by USA TODAY and staff interviews.
The moves were made despite repeated warnings that the assignments placed unprepared employees at risk. And the practice has continued for years even though the agency has been rebuked by Congress and federal labor arbitrators.
"It puts inmate safety at risk and our own security at risk. When we play officer, we are not equipped," said Morgan, a local union official. "We are not familiar with the housing units. The inmates know exactly who we are and what our limitations are."
Still, Morgan continued, "I've been ordered to do it. I have no choice."
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What she didn't expect: Being abruptly plucked from the busy medical unit in Tallahassee to pull guard duty in cell blocks — including a wing for solitary confinement.
"We get a radio and set of keys, and we don't know which keys fit which doors," said Morgan, who often reports to guard duty in scrubs and running shoes because there are no extra officer uniforms.
Hundreds of secretaries, teachers, counselors, cooks and medical staffers were tapped last year to fill guard posts across the Bureau of Prisons because of acute officer shortages and overtime limits, according to prison records reviewed by USA TODAY and staff interviews.
The moves were made despite repeated warnings that the assignments placed unprepared employees at risk. And the practice has continued for years even though the agency has been rebuked by Congress and federal labor arbitrators.
"It puts inmate safety at risk and our own security at risk. When we play officer, we are not equipped," said Morgan, a local union official. "We are not familiar with the housing units. The inmates know exactly who we are and what our limitations are."
Still, Morgan continued, "I've been ordered to do it. I have no choice."
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Can Miss Crabtree pack heat? These 18 states allow K-12 teachers to carry.
Donald Trump likes the idea of teachers bearing arms in the K-12 classroom. “I will get rid of gun-free zones on schools — you have to,” the Republican nominee told a crowd at a campaign rally in Burlington, Vt., in 2016. “My first day, it gets signed, okay? My first day. There’s no more gun-free zones.”
More than a year later, nothing has changed. After a monster killed 17 people in a Florida high school on Valentine’s Day though, calls for arming teachers have increased. “There is an interim solution against murderous assailants: shoot back,” a Wall Street Journal editorial concluded. “There is evidence it works.”
That last point is controversial but somewhat accurate. When an evil man with a gun opened fire on a small Baptist church in rural Texas last November, it was a proverbial good guy with a gun who stopped him but not before 17 were killed. Why, Second Amendment advocates ask, couldn’t that work at school?
What’s stopping teachers from bringing guns to work right now? The Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990. Sponsored by then-Sen. Joe Biden and signed into law by then-President George H.W. Bush the law makes it illegal for anyone “to knowingly possess a firearm” within 1,000 feet of a school zone.
And what’s stopping Trump from following through on his campaign promise?
More than a year later, nothing has changed. After a monster killed 17 people in a Florida high school on Valentine’s Day though, calls for arming teachers have increased. “There is an interim solution against murderous assailants: shoot back,” a Wall Street Journal editorial concluded. “There is evidence it works.”
That last point is controversial but somewhat accurate. When an evil man with a gun opened fire on a small Baptist church in rural Texas last November, it was a proverbial good guy with a gun who stopped him but not before 17 were killed. Why, Second Amendment advocates ask, couldn’t that work at school?
What’s stopping teachers from bringing guns to work right now? The Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990. Sponsored by then-Sen. Joe Biden and signed into law by then-President George H.W. Bush the law makes it illegal for anyone “to knowingly possess a firearm” within 1,000 feet of a school zone.
And what’s stopping Trump from following through on his campaign promise?
US Slaps China With Antidumping Duty On Cast Iron Soil Pipe Fittings
Another day, another escalation in the upcoming US-China trade war.
On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced the affirmative preliminary determination in the antidumping duty (AD) investigation of imports of cast iron soil pipe fittings from China.
“Though politics plays no role in antidumping investigations, President Trump made it clear that we will vigorously enforce our trade laws and provide U.S. industry relief from unfair trade practices,” said Secretary Ross. “Today’s decision allows U.S. producers of cast iron soil pipe fittings to receive relief from the market-distorting effects of potential dumping while we continue our investigation.”
The Commerce Department announced that it had determined that exporters from China have sold cast iron soil pipe fittings in the United States at 68.37 to 109.95 percent less than fair value.
As a result of today’s decision, Commerce will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to collect cash deposits from importers of cast iron soil pipe fittings from China based on these preliminary rates.
The petitioner of the action was the Cast Iron Soil Pipe Institute (IL), the members of which are AB&I Foundry (CA), Charlotte Pipe & Foundry (NC), and Tyler Pipe (TX).
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On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced the affirmative preliminary determination in the antidumping duty (AD) investigation of imports of cast iron soil pipe fittings from China.
“Though politics plays no role in antidumping investigations, President Trump made it clear that we will vigorously enforce our trade laws and provide U.S. industry relief from unfair trade practices,” said Secretary Ross. “Today’s decision allows U.S. producers of cast iron soil pipe fittings to receive relief from the market-distorting effects of potential dumping while we continue our investigation.”
The Commerce Department announced that it had determined that exporters from China have sold cast iron soil pipe fittings in the United States at 68.37 to 109.95 percent less than fair value.
As a result of today’s decision, Commerce will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to collect cash deposits from importers of cast iron soil pipe fittings from China based on these preliminary rates.
The petitioner of the action was the Cast Iron Soil Pipe Institute (IL), the members of which are AB&I Foundry (CA), Charlotte Pipe & Foundry (NC), and Tyler Pipe (TX).
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US Slaps China With Antidumping Duty On Cast Iron Soil Pipe Fittings
Another day, another escalation in the upcoming US-China trade war.
On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced the affirmative preliminary determination in the antidumping duty (AD) investigation of imports of cast iron soil pipe fittings from China.
“Though politics plays no role in antidumping investigations, President Trump made it clear that we will vigorously enforce our trade laws and provide U.S. industry relief from unfair trade practices,” said Secretary Ross. “Today’s decision allows U.S. producers of cast iron soil pipe fittings to receive relief from the market-distorting effects of potential dumping while we continue our investigation.”
The Commerce Department announced that it had determined that exporters from China have sold cast iron soil pipe fittings in the United States at 68.37 to 109.95 percent less than fair value.
As a result of today’s decision, Commerce will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to collect cash deposits from importers of cast iron soil pipe fittings from China based on these preliminary rates.
The petitioner of the action was the Cast Iron Soil Pipe Institute (IL), the members of which are AB&I Foundry (CA), Charlotte Pipe & Foundry (NC), and Tyler Pipe (TX).
More
On Wednesday, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced the affirmative preliminary determination in the antidumping duty (AD) investigation of imports of cast iron soil pipe fittings from China.
“Though politics plays no role in antidumping investigations, President Trump made it clear that we will vigorously enforce our trade laws and provide U.S. industry relief from unfair trade practices,” said Secretary Ross. “Today’s decision allows U.S. producers of cast iron soil pipe fittings to receive relief from the market-distorting effects of potential dumping while we continue our investigation.”
The Commerce Department announced that it had determined that exporters from China have sold cast iron soil pipe fittings in the United States at 68.37 to 109.95 percent less than fair value.
As a result of today’s decision, Commerce will instruct U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to collect cash deposits from importers of cast iron soil pipe fittings from China based on these preliminary rates.
The petitioner of the action was the Cast Iron Soil Pipe Institute (IL), the members of which are AB&I Foundry (CA), Charlotte Pipe & Foundry (NC), and Tyler Pipe (TX).
More
Chris Rock: 'You'd Think Cops Would Occasionally Shoot a White Kid Just to Make It Look Good'
Veteran comedian and actor Chris Rock’s new Netflix stand-up special, Tamborine, debuted on Wednesday and sees the Hollywood director paint police officers as trigger-happy racist killers, claim Donald Trump’s presidency will end with the return of Jesus Christ, and cynically explaining why there will never be gun control in America.
“You would think that cops would occasionally shoot a white kid just to make it look good,” a black t-shirt and jeans-clad Rock belted at his audience in the Brooklyn Academy of Music. “You’d think every couple of months they’d look at their dead nigga calender and go… ‘Oh my God, we’re up to 16! We gotta shoot a white kid quick!'”
An “equal world,” Rock says, would be one where white mothers are mourning their children “standing next to Al Sharpton.” He also noted that calling a police officer who “gun[s] down an innocent black man” a “bad apples” is a “lovely name for a murderer.”
Rock also rationalizes a real-world need for law enforcement:
“On one hand, I’m a black man who’s like, ‘Fuck the police.’ On the other hand, I own property, so when my house gets broken into I’m not calling the Crips.”
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“You would think that cops would occasionally shoot a white kid just to make it look good,” a black t-shirt and jeans-clad Rock belted at his audience in the Brooklyn Academy of Music. “You’d think every couple of months they’d look at their dead nigga calender and go… ‘Oh my God, we’re up to 16! We gotta shoot a white kid quick!'”
An “equal world,” Rock says, would be one where white mothers are mourning their children “standing next to Al Sharpton.” He also noted that calling a police officer who “gun[s] down an innocent black man” a “bad apples” is a “lovely name for a murderer.”
Rock also rationalizes a real-world need for law enforcement:
“On one hand, I’m a black man who’s like, ‘Fuck the police.’ On the other hand, I own property, so when my house gets broken into I’m not calling the Crips.”
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Dr. AWR Hawkins-Florida School Shooting: Time to Arm Teachers for Self-Defense
Are teachers to join their students and shelter in place while dialing 911?
The heinous attack on Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School demonstrates anew the necessity of arming teachers so they can defend students from determined criminals who come to campus to do harm.
School resource officers are appreciated and are part of security, but they are only a part.
For example, during a February 14 Fox News broadcast, Broward County School Superintendent Robert Runcie said there was a regular police presence–i.e., school resource officers–at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High. He said there are normally two such officers. Yet the events of February 14 proved that a determined criminal can find a way around those officers and when he does, what is the solution?
Are teachers to join their students and shelter in place while dialing 911?
More
The heinous attack on Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School demonstrates anew the necessity of arming teachers so they can defend students from determined criminals who come to campus to do harm.
School resource officers are appreciated and are part of security, but they are only a part.
For example, during a February 14 Fox News broadcast, Broward County School Superintendent Robert Runcie said there was a regular police presence–i.e., school resource officers–at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High. He said there are normally two such officers. Yet the events of February 14 proved that a determined criminal can find a way around those officers and when he does, what is the solution?
Are teachers to join their students and shelter in place while dialing 911?
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Nikolas Cruz 'school shooter' comment reported to FBI months ago, vlogger says
An FBI official acknowledged on Thursday the bureau received a tip months before the Florida high school massacre about a social media comment by a Nikolas Cruz, who aspired to be “a professional school shooter."
Special Agent Rob Lasky, in charge of the FBI’s Miami division, confirmed during a Thursday morning news conference the agency investigated a comment made on a YouTube video in September that matched the remark reported by vlogger Ben Bennight. After conducting database reviews, however, the FBI said it could not identify the user who made the comment.
"No other information was included in the comment which would indicate a particular time, location or the true identity of the person who posted the comment," the FBI said in a subsequent statement.
The comment, made by user Nikolas Cruz, stated: “I’m going to be a professional school shooter.”
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Special Agent Rob Lasky, in charge of the FBI’s Miami division, confirmed during a Thursday morning news conference the agency investigated a comment made on a YouTube video in September that matched the remark reported by vlogger Ben Bennight. After conducting database reviews, however, the FBI said it could not identify the user who made the comment.
"No other information was included in the comment which would indicate a particular time, location or the true identity of the person who posted the comment," the FBI said in a subsequent statement.
The comment, made by user Nikolas Cruz, stated: “I’m going to be a professional school shooter.”
More
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/02/15/nikolas-cruz-school-shooter-comment-reported-to-fbi-months-ago-vlogger-says.html
Warning re: Prank Calls Using MD State Police Phone Number
(PIKESVILLE, MD) — After receiving multiple calls today from people as far away as Hawaii, Maryland State Police investigators are making this public notification that unknown suspects are apparently using a web-based service to make prank calls throughout the country that appear as if they are from the State Police Criminal Enforcement Division.
Some people are reporting they received an automated message informing them that an “internet crime has been committed” and they are instructed to contact the Maryland State Police Criminal Enforcement Division at 410-953-8200. Others reported that when they answer the phone, they are met with silence and the number on their caller ID is 410-953-8200. While the number shown on caller ID is the correct phone number for the Criminal Enforcement Division, the Maryland State Police is not making any such calls. Persons receiving this phone call should hang up and ignore the instructions.
Individuals receiving the calls and contacting Maryland State Police today have been from Hawaii, Texas, New York and Maryland. There is no apparent connection to extortion or theft, but the calls do cause unneeded concern and inconvenience for the victims and for police.
Some people are reporting they received an automated message informing them that an “internet crime has been committed” and they are instructed to contact the Maryland State Police Criminal Enforcement Division at 410-953-8200. Others reported that when they answer the phone, they are met with silence and the number on their caller ID is 410-953-8200. While the number shown on caller ID is the correct phone number for the Criminal Enforcement Division, the Maryland State Police is not making any such calls. Persons receiving this phone call should hang up and ignore the instructions.
Individuals receiving the calls and contacting Maryland State Police today have been from Hawaii, Texas, New York and Maryland. There is no apparent connection to extortion or theft, but the calls do cause unneeded concern and inconvenience for the victims and for police.
Florida School Shooting: FBI Hole Gets Deeper
Yesterday we ran a story on the blame game associated with this week’s tragic school shooting in Parkland, Florida.
Specifically, we addressed reports that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had been made aware of an online threat involving someone with the same name as the school shooting suspect more than five months ago.
Did the FBI drop the ball in failing to link this threat to Nikolas Cruz (the 19-year-old who killed 17 people and wounded fifteen more in an attack on Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School)?
Not necessarily …
“Hindsight is always 20/20,” we wrote yesterday. “Tragedies like this are so big it’s difficult to think that one person could be responsible for setting them into motion. Hence the reflexive need to assign blame in as many different directions as possible.”
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Specifically, we addressed reports that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) had been made aware of an online threat involving someone with the same name as the school shooting suspect more than five months ago.
Did the FBI drop the ball in failing to link this threat to Nikolas Cruz (the 19-year-old who killed 17 people and wounded fifteen more in an attack on Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School)?
Not necessarily …
“Hindsight is always 20/20,” we wrote yesterday. “Tragedies like this are so big it’s difficult to think that one person could be responsible for setting them into motion. Hence the reflexive need to assign blame in as many different directions as possible.”
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Byron York: Why are the Comey memos secret?
If there is an obstruction of justice case to be made against the president in the Trump-Russia affair, James Comey is in the middle of it. President Trump's decision to fire the FBI director is often cited as Exhibit A for obstruction, and the foundation for that case is a set of seven memos Comey wrote describing conversations he had with the president between Jan. 6 and April 11, 2017.
The memos are critically important. Portions of them have been leaked to the press, given to a Comey friend, discussed in congressional testimony, and read by a few Capitol Hill lawmakers and staff. Sometimes it seems the only people who have never had a chance to see the Comey memos are the millions of Americans who are trying to make sense of the daily firehose of Trump-Russia news.
They're not likely to see the memos anytime soon. The FBI and the office of Trump-Russia special counsel Robert Mueller have imposed tight restrictions on access to the memos, holding them even more closely than some documents that are classified at a far higher level. Now, with speculation about obstruction ever present in the media, some lawmakers are calling for the memos to be released. It's time for Americans to know what's going on, they say.
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The memos are critically important. Portions of them have been leaked to the press, given to a Comey friend, discussed in congressional testimony, and read by a few Capitol Hill lawmakers and staff. Sometimes it seems the only people who have never had a chance to see the Comey memos are the millions of Americans who are trying to make sense of the daily firehose of Trump-Russia news.
They're not likely to see the memos anytime soon. The FBI and the office of Trump-Russia special counsel Robert Mueller have imposed tight restrictions on access to the memos, holding them even more closely than some documents that are classified at a far higher level. Now, with speculation about obstruction ever present in the media, some lawmakers are calling for the memos to be released. It's time for Americans to know what's going on, they say.
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FEC war on Drudge, internet, goes 'underground'
Democrat efforts on the Federal Election Commission to punish media and stifle voices like the Drudge Report and Fox are going “underground” after failing in public, according to the agency’s outgoing defender of media and digital outlets.
“The debate has gone underground, it has not ceased,” said Lee Goodman, who fought off several attempts to stifle outlets like Fox, Drudge and conservative media including film makers.
Goodman pointed to efforts by FEC Democrats to change long-standing media exemptions to fines and even criminal charges. In two recent cases he cited, the Democrats proposed those changes then waived imposing punishments.
But by moving to change the rules the FEC operates under, the Democrats tried to open the door to future legal sanctions on media, he said.
More here
“The debate has gone underground, it has not ceased,” said Lee Goodman, who fought off several attempts to stifle outlets like Fox, Drudge and conservative media including film makers.
Goodman pointed to efforts by FEC Democrats to change long-standing media exemptions to fines and even criminal charges. In two recent cases he cited, the Democrats proposed those changes then waived imposing punishments.
But by moving to change the rules the FEC operates under, the Democrats tried to open the door to future legal sanctions on media, he said.
More here
Update On Comments
That being said, until Blogger clears this problem I will remain to just registered Blogger/Google accounts. Sorry for the inconvenience but I already put in 18 hours a day, 7 days a week, I am NOT going to take away what spare time I used to have with my Family on weekends just to moderate comments one by one all day and night.
Exclusive - Jeff Sessions: Recognizing 'Signals and Signs' Could Prevent Shootings
Attorney General Jeff Sessions told Breitbart News in an exclusive interview on Thursday morning that school shootings such as those that occurred in Parkland, Florida on Wednesday could be prevented by allowing local law enforcement to intervene with troubled individuals.
“All of law enforcement is deeply concerned about this trend of violence in schools and other, similar places,” he said, noting that he had discussed the issue with an organization of local law enforcement officials Thursday morning.
“I was with the Major County Sheriffs’ Association this morning, and they all said, and believe, that there are signals and signs before these shootings that, if recognized, could lead to intervention, and could stop these events from occurring.”
Attorney General Sessions spoke with Breitbart News just minutes after President Donald Trump had addressed the nation.
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“All of law enforcement is deeply concerned about this trend of violence in schools and other, similar places,” he said, noting that he had discussed the issue with an organization of local law enforcement officials Thursday morning.
“I was with the Major County Sheriffs’ Association this morning, and they all said, and believe, that there are signals and signs before these shootings that, if recognized, could lead to intervention, and could stop these events from occurring.”
Attorney General Sessions spoke with Breitbart News just minutes after President Donald Trump had addressed the nation.
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Homeless Sex Offender Notification
Dover– The following are not wanted. This is a Homeless Sex Offender Public Notification. If you have information that any of the listed subjects are occupying a residence, please call 302-672-5306. Information may also be provided by calling Delaware Crime Stoppers at 1-800-TIP-3333, via the internet athttp://www.delaware.crimestoppersweb.com.
Report: Demoted DOJ official concealed wife’s work on ‘dossier’
'Willfully falsifying government ethics forms can carry a penalty of jail time'
Bruce Ohr, the demoted Department of Justice official who provided information to the FBI for the anti-Trump “dossier,” did not disclose to the bureau that the opposition-research firm that produced the dossier was paying his wife, according to newly obtained government documents.
The Daily Caller News Foundation reports the documents show that Ohr also failed to obtain a conflict of interest waiver from his Justice Department superiors.
Ohr’s wife, Nellie Ohr, a former CIA employee with expertise on Russia, was working with the research firm, Fusion GPS, when it was hired by the Democratic National Committee and the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign to dig up dirt on Trump, then the Republican nominee.
Bruce Ohr provided his wife’s information to Christopher Steele, the former British spy who wrote the dossier.
The Daily Caller said Ohr’s omission may explain why he was demoted from his post as associate deputy attorney general, noting that willfully “falsifying government ethics forms can carry a penalty of jail time, if convicted.”
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Bruce Ohr, the demoted Department of Justice official who provided information to the FBI for the anti-Trump “dossier,” did not disclose to the bureau that the opposition-research firm that produced the dossier was paying his wife, according to newly obtained government documents.
The Daily Caller News Foundation reports the documents show that Ohr also failed to obtain a conflict of interest waiver from his Justice Department superiors.
Ohr’s wife, Nellie Ohr, a former CIA employee with expertise on Russia, was working with the research firm, Fusion GPS, when it was hired by the Democratic National Committee and the Hillary Clinton presidential campaign to dig up dirt on Trump, then the Republican nominee.
Bruce Ohr provided his wife’s information to Christopher Steele, the former British spy who wrote the dossier.
The Daily Caller said Ohr’s omission may explain why he was demoted from his post as associate deputy attorney general, noting that willfully “falsifying government ethics forms can carry a penalty of jail time, if convicted.”
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Heartbreaking Footage Of Africans Being Sold At Open-Air Slave Markets In Libya
Libya has become a modern-day slave market, keeping migrants at the mercy of a complex trafficking web tolerated by the country’s many militia groups, an issue largely ignored by the world, a Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer said on Wednesday. Narciso Contreras, who spoke to migrants kept as slaves during a documentary photography project in Libya, said global attention focused on the North African country as a gateway for migrants attempting to reach Europe by sea.
As Leonard Doyle from the International Organization for Migration tells Counting the Cost: “As shocking as it seems, it’s indeed true. The reason slave trade is happening is that there is really no rule of law across much of Libya. Libya is a country as big as France, with a lot of space there. Migrants are coming there … they see the promise of a new life when they go to their Facebook feed, and they think something wonderful is waiting for them in Europe because a smuggler has abused the system and has sold them that lie.”
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As Leonard Doyle from the International Organization for Migration tells Counting the Cost: “As shocking as it seems, it’s indeed true. The reason slave trade is happening is that there is really no rule of law across much of Libya. Libya is a country as big as France, with a lot of space there. Migrants are coming there … they see the promise of a new life when they go to their Facebook feed, and they think something wonderful is waiting for them in Europe because a smuggler has abused the system and has sold them that lie.”
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LEGENDARY COMMENTS BY GEORGE CHEVALLIER 2-17-18
Pipes
This history doesn’t go back too far in my memory, but it is hard to believe it has been 53 years since 1960. That was the era of the “muscle car”. I still have to roll my window down to get a better sound whenever I hear some guy come rolling along with a nice set of pipes. I always give him the “thumbs-up” sign to show my appreciation. By pipes I mean the exhaust system on a car. They all came with mufflers that made for a quiet ride, but that was not the desire of my generation. The best sound came from a set of glass packs on a Chevy. Ford sounded better with steel packed mufflers. Dual exhaust was mandatory for a really good sound.
We always kept our original mufflers, because when we got stopped by the police, they required you to have legal mufflers when you went in to have your inspection warning certified.
Another way to get the rumbling sound was to punch holes in your legal mufflers with a screw driver. I wonder how many guys punched holes in their father’s muffler and then regretted it when their Dad found out.
I well remember getting stopped one time in my ‘56 Ford (with glass packs) and the state trooper asking me to “hit it”. I gave a gentle push on the accelerator and it gave a low rumble. He then said, “I said hit it”. When I did, the loud “blap-blap-blap” that resulted convinced me that I was sunk. I was.
I even had an LP record at the time that was nothing but good sounds coming from different kinds of pipes. I guess there is something about the sound that just reaches down into your soul.
Another sound that was also illegal was the sound of Lake pipes. These were exhaust pipes that came directly off your exhaust manifold and exited just behind your front wheels. There were caps on the end that could be removed rather quickly with a 1/2” wrench. Without the resistance of mufflers, the car was a bit faster and they were popular at drag strips. The same sound could be achieved by running straight pipes, but these were a lot of trouble and were also illegal.
One trick that some of us unfortunate to have an automatic transmission had was the “wind-down”. By running the car up to about 40 mph in low gear, turning it off and letting it wind down, it would build up pressure that was released by turning the ignition on again. The sound coming from those glass packs was truly awesome. When Main Street was open for traffic, doing a “wind-down” between Market Street and Division Streetheading east was a real hoot. The local constable was Jumbo Pusey, and he would just shake his head and yell from his position of the corner of Main and St. Peter’s streets, “Keep it down, George”. He knew we would only do it once and then be satisfied for the night. I later learned that this was not real good for the car, so I haven’t tried it lately. But that doesn’t stop me from rolling down my window and taking in the sound of a great set of “Pipes”.
Former CEO indicted in tax fraud scheme
The former chief executive of a Pennsylvania health services company accused of claiming his luxury cars and 39,000-square-foot mansion were business expenses has been charged with tax fraud.
Joseph Nocito Sr., 76, was indicted on Wednesday with 10-counts of tax fraud and conspiracy to conceal personal income from the IRS.
Prosecutors alleged that Nocito claimed corporate business expenses on the millions of dollars it cost to build his mega-mansion he called 'Villa Noci'.
The businessman also reportedly claimed payments for his personal butler, a Jaguar, Maserati and Rolls Royce as corporate expenses.
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Joseph Nocito Sr., 76, was indicted on Wednesday with 10-counts of tax fraud and conspiracy to conceal personal income from the IRS.
Prosecutors alleged that Nocito claimed corporate business expenses on the millions of dollars it cost to build his mega-mansion he called 'Villa Noci'.
The businessman also reportedly claimed payments for his personal butler, a Jaguar, Maserati and Rolls Royce as corporate expenses.
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Mueller Flips Third Witness In Russia Probe
Just hours after NBC News reported that former White House Chief Strategist Steve Bannon met with Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his team multiple times to answer questions for "20 hours" this past week, CNN dropped the first serious bombshell in the investigation.
According to CNN, Mueller is about to flip Paul Manafort's former No. 2 man, Rick Gates - though it's unclear what Gates' role will be, or what evidence Mueller has on him.
The effort is under seal, so the details aren't available, but a few days ago it was reported that Gates was working with a new lawyer who, speculation had it, would be more amenable to striking a plea deal.
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According to CNN, Mueller is about to flip Paul Manafort's former No. 2 man, Rick Gates - though it's unclear what Gates' role will be, or what evidence Mueller has on him.
The effort is under seal, so the details aren't available, but a few days ago it was reported that Gates was working with a new lawyer who, speculation had it, would be more amenable to striking a plea deal.
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Limbaugh on Warning About FL Shooter: FBI 'Really Busy' Tracking the Entire Trump Administration Looking for Additional Sexual Harassers
Thursday on his nationally syndicated radio show, conservative talker Rush Limbaugh took a shot at the FBI after it was revealed the agency was alerted to suspected Florida shooter as a possible threat.
Limbaugh said the FBI was “busy” tracking members of the Trump administration seeking sexual harassers and therefore had its resources spread thin.
“So he gave them the actual name of the guy who posted the comment — the promise, the threat — to do this, Nikolas Cruz, white Hispanic. And the FBI didn’t do anything with it,” he said. “So Bennight here, the guy you heard on the audio, said, ‘I don’t know what the FBI has to do to track down real identities. First, they’d call YouTube, and then YouTube would have to divulge the privacy of whoever sent the alerted and all of this,’ but they still had the real name to go on. But, folks, we need to back off the FBI here just a little bit.”
More/Video
Limbaugh said the FBI was “busy” tracking members of the Trump administration seeking sexual harassers and therefore had its resources spread thin.
“So he gave them the actual name of the guy who posted the comment — the promise, the threat — to do this, Nikolas Cruz, white Hispanic. And the FBI didn’t do anything with it,” he said. “So Bennight here, the guy you heard on the audio, said, ‘I don’t know what the FBI has to do to track down real identities. First, they’d call YouTube, and then YouTube would have to divulge the privacy of whoever sent the alerted and all of this,’ but they still had the real name to go on. But, folks, we need to back off the FBI here just a little bit.”
More/Video
Court determines military burn pits caused lung disease in service members
EXCLUSIVE – The thousands of U.S. military personnel and private contractors whose health was compromised by the dense black smoke of burn pits - and who were then denied proper treatment - may finally be vindicated by a recent court ruling.
A judge under the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office for Workers’ Compensation Programs decreed last month that open-air burn pits -- where thousands of chemicals were released into the air after trash and other waste were incinerated at American military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan -- are connected to lung disease, Fox News has learned.
The decision marks a victory for the nearly 64,000 active service members and retirees who have put their names on a Burn Pit Registry created by the Veterans Administration, bringing them one step closer to getting adequate medical coverage, something that has never been guaranteed. Private contractors who were also exposed to the burn pit toxins also have been denied coverage.
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A judge under the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office for Workers’ Compensation Programs decreed last month that open-air burn pits -- where thousands of chemicals were released into the air after trash and other waste were incinerated at American military bases in Iraq and Afghanistan -- are connected to lung disease, Fox News has learned.
The decision marks a victory for the nearly 64,000 active service members and retirees who have put their names on a Burn Pit Registry created by the Veterans Administration, bringing them one step closer to getting adequate medical coverage, something that has never been guaranteed. Private contractors who were also exposed to the burn pit toxins also have been denied coverage.
More
http://www.foxnews.com/world/2018/02/15/court-determines-military-burn-pits-caused-lung-disease-in-service-members.html
WHAT'S WRONG WITH NANCY? Pelosi suffers brain freezes, face spasm - calls USDA 'Department of Education'
What’s wrong with Nancy Pelosi?
As the House Minority Leader — and prospective next Speaker of the House if Democrats win the majority in November — addressed reporters today, she contradicted herself, suffered face spasms, repeated words and was seen muttering and trailing off as she attempted to give a bold rebuke of President Trump.
As she was calling for gun control in the wake of the shooting at a Florida high school, Pelosi struggled to recall the sponsors of her favored bill.
She demanded the passage of the “Thompson…King bill.”
“We’ll be continuing to meet on this subject to try to, uh, respond — we shouldn’t be responding, we should be preventing, we should be anticipating and,” she said, before suffering a brain freeze, “and have common sense approaches to prevent gun violence,” she added as the talking points triggered in her mind.
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As the House Minority Leader — and prospective next Speaker of the House if Democrats win the majority in November — addressed reporters today, she contradicted herself, suffered face spasms, repeated words and was seen muttering and trailing off as she attempted to give a bold rebuke of President Trump.
As she was calling for gun control in the wake of the shooting at a Florida high school, Pelosi struggled to recall the sponsors of her favored bill.
She demanded the passage of the “Thompson…King bill.”
“We’ll be continuing to meet on this subject to try to, uh, respond — we shouldn’t be responding, we should be preventing, we should be anticipating and,” she said, before suffering a brain freeze, “and have common sense approaches to prevent gun violence,” she added as the talking points triggered in her mind.
More/Video
Elizabeth Warren disingenuously doubles down defending her fake Indian heritage claims
President Trump's needling of Senator Elizabeth Warren's unsupported claim to Native American ancestry has hit its mark. Yesterday, the Massachusetts senator made an unannounced appearance before the National Congress of American Indians, the oldest national organization that claims to represent the interests of Native Americans, and repeated her previously debunked claims in a particularly offensive manner.
The reliably progressive Boston Globe covered the speech with a straight face:
Warren did not apologize for her undocumented claims that her mother's family had Cherokee blood – instead, reaffirming: "My mother's family was part Native American. And my daddy's parents were bitterly opposed to their relationship. So, in 1932, when Mother was 19 and Daddy had just turned 20, they eloped.
"The story they lived will always be a part of me," she said, as tears came to her eyes. "And no one – not even the president of the United States – will ever take that part of me away."
The tears are a nice touch, don't you think? She's a victim, just like her Indian momma. Trump is so mean...
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The reliably progressive Boston Globe covered the speech with a straight face:
Warren did not apologize for her undocumented claims that her mother's family had Cherokee blood – instead, reaffirming: "My mother's family was part Native American. And my daddy's parents were bitterly opposed to their relationship. So, in 1932, when Mother was 19 and Daddy had just turned 20, they eloped.
"The story they lived will always be a part of me," she said, as tears came to her eyes. "And no one – not even the president of the United States – will ever take that part of me away."
The tears are a nice touch, don't you think? She's a victim, just like her Indian momma. Trump is so mean...
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Tucker Carlson: 'They Call It Gun Control But It’s Not --- It’s People Control'
Thursday, Fox News Channel’s Tucker Carlson responded to calls from the left for gun control in the wake of Wednesday’s mass shooting in Parkland, FL.
The “Tucker Carlson Tonight” host theorized some Democratic politicians and “blustery charlatans in the media” had much darker aims with their calls for gun control, which he argued had little to do with public safety.
“Let’s stop lying about this,” he said. “The calls we are hearing today for gun control have nothing to do with protecting Americans from violence. What you’re witnessing is a kind of class war. The left hates rural America, red America, gun-owning America, the America that elected Donald Trump. They hate them. Progressives are still in charge of most of the major institutions in this country, and they despise the autonomy of an armed population. They want collective punishment for the sins of a few. They seek to obliterate a core constitutional right rather than trying to mitigate its downsides. They call it gun control, but it’s not. It’s people control. For the left, voters who can’t be controlled, can’t be trusted.”
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The “Tucker Carlson Tonight” host theorized some Democratic politicians and “blustery charlatans in the media” had much darker aims with their calls for gun control, which he argued had little to do with public safety.
“Let’s stop lying about this,” he said. “The calls we are hearing today for gun control have nothing to do with protecting Americans from violence. What you’re witnessing is a kind of class war. The left hates rural America, red America, gun-owning America, the America that elected Donald Trump. They hate them. Progressives are still in charge of most of the major institutions in this country, and they despise the autonomy of an armed population. They want collective punishment for the sins of a few. They seek to obliterate a core constitutional right rather than trying to mitigate its downsides. They call it gun control, but it’s not. It’s people control. For the left, voters who can’t be controlled, can’t be trusted.”
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EXCLUSIVE--Rand Paul: Is Our Military Budget too Small, or Is Our Mission too Large?
Is our military budget too small, or is our mission too large? Since 2001, the U.S. military budget has more than doubled in nominal terms and grown over 37% accounting for inflation. The U.S. spends more than the next eight countries combined.
It’s really hard to argue that our military is underfunded, so perhaps our mission has grown too large. That mission includes being currently involved in combat operations in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia, Niger, Libya, and Yemen. We have troops in over 50 of 54 African countries. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost over a trillion dollars and lasted for over 15 years.
Unfortunately, none of these wars have been authorized by Congress, and Afghanistan and Iraq have gone far beyond their original authorizations. And when all combined, these wars are draining our treasury. A country can only remain strong as long as it remains solvent.
In Afghanistan, we spend about $50 billion each year. Where does the money go? For troops and weapons, of course, but billions have also been spent on roads, bridges, and schools for Afghanistan. Seems a shame that bridges, roads, and schools crumble here while we persist in nation-building abroad. Maybe it’s time to do some nation-building at home.
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It’s really hard to argue that our military is underfunded, so perhaps our mission has grown too large. That mission includes being currently involved in combat operations in Iraq, Syria, Afghanistan, Somalia, Niger, Libya, and Yemen. We have troops in over 50 of 54 African countries. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost over a trillion dollars and lasted for over 15 years.
Unfortunately, none of these wars have been authorized by Congress, and Afghanistan and Iraq have gone far beyond their original authorizations. And when all combined, these wars are draining our treasury. A country can only remain strong as long as it remains solvent.
In Afghanistan, we spend about $50 billion each year. Where does the money go? For troops and weapons, of course, but billions have also been spent on roads, bridges, and schools for Afghanistan. Seems a shame that bridges, roads, and schools crumble here while we persist in nation-building abroad. Maybe it’s time to do some nation-building at home.
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Comstock's Dem Challenger Raised Nearly Half Her $1 Million War Chest in California
Alison Friedman, a Democrat who moved to Northern Virginia last year to challenge Republican representative Barbara Comstock, received nearly half of her $1 million in donations from California, most of which came from the liberal strongholds of the Bay Area and Los Angeles, federal election recordsshow.
The campaign for control of Virginia's 10th district promises to be of the closest contests of 2018 as the two-term Comstock tries to hold onto the Northern Virginia district against a crowded field of 11 Democratic challengers, including Friedman.
The district voted for Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump by a 10-point margin in 2016, 52 to 42 percent, but Comstock still managed to pull off a 6-point victory against the Democratic challenger in her own race that year.
Democrats are trying to make a repeat performance as difficult as possible for Comstock this year, attempting to capitalize on Democratic activism in the Trump era.
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The campaign for control of Virginia's 10th district promises to be of the closest contests of 2018 as the two-term Comstock tries to hold onto the Northern Virginia district against a crowded field of 11 Democratic challengers, including Friedman.
The district voted for Hillary Clinton over Donald Trump by a 10-point margin in 2016, 52 to 42 percent, but Comstock still managed to pull off a 6-point victory against the Democratic challenger in her own race that year.
Democrats are trying to make a repeat performance as difficult as possible for Comstock this year, attempting to capitalize on Democratic activism in the Trump era.
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Ouch! Senator Chuck Grassley BLASTS Failed Attorney General Jeff Sessions
For months it’s been clear that AG Sessions is a total failure. He recused himself and then hired crook Rod Rosenstein as Asst AG who then created the crooked Mueller investigation. If this republic is to continue, Sessions must go!
The US cannot have multiple layers of laws. It’s impossible to have some individuals who do not have to abide by the same laws as the rest of the population. We also cannot stand for the corrupt FBI, DOJ and State Departments (amongst others) that are able to spy, lie and assault Americans for faulty crimes. Obama’s Administration was corrupt and dishonest at all levels and so it’s no surprise that the entire federal government is corrupt. These people must be swept out. It’s starts with AG Sessions!
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The US cannot have multiple layers of laws. It’s impossible to have some individuals who do not have to abide by the same laws as the rest of the population. We also cannot stand for the corrupt FBI, DOJ and State Departments (amongst others) that are able to spy, lie and assault Americans for faulty crimes. Obama’s Administration was corrupt and dishonest at all levels and so it’s no surprise that the entire federal government is corrupt. These people must be swept out. It’s starts with AG Sessions!
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