Open government isn’t just good government. It’s the public’s right.
In Florida, the Broward County Sheriff’s Office and Broward County school district are fighting to keep exterior surveillance video from the day of the mass shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High Schoolhidden from view. As journalists and citizens who’ve waged uphill battles against secrecy well know, government agencies too often invoke broad disclosure exemptions in the name of protecting public safety when they’re really just trying to protect their own jobs.
Feckless Broward County Sheriff Scott Israel and media darling school Superintendent Robert Runcie are defendants in an open-records lawsuit filed Tuesday by the South Florida Sun Sentinel, the Miami Herald and CNN.
The local officials claim that surveillance videos from cameras outside the school are completely exempt from sunshine laws because they would expose the district’s security-system plan; are part of an active criminal investigation; and involve an active internal affairs investigation of school resource officer/BSO Deputy Scot Peterson, whom Israel notoriously threw under the bus last week.
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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
Thursday, March 01, 2018
Body of Plane Crash Victim Recovered
March 1, 2018
(OCEAN CITY, MD) — Maryland State Police, along with local and federal agencies, recovered a body of a plane crash victim in Worcester County.
Shortly after 10 a.m. today, federal officials notified the Maryland State Police Special Operations Division that an aircraft believed to be a single-engine, four-passenger plane left Martin State Airport last night en route to Ocean City and had not yet returned. It is unknown for certain how many people were on board the plane. It was determined the aircraft was not at the Ocean City Airport.
A search of the area near the Ocean City Airport was initiated late this morning. The crew of Maryland State Police Aviation Command Trooper 4 and Civil Air Patrol personnel located what was described as an oil slick in the ocean, about 1.5 miles from the Ocean City Airport.
Rescue personnel are focusing their search on that area at this time. Although the aircraft has not been spotted, Natural Resources Police officers in the water near the oil slick have recovered debris believed to be associated with an aircraft.
Search efforts continued throughout the day. Just before 5 p.m. this evening, Maryland State Police, Natural Resources Police and the Coast Guard conducted side scanning operations in an underwater debris field. The debris field was located approximately 5 miles from the initial oil slick in the Atlantic Ocean.
Rescue personnel advised the aircraft was located in severely deteriorated conditions. A body was recovered from among the pieces of the plane. The body recovered was a male wearing the same clothing as described on the pilot who left Martin State Airport yesterday. The body will be transported to the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner in Baltimore for autopsy.
Search efforts concluded at just before 6 p.m. this evening. Dive teams will resume searching for other passengers once the impending storm passes and the ocean conditions permit. The investigation continues.
‘No more violence’ school walkout ends with arrests after students attack police, smash car windows
Students in Stockton, California walked out of class Friday as part of an anti-gun protest, only to undermine their own message with vandalism and violence against armed police who corralled them back to class.
Students from multiple Stockton schools ditched class en masse a little after 10:30 a.m. to chant anti-gun slogans and wave signs demanding an education in a place where they “feel safe,” Fox 40 reports.
More/Video
Students from multiple Stockton schools ditched class en masse a little after 10:30 a.m. to chant anti-gun slogans and wave signs demanding an education in a place where they “feel safe,” Fox 40 reports.
More/Video
Consumer Confidence Rises to 17-Year High on Trump Tax Cuts, Job Optimism
U.S. consumer confidence jumped to a 17-year high as optimism about employment prospects grew and Americans began seeing additional money in their paychecks from recently enacted tax cuts, data from the New York-based Conference Board showed Tuesday.
Highlights of Consumer Confidence (February)
Confidence index rose to 130.8 (est. 126.5), highest since Nov. 2000, from downwardly revised 124.3 in January
Present conditions measure climbed to 162.4, highest since 2001, from 154.7
Consumer expectations gauge increased to three-month high of 109.7 from 104
Highlights of Consumer Confidence (February)
Confidence index rose to 130.8 (est. 126.5), highest since Nov. 2000, from downwardly revised 124.3 in January
Present conditions measure climbed to 162.4, highest since 2001, from 154.7
Consumer expectations gauge increased to three-month high of 109.7 from 104
Greenspan: US 'Underestimating Impact' of Trump Corporate Tax Cut Read Newsmax Article: Newsmax.com - Breaking news from around the globe: U.S. news, politics, world, health, finance, video, science, technology, live news stream Urgent: Do you approve of Pres. Trump’s job performance? Vote Here!
Former Federal Reserve Chairman Alan Greenspan applauded President Donald Trump’s landmark corporate tax cut and touted its economic benefits for America.
“Remember that the stock market is being driven to a large extent by the one thing that I think the Trump administration did right: got the 35 percent marginal corporate tax rate and brought it down to 21 percent,” Greenspan said during a recent discussion at the American Enterprise Institute titled, “The Bubble Economy – Is This Time Different?”
“I think that what is happening here in the United States is we’re underestimating the impact of that,” Greenspan said.
“All you have to do is move the tax rate several percentage points, and a whole cascade of projects will fall on a ‘let’s-do-it’ type relationship, and I think that’s what’s happening at the moment,” said Greenspan, who served as Chairman of the Federal Reserve of the United States from 1987 to 2006.
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“Remember that the stock market is being driven to a large extent by the one thing that I think the Trump administration did right: got the 35 percent marginal corporate tax rate and brought it down to 21 percent,” Greenspan said during a recent discussion at the American Enterprise Institute titled, “The Bubble Economy – Is This Time Different?”
“I think that what is happening here in the United States is we’re underestimating the impact of that,” Greenspan said.
“All you have to do is move the tax rate several percentage points, and a whole cascade of projects will fall on a ‘let’s-do-it’ type relationship, and I think that’s what’s happening at the moment,” said Greenspan, who served as Chairman of the Federal Reserve of the United States from 1987 to 2006.
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NBC: 7 States' Election Systems Compromised by Russia Read Newsmax Article: Newsmax.com - Breaking news from around the globe: U.S. news, politics, world, health, finance, video, science, technology, live news stream Urgent: Do you approve of Pres. Trump’s job performance? Vote Here!
U.S. intelligence agencies had evidence that state websites or voter registration systems in seven states were compromised by Russia-backed operatives before the 2016 election — but never told the states involved, NBC News reported.
Top-secret intelligence requested by President Barack Obama in his last weeks in office identified the states where analysts believed Russian operatives had compromised websites or databases, the news outlet reported.
As of January 2017, the intelligence community believed the states were Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Texas, and Wisconsin, NBC News reported.
But though officials in Washington informed several of those states in the run-up to the election that foreign entities were probing their systems, none were told Russia was behind it, NBC News reported.
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Top-secret intelligence requested by President Barack Obama in his last weeks in office identified the states where analysts believed Russian operatives had compromised websites or databases, the news outlet reported.
As of January 2017, the intelligence community believed the states were Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Texas, and Wisconsin, NBC News reported.
But though officials in Washington informed several of those states in the run-up to the election that foreign entities were probing their systems, none were told Russia was behind it, NBC News reported.
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Judge Sides With Trump on Challenge to Mexico Border Wall
A judge who was taunted by Donald Trump during the presidential campaign sided with the president Tuesday on a challenge to building a border wall with Mexico, removing what could have been a major obstacle to the signature campaign pledge.
U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel rejected arguments by the state of California and advocacy groups that the administration overreached by waiving laws requiring environmental and other reviews before construction can begin. Plaintiffs in the lawsuit said a 2005 a law that gave the Homeland Security secretary broad authority to waive the reviews had expired.
Trump berated Curiel during the campaign for his handling of fraud allegations against now-defunct Trump University, suggesting the Indiana-born judge's Mexican heritage reflected a bias.
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U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel rejected arguments by the state of California and advocacy groups that the administration overreached by waiving laws requiring environmental and other reviews before construction can begin. Plaintiffs in the lawsuit said a 2005 a law that gave the Homeland Security secretary broad authority to waive the reviews had expired.
Trump berated Curiel during the campaign for his handling of fraud allegations against now-defunct Trump University, suggesting the Indiana-born judge's Mexican heritage reflected a bias.
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SDSU Course on "Removing Trump from Office"
San Diego State University is offering a course dedicated exclusively to the topic of removing Donald Trump from office.
The one-unit course--“Trump: Impeachment, Removal, or Conviction?”--will be offered in March and is set to be taught by Professor John Joseph Cleary. The required text for the course is Allan Lichtman's The Case for Impeachment, a book published in response to Donald Trump’s election that advocates for the President’s removal from office.
"Focus will be on the two constitutional grounds: impeachment and removal (25th Amendment), and the possible charges of the independent counsel, the powers of the president,” and “a history of the creation of [the presidency] and the comparison of divine right and rule of law leadership.”
The curriculum will also address “grounds for impeachment, removal, or indictment,” such as “conflict of interests, foreign emoluments, climate change, racism, religious bias, improper influence, nepotism, and a host of crimes, including conspiracy, false statements, and obstruction of justice.”
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The one-unit course--“Trump: Impeachment, Removal, or Conviction?”--will be offered in March and is set to be taught by Professor John Joseph Cleary. The required text for the course is Allan Lichtman's The Case for Impeachment, a book published in response to Donald Trump’s election that advocates for the President’s removal from office.
"Focus will be on the two constitutional grounds: impeachment and removal (25th Amendment), and the possible charges of the independent counsel, the powers of the president,” and “a history of the creation of [the presidency] and the comparison of divine right and rule of law leadership.”
The curriculum will also address “grounds for impeachment, removal, or indictment,” such as “conflict of interests, foreign emoluments, climate change, racism, religious bias, improper influence, nepotism, and a host of crimes, including conspiracy, false statements, and obstruction of justice.”
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Chileans lose faith as Vatican scrambles to contain sex abuse scandal
SANTIAGO (Reuters) - To understand why Chile, one of Latin America's most socially conservative nations, is losing faith in the Roman Catholic Church, visit Providencia, a middle-class area of Santiago coming to terms with a decades-old clergy sex abuse scandal.
Providencia is home to El Bosque, the former parish of priest Fernando Karadima, who was found guilty in a Vatican investigation in 2011 of abusing teenage boys over many years, spurring a chain of events leading to this week's visit by a Vatican investigator.
A Chilean judge in the same year determined the Vatican's canonical sentence was valid but Karadima was not prosecuted by the civil justice system because the statute of limitations had expired.
So many Chileans were shocked in 2015 when Pope Francis appointed as a bishop a clergyman accused of covering up for Karadima, and defended that choice in a visit to Chile last month.
Chile remains largely conservative on social issues. It only legalized divorce in 2004, making it one of the last countries in the world to do so. Chile's ban on abortion, one of the strictest in the world, was lifted in 2017 for special circumstances only. Same-sex marriage remains illegal.
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Providencia is home to El Bosque, the former parish of priest Fernando Karadima, who was found guilty in a Vatican investigation in 2011 of abusing teenage boys over many years, spurring a chain of events leading to this week's visit by a Vatican investigator.
A Chilean judge in the same year determined the Vatican's canonical sentence was valid but Karadima was not prosecuted by the civil justice system because the statute of limitations had expired.
So many Chileans were shocked in 2015 when Pope Francis appointed as a bishop a clergyman accused of covering up for Karadima, and defended that choice in a visit to Chile last month.
Chile remains largely conservative on social issues. It only legalized divorce in 2004, making it one of the last countries in the world to do so. Chile's ban on abortion, one of the strictest in the world, was lifted in 2017 for special circumstances only. Same-sex marriage remains illegal.
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Unions are the free riders, says government worker challenging labor fees at Supreme Court
The man challenging the power of public-sector labor unions, a major case that the Supreme Court will take up Monday, scoffs at critics who accuse him of trying to get a "free ride" from unions.
It's the opposite, says Mark Janus, the plaintiff in Janus v. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. And that’s why he is fighting to end public-sector unions’ power to force mandatory fees from government workers like him.
“People talk about the ‘free rider.’ Well, from my perspective, the union is the freeloader here because they’re the ones getting away without doing anything,” he told theWashington Examiner. He doesn’t think the union is making things any better for him, so why should he have to pay?
“It’s not about the money for me. It’s about my rights. My right to say ‘no’ is at least as important as my right to say ‘yes,’” he said.
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It's the opposite, says Mark Janus, the plaintiff in Janus v. American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees. And that’s why he is fighting to end public-sector unions’ power to force mandatory fees from government workers like him.
“People talk about the ‘free rider.’ Well, from my perspective, the union is the freeloader here because they’re the ones getting away without doing anything,” he told theWashington Examiner. He doesn’t think the union is making things any better for him, so why should he have to pay?
“It’s not about the money for me. It’s about my rights. My right to say ‘no’ is at least as important as my right to say ‘yes,’” he said.
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US mother and daughter fend off shotgun-wielding robber
A mother-daughter duo are confronted by an armed robber in their family's liquor store in Oklahoma, but they quickly pull out their own guns and shoot him several times, and its all caught on CCTV.
The incredible heart stopping footage shows Tina Ring, 53, and her daughter Ashley Lee, 30, appearing to cooperate after giving the armed robber money while they are being held up with a shotgun at their Forest Acres Liquor Store Thursday night.
However the fast acting women grabbed two small pistols hidden under the register and lock him in the store with a button, turning the tables on the would-be robber, who police identified as Tyrone Lee, 36.
First Tina shoots Lee once at point blank range, as he runs off she pumps off two more shots in his direction. Her daughter Ashley looks to be dialing 911 while her mother covers them waiting for the brazen robber to return.
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The incredible heart stopping footage shows Tina Ring, 53, and her daughter Ashley Lee, 30, appearing to cooperate after giving the armed robber money while they are being held up with a shotgun at their Forest Acres Liquor Store Thursday night.
However the fast acting women grabbed two small pistols hidden under the register and lock him in the store with a button, turning the tables on the would-be robber, who police identified as Tyrone Lee, 36.
First Tina shoots Lee once at point blank range, as he runs off she pumps off two more shots in his direction. Her daughter Ashley looks to be dialing 911 while her mother covers them waiting for the brazen robber to return.
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America’s In Trouble Because Nobody Respects Rules
My wife and I try to instill in our kids the same values that were instilled in us growing up. Honor. Dignity. Faith. Love. Respect for rules.
Unfortunately, it appears as if there’s no such thing as “rules” to some people in this country.
Over the weekend, the University of New Hampshire put up this post on Facebook:
“If you’ve applied or been admitted to UNH you should know any disciplinary action stemming from peaceful protests exercising your first amendment rights will not jeopardize your admission decision. We support your right to stand up for what you believe in.”
Allow me to summarize. Break the rules that align with OUR liberal politics and you’re fine.
Just make sure you don’t screw up a thing on your application or submit it a few hours past deadline. THAT would cause disqualification. But breaking the rules when it comes to our politics? We’re cool with that.
I called the school out on it. And what happened? Snowflakes began melting in defense of the college.
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Unfortunately, it appears as if there’s no such thing as “rules” to some people in this country.
Over the weekend, the University of New Hampshire put up this post on Facebook:
“If you’ve applied or been admitted to UNH you should know any disciplinary action stemming from peaceful protests exercising your first amendment rights will not jeopardize your admission decision. We support your right to stand up for what you believe in.”
Allow me to summarize. Break the rules that align with OUR liberal politics and you’re fine.
Just make sure you don’t screw up a thing on your application or submit it a few hours past deadline. THAT would cause disqualification. But breaking the rules when it comes to our politics? We’re cool with that.
I called the school out on it. And what happened? Snowflakes began melting in defense of the college.
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Coast Guard, Maryland responders search for 2 from plane crash
BALTIMORE — The Coast Guard, Maryland State Police and Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police are searching for two missing people by air and water Thursday, after debris from their small plane was found in the water near Ocean City Inlet.
Missing are Banica Richard Robinson and Marcson Ngwa.
The Air Force Rescue Coordination Center began coordinating search efforts when the Cessna 172 didn’t return to Martin State Airport as expected and was not transmitting its location beacon. They left from Martin State Airport and were seen practicing touch-and-gos at the Ocean City Municipal Airport Wednesday evening.
A natural resources police helicopter crew located a sheen off Ocean City at about 11:30 a.m. Thursday and the Coast Guard was called to take over coordination of the search. A mariner, natural resources police boat and Coast Guard boat crews located debris from the airplane near the sheen.
Watchstanders at the command center at Coast Guard Sector Maryland-National Capitol Region are coordinating response efforts with Coast Guard Station Ocean City boat crews, Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City helicopter crews, Maryland State Police divers and the natural resources police boat and helicopter.
-USCG-
Harvard Attacks Christian Group for Acting Like Christians
Freedom House puts out an index rating countries as free or partly free or not free based on whether their citizens have certain rights most Americans consider fundamental.
If Freedom House expanded the list to colleges, where would Harvard rank?
Surely not “free.”
Freedom of association is gone. Harvard College now has a policy in place to start punishing students who want to be members of a single-sex organization – even if the organization isn’t affiliated with the college.
Now freedom of religion is on the chopping block.
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If Freedom House expanded the list to colleges, where would Harvard rank?
Surely not “free.”
Freedom of association is gone. Harvard College now has a policy in place to start punishing students who want to be members of a single-sex organization – even if the organization isn’t affiliated with the college.
Now freedom of religion is on the chopping block.
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MSP: Search For Missing Aircraft Underway Off Ocean City
(OCEAN CITY, MD) — Maryland State Police along with local and federal agencies are involved in the search for a missing plane in Worcester County.
Shortly after 10 a.m. today, federal officials notified the Maryland State Police Special Operations Division that an aircraft believed to be a single-engine, four-passenger plane left Martin State Airport last night en route to Ocean City and had not yet returned. It is unknown for certain how many people were on-board the plane. It was determined the aircraft was not at the Ocean City Airport.
A search of the area near the Ocean City Airport was initiated late this morning. The crew of Maryland State Police Aviation Command Trooper 4 and Civil Air Patrol personnel have located what is described as an oil slick in the ocean, about 1.5 miles from the Ocean City Airport.
Rescue personnel are focusing their search on that area at this time. Although the aircraft has not been spotted, Natural Resources Police officers in the water near the oil slick have recovered debris believed to be associated with an aircraft.
The Maryland State Police Underwater Recovery Unit is on-scene. Assistance has and continues to be provided by the US Coast Guard, Natural Resources Police, Worcester County Sheriff’s Office, Maryland State Police troopers and members of the Air Force Rescue Coordination Center.
A command center has been established at the Maryland Natural Resources Police Boathouse on Harbor Road in West Ocean City.
Cops: Woman Opened Fire At "Panther" Flick
Gunfire followed dispute over assigned seats for superhero tale
A North Carolina woman is jailed on multiple felony charges after she allegedly opened fire in a movie theater during a dispute over assigned seats at a screening of “Black Panther,” according to police and court records.
Investigators allege that Shameka Latrice Lynch, 30, squabbled with other moviegoers around 11:45 PM Friday at a crowded AMC theater in Greenville.
During the dispute over seating arrangements for the Marvel superhero movie,
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A North Carolina woman is jailed on multiple felony charges after she allegedly opened fire in a movie theater during a dispute over assigned seats at a screening of “Black Panther,” according to police and court records.
Investigators allege that Shameka Latrice Lynch, 30, squabbled with other moviegoers around 11:45 PM Friday at a crowded AMC theater in Greenville.
During the dispute over seating arrangements for the Marvel superhero movie,
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Overall Best States Rankings
Some states shine in health care. Some soar in education. Some excel in both – or in much more. The Best States ranking of U.S. states draws on thousands of data points to measure how well states are performing for their citizens. In addition to health care and education, the metrics take into account a state’s economy, the opportunity and quality of life it offers people, its roads, bridges, internet and other infrastructure, its public safety and the fiscal stability of state government.
More weight was accorded to some state measures than others, based on a survey of what matters most to people. Health care and education were weighted most heavily. Then came state economies, the opportunity states offer their citizens and infrastructure. Crime & corrections followed closely in weighting, followed by measures of government fiscal stability and people's quality of life. This explains why Iowa, ranking No. 1 in infrastructure and No. 3 in health care, occupies the overall No. 1 spot in the Best States rankings. And it explains why Minnesota, ranking No. 2 in quality of life and No. 3 in opportunity for its citizens, ranks No. 2 overall in the Best States rankings.
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More weight was accorded to some state measures than others, based on a survey of what matters most to people. Health care and education were weighted most heavily. Then came state economies, the opportunity states offer their citizens and infrastructure. Crime & corrections followed closely in weighting, followed by measures of government fiscal stability and people's quality of life. This explains why Iowa, ranking No. 1 in infrastructure and No. 3 in health care, occupies the overall No. 1 spot in the Best States rankings. And it explains why Minnesota, ranking No. 2 in quality of life and No. 3 in opportunity for its citizens, ranks No. 2 overall in the Best States rankings.
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BREAKING NEWS: PLANE CRASH IN OCEAN CITY
More to come...
EDITOR'S NOTE: This plane was NOT affiliated with the Ocean City Pilot School.
Originally posted at 2:01 PM.
EDITOR'S NOTE: This plane was NOT affiliated with the Ocean City Pilot School.
Originally posted at 2:01 PM.
Deputies Told Not To Go Into School
Fox News’ Laura Ingraham reported Monday that Broward County deputies were told not to go into Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School during the mass shooting earlier this month.
The alleged reason? They didn’t have any body cameras with them.
WATCH:
The alleged reason? They didn’t have any body cameras with them.
WATCH:
Baltimore Bike Share Temporarily Shuts Down After Summer
Liz Cornish remembers when Baltimore Bike Share left her hanging.
As executive director of Bikemore, a local cycling advocacy group, Cornish was giving a tour of the system to urban planning students from Morgan State University. She had hoped to show them how bike share worked and what it could do for the city.
What she found was a network in bad decline.
“It was spotty. It was isolated,” she said. “Out of two major stations, we were only able to get two bikes to work.” Cornish said she regrets that what could have been an educational experience instead became a demonstration in inconvenience.
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Publishers Notes: Idiots!
Foreign Officials Discussed How To Manipulate "Naive" Jared Kushner
Just hours after Politico reported that White House senior advisor and Trump son-in-law Jared Kushner had been stripped of his top-level security clearance, the Washington Post dropped a bombshell report that purports to provide an unprecedented level of insight into why Kushner wasn't granted an exemption.
According to WaPo, officials in at least four countries have privately discussed how to manipulate Kushner by taking advantage of his "complex business arrangements, financial difficulties and lack of foreign policy experience." The story cited current and former US intelligence officials.
Kushner's family business, the Kushner Companies, was famously having money troubles tied to 666 Fifth Avenue, "the most expensive building ever purchased", in New York City at least. Though earlier today the Wall Street Journal reported that the family business was planning to buy out Vornado Realty's stake in the building.
The officials - who were not named or - were from China, the United Arab Emirates, Israel and Mexico.
White House officials, including National Security Advisor HR McMaster were reportedly uncomfortable about some of Kushner's contacts, and eventually worked out a system where any contacts he had with foreign officials were to be carefully monitored.
McMaster raised questions about some of Kushner's meetings, and why there weren't people with more foreign policy experience in the room with him.
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According to WaPo, officials in at least four countries have privately discussed how to manipulate Kushner by taking advantage of his "complex business arrangements, financial difficulties and lack of foreign policy experience." The story cited current and former US intelligence officials.
Kushner's family business, the Kushner Companies, was famously having money troubles tied to 666 Fifth Avenue, "the most expensive building ever purchased", in New York City at least. Though earlier today the Wall Street Journal reported that the family business was planning to buy out Vornado Realty's stake in the building.
The officials - who were not named or - were from China, the United Arab Emirates, Israel and Mexico.
White House officials, including National Security Advisor HR McMaster were reportedly uncomfortable about some of Kushner's contacts, and eventually worked out a system where any contacts he had with foreign officials were to be carefully monitored.
McMaster raised questions about some of Kushner's meetings, and why there weren't people with more foreign policy experience in the room with him.
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Steele's Connections To Russian Oligarch
The chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee is requesting an interview with a Washington-based lobbyist who served as an intermediary between a Democratic senator and two key figures in the Russia investigation, dossier author Christopher Steele and Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska.
“The nature and extent of the relationship between Mr. Steele, Mr. Deripaska, and you are of potential relevance to the Committee’s work,” Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, wrote Monday to the lobbyist, Adam Waldman.
Waldman emerged earlier this month as a figure in the Russia investigation after it was revealed that he exchanged text messages last year with Virginia Sen. Mark Warner regarding Steele and Deripaska.
Warner is the top Democrat on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, which is also investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign.
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“The nature and extent of the relationship between Mr. Steele, Mr. Deripaska, and you are of potential relevance to the Committee’s work,” Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, wrote Monday to the lobbyist, Adam Waldman.
Waldman emerged earlier this month as a figure in the Russia investigation after it was revealed that he exchanged text messages last year with Virginia Sen. Mark Warner regarding Steele and Deripaska.
Warner is the top Democrat on the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence, which is also investigating Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign.
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Police On The Scene Of Apparent Car Explosion In Woodlawn
Cops called to Nikolas Cruz's home 45 times in past decade
A new report shows that cops were called to Florida school shooter Nikolas Cruz's home more times than originally thought.
When the 19-year-old was apprehended after killing 17 in a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School two weeks ago, early reports indicated that Broward County Sheriff's deputies had been called to Cruz's home 39 times in the last several years.
Sheriff Scott Israel later downgraded that figure to 23, amid increasing criticism that his office should have seen the numerous warning signs.
'Since 2008, BSO responded to 23 incidents where previous contact was made with the killer or his family. STOP REPORTING 39; IT'S SIMPLY NOT TRUE,' a statement from the sheriff's office said on Saturday.
But according to new documents obtained by CNN, cops were actually called to the Cruz family home a total of 45 times in the last decade - before his adoptive mother died in November and he and his brother moved in with family friends.
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When the 19-year-old was apprehended after killing 17 in a shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School two weeks ago, early reports indicated that Broward County Sheriff's deputies had been called to Cruz's home 39 times in the last several years.
Sheriff Scott Israel later downgraded that figure to 23, amid increasing criticism that his office should have seen the numerous warning signs.
'Since 2008, BSO responded to 23 incidents where previous contact was made with the killer or his family. STOP REPORTING 39; IT'S SIMPLY NOT TRUE,' a statement from the sheriff's office said on Saturday.
But according to new documents obtained by CNN, cops were actually called to the Cruz family home a total of 45 times in the last decade - before his adoptive mother died in November and he and his brother moved in with family friends.
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Dawn Diimmler 'had sex with student on school grounds'
An assistant principal and mother-of-three in South Carolina has turned herself in to face charges of sexual battery related to having intercourse with a student.
Dawn Diimmler of Airport High School in Lexington County has been accused of having sexual intercourse multiple times with a 19-year-old student over the course of three months in 2017.
On Monday, Lexington School District Two released three letters from school district officials to Diimler, dated earlier this year, that claimed the authority figured was heard on a recording telling the student's mother that she was in love with her son.
Diimmler now faces felony charges of sexual battery in the cities of both Cayce and Columbia, City of Cayce spokesperson Ashley Hunter confirmed to DailyMail.com on Monday.
If convicted, each of the two charges carries with it a potential penalty of up to five years in prison.
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Dawn Diimmler of Airport High School in Lexington County has been accused of having sexual intercourse multiple times with a 19-year-old student over the course of three months in 2017.
On Monday, Lexington School District Two released three letters from school district officials to Diimler, dated earlier this year, that claimed the authority figured was heard on a recording telling the student's mother that she was in love with her son.
Diimmler now faces felony charges of sexual battery in the cities of both Cayce and Columbia, City of Cayce spokesperson Ashley Hunter confirmed to DailyMail.com on Monday.
If convicted, each of the two charges carries with it a potential penalty of up to five years in prison.
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Jenny Craig For Men
I called the company and ordered their five-day, 10-lb. weight loss.
The next day, there's a knock on the door and there stands a voluptuous, athletic, 19 year old babe dressed in nothing but a pair of Nike running shoes and a sign around her neck.
She introduces herself as a representative of the weight loss company.
The sign reads, 'If you can catch me, you can have me.'
Without a second thought, I took off after her. A few miles later huffing and puffing, I finally gave up.
The same girl shows up for the next four days and the same thing happens.
On the fifth day, I weighed myself and am delighted to find I lost 10 lbs. As promised.
I called the company and ordered their five-day/20-pound program.
The next day there's a knock at the door and there stands the most
stunning, beautiful, sexy woman I have ever seen in my life.
She is wearing nothing but Reebok running shoes and a sign around her neck that reads, 'If you catch me you can have me.'
Well, I'm out the door after her like a shot.
This girl is in excellent shape and I do my best, but no such luck. So for the next four days, the same routine happens and I'm gradually getting in better and better shape.
Much to my delight on the fifth day when I weigh myself, I
discover that I have lost another 20 lbs. As promised.
So I decide to go for broke and called the company to order the seven-day/50-pound program.
"Are you sure?" asks the representative on. "This is the most rigorous program of all."
"Absolutely," I reply, "I haven't felt this good in years."
The next day there's a knock at the door and when I open it find a huge muscular guy standing there wearing nothing but pink running shoes and a sign around his neck that reads, "If I catch you . . . You are mine."
I lost 63 pounds that week.
The next day, there's a knock on the door and there stands a voluptuous, athletic, 19 year old babe dressed in nothing but a pair of Nike running shoes and a sign around her neck.
She introduces herself as a representative of the weight loss company.
The sign reads, 'If you can catch me, you can have me.'
Without a second thought, I took off after her. A few miles later huffing and puffing, I finally gave up.
The same girl shows up for the next four days and the same thing happens.
On the fifth day, I weighed myself and am delighted to find I lost 10 lbs. As promised.
I called the company and ordered their five-day/20-pound program.
The next day there's a knock at the door and there stands the most
stunning, beautiful, sexy woman I have ever seen in my life.
She is wearing nothing but Reebok running shoes and a sign around her neck that reads, 'If you catch me you can have me.'
Well, I'm out the door after her like a shot.
This girl is in excellent shape and I do my best, but no such luck. So for the next four days, the same routine happens and I'm gradually getting in better and better shape.
Much to my delight on the fifth day when I weigh myself, I
discover that I have lost another 20 lbs. As promised.
So I decide to go for broke and called the company to order the seven-day/50-pound program.
"Are you sure?" asks the representative on. "This is the most rigorous program of all."
"Absolutely," I reply, "I haven't felt this good in years."
The next day there's a knock at the door and when I open it find a huge muscular guy standing there wearing nothing but pink running shoes and a sign around his neck that reads, "If I catch you . . . You are mine."
I lost 63 pounds that week.
Commanding officer initially ordered responding deputies to 'stage' not enter Stoneman Douglas, sources say
Fox News has learned that in the critical moments as first responding deputies were searching for an active shooter on the property of Marjory Stoneman Douglas high school, a commanding officer on scene apparently ordered some of the initial responders to “stage” and set up a “perimeter” outside -- instead of immediately ordering or allowing officers to rush in to neutralize the suspect, Nikolas Cruz.
“It’s atrocious,” a law enforcement source who was on the scene after the shooting told Fox News. “If deputies were staging it could have cost lives.”
The law enforcement source said responding deputies and officers were called to an active shooter scene in which they are trained to immediately “go, go, go” toward the direction of the shooter. “Every second is another life,” the source said.
The Broward County Sherrif’s Office policy on active shooters indicates responding deputies may enter the building to preserve life without permission. That remains the priority until various objectives are met such as the shooter being detained. The policy does not appear to list staging -- setting up an area to keep first responders safe before police secure a violent scene -- or a perimeter as an immediate priority.
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“It’s atrocious,” a law enforcement source who was on the scene after the shooting told Fox News. “If deputies were staging it could have cost lives.”
The law enforcement source said responding deputies and officers were called to an active shooter scene in which they are trained to immediately “go, go, go” toward the direction of the shooter. “Every second is another life,” the source said.
The Broward County Sherrif’s Office policy on active shooters indicates responding deputies may enter the building to preserve life without permission. That remains the priority until various objectives are met such as the shooter being detained. The policy does not appear to list staging -- setting up an area to keep first responders safe before police secure a violent scene -- or a perimeter as an immediate priority.
More
http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/02/28/commanding-officer-initially-ordered-responding-deputies-to-stage-not-enter-stoneman-douglas-sources-say.html
Limbaugh Covers Infowars Report On Broward Officials Shielding Criminal Students -- 'Somebody Tell the President'
Infowars reporting confirmed as revelations of PROMISE Program emerge
Intel contained in an Infowars report regarding agreements between Broward County law enforcement and school officials to protect criminal students is bubbling to the surface, and radio host Rush Limbaugh has called for the information to be shown to President Trump.
Infowars was the first major outlet to put a magnifying glass overbombshell revelations presented by a journalist at The Conservative Tree House (TCH), which uncovered possible connections between policies implemented in 2012-2013 by Broward County officials to the massacre in Parkland, Fla. on Valentine’s Day.
Not long ago, the Broward County school district had one of the highest levels of criminality, suspensions and incidents of student misbehavior in the country, and the majority of offenders were minorities.
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Intel contained in an Infowars report regarding agreements between Broward County law enforcement and school officials to protect criminal students is bubbling to the surface, and radio host Rush Limbaugh has called for the information to be shown to President Trump.
Infowars was the first major outlet to put a magnifying glass overbombshell revelations presented by a journalist at The Conservative Tree House (TCH), which uncovered possible connections between policies implemented in 2012-2013 by Broward County officials to the massacre in Parkland, Fla. on Valentine’s Day.
Not long ago, the Broward County school district had one of the highest levels of criminality, suspensions and incidents of student misbehavior in the country, and the majority of offenders were minorities.
More
Total Student Debt In America Now Exceeds The Cost Of Iraq War
We’ve all seen the headlines: the cost of university education in the United States has become completely debilitating. And student debt keeps rising to record high levels.
It’s almost commonplace now for a 22-year old to graduate from university with $50,000+ in student debt.
According to data from the Federal Reserve, the total amount of student debt in the United States is now $1.5 trillion.
As SovereignMan.com's Simon Black notes, that’s more than the estimated $1.3 trillion in direct costs that the government spent fighting the War in Iraq.
What’s probably even more bizarre is that the US government actually owns about 70% of those student loans– a total of $1.06 trillion.
I discovered this over the weekend when I was reviewing the federal government’s recently published financial statements for fiscal year 2017.
More
It’s almost commonplace now for a 22-year old to graduate from university with $50,000+ in student debt.
According to data from the Federal Reserve, the total amount of student debt in the United States is now $1.5 trillion.
As SovereignMan.com's Simon Black notes, that’s more than the estimated $1.3 trillion in direct costs that the government spent fighting the War in Iraq.
What’s probably even more bizarre is that the US government actually owns about 70% of those student loans– a total of $1.06 trillion.
I discovered this over the weekend when I was reviewing the federal government’s recently published financial statements for fiscal year 2017.
More
The NRA just got a new member. Here’s why this mom of two joined the group
As a mom of kids in elementary school, I became a proud member of the NRA for the first time last week. I did so because the absence of common sense that I’ve witnessed recently is alarming to me as a parent.
We’ve seen deeply misguided hatred and rage directed toward people who want to protect themselves with a gun rather than targeted at the heart of the problem. It’s time for reason and sound judgement to prevail.
Though it seems like an easy solution, the deep divide we’re facing in this country is not nearly as simple as “banning guns” equals “problem solved.” This battle we’re facing isn’t about guns, it’s about evil. Evil in the hearts of those who choose to act with a gun.
However, for us to face that truth as a society means that we also must confront the culture we’ve created. We are living in the midst of a depraved culture where right is wrong and wrong is right. One where we’ve seen the breakdown of family values, and an overall morality that’s flexible.
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We’ve seen deeply misguided hatred and rage directed toward people who want to protect themselves with a gun rather than targeted at the heart of the problem. It’s time for reason and sound judgement to prevail.
Though it seems like an easy solution, the deep divide we’re facing in this country is not nearly as simple as “banning guns” equals “problem solved.” This battle we’re facing isn’t about guns, it’s about evil. Evil in the hearts of those who choose to act with a gun.
However, for us to face that truth as a society means that we also must confront the culture we’ve created. We are living in the midst of a depraved culture where right is wrong and wrong is right. One where we’ve seen the breakdown of family values, and an overall morality that’s flexible.
More
http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2018/02/27/nra-just-got-new-member-here-s-why-this-mom-two-joined-group.html
Open Mic Night An Incredible Success
The US Government Lost $1.2 Trillion In 2017
Earlier this month, the United States government released its annual financial report for the year 2017.
This is something the government does every year, similar to how large companies like Apple, or Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, publish their own annual reports.
Unlike Berkshire and Apple, though, whose financial reports typically show strong, positive results, the US government’s financial statements are a complete horror show.
Right at the beginning of the report, the government explains that it’s “net loss” for the year was an unbelievable $1.2 TRILLION.
More
This is something the government does every year, similar to how large companies like Apple, or Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway, publish their own annual reports.
Unlike Berkshire and Apple, though, whose financial reports typically show strong, positive results, the US government’s financial statements are a complete horror show.
Right at the beginning of the report, the government explains that it’s “net loss” for the year was an unbelievable $1.2 TRILLION.
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Marketing on the Blood of Innocents
The horrific mass murder at Marjory Stoneman High School in Parkland, Florida, almost two weeks ago elicited the same calls for gun control that we expect after every such incident. Leftists rush to blame the tool and law-abiding citizens instead of the cultural cesspool they themselves have cultivated. The National Rifle Association is always a leftist target, though this time the rate of fire has increased, and it’s yielding some results that will affect NRA members.
Dozens of companies offer partnership discounts to the NRA’s five million members — and many of those companies are caving to leftist pressure by cutting those ties. Allied Van Lines, Avis Budget Group, Chubb, Delta Air Lines, Enterprise (including Alamo and National Car Rental), First National Bank of Omaha, Hertz, Metlife, North American Van Lines, Paramount Rx, SimpliSafe, Starkey Hearing, Symantec, TrueCare and United Continental all announced within the last few days that they are discontinuing NRA discount or affiliate programs. More may follow in the near future. On the other hand, FedEx announced it will not succumb to the #Resistance … albeit while calling for a ban on semi-automatic rifles.
Make no mistake: These companies think they’re serving their own bottom line.
For perspective, here’s a list of companies that have no trouble donating to Planned Parenthood, which kills more than 300,000 children every year..
More here
Dozens of companies offer partnership discounts to the NRA’s five million members — and many of those companies are caving to leftist pressure by cutting those ties. Allied Van Lines, Avis Budget Group, Chubb, Delta Air Lines, Enterprise (including Alamo and National Car Rental), First National Bank of Omaha, Hertz, Metlife, North American Van Lines, Paramount Rx, SimpliSafe, Starkey Hearing, Symantec, TrueCare and United Continental all announced within the last few days that they are discontinuing NRA discount or affiliate programs. More may follow in the near future. On the other hand, FedEx announced it will not succumb to the #Resistance … albeit while calling for a ban on semi-automatic rifles.
Make no mistake: These companies think they’re serving their own bottom line.
For perspective, here’s a list of companies that have no trouble donating to Planned Parenthood, which kills more than 300,000 children every year..
More here
Judges unleash ‘political weapon’ against Trump
When President Obama announced his expanded deportation amnesty in 2014, then-Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott sought out the federal district court in Brownsville to file a groundbreaking lawsuit arguing that the president had violated the Constitution.
The choice of Brownsville was no accident. Legal analysts said the small courthouse had just two judges, one appointed by President Clinton and the other by President George W. Bush. It was a 50-50 chance.
The Bush pick, Judge Andrew S. Hanen, got the case and eventually issued a nationwide injunction halting Mr. Obama’s program across the country.
Nationwide injunctions from district courts had happened before, but Judge Hanen’s decision seemed to unleash the floodgates, opening up an era of judges in courtrooms across the country issuing huge rulings blocking major parts of a president’s agenda.
Under Mr. Obama, rulings blocked the Labor Department’s overtime pay rule, the Education Department’s transgender bathroom policy, and health care rules regarding “gender identity” discrimination.
Fast-forward to President Trump. In just his first year, district judges issued nationwide injunctions on his travel ban, refugee policy, phaseout of the Obama-era DACA amnesty, efforts to speed up deportations of Iraqis, stripping of federal grants from sanctuary cities, attempts to change Obamacare’s contraceptive coverage and moves to reinstate a ban on transgender troops.
“It wasn’t a major political weapon for stopping a president’s program until late in the Obama administration, and that’s when state Republican attorneys general started using it, so it’s only been in the last three years that it’s become a major judicial weapon against presidential programs,” said Samuel Bray, a law professor at the University of Notre Dame who studies the issue.
More
The choice of Brownsville was no accident. Legal analysts said the small courthouse had just two judges, one appointed by President Clinton and the other by President George W. Bush. It was a 50-50 chance.
The Bush pick, Judge Andrew S. Hanen, got the case and eventually issued a nationwide injunction halting Mr. Obama’s program across the country.
Nationwide injunctions from district courts had happened before, but Judge Hanen’s decision seemed to unleash the floodgates, opening up an era of judges in courtrooms across the country issuing huge rulings blocking major parts of a president’s agenda.
Under Mr. Obama, rulings blocked the Labor Department’s overtime pay rule, the Education Department’s transgender bathroom policy, and health care rules regarding “gender identity” discrimination.
Fast-forward to President Trump. In just his first year, district judges issued nationwide injunctions on his travel ban, refugee policy, phaseout of the Obama-era DACA amnesty, efforts to speed up deportations of Iraqis, stripping of federal grants from sanctuary cities, attempts to change Obamacare’s contraceptive coverage and moves to reinstate a ban on transgender troops.
“It wasn’t a major political weapon for stopping a president’s program until late in the Obama administration, and that’s when state Republican attorneys general started using it, so it’s only been in the last three years that it’s become a major judicial weapon against presidential programs,” said Samuel Bray, a law professor at the University of Notre Dame who studies the issue.
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Shooter could have faced charges before massacre — had cops done their job, experts say
Nikolas Cruz threatened classmates, posted photos of himself holding guns, made violent statements online and was repeatedly described to authorities as a potential “school shooter.”
His troubling behavior gave law enforcement plenty of opportunities to investigate and arrest him — and even take away his guns — long before he shot up Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland last week, according to interviews with former South Florida prosecutors and legal experts.
In recent years, South Florida police detectives have arrested a slew of young men in unrelated cases who exhibited similar, troubling behavior on a variety of charges. Cops took them seriously.
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His troubling behavior gave law enforcement plenty of opportunities to investigate and arrest him — and even take away his guns — long before he shot up Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland last week, according to interviews with former South Florida prosecutors and legal experts.
In recent years, South Florida police detectives have arrested a slew of young men in unrelated cases who exhibited similar, troubling behavior on a variety of charges. Cops took them seriously.
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‘There’s enough to arrest Hillary now’
'People want justice': Gov't watchdog says DOJ officials want to prosecute Clinton
WASHINGTON – There is enough evidence now to arrest former Democratic Party presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and send her to jail, says the president of a well-known government-watchdog organization.
But Americans shouldn’t hold their breath, because federal authorities are too consumed with politics, Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in an exclusive interview with WND.
“As far as I am concerned, there is enough to arrest Hillary Clinton now,” Fitton said bluntly. “And I just want the Justice Department to finally start enforcing the rule of law.”
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WASHINGTON – There is enough evidence now to arrest former Democratic Party presidential nominee Hillary Clinton and send her to jail, says the president of a well-known government-watchdog organization.
But Americans shouldn’t hold their breath, because federal authorities are too consumed with politics, Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in an exclusive interview with WND.
“As far as I am concerned, there is enough to arrest Hillary Clinton now,” Fitton said bluntly. “And I just want the Justice Department to finally start enforcing the rule of law.”
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"Take The Guns First" - Trump Breaks With Republicans Over Gun-Control Plan
Update: US Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE). a member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, issued the following statement regarding President Trump's comments today on due process and the Second Amendment:
"Strong leaders don't automatically agree with the last thing that was said to them. We have the Second and due process of low for a reason.
We're not ditching any Constitutional protections simply because the last person the President talked to today doesn’t like them."
President Trump told a group of lawmakers that they must do something to keep guns away from mentally ill individuals - even if that means raising the minimum age for rifle ownership to 21, Bloomberg reports.
His remarks appeared to contradict a CNN report from earlier in the week, which quoted anonymous White House aides saying Trump would soon walk back his support for raising the age limit.
But on Wednesday, in what the New York Times characterized as a "shocking" break with his Republican Congressional allies,Trump told lawmakers during a televised meeting in the Cabinet Room that easing gun owners’ ability to carry concealed weapons across state lines, a provision of the House-passed gun bill and the NRA’s top legislative priority, should be part of a separate bill, a strategy favored by Democrats. The House bill combining background check provisions with the loosening of concealed carry rules has stalled in the Senate after passing the House. Instead, Trump said he supports the proposal from Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., which he says is best positioned to pass. Sen. Amy Klobuchar agreed that the Manchin-Toomey bill is a "good place to start."
"It would be so beautiful to have one bill that everyone could support," Mr. Trump said as Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, sat smiling to his left. "It’s time that a president stepped up."
Per the Times, Trump repeatedly suggested that the dynamics surrounding the gun control debate had shifted, in part, because of his presence in the Oval Office - a remark that earned him cheers from Democrats.
More/Video
"Strong leaders don't automatically agree with the last thing that was said to them. We have the Second and due process of low for a reason.
We're not ditching any Constitutional protections simply because the last person the President talked to today doesn’t like them."
President Trump told a group of lawmakers that they must do something to keep guns away from mentally ill individuals - even if that means raising the minimum age for rifle ownership to 21, Bloomberg reports.
His remarks appeared to contradict a CNN report from earlier in the week, which quoted anonymous White House aides saying Trump would soon walk back his support for raising the age limit.
But on Wednesday, in what the New York Times characterized as a "shocking" break with his Republican Congressional allies,Trump told lawmakers during a televised meeting in the Cabinet Room that easing gun owners’ ability to carry concealed weapons across state lines, a provision of the House-passed gun bill and the NRA’s top legislative priority, should be part of a separate bill, a strategy favored by Democrats. The House bill combining background check provisions with the loosening of concealed carry rules has stalled in the Senate after passing the House. Instead, Trump said he supports the proposal from Sens. Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., which he says is best positioned to pass. Sen. Amy Klobuchar agreed that the Manchin-Toomey bill is a "good place to start."
"It would be so beautiful to have one bill that everyone could support," Mr. Trump said as Senator Dianne Feinstein, Democrat of California, sat smiling to his left. "It’s time that a president stepped up."
Per the Times, Trump repeatedly suggested that the dynamics surrounding the gun control debate had shifted, in part, because of his presence in the Oval Office - a remark that earned him cheers from Democrats.
More/Video
Google/YouTube's New Moderators 'Mistakenly' Pull Right-Wing Channels
YouTube’s new moderators, brought in to spot fake, misleading and extreme videos, stumbled in one of their first major tests, mistakenly removing some clips and channels in the midst of a nationwide debate on gun control.
The Google division said in December it would assign more than 10,000 people to moderate content after a year of scandals over fake and inappropriate content on the world’s largest video site.
In the wake of the Feb. 14 school shooting in Parkland, Florida, some YouTube moderators mistakenly removed several videos and some channels from right-wing, pro-gun video producers and outlets. On Tuesday, some YouTube channels began complaining about their accounts being pulled entirely. That would have marked a sweeping policy change for YouTube, which typically only removes channels in extreme circumstances and focuses most disciplinary action on specific videos. But YouTube said it was a mistake.
"As we work to hire rapidly and ramp up our policy enforcement teams throughout 2018, newer members may misapply some of our policies resulting in mistaken removals," a YouTube spokeswoman wrote in an email. "We’re continuing to enforce our existing policies regarding harmful and dangerous content, they have not changed. We’ll reinstate any videos that were removed in error."
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The Google division said in December it would assign more than 10,000 people to moderate content after a year of scandals over fake and inappropriate content on the world’s largest video site.
In the wake of the Feb. 14 school shooting in Parkland, Florida, some YouTube moderators mistakenly removed several videos and some channels from right-wing, pro-gun video producers and outlets. On Tuesday, some YouTube channels began complaining about their accounts being pulled entirely. That would have marked a sweeping policy change for YouTube, which typically only removes channels in extreme circumstances and focuses most disciplinary action on specific videos. But YouTube said it was a mistake.
"As we work to hire rapidly and ramp up our policy enforcement teams throughout 2018, newer members may misapply some of our policies resulting in mistaken removals," a YouTube spokeswoman wrote in an email. "We’re continuing to enforce our existing policies regarding harmful and dangerous content, they have not changed. We’ll reinstate any videos that were removed in error."
More
WCSO Press Releases
Incident:
Stolen Vehicle
Date of Incident:
16 February 2018
Location:
Jersey Road, Salisbury, MD
Suspect:
Rami K. Hobbs, 40, Hurlock, MD
Narrative: On 16 February 2018 at 9:57 AM, a deputy was observing a vehicle being operated in a furtive manner on Jersey Road when the deputy queried the vehicle registration. After
discovering that the vehicle had been reported stolen from Georgetown, DE, the deputy stopped the vehicle and placed the operator, Rami Hobbs, under arrest. It was further discovered that Hobbs’ privilege to drive a vehicle had been suspended by the State
of Maryland.
Hobbs was transported to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. Following an initial appearance, the Commissioner released Hobbs on $2,500.00 unsecured bond.
Charges:
Motor Vehicle Theft and Driving While Suspended
Incident:
Violation of a Protective Order
Date of Incident:
22 February 2018
Location:
1000 block of Beaglin Park Drive, Salisbury, MD
Suspect:
Jeffrey Dixon, 41, Salisbury, MD
Narrative: On 22 February 2018 at 5:50 PM, a deputy responded to an address in the 1000 block of Beaglin Park Drive for the report of a subject there in defiance of a protective order.
Upon arrival, the deputy located Jeffrey Dixon inside the residence in violation of a protective order that barred him from the property.
The deputy placed Dixon under arrest and transported him to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. Following an initial appearance, the Commissioner released Dixon on Personal Recognizance.
Charges:
Violation of a Protective Order
Incident:
Burglary
Date of Incident:
22 February 2018
Location:
100 block of East Walnut Street, Salisbury, MD
Suspect:
Aaron Joel Matthews, No Fixed Address
Narrative: On 22 February 2018 at 11:10 PM, a deputy responded to the 100 block of East Walnut Street in Hebron for a reported burglary that had just occurred. Upon arrival, the deputy
met with the couple that resided there who advised they were on the second floor of their residence when they heard a commotion and banging at their front door. It was learned that a subject then made his way inside the residence by forcing open the front
door. The residents struggled against this subject and managed to force him onto the front porch when he fled upon learning the Sheriff’s Office was called.
During the subsequent investigation, the deputy learned that this subject was known to the victims, but were not an invited guest on this occasion. The subject, identified as Aaron Matthews, was soon located and taken into custody.
Matthews was transported to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. Following an initial appearance, the Commissioner detained Matthews in the Detention Center without bond.
Charges:
Burglary 3rd Degree, Assault 2nd Degree and Malicious Destruction of Property
Incident:
Disorderly Conduct
Date of Incident:
22 February 2018
Location:
400 block of North Main Street, Hebron, MD
Suspect:
Stephen J. Wilson, 26, Salisbury, MD
Narrative: On 22 February 2018 at 11:25 PM, a deputy was patrolling the town of Hebron when he encountered a visibly intoxicated subject later identified as Stephen Wilson. The deputy
detected a strong odor of an alcoholic beverage emanating from Wilson who was yelling at other individuals in town and causing a disturbance while waking in the middle of the street. After refusing several warnings about the disturbance along with requests
to calm down and go home, Wilson told the deputy “XXXX You” and told the deputy to shut his mouth.
The deputy determined that an arrest of Wilson was called for and took him into custody.
Wilson, who continued his uncooperative nature, which included banging on the holding cell door at the Sheriff’s Office, was subsequently transported to the Central Booking Unit where he was processed and taken in front of the District Court Commissioner. Following
an initial appearance, the Commissioner released Wilson on Personal Recognizance.
Charges:
Disorderly Conduct, Intoxicated Public Disturbance and Failure to Obey a Lawful Order
Arming Teachers Has a Lot of Merit
In the wake of the mass murder at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Florida, proposals have come in from all quarters regarding how to stop another such atrocity.
The response from the Left has been as expected — calls for banning many or all firearms in common use, stricter background checks, raising the legal age to purchase a firearm, boycotting the NRA, etc. Of course, it is hard to imagine how any of that would have stopped the perpetrator, a mentally unbalanced and homicidal young man.
After all, over the last two years, the killer had been disciplined in school 25 times, local police were summoned to his house 39 times, friends and neighbors had reported to police multiple times that he was collecting guns and had a desire to kill people, and the FBI had been warned twice about him — once after posting on social media that he wanted to become a “professional school shooter,” and once when a girl close to him warned that he was talking about killing people. In both instances the FBI failed to follow up. And that’s not to mention the failures of law enforcement at the scene.
To the shock and outrage of many on the Left, President Donald Trump proposed training and arming teachers and school staff. Their reaction was as immediate as it was predictable. Washington’s Democrat Governor Jay Inslee cried, “I have listened to the first-grade teachers that don’t want to be pistol-packing first-grade teachers. I’ve listened to law enforcement who have said they don’t want to have to train teachers. … Educators should educate and they should not be foisted upon this responsibility of packing heat in first-grade classes.”
Gun control advocates call the idea of arming teachers “crazy,” arguing, “We need fewer guns, not more guns.” A New York Times editorial pointed to an analysis of shooting accuracy by NYPD officers — which claims they put only one-third of their shots on target under stress — as to why teachers should not be armed. But if that is the argument, wonders columnist Dennis Prager, isn’t that also an argument for disarming police?
Prager also points to an LA Times editorial that asked, “If a pistol-strapping chemistry teacher had grabbed her .45 and unloaded on today’s gunman after he killed, what, one student? Three? Five? That would be good news?” But isn’t one or three or five dead better than 17 dead?
MSDHS Coach Aaron Feis died a hero, bullets ripping through his body while shielding students from the attacker. Yet many who call him a hero also do not think he should have been armed. How many fewer would have died had Feis been able to return fire?
More
The response from the Left has been as expected — calls for banning many or all firearms in common use, stricter background checks, raising the legal age to purchase a firearm, boycotting the NRA, etc. Of course, it is hard to imagine how any of that would have stopped the perpetrator, a mentally unbalanced and homicidal young man.
After all, over the last two years, the killer had been disciplined in school 25 times, local police were summoned to his house 39 times, friends and neighbors had reported to police multiple times that he was collecting guns and had a desire to kill people, and the FBI had been warned twice about him — once after posting on social media that he wanted to become a “professional school shooter,” and once when a girl close to him warned that he was talking about killing people. In both instances the FBI failed to follow up. And that’s not to mention the failures of law enforcement at the scene.
To the shock and outrage of many on the Left, President Donald Trump proposed training and arming teachers and school staff. Their reaction was as immediate as it was predictable. Washington’s Democrat Governor Jay Inslee cried, “I have listened to the first-grade teachers that don’t want to be pistol-packing first-grade teachers. I’ve listened to law enforcement who have said they don’t want to have to train teachers. … Educators should educate and they should not be foisted upon this responsibility of packing heat in first-grade classes.”
Gun control advocates call the idea of arming teachers “crazy,” arguing, “We need fewer guns, not more guns.” A New York Times editorial pointed to an analysis of shooting accuracy by NYPD officers — which claims they put only one-third of their shots on target under stress — as to why teachers should not be armed. But if that is the argument, wonders columnist Dennis Prager, isn’t that also an argument for disarming police?
Prager also points to an LA Times editorial that asked, “If a pistol-strapping chemistry teacher had grabbed her .45 and unloaded on today’s gunman after he killed, what, one student? Three? Five? That would be good news?” But isn’t one or three or five dead better than 17 dead?
MSDHS Coach Aaron Feis died a hero, bullets ripping through his body while shielding students from the attacker. Yet many who call him a hero also do not think he should have been armed. How many fewer would have died had Feis been able to return fire?
More
FEDEX Stands with NRA
FedEx released a statement Monday explaining that the company will maintain its relationship with the NRA and that it supports the “constitutional right of citizens to own firearms.”
The statement comes as more than a dozen other companies caved under the weight of an anti-NRA campaign launched after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.
Action News 5 published the FedEx statement, which said in part:
FedEx is a common carrier under Federal law and therefore does not and will not deny service or discriminate against any legal entity regardless of their policy positions or political views.
More
The statement comes as more than a dozen other companies caved under the weight of an anti-NRA campaign launched after the Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School shooting.
Action News 5 published the FedEx statement, which said in part:
FedEx is a common carrier under Federal law and therefore does not and will not deny service or discriminate against any legal entity regardless of their policy positions or political views.
More
$40,000 fine for small offense is cops’ new ‘weapon of mass destruction’
'Law enforcement could confiscate everything a person owns based on a minor crime'
Tyson Timbs knew he messed up when he was caught selling a couple of grams of drugs to an undercover cop, and he pleaded guilty, served a year of house arrest and paid $1,200.
He said he was on the way to turning his life around.
Then a private law firm notified him of an additional $40,000 fine for the same offense, through the confiscation of his truck, which would be used for the personal benefit of the lawyers and the cops in his Indiana town.
That would have been impossible had the fine been issued by the federal government, because the Excessive Fines Clause of the Eighth Amendment prohibits such actions. But some cities and towns aren’t convinced they should follow that constitutional principle.
So the case has been appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court where the justices are being asked to decide whether it’s allowable under the Constitution for municipalities’ cops and hired lawyers to impose crushing fines, then benefit personally.
“This case is about more than just a truck,” said Wesley Hottot of the Institute for Justice, which is working on the case.
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Tyson Timbs knew he messed up when he was caught selling a couple of grams of drugs to an undercover cop, and he pleaded guilty, served a year of house arrest and paid $1,200.
He said he was on the way to turning his life around.
Then a private law firm notified him of an additional $40,000 fine for the same offense, through the confiscation of his truck, which would be used for the personal benefit of the lawyers and the cops in his Indiana town.
That would have been impossible had the fine been issued by the federal government, because the Excessive Fines Clause of the Eighth Amendment prohibits such actions. But some cities and towns aren’t convinced they should follow that constitutional principle.
So the case has been appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court where the justices are being asked to decide whether it’s allowable under the Constitution for municipalities’ cops and hired lawyers to impose crushing fines, then benefit personally.
“This case is about more than just a truck,” said Wesley Hottot of the Institute for Justice, which is working on the case.
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Open Letter to the White House
Recently a judge removed any blocks that were in the way of building a security wall along the southern border of the United States. Now I'm not going to spend time debating on if it's right or wrong to have a security wall on that border. I'm sure all your readers will have plenty to say about that. What I have in mind is a method to help pay for the construction and ongoing maintenance of the wall.
I believe that if we check back in our history during World War II, our government sold "War Bonds" to supplement the governments spending on the war effort. This program not only provided supplemental funding for the war efforts but also as important it was a program that brought Americans together. This is something missing in America today.
Well since the President has declared "War on Drugs", especially opioids, as the number one threat to America then the "Wall" is just one of many tools needed to win this war.The funding for this tool would be the selling of "Government Wall Bonds". These funds would be solely for the construction and maintenance of "The Wall".
These funds would definitely not go into any General Funds. History has proven that government simply can not keep their fingers out of these types of funding revenue. Just look at the Maryland Pension Funds, or Social Security or how about the lottery and gambling money that was suppose to go towards education. I don't even want to get into these any deeper but I'm sure you know what I mean.
The Wall Bond Program would mirror the WW II Liberty Bond Program. There would be different levels of bonds so that everyone can participate in the program. I'm sure if these bonds gave a much better return than Treasury Bonds then everyone can participate in helping our country and their futures. Heck, if the returns could be enticing enough I bet even Mexico would want to invest in them since drugs are Mexico's biggest problem also.
Well that's it for now. If this article gets passed along to others perhaps it will land in the right place.Yes, I have sent an e-mail to the President but you know as well as I do that some page or assistant could just toss it. Now it's time for you readers to jump in with your thoughts. Names are always great on comments but I realize there are those critics out there who complain about everything and are afraid to put their name to it.
Well that's it for now. If this article gets passed along to others perhaps it will land in the right place.Yes, I have sent an e-mail to the President but you know as well as I do that some page or assistant could just toss it. Now it's time for you readers to jump in with your thoughts. Names are always great on comments but I realize there are those critics out there who complain about everything and are afraid to put their name to it.
John Palmer,
Delmar, Md.
Analysis: Amazon Paid ZERO Tax, Got $789 Million Windfall
Amazon reported $5.6 billion in U.S. profits in 2017, but didn’t pay any federal income taxes because of various credits and breaks for executive stock options, according to an analysis by the left-leaning Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy.
“The online retail giant has built its business model on tax avoidance, and its latest financial filing makes it clear that Amazon continues to be insulated from the nation’s tax system,” Matthew Gardner, a senior fellow at ITEP, said in a blog post.
President Trump also has singled out Amazon for criticism, blaming the e-commerce giant in a tweet for “doing great damage to tax-paying retailers” and killing jobs in cities, USA Today reported in August. Trump’s attacks on Amazon are politically motivated because the company’s founder Jeff Bezos also owns The Washington Post, whose editorial page has been especially critical of the president.
But in another twist, Trump’s tax reform will help Amazon receive an additional tax credit..
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“The online retail giant has built its business model on tax avoidance, and its latest financial filing makes it clear that Amazon continues to be insulated from the nation’s tax system,” Matthew Gardner, a senior fellow at ITEP, said in a blog post.
President Trump also has singled out Amazon for criticism, blaming the e-commerce giant in a tweet for “doing great damage to tax-paying retailers” and killing jobs in cities, USA Today reported in August. Trump’s attacks on Amazon are politically motivated because the company’s founder Jeff Bezos also owns The Washington Post, whose editorial page has been especially critical of the president.
But in another twist, Trump’s tax reform will help Amazon receive an additional tax credit..
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FBI and Sheriff Either Failed Miserably Before Parkland Shooting… Or Much Worse
We’re supposed to trust the government to keep us safe. But the two main law enforcement units that should have protected students against the Parkland shooter failed miserably.
The shooter was handed to the Broward County Sheriff’s office and the FBI on a silver platter multiple times. There were tips that specifically mentioned school shootings. There were threats made by the shooter, which again, specifically mentioned school shootings.
There were calls about violence, including the shooter putting guns to people’s heads. Deputies visited many times after concerned friends, family, and strangers called. The suspect once called the police on himself!
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The shooter was handed to the Broward County Sheriff’s office and the FBI on a silver platter multiple times. There were tips that specifically mentioned school shootings. There were threats made by the shooter, which again, specifically mentioned school shootings.
There were calls about violence, including the shooter putting guns to people’s heads. Deputies visited many times after concerned friends, family, and strangers called. The suspect once called the police on himself!
More
Milwaukee 'carjacker' shot dead by man with concealed gun
A 21-year-old carjacking suspect was shot dead in Milwaukee early Monday when police say his intended victim put to use his concealed gun.
Police Capt. Andra Williams says the 24-year-old man was heading to work shortly before 6am when Carlos Martin allegedly tried to rob him near Milwaukee MachineTool Corporation in the 8800 block of West Fond du Lac Avenue.
The motorist thwarted the carjacking by shooting the 21-year-old suspect with his handgun, for which he has a valid concealed carry permit, according to the authorities.
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Police Capt. Andra Williams says the 24-year-old man was heading to work shortly before 6am when Carlos Martin allegedly tried to rob him near Milwaukee MachineTool Corporation in the 8800 block of West Fond du Lac Avenue.
The motorist thwarted the carjacking by shooting the 21-year-old suspect with his handgun, for which he has a valid concealed carry permit, according to the authorities.
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Charlottesville judge orders the tarps off Confederate statues
Local news outlets report Charlottesville Circuit Court Judge Richard Moore gave the city 15 days from the time an official order is signed to remove the tarps.
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Skipping school to denounce a Constitution they know nothing about is becoming the Millennials’ singular contribution to civilization.
The news has been reporting on the willingness of several schools to allow high school students toengage in a walk-out protest over the continuation of the Second Amendment in this country. Many in the media are lauding this approach to civic behavior. Although, I am wondering if the county will have enough truancy officers after all of these students have to be arrested for skipping school. More importantly, given how ignorant they sound, these students should be required to remain in school andlearn something about the Constitution. (Okay, in many schools learning the Constitution is not an option these days, but you get what I’m saying!)
The kids seeking to skip school to protest America’s Second Amendment are not allotted the same rights as you and I. They are minors, for the most part. So, while they are certainly free to speak their minds, they are not free to deploy their First Amendment free speech rights as a defense against skipping school without an acceptable excuse. All children in the United States are legally required to attend school of some kind. If not, the state is compelled to intervene and ensure that each child is getting some kind of daily education.
Fact is, these kids are not all right — and it has nothing to do with post-traumatic stress disorder, or even fear of becoming the next target of a school shooter. They have been propagandized into believing a particularly pernicious lie about how terrible the United States is. This lie has been perpetuated for years by their teachers, Pop Culture, and certain political leaders they’ve been told to look up to. We are witnessing the results of this immense Leftist mission to corrupt our children’s minds. And it seems to be working well for the Left. Our children are being taken from us.
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The kids seeking to skip school to protest America’s Second Amendment are not allotted the same rights as you and I. They are minors, for the most part. So, while they are certainly free to speak their minds, they are not free to deploy their First Amendment free speech rights as a defense against skipping school without an acceptable excuse. All children in the United States are legally required to attend school of some kind. If not, the state is compelled to intervene and ensure that each child is getting some kind of daily education.
Fact is, these kids are not all right — and it has nothing to do with post-traumatic stress disorder, or even fear of becoming the next target of a school shooter. They have been propagandized into believing a particularly pernicious lie about how terrible the United States is. This lie has been perpetuated for years by their teachers, Pop Culture, and certain political leaders they’ve been told to look up to. We are witnessing the results of this immense Leftist mission to corrupt our children’s minds. And it seems to be working well for the Left. Our children are being taken from us.
More
Goldilocks Is Dead
It appears every president finds the religion of false economic narrative once they ascend to power. Trump never stops babbling and tweeting about the fantastic economy and raging jobs market since his election. He has embraced the stock market bubble as proof of his brilliant leadership, rather than the tens of trillions in debt propping up the most overvalued market in world history. Every president takes credit for any good news, spins bad news as good news, or blames the previous president for bad news that can’t be denied. The president has absolutely zero impact on the economy or stock market over the short term. It’s like taking credit for the sun rising in the east each morning.
The Big Lie method works wonders when you have a willfully ignorant, mathematically challenged, easily manipulated populace. I spent the entire Obama presidency obliterating the fake economic data perpetuated by his BLS, BEA and every other government agency trying to paint a rosy economic picture. I voted for Trump because the thought of Crooked Hillary as the president made me ill. Despite disagreeing with many of his economic, budgetary, and military policies during his first year in office, I’d vote for him again over Hillary in an instant. The thought of having that evil shrew running the country gives me chills.
But that doesn’t mean I will stand idly by, cheerlead and ignore the facts to provide cover for Trump. I despise false narratives, whether they are spun by Democrats or Republicans. The Deep State still runs the show on a day to day basis, and it is in their best interest to mislead the public, keep them sedated, unaware of how bad things have become, and oblivious to the coming debt shitstorm destined to destroy this country. Every remedy prescribed by the Deep State players within the government, Federal Reserve, and Wall Street since 2008 not only did not cure the disease infecting this country, but exacerbated the disease and insured the inevitability of our demise.
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The Big Lie method works wonders when you have a willfully ignorant, mathematically challenged, easily manipulated populace. I spent the entire Obama presidency obliterating the fake economic data perpetuated by his BLS, BEA and every other government agency trying to paint a rosy economic picture. I voted for Trump because the thought of Crooked Hillary as the president made me ill. Despite disagreeing with many of his economic, budgetary, and military policies during his first year in office, I’d vote for him again over Hillary in an instant. The thought of having that evil shrew running the country gives me chills.
But that doesn’t mean I will stand idly by, cheerlead and ignore the facts to provide cover for Trump. I despise false narratives, whether they are spun by Democrats or Republicans. The Deep State still runs the show on a day to day basis, and it is in their best interest to mislead the public, keep them sedated, unaware of how bad things have become, and oblivious to the coming debt shitstorm destined to destroy this country. Every remedy prescribed by the Deep State players within the government, Federal Reserve, and Wall Street since 2008 not only did not cure the disease infecting this country, but exacerbated the disease and insured the inevitability of our demise.
More
Man gets 40-year sentence for dismembering girlfriend
A man has been sentenced to 40 years in prison for dismembering his girlfriend with a chain saw and dumping her body parts in bags and boxes behind a Target store in Alabama.
William Lewis Payton, 44, of Huntsville, Alabama, was convicted of corpse abuse after charges for the murder of Tonya Lynn Amerson, 27, were dropped for lack of evidence.
Amerson's dismembered body was found behind a Target store at Huntsville's Valley Bend Shopping Center in October 2015.
Amerson was Payton's girlfriend and the mother of two of his eight children, AL.com reported.
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William Lewis Payton, 44, of Huntsville, Alabama, was convicted of corpse abuse after charges for the murder of Tonya Lynn Amerson, 27, were dropped for lack of evidence.
Amerson's dismembered body was found behind a Target store at Huntsville's Valley Bend Shopping Center in October 2015.
Amerson was Payton's girlfriend and the mother of two of his eight children, AL.com reported.
More
Diabetes could be triggered by virus, scientists warn
Viruses may trigger both type 1 and type 2 diabetes because they contain proteins that mimic insulin, a surprise discovery suggests.
People suffering from both forms of diabetes have shortages of the sugar-metabolizing hormone insulin, but the underlying causes of the disease are largely unknown.
Researchers at Harvard University found that four kinds of viruses produce proteins that mimic insulin, which could lead to diabetes in humans exposed to the microorganisms.
It is not yet clear if humans can get the particular viruses the researchers studied, but the discovery indicates that viruses and other microbes could play a key role in causing diabetes and even other diseases, the researchers say.
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People suffering from both forms of diabetes have shortages of the sugar-metabolizing hormone insulin, but the underlying causes of the disease are largely unknown.
Researchers at Harvard University found that four kinds of viruses produce proteins that mimic insulin, which could lead to diabetes in humans exposed to the microorganisms.
It is not yet clear if humans can get the particular viruses the researchers studied, but the discovery indicates that viruses and other microbes could play a key role in causing diabetes and even other diseases, the researchers say.
More
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