Cartels Make $500 Million Annually Smuggling Illegals Into America

Aliens pay an average of $8,000 to be smuggled in

Smuggling cartels are making at least $500 million a year bringing migrants into the U.S., Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen told Congress on Tuesday, outlining the scope of the problem for lawmakers as illegal border crossings continue to surge.

Ms. Nielsen took a firm stand on the causes of the surge, saying economies in El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala are growing and homicide rates are falling, suggesting the push factors back home should be easing. Instead, she said, the booming U.S. economy and lax American laws are enticing the flow northward.

That contradicts the narrative offered by immigrant rights activists, who have said violence in Central America has spawned the wave of illegal immigrants over the past few months, erasing gains made during President Trump’s early weeks in office and sending the rates of illegal immigration back up to the levels seen under President Obama.

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The List: Meet the 'Never Trump' Republicans Trying to Force a DACA Amnesty for Illegal Aliens

Republican lawmakers from the failed “Never Trump” movement are spearheading the effort to force a vote in the House to give amnesty to millions of illegal aliens.

Thus far, a group of more than 15 Republicans has signed onto what is known as a “discharge petition” to force a vote to bring an expansive amnesty plan for illegal aliens enrolled and eligible on the President Obama-created Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program to the House floor.

The group is largely made up of Republican lawmakers who were key figures in the effort to oppose President Trump and his “America First” agenda during the 2016 presidential election.

Rep. Carlos Curbelo (R-FL) is the leader of the discharge petition. Curbelo, in Oct. 2016, announced that he would not be supporting Trump during the presidential election. “I’m not supporting any of the two major candidates,” Curbelo told McClatchy at the time. “I’m as disappointed with this election as most Americans are.”

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OxyContin Maker 'Destroyed Lives for Financial Gain,' Says Texas AG

Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton announced Tuesday his office is suing Purdue Pharma, maker of the opioid OxyContin, for violating the Texas Deceptive Trade Practices Act.

The civil action, filed in Travis County, alleged that the Connecticut-based pharmaceutical giant sold the “highly addictive” opioids through “aggressive and deceptive marketing efforts” by misleading doctors and consumers into believing these narcotics had a low risk of addiction and that they successfully treated long term pain.

“Purdue used false and deceptive practices to promote these products through a sophisticated marketing scheme aimed at consumers and healthcare providers alike,” stated Paxton during Tuesday’s press conference. “In the face of abundant evidence showing that the drug was dangerous and that long-term use could lead to addiction, Purdue saw fit to exchange destroyed lives for financial gain.”

According to the lawsuit, Purdue “realized over $35 billion in sales from OxyContin since it began marketing the drug in 1996.” It pointed out that, in 2015, Purdue’s owners, the Sackler family, landed on Forbes’ “Richest U.S. Families” list. Meanwhile, the petition alleged that from 1999 to 2015, Texas experienced a 3.5-fold increase in the state’s number of opioid related deaths.

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Trump Slams Obama FBI 'Spying' Report As "Bigger Than Watergate"

President Trump came out swinging this morning with his Twitter-game, first lashing out at the start of the second year of special counsel Mueller's "greatest witch hunt in American history" and then blasting reports of FBI spying on his campaign as "bigger than Watergate."

Following Wednesday's Senate Intelligence Committee announcement that it concurred with the intelligence community's 2017 assessment that Russia sought to sow discord during the election with the intent of harming Democrat Hillary Clinton and aiding Trump, but there was no collusion...The president in an early morning tweet again referred to the investigation as a "witch hunt."

"Congratulations America, we are now into the second year of the greatest Witch Hunt in American History...

and there is still No Collusion and No Obstruction. The only Collusion was that done by Democrats who were unable to win an Election despite the spending of far more money!" Trump tweeted.

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Schweizer: Media and GOP Refuse to Investigate McConnell and Chao Family Ties to China

Breitbart News Senior Editor-at-Large Peter Schweizer, author of Secret Empires: How the American Political Class Hides Corruption and Enriches Family and Friends, joined SiriusXM hosts Rebecca Mansour and Joel Pollak on Wednesday’sBreitbart News Tonight to discuss the nomination of Gordon Hartogensis, brother-in-law to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, to lead the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation.

“The McConnell-Chao family, they have a large extended family. In fact, Elaine Chao has five sisters. Those sisters are, like Elaine, very smart and very well-educated. Grace Chao, her younger sister, her husband has been nominated to serve as the head of the pension guarantees fund corporation that the federal government runs,” Schweizer explained.

“This is basically a government entity that is supposed to serve as a quasi-insurance for a corporate pension,” he continued. “If you have a corporation that has a pension fund set up for employees, and they have a bad couple of years, and they have to declare bankruptcy, the pension is protected by the federal government. That’s the theory behind it.”

“Grace Chao’s husband has been nominated for this position,” he said. “The nomination came out. There was very little on his background. It was not made clear the fact that he is related to Mitch McConnell and Elaine Chao.”

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NANCY? Pelosi gibberish, bizarre laughing; stares off during brain freeze

What’s wrong with Nancy Pelosi?

During her weekly press conference, the House Minority Leader — whom some speculate will be the next Speaker of the House if Democrats recapture the majority this November — was seen uttering gibberish, bizarrely laughing and staring off mid-sentence before re-engaging the press during the appearance.

Pelosi accused U.S. farmers of “self-inflicted damage,” resulting from proposed tariffs by the Trump administration, before having to fix the statement she read from her notes.

“Farmers are struggling with plummeting prices, great economic uncertainty, and self-inflicted damage of the Trump tariffs. I say self, self— for our country,” she said.

Then she had trouble even getting the words out of her mouth.

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Mauldin: A Liquidity Crisis Of Biblical Proportions Is Upon Us

Last week, I mentioned an insightful comment my friend Peter Boockvar—CIO of Bleakley Advisory Group—made at dinner in New York:“We now have credit cycles instead of economic cycles.”

That one sentence provoked numerous phone calls and emails, all seeking elaboration. What did Peter mean by that statement?

In an old-style economic cycle, recessions triggered bear markets. Economic contraction slowed consumer spending, corporate earnings fell, and stock prices dropped. That’s not how it works when the credit cycle is in control.

Lower asset prices aren’t the result of a recession. They cause the recession. That’s because access to credit drives consumer spending and business investment.

Take it away and they decline. Recession follows.
The Illusion of Liquidity

Corporate debt is now at a level that has not ended well in past cycles. Here’s a chart from Dave Rosenberg:

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Four socialist-backed candidates win Pennsylvania legislative primaries

Four Democratic candidates backed by the Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) won primary elections for legislative seats in Pennsylvania on Tuesday.

In the Pittsburgh area, Summer Lee and Sara Innamorato, Democrats who are both members of the DSA, won primaries for state House Districts 34 and 21.

Lee and Innamorato defeated state Reps. Paul Costa and Dom Costa, both Democrats. They do not have Republican opponents in the general election.

Costa congratulated Lee on her victory, telling the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that her campaign had done a better job getting people out to vote."

"They energized a lot of people, and they showed up at the polls,” he told the outlet.

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What Women Bring to Corrections

Contrary to what some people think, their presence enhances security and operations.

"You don't need a bunch of ladies guarding men." Those words, uttered by Louisiana state Rep. Kenny Havard at a recent hearing at the state Capitol, stung me, and I am sure thousands of other women corrections professionals reacted the same way. However, and more importantly, it reminded me that in spite of the progress women have made in corrections, we still have work to do. The irony was not lost on me that such a statement was made in March, during National Women's History month.

As the executive deputy secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections and president of the national Association of Women Executives in Corrections (AWEC), I am shocked by the commenter's inaccurate perception of women in the corrections field. AWEC and most of our male counterparts, who are true professionals, recognize, value and appreciate what women bring to the table. We firmly believe that the presence of women enhances the safety, operations, communication and security within corrections' organizational culture and that the field is strengthened by women and men working together within the professional norms of our society and culture.

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Giuliani: Mueller's Team Told Trump's Lawyers They Can't Indict Trump

(CNN) — Special counsel Robert Mueller’s team has informed President Donald Trump’s attorneys that they have concluded that they cannot indict a sitting president, according to the President’s lawyer.

“All they get to do is write a report,” Trump lawyer Rudy Giuliani told CNN. “They can’t indict. At least they acknowledged that to us after some battling, they acknowledged that to us.”

That conclusion is likely based on longstanding Justice Department guidelines. It is not about any assessment of the evidence Mueller’s team has compiled.

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Breaking News: A "born to kill" T-shirt and a journal planning an attack: Here's what we know about the Texas shooting suspect, Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 17

“Born to kill” was the disturbing message on a T-shirt that appeared in a Facebook post by Dimitrios Pagourtzis, 17, whom authorities identified Friday as the suspect in an attack on Santa Fe High School in Texas.

At least 10 people are dead. Mr. Pagourtzis, a student at the school, was in police custody.

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Breaking News: A plane said to be carrying 105 people crashed after takeoff from an airport in Havana. Only three survived, Cuban state media reported.

A Cuban commercial airliner with more than 100 people aboard crashed shortly after takeoff on Friday from Havana’s Jose Martí International Airport, Cuba’s official media reported.

Only three people survived, according to state television.

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Snowbirds To Fly Over Ocean City Next Week

OCEAN CITY — Air Show enthusiasts will be treated to an early matinee this year with the arrival of the Canadian Air Force Snowbirds Jet Demonstration Team scheduled for next Wednesday.

The always-popular Ocean City Air Show is et for June 16-18 this year, but the skies over the resort will be graced with a rare jet demonstration team performance three weeks earlier with the arrival of the Canadian Air Force Snowbirds. The Snowbirds are the Canadian equivalent of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels and the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds.

The opportunity to host the Canadian Air Force (CAF) Snowbirds came about earlier this spring when the traveling demonstration team had a gap in their current tour in the U.S. The Snowbirds have an engagement in South Carolina this weekend and another planned in New York over Memorial Day weekend and were looking to fill a gap in their schedule.

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Closed For Three Years, Course To Reopen Offering Jeep, Foot Golf

BERLIN – A local golf course will be putting a new twist on the game when it reopens this month.

On Memorial Day, Deer Run Jeep Golf is expected to open on Logtown Road. The facility, which was a popular golf course for nearly 20 years before it closed in 2015, is being reworked to offer jeep golf, foot golf and pitch and putt.

“It’s something different,” said Ed Colbert, owner of Deer Run.

According to Colbert, he closed the golf course in 2015 when his wife was ill. His daughter and son-in-law recently approached him with a unique concept, that of jeep golf.


“They’re jeep enthusiasts,” Colbert said. “They came up with the idea of using jeeps as golf carts.”

Deer Run will offer a nine-hole jeep course, where patrons will use their jeeps to travel the golf cart path between holes. The facility will also offer an area for footgolf, a game in which players kick a soccer ball into a cup in as few shots as possible.

“It’s all over the place and growing like crazy,” Colbert said.

The third game offered at Deer Run will be pitch and putt, a type of golf.

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DOJ inspector general completes long-awaited review of Hillary Clinton probe

The completion of a long-awaited watchdog report on the FBI and DOJ’s Hillary Clinton investigation during the 2016 presidential campaign has put Washington on edge, as the clock counts down to its potentially explosive release.

“We’re all anxiously awaiting this report,” Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, told Fox News’ “Hannity.”

Justice Department Inspector General Michael Horowitz announced the draft report was done in a letter to members of Congress on Wednesday. He did not say when the results of the review will be officially released to the FBI, DOJ and congressional committees.

But the inspector general said he has provided a draft report to the Department and the FBI, and requested that they review it to identify any information that should be protected from disclosure.

“Additionally, consistent with our usual process, we have asked the Department and FBI to provide us with any comments they wish us to consider regarding the report’s accuracy and completeness,” Horowitz wrote in his letter to lawmakers.

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http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/05/17/doj-inspector-general-completes-long-awaited-review-hillary-clinton-probe.html

BOMBSHELL: FBI Used Secret Program To Gather Information On Trump Campaign, No Judge Needed, Report Says

A report released by The New York Times on Wednesday revealed that the FBI, under Director James Comey's leadership, used a secret program that does not require the approval of a judge to gather phone records and "other documents" on Donald Trump's presidential campaign.

The report also revealed that a government informant met several times with Trump campaign officials, which validates a March 8, 2018 report from The Washington Post. The New York Times reports:

The F.B.I. obtained phone records and other documents using national security letters — a secret type of subpoena — officials said. And at least one government informant met several times with Mr. Page and Mr. Papadopoulos, current and former officials said. That has become a politically contentious point, with Mr. Trump’s allies questioning whether the F.B.I. was spying on the Trump campaign or trying to entrap campaign officials.

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Migrant Calls Host Racist, Says “Women Should Be Slaughtered If They Don’t Shut Up”

A migrant exploded with rage after being told dinner was over as reported by Sweden’s Fria Tider.

Two supervisors of the state-approved housing unit explained to the migrant he returned too late and missed the evening's dinner.

The Afghan migrant became livid and channeled his rage at the female worker.

“He said he would fuck her and her whole family as well as kill her,” said a witness. He also said she was “racist.”

During his outburst, he invoked how his father would handle his plight.

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Inspector General Report On Clinton Email Probe About To Drop, Now In Final Review

A long-awaited report by the Department of Justice's internal watchdog has moved into its final phase - after the DOJ notified multiple subjects mentioned in the document that they can privately review it by week's end, and will have a "few days" to craft any response to criticism contained within the report, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Those invited to review the report were told they would have to sign nondisclosure agreements in order to read it, people familiar with the matter said. They are expected to have a few days to craft a response to any criticism in the report, which will then be incorporated in the final version to be released in coming weeks. -WSJ

Inspector General Michael Horowitz told lawmakers in April that he expected to issue the report in May, however Tuesday's notification indicates that he has largely completed his inquiry.

Congressional investigators will get their hands on the report in coming weeks.

A related report was released in April detailing the DOJ's case against former FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe, who was found to have lied four times to the DOJ and FBI, including twice while under oath.

McCabe, who was fired a day before he was set to collect his full pension, authorized a self-serving leak to the Wall St. Journal claiming that the FBI had not put the brakes on the Clinton Foundation investigation, during a period in which he was coming under fire over a $467,500 campaign donation his wife Jill took from Clinton pal Terry McAuliffe.

To be clear, this report will have nothing to do with the FBI's alleged FISA abuse, high-level collusion against the Trump campaign, or the genesis of the counterintelligence investigation against then-candidate Donald Trump. The OIG will be covering those issues as part of aseparate investigation announced in late March.

The report on the Clinton email investigation will, however, cover the conduct of FBI "lovebirds" Peter Strzok and Lisa Page. Strzok notably spearheaded the Clinton email investigation before also handling the early Trump-Russia investigation.

Horowitz's report will undoubtedly also cover significant edits made by the FBI's top brass to Hillary Clinton's exoneration statement - effectively decriminalizing her mishandling of classified information so that she wouldn't be prosecuted by the DOJ.

Who is Michael Horowitz?

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House Farm Bill Could Get at Least 1.6 Million Off Food Stamps

The 2018 Farm Bill, scheduled for a vote on the House floor this week, could get at least 1.6 million people off of food stamps.

The farm bill, also known as House Resolution 2, would require able-bodied adults ages 18-59 to work a minimum of 20 hours a week to receive benefits through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) — the federal government program that provides food stamps.

At least 1.6 million Americans will get off SNAP if the provisions in the bill pass, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO).

The CBO estimates that at least 1.2 million Americans will discontinue participating in SNAP due to the work requirements.

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U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Gangs Update

Los Angeles-area police officer arrested on federal charges of lying to federal agents investigating his ties to organized crime

LOS ANGELES – Agents and officers associated with a multi-agency organized crime task force this afternoon arrested a Glendale (Calif.) Police officer on federal charges of making false statements during interviews with investigators who were probing his connections to the Mexican Mafia and Armenian organized crime.

Detective John Saro Balian, 45, of Seal Beach, Calif., was taken into custody without incident at his residence. Balian, who is charged in a criminal complaint with making false statements to investigators during an interview last year, is expected to make his initial appearance Wednesday afternoon in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.

The case against Balian is the result of an ongoing investigation by the Eurasian Organized Crime Task Force, which is made up of special agents with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Inspector General, as well as officers with the Los Angeles Police Department, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the Glendale Police Department, the Burbank Police Department and the California Department of Health Care Services.

According to the complaint, which was filed Monday and unsealed after his arrest, Balian was interviewed by several law enforcement agencies over a six-month period in 2017 and repeatedly made false statements and misrepresentations about his links to criminal figures.

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ICE arrests 78 criminal aliens and immigration violators in enforcement surge in 5 Midwest states

MINNEAPOLIS — Federal officers with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) arrested 78 criminal aliens and immigration violators in five Midwest states during a six-day enforcement action, which ended Friday.

During this operation, ERO deportation officers made arrests in the following states: Iowa (25), Nebraska (25), Minnesota (15), South Dakota (10) and North Dakota (3). Of the 78 arrested, 62 had criminal convictions. Seventy-two men and six women were arrested; they range in age from 20 to 64 years old.

Aliens arrested during this operation are from the following nine countries: Mexico (35), El Salvador (15), Guatemala (11), Honduras (10), Ethiopia (2), South Sudan (2), Kenya (1), Ivory Coast (1) and Sudan (1).

Most of the aliens arrested by ERO deportation officers during this operation had prior criminal histories that included convictions for the following crimes: assault, arson, rape, sex assault on a child, solicitation of a child, domestic assault against a child, prostitution-hiring a child age 13-16, felony theft, felony forgery, prostitution, manufacturing false documents, identity theft, hit and run, distributing a controlled substance, driving while intoxicated (DUI), drug possession, indecent exposure, domestic assault, illegal sale of a weapon, criminal impersonation, possessing drugs with intent to sell, burglary, malicious prosecution, illegal re-entry after deportation and witness intimidation.

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Edgewood gunman shoots used car salesman during shooting rampage

Harrowing footage shows the moment a gunman shot an acquaintance during a rampage across two states that left three dead.

The shocking surveillance video shows Radee Prince walking into an office at a used car lot in Wilmington, Delaware, and wounding owner Rashan 'Jason' Baul last October.

Wearing a black hat and a black jacket, Prince is seen heading to the back door of the main room before gunshots ring out.

Another person, who was with Baul at the time, then tries to barricade the door as Prince tries to get in.

On Tuesday, Prince was convicted of attempted manslaughter in the shooting and faces between eight and 89 years behind bars.

He will now face trial for allegedly shooting five co-workers at Advanced Granite Solutions in Edgewood, Maryland, on the same day, just a few hours earlier.

WARNING: Graphic content

Schools are closing early in Somerset County

Due to current weather conditions and concerns about flooding on back roads, Somerset County Public Schools will be closing early today Friday, May 18th. The secondary schools Will be dismissing at 1:15, and the elementary schools will be dismissing at 2:15. Please be safe.

An unsettling vision of Silicon Valley social engineering

Google has built a multi-billion-dollar business out of knowing everything about its users. Now, a video produced within Google and obtained by The Verge offers a stunningly ambitious and unsettling look at how some at the company envision using that information in the future.

The video was made in late 2016 by Nick Foster, the head of design at X (formerly Google X), and a co-founder of the Near Future Laboratory. The video, shared internally within Google, imagines a future of total data collection, where Google helps nudge users into alignment with their goals, custom-prints personalized devices to collect more data, and even guides the behavior of entire populations to solve global problems like poverty and disease.

When reached for comment on the video, an X spokesperson provided the following statement to The Verge:

“We understand if this is disturbing -- it is designed to be. This is a thought-experiment by the Design team from years ago that uses a technique known as ‘speculative design’ to explore uncomfortable ideas and concepts in order to provoke discussion and debate. It’s not related to any current or future products.”

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UPDATE: We Now Have Three Bands Playing Tonight At OC Billiards @ Trader Lee's

We have THREE bands tonight starting at 7 pm. Virginia Creek, Future Thrills and the Hooplas. We also have FREE POOL tonight. Get out of the rain and come have a blast!

Enough! White House says US choking on 10.7 million legal immigrants

In a stiff pushback against claims the administration’s immigration policies are inhumane, the White House today said that the nation is choking on the 10.7 million legal immigrants and refugees allowed in over the past 10 years that are in addition to the 11.3 million illegals here.

“Our expansive humanitarian-based, family-based, and lottery-based immigration system fails to consider the needs of American workers and taxpayers, who have been burdened by decades of low-skilled immigration that has suppressed wages, fueled unemployment, and strained federal resources,” said the White House.

It cited reports that many come here and end up on taxpayer funded welfare.

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Orioles OF Adam Jones Buys Ripken’s $12.5M Estate

BALTIMORE (WJZ)– Legendary Baltimore Oriole Cal Ripken Jr. sold his 25-acre estate to a fellow Oriole: Adam Jones.

The Athletic reports that Jones, 32, bought Ripken’s home – valued at $12.5 million – for a fraction of the price at an auction Saturday.

Jones is in the final year of his six-year, $85.5 million contract, but the purchase doesn’t guarantee that the outfielder will be back in black and orange next season, according to Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic.

Jones, reportedly, is active in real estate and buys and sells homes in other cities too.

Jones currently has 7 home runs on the season and is batting .259.

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Publishers Notes: WHY do they refuse to say how much the property was sold for?

Spinning a 'Crossfire Hurricane': The Times on the FBI’s Trump Investigation

If you’re a fading Baby Boomer, you’re faintly amused that the FBI code-named its Trump-Russia investigation “Crossfire Hurricane.” It’s an homage to the Rolling Stones golden oldie “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” — which, come to think of it, might just be a perfect handle for John Brennan, the former Obama CIA director whose specter hovers over each critical juncture of the case.

The young’uns may not believe it, but back before it was known as “classic rock,” you couldn’t just play your crossfire hurricane on Spotify. You had to spin it. Fittingly, that is exactly what the New York Times has done in Wednesday’s blockbuster report on the origins of the Trump-Russia probe.

The quick take on the 4,100-word opus is that the Gray Lady “buried the lede.” Fair enough: You have to dig pretty deep to find that the FBI ran “at least one government informant” against the Trump campaign — and to note that the Times learned this because “current and former officials” leaked to reporters the same classified information about which, just days ago, the Justice Department shrieked “Extortion!” when Congress asked about it.

But that’s not even the most important of the buried ledes. What the Times story makes explicit, with studious understatement, is that the Obama administration used its counterintelligence powers to investigate the opposition party’s presidential campaign.

That is, there was no criminal predicate to justify an investigation of any Trump-campaign official. So, the FBI did not open a criminal investigation. Instead, the bureau opened a counterintelligence investigation and hoped that evidence of crimes committed by Trump officials would emerge. But it is an abuse of power to use counterintelligence powers, including spying and electronic surveillance, to conduct what is actually a criminal investigation.

More here

WCSO Press Release

Incident: Possession of CDS
Date of Incident: 16 May 2018
Location: West Rd and Isabella St, Salisbury.
Suspect: Brittingham, Jake O. 51 of Salisbury

On 5-16-18, a Deputy was patrolling Salisbury’s West Side when he witnessed a traffic violation and conducted a traffic stop. A Sheriff’s K9 Unit arrived to assist with the stop. The CDS detection K9 alerted to the odor of CDS coming from the vehicle. The Deputy searched the car and located a small amount of suspected crack cocaine in the car. Jake Brittingham was arrested and was transported to Central Booking. Brittingham was later released on his personal recognizance by the District Court Commissioner.
Charges: CDS Possession, Crack Cocaine

IG Horowitz Finds FBI, DOJ Broke Law In Clinton Probe, Refers To Prosecutor For Criminal Charges

As we reported earlier Thursday, a long-awaited report by the Department of Justice's internal watchdog into the Hillary Clinton email investigation has moved into its final phase, as the DOJ notified multiple subjects mentioned in the document that they can privately review it by week's end, and will have a "few days" to craft any response to criticism contained within the report, according to the Wall Street Journal.

Those invited to review the report were told they would have to sign nondisclosure agreements in order to read it, people familiar with the matter said. They are expected to have a few days to craft a response to any criticism in the report, which will then be incorporated in the final version to be released in coming weeks. -WSJ

Now, journalist Paul Sperry reports that "IG Horowitz has found "reasonable grounds" for believing there has been a violation of federal criminal law in the FBI/DOJ's handling of the Clinton investigation/s and has referred his findings of potential criminal misconduct to Huber for possible criminal prosecution."

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 18, 2018 Contact: Press Office (202) 401-1576 or press@ed.gov

Secretary DeVos Statement on Santa Fe High School Shooting WASHINGTON -- U.S. Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos issued the following statement on the violent attack at Santa Fe High School in Santa Fe, Texas:  My heart is heavy from watching the horrific events that unfolded at Santa Fe High School today. My prayers are with each student, parent, educator and first responder impacted. Our schools must be safe and nurturing environments for learning. No student should have to experience the trauma suffered by so many today and in similar events prior. We simply cannot allow this trend to continue.  Every day, the Federal Commission on School Safety is working to identify proven ways to prevent violence and keep our students safe at school. Our work remains urgent. Our nation must come together and address the underlying issues that lead to such tragic and senseless loss of life.

Almost Half Of US Families Can’t Afford Basics Like Rent And Food

(CNN Money) — The economy may be chugging along, but many Americans are still struggling to afford a basic middle class life.

Nearly 51 million households don’t earn enough to afford a monthly budget that includes housing, food, child care, health care, transportation and a cell phone, according to a study released Thursday by the United Way ALICE Project. That’s 43% of households in the United States.

The figure includes the 16.1 million households living in poverty, as well as the 34.7 million families that the United Way has dubbed ALICE — Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed. This group makes less than what’s needed “to survive in the modern economy.”

“Despite seemingly positive economic signs, the ALICE data shows that financial hardship is still a pervasive problem,” said Stephanie Hoopes, the project’s director.

California, New Mexico and Hawaii have the largest share of struggling families, at 49% each. North Dakota has the lowest at 32%.

Many of these folks are the nation’s child care workers, home health aides, office assistants and store clerks, who work low-paying jobs and have little savings, the study noted. Some 66% of jobs in the US pay less than $20 an hour.

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WATER OVER ROADWAY

Hobbs Road in the area of Salisbury School
Mount Hermon Rd Between Wango Road and Sayers Rd.

Snow Hill Rd. Schumaker Dr. beginning to flood

E. Naylor Mill near Toys R Us
Pittsville Rd. in Pittsville
Porters Crossing at Whiton Rd.
Catch Penny Rd.
North Upper Ferry Rd.

S. Philadelphia Ave. from Somerset to S. 1st Street is closed in OC.

Viewers should add additional road issues in comments. Turn around, don't drown.

Democrats Absent from D.C. Embassy Party After No Show at Embassy Opening

Despite confirmation from an Israeli embassy spokesman that all members of Congress were invited to the embassy’s annual party in D.C. on Monday — which coincided with the grand opening of the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem — no Democrats were present at the event in America’s capital.

According to the Times of Israel, “The offices of two other Jewish Democratic lawmakers — Reps. Ted Deutch of Florida and Nita Lowey of New York — said they were invited but that the event fell on a ‘district day’ and they were not in Washington to attend the affair. Indeed, Congress itself was not in session on Monday, so many legislators were out of town.”

At the D.C. event, which saw over 1,000 attendees, Israel’s ambassador to the United States, Ron Dermer, reportedly praised President Donald Trump for the embassy move saying it was a “large leap for truth.”

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Weather Alert: Flood Warning

The National Weather Service in Wakefield has issued a

* Flood Warning for...
  Somerset County in southeastern Maryland...
  Wicomico County in southeastern Maryland...
  Worcester County in southeastern Maryland...
  Dorchester County in southeastern Maryland...

* Until 530 PM EDT Friday

* At 1125 AM EDT, flooding has been reported across the Maryland
  Eastern Shore, especially in Salisbury and Ocean City. Doppler
  radar and rain gauges estimated that 3 to 5 inches of rain has
  fallen since earlier this morning. Rain will continue through the
  afternoon, and may become heavier as additional thunderstorms move
  into the area. An additional 1 to 3 inches of rain is possible
  later this afternoon and this evening.

* Some locations that will experience flooding include...
  Salisbury, Cambridge, Ocean City, Fruitland, Pocomoke City,
  Princess Anne, Hurlock, University Of Maryland Eastern Shore,
  Salisbury University, Berlin, Delmar, Snow Hill, Hebron,
  Secretary, Vienna, Westover, Parsonsburg, Newark, Cape Isle Of
  Wight, Ocean Pines and Deal Island.

PRECAUTIONARY/PREPAREDNESS ACTIONS...

Turn around, don`t drown when encountering flooded roads. Most flood
deaths occur in vehicles.

Trump: I Will Always Refer to MS-13 Members as Animals

President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he would always refer to members of the transnational drug gang MS-13 as "animals."

"So when the MS-13 comes in, when the other gang members come into our country, I referred to them as animals. And guess what?" Trump said. "I always will."

Trump's received backlash during a meeting Wednesday after he used the term "animals" in response to a comment from Fresno County Sheriff Margaret Mims about MS-13. He said the following: "We have people coming into the country, or trying to come in. We're stopping a lot of them, but we're taking people out of the country. You wouldn't believe how bad these people are. These aren't people. These are animals, and we're taking them out of the country at a level and at a rate that's never happened before."

Numerous media outlets falsely reported that Trump was referring to all migrants coming into the United States.

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Comey & Yates Targeted Flynn With Investigation ONE YEAR Before His Phone Call to Russian Ambassador

It turns out former FBI Director James Comey and former acting Attorney General Sally Yates targeted General Flynn with a counterintel investigation ONE YEAR before his December 2016 phone call to Russian Ambassador Kislyak during the Trump transition.

The reason? Because he was sitting at a table with Vladimir Putin at a Moscow event in December of 2015–the same event Green Party candidate Jill Stein attended. Jill Stein was also sitting at the same table as Flynn and Putin.

This is criminal.

Investigative reporter Paul Sperry dropped this gem Thursday afternoon:

BREAKING: Comey/Yates targeted Gen. Flynn in C.I. investigation a yr BEFORE he communicated w Russian ambassador in Dec 2016 as a transition official–and the trigger was Flynn sitting at same table w Putin at Dec 2015 Moscow event, even tho Green Party’s Jill Stein also at table..

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The Great Oz Revealed

For eight years (2008–2016), the US liberal media touted the brilliant accomplishments of the liberal president, whilst the conservative media groused that nothing he did was of value.

Today, the conservative US media are touting the brilliant accomplishments of the conservative president, whilst the liberal media grouse that nothing he does is of value.

So, which is it? Who is correct here? Well actually, neither is correct.

Neither president is the Great Oz. Neither one is in fact, “running the country.” Behind the scenes, the great machine of government churns along, often in complete disregard to the president or his stated policies.

However, the media credits or lambastes the president of the day as though he and he alone is in charge of the country. Whatever happens is treated as his accomplishment or failure.

And, typically, presidents play into this—taking personal credit for perceived accomplishments within the country and disavowing blame for perceived failures.

At present, the conservative media is emphasising low unemployment as an achievement, just as the liberal media did during the Obama Administration.

And yet, since the Clinton Administration, the unemployment figures have been consistently fudged.

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The DNC Is Flat Broke, So Why Has It Paid Hillary Clinton Hundreds Of Thousands Of Dollars?

Clinton will speak to the DNC's women's group Thursday night, but it's the least she can do in return.

Hillary Clinton will speak, ostensibly at no cost, to the Democratic National Committee's Women's Leadership Forum in Washington, D.C., Thursday night, but it might just be the most expensive speech she's ever given.

According to NTK Network, over the last several months, Clinton has taken nearly $1 million from the "cash strapped" DNC and its partner organization, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, for "list rentals," per FEC filings, making Thursday night's address one of the most expensive motivational speech Clinton has ever delivered.

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Don't Let Your Local Media Fool You

"Along with the improvements at the parking garage, we are excited to see the proposed redesign of the entrance at the @wicolibrary"

The main reason I started Salisbury News was for this very purpose, your local media completely misleads you.

The LIBERALS here in Salisbury work together to build up hope that this new redesign is about to happen to the Downtown Library. Read again, it says PROPOSED.

Now, here's the TRUTH. The County is scheduled to give the Library $400,000.00 a year. However, the Library is a lot like the BOE, maintenance of effort. The County exceeds what they are required to give them as the County gives them around $1,400,000.00 a year and they too, (like the BOE) piss the extra million away every year and then go after the County Council and Executive by throwing crap like this in front of the public knowing the County is NOT going to fund this improvement. Then, (as usual) they try to make the Council and Executive look like the bad guys by turning them down.

The Liberal Agenda, (especially locally) is a load of crap. I called the Executive and this was not brought to them in the first place, SURPRISE!

Unless you people want your taxes raised, stop beating up the Council and Executive for crap like this. Just because people like Mike Dunn and Jake Day want all this beautification and improvements doesn't mean YOU can afford it. Enough is enough!

Video shows Raleigh care home staff berating Air Force veteran

Three care home staff members have been fired after being filmed disgracefully berating a 68-year-old Air Force veteran who had fallen out of bed in the middle of the night.

The video was taken on April 11 in Richard Johnson's room at Universal Healthcare in Raleigh, North Carolina, the day after his daughter installed a nanny cam after he complained to her about how he was being treated.

It shows three female staff members tell him: 'Shame on you' and joke about his age after he fell out of bed at 4.20am. It is not clear when exactly it was filmed.

Johnson, who was a civil engineer in the Air Force, was left lying on the floor for more than an hour before the first nurse came to check on him despite repeated calls for help.

His daughter admitted him to the home on March 29 after his stroke. On April 4, he complained to her about how he was being treated and she bought a $129 nanny cam to put in his room.

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Trump Will Donate Quarterly Salary To Veterans Affairs Caregiver Programs

The White House has announced that President Trump will be donating his quarterly salary, in line with his promise to not collect a penny of taxpayer dollars while in office, to the Department of Veterans Affairs.

In a press conference on Thursday, WH press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said that President Trump's "$100,000 quarterly salary will go toward the VA’s caregiver programs," according to The Hill.

“Today, the President is proud to donate his 2018 first quarter salary to the Department of Veteran Affairs to support their caregiver programs," Huckabee said as part of his commitment to "important projects."

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My Country or My Tribe?

“Tribalism, it’s always worth remembering, is not one aspect of human experience. It’s the default human experience.” —columnist Andrew Sullivan in 2017

If one were to believe much of the Leftmedia’s take, America was a reasonable nation until Donald Trump was elected. Yet the tribalism we now call identity politics has been nurtured for decades, engendered by the change from one simple idea to another: a nation once urged to embrace assimilation in all its “melting pot” permutations became one where “celebrating our differences” was deemed the more enlightened approach.

It was a total fraud.

One that is reaching epic proportions. Did we really have a presidential candidate willing to completely dismiss millions of Americans as “deplorables” simply because they disagreed with her political philosophy, and/or disliked her personally? How do Hillary Clinton, her media allies and her legions of supporters account for the fact that many of those same deplorables voted for Barack Obama?

“Trump ran and won as, among other things, a white racial demagogue who mocked and insulted minorities on his way to the White House; while the left, as it has grown more diverse, has become accustomed to periodic spasms of hostility and mutual recrimination among its various minority groups and their white allies,” asserts columnist Paul MacDougald.

Really? A majority of Trump voters embrace racial demagoguery? And the Left’s understanding of diversity consists of sub-tribes jockeying for primacy, largely based on which one can elicit the most guilt from all the others?

More here

Deputy Steve Ray Wicomico County Sheriff’s Office Passed Away Last Night

Officer Ray was a proud member of the motorcycle squad. He was 42 years old and is a retired U.S. Marine. Our thoughts and prayers go out to his Family and the WCSO. 

Mueller Investigation One Year Old, Still No Collusion

President Donald Trump marked the one-year anniversary of the Robert Mueller special investigation by writing, “Congratulations America, we are now into the second year of the greatest Witch Hunt in American History…and there is still No Collusion and No Obstruction. The only Collusion was that done by Democrats who were unable to win an Election despite the spending of far more money!” Indeed, the fact remains that after a year of investigating, no evidence of any Trump/Russian collusion has been presented by Mueller’s team of Hillary Clinton donors. Witch hunt?

Clearly seeking to ratchet up the pressure on the Mueller investigation in order to bring it to a quick end, Rudy Giuliani, now Trump’s lead attorney, stated yesterday, “This case is essentially over. … [Mueller’s team is] just in denial.” Giuliani also noted that Mueller acknowledged the investigation would follow Justice Department guidance and not seek an indictment against Trump. That’s really not news, though, as it does not preclude Mueller from recommending that the House pursue impeachment. But over what?

Speaking of Congress, the Senate Judiciary Committee released a report that seemed to contradict last month’s House report.

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Giuliani: “We’re Ready to Rip Them Apart if that’s What They Want!”

Former Federal Prosecutor and New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani was on Laura Ingraham’s ‘The Ingraham Angle’ on FOX News last night.

Rudy and all of America know there is no collusion between President Trump and Russia and so Rudy encouraged the corrupt Mueller team to wrap it up.

Rudy discussed the corrupt Mueller investigation that has now been going on for a year. At the beginning of the below segment of the interview Rudy stated that the guys on the Mueller team are taking so long because maybe “these guys, you know, figure they can’t get a good job”.

Rudy was outstanding and he never let up. At the end of the interview (at the 9:10 mark in the video below) Rudy addressed the crooked Mueller team straight on –

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Phillips Changed Seafood House On 141st Street To A Mexican Restaurant

We The People of the Eastern Shore must have STUPID written on our foreheads. 

You see, your local media are producing segments crying the blues about how Maryland and even Federal laws are killing the crab industry because they can't hire foreign workers to pick the meat.

Then they're pounding on President Trump because the United States is FINALLY following laws that had been created decades ago.

On a local level, DUH, Phillips closed their seafood restaurant, (because they knew this was coming years ago) and reopened as a Mexican restaurant. 

It makes me truly wonder WHY our local media refuses to tell the whole story. Illegal is illegal, period. While I truly love crabs, it's about time we stopped allowing EBT subjects from purchasing such expensive food products and I can assure you that 99% of our viewers firmly agree. Perhaps it's time we stop the massive fishing of crabs and let these crabs produce, (for once) and maybe we'll actually see #1 crabs become the size we used to see back in the 1970's again!

In the mean time, enjoy the new Mexican restaurant but be careful Phillips, be sure your Staff have green cards or we'll be hearing yet another one sided story once again. 

Millions of Computers Are at Risk of Hacks That Crack Into Their Core

Yuriy Bulygin knows all about computer vulnerabilities. He spent most of his career at Intel Corp. studying security flaws in chips, including several years as the company’s chief threat researcher, until last summer. So you can believe him when he says he’s found something new: His latest research, set to be published on May 17, shows hackers can exploit previously disclosed problems in microprocessors to access a computer’s firmware—microcode that’s stored permanently inside processors and other chips—to get to its most sensitive information. “The firmware has access to basically all the secrets that are on that physical machine,” he says.

The hacking technique Bulygin found exploits the Spectre vulnerabilities, initially unearthed by Google and other researchers and disclosed earlier this year. The tech giant discovered that millions of computers and smartphones could be compromised by Spectre, which takes advantage of glitches in how processors try to predict what data they believe users will need next, and fetch it in advance. Bulygin’s technique goes a step further by enabling hackers to read data from a particular type of firmware called system management mode memory. The code is linked to access rights that control key functions of the machine, including shutting down the central processing unit if the computer gets too hot or letting administrators configure the system. With access to the SMM memory, hackers can get essentially any data they want.

Cloud computing services may be at the greatest risk, Bulygin says, because the glitch could be used to breach protections for keeping companies’ data separate on physical servers.

More here

Maryland becomes 11th state to ban 'gay conversion therapy' for minors

Conversion therapy aims to change a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity.

Maryland Gov. Lawrence J. Hogan, a Republican, signed the Youth Mental Health Protection Act into law on Tuesday, making the state the 11th to ban “gay conversion therapy” for minors.

Amit Paley, CEO of The Trevor Project, a national LGBTQ youth crisis intervention organization, called the law “a victory in our fight to protect LGBTQ young people everywhere from this dangerous and discredited practice."

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Facebook Partners with Globalist Atlantic Council to Interfere in Elections Around the World

Facebook has partnered with the Atlantic Council, whose members include arch-globalists like Henry Kissinger and Dina Powell, to “protect free and fair elections around the world.”

Facebook announced earlier today that the Atlantic Council will provide it with “real-time insights and updates on emerging threats and disinformation campaigns from around the world.”

In other words, Facebook will trust a globalist think-tank to distinguish “disinformation” from the spin and sloganeering that characterize virtually all democratic elections.

Facebook says it will also rely on monitoring teams from the Atlantic Council during elections:

More here

Ocean City Maryland Is In Fact Shooting Themselves In The Foot

Why don't they just say, WE DON'T WANT YOU HERE ANY MORE?

The word will spread so fast, no one will want to return next year. Last week, (Bike Week) they jumbled at least 4 major events together, as if they are so desperate to bring in income/taxes, desperation.

I can tell you first hand that one of our employees took over an hour to get from mid OC to West OC yesterday. It is just about impossible to get around with the construction and now reduced speed limits. 

Knowing about the new changes, will you be coming to Ocean City any time soon?

Ratings Crisis: CNN Suffers Viewership Collapse of Nearly 30 Percent

With week two of May 2018 now in the books, we find that CNN’s ratings have collapsed even more than last week, close to -30 percent in total viewers and an astonishing -35 percent in demo viewers.

Before we get to the numbers, I should add that CNN is an outlier; meaning its stunning ratings collapse is unique in cable news.

Compared to this same week last year, Fox News increased its total viewers in primetime and total day by +6 and +3 percent, respectively. While MSNBC did see a ratings drop, it was able to keep that drop in the single digits: -9 percent in total day and in primetime.

CNN’s viewership drop, however, is jaw-dropping, especially when you recall just how big the news was last week.

While no one in the media want to talk about it, CNN’s relentless fake news sprees have not only created a massive credibility problem for the hate network, the far-left cable channel’s ratings crisis is even more severe.

CNN lies.

Numbers do not…

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New Jersey school board member accused of trying to 'manipulate' cop, calls police chief 'skinhead'

A New Jersey board of education member is facing a call to resign Wednesday after video surfaced purportedly showing her trying to “manipulate” a police officer by exercising “civic privilege” after she was pulled over for speeding.

The woman in the April 27 dash-cam video, who identifies herself as Stephanie Lawson-Muhammad, a South Orange and Maplewood Board of Education member, also is heard telling one of the town’s officers that she is “scared of cops because you guys hurt black people,” before calling the cop's boss a “skinhead.”

“Under no circumstances is this behavior, from a public servant no less, acceptable,” Walter Fields, chairman of the SOMA Black Parents Workshop, wrote in a Wednesday letter to the board’s president. “Ms. Lawson-Muhammad must resign her position.”

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Thank God Its Friday 5-18-18

What will you be doing this weekend?

Free Pool Tonight & TWO Live Bands

OK, the weather outside SUCKS, it is what it is. That doesn't mean you need to sit around all depressed. Come join us tonight for two live bands and free pool to boot. Did I mention there's NO COVER! See you at OC Billiards @ Trader Lee's in West Ocean City.

Daily Government Quotes

I'm running to ensure what happened to my family and Lori's family doesn't happen to anyone else.

MAY 17, 2018

Ryan Petty, whose daughter was killed in the Parkland shooting in February. He, and another parent of one of the 17 victims, announced this week that he is running for school board.

Source: Tribune News Service

We believe criminals who kill our police should get the death penalty -- bring it forth.

MAY 16, 2018

President Trump, in his speech at the annual National Peace Officers' Memorial Service on Tuesday.

Source: CBS News

Most officers are great guys and women who are working hard, but there's always the one.

MAY 15, 2018

Kansas state Rep. John Whitmer, on why he voted for a new law making it illegal for police officers to have sex during traffic stops.

Source: The Wichita Eagle

Profiling [by police] is absolutely necessary. Sometimes race might play some part in that.

MAY 14, 2018

Nashville mayoral candidate Ralph Bristol, at a forum last week. His comments elicited gasps among the largely black audience.

Source: The Tennessean

Vote for the homo, not Cuomo.

MAY 11, 2018

New York gubernatorial candidate Cynthia Nixon at the annual Legislative Correspondents Association dinner this week. This is a personal dig with some history: In 1977, when Andrew Cuomo's father Mario was running for governor against Ed Koch, posters appeared throughout the city that said: 'Vote for Cuomo, not the homo.' 

Source: New York Magazine

I just know I didn’t harass anybody, and I can’t leave and let that be the last word because it’s an admission of guilt. I would like to fight. I don’t know if I can win, but you have to try.

MAY 9, 2018

North Carolina State Rep. Duane Hall when he was first accused of sexual misconduct back on March. Hall has denied the allegations and refused to drop out of his race. On Tuesday night, he lost his primary and his spot in the state legislature next year.  

In the privacy of intimate relationships, I have engaged in role-playing and other consensual sexual activity. I have not assaulted anyone. I have never engaged in nonconsensual sex, which is a line I would not cross.

MAY 8, 2018

Former New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who resigned from his post Monday night after four different women came forward to accuse him of physical abuse. 

Source: The New Yorker

I understand that not everyone will agree with this decision. But if death is determined when a heart stops beating, then doesn't a beating heart indicate life?

MAY 8, 2018

Kim Reynolds, the governor of Iowa, as she signed the nation's most restrictive abortion law last Friday afternoon. The law bans most abortions after the detection of a fetal heartbeat, which can be as early as six weeks -- before many women even know they're pregnant. 

Of our 16 or 17 lawsuits on environmental issues, we have 10 or 11 victories to date. We have not lost one case against the Trump administration.

MAY 7, 2018

California Attorney General Xavier Becerra. California and 16 other states plus Washington, D.C. are suing the Trump administration to prevent it from weakening Obama-era vehicle emissions standards. The state currently has 32 lawsuits pending against the administration.

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Brennan Was Feeding Obama Unverified Info From Steele Dossier, Contradicting 2017 Testimony

Two former colleagues of ex-CIA Director John Brennan have contradicted his claim that the unverified "Steele Dossier" was not part of the US Intelligence Community Assessment (ICA) on Russian interference in the 2016 election, reports Paul Sperry of RealClear Investigations.

Central to the controversy is a statement by recently retired National Security Agency Director Michael Rogers, who stated in a classified letter to Congress that the anti-Trump memos which made up the dossier did factor in to the IC assessment - which was reinforced in a CNN interview by James Clapper, former Director of National Intelligence who said that the assessment was based on "some of the substantive content of the dossier," and that the IC was "able to corroborate" certain dossier allegations.

In a March 5, 2018, letter to House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, Adm. Rogers informed the committee that a two-page summary of the dossier — described as “the Christopher Steele information” — was “added” as an “appendix to the ICA draft,” and that consideration of that appendix was “part of the overall ICA review/approval process.”

His skepticism of the dossier may explain why the NSA parted company with other intelligence agencies and cast doubt on one of its crucial conclusions: that Vladimir Putin personally ordered a cyberattack on Hillary Clinton’s campaign to help Donald Trump win the White House. -RealClear Investigations

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