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Tuesday, June 04, 2019
Obama Border Official: ‘These Numbers Are a Crisis’
Former commissioner of U.S. Customs and Border Protection Gil Kerlikowske told CNN anchor Poppy Harlow on Monday that the number of migrants crossing the border constitutes a crisis.
"So this is a crisis, and for anyone on either side of the policy aisle that said it's not a crisis, these numbers are a crisis and the workload is tremendous," said Kerlikowske, who served in the Obama administration.
U.S. officials have said that border agents are overwhelmed by the number of migrants crossing the border. Border apprehensions hit a record high last month with 98,977 arrests. On Wednesday, border agents apprehended a group of 1,036 migrants illegally crossing from Mexico, the largest group arrested this fiscal year.
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"So this is a crisis, and for anyone on either side of the policy aisle that said it's not a crisis, these numbers are a crisis and the workload is tremendous," said Kerlikowske, who served in the Obama administration.
U.S. officials have said that border agents are overwhelmed by the number of migrants crossing the border. Border apprehensions hit a record high last month with 98,977 arrests. On Wednesday, border agents apprehended a group of 1,036 migrants illegally crossing from Mexico, the largest group arrested this fiscal year.
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FBI Gave Special Treatment to Hillary Clinton’s Demands for Email Investigation
Judicial Watch has announced it received 218 pages of disgraced former FBI officials Peter Strzok-Lisa Page emails which show then-FBI General Counsel James Baker instructing FBI officials to expedite the release of FBI investigative material to Hillary Clinton’s lawyer, David Kendall in August 2016. Kendall and the FBI’s top lawyer discussed specifically quickly obtaining the “302” report of the FBI/DOJ interview of Mrs. Clinton.
The emails also show the FBI failed to document at least four interviews of witnesses in the Clinton email investigation.
The documents were obtained in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed after the Justice Department failed to respond to a December 4, 2017, FOIA request.
On August 16, 2016, at 10:02 p.m. Baker emails then-Associate Deputy Director David Bowdich; Michael Steinbach, former executive assistant director for national security; former Acting Assistant Director Jason V. Herring; former FBI lawyer Lisa Page; former Principal Deputy General Counsel Trisha Anderson; Michael Kortan, FBI assistant director for public affairs, now retired; James Rybicki, former chief of staff to Comey; and others to inform them that he “just spoke” with Clinton’s lawyer Kendall, who requested documents from the FBI. Baker says he told Kendall he would “need to submit a request.” Baker tells them, “I said we would process it expeditiously.”
"I just spoke with David Kendall … I conveyed our view that in order to obtain the documents [FBI investigative material] they are seeking they need to submit a request pursuant to the Privacy Act and FOIA. I said they could submit a letter to me covering both statutes. They will send it in the morning. I said that we would process it expeditiously. David asked us to focus first on the Secretary’s 302 [FBI interview report]. I said OK. [Redacted] We will have to focus on this issue tomorrow and get the 302 out the door as soon as possible and then focus on the rest of the stuff."
The following day, August 17, 2016, Kendall sent a FOIA/Privacy Act request on “behalf of former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton” to the FBI’s top lawyer with a request for “expeditious processing.” Baker passes this request to Bowdich, Steinbach, Herring, Page, Anderson:
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The emails also show the FBI failed to document at least four interviews of witnesses in the Clinton email investigation.
The documents were obtained in a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) lawsuit filed after the Justice Department failed to respond to a December 4, 2017, FOIA request.
On August 16, 2016, at 10:02 p.m. Baker emails then-Associate Deputy Director David Bowdich; Michael Steinbach, former executive assistant director for national security; former Acting Assistant Director Jason V. Herring; former FBI lawyer Lisa Page; former Principal Deputy General Counsel Trisha Anderson; Michael Kortan, FBI assistant director for public affairs, now retired; James Rybicki, former chief of staff to Comey; and others to inform them that he “just spoke” with Clinton’s lawyer Kendall, who requested documents from the FBI. Baker says he told Kendall he would “need to submit a request.” Baker tells them, “I said we would process it expeditiously.”
"I just spoke with David Kendall … I conveyed our view that in order to obtain the documents [FBI investigative material] they are seeking they need to submit a request pursuant to the Privacy Act and FOIA. I said they could submit a letter to me covering both statutes. They will send it in the morning. I said that we would process it expeditiously. David asked us to focus first on the Secretary’s 302 [FBI interview report]. I said OK. [Redacted] We will have to focus on this issue tomorrow and get the 302 out the door as soon as possible and then focus on the rest of the stuff."
The following day, August 17, 2016, Kendall sent a FOIA/Privacy Act request on “behalf of former Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton” to the FBI’s top lawyer with a request for “expeditious processing.” Baker passes this request to Bowdich, Steinbach, Herring, Page, Anderson:
More here
William Barr, Wilbur Ross notified of contempt vote over Census citizenship question
House Oversight Chairman Elijah Cummings notified Attorney General Bill Barr and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross that his committee is moving forward with a vote to hold them in contempt of Congress.
In a pair of letters sent Monday, the Maryland Democrats said the vote will be scheduled due to their failure to comply with congressional subpoenas issued more than two months ago regarding a citizenship question was added the 2020 Census.
“Unfortunately, your actions are part of a pattern. The Trump Administration has been engaged in one of the most unprecedented cover-ups since Watergate, extending from the White House to multiple federal agencies and departments of the government and across numerous investigations,” Cummings wrote to Barr and Ross.
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In a pair of letters sent Monday, the Maryland Democrats said the vote will be scheduled due to their failure to comply with congressional subpoenas issued more than two months ago regarding a citizenship question was added the 2020 Census.
“Unfortunately, your actions are part of a pattern. The Trump Administration has been engaged in one of the most unprecedented cover-ups since Watergate, extending from the White House to multiple federal agencies and departments of the government and across numerous investigations,” Cummings wrote to Barr and Ross.
More here
NYT Confirms Schweizer ‘Secret Empires’ Bombshell on Elaine Chao and Mitch McConnell’s China Ties
Trump Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao “repeatedly used her connections and celebrity status in China to boost the profile of [her family’s shipping] company, which benefits handsomely from the expansive industrial policies in Beijing that are at the heart of diplomatic tensions with the United States,” according to a New York Times exposé on Monday that builds off research from Peter Schweizer’s bestselling book 'Secret Empires.'
Chao, who is also the wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), has been the subject of intense criticism over the years due to the deep financial ties between her family’s shipping business and China’s communist regime.
The nearly 6,000-word Times article begins by recounting an urgent email sent to the State Department in 2017 by an official at the American embassy in Beijing. The subject line read “Secretary Chao – Ethics Question.” According to the Times, the email concerned “a series of unorthodox requests” Chao’s office made in the run-up to her first official trip to China as Trump’s transportation secretary. Her requests included “asking federal officials to help coordinate travel arrangements for at least one family member and include relatives in meetings with government officials.”
Chao “abruptly canceled” her trip to China “after the ethics question was referred to officials in the State and Transportation Departments,” the Times reports.
Chao’s father, James Chao, is the owner of Foremost Group, a shipping company that has done substantial business with the state-owned China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) and has received loan guarantees worth hundreds of millions of dollars from China’s state-owned bank.
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Chao, who is also the wife of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), has been the subject of intense criticism over the years due to the deep financial ties between her family’s shipping business and China’s communist regime.
The nearly 6,000-word Times article begins by recounting an urgent email sent to the State Department in 2017 by an official at the American embassy in Beijing. The subject line read “Secretary Chao – Ethics Question.” According to the Times, the email concerned “a series of unorthodox requests” Chao’s office made in the run-up to her first official trip to China as Trump’s transportation secretary. Her requests included “asking federal officials to help coordinate travel arrangements for at least one family member and include relatives in meetings with government officials.”
Chao “abruptly canceled” her trip to China “after the ethics question was referred to officials in the State and Transportation Departments,” the Times reports.
Chao’s father, James Chao, is the owner of Foremost Group, a shipping company that has done substantial business with the state-owned China State Shipbuilding Corporation (CSSC) and has received loan guarantees worth hundreds of millions of dollars from China’s state-owned bank.
More here
Report: Google Anti-trust Case Could Move Quickly Due to Past Complaints
According to recent reports, the anti-trust investigation into tech giant Google by the DOJ could move quickly due to the company’s lack of political allies and history of complaints.
CNBC reports that two anti-trust lawyers are claiming that once the U.S. Department of Justice makes a formal announcement of its plans to investigate tech giant Google over anti-trust violations, the process will probably move much quicker than most would expect. Many have claimed that the Google investigation could take years, as an investigation into Microsoft by the DOJ two decades ago did, but some experts are not so sure.
Gary Reback, a Silicon Valley antitrust lawyer who was a key figure in the government’s anti-trust case against Microsoft, and Rutgers Law School professor Michael A. Carrier have both stated that an investigation into Google by the DOJ will “front-loaded,” meaning that it’s likely to move much faster than the Microsoft case which started in 1992 and was settled in 2001.
More here
CNBC reports that two anti-trust lawyers are claiming that once the U.S. Department of Justice makes a formal announcement of its plans to investigate tech giant Google over anti-trust violations, the process will probably move much quicker than most would expect. Many have claimed that the Google investigation could take years, as an investigation into Microsoft by the DOJ two decades ago did, but some experts are not so sure.
Gary Reback, a Silicon Valley antitrust lawyer who was a key figure in the government’s anti-trust case against Microsoft, and Rutgers Law School professor Michael A. Carrier have both stated that an investigation into Google by the DOJ will “front-loaded,” meaning that it’s likely to move much faster than the Microsoft case which started in 1992 and was settled in 2001.
More here
What To Do About The Student Debt Crisis
Student loan debt is getting out of control. More than 1 million people default on their student loans every year. That is 22 percent of borrowers. And the numbers are rising; 40 percent will default on their student loans by 2023. For borrowers under age 30, their average monthly payment is almost $400. Student loan debt now exceeds $1.5 trillion — surpassing both auto loan and credit card debt. It is an epidemic that will continue to get worse unless something is done.
Making tuition “free,” as some Democrats recommend, isn’t the solution, since that just passes the debt along to other Americans as taxes are raised to pay for it. It also doesn’t work. In Sweden, where tuition is free, 70 percent of students borrow money for things like room and board. This is the same rate as students that take out student loans in the U.S.!
It would be nice to get the government out of the business of student loans completely, but since that will probably never happen, here are some realistic solutions that may help.
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Making tuition “free,” as some Democrats recommend, isn’t the solution, since that just passes the debt along to other Americans as taxes are raised to pay for it. It also doesn’t work. In Sweden, where tuition is free, 70 percent of students borrow money for things like room and board. This is the same rate as students that take out student loans in the U.S.!
It would be nice to get the government out of the business of student loans completely, but since that will probably never happen, here are some realistic solutions that may help.
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Nearly 25% Of Americans Are Using Debt To Pay For Necessities Like Food
Even though we are told the economy is doing great, all the evidence shows that main street Americans are struggling more and more every day. A recent report claimed that the costs of goods have risen to the point that 25% must use debt to pay for necessities, such as food.
According to a new Experian report that came out last week, Americans have an average of $6,506 in credit card debt. But some expenses are weighing much more heavily on the credit cards of the average American…
Necessities, like food and rent, are being put on credit cards. A full 23% of Americans say that paying for basic necessities such as rent, utilities, and food contributes the most to their credit card debt, according to a new survey of approximately 2,200 U.S. adults that CNBC Make It performed in conjunction with Morning Consult. Another 12% say medical bills are the biggest portion of their debt. Medical bills additionally likely contribute to the purchases of food on a credit card.
This news isn’t shocking unless you believe the mainstream media’s glorification of the false “recovery” we’ve experienced since the Great Recession of a decade ago. American households have taken on historic levels of debt, which will crush them in the next economic downturn.
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According to a new Experian report that came out last week, Americans have an average of $6,506 in credit card debt. But some expenses are weighing much more heavily on the credit cards of the average American…
Necessities, like food and rent, are being put on credit cards. A full 23% of Americans say that paying for basic necessities such as rent, utilities, and food contributes the most to their credit card debt, according to a new survey of approximately 2,200 U.S. adults that CNBC Make It performed in conjunction with Morning Consult. Another 12% say medical bills are the biggest portion of their debt. Medical bills additionally likely contribute to the purchases of food on a credit card.
This news isn’t shocking unless you believe the mainstream media’s glorification of the false “recovery” we’ve experienced since the Great Recession of a decade ago. American households have taken on historic levels of debt, which will crush them in the next economic downturn.
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Supreme Court puts off DACA decision again
The Supreme Court declined Monday to speed up consideration of President Trump’s move to phase out the Obama-era DACA deportation amnesty.
Justice Department lawyers had asked the court late last month to advance the case, saying there’s more than enough confusion and action at the lower courts that the issue is ripe for settling by the justices.
But the justices disagreed, denying the petition without comment.
The high court has been reluctant to get involved in DACA, ignoring several entreaties by the Trump administration to step in early.
It’s possible the justices are giving Congress time to settle matters, if it can.
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Justice Department lawyers had asked the court late last month to advance the case, saying there’s more than enough confusion and action at the lower courts that the issue is ripe for settling by the justices.
But the justices disagreed, denying the petition without comment.
The high court has been reluctant to get involved in DACA, ignoring several entreaties by the Trump administration to step in early.
It’s possible the justices are giving Congress time to settle matters, if it can.
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'Stone Cold Loser'
President Donald Trump fired back at London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s direct attack on him, taking to Twitter Monday morning as he landed in the UK to dismiss the outspoken left-wing politician as a “stone cold loser”.
The Tweets — which President Trump appeared to make while flying over British airspace but before Air Force One touched town — followed an article about the President London Mayor Sadiq Khan wrote for Britain’s perhaps best known old-left Sunday newspaper The Observer. Writing the day before the state visit was due to begin, Khan compared Trump to most fascist and authoritarian leaders of the past century.
Replying in kind, President Trump pointed to Khan’s poor record as Mayor, which has seen crime and particularly violent crime and murder soar, and suggested the Labour party politician spend more time doing his job properly rather than attacking the leaders of key British allies.
As well as roasting Khan’s “terrible” attempt at leading London, the President also said the Mayor had been foolish, was a “stone cold loser”, and was much like the “very dumb and incompetent” New York Mayor de Blasio.
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The Tweets — which President Trump appeared to make while flying over British airspace but before Air Force One touched town — followed an article about the President London Mayor Sadiq Khan wrote for Britain’s perhaps best known old-left Sunday newspaper The Observer. Writing the day before the state visit was due to begin, Khan compared Trump to most fascist and authoritarian leaders of the past century.
Replying in kind, President Trump pointed to Khan’s poor record as Mayor, which has seen crime and particularly violent crime and murder soar, and suggested the Labour party politician spend more time doing his job properly rather than attacking the leaders of key British allies.
As well as roasting Khan’s “terrible” attempt at leading London, the President also said the Mayor had been foolish, was a “stone cold loser”, and was much like the “very dumb and incompetent” New York Mayor de Blasio.
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Trump calls for boycott of AT&T over CNN outrage
President Trump on Monday called on Americans to boycott AT&T to force the media giant to overhaul CNN, a news organization that has faced near-constant criticism from the White House.
The latest and unprecedented jab came as Trump flew to London for an official state visit and was forced to watch the channel because it is ‘the primary source of news available from the U.S.”
“After watching it for a short while, I turned it off. All negative & so much Fake News, very bad for U.S. Big ratings drop. Why doesn’t owner @ATT do something?” he posted on Twitter.
An AT&T spokesperson did not immediately respond to request for comment. The company acquired CNN as part of its $85 billion purchase of Time Warner assets.
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https://www.foxbusiness.com/media/trump-urges-americans-to-boycott-att
The latest and unprecedented jab came as Trump flew to London for an official state visit and was forced to watch the channel because it is ‘the primary source of news available from the U.S.”
“After watching it for a short while, I turned it off. All negative & so much Fake News, very bad for U.S. Big ratings drop. Why doesn’t owner @ATT do something?” he posted on Twitter.
An AT&T spokesperson did not immediately respond to request for comment. The company acquired CNN as part of its $85 billion purchase of Time Warner assets.
More
https://www.foxbusiness.com/media/trump-urges-americans-to-boycott-att
FBI: Company cheated taxpayers out of millions of dollars meant for Puerto Rico aid
Two sister companies contracted to do recovery work for Puerto Rico are accused of pocketing millions of dollars without fulfilling the terms of their government contracts.
The government hired Textile Corporation of America to manufacture tarps for Puerto Rico after the island was devastated by Hurricane Maria in 2017. TCA promised the Tennessee state government and the Tennessee Valley Authority, a federally-owned corporation, that it would create 1,000 new jobs at a textile mill in Pikeville, Tenn., and received the support of multiple state and federal officials.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded TCA’s sister company Master Group USA a $30 million contract to produce 475,000 tarps for areas, mainly Puerto Rico, affected by hurricanes. FEMA awarded nearly $4 million before ending the contract.
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The government hired Textile Corporation of America to manufacture tarps for Puerto Rico after the island was devastated by Hurricane Maria in 2017. TCA promised the Tennessee state government and the Tennessee Valley Authority, a federally-owned corporation, that it would create 1,000 new jobs at a textile mill in Pikeville, Tenn., and received the support of multiple state and federal officials.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency awarded TCA’s sister company Master Group USA a $30 million contract to produce 475,000 tarps for areas, mainly Puerto Rico, affected by hurricanes. FEMA awarded nearly $4 million before ending the contract.
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Schumer says Trump is fabricating border crisis
The Senate’s top Democrat on Monday accused President Trump of fabricating the border crisis, saying his attempts to cut off foreign assistance for Central American governments is backfiring by sending more people north.
Sen. Charles E. Schumer also drew lines in the sand on Mr. Trump’s $4.5 billion emergency spending request to provide better care for illegal immigrants at the border, saying Democrats won’t approve anything until the president agrees to pump more money into nation-building in Central America.
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Sen. Charles E. Schumer also drew lines in the sand on Mr. Trump’s $4.5 billion emergency spending request to provide better care for illegal immigrants at the border, saying Democrats won’t approve anything until the president agrees to pump more money into nation-building in Central America.
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Chicago's top cop calls Chicago's most violent weekend so far this year 'despicable'
Calling Chicago’s most violent weekend so far this year “despicable,” police Superintendent Eddie Johnson stuck to the department’s usual explanation for what went wrong, blaming the flow of illegal guns and a too-lenient criminal justice system.
“Unfortunately, over the past 72 hours in Chicago, we saw a despicable level of violence,” Johnson said at a news conference Monday at police headquarters. “Weekends like this remind us all of the challenges that we face and that they are complex and profound.”
According to the department, at least 52 people were shot, eight fatally, from 6 p.m. Friday until midnight Monday. At least one other person was fatally stabbed, bringing the homicide toll to nine.
More than half the victims — 31 to be specific — were wounded during a 12-hour burst of gunfire from Friday evening to Saturday morning in areas of the South and West sides that have long struggled with crime, poverty and hopelessness. Four of them died.
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“Unfortunately, over the past 72 hours in Chicago, we saw a despicable level of violence,” Johnson said at a news conference Monday at police headquarters. “Weekends like this remind us all of the challenges that we face and that they are complex and profound.”
According to the department, at least 52 people were shot, eight fatally, from 6 p.m. Friday until midnight Monday. At least one other person was fatally stabbed, bringing the homicide toll to nine.
More than half the victims — 31 to be specific — were wounded during a 12-hour burst of gunfire from Friday evening to Saturday morning in areas of the South and West sides that have long struggled with crime, poverty and hopelessness. Four of them died.
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Virginia Tech accepted too many students in the fall. Now they're offering money, gap year to students who defer
BLACKSBURG, Va. — Virginia Tech is offering special enrollment options to incoming class after they accepted too many students for the fall semester.
The University said they are projecting over 7,500 acceptances according to a interview with the Virginia Tech Daily with Luisa Havens Gerardo, the vice provost for enrollment management.
In a message from the school’s provost, in-state students in programs with “higher-than-anticipated enrollment” are offered several special options.
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The University said they are projecting over 7,500 acceptances according to a interview with the Virginia Tech Daily with Luisa Havens Gerardo, the vice provost for enrollment management.
In a message from the school’s provost, in-state students in programs with “higher-than-anticipated enrollment” are offered several special options.
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President Trump Kicks off UK State Visit With ‘Dumb and Incompetent’ London Mayor Khan Roast
President Donald Trump fired back at London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s direct attack on him, taking to Twitter Monday morning as he landed in the UK to dismiss the outspoken left-wing politician as a “stone cold loser”.
The Tweets — which President Trump appeared to make while flying over British airspace but before Air Force One touched town — followed an article about the President London Mayor Sadiq Khan wrote for Britain’s perhaps best known old-left Sunday newspaper The Observer. Writing the day before the state visit was due to begin, Khan compared Trump to most fascist and authoritarian leaders of the past century.
Replying in kind, President Trump pointed to Khan’s poor record as Mayor, which has seen crime and particularly violent crime and murder soar, and suggested the Labour party politician spend more time doing his job properly rather than attacking the leaders of key British allies.
As well as roasting Khan’s “terrible” attempt at leading London, the President also said the Mayor had been foolish, was a “stone cold loser”, and was much like the “very dumb and incompetent” New York Mayor de Blasio.
More
The Tweets — which President Trump appeared to make while flying over British airspace but before Air Force One touched town — followed an article about the President London Mayor Sadiq Khan wrote for Britain’s perhaps best known old-left Sunday newspaper The Observer. Writing the day before the state visit was due to begin, Khan compared Trump to most fascist and authoritarian leaders of the past century.
Replying in kind, President Trump pointed to Khan’s poor record as Mayor, which has seen crime and particularly violent crime and murder soar, and suggested the Labour party politician spend more time doing his job properly rather than attacking the leaders of key British allies.
As well as roasting Khan’s “terrible” attempt at leading London, the President also said the Mayor had been foolish, was a “stone cold loser”, and was much like the “very dumb and incompetent” New York Mayor de Blasio.
More
Ben Carson: Manufactured homes are no longer just for 'trailer parks'
Secretary of Housing and Urban Development Ben Carson is making affordable and resilient housing a priority.
“We're having a significant problem in our country right now with affordable housing and also with resiliency,” Carson told FOX Business’ Stuart Varney from the Innovative Housing Showcase in Washington, D.C., this week.
The five-day event that is being co-hosted by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) features new building technologies and updated solutions for housing, that Carson believes can remove some of the “many zoning barriers based on outdated thinking.”
“That's one of the reasons that we're having this display, so not only that people can see this and disabuse them of the notions that manufactured housing are trailers and trailer parks and seeing what actually can happen here,” said Carson.
The houses are loaded with technology infrastructure, including plumbing, electricity and sewage without disrupting the “surface topography or the other structures around that.” They are also bolted down to cement foundations to add resiliency during natural disasters.
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https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/ben-carson-manufactured-homes-are-no-longer-for-trailer-parks
“We're having a significant problem in our country right now with affordable housing and also with resiliency,” Carson told FOX Business’ Stuart Varney from the Innovative Housing Showcase in Washington, D.C., this week.
The five-day event that is being co-hosted by the National Association of Home Builders (NAHB) features new building technologies and updated solutions for housing, that Carson believes can remove some of the “many zoning barriers based on outdated thinking.”
“That's one of the reasons that we're having this display, so not only that people can see this and disabuse them of the notions that manufactured housing are trailers and trailer parks and seeing what actually can happen here,” said Carson.
The houses are loaded with technology infrastructure, including plumbing, electricity and sewage without disrupting the “surface topography or the other structures around that.” They are also bolted down to cement foundations to add resiliency during natural disasters.
More
https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/ben-carson-manufactured-homes-are-no-longer-for-trailer-parks
Tennessee otter dies after park visitors feed it
KINGSPORT, Tenn. (WZTV) — Officials at Bays Mountain Park & Planetarium said an otter has died after eating food found in its enclosure that it couldn't tolerate.
Otto the otter was transported to UT Animal Hospital on Thursday. According to the park's Facebook post, guests are believed to have thrown food in Otto's enclosure.
The park shared the sad update that Otto had since passed away. Officials say a necropsy will be performed to determine the exact cause of death.
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Otto the otter was transported to UT Animal Hospital on Thursday. According to the park's Facebook post, guests are believed to have thrown food in Otto's enclosure.
The park shared the sad update that Otto had since passed away. Officials say a necropsy will be performed to determine the exact cause of death.
More
Guatemalan illegal alien residing in Iowa sentenced for benefit fraud
CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa — An illegal alien from Guatemala was sentenced in federal court Friday for fraudulently drawing welfare assistance.
This sentence resulted from an investigation by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Office of Inspector General, and the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals Investigation Division’s Economic Fraud Control Bureau.
Cleotilde Puac-Gomez, 46, a citizen of Guatemala who is illegally residing in the U.S. in Clarion, Iowa, was sentenced to two months in federal prison after pleading guilty Feb. 6, 2019, to one count of theft of U.S. government funds.
In her plea agreement, Puac-Gomez admitted she failed to report her husband’s income when applying for, and receiving, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Medicaid benefits between June 2012 and November 2017. During that time, her husband Melvin Rodriguez-Barrios, also an illegal alien, was working under an alias and used someone else’s social security number to obtain work. By failing to accurately report the family’s income, Puac-Gomez received $19,908.30 in overpayment of food stamps and other U.S. welfare benefits distributed by the state of Iowa.
Puac-Gomez’s husband, Rodriguez-Barrios, 44, was previously sentenced on March 27 to six months’ imprisonment following a Jan. 2, 2019, bench trial which found him guilty of three counts of unlawfully using an identification document and four counts of misusing a social security number.
Puac-Gomez was sentenced in Cedar Rapids by U.S. District Court Judge C.J. Williams. In addition to her prison sentence, she was ordered to make $19,908.30 in restitution to the state of Iowa, and she must also serve a three-year term of supervised release after she completes her prison term. There is no parole in the federal system.
Puac-Gomez is being held in U.S. Marshals custody until she can be transported to a federal prison.
This case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel C. Tvedt, Northern District of Iowa.
Illegal Aliens Get Minimum Sentences for Killing Couple, Raping 12-Year-Old
Two illegal aliens received prison sentences of 12 to 2o years, one for killing a young couple in a sanctuary city and another for raping a 12-year-old girl.
The Angel Family of 34-year-old Logan Wilson and his wife 32-year-old Jessica Wilson is outraged after an illegal alien was sentenced to just 12 years in prison after killing the young couple in a drunk driving crash in August 2018 in the sanctuary city of Marion County, Oregon.
Weeks ago, illegal alien Eduardo de la Lima Vargas from Mexico received a sentence of 12 years after killing the Wilsons, leaving their three young children now without parents, in a drunk driving crash where the couple’s motorcycle was wedged under the illegal alien’s pickup truck, Breitbart News originally reported.
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The Angel Family of 34-year-old Logan Wilson and his wife 32-year-old Jessica Wilson is outraged after an illegal alien was sentenced to just 12 years in prison after killing the young couple in a drunk driving crash in August 2018 in the sanctuary city of Marion County, Oregon.
Weeks ago, illegal alien Eduardo de la Lima Vargas from Mexico received a sentence of 12 years after killing the Wilsons, leaving their three young children now without parents, in a drunk driving crash where the couple’s motorcycle was wedged under the illegal alien’s pickup truck, Breitbart News originally reported.
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Valedictorian says school cut his commencement speech because he's gay
SHEBOYGAN, Wis. —The valedictorian for the 2019 Sheboygan Lutheran High School senior class says administrators banned him from speaking at commencement because of his sexual orientation.
Nat Werth told WISN Friday that when he turned in his commencement speech draft on May 20, administrators told him they were concerned.
"When the administration looked at my speech, I think they were looking for me to misstep, to say something so that I couldn't give my speech at graduation," Werth said. "Deep down, I knew that they didn't trust me."
The following is an excerpt from Werth's commencement address, addressing his sexuality:
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Nat Werth told WISN Friday that when he turned in his commencement speech draft on May 20, administrators told him they were concerned.
"When the administration looked at my speech, I think they were looking for me to misstep, to say something so that I couldn't give my speech at graduation," Werth said. "Deep down, I knew that they didn't trust me."
The following is an excerpt from Werth's commencement address, addressing his sexuality:
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Here’s the value of $1 in each state, according to recent data
A dollar, as it turns out, is not always worth a dollar. Rather, it varies — and by quite a lot — depending on where you’re at in the United States, according to a new analysis from 24/7 Wall St., a financial news and commentary website.
You might move to a new state for the job opportunities or the entertainment options or the outdoor recreation, but a state’s cost of living might also tip the scale in its favor. In Mississippi? You’ll get the biggest bang for your buck there, with $1 being worth $1.16. But in Hawaii, a dollar holds the least value and is only worth 84 cents. In fact, there are only four states where a dollar is indeed worth a dollar. (Any guesses which ones those are?)
For the analysis, 24/7 Wall St. used regional price parity data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The dollar has the most purchasing power in the poorest states, according to the analysis. It’s worth the least amount in states that contain some of the wealthiest cities.
Here’s exactly how much a dollar is worth in all 50 states.
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You might move to a new state for the job opportunities or the entertainment options or the outdoor recreation, but a state’s cost of living might also tip the scale in its favor. In Mississippi? You’ll get the biggest bang for your buck there, with $1 being worth $1.16. But in Hawaii, a dollar holds the least value and is only worth 84 cents. In fact, there are only four states where a dollar is indeed worth a dollar. (Any guesses which ones those are?)
For the analysis, 24/7 Wall St. used regional price parity data from the Bureau of Economic Analysis. The dollar has the most purchasing power in the poorest states, according to the analysis. It’s worth the least amount in states that contain some of the wealthiest cities.
Here’s exactly how much a dollar is worth in all 50 states.
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Famed Doctor Fears Bubonic Plague Could Sweep Across Dem-Controlled Los Angeles
The City of Angels is experiencing Armageddon. It’s so bad that Dr. Drew Pinsky wakes every day mortified and concerned how things are going to play out.
“We had an outbreak of typhoid fever at the end of last week,” Pinsky told The Todd Starnes Show. “The (police) precinct near Skid Row is overrun with rats and rat droppings.”
While you may be new to this story, it didn’t happen overnight. Dr. Drew actually predicted the typhus epidemic last summer, and he thinks it’s going to be worse this summer.
“You can’t imagine how unsanitary the conditions are in these homeless encampments in Los Angeles,” he continued. “I’ve only heard of two circumstances where humans lived in conditions like this: One was in medieval times before we knew what sanitation was required to prevent disease, and the other is concentration camps.”
Dr. Drew then pointed out that Anne Frank died of typhus.
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“We had an outbreak of typhoid fever at the end of last week,” Pinsky told The Todd Starnes Show. “The (police) precinct near Skid Row is overrun with rats and rat droppings.”
While you may be new to this story, it didn’t happen overnight. Dr. Drew actually predicted the typhus epidemic last summer, and he thinks it’s going to be worse this summer.
“You can’t imagine how unsanitary the conditions are in these homeless encampments in Los Angeles,” he continued. “I’ve only heard of two circumstances where humans lived in conditions like this: One was in medieval times before we knew what sanitation was required to prevent disease, and the other is concentration camps.”
Dr. Drew then pointed out that Anne Frank died of typhus.
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19-year sentence for man who threw child off MOA balcony
BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — The man who pleaded guilty to throwing a 5-year-old boy off a third-story balcony at the Mall of America was sentenced to 19 years in prison Monday.
Emmanuel Aranda stood in court listening to victim impact statements being read by a prosecutor, tears welling in his eyes. Of that 19-year sentence, Minnesota law mandates that he serve 12 of them, with 53 days off for time served.
When given the opportunity to make a statement or apologize to the family of his victim, Aranda said nothing.
In mid-May the 24-year-old pleaded guilty to first degree attempted murder in the case, in exchange for an agreed-upon sentence of 19 years.
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Emmanuel Aranda stood in court listening to victim impact statements being read by a prosecutor, tears welling in his eyes. Of that 19-year sentence, Minnesota law mandates that he serve 12 of them, with 53 days off for time served.
When given the opportunity to make a statement or apologize to the family of his victim, Aranda said nothing.
In mid-May the 24-year-old pleaded guilty to first degree attempted murder in the case, in exchange for an agreed-upon sentence of 19 years.
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The vote-by-phone tech trend is scaring the life out of security experts
With their playbook for pushing government boundaries as a guide, some Silicon Valley investors are nudging election officials toward an innovation that prominent coders and cryptographers warn is downright dangerous for democracy.
Voting by phone could be coming soon to an election near you.
As seasoned disruptors of the status quo, tech pioneers have proven persuasive in selling the idea, even as the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine specifically warn against any such experiment.
The fight over mobile voting pits technologists who warn about the risks of entrusting voting to apps and cellphones against others who see internet voting as the only hope for getting most Americans to consistently participate on Election Day.
“There are so many things that could go wrong,” said Marian Schneider, president of Verified Voting, a coalition of computer scientists and government transparency advocates pushing for more-secure elections. “It is an odd time for this to be gaining momentum.”
Behind the vote-by-phone push is a political operative who grew rich helping Uber elbow its way onto city streets and Bird populate the sidewalks with electric scooters, and who sees mobile voting as a potential cure for an ailing democracy.
Bradley Tusk is using the same tactics in this personal crusade that he used to advance tech startups. He has bet a significant share of the fortune he built off his equity stake in Uber that the gospel of mobile voting will spread so fast that most Americans will have the option of casting their ballots for president by phone as soon as 2028.
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Voting by phone could be coming soon to an election near you.
As seasoned disruptors of the status quo, tech pioneers have proven persuasive in selling the idea, even as the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine specifically warn against any such experiment.
The fight over mobile voting pits technologists who warn about the risks of entrusting voting to apps and cellphones against others who see internet voting as the only hope for getting most Americans to consistently participate on Election Day.
“There are so many things that could go wrong,” said Marian Schneider, president of Verified Voting, a coalition of computer scientists and government transparency advocates pushing for more-secure elections. “It is an odd time for this to be gaining momentum.”
Behind the vote-by-phone push is a political operative who grew rich helping Uber elbow its way onto city streets and Bird populate the sidewalks with electric scooters, and who sees mobile voting as a potential cure for an ailing democracy.
Bradley Tusk is using the same tactics in this personal crusade that he used to advance tech startups. He has bet a significant share of the fortune he built off his equity stake in Uber that the gospel of mobile voting will spread so fast that most Americans will have the option of casting their ballots for president by phone as soon as 2028.
More
Great white shark named Brunswick surfaces near Ocean City
A 431-pound great white shark outfitted with a radio tag earlier this year popped up Friday along the Atlantic coast about 100 miles east of Rehoboth Beach, Del.
Brunswick, an adolescent male caught and released Feb. 26 near Hilton Head, S.C., has been heading steadily northward after spending some time in April and May around Myrtle Beach, S.C., and North Carolina's Outer Banks, according to Ocearch's Global Shark Tracker. In the 103 days since he received his battery-operated radio transmitter, which is activated when his dorsal fin is above the surface of the ocean for at least 90 seconds, he has traveled more than 1,300 miles.
He surfaced east of Ocean City, Md., at 4:38 a.m. Friday and headed north to surface again at 4:12 and 6 p.m. Friday east of Rehoboth Beach. This is the season for sharks' annual northern migration, but the first season Brunswick has been tracked.
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Brunswick, an adolescent male caught and released Feb. 26 near Hilton Head, S.C., has been heading steadily northward after spending some time in April and May around Myrtle Beach, S.C., and North Carolina's Outer Banks, according to Ocearch's Global Shark Tracker. In the 103 days since he received his battery-operated radio transmitter, which is activated when his dorsal fin is above the surface of the ocean for at least 90 seconds, he has traveled more than 1,300 miles.
He surfaced east of Ocean City, Md., at 4:38 a.m. Friday and headed north to surface again at 4:12 and 6 p.m. Friday east of Rehoboth Beach. This is the season for sharks' annual northern migration, but the first season Brunswick has been tracked.
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Stacey Abrams’ Campaign Withholds Subpoenaed Records in State Ethics Investigation
Democrat Stacey Abrams’ failed 2018 gubernatorial campaign notified the Georgia Ethics Commission on Friday that it will not fully comply with a subpoena seeking records sent in April.
The commission wants to review thousands of emails and bank statements from the Abrams campaign to determine whether it accepted donations from organizations exceeding the maximum contribution for a statewide election, according to a report. The state officials are said to have requested communications between Abrams aides and groups advocating for better political participation among minorities, along with financial records beginning in May 2018.
Per WABE.org:
"The Abrams campaign sent more than 3,600 pages of financial records to state ethics officials. But it withheld nineteen emails, according to a letter attached to the campaign’s response to David Emadi, the executive secretary of the ethics commission hired in April. "
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The commission wants to review thousands of emails and bank statements from the Abrams campaign to determine whether it accepted donations from organizations exceeding the maximum contribution for a statewide election, according to a report. The state officials are said to have requested communications between Abrams aides and groups advocating for better political participation among minorities, along with financial records beginning in May 2018.
Per WABE.org:
"The Abrams campaign sent more than 3,600 pages of financial records to state ethics officials. But it withheld nineteen emails, according to a letter attached to the campaign’s response to David Emadi, the executive secretary of the ethics commission hired in April. "
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Judge tosses House Dems' border wall lawsuit
Washington, D.C., district court Judge Trevor McFadden threw out House Democrats' lawsuit seeking an injunction against President Trump's emergency border wall funding reallocation, saying that the matter is fundamentally a political dispute and that the politicians lack standing to make a legal case.
Trump had declared a national emergency this past February over the humanitarian crisis at the southern border, following Congress' failure to fund his border wall legislatively. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and House Democrats then filed suit in April, charging that Trump was "stealing from appropriated funds” by moving $6.7 billion from other projects toward border wall construction.
Democrats argued that the White House had "flouted the fundamental separation-of-powers principles and usurped for itself legislative power specifically vested by the Constitution in Congress."
But, in his ruling, McFadden, a Trump appointee, suggested Democrats were trying to circumvent the political process.
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https://www.foxnews.com/politics/judge-house-dems-lawsuit-trump-emergency-military-funds-border-wall
Trump had declared a national emergency this past February over the humanitarian crisis at the southern border, following Congress' failure to fund his border wall legislatively. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., and House Democrats then filed suit in April, charging that Trump was "stealing from appropriated funds” by moving $6.7 billion from other projects toward border wall construction.
Democrats argued that the White House had "flouted the fundamental separation-of-powers principles and usurped for itself legislative power specifically vested by the Constitution in Congress."
But, in his ruling, McFadden, a Trump appointee, suggested Democrats were trying to circumvent the political process.
More
https://www.foxnews.com/politics/judge-house-dems-lawsuit-trump-emergency-military-funds-border-wall
Former key Mueller witness George Nader arrested on child pornography charges
George Aref Nader, who was a key witness in special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation, was arrested on child pornography charges Monday in New York, federal prosecutors announced Monday.
Nader was arrested upon arrival at John F. Kennedy International Airport for "transporting visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct."
He previously pleaded guilty to the same charge in 1991, the Justice Department said.
If convicted, he faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 40 years.
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Nader was arrested upon arrival at John F. Kennedy International Airport for "transporting visual depictions of minors engaged in sexually explicit conduct."
He previously pleaded guilty to the same charge in 1991, the Justice Department said.
If convicted, he faces a minimum sentence of 15 years in prison and a maximum of 40 years.
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House Dems Expected to Vote on Mass Amnesty Bill
House Democrats are expected on Tuesday to bring to a vote a bill to grant protection from deportation and a path to permanent residency for millions of illegal immigrants.
H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act, will likely pass the Democrat-controlled House, although it is dead on arrival in the Republican-controlled Senate. The bill passed through the House Judiciary Committee last month, following what Politico called an "intra-party squabble" over whether or not it should provide a path to citizenship to certain individuals with criminal records, and whether or not it should extend federal financial aid to illegal immigrants.
According to an analysis jointly authored by the Center for American Progress and the University of Southern California Dornsife Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration, the ADPA would extend permanent legal status and eventually a path to citizenship to up to 2.5 million currently resident illegal immigrants. These would be drawn from beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Temporary Protected Status (TPS), and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) programs.
More 'Barnum & Bailey' here
H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act, will likely pass the Democrat-controlled House, although it is dead on arrival in the Republican-controlled Senate. The bill passed through the House Judiciary Committee last month, following what Politico called an "intra-party squabble" over whether or not it should provide a path to citizenship to certain individuals with criminal records, and whether or not it should extend federal financial aid to illegal immigrants.
According to an analysis jointly authored by the Center for American Progress and the University of Southern California Dornsife Center for the Study of Immigrant Integration, the ADPA would extend permanent legal status and eventually a path to citizenship to up to 2.5 million currently resident illegal immigrants. These would be drawn from beneficiaries of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA), Temporary Protected Status (TPS), and Deferred Enforced Departure (DED) programs.
More 'Barnum & Bailey' here
Good-hearted lawyers
Good-hearted lawyers
One afternoon a lawyer was riding in his limousine when he saw two men along the roadside eating grass. Perplexed, he ordered his driver to stop & he got out to investigate.
He asked one man, "Why are you eating grass?"
"We don't have any money for food," the poor man replied. "We have to eat grass."
"Well, you come with me to my house and I'll feed you," the lawyer said.
"But sir, I have a wife and two children with me. They are over there eating grass under that tree."
"Bring them along," the lawyer replied.
Turning to the second poor man he stated, "You may come with us also."
The other man pitifully said, "I also have a wife and six children with me!
"Bring them all as well," the lawyer replied.
They all entered the limo, no easy task even for a sizable limousine.
Once underway, one of the poor fellows turned to the lawyer and said, "You are too kind, thanks for taking all of us with you."
The lawyer replied, "You'll really love my place, the grass is almost a foot high."
Come on . . . did you really think there was a heartwarming lawyer story?
Look at Congress -- over 300 damn lawyers!
One afternoon a lawyer was riding in his limousine when he saw two men along the roadside eating grass. Perplexed, he ordered his driver to stop & he got out to investigate.
He asked one man, "Why are you eating grass?"
"We don't have any money for food," the poor man replied. "We have to eat grass."
"Well, you come with me to my house and I'll feed you," the lawyer said.
"But sir, I have a wife and two children with me. They are over there eating grass under that tree."
"Bring them along," the lawyer replied.
Turning to the second poor man he stated, "You may come with us also."
The other man pitifully said, "I also have a wife and six children with me!
"Bring them all as well," the lawyer replied.
They all entered the limo, no easy task even for a sizable limousine.
Once underway, one of the poor fellows turned to the lawyer and said, "You are too kind, thanks for taking all of us with you."
The lawyer replied, "You'll really love my place, the grass is almost a foot high."
Come on . . . did you really think there was a heartwarming lawyer story?
Look at Congress -- over 300 damn lawyers!
Poplar Hill Mansion Festival June 15, 2019
Come to Poplar Hill Mansion for a festival on June 15, 2019 from 10:00-2:00 as we celebrate the early 1800s history of Salisbury!
The PHM Festival will include War of 1812 reenactors, live sheep and spinning demonstrations, music and dancing of the period, and the Wicomico 4-H with crafts and archery demonstrations. There will also be a tented Market Square with arts and trades reminiscent of the Federal Period and goods for sale. Food vendor will be available and there are multiple raffles including a 50/50 and quilt raffle. It’s sure to be a fun filled day!
Tours of Poplar Hill Mansion will also be available throughout the day and volunteers will be wearing period dress. This is a FREE event with parking located in the Bethesda Methodist Church parking lot on the corner of Division St. and Isabella St. in the Newtown Neighborhood.
The festival is the 2019 Best New Heritage Initiative Award winner from the Lower Eastern Shore Heritage Council. All proceeds go towards the preservation of Salisbury's Oldest House, Poplar Hill Mansion, a 501(c)-3. Call 410-749-1776 for more information.