Federal marshals have used invasive cellphone surveillance devices to track down 6,000 suspects in the United States – the most prolific use of the so-called stingray of any other law enforcement agency, USA Today reports.
The U.S. Marshals Service even bills itself as the country's most prolific user of powerful phone-tracking devices that intercept cellphone signals, newly disclosed records show, USA Today reported.
A U.S. Marshals Service surveillance log reviewed by USA Today lists 5,975 cases in which the agency used stingrays – a suitcase-sized device that can pinpoint a cellphone location by posing as a cell tower.
The agency wouldn't disclose what time period the log covered, where suspects were arrested or who the suspects were, the newspaper reports.
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DelMarVa's Premier Source for News, Opinion, Analysis, and Human Interest Contact Publisher Joe Albero at alberobutzo@wmconnect.com or 410-430-5349
Thursday, February 25, 2016
Bernie Sanders: Republican Base Is ‘Absolutely’ Racist
There is racism in the Republican base, Vermont
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) said during Tuesday night’s CNN Democratic town hall in Columbia, South Carolina.
“There was an effort to delegitimize the president … do I think in some parts of that Republican base there’s racism involved? Absolutely,” he said.
“Nobody has asked for my birth certificate. Maybe it’s the color of my skin,” Sanders said, referring to the birther movement that questioned President Barack Obama’s natural-born status in the United States.
Donald Trump was one of those who voiced concerns about why Obama delayed releasing his long-form birth-certificate. “I’m not a psychoanalyst and boy, would a psychoanalyst have an interesting time with Donald Trump,” Sanders said.
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Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) said during Tuesday night’s CNN Democratic town hall in Columbia, South Carolina.
“There was an effort to delegitimize the president … do I think in some parts of that Republican base there’s racism involved? Absolutely,” he said.
“Nobody has asked for my birth certificate. Maybe it’s the color of my skin,” Sanders said, referring to the birther movement that questioned President Barack Obama’s natural-born status in the United States.
Donald Trump was one of those who voiced concerns about why Obama delayed releasing his long-form birth-certificate. “I’m not a psychoanalyst and boy, would a psychoanalyst have an interesting time with Donald Trump,” Sanders said.
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Scalia Autopsy Decision Divides Pathologists
Should Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia’s body undergone an autopsy?
A group of pathologists polled by The New York Times offered mixed perspectives when asked the question of whether the 79-year-old’s body should have been examined after he was declared to have died from natural causes, presumably cardiac arrest.
No autopsy was performed and the certification of death was made without even an examination of the body, The Times says.
Texas officials said they had obeyed the wishes of the Scalia family in not authorizing an autopsy after the justice was found Feb. 13 in his bed at a West Texas ranch.
An estimated 326,000 people of all ages experience cardiac arrest out of a hospital in the United States each year, and 90 percent of them die, according to the American Heart Association.
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A group of pathologists polled by The New York Times offered mixed perspectives when asked the question of whether the 79-year-old’s body should have been examined after he was declared to have died from natural causes, presumably cardiac arrest.
No autopsy was performed and the certification of death was made without even an examination of the body, The Times says.
Texas officials said they had obeyed the wishes of the Scalia family in not authorizing an autopsy after the justice was found Feb. 13 in his bed at a West Texas ranch.
An estimated 326,000 people of all ages experience cardiac arrest out of a hospital in the United States each year, and 90 percent of them die, according to the American Heart Association.
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Plea deal means mom avoids jail in son's swing death
LA PLATA, Md. (AP) — A woman found pushing her dead son in a playground swing last year will avoid time in prison or a mental institution under a plea deal accepted Monday. As part of the deal, a Charles County judge found Romechia Simms not criminally responsible, media outlets reported.
Sen. Jeff Sessions: Only 3 Percent of Illegals Caught at Border Are Sent Back
Only 3 percent of the illegal immigrants arrested at the U.S. border with Mexico over the past two and a half years have been returned to their home countries, Sen. Jeff Sessions said Tuesday.
At a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill, the Alabama Republican said that only 4,680 of the 127,000 illegals have been returned.
He challenged Thomas Homan, a senior official at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, on whether the administration was returning illegals.
"So, isn’t it the truth, Mr. Homan, that these individuals … go out into the country — and if they don’t show up for court, nobody goes out and looks for them?" he asked.
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At a hearing of the Senate Judiciary Committee on Capitol Hill, the Alabama Republican said that only 4,680 of the 127,000 illegals have been returned.
He challenged Thomas Homan, a senior official at U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, on whether the administration was returning illegals.
"So, isn’t it the truth, Mr. Homan, that these individuals … go out into the country — and if they don’t show up for court, nobody goes out and looks for them?" he asked.
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Number of Maryland farms shrinks in 2015
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — The U.S. Agriculture Department says the number of farms in Maryland continues to shrink.
The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service in Annapolis says in a statement that the number of farms in Maryland in 2015 is estimated at 12,200. That’s 100 fewer than in 2014.
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The USDA’s National Agricultural Statistics Service in Annapolis says in a statement that the number of farms in Maryland in 2015 is estimated at 12,200. That’s 100 fewer than in 2014.
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CDC: 1 in 2 Black Gay Men in US Will be Diagnosed with HIV
About half of gay and bisexual black men will be diagnosed with the AIDS virus in their lifetime, according to new government estimates.
Overall, for the average American, the odds of an HIV infection is 1 in 99 and has been declining.
But the risk varies widely for different groups. For example, the projection is 1 in 2 for gay black men but fewer than 1 in 2,500 for heterosexual white men.
"The differences are stark," said Dr. Jonathan Mermin of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC released the estimates at a Boston medical conference on Tuesday.
HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, is spread mainly through sex and sharing needles for injecting drugs. In the U.S., infections have long been most common in men who have sex with men. Since AIDS was first identified more than 30 years ago, medicines have changed it from a death sentence to a chronic threat.
The report provides an unusually vivid picture of what's been happening with HIV infections. The estimates were calculated from HIV diagnosis and death figures from 2009 through 2013.
New HIV infections have been falling in the United States, to about 40,000 annually. A disproportionately large share — about 10,000 cases — has been in gay and bisexual black men. That number has been holding steady while infections in other groups have fallen.
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Overall, for the average American, the odds of an HIV infection is 1 in 99 and has been declining.
But the risk varies widely for different groups. For example, the projection is 1 in 2 for gay black men but fewer than 1 in 2,500 for heterosexual white men.
"The differences are stark," said Dr. Jonathan Mermin of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The CDC released the estimates at a Boston medical conference on Tuesday.
HIV, or human immunodeficiency virus, is spread mainly through sex and sharing needles for injecting drugs. In the U.S., infections have long been most common in men who have sex with men. Since AIDS was first identified more than 30 years ago, medicines have changed it from a death sentence to a chronic threat.
The report provides an unusually vivid picture of what's been happening with HIV infections. The estimates were calculated from HIV diagnosis and death figures from 2009 through 2013.
New HIV infections have been falling in the United States, to about 40,000 annually. A disproportionately large share — about 10,000 cases — has been in gay and bisexual black men. That number has been holding steady while infections in other groups have fallen.
More
Thief Dons Walmart Smock, Steals Four Flat Screen TVs
WTVR News reports that a man dressed as a Walmart employee made an unauthorized trip into the retailer’s stockroom last month and left with four TVs.
A spokesperson for the local Crime Solvers says the man, dressed in khaki pants, a light grey sweatshirt, and a typical blue Walmart vest, loaded four flat-screen TVs onto a cart and pushed them out of the store through an emergency exit.
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More than 13 Million Latinos to Vote in US Election
More than 13 million Latinos are expected to vote in November's US presidential election -- almost two million more than in 2012 -- according to a study released Tuesday.
The total could be even higher depending on which candidates the Republican and Democratic parties nominate and how effectively they reach out to the increasingly influential Latino community, said the report from the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO).
Latinos are already affecting voting patterns in some swing states such as Colorado, and NALEO executive director Arturo Vargas said no one camp could claim to own their loyalty.
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The total could be even higher depending on which candidates the Republican and Democratic parties nominate and how effectively they reach out to the increasingly influential Latino community, said the report from the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO).
Latinos are already affecting voting patterns in some swing states such as Colorado, and NALEO executive director Arturo Vargas said no one camp could claim to own their loyalty.
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Only One Retailer Comes Out Smelling Worse Than Walmart In Latest Customer Satisfaction Surveys
The American Customer Satisfaction Index has released its annual look at the retail industry, and once again Walmart scored the lowest among department stores, supermarkets, and personal care retailers. But one specialty retailer did manage to eke out an even lower score than Walmart.
That would be Abercrombie & Fitch, which made its bare-chested debut on the ACSI specialty retailers index with a horrid 65 out of 100, a full 12 points below the sector’s average and seven points under the next-lowest scorer (Advance Auto Parts). In fact, A+F’s 65 was the lowest score in all of retail for 2015.
Perhaps the clothing store can chalk it up to the old sports cliche of a “rebuilding year,” as Abercrombie kicked off 2015 saying goodbye to controversial CEO Mike Jeffries — the man who looked like Gary Busey in Lethal Weapon but had the tact of a Mean Girls character.
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That would be Abercrombie & Fitch, which made its bare-chested debut on the ACSI specialty retailers index with a horrid 65 out of 100, a full 12 points below the sector’s average and seven points under the next-lowest scorer (Advance Auto Parts). In fact, A+F’s 65 was the lowest score in all of retail for 2015.
Perhaps the clothing store can chalk it up to the old sports cliche of a “rebuilding year,” as Abercrombie kicked off 2015 saying goodbye to controversial CEO Mike Jeffries — the man who looked like Gary Busey in Lethal Weapon but had the tact of a Mean Girls character.
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McConnell: No Vote on Obama Court Nominee
Some senior U.S. Senate Republicans on Tuesday moved to slam the door shut on any Supreme Court nomination President Barack Obama will make as they voiced opposition to even committee hearings on a replacement for the late Justice Antonin Scalia.
"That's the consensus view. ... No hearing, no vote," Senate Judiciary Committee member Lindsey Graham told reporters after leaving a private meeting of the panel's Republicans with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Separately, Senator John Cornyn, the second-ranking Republican behind McConnell, said, "Correct," when asked by Reuters whether the path forward on any Obama nominee would be to deny that person a committee hearing.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley had previously left open the possibility of convening hearings once Obama nominates a justice. He was not immediately available for comment.
Earlier on Tuesday, in remarks on the Senate floor, McConnell said: "Presidents have a right to nominate, just as the Senate has its constitutional right to provide or withhold consent. In this case, the Senate will withhold it."
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"That's the consensus view. ... No hearing, no vote," Senate Judiciary Committee member Lindsey Graham told reporters after leaving a private meeting of the panel's Republicans with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell.
Separately, Senator John Cornyn, the second-ranking Republican behind McConnell, said, "Correct," when asked by Reuters whether the path forward on any Obama nominee would be to deny that person a committee hearing.
Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Charles Grassley had previously left open the possibility of convening hearings once Obama nominates a justice. He was not immediately available for comment.
Earlier on Tuesday, in remarks on the Senate floor, McConnell said: "Presidents have a right to nominate, just as the Senate has its constitutional right to provide or withhold consent. In this case, the Senate will withhold it."
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Amazon Now Selling Clothing Under Its Own In-House Brands
In yet another effort to completely and totally dominate the shopping world, Amazon has apparently started a few private label clothing brands and has been quietly shilling apparel and accessories under those trademarked names with nary a press release to let anyone know.
WWD cites KeyBanc Capital analyst Ed Yruma, who said the company has introduced at least seven private label fashion brands recently: Franklin & Freeman, Franklin Tailored, James & Erin, Lark & Ro, North Eleven, Scout + Ro and Society New York.
There’s a range of items for sale from the brands: men’s dress shoes, suits, and other clothing; women’s clothing and accessories; and children’s apparel. The brand with the most items for sale focuses on women’s dress and handbags, called Society New York.
The prices seem to fall in the middle of the road, with dresses for $66.60 on Lark & Ro and tops for $31.41. A Franklin Tailored man’s suit costs $247.97, with ties for around $25.
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WWD cites KeyBanc Capital analyst Ed Yruma, who said the company has introduced at least seven private label fashion brands recently: Franklin & Freeman, Franklin Tailored, James & Erin, Lark & Ro, North Eleven, Scout + Ro and Society New York.
There’s a range of items for sale from the brands: men’s dress shoes, suits, and other clothing; women’s clothing and accessories; and children’s apparel. The brand with the most items for sale focuses on women’s dress and handbags, called Society New York.
The prices seem to fall in the middle of the road, with dresses for $66.60 on Lark & Ro and tops for $31.41. A Franklin Tailored man’s suit costs $247.97, with ties for around $25.
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JEB BUSH’S “MONEY FOR NOTHING”
South Carolina’s “First in the South” primary exploited a truth that the Washington, D.C. elites have been suppressing and obfuscating over; This is not the “Chinese Year of the RINO.’
In another well struck blow to the establishment, Donald Trump took the Palmetto State’s hard knocks contest hands down – taking forty-four of South Carolina’s forty-six counties. Again, his success came from voters characterized as angry, evangelical, and dissatisfied with Washington.
“Change” was certainly the centerpiece of this southern smorgasbord, and South Carolina voters dished themselves up a heaping, healthy serving of Trump-style shrimp and grits.
The media intelligentsia will be spoon-feeding the narrative for days to come, but nothing better defines the collective mindset of the electorate than the slow motion train wreck of the Jeb Bush campaign finally come to a screeching halt.
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In another well struck blow to the establishment, Donald Trump took the Palmetto State’s hard knocks contest hands down – taking forty-four of South Carolina’s forty-six counties. Again, his success came from voters characterized as angry, evangelical, and dissatisfied with Washington.
“Change” was certainly the centerpiece of this southern smorgasbord, and South Carolina voters dished themselves up a heaping, healthy serving of Trump-style shrimp and grits.
The media intelligentsia will be spoon-feeding the narrative for days to come, but nothing better defines the collective mindset of the electorate than the slow motion train wreck of the Jeb Bush campaign finally come to a screeching halt.
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Today's Feel Good Stories
Our first story this morning happened in Birmingham, Alabama where an eight-year-old was home alone and he called his father to tell him that three men were trying to break into his house. Dad returned home and found the three guests inside while the boy his in a closet. Dad started busting caps, and when police arrived they found Raheem Stubbs on the floor with gunshot wounds. The cops searched with K9s and couldn’t find anyone. With tips from the public, police found Jarmarcus Boris Stubbs. Raheem was declared DOT (dead over there) at the hospital and Jarmarcus was charged with his murder.
In Hickory, North Carolina, Brian Foster Eckard was going about his business as a burglar when a very rude homeowner shot him twice, once in the arm and again in the back. Eckard went to the nearest bar for treatment, they called him an ambulance and he’s been released from the hospital into the arms of local constabulary. In another story, Eckard appeared in court in a wheelchair. The homeowner said that he didn’t want to shoot Eckard, but that he had no choice. That’s why these are “feel good stories” – they’re about the best possible outcome after the criminals leave innocent civilians with no good choices.
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In Hickory, North Carolina, Brian Foster Eckard was going about his business as a burglar when a very rude homeowner shot him twice, once in the arm and again in the back. Eckard went to the nearest bar for treatment, they called him an ambulance and he’s been released from the hospital into the arms of local constabulary. In another story, Eckard appeared in court in a wheelchair. The homeowner said that he didn’t want to shoot Eckard, but that he had no choice. That’s why these are “feel good stories” – they’re about the best possible outcome after the criminals leave innocent civilians with no good choices.
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South Carolina Students Sue After Being Interrogated Over Free Speech Event
MORE PC NONSENSE ON AMERICA’S COLLEGE CAMPUSES
We’ve written extensively in recent months about higher ed’s deplorable descent into politically-correct madness. Sadly, this taxpayer-subsidized trend is alive and well even at our founding editor’s alma mater, the University of South Carolina (USC).
The latest example?
A crackdown on USC’s chapters of Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) and College Libertarians – two groups which had the audacity to organize an event promoting free speech on campus last fall.
Apparently this “free speech zone” violated the “safe space” of some of their fellow students, who reported flyers promoting the event to school authorities – claiming they were “offensive” and “triggering.”
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We’ve written extensively in recent months about higher ed’s deplorable descent into politically-correct madness. Sadly, this taxpayer-subsidized trend is alive and well even at our founding editor’s alma mater, the University of South Carolina (USC).
The latest example?
A crackdown on USC’s chapters of Young Americans for Liberty (YAL) and College Libertarians – two groups which had the audacity to organize an event promoting free speech on campus last fall.
Apparently this “free speech zone” violated the “safe space” of some of their fellow students, who reported flyers promoting the event to school authorities – claiming they were “offensive” and “triggering.”
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Why Rubio Can’t Win
Now that Chris Christie has crashed, John Kasich has been ghettoized, Scott Walker self-destructed, and nobody bought the idea of Jeb Bush, all the king’s horses and all the king’s men — as well as Fox News — are trying to shove Marco Rubio down the throats of the Republican electorate.
But they’ll never make the sale.
The fundamental fault line that runs through the middle of the Republican and Democratic parties is that which separates the establishment from the true believers. And nobody will cross that line unless there is absolutely no other option.
The basic strategy of the anti-Donald Trump hysterics is to force an amalgamation of the alternatives into a Great White Hope who can take on The Donald. They believe that Trump can only win a plurality and not a majority. Based on that flawed reasoning, they posit that all they have to do is to pick off the alternatives until there is only one remaining opponent to Trump, and they have decided that his name is Rubio.
But the defect in this thesis is that it ignores the fault line. Rand Paul voters didn’t go to Rubio, they went to Ted Cruz; Ben Carson voters would do likewise.
And should Rubio best Cruz and force his de facto withdrawal, his votes would not go to Rubio. They would go right to Trump.
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But they’ll never make the sale.
The fundamental fault line that runs through the middle of the Republican and Democratic parties is that which separates the establishment from the true believers. And nobody will cross that line unless there is absolutely no other option.
The basic strategy of the anti-Donald Trump hysterics is to force an amalgamation of the alternatives into a Great White Hope who can take on The Donald. They believe that Trump can only win a plurality and not a majority. Based on that flawed reasoning, they posit that all they have to do is to pick off the alternatives until there is only one remaining opponent to Trump, and they have decided that his name is Rubio.
But the defect in this thesis is that it ignores the fault line. Rand Paul voters didn’t go to Rubio, they went to Ted Cruz; Ben Carson voters would do likewise.
And should Rubio best Cruz and force his de facto withdrawal, his votes would not go to Rubio. They would go right to Trump.
More
Revived Streetcars May Be On Track For Disappointment
New York City has an ambitious, multi-billion dollar plan to connect Brooklyn and Queens with a streetcar. It would bring convenience to residents from Red Hook, an isolated area cut off from the rest of Brooklyn by water and a major highway.
"There's only really one way into Red Hook, and that's it," says Jackie Soto, who lives in one of the several big public housing development in the neighborhood. "We only have the buses that come in out and out."
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Consumer Confidence in U.S. Sinks to Seven-Month Low
Consumer confidence slumped in February as households grew more concerned about the outlook for the economy and jobs, sending their inflation forecast to a nine-year low.
The Conference Board’s sentiment index slid to 92.2 this month, less than the lowest forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg and the weakest since July, from a revised 97.8 in January, the New York-based private research group said Tuesday. The survey reflected responses received through Feb. 11, the day the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index sank to an almost two-year low. Shares have since rallied.
“It’s too early to say that consumer confidence is really on the cusp of rolling over, but your antennae have to be raised and you have to pay attention to see where this goes over the next three months or so," said Brett Ryan, a U.S. economist at Deutsche Bank in New York, whose confidence forecast was the lowest in the Bloomberg survey. Consumers “may be frustrated that they are not seeing wage gains. Corporate profits have been weak as of late, and add to that the volatility in the equity markets, it probably has people a little uneasy."
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The Conference Board’s sentiment index slid to 92.2 this month, less than the lowest forecast of economists surveyed by Bloomberg and the weakest since July, from a revised 97.8 in January, the New York-based private research group said Tuesday. The survey reflected responses received through Feb. 11, the day the Standard & Poor’s 500 Index sank to an almost two-year low. Shares have since rallied.
“It’s too early to say that consumer confidence is really on the cusp of rolling over, but your antennae have to be raised and you have to pay attention to see where this goes over the next three months or so," said Brett Ryan, a U.S. economist at Deutsche Bank in New York, whose confidence forecast was the lowest in the Bloomberg survey. Consumers “may be frustrated that they are not seeing wage gains. Corporate profits have been weak as of late, and add to that the volatility in the equity markets, it probably has people a little uneasy."
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Senate Republicans Agree To Block Obama's Supreme Court Nominee
Any doubt that Senate Republicans would hold the line behind their leader's decision to block President Obama's Supreme Court nominee has been erased.
"I can now confidently say the view shared by virtually everybody in my conference, is that the nomination should be made by the president the people elect in the election that's underway right now," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters.
Senate Republicans on Tuesday held their first closed-door meeting since the unexpected death of Justice Antonin Scalia to discuss the party's strategy going forward.
"I believe the overwhelming view of the Republican Conference in the Senate is that this nomination should not be filled, this vacancy should not be filled by this lame duck president," McConnell added.
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"I can now confidently say the view shared by virtually everybody in my conference, is that the nomination should be made by the president the people elect in the election that's underway right now," Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., told reporters.
Senate Republicans on Tuesday held their first closed-door meeting since the unexpected death of Justice Antonin Scalia to discuss the party's strategy going forward.
"I believe the overwhelming view of the Republican Conference in the Senate is that this nomination should not be filled, this vacancy should not be filled by this lame duck president," McConnell added.
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