Signs to warn drivers of tough reckless driving penalties in Va.

WASHINGTON — New signs on Interstates 95 and 81 warn drivers that traveling faster than 80 mph in Virginia can carry stiff penalties, including up to a year in jail.

The Virginia Department of Transportation is installing the warning signs on I-95 in the 70 mph zone through Spotsylvania, Caroline and Hanover counties between D.C. and Richmond, and on I-81 as far north as Shenandoah County, west of Front Royal.

The signs are going up in locations that data from the Department of Motor Vehicles show have more crashes than other similar highway stretches or higher proportions of speeding drivers than other stretches.

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Hillary’s chutzpah: Slamming Trump over Putin remarks while her Iranian nuke deal benefits Russia

You have to give the Clinton campaign props for their chutzpah! Hillary Clinton and President Obama have been hitting the campaign trail mocking Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump’s Russian business connections and his comments regarding Vladimir Putin, calling him a “strong leader for Russia.”

Obviously Trump’s statement is simply factually true but the Clinton campaign is trying to turn Trump into some type of Russian puppet, someone Lenin used to call a “useful idiot.”

While at the same time, the Iran nuclear “deal” where President Obama lied to the American people over and over again — we still don’t know to what extent —and that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has openly supported, funds the Russian treasury by tens of billions of dollars. The cash that Obama shipped Iran, — $30 billion at last known count — most likely went to fund terrorism around the world, and that’s a lot of terror. However, the other tens of billions that Iran received are going to fund the Kremlin’s hybrid warfare campaign against the West.

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East Coast faces gas shortages after pipeline leak

NEW DELHI (CNNMoney) —A leak has caused the closure of a crucial pipeline that carries gasoline to the eastern United States, a disruption that threatens to drive up prices and leave service stations without fuel to sell.

A section of the Colonial Pipeline, which runs from Houston to New York, has been closed since Sept. 9 after a spill of roughly 6,000 barrels of gasoline was discovered in rural Shelby County, Ala.

The major pipeline, one pipe of which has been severed, provides gasoline for an estimated 50 million people on the East Coast each day, according to company estimates.

The pipeline's operator has said full service will not be restored until at least next week. The closure has set off an industry-wide scramble as suppliers seek alternative ways to transport gasoline to the East Coast.

Already, ships have been dispatched to carry fuel from Texas to New York as part of the effort

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Initial Jobless Claims Confirm Hillbama's "Everything Is Awesome" Meme; But...

Initial jobless claims continue to live in a distorted world of its own... Against expectations of 265k, claims beat with a 260k print - flat to last week and stuck near 42 year lows suggesting we've almost never been better.

Forward-looking expectations of employment in Services and Manufacturing sectors looks bad... and did not end well last time...

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Ruppersberger: Edward Snowden A 'Criminal' Who Endangered Americans

Rep. C.A. Dutch Ruppersberger was the ranking member on the House intelligence committee when Edward Snowden leaked classified documents about government surveillance.

Now, while Snowden remains in asylum in Russia, and a movie based on his actions heads into theaters, a new report by that House committee has come out calling Snowden a traitor who did damage to America's national security interests.

The Republican-led committee released a three-page unclassified summary of its two-year bipartisan examination of how Snowden was able to remove the documents from secure NSA networks, what the documents contained and the damage their removal caused to U.S. national security.

Rep. Adam Schiff of California, the ranking Democrat on the House intelligence committee, said the probe revealed that the vast majority of what Snowden took had nothing to do with American privacy.

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Mexico Builds A "Wall" (And Guess Who Paid For It)

Mexico is building a 'wall'... on its southern border (to keep illegal immigrants out). Perhaps even more ironic, The FT notes that the Obama administration is coy about its role in Mexico’s crackdown but is sending $75m in equipment and training to help stop Central Americans from crossing illegally into Mexico... in other words, US Taxpayers funded a Mexican wall to keep immigrants out.

The UN estimates 400,000 Central Americans cross illegally into Mexico each year and as many as half of those are fleeing violence. But as The FT reports, Mexico already acts as a formidable barrier for many...

Zero net immigration of Mexicans into the US and an 82 per cent fall in people caught trying to cross the US-Mexico border in the past 10 years means that most would-be immigrants detained there are Central Americans. Even without Mr Trump’s fortress frontier, Mexico finds itself under increasing pressure to stem the migrant tide near its source — its own southern border.

“Mexico has become a wall for migrants,” said Sister Magdalena Silva, co-ordinator of Cafemin, a privately run shelter in Mexico City that takes in refugee families, including Rosa’s. “The current policy is to arrest migrants to stop them from getting to the US border.”

Unlike in the US, Mexico has broadened asylum laws to recognise that fleeing violence of the kind practised by the street gangs of Honduras and El Salvador can classify someone as a refugee. But the odds are still stacked against asylum seekers: Mexico deported a record 175,000 Central Americans last year, up 68 per cent from the previous year and nearly two-and-a-half times the number deported by the US.

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OC tackles short-term rental glut

Ocean City’s efforts to track and collect taxes from short-term vacation rentals advertised on peer-to-peer websites, such as Airbnb and VRBO, were discussed during Monday’s Tourism Commission meeting.

Donna Abbott, Ocean City director of tourism and marketing, said Susan Jones, executive director of the Ocean City Hotel Motel Restaurant Association, is continuing to educate others on the issue.

“She’s working on planning a short-term rental seminar to create awareness among HMRA members,” Abbott said.

The topic has reached the boiling point in other U.S. markets.

“Even in San Francisco, where Airbnb is based, they’ve filed a lawsuit,” she said.

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L.A. Times Tracking Poll: Donald Trump Up Six Points

Donald Trump continues his polling climb in the L.A. Times political tracking poll, as he now leads Hillary Clinton by six points.

Trump is now at 47.2 percent while Clinton is at 41.3 percent.

The poll suggests that Trump has soared during Clinton’s absence on the campaign trail, after she collapsed after a 9/11 ceremony in New York City raising questions about her health.

Clinton returns to the campaign trail today, speaking at a rally in North Carolina.

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OC Coastal Cleanup collects roughly 500 pounds of trash

The numbers are still being added, but the result is still the same: it was another successful International Coastal Cleanup in Ocean City.

According to preliminary figures from Ocean City Surf Club, a longtime participant in the event, approximately 145 Adopt Your Beach volunteers were part of the total 214 registered participants in the worldwide trash cleanup held on Saturday.

As of Tuesday, organizers reported that 500 pounds of trash was collected and about 700 volunteer hours logged.

“The storm really brought us a lot of extra litter,” said OC Surf Club member Effie Cox, who also helped built the beach adoption program. “There was a lot of stuff that was uncovered and washed up to shore in the rough waters, like plastic items and surprising [amount] of sand toys.”

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HILLARY CLINTON’S NONEXISTENT DIAGNOSIS – NO SUCH CONDITION AS “NON CONTAGIOUS BACTERIAL PNEUMONIA” IN ICD-10…

Fake illnesses, fake diagnosis and fake tests. All for a fake candidate. Go figure.

There’s something very odd about the diagnosis that Dr. Lisa Bardack has presented for her patient Secretary Hillary Clinton, it’s doesn’t exist.

As you can see from the two-page letter presented today by Hillary Clinton’s doctor, she has been diagnosed with “mild non-contagious bacterial pneumonia“. However, there’s a problem….

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Md.’s highest court to decide case of vanity license plate with profanity

ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The Maryland Court of Appeals is considering whether the state’s Motor Vehicle Administration acted unconstitutionally in recalling vanity license plates sporting a Spanish scatological word.

In 2009, John T. Mitchell of Accokeek, Maryland, requested and received vanity license plates from the Maryland MVA that read “MIERDA,” a Spanish term that translates to “s–t” or “junk.”

It was not until December 2011 that he received a letter from the Motor Vehicle Administration stating that his plates were issued in error and asking that Mitchell return them.

“I thought it was a possibility I might get a letter explaining why they wouldn’t issue it, but I got the tag in the mail, no issues with it,” Mitchell said.

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Prominent Author: France Preparing For "Civil War" Against Muslims

Secret plan to "clean up" the country

French authorities are preparing for “civil war” against Muslims in order to “clean up” the country, according to prominent author Éric Zemmour, who claims a high placed government source told him of the plan.

Franco-Algerian Zemmour gave an interview with French radio station RTL during which he revealed details of a program called “Operation Ronces,” developed in coordination with the Israeli Army based on their experiences in Gaza.

The French government has been secretly preparing for a “civil war” against Muslims as a way to “clean up” the country in response to numerous riots and terror attacks in recent years, claims Zemmour, who characterizes the plan as a “new reconquista on their own soil”.

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Report calls for routine psychiatric testing of police officers

BALTIMORE —A recent Baltimore grand jury report is recommending routine mental health psychological evaluations be mandatory for all police and correctional officers.

Periodic testing is meeting resistance from the police union. Those opposed cite costs and expressed fear that city officers will be fired because psychiatric testing is not standardized.

The bi-annual Baltimore grand jury report found that since April 2015 riots, city officers are overwhelmed, overworked and underpaid. The grand jury wrote that the Baltimore Police Department is facing a staff shortage, and officers can't request time off unless it is an emergency or a funeral.

The report stated: "They should be arguing, where is my mental health? Where is my break? Sit me on a desk for a day! Let me breathe! They are tired and afraid for their own safety and security."

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HSBC case blows lid off Clintons’ offshore empire

Panama Papers suggest ties to massive money-laundering scheme

NEW YORK – The arrest of the head of global foreign exchange cash trading at HSBC bank may shed new light on suspicions the Clinton Foundation has been involved in illegal offshore money-laundering operations on a massive scale.

The investigation into HSBC currency trader Mark Johnson and associate Stuart Scott for their alleged role in a “conspiracy to rig currency benchmarks” by front-running customer orders has escalated to the point where the Department of Justice is threatening to tear up a 2012 agreement to fine HSBC a historic $1.9 billion for money-laundering violations in lieu of criminal prosecutions.

At issue is whether or not HSBC has honored the 2012 deferred-prosecution agreement in which the bank agreed to establish internal review procedures to catch and punish potentially criminal activities by employees.

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Offshore wind farm could lower congestion costs

With the only power plant in the county serving the residents of Berlin, and only part-time at that, transmitting electricity to customers on the lower shore can get costly, but quantifying exactly how much could be saved by employing other methods is not likely to be a line item on anyone’s bill anytime soon.

These costs of transmission are already rolled into the kilowatt-hour charges customers see delineated on electric bills.

Paul Rich of U.S. Wind, the company in the process of installing an offshore wind farm near Ocean City, described these costs as a “hidden tax” on lower shore residents. He estimated the costs at $4.25 per bill per individual customer on the lower shore.

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Clinton Foundation to Throw Birthday Bash for Bill in Manhattan

The Clinton Foundation is going ahead with plans for a big fundraiser Friday celebrating former president Bill Clinton’s 70th birthday at Manhattan’s Rainbow Room on Friday, featuring performances by Jon Bon Jovi, Barbara Streisand and other stars.

Clinton turned 70 on August 19.

Politico’s Ken Vogel describes the event as “one last glitzy fundraising bash” before Hillary Clinton wins the November election and takes office, after which the Clintons’ ties to the foundation are in doubt. He adds:

The fundraiser is being held at the Rainbow Room, a fine-dining restaurant on the 65th floor of a Manhattan skyscraper. Plans called for performances by Wynton Marsalis, Jon Bon Jovi and Barbra Streisand, according to people briefed on the planning. They said that major donors are being asked to give $250,000 to be listed as a chair for the party, $100,000 to be listed a co-chair and $50,000 to be listed as a vice-chair.

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Maryland commission to recommend repeal of 'overly burdensome' business regulations

A commission reviewing Maryland's regulatory environment for business is expected to hand in its second report in December recommending repeals of "overly burdensome" regulations, Chairman Abba David Poliakoff said Friday.

Gov. Larry Hogan created the Regulatory Reform Commission last year through an executive order with the goal of figuring out how to improve Maryland's business friendliness. The commission delivered the first of three scheduled reports last December, recommending items such as consolidating professional licenses and reviewing the state's procurement process. The latest report comes ahead of the 2017 General Assembly.

Last year, the commission hosted meetings across the state and received feedback from more than 250 businesses. This year, Poliakoff said, the commission created four workgroups to discuss regulatory reform in the areas of environmental/land use, financial services, occupations and business licensing and health care.

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Congressman Harris Votes to Block Gitmo Release of Detainees

WASHINGTON, DC: Congressman Andy Harris (MD-01) released the following statement after the House passed H.R. 5351, to prohibit the transfer of any individual detained at United States Navel Station, Guantanamo Bay, Cuba:

“Once again, Congress has acted to stop President Obama from playing politics with the security of our nation, putting American lives in danger. With the revelation that 30% of former Guantanamo Bay detainees are confirmed or suspected of reengaging in terrorism, we cannot allow for the transfer and or release of these enemy combatants, especially not to the United States. I agree with the hardworking Americans who believe that counterterrorism should be one of our top priorities and it is unconscionable that our President would willingly bring known terrorists into this country. I will continue to work to ensure that bringing Gitmo detainees to the United States remains illegal.”

Perdue Ends Controversial Practice, Activists Claim Victory

SALISBURY, Md. (AP) — Maryland-based Perdue Farms says it will stop the controversial practice of inserting plastic into its male chickens’ nostrils.

In a statement released this week, the company says it will use another method to prevent them from eating the food of nearby hens. That will involve converting animal feeders.

The company says the practice will end by January. Arkansas-based Tyson Foods announced earlier this summer that it’s also phasing out the practice.

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California Dems Push For Obamacare For Illegals

California Democrats advocated for President Barack Obama to sign a waiver allowing undocumented immigrants to buy healthcare plans through the Obamacare exchanges Wednesday, claiming the change would not be federally subsidized.

California’s Democratic delegation sent a letter to the administration Monday pushing to make the state the first exemption from the Affordable Care Act’s provision preventing illegals from purchasing plans.

At a Capitol Hill press conference Wednesday, State Sen. Ricardo Lara, a Democrat who led the effort on the state level, stood with congressional lawmakers arguing the exemption would not cost taxpayer dollars or effect the state budget.

“We know that 72 percent of our California families come from mixed status households, meaning wither one or two people in your family are undocumented,” Lara said. “This creates a significant problem when your currently registering for the Affordable Care Act, because we see time and time again, when you can’t enroll the entire family, the entire family leaves without enrolling anyone.”

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