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Friday, June 23, 2017

VINTAGE BASEBALL COMING TO PEMBERTON HISTORICAL PARK

Summer and baseball, Wicomico’s 150th birthday and Civil War era history – we have paired them all! On July 9, beginning at 11 am (or thereabouts) you can enjoy it all at Pemberton Historical Park. Vintage baseball is not your usual game. This one is played in an open field, without gloves, with special bats, and even its own language! Dating from the mid-1800s this is the grand-daddy of modern baseball, different in the way players behave, look, and even talk.

This year’s game follows a tradition begun several years ago by Westside Historical Society when they invited the Easton Fair Play vintage Baseball Club to come play one Sunday afternoon in Mardela Springs. Moving to the field in front of Pemberton Hall seemed a good solution when the Mardela field became unavailable. Easton players agreed to come, but rather than playing against other teams from the Mid-Atlantic Vintage Baseball League, this year their opponents will be two teams of local volunteer “baseball” players! One team organized by Steve Greenwood and one put together by Charlie Echard, both baseball fans from “way back,” these teams may be in for an education! Pemberton Hall Foundation and Westside Historical Society, with Wicomico Parks and Recreation, will jointly sponsor this event, proving that history can be fun!

Gregg Jarrett: Will Mueller & Comey use a false case of obstruction to trigger impeachment?

“The indictment or criminal prosecution of a sitting President would unconstitutionally undermine the capacity of the executive branch to perform its constitutionally assigned functions.” -- DOJ opinion, October 16, 2000

The Department of Justice has long held that it would be unconstitutional to criminally charge and prosecute a sitting president. The Constitution itself expressly states that “indictment, trial, judgment and punishment” can occur only after a president is convicted upon impeachment (Article 1, Section 3).

However, there is nothing to prevent a special counsel from investigating a president and leveling an accusation with no formal charge. The accusation could be completely manufactured and meritless. Proving it in a court of law would be irrelevant because impeachment is a political act, not a legal one.

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Nearly 30 Million Americans Still Without Health-Insurance Coverage

In just the first few months of this year, nearly two million people dropped their Obamacare coverage. According to a new report released by the Administration, 12.2 million people signed up for coverage through the Obamacare exchanges in 2017. But enrollment has already fallen to just 10.3 million people.
“The American people know a bad deal when they see one, and that’s why they’re avoiding Obamacare like the plague.”
 Vice President Mike Pence

Obamacare: The Facts
Obamacare is failing the American people. After projecting to cover 23 million people in 2010, it has covered less than half that. Despite the inaccurate forecasts of the previous administration, a mere 10.3 million Americans had Obamacare coverage on March 15, 2017. Nearly 30 million Americans are still without health-insurance coverage. Vice President Pence is optimistic that the new administration can, and will, do better.
“Under President Donald Trump, we will rescue the American people from the disaster of Obamacare and give the American people the world-class healthcare that they deserve.”
 Vice President Mike Pence

Source

Democrats’ hunt for dirt on Trump could backfire in a major way

Do we feel lucky?

The Democrats should be asking themselves just that — in the same way that Clint Eastwood’s Detective Harry Callahan character posed the question to a street punk in the 1971 classic “Dirty Harry.”

The Dems have been pressing hard for a thorough investigation of President Trump — but that effort could easily backfire on them.

It’s a question Wall Street and Main Street should also ponder.

Wall Street has been mostly ignoring the Beltway banter so far this year — and still hopes that a huge tax reform plan will be passed soonish and that a $1 trillion infrastructure plan will begin this year and that the two, paired with a regulation rollback, will spark a serious revving of the US economy.

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Tick That Triggers Red Meat Allergy Spreading Across U.S.

BALTIMORE (WJZ) — Most severe allergic reactions to food occur within 20 minutes of exposure. But the reaction to red meat after a lone star tick bite is much different.

The lone star tick, which can trigger a life-threatening allergy to mammalian meat like beef, pork and lamb, is spreading far beyond where it originated in the southeastern U.S., scientists say.

The tick’s bite generates an allergy to a sugar molecule in red meat known as alpha-galactose, or “alpha-gal,” and can spark a life-threatening reaction with just a single bite of red meat, Business Insider reported.

“The weird thing about [this reaction] is it can occur within three to 10 or 12 hours, so patients have no idea what prompted their allergic reactions,” Dr. Ronald Saff, an allergist and assistant clinical professor of medicine at Florida State University College of Medicine, told Business Insider.

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Gingrich Hopes Pelosi Stays Around 'For 10 More Years'

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi is getting a great deal of blame from Democrats for this week's special election losses in Georgia and South Carolina, but another former House Speaker, Newt Gingrich said Thursday he hopes she stays right where she is.

"I hope they keep Nancy for 10 more years," Gingrich told Fox News' "Fox & Friends" program.

"I want her there for at least another decade. We know exactly how to run against the Nancy Pelosi-run party. We have no questions in 2018 [if it's] Nancy Pelosi versus Paul Ryan, and I hope that the Democrats keep her right where she is for a long, long time. At least a decade."

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Convicted sex offender moves next door to his victim

Fourteen years ago, Danyelle Dyer was molested by her step-uncle.

Now, the man has moved next door to Dyer's parent's house in Oklahoma -- and legally, there's nothing they can do about it.

Sexual offenders laws are in place to keep predators away from children. Like many other states, Oklahoma law bars sex offenders from living nears schools and churches.

But what Dyer and her family discovered is the state doesn't have a statute that prevents a sexual predator from moving next door to his victim.

Dyer, who's now 21, is fighting to change that.

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Virginia man charged with giving secret documents to China

A Virginia man caught flying from Shanghai to Chicago with $16,500 in his carry-on luggage could face execution for allegedly sending top-secret documents to China, a court heard.

Kevin Mallory, 60, of Leesburg was found with the money after an April visit to China; a subsequent investigation revealed his scheme, prosecutors told a US District Court in Alexandria, Virginia, Thursday.

Investigators allegedly found a phone message to the suspected Chinese agent in which he said 'your object is to gain information, and my object is to be paid.'

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Virginia Man Arrested and Charged With Espionage

Kevin Patrick Mallory, 60, of Leesburg, Virginia, made his initial appearance in federal court today on charges that he transmitted Top Secret and Secret documents to an agent of the People’s Republic of China. According to the affidavit in support of the criminal complaint, Mallory, travelled to Shanghai in March and April 2017 and met with an individual (PRC1), who he believed was working for the People’s Republic of China Intelligence Service (PRCIS).

The announcement was made by Dana J. Boente, Acting Assistant Attorney General for National Security and the U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia; and Andrew W. Vale, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

“The conduct alleged in this complaint is serious, and these charges should send a message to anyone who would consider violating the public’s trust and compromising our national security by disclosing classified information,” said Mr. Boente.

Obama Slams GOP Health Plan as 'Massive Transfer of Wealth'

Former President Barack Obama on Thursday ripped the Republican Senate's plan to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act, calling it "a massive transfer of wealth from middle-class and poor families to the richest people in America."

"It is not a healthcare bill," the two-term Democratic president said on Facebook. "It hands enormous tax cuts to the rich and to the drug and insurance industries, paid for by cutting healthcare for everybody else."

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MS-13 Member Sentenced to 160 Months in Prison for Racketeering-Related Charges


Today, an MS-13 gang member was sentenced to 160 months in prison and three years of supervised release for conspiring and attempting to murder on behalf of the gang.

Attorney General Jeff Sessions, Acting Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Blanco of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Stephen Schenning of the District of Maryland, Special Agent in Charge Andre R. Watson of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI); Chief James Tom Kemp of the Greenbelt Police Department; Chief Hank Stawinski of the Prince George’s County Police Department; and Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Angela D. Alsobrooks made the announcement.

“Transnational criminal organizations like MS-13 cannot continue to devastate our communities and our children. They must be stopped. Today’s sentencing sends a warning to all gang and cartel members: we are coming for you,” said Attorney General Sessions. “This outcome shows how strong cooperation between federal, state and local law enforcement can help us win the fight against violent gangs. I applaud the efforts of the fine Assistant U.S. Attorneys and all the dedicated men and women who brought this violent criminal to justice.”

No Injuries Reported After Banner Plane Makes Emergency Landing On Eastern Shore

(SHOWELL, MD) — No injuries were reported by the pilot of a small plane after he made an emergency landing in Worcester County.

The pilot is identified as Austin Kiehl, 23, from Montana. Kiehl did not report any injuries after making the emergency landing this afternoon.

The plane involved is a single engine Piper which was being used to fly a banner. The plane is owned by Ocean Aerial Ads, Inc. in Ocean City, Md.

Shortly after 3:00 p.m. today, Maryland State Police at the Berlin Barrack were dispatched to the report of a plane landing in a field off of Peerless Road near Route 113 in Showell, Maryland. Arriving troopers found the pilot uninjured and the plane without any damage. The scene was on private property in a rural area.

The preliminary investigation indicates the pilot reported he had run out of fuel, dropped the banner he was flying and performed an emergency landing in a field of dirt. He landed safely and reported no injuries.

State Police notified officials from the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board. The investigation continues…

You Just Can't Make This Stuff Up

NASA wants to probe Uranus in search of gas

We hear a lot about Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn, and that’s because we have extremely fancy hardware floating around and, in some cases, cruising on the surface of those planets. The planets that lie further away from the Sun don’t get nearly as much attention, but they may soon, as NASA is currently spitballing some missions that will give us a better look at Uranus than we’ve ever gotten.


The theoretical missions, which would see NASA spacecraft heading to both Uranus and Neptune, would be of huge scientific benefit. The idea is to determine what the planets are made of, get an idea of the atmospheric composition, and take lots of fantastic photographs, too. Researchers hope to study the weather and overall climate of the planets, while determining how they fit into the overall makeup of our Solar System.

Both Uranus and Neptune still hold many secrets yet to be revealed, and the proposed missions would include both flybys and an orbiter that would send an atmospheric probe to Uranus in order to sample its gasses and detect elements. A similar option exists for Neptune, though the actual details of the mission(s) would need to be fully fleshed out before it comes anywhere near a formal proposal.

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County considers cutting employee, teacher benefits

While most of the Worcester County Commissioners don’t necessarily disagree with the idea of reducing benefits provided to dependents of future county employees, they agreed to take no action Tuesday until they hear what current employees, particularly teachers, think about scaling back some programs.

The change would affect new hires to the county only, and specifically only those hired after a date yet to be determined, though Tuesday’s discussion centered on changing benefits at the start of the next fiscal year on July 1.

County employees, which includes teachers, hired before July 1, 2015 enjoy post-retirement health plans for dependents at a 10 percent cost, and those hired after that date pay 20 percent of the cost.

Commissioner Joe Mitrecic said he wanted to shift the entire cost of the county’s health care plan for dependents to the retired employee.

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State May Pull Hillary’s Security Clearance Over Private Email Server

State Department officials have opened “a formal inquiry” into Hillary Clinton’s use of a private email server located in her New York residence, and are considering whether she and her aides should lose their security clearances, Fox News reports.

Officials are investigating her use of a private server in the basement of her Chapaqua, New York, mansion to determine if she mishandled classified information during her tenure as the nation’s top diplomat, Fox reported in news the outlet said is confirmed by Republican Sen. Chuck Grassley.

Former FBI Director James Comey said in a July 2016 press conference that Clinton and her aides were “extremely careless in their handling of very sensitive, highly classified information.” But he did not recommend prosecution of Clinton or any of her aides, a move that generated widespread criticism.

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OC: Silver Spring man found guilty of raping minor

Erick Humberto Ramirez, one of five men who was charged with attacking an unconscious 17-year-old girl in an Ocean City hotel last summer, was found guilty Monday of second-degree rape and filming child porn.

A Circuit Court jury in Snow Hill also convicted Ramirez, 21, of Silver Spring, of second-, third- and fourth-degree sex offenses and second-degree assault for the incident that occurred on May 29, 2016.

Ocean City and Worcester County police said he had videotaped four other men undressing, inappropriately touching, and raping a teenager in the Dunes Manor Hotel on 28th Street.

Ramirez’s face went white when the guilty verdicts were read, and ultimately put his head in his hands and trembled. He was sentenced 23 years, with five suspended, for all crimes.

The jury reached its verdict roughly 15 minutes after hearing hours of testimony from the victim, Ocean City Police detectives and sheriff’s deputies. A dozen videos and photographs recovered from Ramirez’s phone during his drug arrest last June were central to Assistant State’s Attorney Diane Karsnitz’s case.

“This may not be what you expect from a sexual assault case,” Karsnitz said to the jury in closing arguments. “Typically, these cases come down to he said/she said, with motive and corroborative witnesses. I think the videos speak for themselves, and Mr. Ramirez’s cell phone says everything.”

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Prof Who Made Belligerent Appearance On Tucker Carlson Tonight Suspended Indefinitely

A former professor at Essex County College was indefinitely suspended two days after her heated appearance on “Tucker Carlson Tonight.”

Lisa Durden was told that she had to cancel her classes and report to Essex County College’s human resources department two days after a June 6 appearance on the prime time Fox News show. School officials then indefinitely suspended her.

“They did this to humiliate me,” Durden told The Star-Ledger. “Essex County College publicly lynched me in front of my students.”

Durden went off on the show in defense of a black-only Memorial Day party organized by Black Lives Matter, dodging a direct question from Carlson on whether it’s okay to exclude people based on race.

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BREAKING NEWS: PILOT MAKES EMERGENCY LANDING OUTSIDE OCEAN CITY

Showell Fire / EMS on the scene of a banner plane that made an emergency landing near Peerless Rd. Minor injuries to the pilot.

3 Va. teens arrested on drug and alcohol charges on the way to beach week

WASHINGTON (WJLA) - On Saturday, North Carolina State Highway Patrol officers stopped three teens they say were driving a car full of drugs and alcohol for speeding on their way to beach week in South Carolina.

Officers stopped the car for driving 76 mph in a 55 mph zone on NC 87, and smelled marijuana when close to the vehicle, prompting a search.

Police found 3.3 ounces of marijuana, 2.6 grams of cocaine, 18 liters of liquor, 50 liters of beer, drug paraphernalia and $3,600 in cash.

The three teens graduated high school on Friday night in Manassas, Virginia and were heading to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina for a week as a part of a group of 10 graduating seniors.

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NOI 06 22 2017 Wicomico Accidental Vehicle

NOTICE OF INVESTIGATION

Date: 6/22/2017
Time:  3:15 pm
Location / Address:  104 Staton St. Fruitland, Wicomico County
Type of Incident:  Vehicle Fire
Description of Structure / Property: 1990 Ford F250 pick-up truck
Owner / Occupants: Jeff Mills
Injuries or Deaths: none
Estimated $ Loss: Structure:  $   2,500                  Contents: $ 0
Smoke Alarm Status: n/a
Fire Alarm / Sprinkler Status: n/a
Arrests(s):  n/a
Primary Responding Fire Department: Fruitland
# of Alarms: 1      # Of Firefighters: 12
Time to Control: 10 min.
Discovered By: Employee
Area of Origin: Engine Compartment
Preliminary Cause: Accidental, electrical wiring.
Additional Information: 

A Viewer Writes: Monument/marker @ Removing marker @ Salisbury Court House

Joe - Just got a reply from Bob Culver on the marker removal: "After some research, we have determined that the marker in question is owned by the State of Maryland. It is not my intent to remove it."

Capitol Police arrest 43 protesters at ‘die-in’ in Senate office building

WASHINGTON — U.S. Capitol Police arrested dozens of protesters objecting to cuts to Medicaid in the Senate Republicans’ health care bill.

Around 11:30 a.m. Thursday, disability rights activists staged a planned “die-in” in the Russell Senate Office Building, located a block away from the Capitol. The demonstrators filled the hallway outside the office of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.

Many of the protesters got out of their wheelchairs and blocked the hallway – an unlawful act, the Capitol Police noted. Capitol Police arrested 43 demonstrators after officers warned them they could not block the hallway, said police spokeswoman Eva Malecki.

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Chris West Announces Run For Senate

I have decided to run for State Senate in District 42. This seat is currently held by Jim Brochin (D), who is vacating it in order to run for Baltimore County Executive next year. I had made no plans to make this race until recently and fully expected other qualified GOP candidates to run for it. When I learned that former longtime Delegate Wade Kach and four-term Delegate Sue Aumann have both decided not to run, I pondered the situation and concluded that I should throw my hat into the ring.

This Senate seat was designed to be a Republican seat. It gave Governor Hogan a 16,000 vote edge in the 2014 gubernatorial race. Senator Brochin narrowly edged out his Republican rival in the same election. I am confident that I can and will win the seat.

Key in my decision to run is that central Baltimore County, from Towson to the Pennsylvania Line, needs a State Senator who is respected by his colleagues, knows the ropes in Annapolis, has a demonstrated track record of success in solving constituent problems, can effectively represent his constituents from the day he is sworn in, has developed a close working partnership with Governor Hogan and the leaders of the General Assembly, and is intimately familiar with District 42, its residents, and its issues. I believe that, now that Wade Kach and Sue Aumann have decided not to run, I am the only person in District 42 who qualifies on all those counts.

I will make a public announcement of my candidacy on Monday morning, June 26, at 9:30 am on the lawn in front of the Baltimore County Board of Education at 6901 Charles Street. Parking is available along the shoulder of Charles Street. I would deem it an honor if you are able to be present for this announcement.

With best wishes, Chris West

At Glastonbury, Depp asks about assassinating the president

LOS ANGELES —Johnny Depp has asked a crowd at the Glastonbury Festival when was the last time an actor assassinated a president. The remarks came during a segment Thursday in which Depp was speaking about President Donald Trump.

He asked the question at the annual festival that celebrates the performing arts.

The 54-year-old "Pirates of the Caribbean" star followed by saying that he is not an actor, but someone who lies for a living.

However, he said, it's "been a while, and maybe it's time."

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Woman raped at Vanderbilt testifies in Brandon Banks trial

A woman who was raped while she was unconscious in a Vanderbilt University dorm room cried when she testified in court on Wednesday.

The visibly shaken woman faced Brandon Banks for the first time in the flesh since she was sexually assaulted four years ago and told prosecutors in Nashville, Tennessee, she had only seen his image in the collection of evidence.

The woman's boyfriend Brandon Vandenburg was caught on surveillance video carrying her into his dorm room, where prosecutors say he handed out condoms to his three teammates and egged them on.

A video shows Banks assaulting the student with a water bottle, Assistant District Attorney Jan Norman told the court, but the former football player claimed he was bullied and pressured by Vandenburg and his other teammates.

All four of the former football players were charged, and Vandenburg was convicted and sentenced to 17 years in prison. Corey Batey, who was also found guilty of rape, is serving 15-years.

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Germany to Quash Convictions of 50,000 Gay Men

Parliament votes through measure overturning conviction and offering compensation to the estimated 5,000 men still alive

Germany’s parliament has voted to quash the convictions of 50,000 gay men sentenced for homosexuality under a Nazi-era law that remained in force after the second world war.

After decades of lobbying, victims and activists hailed a triumph in the struggle to clear the names of gay men who lived with a criminal record under article 175 of the penal code.

An estimated 5,000 of those found guilty under the statute are still alive. The measure overwhelmingly passed the Bundestag lower house of parliament, where chancellor Angela Merkel’s coalition enjoys a large majority.

It also offers gay men convicted under the law a lump sum of €3,000 (£2,600) as well as an additional €1,500 for each year they spent in prison.

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Ocean City Police charge teen with rape in bathroom

Ocean City Police charged an 18-year-old man with rape and second-degree sex offense after he allegedly attacked a woman in a condominium bathroom Tuesday evening.

The victim reported the assault around 6:20 p.m., and was taken to Atlantic General Hospital by police for examination. While she was in the hospital, the woman told police that she was assaulted by Cameron G. Broaddus, of Coatesville, Maryland during a party at a condominium at 115th Street.

When the woman excused herself to use the bathroom, Broaddus followed her, according to the charging documents. He would not leave the bathroom, even though the woman told him repeatedly to leave.

As the woman sat down on the toilet, Broaddus allegedly pulled his pants down and approached her. When the woman pulled away, she hit the back of her head on the toilet seat.


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Sanctuary Cities Protecting MS-13 Gang Members from Deportation, Says ICE

There is a “rather long list” of sanctuary cities across the United States that choose to release incarcerated members of the notoriously violent Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang back into U.S. communities rather than allow immigration agents to prosecute and deport them, testified a federal officer under oath before lawmakers.

“We are not asking the state of local institutions to do anything besides give us access and transfer that individual to our custody at the completion of their criminal process so we [can]…remove them from the country or prosecute them,” declared Matthew Albence, the executive associate director for Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency, during a Senate panel hearing.

More here

45 Migrants Cross Same Area of Border in One Day as DHS Continues Obama’s Policies

Forty-five foreign nationals turned themselves in to Border Patrol agents in one day in one area of the Texas Rio Grande Valley Sector (RGV). This is the largest group of illegal aliens doing so since President Trump took office and he incorrectly claimed Obama’s catch and release directives had ended. Agents warn this is just the beginning and that the numbers are likely to grow again to Obama-era levels. The mass surrender occurred over the weekend of June 18, 2017.

Border Patrol Agent Chris Cabrera, speaking to Breitbart Texas in his role as a spokesman for the National Border Patrol Council (NBPC), stated, “We have been warning the American public that catch and release has not ended and that simple rhetoric is not enough to secure the border. DHS is continuing the same Obama-era policies. People south of our border are realizing that they can still come and that a large number of them will simply be released into U.S. communities with a Notice to Appear form.”

“Forty-two of these illegal aliens turned themselves in out in the field and another three turned themselves in at the McAllen Border Patrol station. If you want this problem fixed, you need to actually listen to the Border Patrol agents on the ground. Sadly, that is not happening right now,” said Agent Cabrera.

More here

If a Trump Supporter Had Shot a Democratic Congressman

What would have happened if a Trump supporter had shot a Democratic congressman and other Democratic Washington officials?

The answer is obvious.

The New York Times, the rest of the left-wing media and the Democratic Party would have made the shootings the dominant issue in American life. It is not possible to understand the left — and, therefore, the media and the current state of American life — without understanding how the left uses and relies on hysteria. Hysteria is to the left as oxygen is to biological life.

From the moment Donald Trump was elected president, America has been drowning in left-wing hysteria, all fomented by the media and the Democratic Party.

The charge of Russian collusion with the Trump campaign is hysteria. The claim that the president engaged in obstruction of justice is hysteria. As I have pointed out, the charge of Trump's election unleashing hate and anti-Semitism, which dominated American media for months, was hysteria.

If Democrats had been shot by a Trump supporter, all you would be hearing and reading about is how much hate the Trump election has unleashed in America, how his election is threatening our democracy and how he is unleashing fascism.

But it was a not a Trump supporter who attempted to murder a Democratic congressman, Capitol Police officers, a House GOP aide and a lobbyist; it was a Trump-hating leftist who attempted to murder a Republican congressman and other Republican officials.

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Drawing the line on North Korea

"We reiterated to China that they have a diplomatic responsibility to exert much greater economic and diplomatic pressure on the regime if they want to prevent further escalation in the region." --- U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson

(Source)

5 Years For Ex-Karate Instructor

OCEAN CITY — A Salisbury martial arts instructor who pleaded guilty to sex abuse of a minor in March in both Worcester and Wicomico Counties was sentenced last week in Worcester to 15 years with all but five years suspended.

Last October, Zachariah Bennett, 26, of Salisbury, was indicted by a Wicomico County grand jury on 29 total counts including first-degree rape for his alleged illicit activities involving minors while employed as an instructor at Mitchell’s Mixed Martial Arts in Salisbury. In November, a Worcester County grand jury indicted Bennett on five total counts ranging from sexual abuse of a minor sexual abuse of a minor to second-, third- and fourth-degree sex offenses stemming from similar incidents at an Ocean City amusement park last August.

Over the course of two days last fall, Bennett pleaded guilty in Worcester County Circuit Court to one count of sexual abuse of a minor and a pre-sentence investigation and mental health assessment were ordered.

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Starbucks Plans to Hire 2,500 Asylum Seekers in Europe

U.S. coffee giant Starbucks has announced plans to hire 2,500 asylum seekers across Europe in the next five years as part of a worldwide initiative.

The coffee company announced earlier this year they would be seeking to fill around 10,000 positions over the next five years with asylum seekers in the 75 countries in which they operate. New reports claim that around 2,500 of those asylum seekers hires will take place in Europe, Neue Presse reports.

The initiative, which was announced in January, is the brainchild of former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz who made the pledge in response to an executive order travel ban by U.S. President Donald Trump.

The decision sparked controversy and some took to calling for a boycott of the company on social media with one user on Twitter writing: “Hiring 10K refugees makes liberals feel warm BUT we have homeless vets that need those jobs. #BoycottStarbucks.”

More here

Trump announces hopes for 'solar wall' along US southern border


President Trump on Wednesday made his first public pitch to install solar panels on his border wall with Mexico.

It was the first time that the president mentioned his plan publically. Earlier this month, two congressional Republicans told The Wall Street Journal about the plan after a private meeting with Trump.

“Think of it,” Trump told the audience Cedar Rapids, Iowa. “The higher it goes, the more valuable it is. Pretty good imagination, right?”

The president joked, “This way, Mexico will have to pay much less money, and that’s good. A solar wall. Makes sense.”

In March, two experts wrote an opinion article in The Journal about the potential benefits of a solar wall.

Vasilis Fthenakis, director of the Center for Life Cycle Analysis at Columbia University, and Ken Zweibel, the director of the Solar institute at George Washington University, wrote that a “massive string of photovoltaic panels could be placed on the Mexican side of the wall. They said a solar wall may be more practical than a traditional wall.

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2017/06/22/trump-announces-hopes-for-solar-wall-along-us-southern-border.html

Jerry Brown’s Appointed Panel Votes to Make Him Highest-Paid Governor

California Gov. Jerry Brown is currently the longest-serving governor in California history, and will soon enjoy the distinction of being the highest paid governor in the country after a 3% pay raise.

According to an article by My MotherLode, a Gold Country newspaper, “the governor’s pay will go from around $190,000 to $196,000…[and] Jerry Brown will become the highest paid Governor in the country. Pennsylvania currently pays its governor just over $193,000.”

Unlike Jerry Brown, however, Pennsylvania’s Gov. Tom Wolf, also a Democrat, does not accept any salary.

The Sacramento Bee reports that every state politician will receive a similar pay raise:

Grassley blames Comey for false Trump narrative: 'Played right into Russia's hands'

A top Republican took to the Senate floor Thursday to blame fired FBI Director James B. Comey for fanning “conspiracy theories” about the U.S. election that “played right into Russia’s hands.”

Sen. Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican who, as chairman of the Judiciary Committee, has oversight of the FBI, also accused Mr. Comey of working to “shade the truth” by agreeing to the Obama administration’s attempt to soft-pedal the criminal probe of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Despite rampant public speculation, Mr. Comey kept hidden the fact that the president wasn’t under investigation — allowing conspiracy theories and speculation to run wild, Mr. Grassley said.

Mr. Grassley said he personally told Mr. Comey to reveal publicly what the FBI director had told top congressional leaders — that the president wasn’t a target of the Russia probe.

But Mr. Comey refused, saying later that he had feared saying something he’d later have to correct.

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Flu Vaccine Ineffective for Seniors Last Winter

The flu vaccine did a poor job protecting older Americans against the illness last winter, even though the vaccine was well-matched to the flu bugs going around.

U.S. health officials on Wednesday released new vaccine data showing it did a so-so job overall.

The vaccine was about 42 percent effective in preventing illness severe enough to send a patient to the doctor's office. But it was essentially ineffective protecting some age groups. That includes people 65 and older — the group that's hardest hit by flu, suffering the most deaths and hospitalizations..

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Gowdy: Maybe There Was Something Else On That Server

Wednesday on Fox News Channel’s “The Story,” Rep. Trey Gowdy (R-SC) said it was concerning that while testifying before the House Intelligence Committee earlier in the day at a hearing on the alleged Russian hacking of the 2016 presidential election, former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson said his department’s offer to help the Democratic National Committee was denied.

MACCALLUM: "What struck you most about your conversation with Jeh Johnson today?"

GOWDY: "He is in a unique position to answer those questions. He is looking at what Russia was doing. What was the government’s response in 2016? He was the secretary of DHS at all relevant times. I was interested in what the Obama administration knew and when and what efforts they took to thwart the Russians, or to notify potential victims.."

MACCALLUM: "..[The DNC] was asked by the FBI and the DHS to give the servers up, let’s figure out who is getting into them and how. Why would they say no? Why would they not want to cooperate?"

GOWDY: "Let me hazard a wild guess. There may be something else on that server they didn’t want law enforcement to see? That is where you start.."

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Third violation of probation hearing delayed for Denton

For the third time since her June 2015 conviction on 22 counts of malicious destruction of property in the Town of Berlin, Jordan Denton was scheduled to appear in District Court last Friday for a violation of probation hearing, but didn’t show up.

Her lawyer, Anders Randrup, said despite several attempts to contact his client, he had not spoken with her before the hearing. Deputy State’s Attorney Paul Haskell said he’d spoken with Denton’s probation officer, Michelle Peeples, and was told she may be seeking treatment for a personal issue.

Randrup said he had no other details.

Haskell told the court he wanted it to know what he knew.

District Court Judge Gerald Purnell said the information, scant as it may have been, was sufficient to grant a delay until July 21.

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Congressional Black Caucus Rejects ‘Social Gathering’ with President Trump

On Wednesday, the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) voted to reject an invitation to meet with President Donald Trump for a follow-up meeting.

“Given the lack of response to any of the many concerns we have raised with you and your Administration, we decline your invitation for 49 members of the Congressional Black Caucus to meet with you,” the group wrote in a letter addressed to the commander-in-chief from CBC Chairman Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-LA).

In his letter, Richmond said he failed “to see how a social gathering would benefit the policies we advocate for.”

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Majority of Lawmakers Sponsoring $15 Minimum Wage Legislation Do Not Pay Their Interns

The majority of lawmakers sponsoring legislation to raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour do not pay their interns, according to a report from the Employment Policies Institute.

The Raise the Wage Act, which would increase the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2024, was introduced by the Congressional Progressive Caucus in May.

The analysis conducted by the Employment Policies Institute shows that the majority of the lawmakers who have co-sponsored the measure do not pay their interns a wage at all. The study found that of the 184 lawmakers who supported the bill, 174, or 95 percent did not pay their interns.

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Deported MS-13 Gangsters Keep Sneaking Back Across U.S. Border

U.S. immigration officers keep apprehending and deporting members of the brutal Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) gang, but they keep sneaking back across the southwest border into the United States, a high-ranking Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) official told lawmakers.

“In many cases, we know who these individuals are. We have biometric identifiers. They’ve been arrested by the Border Patrol [USBP] or been arrested by ICE previously and removed and then re-entered the country unlawfully,” testified Matthew Albence, the executive associate director for Enforcement and Removal Operations (ERO) at ICE, under oath.

His comments came during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on January 21, 2017, titled, “The MS-13 Problem: Investigating Gang Membership, its Nexus to Illegal Immigration, and Federal Efforts to End the Threat.”

Both ICE and USBP are components of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

Breitbart Texas has long documented the threat posed by the notoriously violent MS-13 gang in the United States.

U.S. federal government figures show that there are “more than” 10,000 MS-13 gang members — accused of extortion, murder, and rape, among other crimes — operating in “at least” 46 states and the nation’s capital.

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Three American Hostages Still in North Korea Following Release, Death of Otto Warmbier

Americans are mourning the death of 22-year-old Otto Warmbier, a college student who was arrested and sentenced to 15 years of hard labor for allegedly stealing a poster in a hotel where he was staying.

The Trump administration secured Warmbier’s release after he was imprisoned for almost a year-and-a-half. He arrived in the United States last week in a coma and died just days later.

But Warmbier was not the only American languishing in North Korea’s gulag-style prisons.

According to the New York Times, two were arrested in the last two months — Tony Kim, also known as Kim Sang-duk, on April 23, and Kim Hak-song, also known as Jin Xue Song, on May 6, according to the New York Times, with each accused of “hostile acts.”

A third American, Kim Dong-chul, has been detained since 2015.

Tony Kim had spent a month in North Korea teaching accounting at Pyongyang University of Science and Technology (P.U.S.T.) and was about to leave the country when he was arrested, Chan-Mo Park, chancellor of the university, told the media.

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Black Lives Matter Disrupts Another Pride Parade, Injuring Four Police Officers

The Left always eats its own, but its embrace of totalitarian, violent tactics can make such developments anything but encouraging. For example, in Columbus, Ohio, over the weekend four police officers were injured as Black Lives Matter interfered with a Pride parade:

Over the weekend, several Black Lives Matter protesters attempted to block a Pride parade in Columbus, Ohio. When police responded, they reportedly resisted arrest, and one suspect tried to disarm an officer, leaving several officers injured, the Columbus Division of Police said.

Four demonstrators now face charges ranging from disorderly conduct to aggravated robbery over Saturday’s confrontation.

Showing up for Justice Columbus, a group that organizes “white people to take action to fight white supremacy,” wrote on Twitter that the demonstrators were “disrupting Pride” to protest Friday’s acquittal of the Minnesota police officer who shot and killed Philando Castile last year.

“Today myself and a group of other queer and trans PoC [People of Color] (and allies) staged a silent, peaceful protest in the middle of the pride parade to highlight the lack of support for queer POC trans folk within our community and the larger lgbtqia community,” Stephanie Ewen, one of the Black Lives Matter protesters, said in a statement on Facebook.

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Thank God Its Friday 6-23-17

What will you be doing this weekend?

Illinois' Fiscal Dumpster Fire Is a Lesson

If you recently bought a lottery ticket in Illinois, the odds are stacked against you — way against you. The Land of Lincoln has gotten itself into such a financial pickle that it may not even be able to pay out lotto winnings, meaning the chance of striking it big would be, literally, zero.

Years of fiscal mismanagement have finally caught up with Illinois, and the state is now facing $130 billion in unfunded public pension liabilities and nearly $15 billion more in debt. And because of certain court-ordered payments the state is required to make, the Illinois comptroller recently sounded the alarm that mandated bills will equal 100% of the state’s monthly revenue. In case the obvious needs emphasis, this is a problem.

It’s so bad even Republican Governor Bruce Rauner didn’t mince words. “We’re like a banana republic,” he said recently. “We can’t manage our money.”

The crisis should hardly be a surprise. As George Will noted last year, despite the state constitution’s requirement of a balanced budget, Illinois hasn’t had such a budget in 25 years..

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WB Route 50 from Maryland into D.C Closed

Shortly before 4:00 a.m. on June 23, 2016, Maryland State Police, College Park was advised by D.C. Metropolitan Police of a serious crash on New York Ave. Just over the Maryland line on Route 50 inside D.C. College Park Troopers responded to route 50 to assist with traffic control. As a result of this collision, all W/B route 50 traffic is being diverted onto MD 201 Kenilworth Ave. Maryland State Police can not advise how long the road closure will last as the collision occurred in D.C.

Maryland State Highway Administration handled the lane closures.

What We Did Explains It All

Kim Jung Un had NO military experience whatsoever before Daddy made him a four-star general.

This snot-nosed twerp had never accomplished anything in his life that would even come close to military leadership.

He hadn't even so much as led a Cub Scout troop, coached a sports team, or commanded a military platoon.

So he is made the "Beloved Leader" Of North Korea.

Terrific!

Oh nuts! I'm sorry...

I just remembered that we did the same thing.
We took an arrogant phony community organizer, who had never worn a uniform, never ran so much as an ice-cream stand, and made him Commander-in-Chief.

A guy, who had never had a real job, worked on a budget, or led anything more than an ACORN demonstration, and we made him "Beloved Leader" of the United States - Twice!

So if you think North Koreans are stupid...

I'm sorry I brought this up....never mind!

University Will Offer Free Rides In Driverless Shuttles On Campus Next Fall

Students and faculty at the University of Michigan campus in Ann Arbor will have another option for getting around campus next fall, when the school will offer free rides in driverless shuttles.