A criminal investigation into IT contractors employed by dozens of House Democrats is sparking broader concerns about continuing access to sensitive government emails, amid new allegations of illicit activity beyond Capitol Hill.
The investigation was announced last month by the U.S. Capitol Police and purportedly focuses on the contractors' access to House computers and whether they took hardware and made questionable IT-related purchases.
A police spokesman, while declining to go into detail, told Fox News this week that the case remains opens and focuses on “the actions of House IT support staff.”
But a high-level House staffer acknowledged Monday to Fox News that the probe has raised concerns about emails being hacked.
Official documents and multiple sources say at least five contractors -- including brothers Imran, Jamal and Abid Awan -- are the focus of the probe but that as many as six people could be involved.
The others purportedly involved are Imran’s wife, Hina Alvi, and Rao Abbas, who is not part of the family.
They allegedly removed hundreds of thousands of dollars of equipment from offices, including computers and servers, and ran a procurement scheme in which they bought equipment, then overcharged the House administrative office that assigns such contractors to members.
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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
Wednesday, March 15, 2017
Judges order Miller, Busch to give depositions in Maryland redistricting lawsuit
The ruling affirmed an earlier order by U.S. District Judge James K. Bredar, which had been appealed by the Maryland Attorney General's Office citing "legislative privilege."
"Because of the importance of the federal interests at stake and because the evidence of these conversations may be crucial to their vindication, we ... therefore hold in this case that legislative privilege does not protect conversations and other communications between legislators," wrote Fourth Circuit Judge Paul V. Niemeyer.
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Judge Nap: ‘Three Intel Sources’ Say Obama Looked to Brit Agency to Spy on Trump
Fox News Judicial Analyst Judge Andrew Napolitano claimed “three intelligence sources” say President Obama looked to British spy agency GCHQ to obtain transcripts of conversations involving President Donald Trump on “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday.
Napolitano said, “[T]hree intelligence sources have informed Fox News that President Obama went outside the chain of command..
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Napolitano said, “[T]hree intelligence sources have informed Fox News that President Obama went outside the chain of command..
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Maryland Bill to Keep Antibiotics Effective Clears Panel
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — A Maryland measure aimed at keeping antibiotics effective is headed to the state Senate.
The Keep Antibiotics Effective Act will be before the Senate this week. The Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee passed the bill out of committee Tuesday on a 7-4 vote.
The bill is in response to "superbugs" that are becoming more and more resistant to antibiotics. Supporters say part of the problem is the inappropriate and excessive use of human antibiotics in agriculture.
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The Keep Antibiotics Effective Act will be before the Senate this week. The Senate Education, Health and Environmental Affairs Committee passed the bill out of committee Tuesday on a 7-4 vote.
The bill is in response to "superbugs" that are becoming more and more resistant to antibiotics. Supporters say part of the problem is the inappropriate and excessive use of human antibiotics in agriculture.
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BREAKING NEWS: MARYLAND COURT HEARS 1ST OF SEVERAL CHALLENGES TO TRAVEL BAN
GREENBELT, Md. (AP) -- Hours before President Donald Trump's revised travel ban was to take effect, the first of several challenges to the executive order began Wednesday in a Maryland courtroom, where attorneys told a federal judge that the measure still discriminates against Muslims.
More than half a dozen states are trying to stop the ban that targets people from six predominantly Muslim countries. Hearings were also scheduled Wednesday in Washington state and Hawaii.
In Maryland, U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang - who was appointed by former President Barack Obama - said he would try to rule before the end of the day, but he made no promises that his ruling would apply nationwide or address the executive order in its entirety.
Government attorneys argued that the ban, which was to go into effect just after midnight, was revised substantially to address legal concerns, including the removal of an exemption for religious minorities from the affected countries.
"It doesn't say anything about religion. It doesn't draw any religious distinctions," said Jeffrey Wall, who argued for the Justice Department.
Attorneys for the ACLU and other groups said that Trump's statements on the campaign trail and statements from his advisers since he took office make clear that the intent of the ban is to ban Muslims. Trump policy adviser Stephen Miller has said the revised order was designed to have "the same basic policy outcome" as the first.
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More than half a dozen states are trying to stop the ban that targets people from six predominantly Muslim countries. Hearings were also scheduled Wednesday in Washington state and Hawaii.
In Maryland, U.S. District Judge Theodore Chuang - who was appointed by former President Barack Obama - said he would try to rule before the end of the day, but he made no promises that his ruling would apply nationwide or address the executive order in its entirety.
Government attorneys argued that the ban, which was to go into effect just after midnight, was revised substantially to address legal concerns, including the removal of an exemption for religious minorities from the affected countries.
"It doesn't say anything about religion. It doesn't draw any religious distinctions," said Jeffrey Wall, who argued for the Justice Department.
Attorneys for the ACLU and other groups said that Trump's statements on the campaign trail and statements from his advisers since he took office make clear that the intent of the ban is to ban Muslims. Trump policy adviser Stephen Miller has said the revised order was designed to have "the same basic policy outcome" as the first.
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Animal Control claims longtime family dog is wolf hybrid, won’t return him to owners
The Abbato family has had Capone for nearly 10 years. They rescued him from the Adams County Animal Shelter where he was classified as a German shepherd mix.
The family's veterinarian also says the same thing. But Aurora Animal Control thinks Capone is a wolf-hybrid.
"It's been real painful," 11-year-old Ciara Abbato said.
"Our German shepherd, Capone, got out Feb. 24. He jumped the fence. It’s the first time in the seven years we’ve lived here," said Capone’s owner, Tracy Abbato.
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Nearly 10,000 Wal-Mart employees in Maryland receive cash bonuses
The bonuses, and an annual pay raise, were included in paychecks for March 9, the company said in a press release. The company doled out more than $700 million in bonuses for the full fiscal year.
The company shared its strongest comparable-store sales performance of the year with a 1.8 percent increase in its fourth quarter.
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Obituary for John Riggin III
Growing up he was active in sports and went to work at an early age. John graduated from Wicomico Senior High School, Salisbury, MD in 1964. He went on to Mitchell College in Statesville, N.C. before joining the United States Army in 1967. He served with the Third Infantry Honor Guard at Fort Myer in Arlington, VA with details that included Presidential Inaugurations and funerals. Upon separation from military life, he worked for Delmarva Power and found much success as an energy efficiency expert. He later used these skills with various heating and air businesses in the Salisbury area.
Always the jokester, John’s lifelong goal was to make people smile. Many will remember his "pride and joy" cards. His passion was classic cars and he enjoyed displaying them at car shows and interacting with other enthusiasts.
He enjoyed volunteering at the Delmar VFW and served as an officer with the men's auxiliary. He was also a legionnaire and member of the Hebron American Legion.
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Breaking News: The U.S. charged 2 Russian spies and 2 others in a 2014 breach of 500 million Yahoo accounts that included the theft of personal data
Federal prosecutors announced charges against four men, including two Russian intelligence agents, on Wednesday for their roles in a conspiracy that led to the 2014 theft of 500 million Yahoo accounts, one of the largest known data breaches.
The four men together face 47 criminal charges, including conspiracy, computer fraud, economic espionage, theft of trade secrets and aggravated identity theft, the Justice Department said in a news release.
The two agents of Russia’s Federal Security Service, known as the F.S.B., who were charged are Dmitry Aleksandrovich Dokuchaev, 33, a Russian national and resident, and Igor Anatolyevich Sushchin, 43, a Russian national and resident. The other two defendants are Alexsey Alexseyevich Belan, 29, a Russian national and resident; and Karim Baratov, 22, a Canadian and Kazakh national and a resident of Canada.
“The criminal conduct at issue, carried out and otherwise facilitated by officers from an FSB unit that serves as the FBI’s point of contact in Moscow on cybercrime matters, is beyond the pale,” the acting assistant attorney general, Mary B. McCord, said in a statement.
The four men together face 47 criminal charges, including conspiracy, computer fraud, economic espionage, theft of trade secrets and aggravated identity theft, the Justice Department said in a news release.
The two agents of Russia’s Federal Security Service, known as the F.S.B., who were charged are Dmitry Aleksandrovich Dokuchaev, 33, a Russian national and resident, and Igor Anatolyevich Sushchin, 43, a Russian national and resident. The other two defendants are Alexsey Alexseyevich Belan, 29, a Russian national and resident; and Karim Baratov, 22, a Canadian and Kazakh national and a resident of Canada.
“The criminal conduct at issue, carried out and otherwise facilitated by officers from an FSB unit that serves as the FBI’s point of contact in Moscow on cybercrime matters, is beyond the pale,” the acting assistant attorney general, Mary B. McCord, said in a statement.
HEARING ALERT: Legislative Transparency Act Of 2017
Important Legislation Will Require General Assembly Deliberations to be Video Livestreamed
Note: House Health And Government Operations Committee to Hold Hearing on HB 438 on March 14, 2017, 1:00 PM
“The public has a right to know what their lawmakers are saying and doing during the debate on these important issues which are affecting the taxpayers. Legislators should be deliberating and making these important decisions out in the open, in the light of day. Why do they insist on dealing in secrecy? What is it that they have to hide?” - Governor Larry Hogan, January 19, 2017
Governor Hogan Has Been A Proponent Of Livestreaming Video Of Maryland General Assembly Deliberations
Governor Hogan Indicated His Support For The Video Livestreaming Of All General Assembly Deliberations In 2016; Called The Measure “Common Sense.” “The governor said in statement that he backed a bill that would require the state legislature to broadcast not only debates on the floor of each chamber, but also all voting sessions of committees. Committees currently livestream bill hearings, but not all debate and voting sessions. ‘Maryland citizens deserve accountability and transparency from their elected leaders, especially when modern technology should make access easy and inexpensive,’ Hogan said in a statement. ‘This is a common-sense piece of legislation.’” (Erin Cox, “Hogan Backs $1.2 Million Plan To Livestream Maryland General Assembly,” The Baltimore Sun, 2/24/16)
Note: House Health And Government Operations Committee to Hold Hearing on HB 438 on March 14, 2017, 1:00 PM
“The public has a right to know what their lawmakers are saying and doing during the debate on these important issues which are affecting the taxpayers. Legislators should be deliberating and making these important decisions out in the open, in the light of day. Why do they insist on dealing in secrecy? What is it that they have to hide?” - Governor Larry Hogan, January 19, 2017
Governor Hogan Has Been A Proponent Of Livestreaming Video Of Maryland General Assembly Deliberations
Governor Hogan Indicated His Support For The Video Livestreaming Of All General Assembly Deliberations In 2016; Called The Measure “Common Sense.” “The governor said in statement that he backed a bill that would require the state legislature to broadcast not only debates on the floor of each chamber, but also all voting sessions of committees. Committees currently livestream bill hearings, but not all debate and voting sessions. ‘Maryland citizens deserve accountability and transparency from their elected leaders, especially when modern technology should make access easy and inexpensive,’ Hogan said in a statement. ‘This is a common-sense piece of legislation.’” (Erin Cox, “Hogan Backs $1.2 Million Plan To Livestream Maryland General Assembly,” The Baltimore Sun, 2/24/16)
UMES 40th in national survey as best place for adjunct professors
FORT MILL, S.C. — Data analysts from the personal financial website GoodCall.com released the 2017 list of Best Universities for Adjunct Professors, ranking the top universities for adjunct and non-tenure track professors to teach and earn a living.
While the University of Maryland Eastern Shore did not make the top 10, of the 292 schools that were examined nationwide the Princess Anne campus ranked #40 in the U.S. Data used in the findings included average monthly pay, competitive salary to tenured and tenure-track faculty, student-teacher ratio, and student graduation rates.
It also takes into account affordability of the community where the college or university is based, and compares it to the national average.
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While the University of Maryland Eastern Shore did not make the top 10, of the 292 schools that were examined nationwide the Princess Anne campus ranked #40 in the U.S. Data used in the findings included average monthly pay, competitive salary to tenured and tenure-track faculty, student-teacher ratio, and student graduation rates.
It also takes into account affordability of the community where the college or university is based, and compares it to the national average.
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BUDGET ALERT: Education Cuts
Members of the Maryland House of Delegates Propose to Cut Funding From Important, Innovative Educational Programs
“We are working hard to ensure that every single child in Maryland is given the chance of a great education, regardless of what neighborhood they happen to grow up in. We owe it to our children, to all of you, to think more creatively and find new and innovative solutions.” - Governor Larry Hogan, December 13, 2016
Governor Hogan’s Proposed Fiscal Year 2018 Budget Includes $7 Million In Funding Toward The Broadening Options And Opportunities For Students Today (BOOST) Program
Governor Hogan’s Proposed Fiscal Year 2018 Budget Increases Funding For The BOOST Program By $2 Million To $7 Million. “The Broadening Options and Opportunities for Students Today (BOOST) Program grows by $2 million to $7 million as part of state’s commitment to double the funding for the program over three years.” (Press Release, “Governor Larry Hogan Announces Fiscal Year 2018 Budget,” Office Of The Governor, 1/17/17)
Governor Hogan Proposed To Expand The BOOST Program To Offer More Low-Income Maryland Students In Areas With Under-Performing Schools The Opportunity To Attend Non-Public Schools, To Receive A Better Education. Governor Hogan: “We were very proud to be able to help so many students - there were many more deserving of help, but unfortunately not enough funding to cover them all. So this afternoon, I am pleased to announce to all of you - and you are the first to hear this news, that next month, we will be increasing funding for the BOOST program, in order to double the total annual funding from $5 million to $10 million over the next three years.” (Remarks, Bais Yaakov Girls High School, 12/13/16)
“We are working hard to ensure that every single child in Maryland is given the chance of a great education, regardless of what neighborhood they happen to grow up in. We owe it to our children, to all of you, to think more creatively and find new and innovative solutions.” - Governor Larry Hogan, December 13, 2016
Governor Hogan’s Proposed Fiscal Year 2018 Budget Includes $7 Million In Funding Toward The Broadening Options And Opportunities For Students Today (BOOST) Program
Governor Hogan’s Proposed Fiscal Year 2018 Budget Increases Funding For The BOOST Program By $2 Million To $7 Million. “The Broadening Options and Opportunities for Students Today (BOOST) Program grows by $2 million to $7 million as part of state’s commitment to double the funding for the program over three years.” (Press Release, “Governor Larry Hogan Announces Fiscal Year 2018 Budget,” Office Of The Governor, 1/17/17)
Governor Hogan Proposed To Expand The BOOST Program To Offer More Low-Income Maryland Students In Areas With Under-Performing Schools The Opportunity To Attend Non-Public Schools, To Receive A Better Education. Governor Hogan: “We were very proud to be able to help so many students - there were many more deserving of help, but unfortunately not enough funding to cover them all. So this afternoon, I am pleased to announce to all of you - and you are the first to hear this news, that next month, we will be increasing funding for the BOOST program, in order to double the total annual funding from $5 million to $10 million over the next three years.” (Remarks, Bais Yaakov Girls High School, 12/13/16)
Republicans want to know why Trump hasn't fired the IRS head
Nearly two months into the Trump administration, the IRS commissioner House Republicans once threatened with impeachment remains on the job.
John Koskinen's continued tenure may be surprising, considering how aggressively Republicans went after him under the Obama administration. But despite a sustained push by congressional Republicans to oust the IRS chief before his five-year term expires this November, President Trump so far has made no move to do so.
Just last week, Koskinen was seen in the Capitol and told Fox News he was there to meet with “old friends.” Asked if he intended to stay on as commissioner during the Trump administration, Koskinen simply said, “They haven’t talked to me.”
A White House official, asked about the commissioner's future, also told Fox News on Wednesday they had no personnel announcements “at this time.”
House Republicans aren't giving up their quest to show Koskinen the door.
“President Trump should fire Commissioner Koskinen and replace him with someone that will bring integrity and competence to the IRS,” House Judiciary Committee Chariman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., told Fox News on Tuesday.
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John Koskinen's continued tenure may be surprising, considering how aggressively Republicans went after him under the Obama administration. But despite a sustained push by congressional Republicans to oust the IRS chief before his five-year term expires this November, President Trump so far has made no move to do so.
Just last week, Koskinen was seen in the Capitol and told Fox News he was there to meet with “old friends.” Asked if he intended to stay on as commissioner during the Trump administration, Koskinen simply said, “They haven’t talked to me.”
A White House official, asked about the commissioner's future, also told Fox News on Wednesday they had no personnel announcements “at this time.”
House Republicans aren't giving up their quest to show Koskinen the door.
“President Trump should fire Commissioner Koskinen and replace him with someone that will bring integrity and competence to the IRS,” House Judiciary Committee Chariman Bob Goodlatte, R-Va., told Fox News on Tuesday.
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The US Government Now Has Less Cash Than Google
In the year 1517, one of the most important innovations in financial history was invented in Amsterdam: the government bond.
It was a pretty revolutionary concept.
Governments had been borrowing money for thousands of years… quite often at the point of a sword.
Italian city-states like Venice and Florence had been famously demanding “forced loans” from their wealthy citizens for centuries.
But the Dutch figured out how to turn government loans into an “investment”.
It caught on slowly. But eventually government bonds became an extremely popular asset class.
Secondary markets developed where people who owned bonds could sell them to other investors.
Even simple coffee shops turned into financial exchanges where investors and traders would buy and sell bonds.
In time, the government realized that its creditworthiness was paramount, and the Dutch developed a reputation as being a rock-solid bet.
This practice caught on across the world. International markets developed.
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It was a pretty revolutionary concept.
Governments had been borrowing money for thousands of years… quite often at the point of a sword.
Italian city-states like Venice and Florence had been famously demanding “forced loans” from their wealthy citizens for centuries.
But the Dutch figured out how to turn government loans into an “investment”.
It caught on slowly. But eventually government bonds became an extremely popular asset class.
Secondary markets developed where people who owned bonds could sell them to other investors.
Even simple coffee shops turned into financial exchanges where investors and traders would buy and sell bonds.
In time, the government realized that its creditworthiness was paramount, and the Dutch developed a reputation as being a rock-solid bet.
This practice caught on across the world. International markets developed.
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$21,714 For Every Man, Woman And Child In The World - This Global Debt Bomb Is Ready To Explode
According to the International Monetary Fund, global debt has grown to a staggering grand total of 152 trillion dollars. Other estimates put that figure closer to 200 trillion dollars, but for the purposes of this article let’s use the more conservative number. If you take 152 trillion dollars and divide it by the seven billion people living on the planet, you get $21,714, which would be the share of that debt for every man, woman and child in the world if it was divided up equally.
So if you have a family of four, your family’s share of the global debt load would be $86,856.
Very few families could write a check for that amount today, and we also must remember that we live in some of the wealthiest areas on the globe. Considering the fact that more than 3 billion people around the world live on two dollars a day or less, the truth is that about half the planet would not be capable of contributing toward the repayment of our 152 trillion dollar debt at all. So they should probably be excluded from these calculations entirely, and that would mean that your family’s share of the debt would ultimately be far, far higher.
Of course global debt repayment will never actually be apportioned by family. The reason why I am sharing this example is to show you that it is literally impossible for all of this debt to ever be repaid.
We are living during the greatest debt bubble in the history of the world, and our financial engineers have got to keep figuring out ways to keep it growing much faster than global GDP because if it ever stops growing it will burst and destroy the entire global financial system.
Bill Gross, one of the most highly respected financial minds on the entire planet, recently observed that “our highly levered financial system is like a truckload of nitro glycerin on a bumpy road”.
And he is precisely correct. Everything might seem fine for a while, but one day we are going to hit the wrong bump at the wrong time and the whole thing is going to go KA-BOOM.
The financial crisis of 2008 represented an opportunity to learn from our mistakes, but instead we just papered over our errors and cranked up the global debt creation machine to levels never seen before. Here is more from Bill Gross…
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So if you have a family of four, your family’s share of the global debt load would be $86,856.
Very few families could write a check for that amount today, and we also must remember that we live in some of the wealthiest areas on the globe. Considering the fact that more than 3 billion people around the world live on two dollars a day or less, the truth is that about half the planet would not be capable of contributing toward the repayment of our 152 trillion dollar debt at all. So they should probably be excluded from these calculations entirely, and that would mean that your family’s share of the debt would ultimately be far, far higher.
Of course global debt repayment will never actually be apportioned by family. The reason why I am sharing this example is to show you that it is literally impossible for all of this debt to ever be repaid.
We are living during the greatest debt bubble in the history of the world, and our financial engineers have got to keep figuring out ways to keep it growing much faster than global GDP because if it ever stops growing it will burst and destroy the entire global financial system.
Bill Gross, one of the most highly respected financial minds on the entire planet, recently observed that “our highly levered financial system is like a truckload of nitro glycerin on a bumpy road”.
And he is precisely correct. Everything might seem fine for a while, but one day we are going to hit the wrong bump at the wrong time and the whole thing is going to go KA-BOOM.
The financial crisis of 2008 represented an opportunity to learn from our mistakes, but instead we just papered over our errors and cranked up the global debt creation machine to levels never seen before. Here is more from Bill Gross…
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Photos from Prohibition bring bootleggers back to life
From 1920 to 1933, the US government issued a nationwide constitutional ban on the production, importation, transportation and sale of alcoholic beverages.
The ban increased the illegal production and sale of liquor, known as bootlegging, and the proliferation of speakeasies, or illegal drinking locations.
In 1933, Congress repealed the 18th Amendment and brought the Prohibition Era to a close.
The originally black-and-white photographs, shared by Dupont Circle Hotel in Washington, DC, were colorized by British colorization expert Tom Marshall.
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Obama White House Blocked Needed U.S. Arms Sale to Taiwan
The Obama administration blocked a $1 billion arms sale to Taiwan in December that was needed to improve the island's defenses despite approval from the State Department and Pentagon, according to Trump administration officials.
The scuttling of the arms package was a set back for U.S. and Taiwanese efforts to bolster defenses against a growing array of Chinese missiles and other advanced weaponry deployed across the 100-mile Taiwan Strait.
The action coincided with a controversial pre-inaugural phone call Dec. 2 between then-President-elect Trump and Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen.
It could not be learned if the arms package, which was ready to be announced publicly in December was derailed by the Obama administration because of the phone call.
The new Trump administration is now preparing to provide more and better defensive arms to Taiwan, said administration officials familiar with internal discussions of the arms sale.
The new arms package, however, is not expected to be made public until after Trump meets with Chinese leader Xi Jinping next month. White House officials said the meeting is set for early April at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in South Florida.
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The scuttling of the arms package was a set back for U.S. and Taiwanese efforts to bolster defenses against a growing array of Chinese missiles and other advanced weaponry deployed across the 100-mile Taiwan Strait.
The action coincided with a controversial pre-inaugural phone call Dec. 2 between then-President-elect Trump and Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen.
It could not be learned if the arms package, which was ready to be announced publicly in December was derailed by the Obama administration because of the phone call.
The new Trump administration is now preparing to provide more and better defensive arms to Taiwan, said administration officials familiar with internal discussions of the arms sale.
The new arms package, however, is not expected to be made public until after Trump meets with Chinese leader Xi Jinping next month. White House officials said the meeting is set for early April at Trump's Mar-a-Lago estate in South Florida.
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Maryland Senate delays vote on paid sick leave bill
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (AP) — The Maryland Senate has delayed a vote on a measure to allow workers at companies with 15 or more employees to earn paid sick leave.
The Senate was scheduled to vote on the bill Tuesday, but senators moved the measure back in the legislative process to make a change.
The change would require seasonal employees, such as students who work summer jobs, to provide their employer with a noted from a doctor to verify their illness. Senators approved the change on a voice vote.
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The Senate was scheduled to vote on the bill Tuesday, but senators moved the measure back in the legislative process to make a change.
The change would require seasonal employees, such as students who work summer jobs, to provide their employer with a noted from a doctor to verify their illness. Senators approved the change on a voice vote.
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Schumer Threatens Government Shutdown Over Border Wall
After Democratic lawmakers’ years of shrieking and televised temper tantrums over how shutting down the federal government somehow approximates treason, Democrats have suddenly embraced the tactic in their quest to keep the nation’s borders wide open for Muslim terrorists and illegal aliens.
Democrats are threatening to force a shut-down of the government after it runs out of operating funds after April 28.
Outnumbered in both houses of Congress, and facing a Republican in the White House for the first time in eight years, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and other Democrats say they will oppose efforts to finance President Trump’s planned border wall in spending legislation needed to keep the government open for business. Adding favored projects to must-pass spending bills, instead of dealing with the projects as freestanding legislation outside the budget process, is a time-honored way of getting things done in Congress. Both parties do it when in the majority.
But Schumer is now a professional obstructionist committed to undermining the Trump administration so at long last he sees things differently.
“The border wall is impractical and unpopular,” said Schumer on Sunday, “a pointless burden that this administration is trying to pay for by taking money away from the programs that actually keep Americans safe.”
More here
Democrats are threatening to force a shut-down of the government after it runs out of operating funds after April 28.
Outnumbered in both houses of Congress, and facing a Republican in the White House for the first time in eight years, Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and other Democrats say they will oppose efforts to finance President Trump’s planned border wall in spending legislation needed to keep the government open for business. Adding favored projects to must-pass spending bills, instead of dealing with the projects as freestanding legislation outside the budget process, is a time-honored way of getting things done in Congress. Both parties do it when in the majority.
But Schumer is now a professional obstructionist committed to undermining the Trump administration so at long last he sees things differently.
“The border wall is impractical and unpopular,” said Schumer on Sunday, “a pointless burden that this administration is trying to pay for by taking money away from the programs that actually keep Americans safe.”
More here
Obedience classes Salisbury Kennel Club
Joe: I would like to invite everyone to the Salisbury MD Kennel Club as the new session of obedience classes start on March 20th. We have lots new classes starting and I am sure there is one for everyone. Please go to our website and see which one is best for you and your dog. Remember that if your dog completes a class for Canine Good Citizen, you will receive a certificate that will entitle you to a lower rate on your homeowners insurance or will allow you to have a dog where you rent ( check with your insurance provider) We are now offering a refresher class known as "Advanced Beginner" for those that want to refresh their dogs and themselves. This is a daytime class on Tuesday. check our website.
We are having an OPEN HOUSE this Saturday, March 18th from 11:00 to 1:00 pm. This is an opportunity to visit with the instructors and sign up as well. Do not bring your dog on Saturday. It is all about informing the public what your dog will learn in class.
Visit us : www.salisburymarylandkennelclub.org.
Thanks,
Barb Furbush, President
Salisbury Maryland Kennel Club, Inc.
31663 Winterplace Parkway
Salisbury, MD 21804
Phone: 410-548-2110
We are having an OPEN HOUSE this Saturday, March 18th from 11:00 to 1:00 pm. This is an opportunity to visit with the instructors and sign up as well. Do not bring your dog on Saturday. It is all about informing the public what your dog will learn in class.
Visit us : www.salisburymarylandkennelclub.org.
Thanks,
Barb Furbush, President
Salisbury Maryland Kennel Club, Inc.
31663 Winterplace Parkway
Salisbury, MD 21804
Phone: 410-548-2110
Sweden Can’t Find Contractor Willing to Build Police Station in Dangerous Migrant Suburb
Plans to build a new police station in Rinkeby have been put on hold because construction companies fear for the safety of their workforce in the migrant-dominated Stockholm suburb.
The city earmarked the site of a former nursing home as the location for the new station. But construction companies failed to bid for the project, not wanting to risk having to work in a neighborhood notorious for gang and gun crime.
“It’s too dangerous to build a police station in the area,” SVT News was told by a number of police officers who wanted to remain anonymous.
“It would have to be guarded around the clock. This is because not only is there the risk of theft, but also the danger and threat to staff who will be working on the construction project,” the public broadcaster was told.
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The city earmarked the site of a former nursing home as the location for the new station. But construction companies failed to bid for the project, not wanting to risk having to work in a neighborhood notorious for gang and gun crime.
“It’s too dangerous to build a police station in the area,” SVT News was told by a number of police officers who wanted to remain anonymous.
“It would have to be guarded around the clock. This is because not only is there the risk of theft, but also the danger and threat to staff who will be working on the construction project,” the public broadcaster was told.
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Salisbury Barrack DUI Arrests for 3/03/2017 to 3/10/2017
Salisbury Barrack DUI Arrests for 3/03/2017 to 3/10/2017
Albert Andrew White 3rd 33yoa unk.
Timothy Lee Price 50yoa DE
Depree Javon Douling 28yoa Fruitland, MD
Shalisa Arue Bates 22yoa Temple Hills, MD
Michael Allen Viergutz 21yoa Mt. Airy, MD
Transparent: US Spent $36 Million in Records Lawsuits
The Obama administration in its final year in office spent a record $36.2 million on legal costs defending its refusal to turn over federal records under the Freedom of Information Act, according to an Associated Press analysis of new U.S. data that also showed poor performance in other categories measuring transparency in government.
For a second consecutive year, the Obama administration set a record for times federal employees told citizens, journalists and others that despite searching they couldn't find a single page of files that were requested.
And it set records for outright denial of access to files, refusing to quickly consider requests described as especially newsworthy, and forcing people to pay for records who had asked the government to waive search and copy fees.
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For a second consecutive year, the Obama administration set a record for times federal employees told citizens, journalists and others that despite searching they couldn't find a single page of files that were requested.
And it set records for outright denial of access to files, refusing to quickly consider requests described as especially newsworthy, and forcing people to pay for records who had asked the government to waive search and copy fees.
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Twitter Just SHREDDED Rachel Maddow Over Trump Tax Return 'Story'
MSNBC's unapologetic liberal “journalist” Rachel Maddow lit the internet on fire Tuesday night when she teased via Twitter that she’d gotten her hands on President Donald Trump’s tax returns – a scoop that would have been pretty juicy, considering Trump never released his tax returns during the presidential campaign as all other modern-era presidents have done.
BREAKING: We've got Trump tax returns. Tonight, 9pm ET. MSNBC.
(Seriously).
— Rachel Maddow MSNBC (@maddow) March 14, 2017
If only it'd been true.
What Maddow and the fine folks over at MSNBC actually managed to do was get part of a copy of Trump’s 2005 tax return. Which was already 12 years old. And which the White House had already released.
And which the Wall Street Journal had already reported on – a year ago.
Needless to say, the Twittersphere wasn’t all too happy as Maddow droned on...and on...and on during her open monologue, bashing Trump (and throwing out all manner of random, unsubstantiated speculations regarding his finances) without actually giving anyone any new information.
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BREAKING: We've got Trump tax returns. Tonight, 9pm ET. MSNBC.
(Seriously).
— Rachel Maddow MSNBC (@maddow) March 14, 2017
If only it'd been true.
What Maddow and the fine folks over at MSNBC actually managed to do was get part of a copy of Trump’s 2005 tax return. Which was already 12 years old. And which the White House had already released.
And which the Wall Street Journal had already reported on – a year ago.
Needless to say, the Twittersphere wasn’t all too happy as Maddow droned on...and on...and on during her open monologue, bashing Trump (and throwing out all manner of random, unsubstantiated speculations regarding his finances) without actually giving anyone any new information.
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A Viewer Writes: Fruitland Car Break Ins
Several cars broken into last night in Fruitland last night. Including mine. All right around the intermediate school. Please warn folks.
Media, Our Greatest Enemy
A REMINDER IN HISTORY
General VoNguyen Giap.
General Giap was a brilliant, highly respected leader
of the North Vietnam military. The following quote
is from his memoirs currently found in the
Vietnam war memorial in Hanoi:
"What we still don't understand is why you Americans
stopped the bombing of Hanoi. You had us on the
ropes. If you had pressed us a little harder,
just for another day or two, we were ready
to surrender! It was the same at the
battle of TET. You defeated us!
We knew it, and we thought
you knew it.
But we were elated to notice your media was
helping us. They were causing more disruption in
America than we could in the battlefields. We
were ready to surrender. You had won!"
General Giap has published his memoirs and confirmed
what most Americans knew. The Vietnam war was not
lost in Vietnam — it was lost at home. The
same slippery slope, sponsored by the U.S. media,
is currently underway. It exposes the
enormous power of a Biased Media to
cut out the heart and will of
the American public.
A truism worthy of note: Do not fear the enemy,
for they can take only your life.
Fear the media,
for they will distort your grasp of reality and destroy your honor.
It Is Now "Blatant Racism" To Wear Red, White, And Blue
In the latest example we turn to Iowa, where students from Valley High School attended a basketball game in traditional red, white and blue attire they reportedly wear to big games. One would think that showing support for their team wearing the colors of the U.S. flag wouldn’t even raise an eyebrow, but you’d be wrong.
First, for some context, here is a picture of the offensive clothing worn by Valley High School fans at the game:
At first glance it certainly doesn’t look like these folks are engaging in any racist activity, but then, what do we know?
“This is an example of BLATANT racism,” said Ty Leggett, a Valley High School alum, on the Valley High School – WDMCSFacebook page. “ALL participating should have been pulled and banned from ALL VHS extracurricular events for the remainder of the year! As a parent, I’d be mortified that my son or daughter thought this way, acted in this fashion and refrained from taking a stand against this 21st century inexcusable behavior!”
Erin Ness Carter, a mother living in the Iowan district, remarked that “for the supporters of one team from a primarily white part of town to paint themselves as the ‘team of the USA’ it strongly implies that the other team, the less white team, is less American.”
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Trump earned $153m and paid $36.5m in taxes in 2005
The pages from Trump’s federal tax return show the then-real estate mogul also reported a business loss of $103 million that year, although the documents don’t provide detail. The forms show that Trump paid an effective tax rate of 24.5 percent, a figure well above the roughly 10 percent the average American taxpayer forks over each year, but below the 27.4 percent that taxpayers earning 1 million dollars a year average, according to data from the Congressional Joint Committee on Taxation.
The form were obtained by journalist David Cay Johnston, who runs a website called DCReport.org, and reported on MSNBC’s “The Rachel Maddow Show.” Johnston, who has long reported on tax issues, said he received the documents in the mail, unsolicited.
Trump’s hefty business loss appears to be a continued benefit from his use of a tax loophole in the 1990s, which allowed him to deduct previous losses in future years. In 1995, Trump reported a loss of more than $900 million, largely as a result of financial turmoil at his casinos.
Tax records obtained by The New York Times last year showed the losses were so large they could have allowed Trump to avoid paying taxes for up to 18 years. But Trump’s 2005 filing shows another tax prevented him from realizing the full benefit of those deductions.
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Tennessee Sues Federal Government Over Refugees
First state in the nation...
Tennessee became the first state in the nation on Monday to sue the federal government over refugee resettlement on the grounds of the Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of several state lawmakers Monday morning in the western district of Tennessee, contends that the federal government has violated the Tenth Amendment, which says the federal government possesses only the powers delegated to it by the U.S. Constitution and that all other powers are reserved for the states.
The charge that the federal government is not complying with the Refugee Act of 1980, based on the Tenth Amendment, makes Tennessee’s lawsuit the first of its kind. Other states have sued the federal government over refugee resettlement but on different legal grounds.
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Tennessee became the first state in the nation on Monday to sue the federal government over refugee resettlement on the grounds of the Tenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.
The lawsuit, filed on behalf of several state lawmakers Monday morning in the western district of Tennessee, contends that the federal government has violated the Tenth Amendment, which says the federal government possesses only the powers delegated to it by the U.S. Constitution and that all other powers are reserved for the states.
The charge that the federal government is not complying with the Refugee Act of 1980, based on the Tenth Amendment, makes Tennessee’s lawsuit the first of its kind. Other states have sued the federal government over refugee resettlement but on different legal grounds.
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Building the Road to Success
President Donald Trump met with key business leaders last week regarding America’s infrastructure. Trump continues to pledge a $1 trillion infusion of money to states to help complete projects to renovate existing roads and bridges within a 90-day start date. Once approved, Trump’s infrastructure dollars will be block-granted to states with truly shovel-ready projects, with the objective that it not be lost down bureaucratic money holes with endless calendars.
In a March 8 Quinnipiac Poll, Republicans, Democrats and Independents voiced their strong support of Trump’s infrastructure plan, with all groups at least 90% in favor. With clear bipartisan support, the Trump administration has an issue that transcends party lines.
Rush Limbaugh recently reviewed these numbers and other data on the big spending proposal of Trump. “The American people, many of them, and particularly on the Republican side, think the country is falling apart in a whole bunch of different ways,” Limbaugh noted. “We’re falling apart culturally. We are falling apart in our politics. We’re falling apart politically. And I believe it’s nothing more complicated than people actually do think that we need to modernize some things in this country. And I believe that if you would deeply ask these people, if you would find … that the vast majority of them think that this is a legitimate responsibility for government, state and federal combined, to make sure that the airports are modernized and not falling apart, to make sure bridges are not going to collapse down the road, to make sure dams are okay. The stuff that people assume government does anyway.”
More here
In a March 8 Quinnipiac Poll, Republicans, Democrats and Independents voiced their strong support of Trump’s infrastructure plan, with all groups at least 90% in favor. With clear bipartisan support, the Trump administration has an issue that transcends party lines.
Rush Limbaugh recently reviewed these numbers and other data on the big spending proposal of Trump. “The American people, many of them, and particularly on the Republican side, think the country is falling apart in a whole bunch of different ways,” Limbaugh noted. “We’re falling apart culturally. We are falling apart in our politics. We’re falling apart politically. And I believe it’s nothing more complicated than people actually do think that we need to modernize some things in this country. And I believe that if you would deeply ask these people, if you would find … that the vast majority of them think that this is a legitimate responsibility for government, state and federal combined, to make sure that the airports are modernized and not falling apart, to make sure bridges are not going to collapse down the road, to make sure dams are okay. The stuff that people assume government does anyway.”
More here
Students Support Religious Freedom for Muslims, Not Christians
Several students at the University of Wisconsin-Madison admit that Muslims should not be forced by law to do business with Christians. Those same students, however, had a hard time agreeing that Christians or conservative Americans have the right to decline work that conflicts with their conscience or religion.
In a viral video published by Arizona-based nonprofit Alliance Defending Freedom (ADL), students were asked if they support Sophie Theallet’s decision not to dress Melania Trump.
Several students agreed that Theallet — one of many fashion designers declining to dress the first family — has every right to refuse to dress Mrs. Trump.
The students were also asked if a Muslim singer solicited by a Christian church to sing had a right to refuse.
Again, the students agreed that the Muslim singer has a right to not sing in a Christian church.
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In a viral video published by Arizona-based nonprofit Alliance Defending Freedom (ADL), students were asked if they support Sophie Theallet’s decision not to dress Melania Trump.
Several students agreed that Theallet — one of many fashion designers declining to dress the first family — has every right to refuse to dress Mrs. Trump.
The students were also asked if a Muslim singer solicited by a Christian church to sing had a right to refuse.
Again, the students agreed that the Muslim singer has a right to not sing in a Christian church.
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Mark Levin rips AP: ‘You persist in your false reporting’
Radio host Mark Levin sent out a scathing letter to the Associated Press over the weekend demanding a correction to a story on President Donald Trump.
The AP published a piece on March 9 titled “Media the enemy? Trump is sure an insatiable consumer,” in which he said Mr. Levin “voiced without evidence the idea that Obama had wiretapped Trump Tower.”
The radio host — who served as a chief of staff for Attorney General Edwin Meese during the Reagan administration — was actually reading from The New York Times and other newspapers.
The report also lumped Mr. Levin in with the “edges of the conservative movement” after mentioning Gateway Pundit, Breitbart News, and The Drudge Report.
“You falsely reported in your wire story yesterday, in part, that ‘Radio host Mark Levin voiced without evidence the idea that Obama had wiretapped Trump Tower.’ I sent you an email yesterday asking: ‘Are you going to correct this?’ I never said that Obama had Trump Tower wiretapped. You not only misstated what I said, but you ignored the entire purpose and context of that Thursday’s (March 2) radio program,” Mr. Levinsaid in a statement posted to his Facebook page. “I addressed this methodically again on yesterday’s radio show. Still, you are silent.”
More here
The AP published a piece on March 9 titled “Media the enemy? Trump is sure an insatiable consumer,” in which he said Mr. Levin “voiced without evidence the idea that Obama had wiretapped Trump Tower.”
The radio host — who served as a chief of staff for Attorney General Edwin Meese during the Reagan administration — was actually reading from The New York Times and other newspapers.
The report also lumped Mr. Levin in with the “edges of the conservative movement” after mentioning Gateway Pundit, Breitbart News, and The Drudge Report.
“You falsely reported in your wire story yesterday, in part, that ‘Radio host Mark Levin voiced without evidence the idea that Obama had wiretapped Trump Tower.’ I sent you an email yesterday asking: ‘Are you going to correct this?’ I never said that Obama had Trump Tower wiretapped. You not only misstated what I said, but you ignored the entire purpose and context of that Thursday’s (March 2) radio program,” Mr. Levinsaid in a statement posted to his Facebook page. “I addressed this methodically again on yesterday’s radio show. Still, you are silent.”
More here
Federal Jobs Bolster Maryland’s Economy, Education System
Maryland's heart may rest in Baltimore's scenic inner harbor, or the historic streets of downtown Annapolis, but the bulk of its work is in – or related to – nearby Washington.
With more than 5 percent of Maryland workers employed by the federal government in 2015, the government really is the "bedrock of the [state's] economy," says Donald Kettl, a senior fellow at The Brookings Institution and former dean of the School of Public Policy at the University of Maryland.
The state is home to the fourth largest percentage of civilian federal workers in the U.S. and also houses more than 60 federal agencies, from the National Security Agency to the National Institutes of Health.
All of these nearby government facilities attract highly educated people and create white-collar jobs, which Kettl says are not quite recession-proof but provide a sustainable economic base. Farther from the nation's capital, the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay has a strong foundation in agriculture, and Ocean City's tourism industry is thriving.
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The Daily Time Is Going To Have To Re-Think Its Delivery Process
Wednesday's paper had to be what, 4 pages total? They may have to start placing bags of sand in each delivery to keep them on the properties they were meant for.
4-year-old girl abandoned in Southern California desert by smugglers
A 4-year-old girl was located early Monday in the middle of “a vast desert” in Southern California after being abandoned by a group of smugglers.
NBC San Diego reported that the girl was with a group near the U.S.-Mexico border. When border agents moved in on the group, the smugglers jumped into a car and fled.
The child was left behind holding her birth certificate, which said she was from Guatemala. She was reportedly in good condition and was provided food.
“Who in their right mind abandons a four-year-old little girl in the middle of a vast desert,” one U.S. Customers and Border Protection agent said in a statement. “It sickens me to think that someone would leave a child that young to fend for herself.”
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NBC San Diego reported that the girl was with a group near the U.S.-Mexico border. When border agents moved in on the group, the smugglers jumped into a car and fled.
The child was left behind holding her birth certificate, which said she was from Guatemala. She was reportedly in good condition and was provided food.
“Who in their right mind abandons a four-year-old little girl in the middle of a vast desert,” one U.S. Customers and Border Protection agent said in a statement. “It sickens me to think that someone would leave a child that young to fend for herself.”
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Former Democrat Mayor Pleads Guilty To Felony Drug Distribution
Former Democratic Mayor of Fairfax, Va. Richard "Scott" Silverthorne pleaded guilty to a felony drug distribution charge on Monday. The former elected official was arrested in August on the charge according to USA Today.
Silverthorne was arrested on August 4 after selling $200 worth of methamphetamine to undercover officers in exchange for a group sexual encounter.
Silverthorne was a substitute teacher in Fairfax County schools and served on the Fairfax City Council from 1990 until 2008 and again in 2011 before being elected mayor.
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Silverthorne was arrested on August 4 after selling $200 worth of methamphetamine to undercover officers in exchange for a group sexual encounter.
Silverthorne was a substitute teacher in Fairfax County schools and served on the Fairfax City Council from 1990 until 2008 and again in 2011 before being elected mayor.
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Ken Langone: Trump Could Be 'One of Our Greatest Presidents'
Home Depot co-founder Ken Langone predicts that Donald Trump could become "one of our greatest presidents ever” if he fulfills his campaign vow to truly "Make America Great Again."
Langone, a longtime Republican supporter and the billionaire co-founder of Home Depot, said the Trump presidency offers the GOP, which also controls the House and the Senate, a unique time to deliver on the reasons Americans voted for a political outsider for the White House, CNBC.com explained.
Voters are "fed up," Langone told CNBC. "They did a very dramatic, earth-shattering thing," by electing Trump president, and now want results, he said.
"If you guys don't get your guys into a room and say 'Guys this is our moment.' The American people will throw you out too, the next time," he warned Republicans.
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Langone, a longtime Republican supporter and the billionaire co-founder of Home Depot, said the Trump presidency offers the GOP, which also controls the House and the Senate, a unique time to deliver on the reasons Americans voted for a political outsider for the White House, CNBC.com explained.
Voters are "fed up," Langone told CNBC. "They did a very dramatic, earth-shattering thing," by electing Trump president, and now want results, he said.
"If you guys don't get your guys into a room and say 'Guys this is our moment.' The American people will throw you out too, the next time," he warned Republicans.
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Donald Trump Paid At A Higher Effective Federal Income Tax Rate Than Bernie Sanders And Barack Obama
The big story of the night is President Trump’s 2005 tax returns. As it turns out, he paid $38 million in taxes on over $150 million of income. Zero Hedge broke this down– he paid “$5.3 million in regular federal income tax, and an additional $31 million of ‘alternative minimum tax,’ or AMT.”
It’s an impeachable offense, clearly.
“Before being elected President, Mr. Trump was one of the most successful businessmen in the world with a responsibility to his company, his family and his employees to pay no more tax than legally required,” the White House said in a statement. “That being said, Mr. Trump paid $38 million dollars even after taking into account large scale depreciation for construction, on an income of more than $150 million dollars, as well as paying tens of millions of dollars in other taxes such as sales and excise taxes and employment taxes and this illegally published return proves just that.”
So, what’s the big takeaway? Are we supposed to feel angry? Outraged? Relieved? I have no idea. Trump paid what he was legally obliged to pay. Not seeing how that’s any sort of bombshell. But I’m fully expecting MSM to whine about his tax rate tomorrow. It’s coming, mark my words. That being said, we might as well get this out of the way.
TRUMP PAID HIGHER TAX RATE [25%] THAN MSNBC COMCAST [24%].. AND MUCH HIGHER THAN OBAMA [19%]ctj.org/corporatetaxdo…zerohedge.com/news/2017-03-1…
Ah yes. Wasn’t Obama’s effective federal income tax rate 18.7 percent in 2015? And who could forget about everyone’s favorite senile socialist, Bernie Sanders?
Trump 2005 tax rate: 25%
Romney 2011 tax rate: 14.1%
Sanders 2014 tax rate: 13.5%
Obama 2015 tax rate: 18.7%
AWWWKWARD. #TrumpTaxReturn
Oops.
Thousands of illegal weapons seized by Spanish police
Assault rifles, grenades and machine guns are among the haul of weapons that were seized by anti-terrorism police.
Officers said a smuggling group planned to recommission deactivated arms and traffick them into Spain, France and Belgium.
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Pictured: Huge weapons haul seized by Spanish police
Officers said a smuggling group planned to recommission deactivated arms and traffick them into Spain, France and Belgium.
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Pictured: Huge weapons haul seized by Spanish police
Downtown Salisbury Egg Hunt
Seperate egg hunts will be set up in various areas, for ages 0 to 2, 3 to 5, 6 to 8, 9 to 12 and for children with special needs., at staggered times to accommodate parents with children in multiple age groups.
Registration & Check-In begins at 12p on North Division Street. There is no charge to participate, but children must be registered, check-in, and be accompanied by a guardian at times! Save time the day of by pre-registering online today at www.DowntownSBYEggHunt.com
Hosted by Salisbury Arts & Entertainment District, The City of Salisbury and Remedy Church.
Un-Sweetened: How A Maryland County Cut Soda Sales Without A Soda Tax
A three-year campaign in Howard County, Md., aimed at curbing the community's sweet tooth led to a significant decline in sales of sugary drinks.
According to an analysis published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Internal Medicine, the Unsweetened campaign led to a 20 percent decrease in sales of soda and a 15 percent decline in fruit drink sales between January 2013 and December 2015.
"This policy-focused campaign provides a road map for other communities to reduce consumption of sugary drinks," write the authors of the JAMA Internal Medicine paper who evaluated the Unsweetened campaign.
The community-led campaign, funded by the Horizon Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to health and wellness, included TV and outdoor advertising, as well as a social media campaign. The campaign also worked with healthcare professionals — including pediatricians — to improve messaging that pediatricians could use to educate their patients on the risks associated with excessive sugar intake, including obesity and Type 2 diabetes.
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According to an analysis published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, Internal Medicine, the Unsweetened campaign led to a 20 percent decrease in sales of soda and a 15 percent decline in fruit drink sales between January 2013 and December 2015.
"This policy-focused campaign provides a road map for other communities to reduce consumption of sugary drinks," write the authors of the JAMA Internal Medicine paper who evaluated the Unsweetened campaign.
The community-led campaign, funded by the Horizon Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to health and wellness, included TV and outdoor advertising, as well as a social media campaign. The campaign also worked with healthcare professionals — including pediatricians — to improve messaging that pediatricians could use to educate their patients on the risks associated with excessive sugar intake, including obesity and Type 2 diabetes.
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Help Wanted: Why Willing Workers Aren’t Filling Open Jobs
Part I: The ‘Skills Gap’ Doesn’t Explain Slow Hiring
Some employers are struggling to find workers with the right education and training, but there are other reasons why so many U.S. jobs are going unfilled.
Part II: Why Does it Take So Long to Hire a Nurse?
Would-be employees who have the right educational credentials but are short on experience face a catch-22.
Part III: Dedicated to the Mountains, Desperate for Jobs
In regions hit hard by the collapse of coal mining, some people are trying to reinvent themselves, but it isn’t easy.
Some employers are struggling to find workers with the right education and training, but there are other reasons why so many U.S. jobs are going unfilled.
Part II: Why Does it Take So Long to Hire a Nurse?
Would-be employees who have the right educational credentials but are short on experience face a catch-22.
Part III: Dedicated to the Mountains, Desperate for Jobs
In regions hit hard by the collapse of coal mining, some people are trying to reinvent themselves, but it isn’t easy.
What Do States Owe People Who Are Wrongfully Convicted?
In April 2000, 23-year-old Floyd Bledsoe sat in an Oskaloosa, Kansas, courtroom awaiting the verdict in his first-degree murder trial in the death of his 14-year-old sister-in-law, Zetta “Camille” Arfmann. Throughout the trial, he maintained his innocence. But the jury entered the courtroom and declared him guilty.
Bledsoe was sentenced to life in prison plus 16 years, but doubts about his involvement in the murder lingered. The crime scene yielded little physical evidence, and Bledsoe’s brother, Tom, 25, had originally confessed to the murder before recanting and pinning the crime on Floyd.
After years of fruitless court challenges, Bledsoe was vindicated in a gut-wrenching twist: In 2015, Tom Bledsoe confessed to the murder in a suicide note before asphyxiating himself. Within a month, a judge vacated Bledsoe’s conviction and he was released from prison. The day of his release, Bledsoe recalls, was a mixture of celebration and mourning.
“Before I was locked up, I had 40 acres, livestock, a wife and kids,” he said. “When I was released, I had nothing … I lost my family, my job, my reputation — everything.”
Bledsoe found little support as he adjusted to life outside of prison, including from the state that locked him up for more than 15 years. A bill before the Kansas Legislature would make up for part of that by making him eligible for $80,000 for each year he spent behind bars.
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Bledsoe was sentenced to life in prison plus 16 years, but doubts about his involvement in the murder lingered. The crime scene yielded little physical evidence, and Bledsoe’s brother, Tom, 25, had originally confessed to the murder before recanting and pinning the crime on Floyd.
After years of fruitless court challenges, Bledsoe was vindicated in a gut-wrenching twist: In 2015, Tom Bledsoe confessed to the murder in a suicide note before asphyxiating himself. Within a month, a judge vacated Bledsoe’s conviction and he was released from prison. The day of his release, Bledsoe recalls, was a mixture of celebration and mourning.
“Before I was locked up, I had 40 acres, livestock, a wife and kids,” he said. “When I was released, I had nothing … I lost my family, my job, my reputation — everything.”
Bledsoe found little support as he adjusted to life outside of prison, including from the state that locked him up for more than 15 years. A bill before the Kansas Legislature would make up for part of that by making him eligible for $80,000 for each year he spent behind bars.
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Los Angeles Unified School District - 1,600 Layoff Notices
LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- The Los Angeles Unified School District will be notifying 1,600 administrators of possible layoffs over the next two days.
District officials said teachers and other school employees are not among those receiving pink slips.
They said that March 15 is the deadline to notify the people in top administrative levels about the possible layoffs. The top positions that will receive notices include principals and assistant principals, according to district officials.
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District officials said teachers and other school employees are not among those receiving pink slips.
They said that March 15 is the deadline to notify the people in top administrative levels about the possible layoffs. The top positions that will receive notices include principals and assistant principals, according to district officials.
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Illegal Aliens and Violent Crimes: Amazing Facts
Take a look at the crime statistics for just one state, Texas. A 2017 report by the Texas Department of Public Safety reveals that over the period from June 1, 2011 to February 28, 2017, the 215,000 criminal aliens who were booked into Texas jails were collectively charged with 566,000 offenses, including 1,167 homicides and 6,098 sexual assaults, with a total of 257,000 convictions.
By the way, Texas has less than half the criminal alien jail and prison population of California, which has over 100,000 criminal aliens occupying facilities supported by California taxpayers. (For 2009 incarceration numbers for each state, see Appendix III of the 2011 GAO report, here.)
It’s no secret that progressive politicians in hundreds of cities and counties are opposing the Trump administration initiatives to end so-called “sanctuary” policies. What those politicians never talk about is the fact that those policies continue to allow tens of thousands of criminal aliens to go free instead of facing deportation proceedings as prescribed by federal law.
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By the way, Texas has less than half the criminal alien jail and prison population of California, which has over 100,000 criminal aliens occupying facilities supported by California taxpayers. (For 2009 incarceration numbers for each state, see Appendix III of the 2011 GAO report, here.)
It’s no secret that progressive politicians in hundreds of cities and counties are opposing the Trump administration initiatives to end so-called “sanctuary” policies. What those politicians never talk about is the fact that those policies continue to allow tens of thousands of criminal aliens to go free instead of facing deportation proceedings as prescribed by federal law.
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Employee who decline Genetic Testing could face penalties?
Employers could impose hefty penalties on employees who decline to participate in genetic testing as part of workplace wellness programs if a bill approved by a House committee this week becomes law.
Employers, in general, don’t have that power under existing federal laws that protect genetic privacy and nondiscrimination. But a bill passed Wednesday by a House committee would allow employers to get around that if the information is collected as part of workplace wellness programs.
Workplace wellness programs — which offer workers a variety of carrots and sticks to monitor and improve their health, such as lowering cholesterol — have become increasingly popular among companies. Some offer discounts on health insurance to employees who complete health-risk assessments. Others might charge people more for smoking.
Under the Affordable Care Act, employers are allowed to discount health insurance premiums by up to 30 percent — and in some cases 50 percent — for employees who voluntarily participate in a wellness program.
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Employers, in general, don’t have that power under existing federal laws that protect genetic privacy and nondiscrimination. But a bill passed Wednesday by a House committee would allow employers to get around that if the information is collected as part of workplace wellness programs.
Workplace wellness programs — which offer workers a variety of carrots and sticks to monitor and improve their health, such as lowering cholesterol — have become increasingly popular among companies. Some offer discounts on health insurance to employees who complete health-risk assessments. Others might charge people more for smoking.
Under the Affordable Care Act, employers are allowed to discount health insurance premiums by up to 30 percent — and in some cases 50 percent — for employees who voluntarily participate in a wellness program.
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Tuesday, March 14, 2017
Texas lawmaker doesn't understand that a sperm isn't a person
From today's dumb legislation file comes a bill that's a lot less clever than it tries to be, from Texas Democratic state Rep. Jessica Farrar who appears to be a lot less clever than she thinks she is:
A female politician in Texas is taking an unusual swipe at what she sees as restrictive abortion laws by targeting men - more precisely male masturbation.
Her unlikely draft law has a simple aim, she says - to protect unborn children everywhere. Which is why it wants all "emissions outside of a woman's vagina, or created outside of a health or medical facility" to carry a $100 (¢81) fine. If a man made such an emission it would "be considered an act against an unborn child."...
[S]he argues it is no more extreme than the restrictions put on women by the state of Texas when it comes to choosing whether or not to end their pregnancy.
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A female politician in Texas is taking an unusual swipe at what she sees as restrictive abortion laws by targeting men - more precisely male masturbation.
Her unlikely draft law has a simple aim, she says - to protect unborn children everywhere. Which is why it wants all "emissions outside of a woman's vagina, or created outside of a health or medical facility" to carry a $100 (¢81) fine. If a man made such an emission it would "be considered an act against an unborn child."...
[S]he argues it is no more extreme than the restrictions put on women by the state of Texas when it comes to choosing whether or not to end their pregnancy.
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Young doctors can work 28 Hours Straight under New Rules
Despite concerns from the public about safety, the private group that oversees physician training voted to allow young doctors to work shifts as long as 28 hours.
The new rules, which begin on July 1, relax work restrictions put in place in 2011, when mounting evidence showed that exhausted residents — the term for doctors in training — were endangering both patients and themselves. Currently, first-year residents are restricted to 16-hour shifts.
Leaders of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education said the work limits for first-year residents, known as interns, needed to be extended to match the 28-hour shifts now allowed for more experienced trainees. They said it was harming interns’ education by reducing their time in the hospital.
Surgeons had been especially critical of the 16-hour limits, saying that at times interns were forced to leave the surgical team during an operation to avoid breaking the rules.
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The new rules, which begin on July 1, relax work restrictions put in place in 2011, when mounting evidence showed that exhausted residents — the term for doctors in training — were endangering both patients and themselves. Currently, first-year residents are restricted to 16-hour shifts.
Leaders of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education said the work limits for first-year residents, known as interns, needed to be extended to match the 28-hour shifts now allowed for more experienced trainees. They said it was harming interns’ education by reducing their time in the hospital.
Surgeons had been especially critical of the 16-hour limits, saying that at times interns were forced to leave the surgical team during an operation to avoid breaking the rules.
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Former Davos insider: Globalism still a problem
'I would argue it is the culture war of our times'
You can count billionaire investor Peter Thiel among those who believe globalization is on the decline in the age of Donald Trump and Brexit.
Thiel, the co-founder of PayPal and a Trump supporter, said Trump’s victory demonstrated how dissatisfied people have become with a global system that hasn’t worked well for them.
“I think the tide on globalization is just going out,” Thiel said in a Tuesday appearance at the CERAWeek by IHS Markit conference in Houston.
Ted Malloch, chairman and CEO of the Roosevelt Group and the man believed to be President Trump’s choice for U.S. ambassador to the European Union, said he agrees with Thiel’s take.
“He is correct to suggest that the tide is ebbing on globalization as nations move to do more within their own borders,” Malloch, author of “Hired: An Insider’s Look at the Trump Victory,” told WND. “Security becomes a focus. Immigration and free movement of people comes into question. The statistics prove the case and people like New York Times loudmouth and flat-worlder Tom Freidman are just plain wrong and yesterday.”
However, Malloch, who spent decades working in the global economy, wished to make a caveat.
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You can count billionaire investor Peter Thiel among those who believe globalization is on the decline in the age of Donald Trump and Brexit.
Thiel, the co-founder of PayPal and a Trump supporter, said Trump’s victory demonstrated how dissatisfied people have become with a global system that hasn’t worked well for them.
“I think the tide on globalization is just going out,” Thiel said in a Tuesday appearance at the CERAWeek by IHS Markit conference in Houston.
Ted Malloch, chairman and CEO of the Roosevelt Group and the man believed to be President Trump’s choice for U.S. ambassador to the European Union, said he agrees with Thiel’s take.
“He is correct to suggest that the tide is ebbing on globalization as nations move to do more within their own borders,” Malloch, author of “Hired: An Insider’s Look at the Trump Victory,” told WND. “Security becomes a focus. Immigration and free movement of people comes into question. The statistics prove the case and people like New York Times loudmouth and flat-worlder Tom Freidman are just plain wrong and yesterday.”
However, Malloch, who spent decades working in the global economy, wished to make a caveat.
More
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