Pentagon admits under-reporting number of U.S. troops in Afghanistan, Iraq and Syria. “The discrepancies on the troop counts, which began under former President Barack Obama and continued into the Trump administration, often resulted in the official number being thousands of troops short of the actual troop strength.” http://www.military.com/daily-news/2017/08/30/dod-we-lowballed-number-troops-combat-zones-years.html
Immigration and Customs Enforcement submits request to destroy records on abuse and deaths of detained immigrants. “ICE has asked for permission to begin routinely destroying 11 kinds of records, including those related to sexual assaults, solitary confinement and even deaths of people in its custody.” https://www.aclu.org/blog/immigrants-rights/ice-and-border-patrol-abuses/ice-plans-start-destroying-records-immigrant
Homeland Security closely monitoring political events of leftist groups, using white nationalist groups as intelligence sources. “Unlike white supremacists, neither Antifa nor any other anarchist collective has a body count, and they have caused no serious injuries.” https://www.muckrock.com/news/archives/2017/aug/22/dhs-mayday/
More than 1,000 dead in Asian monsoon flooding. “Heavy rains paralyzed India, Bangladesh and Nepal for the second day Wednesday, as the worst monsoon in years has caused more 1,000 deaths.” https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/08/30/houston-copes-flood-1-000-die-india-monsoon/617173001/
Crosby, Texas evacuated due to threat of chemical plant explosion after back up generators fail. “Volatile chemicals at the plant, which is standing in six feet of water, could catch fire or explode at any moment in coming days, officials said.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2017/08/30/texas-town-under-emergency-evacuation-as-flooded-chemical-plant-nears-explosion/
Los Angeles replaces Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day. “Several U.S. cities — including Seattle, Albuquerque and Denver — have already replaced Columbus Day with Indigenous Peoples Day.” http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-indigenous-peoples-day-20170829-story.html
Labor leader says White House divided between racists and Wall Streeters. “You had one faction that actually had some of the policies that we would have supported on trade, in infrastructure — but they turned out to be racist.” http://thehill.com/business-a-lobbying/business-a-lobbying/348553-afl-cio-chief-trump-torn-between-racists-and-wall
Trump tweets that the time for talk with North Korea has passed, his secretary of state disagrees. “We are never out of diplomatic solutions.” http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-trump-north-korea-talking-not-the-answer-20170830-story.html
U.S. started paying what Trump called “extortion money” to North Korea in 1995, but it was cut off in early 2009 according to fact-checking article. “…since early 2009 the U.S. has provided “virtually no aid to North Korea, though episodically there have been discussions about resuming large-scale food aid”.” http://www.newsweek.com/did-us-really-pay-north-korea-extortion-money-25-years-fact-checking-trumps-657177
Federal judge rules that man must pay airline $97,817 for flight he disrupted, which returned to airport. “… James August must compensate Hawaiian Airlines for the cost of the fuel, crews, maintenance, landing fees and restocking the aircraft for a replacement flight…” http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2017/08/nj_man_must_pay_airline_98k_for_unruly_behavoir_th.html
Right-wing group trying to decertify or reduce membership in public employee unions in order to weaken the Democratic Party is registered as a tax-exempt, public interest 501(c)(3) organization. “Marc Owens, a partner with Loeb & Loeb who worked as an IRS lawyer specializing in charitable tax exemptions, said that the provision was designed for charitable purposes, not for lobbying against public sector unions or for activities to influence the outcome of elections.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/30/rightwing-alliance-unions-defund-defang
U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights criticizes Trump for attacks on the press. “It’s really quite amazing when you think that freedom of the press, not only sort of a cornerstone of the U.S. Constitution but very much something that the United States (has) defended over the years, is now itself under attack from the president.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/08/30/un-human-rights-chief-questions-if-trump-fomenting-violence-against-journalists
Google accused of pressuring think-tank to axe Google critics. “We are in the process of trying to expand our relationship with Google on some absolutely key points,” Slaughter wrote in a separate email to Lynn, imploring him to “just THINK about how you are imperiling funding for others.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2017/08/30/google-accused-pushing-think-tank-squash-critic-corporate-power
Trump proposes cutting corporate tax rate to 15%, an idea which has very little public support. “Virtually no one in the United States believes that taxes on corporations and wealthy individuals should be cut. In one recent Gallup survey, just 9 percent of respondents said corporations paid too much in taxes, while 67 percent said they paid too little…” http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2017/08/trump-tries-to-make-tax-cuts-for-special-interests-populist.html
Female tech entrepreneurs say they created a fake, male co-founder, and suddenly started getting positive responses to their proposals. “It would take me days to get a response, but ‘Keith’ could not only get a response and a status update, but also be asked if he wanted anything else or if there was anything else that ‘Keith’ needed help with.” http://www.ibtimes.com/female-entrepreneurs-create-fake-male-co-founder-avoid-sexism-2584455
MH370 investigator claims he received death threats after finding plane wreckage in Madagascar, local Malaysian counsel murdered before debris could be handed over. “Under the agreement between the two countries, debris is supposed to be collected by (honorary consul) Zahid Raza and delivered by private courier to Malaysia.” http://www.ibtimes.com/mh370-latest-theories-debris-hunter-blaine-gibson-receives-death-threats-2584628
Autopsy shows Seattle woman who reportedly burglary was shot seven times by police, including twice in the back. “How can someone be shot in the back if they are coming at you with knives?” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2017/aug/30/charleena-lyles-seattle-police-shooting
Cicero, Illinois settles police shooting lawsuit for $3.1 million after gun found near suspect was discovered to be a police buyback weapon. “…the .38-caliber Smith & Wesson revolver, serial number J515268, that Cook County Judge William Stewart Boyd turned in to the Chicago Police Department to be destroyed…. ended up at the scene of a police shooting in Cicero involving a cop with a troubled disciplinary record.” http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/cicero-settles-lawsuit-over-fatal-police-shooting-for-3-million/
Suspect shoots police dog, police shoot suspect. “The suspect was hospitalized after being shot multiple times by police in southern Utah’s Washington County. His name and condition were not immediately released…. the dog is expected to make a full recovery in six weeks.” http://www.timesunion.com/news/crime/article/Authorities-Gunman-shot-by-police-after-shooting-12161619.php
U.S. Navy conducts missile test near Hawaii. “The USS John Paul Jones detected and tracked a missile launched from the Pacific Missile Range Facility on Kauai with its onboard radar, before intercepting it with SM-6 missiles, the (Missile Defense Agency) said. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2017/08/30/north-korea-missile-japan/615401001/ North Korean missiles bad! U.S. missiles good!
Colbert, Oklahoma city council sees no need for police chief with ties to white extremist groups to resign. “”They don’t want him to leave because he hasn’t done anything they warrant would be grounds for his dismissal,” (city spokesperson, Jerry) Harrell said.” http://www.kxii.com/content/news/City-of-Colbert-citizens-differ-on-whether-police-chief-should-resign-442056183.html
Trump did not meet with any hurricane victims while in Texas. “It was a presidential trip to a deluged state where the president didn’t meet a single storm victim, see an inch of rain or get near a flooded street.” http://www.politico.com/story/2017/08/29/trump-texas-hurricane-harvey-242148
Trump expresses concern for pain suffered by victims… of country’s tax system. “President Donald Trump was criticized on Tuesday for not showing enough empathy for storm victims when he visited Texas. But during Wednesday’s speech on tax reform, the president seemed passionate about taking care of rich business owners.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/08/president-donald-trump-shows-more-compassion-for-rich-peoples-tax-cuts-than-for-homeless-storm-victims/
MSNBC “loses connection” with Al Jazeera reporter dissing oil industry during Texas flood coverage. “You can’t make a connection between the oil and gas industry and climate change much clearer… This is something we’ve been warned about for years by climate scientists.” http://www.rawstory.com/2017/08/msnbc-loses-connection-to-reporter-as-he-goes-off-on-oil-industry-for-robbing-locals-of-infrastructure-funds/
U.S. bombs highway to block IS withdrawal deal with Lebanon. “… ISIS terrorists should be killed on the battlefield, not bused across Syria…” tweeted U.S. envoy. https://www.thenational.ae/world/you-don-t-beat-isil-by-dumping-them-somewhere-else-us-tells-syria-and-russia-1.624360 Killed on the battlefield even after surrendering?
German minister of justice calls for probe into Federal Police blacklisting of journalists from G20 summit. “According to experts cited by (German public broadcaster) ARD, the (Federal Criminal Police Office) illegally archived trivial, outdated and “evidently false” information on alleged wrongdoings of 32 reporters who were subsequently blacklisted from the G20 summit in June.” http://www.dw.com/en/german-federal-police-storing-illegal-data-on-journalists-report/a-40303405
Egyptian government accused of sharp increase in extrajudicial executions of its opponents. “In July alone, there were 61 reported extrajudicial killings, more than double the total over the previous six months, according to the Egyptian Commission for Rights and Freedom.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/since-trumps-mideast-visit-extrajudicial-killings-have-spiked-in-egypt/2017/08/30/62bf48c0-8200-11e7-9e7a-20fa8d7a0db6_story.html
Mainstream media surprising friendly to “security contractor” Erik Prince and his plan to privatize the war in Afghanistan. “The media’s love affair with the Blackwater snake-oil salesman isn’t limited to the New York Times. In the past three months, Prince has published op-ed pieces in the Wall Street Journal (5/20/17) and USA Today (8/8/17), and been allowed to pitch his services on CNN (8/8/17), Fox News (7/30/17) and NPR (7/24/17).” http://fair.org/home/nyt-only-the-latest-corporate-media-outlet-to-give-free-publicity-to-mercenary-profiteer/