Trump’s State of the Union: Many threats to the country, including child migrants who murder Americans, and it’s going to cost taxpayers trillions to keep America safe by upgrading the military, developing new nuclear missiles, keeping the Guantanamo Bay prison camp open indefinitely and building the “Great Wall”. “Trump’s address Tuesday night blended self-congratulation and calls for optimism amid a growing economy with ominous warnings about deadly gangs, the scourge of drugs and violent immigrants living in the United States illegally.” https://globalnews.ca/news/3997098/donald-trumps-state-of-the-union-address/ Trump calls for unity while bashing his opponents. “Between the long victory lap with Republicans over tax reform to the over-the-top demonization of immigrants, President Trump picked at pretty much every political scab that exists in Washington today.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trumps-steep-challenge-in-his-first-state-of-the-union-address-uniting-a-fractured-country/2018/01/30/ecb51258-05c7-11e8-b48c-b07fea957bd5_story.html
Trump calls out “drug dealers” in State of the Union speech, completely overlooks where these drugs are actually coming from. “A congressional committee investigating the opioid crisis has discovered out-of-state drug companies shipped 20.8 million prescription painkillers over a decade to two pharmacies in a Southern West Virginia town with 2,900 people.” http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/01/30/drug-companies-flooded-west-virginia-town-2900-with-20-8m-pain-pills.html
More have allegedly died from U.S. drone strikes during the first year of the Trump administration than under entire eight years of the Obama administration. “The CIA’s own leaked documents concede that the US often does not know who it is killing, and that militant leaders account for just 2% of drone-related deaths. Over 250 children have been killed in Pakistan and Yemen.” https://reprieve.org.uk/update/game-changer-trumps-new-attacks-on-human-rights/
Harley-Davidson to close Kansas City assembly plant. “The Milwaukee-based company said its net income fell 82% in its fiscal fourth quarter to $8.3 million, compared with a year earlier.” https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2018/01/30/harley-davidson-kansas-city-plant-motorcycle-sales-fall/1078008001/
Treasury Department based its Russian oligarch list on Forbes’ list. “Almost all of the 96 oligarchs listed in the government-issued report, who each have a net worth of $1 billion or more, appear in the Forbes ranking.” https://www.buzzfeed.com/johnhudson/trump-administration-admits-it-cribbed-forbes-magazine-to
Airline refuses to let passenger fly with “emotional support peacock”. “In order to ensure we provide the best service to everyone onboard our flights, consistent with government rules we currently require these customers to provide documentation from a medical professional and at least 48 hours advance notice.” https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/airplane-mode/emotional-support-peacock-denied-flight-united-airlines-n842971
Changing Stories Desk: Employee who sent Hawaii missile alert did so intentionally. “A federal investigation found that the employee believed there “was a real emergency, not a drill.” That directly contradicts earlier explanations from Hawaii officials, who have said the alert was sent when an employee accidentally hit the wrong button on a computer drop-down menu.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2018/01/30/heres-what-went-wrong-with-that-hawaii-missile-alert-the-fcc-says/
Former Governor of Mississippi stopped by TSA for attempting to fly with a loaded pistol in his briefcase. “(Haley) Barbour said he was not handcuffed by police and did not have a mugshot taken.” http://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/371483-former-mississippi-gov-arrested-with-loaded-gun-at-airport
CIA director Mike Pompeo alleged to have held secret meeting with Russian intelligence officials. “Russian media is reporting those who met with Pompeo may have included the country’s sanctioned spy chief, Sergey Naryshkin.” https://edition.cnn.com/2018/01/30/politics/cia-director-pompeo-russia-spies/index.html
Eastern Cougar declared extinct. “…on January 22, the Eastern cougar subspecies was officially declared extinct in the U.S. and removed from the endangered species list by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.” https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/01/north-american-eastern-cougar-mountain-lion-extinct-spd/
Trump administration may be considering first strike on North Korea. “Trump’s team stopped returning (short-listed ambassador candidate Victor) Cha’s calls in December after the strategist made his concerns known about attacking the North…. Cha was reportedly asked whether he could help manage the evacuation of American citizens from South Korea.” https://www.cnbc.com/2018/01/31/south-korea-expert-victor-cha-warned-white-house-on-north-korea.html
Turkish airstrike reportedly hit 3,000 year old Syrian temple. “According to (The American Schools of Oriental Research’s Cultural Heritage Initiatives)… the temple of Ain Dara just south of Afrin suffered ‘heavy damage’ after it was hit, sometime between Jan. 20 and Jan. 22.” https://www.livescience.com/61569-airstrikes-syria-damage-temple.html
U.S. is now the world’s #2 tax haven. “Financial secrecy provided by the U.S. has caused untold harm to the ordinary citizens of foreign countries, whose elites have used the United States as a (hiding place) for looted wealth.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/01/30/us-surpasses-cayman-islands-become-second-largest-tax-haven-earth
Trump’s speech on North Korea eerily similar Bush’s pre-invasion speeches on Iraq. “To begin with, Trump claimed, the United States simply cannot accept a North Korea with weapons that could ‘threaten our homeland’. Moreover, the danger from Kim Jong Un is not just to America: His regime constitutes ‘a menace that threatens our world’.” https://theintercept.com/2018/01/30/donald-trump-state-of-the-union-north-korea/
British court rules that UK mass surveillance practices are illegal. “Three judges at London’s Court of Appeal found that a sweeping data retention law, which allowed authorities to access people’s phone and email records, was not subject to adequate safeguards.” https://theintercept.com/2018/01/30/u-k-court-finds-governments-surveillance-law-unlawful/
Congressman Nunes refuses to deny White House involvement in “shocking” surveillance memo. “His refusal came during a closed-door committee meeting, during which Rep. Mike Quigley (D-IL) asked Nunes if his staffers engaged with the White House as they wrote the memo alleging improper surveillance by the FBI during the 2016 presidential election.” https://www.rawstory.com/2018/01/devin-nunes-refuses-say-crafted-anti-fbi-memo-concert-white-house/
Baltimore Gun Trace Task Force officer admits that car chases caused accidents which were not reported. “There were so many crashes.” https://www.abc2news.com/news/region/baltimore-city/former-bpd-detective-breaks-down-while-on-the-stand-in-gttf-trial
Federal judge temporarily blocks Kansas state law banning boycotts of Israel, cites First Amendment. “U.S. District Judge Daniel Crabtree ruled Tuesday that the law should not be enforced while he judges a case involving a public school teacher who was denied a state contract because she admitted that she boycotts Israeli products.” https://forward.com/fast-forward/393207/federal-judge-blocks-kansas-anti-bds-law/
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