Trump congratulates Putin on his re-election to a fourth term. “Asked whether the Trump administration believes that Russia conducted a ‘free and fair’ election, (White House press secretary Sarah) Sanders said the administration is focused on U.S. elections.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/trumps-national-security-advisers-warned-him-not-to-congratulate-putin-he-did-it-anyway/2018/03/20/22738ebc-2c68-11e8-8ad6-fbc50284fce8_story.html
Senate votes to let the president do whatever he likes with the country’s military. “Trump scored a victory on behalf of the executive branch’s ability to launch and sustain military operations in new countries without first getting authorization from Congress.” https://www.rollcall.com/news/politics/senate-opts-limiting-trumps-war-powers Someone needs to sue to make the Supreme Court rule on this blatant violation of the Constitution.
Israel admits it blew up suspected Syrian nuclear reactor in 2007. “Israel is not a signatory to the (Non-Proliferation Treaty) and has long refused to confirm or deny reports by foreign governments that it holds nuclear weapons.” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/21/israel-admits-it-carried-out-2007-airstrike-on-syrian-nuclear-reactor
Minneapolis police officer charged in fatal shooting of woman who reported hearing a sexual assault. “(Mike) Freeman, Minneapolis’ top prosecutor, had delayed his decision in December, saying his office needed more time and that he lacked sufficient evidence to charge (Officer) Noor.” https://www.reuters.com/article/us-minnesota-police/minnesota-officer-charged-with-murder-in-australians-death-idUSKBN1GW2O8
Fox News analyst resigns, calls network a “propaganda machine”. “Fox has degenerated from providing a legitimate and much-needed outlet for conservative voices to a mere propaganda machine for a destructive and ethically ruinous administration.” https://www.buzzfeed.com/tomnamako/ralph-peters
California teacher caught on student’s cell phone video criticizing the military is fired by school board. “I do believe the military is not the best option for my students.” http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-ln-pico-rivera-teacher-terminated-military-20180320-story.html
Former French President accused of taking millions in campaign donations from former Libyan dictator Moammar Kadafi. “The investigation centers on claims that Kadafi and his supporters secretly handed over almost $61.4 million in illegal donations to Sarkozy’s 2007 election campaign, more than double the $25.8 million candidates were allowed to spend at the time.” http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-france-sarkozy-kadafi-20180320-story.html
British comedian found guilty of hate crime for video featuring dog making apparent Nazi salutes in response to Nazi slogans. “For any comedians making jokes in Britain, I’d be very, very worried about your future because the context and intent, apparently they don’t matter anymore.” http://www.foxnews.com/world/2018/03/21/youtube-comedian-convicted-hate-crime-after-teaching-nazi-salute-to-dog.html
EPA director’s trip to Italy reportedly cost taxpayers about $120,000 if you include cost of connecting flight and security staff. “Pruitt’s own first-class tickets for the trip cost more than $7,000 and included a return flight on Emirates, an airline that boasts one of the most luxurious first-class services in the world.” http://thehill.com/policy/energy-environment/379295-pruitts-security-detail-cost-30000-for-italy-trip
Tempe police chief says she suspects Uber not at fault for death of pedestrian since it was dark and the victim was not using a crosswalk. “Traveling at 38 mph in a 35 mph zone on Sunday night, the Uber self-driving car made no attempt to brake, according to the Police Department’s preliminary investigation.” https://www.sfchronicle.com/business/article/Exclusive-Tempe-police-chief-says-early-probe-12765481.php Video of road ahead and of back up driver released: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RASBcc4yOOo
German cops raid BMW’s headquarters. “BMW has admitted updating about 11,400 vehicles — 750d and M550d saloons — with incorrect software that could have affected their emissions.” http://money.cnn.com/2018/03/20/investing/bmw-diesel-emissions/index.html
United Airlines stops taking PetSafe reservations due to shipping errors. “In 2017, 1.3 out of every 10,000 animals the carrier transported in cargo holds died, according to the Transportation Department, compared with 0.47 out of every 10,000 across all airlines that reported data.” http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/ct-biz-united-suspending-petsafe-pet-travel-0321-story.html
Democratic Party reportedly recruiting a large number of its candidates from the national security community. “National security operatives (57) outnumber state and local government officials (45), lawyers (35), corporate executives, businessmen and wealthy individuals (30) and other professionals (19) among the candidates for Democratic congressional nominations.” https://popularresistance.org/democrats-become-the-party-of-military-intelligence-candidates/
Unarmed Sacramento man shot dead by police in his own backyard after they mistook his cell phone for a gun. “The police department said officers were responding to a report that someone was breaking car windows nearby.” http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/unarmed-black-man-shot-death-backyard-article-1.3886562 Officers reportedly fired 20 shots at Stephan Clark. “Department spokesman Sgt. Vance Chandler said each of the two officers involved in the shooting fired 10 shots, for a total of 20 shots fired. Chandler said he did not know how many times Clark was hit.” http://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article206055609.html
Former Harris County, Texas assistant DA accused of concealing evidence in murder trial, county also accused of packing grand juries with law enforcement officers. “A prosecutor who obtained a wrongful conviction that sent a Houston man to death row for nearly 10 years didn’t just withhold evidence but also denied under oath that he had information that supported Alfred Dewayne Brown’s alibi, court records show.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-watch/wp/2018/03/19/new-revelations-in-the-astonishingly-reckless-and-incompetent-death-sentence-prosecution-of-alfred-dewayne-brown/
Bill to curb school violence lacks protections for students say activists. “For example, if a student has an erroneous report made against them, there are no guidelines ensuring that the reported student will be guaranteed due process, and no government recommendations are included in the bill on how grant recipients can avoid abuses to their system.” https://rightsanddissent.org/news/house-passes-stop-school-violence-act-which-threatens-to-accelerate-school-to-prison-pipeline/
Austin bomber, a home-schooled, Christian conservative, had reportedly been fired from his job for under-performance. “‘He was very quiet and introverted’ and did not have any confrontations with management, the owner said, adding that he was given several warnings for not meeting expectations before he was fired.” http://www.latimes.com/nation/la-na-austin-bombings-suspect-20180321-story.html Media and politicians slow to label white serial bomber a terrorist. “The suspect has been identified as Mark Anthony Conditt, a 24-year-old white male—reigniting a familar conversation on who is and isn’t labeled a “terrorist” by the mainstream media and American politicians.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/03/21/suspected-austin-bomber-believed-dead-familiar-story-about-who-and-isnt-called
Trump administration takes down web page with health advice for lesbian and bi-sexual women. “The page was replaced with a fact sheet about lesbian and bisexual women’s health that was last updated in 2009, but the page can only be navigated to by conducting a word search on the (Office of Women’s Health) site.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/03/21/latest-affront-trump-health-department-scrubs-guidance-lesbian-and-bisexual-women
EU regulators give green light to Bayer-Monsanto merger. “This merger will create the world’s biggest and most powerful agribusiness corporation, which will try to force its genetically modified seeds and toxic pesticides into our food and countryside.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/03/21/alarm-sounds-after-eu-regulators-greenlight-bayer-monsanto-mergerfromhell
White House budget chief overruled bureaucrats, stripped impact estimate from proposed “tip-sharing” rule that would require tipped employees to hand over their tips to employers. “While the Labor Department ultimately concluded that the rule could cost workers $640 million per year in earned tips, EPI found that the actual number would be somewhere around $5.8 billion—with $4.6 billion of that coming from the pockets of women.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/03/21/energetically-corrupt-mulvaney-gave-green-light-delete-data-trumps-tip-stealing-rule
Progressive challenger loses to seven-term incumbent by less than 2,000 votes in Illinois Democratic congressional primary. “Although (Dan) Lipinski has faced mounting criticism for his conservative stances on reproductive and LGBTQ rights, healthcare, and immigration, he retained the support of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/03/21/progressive-challenger-delivers-political-scare-blue-dog-democrat-ekes-out-victory
NSA targeted bitcoin users accorded to leaked Snowden documents. “The NSA collected some Bitcoin users’ password information, internet activity, and a type of unique device identification number known as a MAC address, a March 29, 2013 NSA memo suggested.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/03/20/nsa-worked-track-down-bitcoin-users-snowden-documents-reveal
Teenage Palestinian girl who slapped and kicked soldier after her cousin was shot in the head with a rubber bullet gets 8 months in prison and steep fine. “A high-profile trial with images showing (Ahed) Tamimi smiling while in shackles has thrown the teenager into the centre of a debate regarding Israel’s occupation of the West Bank.” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/21/palestinian-ahed-tamimi-accepts-plea-deal-to-serve-eight-months-in-jail
More irregularities turn up in Russian election. “In the town of Ust-Djeguta, in southern Russia near Georgia, Reuters reporters photographed 17 people who appeared to cast two ballots. Leila Koichuyeva, a member of the election commission, when shown the pictures of people who apparently voted twice, said: ‘They could be twins’.” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/21/they-could-be-twins-photos-appear-to-show-russians-voting-twice-in-putin-election Yes, adult twins that still wear the same clothes on the same day! Just a conspiracy theory?
French bird population has dropped sharply, researchers suspect pesticides have killed off their food supply. “Recent research… has uncovered similar trends across Europe, estimating that flying insects have declined by 80%, and bird populations (have) dropped by more than 400 (million) in 30 years.” https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/mar/21/catastrophe-as-frances-bird-population-collapses-due-to-pesticides
Inept federal response to Hurricane Maria being used to leverage “shock doctrine” privatization campaigns says author. “The first step was to be the immediate privatization of the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, known as PREPA, one of the largest public power providers in the United States and, despite its billions of dollars in debt, the one that brings in the most revenue.” https://theintercept.com/2018/03/20/puerto-rico-hurricane-maria-recovery/
Company aligned with government in Turkey buys up outlets accused of being critical of country’s ruling party. “The Dogan Media group owned the newspapers Hurriyet and Posta, and two of Turkey’s main entertainment and news channels, Kanal D and CNN Turk.” https://www.nytimes.com/2018/03/21/world/europe/turkey-media-erdogan-dogan.html
U.N. human rights watchdog claims armed groups in Libya are abusing civilians and migrants. “Armed groups execute and torture civilians in Libya in almost complete impunity seven years after the revolution that toppled Muammar Gaddafi, the United Nations human rights office said on Wednesday.” https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-libya-security-rights/executions-torture-and-slave-markets-persist-in-libya-u-n-idUKKBN1GX1JI
56 reportedly killed in government airstrikes on Eastern Ghouta, Syria. “Among the reported victims were 16 children and four women who had taken shelter in a school, which was reportedly hit with an airstrike on Monday night.” https://www.democracynow.org/2018/3/21/headlines/reports_56_people_including_children_killed_in_syrian_govt_bombing_in_eastern_ghouta