Trump jokes about becoming President for Life. “(China’s President Xi Jinping is) now president for life…. I think it’s great. Maybe we’ll have to give that a shot some day.” https://edition.cnn.com/2018/03/03/politics/trump-maralago-remarks/index.html
Apps are probably collecting your location data 24/7 and selling it to advertisers and the government. “Data brokers are the companies that track, buy and sell the information to advertisers, government agencies or other groups. Exactly how the information is used is not revealed to the general public.” https://www.theblaze.com/news/2018/03/04/smartphone-apps-are-tracking-and-selling-your-location-data-often-without-you-realizing-it
New Orlean’s police department is using software to map social networks and predict criminal activity, but some members of the city council didn’t know about it until they were contacted by journalists. “The structure of city government in New Orleans is predicated on a “strong mayor” model where the council does not have approval authority over contracts or policies for the city police department.” https://www.theverge.com/2018/2/27/17054740/palantir-predictive-policing-tool-new-orleans-nopd I think I’d call that the “Il Duce” (Benito Mussolini) model.
Louisiana environmental group reportedly “under surveillance”. “James Waskom, the director of the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, forwarded an email on January 4 that included details on the Louisiana Bucket Brigade’s “2018 focus areas.” It was from Buren Ric Moore, an intelligence analyst at the Louisiana State Analytical & Fusion Exchange Liaison.” https://shadowproof.com/2018/03/01/louisiana-officials-surveillance-bayou-bridge-pipeline-opponents/
Many Uber and Lyft drivers are reportedly making around $3.37 an hour after expenses and depreciation of their vehicles, 30% are actually losing money. “On an hourly basis, the median profit was $3.37 per hour, with 74% of drivers earning less than the minimum wage in the state where they operate.” https://techcrunch.com/2018/03/02/mit-study-shows-how-much-driving-for-uber-or-lyft-sucks/
United Airlines replaces employee bonuses for hitting targets with a lottery. “In order for an individual employee to be eligible for the lottery, he or she needs to record perfect attendance.” https://boingboing.net/2018/03/04/labor-lottery.html
The charity “Philando Feeds the Children”, named for school employee Philando Castile, who was shot to death during a traffic stop in 2016, pays off the school lunch debts of all of the city’s children. “The student lunch debt has been wiped out for all 56 schools in the Saint Paul Public Schools district in Minnesota, the district Castile worked for…” https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/charity-honor-philando-castile-pays-school-district-s-entire-lunch-n853046
West Virginia teachers’ strike continues without union approval. “Many doubted that the legislature would actually sign off on the governor’s agreement to raise their pay by 5 percent, and they weren’t happy that the deal created a task force to address escalating health costs in lieu of a concrete solution.” https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-03-02/biggest-wildcat-strike-in-decades-hints-at-new-u-s-labor-unrest
China reportedly censoring any mention of George Orwell’s “Animal Farm” or “1984” on social media. “The China Digital Times, a California-based site covering China, reports a list of terms excised from Chinese websites by government censors includes… Orwell’s novels Animal Farm and 1984…” http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/china-animal-farm-ban-censorship-george-orwell-xi-jinping-power-letter-n-a8235071.html
The military-industrial complex has captured our government, claims author. “Items that snagged billions in new funding in Trump’s proposed 2019 budget included Lockheed Martin’s overpriced, underperforming F-35 aircraft, at $10.6 billion; Boeing’s F-18 “Super Hornet,” which was in the process of being phased out by the Obama administration but is now written in for $2.4 billion; Northrop Grumman’s B-21 nuclear bomber at $2.3 billion; General Dynamics’ Ohio-class ballistic missile submarine at $3.9 billion; and $12 billion for an array of missile-defense programs that will redound to the benefit of… you guessed it: Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and Boeing, among other companies.” https://www.thenation.com/article/the-military-industrial-complex-is-on-corporate-welfare/
Progressive groups ask Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to stop intervening in primary elections. “Progressive activists believe the DCCC’s intervention in contentious primaries ― which has largely consisted of promoting moderate candidates and cautious campaign rhetoric ― reflects misguided political strategy and contempt for the Democratic base.” https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/progressive-grassroots-democrats-dccc_us_5a9b048de4b0479c02531086
Trump insider allegedly sold $31 million in crane company stock before tariff was announced. “On Friday morning Manitowoc’s shares had fallen 5.48% to $26.37. The fall was in line with drops seen by other companies dependent on cheap steel imports, including Boeing and Caterpillar.” https://www.theguardian.com/business/2018/mar/02/carl-icahn-shares-sell-trump-steel-tariffs-announcement-timing A strange stock to sell with Trump’s huge, privatized infrastructure plan on the horizon.
“Smart Cities” are watching you. “In the eastern (Netherlands) city of Enschede, city traffic sensors pick up your phone’s wifi signal even if you are not connected to the wifi network. The trackers register your MAC address, the unique network card number in a smartphone. The city council wants to know how often people visit Enschede, and what their routes and preferred spots are.” https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2018/mar/01/smart-cities-data-privacy-eindhoven-utrecht
Oscars awarded using ranked choice voting system. “If “Phantom Thread” doesn’t get a majority of first-preference votes — which is extremely likely! — your second-preference vote will be taken into account, and so on (until one movie has majority support)…. If the voting were to instead operate like the majority of U.S. elections, in a nine-nominee election, a movie could conceivably win with a 12 percent plurality vote.” https://theintercept.com/2018/03/04/oscars-2018-nominations-ranked-choice-voting/
Police bodycam footage reportedly never released to the public in 40% of shootings. “Upturn, a Washington, D.C.-based policy think tank, reviewed more than 100 cases where body cameras were present and found that in 40 of the reviewed incidents, footage was never made available to the public.” http://www.ibtimes.com/body-camera-footage-not-released-40-percent-fatal-police-shootings-2659303
Sen. Lindsey Graham reportedly says war with North Korea would be “worth it” in the long run. “Graham’s position on the deaths of literal millions isn’t necessarily shared broadly among US politicians, though President Trump has long favored a narrative suggesting that he is on the verge of launching such an attack, and that has necessarily kept Graham’s hopes up.” https://news.antiwar.com/2018/03/03/sen-lindsey-graham-north-korea-war-would-be-worth-it/
Turkish police break up women’s rights demonstration. “Turkish police on Sunday fired tear gas to break up a women’s rights march in Ankara with some 15 protesters reportedly detained.” https://sg.news.yahoo.com/turkey-riot-police-break-womens-rights-march-201313718.html
Garden Grove, California police fatally shoot man wanted for violating the terms of his probation. “Investigators contacted the man in his vehicle in the parking lot, which is when the officer-involved shooting occurred, Whitney said. It wasn’t clear what prompted officers to shoot the suspect.” http://losangeles.cbslocal.com/2018/03/03/garden-grove-police-kill-fugitive/
New Jersey prosecutor forced to release portion of 911 call in police shooting incident, pay legal expenses of news media who sued for it. “An edited version eventually was released after a judge denied the request to keep the tape private.” https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/new-jersey/articles/2018-03-03/prosecutor-defends-not-releasing-911-call-in-police-shooting
Concord, California to pay $1.2 million to settle fatal police shooting. “The suit alleged officers killed (Charles) Burns “intentionally and maliciously” while he was attempting to surrender, by shooting him (10 times) and mauling him with a police dog.” https://www.eastbaytimes.com/2018/03/02/were-not-done-concord-settles-police-shooting-case-for-1-2-million/
Alameda County District Attorney’s Office rules that officers were justified in accidentally shooting 16 year old pregnant woman while shooting at fleeing armed robbery suspect. “Deputy District Attorney Robert Graff said in a 30-page report that the death of Elena “Ebbie” Mondragon of Antioch “was unintended and tragic” and he believes that Fremont Detective Joel Hernandez and Sgt. Jeremy Miskella “acted in lawful” self-defense when they fired shots at suspect Rico Tiger, 19, and struck her instead.” http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2018/03/02/da-rules-police-shooting-of-pregnant-teen-unintended-and-tragic/
Schenectady, New York police lieutenant accused of showing photo of injured suspect to other officers and boasting about what happens to prisoners who resist. “The woman’s head was split open when she was picked up and slammed down onto a station bench by two officers, and then charged with a crime that portrayed her as the aggressor.” https://www.timesunion.com/local/article/Report-alleges-excessive-force-boast-12725660.php
Progressive News Service 