Tennessee legislature cuts funding for Memphis in retaliation for removal of Confederate statues. ““Today is a demonstration that bad actions have bad consequences, and my only regret about this is it’s not in the tune of millions of dollars,” state Rep. Andy Holt (R) said Tuesday on the floor, comparing the statue removals to ‘what ISIS’ does — an apparent reference to destruction of ancient sites like Palmyra in Syria by the Islamic State militant group.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2018/04/18/tennessee-lawmakers-punish-memphis-for-removing-statue-of-confederate-and-kkk-leader/
Three Kansas men found guilty in Garden City anti-Muslim bomb plot. “They wanted the explosions to occur during Muslim prayer times when more potential victims would be there, ‘packed in like sardines’.” https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-muslim-militia-terror-plot-kansas_us_5ad78882e4b029ebe0207801
Federal judge finds Kansas secretary of state Kris Kobach in contempt of court in voter registration case, orders him to pay plaintiffs’ legal expenses. “The Court is troubled by Defendant’s failure to take responsibility for violating this Court’s orders, and for failing to ensure compliance over an issue that he explicitly represented to the Court had been accomplished.” http://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article209268109.html
Stormy Daniels releases sketch of man who she claims threatened her to keep quiet about Trump affair. “Oh it’s a beautiful little girl, would be a shame if something happened to her mom. Forget about this story, leave Mr. Trump alone.” http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-stormy-daniels-sketch-20180417-story.html
Former Playboy model Karen McDougal settles lawsuit with National Enquirer over Trump affair story. “The parent company of the National Enquirer, American Media Inc. (AMI), reportedly paid McDougal $150,000 for the rights to her story about the alleged affair in an August 2016 deal. But the story never ran.” http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/04/18/karen-mcdougal-ex-playboy-model-settles-national-enquirer-suit-that-had-silenced-her-on-alleged-trump-affair.html
Woman sucked out of Southwest Airlines flight was reportedly wearing her seat belt. “She apparently was wearing a seat belt, but was partially sucked out of the plane.” https://www.cbsnews.com/live-news/southwest-airlines-flight-1380-jet-explosion-failure-ntsb-press-conference-2018-04-18-live-stream/
Prosecutors in Trump inauguration protest trial claiming union membership of protesters is suspicious. “In prosecutions against Inauguration Day protesters, the government contends some of the defendants’ union memberships qualify as evidence of a conspiracy to commit a crime.” https://shadowproof.com/2018/04/16/prosecutors-invoke-union-membership-criminalize-inauguration-day-protesters/
After 59 years, Castro family lets go of the reins. “On Thursday, for the first time since the Cuban revolution nearly six decades ago, the island nation will hail a leader outside the Castro family.” https://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2018/04/18/603618284/with-end-of-castro-era-in-sight-cuba-prepares-to-pass-power-to-new-generation
Paul Ryan blames senior citizens for huge projected budget deficit, not recent tax cuts or military spending increases. “That was going to happen. The baby boomers retiring was going to do that.” http://thehill.com/homenews/house/383256-ryan-trillion-dollar-deficits-were-inevitable
Cincinnati 911 dispatcher who mishandled call from teen crushed inside van is reassigned. “She will return, but not in call-taker capacity.” http://people.com/human-interest/kyle-plush-minivan-dead-dispatcher-family/
Houston 911 operator gets 10 days in jail for hanging up on 825 callers. “When questioned about the short calls, Ogg’s office said in a news release that Williams told investigators she often hung up because she did not want to talk to anyone at those times.” https://www.click2houston.com/news/former-houston-911-operator-faces-probation-for-systematically-hanging-up-on-people
‘Terry stops’ (aka ‘stop and frisk’) by police, based on ‘reasonable suspicion’, are unconstitutional argues author. “(Justice William) Douglas wrote: “To give the police greater power than a magistrate is to take a long step down the totalitarian path.”” http://www.truth-out.org/opinion/item/44183-from-probable-cause-to-reasonable-suspicion-the-subversion-of-the-fourth-amendment
Trump tweet that mentioned California ‘breeding concept’ has people confused, Homeland Security secretary passes when asked to explain. “Soooo many Sanctuary areas want OUT of this ridiculous, crime infested & breeding concept.” https://edition.cnn.com/2018/04/18/politics/kirstjen-nielsen-trump-breeding-tweet/index.html
Video of Syracuse University fraternity initiation leaked. “I solemnly swear to always have hatred in my heart for n*ggers, sp*cs and most importantly the f*ckin’ k*kes…. You f*ckin’ k*kes, get in the f*ckin’ showers!” http://dailyorange.com/2018/04/su-suspends-theta-tau-fraternity-video-extremely-racist-behavior-surfaces/ They do appear to be drunk, but still, its what they were thinking.
Starbucks apologizes for arrest of black customers, Philadelphia police department doesn’t. ““It is important for me to say that, in short, these officers did absolutely nothing wrong,” (Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard) Ross said.” https://whyy.org/segments/as-fallout-over-starbucks-arrests-continues-philly-police-chief-stands-by-cops/ Arrests were clearly racist says writer. “One thing is clear: the Philadelphia police officers committed a very discriminatory and unconscionable act when they arrested those men. Commissioner Ross is making the situation even worse by defending those actions.” https://nextshark.com/starbucks-trying-fix-problem-racism-now-polices-turn/
New Jersey LA Fitness gym reportedly fires three employees after two black men were thrown out after being badgered by the staff to repeatedly show their passes. “As the two men continued to work-out, police officers showed up and started to question them about their memberships.” https://nypost.com/2018/04/18/la-fitness-fires-three-employees-over-viral-racial-profiling-incident/
Maine’s supreme court rules that ranked choice voting system approved by the state’s voters should be implemented for 2018 elections. “Fifty-two percent of Maine voters supported the system in a November 2016 ballot initiative, but lawmakers passed a bill last year delaying its implementation until December 2021 and argued that the state could not use a new voting system without direction from the legislature.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/04/18/momentum-better-elections-maine-supreme-court-approves-ranked-choice-voting-2018
Corker-Kaine 2018 AUMF bill (yes, Tim Kaine, Hillary Clinton’s running mate) would authorize continuation of the six wars the U.S. is currently involved in, give President Trump the authority to expand them, and would let him start new ones without the approval of Congress. “Instead of further endorsing perpetual war, we need to insist on an AUMF that is narrow, clearly defined, and respects Congress’s constitutional duty to debate and authorize military action.” https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/04/18/congresswoman-barbara-lee-warns-corker-kaine-aumf-would-expand-not-curb-trumps
Family of prisoner tortured to death in Afghanistan by the CIA wants to know what they did with his body. “The Geneva Conventions and other international treaties require that prisoners who die in custody in wartime be buried in marked graves, that the graves’ locations be recorded in a registry, and that their families be notified and allowed access to the gravesites when hostilities end.” https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/apr/18/gul-rahman-cia-black-site-torture-family-demands-body
Wall Street’s mandatory dispute arbitration board has reportedly only awarded 17 women sexual harassment compensation in 30 years. “Three and a half times that number wound up being dismissed or denied — 60 cases in all.” https://theintercept.com/2018/04/18/in-30-years-only-17-women-won-sexual-harassment-claims-before-wall-streets-oversight-body/
Subaru latest auto company to admit cheating on fuel consumption and emissions data. “The falsification of data on exhaust gases by Subaru is similar to the incident that dogged Volkswagen, but the German auto manufacturer produces a lot more vehicles than Subaru, and therefore that scandal was at a much larger scale.” http://www.ibtimes.com/subaru-altered-fuel-economy-emissions-data-years-many-models-2673272
Auburn, Michigan students displaying Confederate flags at protests. “What began with six trucks bearing the flags on Tuesday, April 17, parked along Bryant Boulevard, adjacent to (Bay City Western High School) at 500 W. Midland Road, has grown to feature dozens of vehicles parked in the same spot on Wednesday.” https://www.mlive.com/news/bay-city/index.ssf/2018/04/confederate_flag-wavers_met_wi.html
Kansas City fire department employee (KCK or KCMO?) who was fired after allegedly spitting on a black child and calling the child’s grandfather a nigger, reportedly gets his job back pending his trial. “(Terrence) Skeen’s lawyer, Tom Bath, said his client’s side of the story ‘will all come out at the trial’, but he’s pleading not guilty and is back on the job, after being ‘suspended incorrectly’.” https://www.kansascity.com/opinion/opn-columns-blogs/melinda-henneberger/article209114334.html
7 year-old dragged off Memphis area school bus by his legs by a teacher, mom claims he was injured. “Another parent of a child at the school contacted me Friday evening, and she said she had video of the teacher dragging my (son off) the school bus.” https://www.fox13memphis.com/top-stories/scs-employee-drags-7-year-old-off-school-bus-by-his-feet/733248376
Two CIA sources suggests Gina Haspel was not just in charge of one black site, but actually ran the agency’s interrogation program. “To the best of my understanding, she ran the interrogation program.” https://www.thedailybeast.com/top-cia-lawyer-in-2014-haspel-ran-the-interrogation-program
Nerve agent used on Skripals may have been from old batch allegedly sold to organized crime figures after fall of Soviet Union. “Exposure to even a large dose of such a normally lethal poison more than 25 years after it was first produced could account for the apparent lack of normal symptoms associated with exposure to that kind of nerve agent experienced by the Skripals, as well as for their relatively speedy recovery.” https://original.antiwar.com/porter/2018/04/18/an-alternative-explanation-to-the-skripal-mystery/
Israeli extremists vandalize Palestinian village. “Vandals cut down more than two dozen olive trees and spray-paint walls in a Palestinian village in the northern West Bank with the phrase “Death to Arabs” on Wednesday in an apparent hate attack.” https://www.timesofisrael.com/palestinian-village-vandalized-trees-cut-down-in-apparent-hate-attack/
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