August 31, 2018

Police body camera video shows Denver journalist being roughly handcuffed and arrested for photographing an injured suspect. “Susan Greene, editor of The Colorado Independent, was put in a patrol car in July after trying to document police tending to a handcuffed naked man on a sidewalk.”   https://www.denverpost.com/2018/08/29/video-shows-detention-of-denver-journalist/

Maricopa County, Arizona decides not to extend voting hours despite extremely long delays in opening polls. “Scottsdale resident Joe Cerrito dropped off his ballot at about 4:10 p.m. at the Mountain View Community Center. He said it was the third polling location he had been to on Tuesday.”   https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/elections/2018/08/28/arizona-voting-problems-polls-may-stay-open-later/1125427002/

Senate Democrats agree to expedite more of the Trump administration’s lifetime federal judge appointments. “Trump has gotten 26 circuit court judges confirmed, more than any other president at this point in his term. Another way of putting it: 1 in 7 U.S. circuit court seats is now filled by a judge nominated by Trump.”   https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/senate-democrats-trump-federal-judges_us_5b86c0eee4b0cf7b00313783

Police officer’s attorney casts doubt on report claiming his client committed suicide before testifying against fellow Baltimore Gun Trace Task Force officers. “(Sean Suiter’s) last moments are being painted without any facts or evidence, and only assumption, without ever taking care to even attempt to interview his attorney, his wife, any of his [Police Department] partners, or anybody who was close to him in those moments.”   http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/crime/bs-md-ci-suiter-interview-20180829-story.html

Former Balch Springs, Texas police officer sentenced to 15 years for murder of Jordan Edwards. “(Roy Oliver) and his partner responded to reports of underage drinking. Oliver fired his weapon five times at a moving vehicle.”   https://www.npr.org/2018/08/30/643207427/texas-officer-who-fatally-shot-black-teen-sentenced-to-15-years-in-prison

Lights appear over San Diego, military claims they were flares. “Almost as soon as the incident began, people started posting images and videos on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and more. At first, the footage showed a single set of lights, hovering in place.”   https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/san-diego-mystery-lights_us_5b877cc9e4b0511db3d4ac4c

India’s supreme court questions police arrests of human rights activists who spoke out on behalf of ‘untouchable’ Dalits, allegedly sparking unrest. “On Tuesday, searches were carried out at the homes of poet Varavara Rao in the southern city of Hyderabad; activists Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira in Maharashtra, trade union campaigner and law professor Sudha Bhardwaj in Faridabad; and civil liberties activist Gautam Navalakha in New Delhi. Subsequently these five were arrested.”   https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/08/india-supreme-court-criticises-police-arresting-activists-180829092007173.html

Texas woman who was sentenced to 5 years in prison for voting says she had no idea she was not eligible to vote. “… even though (Crystal Mason) had served her prison sentence, she wasn’t eligible until after her supervised release ended. And she was not aware of that. No one told her that. Her supervised release officer testified on the stand that he did not tell Crystal that she was not eligible to vote.”   https://www.democracynow.org/2018/8/29/meet_crystal_mason_the_black_texas

Colin Kaepernick to have his day in court. “Kaepernick, who led the San Francisco 49ers to a Super Bowl appearance and NFC championship game in consecutive seasons, argues that owners have colluded to keep him off any NFL roster since he hit free agency in 2017.”   http://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/24526180/arbitrator-sends-colin-kaepernick-grievance-nfl-trial

Australian filmmaker sentenced to six years in prison for filming opposition political party’s rally in Cambodia. “The 69-year-old filmmaker (James Ricketson) was arrested in Cambodia in June 2017 after flying a drone over a rally organized by the Cambodia National Rescue Party, an opposition group that was later dissolved by the government.”   https://edition.cnn.com/2018/08/30/asia/james-ricketson-espionage-trial-cambodia-verdict-intl/index.html

Lawsuit accuses Facebook of sharing user data with device manufacturers. “According to the lawsuit, Facebook concealed its sharing of personal data with device makers until April 2018 when it updated its data policy, a few weeks before the New York Times published an investigative piece revealing the practice.”   https://www.courthousenews.com/facebook-sued-for-sharing-private-data-with-device-makers/

Judge says man jailed for two years can sue Detroit police officers for false arrest. “According to the ruling, (Officer) Moses had withheld evidence of the Facebook-backed alibi and falsely claimed that Bunkley and his father had come to the hospital together…. None of the officers had probable cause to arrest Bunkley because they did not investigate the scene, positively identify the assailants or question either Bunkley or his father before arresting them, (Judge) Batchelder wrote.”   https://www.courthousenews.com/detroit-cops-denied-immunity-in-false-arrest-case/

Canadian court blocks Trans Mountain Pipeline. “Indigenous peoples and climate campaigners scored a major victory in Canada on Thursday as the Federal Court of Appeals ruled that the government’s review of the controversial Trans Mountain Pipeline, a project of Kinder Morgan, did not adequately consult with First Nations (indigenous tribal organizations) before greenlighting the project.”   https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/08/30/great-victory-indigenous-communities-everywhere-canadian-court-rescinds-trans

Progressive candidate tells Democratic primary debate audience, “We don’t need a corrupt corporate Democrat” as governor of New York. “In addition to highlighting what she described as the ‘incredible corruption’ of (Andrew) Cuomo’s seven-year tenure as governor, (Cynthia) Nixon clearly detailed her positive progressive agenda, which includes single-payer healthcare, support the right of public workers to strike, staunch advocacy for women’s reproductive rights, and protection of undocumented immigrants from Trump’s cruel, xenophobic agenda.”   https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/08/30/we-dont-need-corrupt-corporate-democrat-heated-ny-debate-nixon-counters-cuomo-bold

Mainstream media accused of playing down John McCain’s love of U.S. military interventions into other countries, and of instead portraying him as a human rights icon, Washington Post runs ‘human rights champion’ headline with photo of McCain sharing a stage with a Ukrainian right-wing extremist.  “For the header image on this column, the Washington Post used a photo of McCain speaking next to the notorious Ukrainian neo-Nazi leader Oleh Tyahnybok.”   https://fair.org/home/john-mccain-human-rights-ukrainian-nazi-photo-washington-post/

 

August 29, 2018

Former Texas police officer found guilty of murder in rifle shooting of fleeing teen Jordan Edwards. “A Dallas jury convicted ex-Balch Springs police officer Roy Oliver of murder Tuesday for the slaying of an unarmed black 15-year-old.”   https://www.nbcdfw.com/news/local/Jury-Deliberations-in-Roy-Oliver-Murder-Trial-Stretch-into-Second-Day-491890161.html

Dallas News posted body camera footage of Jordan Edwards shooting, but apparently it is not being featured in national news reports. “Gross was trying to stop the Chevrolet Impala that Jordan was in with his brothers and friends when Oliver fired into the car.”   https://www.dallasnews.com/news/courts/2018/08/28/jurors-reach-verdict-case-cop-killed-15-year-old-jordan-edwards   You can also see the video on YouTube here:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l2M75moIXFY

Internet Association and trade groups ask appeals court to reinstate net neutrality rules. “Because the (Federal Communications) Commission does not offer a reasoned basis for its decision to eliminate the conduct rules, the Order is arbitrary and capricious.”   https://www.jurist.org/news/2018/08/internet-groups-urge-appeals-court-to-reinstate-net-neutrality-rules/

As funding for health clinics falls rates of sexually transmitted diseases are rising, 45% of those affected are women under 24. “Last year, nearly 2.3 million US cases of (syphilis, gonorrhea and chlamydia) were diagnosed, according to preliminary data. That’s the highest number ever reported nationwide…”   https://edition.cnn.com/2018/08/28/health/std-rates-united-states-2018-bn/index.html

Al Jazeera journalists claim to have uncovered people involved in the ‘Canary Mission’, as well as claims that the group is working in coordination with the Israeli government to target Palestinian rights activists in the U.S. “(Jacob) Baime also confides to ‘Tony’, who is British, of his ties with the Israeli government, explaining that ‘my view and the view of Israel’s Ministry of Strategic Affairs, which we coordinate with sometimes, we communicate with sometimes, is, um, like Europe is lost and it’s basically over and like they’re turning a lot of attention now to the US because they feel we’re on your path’.”   https://electronicintifada.net/content/censored-film-names-adam-milstein-canary-mission-funder/25356

Record turnout during Arizona primary elections, despite voters being turned away from the polls. “Voters were turned away at numerous polling places in Maricopa County on Tuesday, as problems with voting machines kept some polling places closed until almost noon.”   https://www.courthousenews.com/polling-place-snafu-record-turnout-rule-the-day-in-arizona/

Gov. Brown signs law to end cash bail system, but it could result in fewer, not more, suspects being released while awaiting trial. “Judges will have wide discretion in determining who can be released from jail, and courts must establish ‘pretrial assessment services’ to evaluate a defendant’s level of risk to public safety and make recommendations to judges about release conditions.”   https://www.courthousenews.com/brown-signs-end-of-money-bail-system-in-california/

Teacher with health insurance billed almost $109,000 after heart attack. “Total Bill: $164,941 for a four-day hospital stay, including $42,944 for four stents and $10,920 for room charges,” noted KHN, which published the billing statement from St. David’s Medical Center. “Calver’s insurer paid $55,840. The hospital billed Calver for the unpaid balance of $108,951.31.”   https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/08/28/add-horror-story-teacher-charged-109k-after-heart-attack-long-list-reasons-us-badly

Federal court throws out woman’s lawsuit against Missouri’s abortion laws because she was not actually pregnant at the moment when she filed the lawsuit. “Doe… complied with the state’s abortion measures – which includes a 72-hour waiting period, a booklet on the fetus’ ability to feel pain and the option to listen to the fetus’ heartbeat – but says those measures run contrary to her religious beliefs…. Her lawsuit claimed that the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which is what Hobby Lobby used to successfully exclude itself from offering contraception coverage to its workers, does not define religious belief.”   https://www.courthousenews.com/satanist-loses-challenge-to-missouri-abortion-rules/

Hurricane Maria death toll in Puerto Rico rises to almost 3,000 after deaths from slow disaster response are added to the total. “It’s fairly striking that you have so many households without electricity for so long. That’s unusual in the US after a disaster.”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/28/hurricane-maria-new-death-toll-estimate-is-close-to-3000

Donald Trump warns of Democrats rolling back his achievements and violent Antifa attacks if Republicans lose control of Congress. “If Republicans lose Congress, ‘they will end everything immediately’, the president said, seemingly referring to Congressional Democrats. ‘They will overturn everything that we’ve done and they’ll do it quickly and violently. And violently. There’s violence. When you look at antifa, and you look at some of these groups, these are violent people.'”   https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/aug/28/donald-trump-midterms-private-meeting-church-antifa   Antifa is just waiting for Democrats to take control of Congress and roll back Trump’s agenda before they strike, because…. Well, just trust me, they are.

Trump’s ‘incredible’ trade deal with Mexico is much ado about nothing, but the stock markets are happy with that. “Rebranding NAFTA is better than pulling it apart — but if this modified accord with Mexico is the best Trump can do, it would have been less disruptive, and better for the U.S. economy, to have left well enough alone.”   https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-08-28/u-s-mexico-trade-agreement-better-to-rebrand-nafta-than-end-it

Bernie Sanders-endorsed candidate wins governor’s race in Florida’s Democratic Party primary election. “(Andrew Gillum’s) platform includes support for ‘Medicare for All’ and criminal justice reform proposals like the legalization of marijuana, bail reform, and a repeal of Florida’s ‘Stand Your Ground’ law, which gained national infamy after the 2012 killing of Trayvon Martin.”   https://theintercept.com/2018/08/28/andrew-gillum-brings-it-home-tallahassee-mayors-upset-is-latest-insurgent-victory/

Manafort and Cohen cases suggest that other super rich people are also probably cheating, but just not being caught. “… let’s hope that one of the lasting legacies of the Mueller investigation will be more people catching on that some of the wealthiest Americans employ shady financial practices at the expense of everybody else, and that they should be watched much more closely in the future.”   https://whowhatwhy.org/2018/08/26/mueller-investigation-shows-the-rich-deserve-much-more-scrutiny/

EPA suggests letting states make their own decisions on coal power plants. “The federal government will set carbon emission guidelines, but states will have the leeway to set less-stringent standards, taking into account a facility’s age and the cost of upgrades.”   https://www.rawstory.com/2018/08/trumps-epa-unveils-weaker-alternative-obama-power-plant-rule/

Mexico still not paying for the Wall, looks like U.S. taxpayers are still on the hook. “We just reached a trade understanding with the US, and the outlook for the relationship between our two countries is very positive,” (Mexico’s) foreign minister wrote. “We will NEVER pay for a wall, however. That has been absolutely clear from the very beginning.”   https://www.rawstory.com/2018/08/mexico-slaps-back-trumps-claim-will-pay-wall-will-never-pay/

Federal appeals court rules that printing ‘In God We Trust” on U.S. currency does not constitute the establishment of a state religion. “(Judge) Gruender said the Constitution lets the government celebrate ‘our tradition of religious freedom’, and that putting the motto on currency ‘comports with early understandings of the Establishment Clause’ without compelling religious observance.”   https://www.rawstory.com/2018/08/us-court-rejects-atheists-appeal-god-trust-money/

President Trump told Japan’s Prime Minister Abe that he remembers the 1941 attack on Pearl Harbor, despite being born in 1946. “‘I remember Pearl Harbor’, the president said, referring to the surprise attack that propelled the United States into World War II. Trump then launched into a blistering critique of Japan’s economic policies, according to people familiar with the conversation.”   https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/i-remember-pearl-harbor-inside-trumps-hot-and-cold-relationship-with-japans-prime-minister/2018/08/28/d6117021-e310-40a4-b688-68fdf5ed2f38_story.html

Homeland Security official resigns after journalists discover ties to white nationalists. “After describing the emails involving (Ian) Smith in detail to DHS spokespeople on Monday, The Atlantic learned on Tuesday that Smith had resigned from his position.”   https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/08/emails-link-former-dhs-policy-analyst-to-white-nationalists/568843/

Defense attorney mentions Paul Manafort’s case during trial, but is blocked from using the ‘Trump defense’ in court. “An attorney for a crack dealer began to argue in closing statements last week that a cooperating witness can’t be trusted — but a judge stopped him before he could cite a ‘presidential tweet’.”   https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/ny-metro-crack-dealer-trump-defense-20180828-story.html

 

August 28, 2018

Eleven Mississippi prison inmates have died so far during the month of August. “The ages of the 11 deceased inmates in August range from 24 to 78.”   https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2018/08/25/eleventh-mississippi-inmate-death-august-mdoc-custody/1097108002/

Federal court case could decide the future of the 4th amendment, which protects Americans from unreasonable searches and seizures. “The government’s sprawling interpretation of ‘incidental collection’, combined with the notion that the Constitution has nothing to say about the use of vast amounts of digital data obtained without a warrant, threatens the privacy of millions of Americans who are not suspected of any wrongdoing.”   https://www.justsecurity.org/60439/americans-privacy-stake-circuit-hears-hasbajrami-fisa-case/

New York City reportedly fines Kushner Companies for submitting false information on building permits for 17 properties (which the city nevertheless approved). “Aaron Carr, executive director of Housing Rights Initiative, said that the group’s analysis ‘suggests that Mr. Cohen [President Trump’s former personal lawyer] had commenced a deliberate campaign to systematically harass tenants out of their apartments using destructive, hazardous and illegal construction practices, so he could dramatically raise rents’.”   https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/27/nyregion/kushner-cohen-rent-regulated-tenants.html

Federal judges rule for second time that North Carolina’s congressional districts are unconstitutionally gerrymandered to favor Republican candidates. “‘Although North Carolina’s loud and proud admission that legislators drew districts for partisan advantage is unusual, the practice is universal when politicians are in charge,’ Kathay Feng, the national redistricting director at Common Cause, which brought the suit on behalf of the North Carolina voters, said in a statement.”   https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/north-carolina-congressional-map_us_5b847318e4b0511db3d0d0cf

Median U.S. household by income (the middle household on a scale from the lowest to highest) has $11,700 in savings. The top 1% has a median savings of $1.1 million. The bottom 20% of the population by income has no savings at all. “For too long, the magnitude of financial instability in this country has been understated.”   https://www.marketwatch.com/story/brace-yourself-this-is-how-much-americas-1-has-saved-2018-08-24

France’s minister of the environment, a former nature program host, resigns. “I don’t want to give the illusion that my position within the government suggested that we are answering these problems properly, so I’m leaving the government,” (Nicolas) Hulot said during a radio interview, adding: “I no longer want to lie.”   https://edition.cnn.com/2018/08/28/europe/france-environment-minister-hulot-quits-intl/index.html

Air pollution may reduce intelligence say researchers. “Our findings about the damaging effect of air pollution on cognition, particularly on the aging brain, imply that the indirect effect on social welfare could be much larger than previously thought.”   https://www.bbc.com/news/health-45326598

Social science studies published in major journals often contain experimental findings that cannot be reproduced. “A research project attempted to replicate 21 social science experiments published between 2010 and 2015 in the prestigious journals Science and Nature. Only 13 replication attempts succeeded.”   https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2018/08/27/researchers-replicate-just-13-of-21-social-science-experiments-published-in-top-journals/

Colombians overwhelming vote for cleaner government, but they won’t be getting it because only 11.6 million people voted, falling short of the minimum participation threshold of 12.1 million voters. “Each of the seven questions, including bans on house arrest sentences for corruption, forcing elected officials to publish tax returns and a three-term limit on lawmakers, had more than 99 percent support. Voters also backed limiting monthly salaries for lawmakers and other high-ranking officials to the equivalent of 25 minimum salaries…”   https://www.reuters.com/article/us-colombia-referendum/colombians-vote-on-anti-corruption-measures-in-sunday-referendum-idUSKCN1LB0GI

Cigarette butts are the most common type of ocean pollutant say environmental activists. “For 32 consecutive years, cigarette butts have been the single most collected item on the world’s beaches, with a total of more than 60 million collected over that time.”   https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/plastic-straw-ban-cigarette-butts-are-single-greatest-source-ocean-n903661

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s student loan ombudsman resigns. “The top government official overseeing the $1.5 trillion student loan market resigned Monday, citing what he says is the White House’s open hostility toward protecting the nation’s millions of student loan borrowers.”   https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/consumer-financial-protection-bureau-seth-frotman-departs_us_5b841400e4b0cd327dfea0b2

Indiscriminate bombing of Yemeni civilians is probably a war crime say U.N. investigators. “(Saudi) Coalition air strikes have caused most of the documented civilian casualties. In the past three years, such air strikes have hit residential areas, markets, funerals, weddings, detention facilities, civilian boats and even medical facilities.”   https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/08/28/un-probe-says-repeated-bombing-yemen-civilians-us-backed-saudi-coalition-likely

Vietnam wants Monsanto to pay compensation to the country’s Agent Orange victims. “Dioxin, a highly toxic element of Agent Orange, has been linked to major health problems such as birth defects, cancers other deadly diseases.”   https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/vietnam-agent-orange-monsanto-victims-compensation-a8508271.html

AT&T accused of off-shoring some of its call center jobs. “In the last seven years, AT&T has closed 44 call centers, according to the Communications Workers of America labor union.”   https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/aug/28/att-earns-record-profits-layoffs-outsourcing-continue

147 aboriginal prisoners have reportedly died in custody in Australia since 2008. “Just 2.8% of the Australian population identifies as Indigenous. Yet Indigenous people make up 27% of the prison population, 22% of deaths in prison custody and 19% of deaths in police custody.”   https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2018/aug/28/national-shame-147-indigenous-people-die-in-custody-in-australia-in-a-decade

Officer who fatally shot unarmed black motorist, but who was then found not guilty of manslaughter, is reportedly teaching a class for law enforcement officers about how to ‘survive’ the aftermath of a police shooting incident. “Video presented during the trial showed (Terence) Crutcher holding at least one hand in the air by the half-open window of his SUV’s driver’s door when (Officer) Shelby fired one shot.”   https://www.tulsaworld.com/news/bettyshelby/betty-shelby-teaching-course-for-officers-on-surviving-the-aftermath/article_9388a019-cd03-5890-9757-069a5bf9706d.html

Department of Agriculture to pay out $4.7 billion to farmers hurt by retaliatory tariffs, mostly to soybean growers. “The program will also include $1.2 billion in purchases of commodities, including pork and dairy products, to be spread out over several months, Undersecretary for Marketing and Regulatory Programs Greg Ibach said.”   https://www.rawstory.com/2018/08/us-government-pay-4-7-billion-bailout-tariff-related-aid-farmers/

Trump threatens to do something about  ‘unfair’ search engine results dominated by critical articles about him and his policies. “(Ninety-six percent) of results on ‘Trump News’ are from National Left-Wing Media, very dangerous. Google & others are suppressing voices of Conservatives and hiding information and news that is good. They are controlling what we can & cannot see. This is a very serious situation-will be addressed!”   https://www.rawstory.com/2018/08/rigged-president-takes-aim-search-engine-results-googling-trump-news/

Trump accused of blocking construction of new FBI headquarters across the street from Trump International Hotel. “The Inspector General’s report found that GSA Administrator Emily Murphy’s testimony before Congress on the scandal, ‘was incomplete and may have left the misleading impression that she had no discussions with the President or senior White House officials in the decision-making process about the project’.”   https://www.rawstory.com/2018/08/trump-involved-scuttling-fbi-building-across-trumps-dc-hotel-inspector-general-report/

Black man sitting in his car, parked in the parking lot of the apartment complex where he lives, violently arrested by police after being accused of loitering. “Indianapolis’ RTV6 reported that “courtesy officer” James Reynolds approached Jaquon Dean in the apartment complex he patrols daily and asked him for ID. The tenant, who was sitting in his car in the parking lot, refused to show it.”   https://www.rawstory.com/2018/08/security-guard-turned-gop-candidate-arrests-black-man-loitering-apartment-complex/

 

August 27, 2018

50 years ago in August, the 1968 Democratic National Convention revealed a country in political turmoil that was turning into a police state after a string of political assassinations. “The TV networks… cut away from the convention speakers to show tape-delayed images of the violence. The footage was shadowy, with police surging to and fro, dragging protesters, shoving them into a paddy wagon, clubbing them. A chant could be heard in the background: ‘The whole world is watching!’.”   https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/retropolis/wp/2018/08/24/a-party-that-had-lost-its-mind-in-1968-democrats-held-one-of-historys-most-disastrous-conventions/

Catholic Church and its insurance companies have reportedly paid out $3.8 billion to settle sexual abuse cases since the 1980’s. “Bishop Accountability, a non-profit that tracks allegations of abuse in the Catholic Church, says the payouts involved cases filed by more than 8,600 survivors who were allegedly sexually abused by an undisclosed number of clergy since the 1950s.”   https://edition.cnn.com/2018/08/24/us/catholic-church-abuse-payments/index.html

While the mainstream media claims ‘the internet is destroying retail’, hundreds of Dollar General discount grocery stores, which target low income customers, are popping up. “In 2017, Dollar General opened new locations at a rate of around four stores a day. In 2018, 900 more stores are slated to open at a rate of about three stores a day.”   https://www.businessinsider.com/dollar-general-low-price-strategy-2018-8

European ranchers and dairy farmers suffering through long drought. “There are going to be a massive number of farms abandoned.”   https://www.yahoo.com/news/no-grass-europes-livestock-sector-stricken-drought-031300962.html

Same rare brain cancer that killed John McCain also killed Ted Kennedy and Beau Biden, with only an estimated  12,400 cases diagnosed per year in a population of 300 million. “Glioblastoma, the cancer with which Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) has been diagnosed, is a highly lethal malignancy that killed Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) and Beau Biden, (Delaware’s attorney general and) the son of former vice president Joseph Biden.”   https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2017/07/19/5-questions-about-the-brain-cancer-diagnosed-in-sen-john-mccain/

People prefer friends and lovers who will let the world burn and who will look out for their interests instead. “Asked to choose between do-gooders and those who place family members and friends first, subjects said they would rather spend time with those who made people close to them a priority…”   https://news.yale.edu/2018/08/23/do-gooders-dont-do-so-good-when-it-comes-dates

Masked Memphis police officers accused of raiding homes of relatives of Black Lives Matters activist, handcuffing ACLU lawyer on first day of police surveillance trial.  “In a deposition for the ACLU lawsuit, officials said the (Memphis Police Department’s Homeland Security office) had been ‘retooled’ around 2016, due to an increase in policing-related protests and (began) to focus on ‘local individuals or groups that were staging protests’.”   https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/aug/26/memphis-police-raids-activists-family-black-lives-matter

U.N. accuses Myanmar’s armed forces of genocide. “(U.N. investigators) found that the military were ‘killing indiscriminately, gang-raping women, assaulting children and burning entire villages’ in Rakhine, home to the Muslim Rohingya, and in Shan and Kachin. The (military) also carried out murders, imprisonments, enforced disappearances, torture, rapes and used sexual slavery and other forms of sexual violence, persecution and enslavement – all of which constitute crimes against humanity.”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/27/myanmars-military-accused-of-genocide-by-damning-un-report

Kansas accused of not informing residents of ground water contamination. “’We didn’t find out for 7 years,’ said Joe Hufman, whose well was contaminated by a Haysville dry cleaner. ‘Haysville knew it. (The Kansas Department of Health and Environment) knew it. Kwik Shop knew it.’…. The delays stem from a 1995 state law that places more emphasis on protecting the dry cleaning industry than protecting public health.”   https://www.kansas.com/news/politics-government/article216625720.html

Commenters on Fox News website reportedly hurl abuse at John McCain, most likely for not backing Trump. “’I’m sorry, but I can’t celebrate the life of a man who has done so much evil,’ Oldster13 opined. ‘He is burning in Hell right now, and receiving the due payment for his evil deeds.’ ‘Thanks for dying McCain! By far the best thing you ever did for America!!!’ commenter PromotesFreedom quipped.”   https://www.rawstory.com/2018/08/burning-hell-fox-news-commenters-trash-john-mccain-hours-death/

Urban warfare is incredibly difficult and destructive says British general. “General Townsend, who commanded the coalition effort to defeat ISIL from 2016 to March this year, likened the fight to liberate Mosul to Stalingrad, the bloodiest battle of the Second World War.  A coalition force of 90,000 soldiers took nine months to finally defeat the 5,000 ISIL fighters…”   https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/08/20/future-war-will-result-destruction-beyond-comprehension-says/

 

August 26, 2018

Former National Enquirer senior editor says the paper killed about 10 Trump-related stories up to 2013 when he left. “And hundreds of story leads that were never approved, that would come in and we just wouldn’t explore.”   https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/david-pecker-donald-trump-jerry-george_us_5b802d8ce4b0729515128cad

37% of Trump supporters and 20% of Clinton supporters surveyed admitted that they have used ‘the n-word’ when referring to African-Americans. “More than a third (37 percent) of Trump supporters and a fifth of Clinton supporters admitted to previously using the N-word to refer to a black or African-American person.”   https://www.newsweek.com/potus-trump-n-word-poll-america-racism-1090610   Yikes! The only white people I’ve ever heard do that, personally, were some of my grandparents and great-grandparents. I’m in my late 50’s and I’ve never heard any white person my age or younger use it, and I never heard my parents use it.

7 arrested after pro- and anti-Confederate statue protesters clash on the campus of the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. “Administrators said the protest drew 100 people and that it was ‘highly charged’.”   https://www.nbcnews.com/news/nbcblk/7-arrested-clashes-over-confederate-statue-university-north-carolina-n903891

Democratic Party reforms its presidential nomination process by limiting super-delegates and allowing absentee votes at state caucuses. “The change will prohibit super-delegates from voting for (presidential candidates) at the party’s 2020 convention, unless the outcome is already assured or it deadlocks, which hasn’t happened in decades. The vast majority of super-delegates sided with Hillary Clinton over Sanders in their primary fight two years ago.”   https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/democrats-vs-trump/democrats-strip-super-delegates-power-reform-caucuses-historic-move-n903866

Federal judge blocks Trump administration executive orders affecting federal employees. “In an opinion Saturday, U.S. District Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson said Trump exceeded his authority because Congress has established collective bargaining rights for federal employees through the Federal Service Labor-Management Relations Act.”   https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/08/25/donald-trump-labor-unions-court-strikes-down-three-executive-orders/1098451002/

Homeland Security employees were asked to find positive information about war torn and disaster struck countries in order to justify deporting refugees with ‘temporary protected status’, according to government documents request in ACLU lawsuit. “(The internal) messages reveal that DHS asked staffers to find ‘positive gems’ about war-torn countries to justify sending more than 300,000 people back to their homelands.”   https://www.npr.org/2018/08/25/641652912/dhs-asks-for-positive-gems-about-war-torn-countries-to-justify-returning-immigra

Turkish police disperse ‘mothers of the disappeared’ protest with water cannons and tear gas. “Police in the Turkish city of Istanbul have forcefully broken up a regular protest by mothers remembering relatives who disappeared during violence in the 1990s.”   https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-45311134

Central and South American female politicians targeted with violence. “Gender-based political violence is seen throughout Latin America, particularly in Mexico, where 19 female candidates were killed and 118 were attacked ahead of the July elections. Brazilians were shocked at this year’s murder of Rio de Janeiro councilwoman Marielle Franco, who was known for outspokenness against police violence. And in Peru, electoral authorities estimate that four of every 10 female candidates are victims of political harassment and if elected, two out every five women suffer political violence.”   http://www.foxnews.com/world/2018/08/25/as-womens-roles-expand-in-bolivian-politics-so-do-attacks.html

An estimated 1.6 million refugees have fled Venezuela, U.N. warns of another possible migration crisis. “This is building to a crisis moment that we’ve seen in other parts of the world, particularly in the Mediterranean.”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/25/venezuela-heading-for-crisis-moment-comparable-to-refugees-in-mediterranean-un-says

President Trump has reportedly spent 1/3 of his presidency at Trump-owned properties. “Donald Trump’s arrival at the Trump National Golf Club in Sterling, Virginia, Saturday morning marked 150 days of his 582 days in office that he’s spent at a golf club bearing his own name. That is a quarter of his time in office. The visit also marked his 193^rd day at a Trump property. Or a third of his time in office.”   https://www.newsweek.com/trump-150-days-presidency-trump-golf-club-1090729

Disney World unions win $1,000 bonuses, $15 minimum wage for Orlando area workers. “The agreement, which covers thousands of park and resort employees, would increase starting wages by 50%.”   https://money.cnn.com/2018/08/25/news/companies/walt-disney-world-minimum-wage/index.html

Stunned Wells Fargo customers say bank ‘lost’ their CDs. “They could find no history of my CD as they only keep records for 7 years.”   https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/It-Disappeared-Bank-Tells-San-Jose-Widow-it-Doesnt-Have-Her-30000-CD-491564781.html

Orange County, California jail phone calls between attorneys and prisoners were allegedly recorded, listened to by deputies. “‘This has been going on for three years,’ (attorney Joel Garson) added. ‘Law enforcement had a duty’ to bring it to the bar’s attention.”   https://www.courthousenews.com/jail-phone-contractor-recorded-calls-to-attorneys/

Former member of Turkish parliament seeks asylum in Greece. “Birlik, a former People’s Democratic Party, or HDP, lawmaker was sentenced in January to 21 months’ imprisonment for insulting Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.”   https://www.courthousenews.com/former-turkish-lawmaker-seeking-political-asylum-in-greece/

Federal appeals court rules that feeding the homeless is protected political speech. “History may have been quite different had the Boston Tea Party been viewed as mere dislike for a certain brew and not a political protest against the taxation of the American colonies without representation.”   https://www.courthousenews.com/court-sides-with-activists-on-food-sharing-crackdown/

War hawk John McCain dies of brain cancer. “Don’t let the media forget the thousands of Arabs and Asians he helped displace, injure or kill. Their lives mattered too.”   https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/08/25/sen-john-mccain-republican-war-hawk-dead-81    More like hundreds of thousands or millions.

Interview with the author of Temp: How American Work, American Business, and the American Dream Became Temporary. “Wage inequality, income volatility, all the rest of it, has this longer history, and it’s not actually tied to technology. It is tied to the reorganization of the corporation, and the relationship between employers and employees. In this book, I want to set out that history, both how we made secure work after World War II, and then also, the kinds of decisions and choices that brought about its end after 1970 by business leaders and policy makers, and union leaders too.”   https://whowhatwhy.org/2018/08/24/temp-work-the-waste-product-of-the-service-economy/

Burning Man employees claim management underpays them, doesn’t look out for them and lets them go if they complain or try to organize. “To put this in perspective, the US Army in 2011 reported a peak of 22.9 suicides per 100,000 soldiers, which was the highest rate seen in a decade…. Assuming the combined numbers of (Burning Man) Gate, DPW and Rangers to be approximately 1,000 strong, that would mean a suicide rate of 300 per 100,000.”   https://www.salon.com/2018/08/24/exclusive-burning-man-a-utopia-for-guests-can-be-a-hell-for-many-workers/

73 Palestinians hospitalized after Gaza border clashes. “The statement said that around 50 Palestinians were shot by Israeli soldiers’ gunfire in various parts of their bodies, adding that two of the casualties are in critical condition. The statement said among the casualties there are ten children and two women.”   http://www.xinhuanet.com/english/2018-08/25/c_137416714.htm

60’s war plans included options for massive, preemptive nuclear attacks on Russia and China. “U.S. nuclear war plans during the Johnson administration included the option of a retaliatory strike against nuclear, conventional military, and urban-industrial targets with the purpose of removing the Soviet Union ‘from the category of a major industrial power’ and destroying it as a ‘viable’ society…. the (Single Integrated Operational Plan) included a retaliatory option in the event of a Soviet surprise attack and a preemptive option in the case of intelligence warning of an imminent Soviet attack.”   https://nsarchive.gwu.edu/briefing-book/nuclear-vault/2018-08-15/us-nuclear-war-plan-option-sought-destruction-china-soviet-union-viable-societies

Russia claims Islamic State fighters on its border with Afghanistan are receiving fighters and weapons via helicopters, and that U.S. and Afghan government are not doing anything about it. “Unfortunately, neither official Kabul nor our Western partners have been able to give any accurate and credible information on the origin and the goals of unidentified helicopters flying over the territory of the IRA (the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan) and possibly involved in transporting terrorists of the IS [Daesh] and the equipment they need.”   https://www.tolonews.com/afghanistan/unidentified-helicopters-support-militants-afghanistan-russia

Reality Winner received the harshest sentence ever imposed by a federal court for leaking secrets to the news media. “Instead of being recognized as a conscience-driven whistle-blower whose disclosure helped protect U.S. elections, Winner was prosecuted with vicious resolve.”   https://www.democracynow.org/2018/8/24/james_risen_reality_winners_sentence_is

Oil companies want federal money to protect Gulf Coast refineries from rising sea levels. “The plan would create a massive ‘spine’ of seawalls on the Gulf Coast to protect dozens of coastal refineries from encroaching seas and ever more powerful storms. Texas alone has requested $12 billion for the project.”   https://www.democracynow.org/2018/8/24/headlines/gulf_refineries_seek_taxpayer_dollars_to_defend_against_rising_seas   You can kiss your refineries, and Mar-a -Lago, goodbye. Unfortunately, a lot of INNOCENT people are also going to suffer.

 

 

August 25, 2018

Member of University of North Carolina’s Board of Governors says Confederate statue will be reinstalled after being pulled down by protesters, 3 charged with misdemeanors. “Before it was torn down, it had been under constant, costly police surveillance after being vandalized in recent months.”   https://www.cbsnews.com/news/silent-sam-unc-3-face-charges-today-in-connection-with-confederate-monument-toppling-2018-08-24/

Republican wins special election for U.S. House seat by less than 1% in previously ‘safe’ red district, even after Trump visit. “In the final vote count Balderson received 104,328 votes, or 50.12 percent, and O’Connor had 102,648 votes, or 49.32 percent, according to Franklin County.”   https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-election-ohio/republican-declared-winner-of-ohio-special-congressional-election-idUSKCN1L91YC

Mariia Butina’s lawyer tries to defend her in the press, gets slapped down by judge for talking to the media. “During the July 25 hearing, Driscoll said he airs his views in the media to correct misinformation about his client, including reports that she trained as a spy in Russia and was willing to trade sexual favors for a position with an unnamed American special interest organization.”   https://www.courthousenews.com/feds-flag-lawyer-comments-on-behalf-of-accused-kremlin-agent/

Congressman Duncan Hunter blames his wife for misappropriating campaign funds, suggests members of Congress are underpaid. “She was also the campaign manager, so whatever she did that’ll be looked at too, I’m sure. But I didn’t do it. I didn’t spend any money illegally.”   https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/duncan-hunter-throws-his-wife-under-bus-in-campaign-finance-scandal

Couple accused of shorting homeless man on GoFundMe donations. “The couple is withholding about $200,000 and say they’ve already given Bobbitt the rest of the money. ‘Giving him all that money, it’s never going to happen. I’ll burn it in front of him.'”   http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/ny-news-homeless-man-gofundme-money-20180824-story.html

Waterford, Michigan 911 dispatcher tells family to call a towing company after baby is trapped in hot car with rolled up windows. “Guyton ran to the back windshield, which shattered after ‘two hard hits’. ‘I’ve never felt more relieved,’ she wrote, adding that the tow company showed up 12 minutes after she got Raina out of the vehicle.”   https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/allthemoms/2018/08/24/michigan-mom-said-911-refused-send-help-infant-locked-car-police-apologize/1084104002/

Corporations urge Trump administration not to limit legal immigration. “In particular, the CEOs said they are worried about changes to the review process for H-1B visas for high-skilled workers, expected changes to the rules for spouses of H-1B employees and planned changes to certain deportation rules. Employees who qualify for H-1B jobs often hold degrees in science, tech, engineering or math, and are highly sought after by employers.”   https://money.cnn.com/2018/08/23/news/companies/business-roundtable-immigration/index.html

Trump claims social media firms are ‘silencing millions of people’. “People have to figure out what is real, and what is not, without censorship!”   https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-tech/trump-accuses-social-media-firms-of-silencing-millions-idUSKCN1L917W   Alex Jones? And 1,999,999 others, probably the same people who were photoshopped out of his inauguration ceremony by the ‘fake news’ media.

Republicans introduce Senate bill to protect health insurance of Americans with ‘pre-exisiting conditions’ after lawsuit by ‘red states’ threatens to revoke it. “Senate Republicans said their bill would amend federal law to guarantee the availability of health insurance to all Americans, including those with pre-existing conditions, regardless of the outcome in the federal lawsuit.”   http://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/403459-ten-gop-senators-introduce-bill-aimed-at-preserving-obamacares-pre-existing   Just in time for the mid-term elections!

After claims that ‘millions’ voted illegally in 2016 election, Justice Department charges 19. “The defendants are from numerous countries, including Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Nigeria and Germany.”   http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2018/08/24/19-foreign-nationals-charged-with-illegal-voting-during-2016-election.html

General Mills agrees to remove ‘100% Natural’ from granola bar boxes to settle glyphosate lawsuit. “According to the complaint, tests from an independent laboratory found the amount of glyphosate in Nature Valley products was 0.45 parts per million.”   https://www.usatoday.com/story/money/nation-now/2018/08/24/general-mills-drops-100-percent-natural-nature-valley/1082709002/

Amazon reportedly paying some employees to say good things about the company on Twitter. Often the same good things. “The ‘ambassadors’ have claimed that they do not receive any additional compensation to do PR on social media, but that this is rather one of their duties while at work.”   https://slate.com/technology/2018/08/amazon-is-having-employees-defend-the-company-on-twitter.html

Bernie Sanders to introduce legislation that would require large employers (500+ employees) to pay for poverty benefits for their employees. “For example, if an Amazon employee receives $300 in food stamps, Amazon would be taxed $300.”   https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2018/08/24/thousands-amazon-workers-receive-food-stamps-now-bernie-sanders-wants-amazon-pay-up/

Software developer’s phone and computer seized by Australian border police. “People should have the right to know what information is being collected, for what purpose, who it’s being shared with and why. These powers make a mockery of our right to privacy.”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/25/sydney-airport-seizure-of-phone-and-laptop-alarming-say-privacy-groups

Delaware couple impersonating ICE officers tries to rob Latino woman. “The woman with the badge asked the victim for identification, a green card, and claimed to be an agent with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. She then opened the victim’s passenger door, reached across the passenger’s seat and tried to grab the victim’s wallet.”   https://www.wdel.com/news/georgetown-couple-accused-of-impersonating-ice-agents-in-robbery/article_fdd793b0-0aa6-11e8-8fa1-c7ae9286b59d.html

Robin Leach, host of ‘Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous’, dies at 76. “The show reveled in the conspicuous consumption and excesses that it highlighted, but it also had a populist touch as Leach often interjected a note of disbelief at the over-the-top lifestyles of the subjects he profiled.”   https://variety.com/2018/tv/news/robin-leach-dead-dies-lifestyles-of-the-rich-and-famous-1202916287/   Before Occupy Wall Street and Bernie Sanders hit the big time, there was Robin Leach.

Fox News poll: 58% of Americans would like to see a path to citizenship for illegal aliens, Fox viewers are not amused. “BS we do! More fake news by fox! Absolutely disgraceful and pathetic pathological liars have taken over!”   https://www.rawstory.com/2018/08/trump-fans-melt-fox-news-poll-shows-americans-want-citizenship-undocumented-immigrants/

Ron Paul fan accused of firing homemade shotgun at Minneapolis Federal Reserve. “The video shows Woods testing an experimental gun made from PVC pipe, and cameras showed him on the ramp the day of the bank shooting an hour after his shift ended.”   https://www.rawstory.com/2018/08/ron-paul-fan-opens-fire-federal-reserve-building-shotgun/

TSA officers accused of forcing Muslim traveler to show them the used menstrual pad she was wearing. “Pressured into a private screening and forbidden to call her lawyer, she was led into a private room where TSA officers demanded that she pull down her pants and underwear, she told HuffPost.”   https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/tsa-muslim-woman-bloodied-pad-airport-screening_us_5b7da406e4b07295150f45e5

Germany now enlisting under-age recruits to boost the size of its military. “Recruits under 18 in Germany undergo military training like other adult trainees, but they have special provisions such as not being allowed to participate in guard duty or foreign missions, and weapons are only used for educational purposes.”   https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-germany-military-recruits/german-military-turns-to-under-18s-to-boost-recruitment-idUKKCN1L90OX

Labor organizers apparently arrested in China after police raid, but no one knows for sure where they are. “Police in riot gear stormed an apartment in southern China on Friday where about 40 student activists and others supporting factory workers seeking to form a labour union were staying, according to activists who said they received a video of the raid as it was taking place.”   https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-china-labour-protests/student-activists-disappear-in-southern-china-after-police-raid-idUKKCN1L90XZ

 

August 24, 2018

Security guards who arrested Bayou Bridge pipeline protesters were reportedly off-duty law enforcement officers. “On August 9, the first three arrests under the (‘critical infrastructure’) law were carried out by probation and parole officers with Louisiana’s Department of Public Safety and Corrections moonlighting as security guards for Bayou Bridge pipeline parent company Energy Transfer Partners.”   https://theintercept.com/2018/08/22/recent-arrests-under-new-anti-protest-law-spotlight-risks-that-off-duty-cops-pose-to-pipeline-opponents/

Law enforcement training course links protests against police brutality with terrorism. “The Virginia Department of Criminal Justice Services is offering law enforcement a training called Introduction to Domestic Extremism and Hate Groups on September 5 (a portion of which) will ‘focus on an emerging anti-police climate anchored by numerous protest groups that are routinely encountered by law enforcement in towns and cities small and large’.”   https://rightsanddissent.org/news/are-virginia-police-learning-that-protest-is-a-crime/

Author defends Howard Zinn’s ‘A People’s History of the United States’ after proposed book ban in Indiana. “(Then governor) Daniels referred to ‘Respected scholars and communicators of all ideologies agree that the work of Howard Zinn was irredeemably slanted, and unsuited for teaching to school children’.”   https://www.counterpunch.org/2018/08/22/the-battle-over-history-and-howard-zinn/

Federal judge approves leaker Reality Winner’s plea deal, sentences her to 5 years and 3 months in prison. “Winner, who worked for private contractor Pluribus International, sent classified documents to the online news site The Intercept detailing an attempt by Russian military intelligence to attack U.S. elections, specifically by trying to ‘phish’ more than 100 local election officials.”   https://www.npr.org/2018/08/23/641229886/reality-winner-sentenced-to-5-years-3-months-for-leaking-classified-info   Winner’s harsh detention conditions have reportedly included shackles, repeated strip searches, isolation from the community and a beating by another prisoner. “According to her mother, they tried to break her by forcing her to endure gratuitous strip searches.”   https://shadowproof.com/2018/08/21/reality-winners-sentencing-culmination-effort-break-whistleblowers-spirit/

President Trump claims stock market will probably crash if he’s impeached. “I tell you what, if I ever got impeached, I think the market would crash, I think everybody would be very poor.”   https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2018/08/23/donald-trump-impeachment-fox-news-interview/1071321002/   Rudy Giuliani claims the public would revolt. “President Trump’s lawyer said Thursday that US citizens would stage a revolution against their own government if the commander-in-chief were to be impeached.”   https://nypost.com/2018/08/23/giuliani-predicts-revolt-if-trump-gets-impeached/

President attacks attorney general Sessions, claims he ‘never took control of the Justice Department’. “While I am Attorney General, the actions of the Department of Justice will not be improperly influenced by political considerations.”   https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/23/jeff-sessions-pushes-back-against-trump-actions-of-doj-will-not-be-improperly-influenced-by-political-considerations.html

Critics knock Trump’s pick to lead Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. “Ms. Kraninger has no qualifications for this job. She has no experience in consumer finance, consumer protection or any of the relevant subject matters involved.”   http://www.latimes.com/business/lazarus/la-fi-lazarus-kraninger-cfpb-senate-approval-20180823-story.html

Woman sentenced to one year in prison for falsely accusing two men of rape. “I lost my scholarship, my dream of continuing to play football and now I am in debt $30,000 and I’m simply trying to get ahead as best as I can.”   http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime/ny-news-nikki-yovino-false-rape-allegations-20180823-story.html

St. Louis police officer charged with second-degree assault and armed criminal action after breaking man’s jaw with his flashlight. “Charging documents say (Officer Adam) Feaman struck Jamal White in August 2017 after White emerged from his apartment in the 1500 block of Locust Street to find out why police were having his car towed.”   https://www.stltoday.com/news/local/crime-and-courts/st-louis-police-officer-charged-with-beating-man-with-flashlight/article_5b3e8cad-2f95-502b-88b8-f56f806e4218.html

Balch Springs, Texas officer testifies that he had no choice but to shoot into car of fleeing teenagers, killing one passenger. “He said a vehicle can be considered a deadly weapon, so he was left with no choice but to fire his rifle.”   https://www.nbcnews.com/news/crime-courts/fired-texas-cop-who-killed-boy-testifies-he-had-no-n903341

Neighbor reports mom to cops, child protection agency after she lets her 8 year-old walk the dog. “An investigation was launched and Widen hired an attorney to clear her name.”   https://www.cbsnews.com/news/corey-widen-dorothy-dog-walking-alone-wilmette-illinois/

California Congressman suggested raising retirement age to 72 to pay down national debt. “(Duncan) Hunter, whom the federal government charged Tuesday with using over $250,000 in campaign funds for lavish personal spending, argued that ‘entitlement spending’ on social insurance programs like Social Security and Medicare was driving the country’s ‘debt problem’…. ‘I don’t believe that tax cuts cost the government money’.”   https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/california-duncan-hunter-raising-retirement-age_us_5b7f500ae4b072951511689d

22 children and four women reportedly killed by Saudi coalition airstrike at refugee camp. “(A local journalist) said that 26 women and children had come under attack before boarding a bus in an attempt to flee, but a ‘second Saudi-UAE strike targeted that bus, killing everyone’.”   https://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2018/08/houthis-saudi-uae-air-raids-kill-dozens-including-22-children-180823181946517.html

Deported Nazi concentration camp guard unlikely to face charges in Germany. “Mere membership in the SS or even training in the Trawniki camp is no longer prosecutable under our current law,” Rommel said. “That means we would have to prove, here in Germany, that an individual has either committed a murder on his own or has supported the murders of others through his actions.”   https://edition.cnn.com/2018/08/22/politics/nazi-jakiw-palij-case-germany-intl/index.html   So being an SS concentration camp guard is not ‘supporting the murder of others through his actions’? All you have to do is prove that prisoners were killed while he was a guard, which, in most countries, would make him guilty of being an accessory to murder.

Few Nazis, even members of the Gestapo or SS, were punished after the war. “By 1949, four years after the war, only 300 Nazis were in prison. From an original wanted list of 13 million, just 300 paid anything like a serious price.”   https://www.theguardian.com/world/2008/jul/26/second.world.war   However, as many as 1 million German soldiers were either executed by Russia or died in Russian prison camps.

Human rights groups fear Saudis may behead woman activist. “Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and other groups have said that Israa al-Ghomgham and at least four other activists face execution for participating in 2011 Arab Spring protests in eastern Saudi Arabia’s Shiite heartland.”   https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/rights-groups-warn-saudi-female-activist-face-beheading-57350513

Washington woman reportedly fired after requesting maternity leave. “It’s not a good time to have somebody who is leaving for maternity leave…”   https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kameisha-denton-fired-jersey-mikes-marysville-washington-maternity-leave/

Victoria’s Secret closing 20 of its locations. “That number includes six stores the company has already closed; it has not announced which others it plans to shut down.”   https://www.businessinsider.com/victorias-secret-closing-20-stores-2018-8

Wells Fargo to release 638 mortgage division employees. “Wells Fargo’s layoffs in its home mortgage division come with signs of a slowdown in home sales. The National Realtors Association Wednesday said U.S. home sales in July fell 0.7 percent in July.”   http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/consumer/os-wells-fargo-layoffs-mortgage-division-20180823-story.html

Banks making record profits. “Tax cuts helped drive bank profits to a record $60.2 billion in the second quarter, the FDIC says.”   https://money.cnn.com/2018/08/23/investing/bank-profits-record-fdic/index.html   It’s good to know that at least some people can afford to buy homes!

Reuters poll: 70% of Americans now support national health insurance. “As its progressive wing and a groundswell of new and energetic candidates continues to move the Democratic Party to the left, a new Reuters poll out Thursday shows that support for a key plank of this insurgency—Medicare for All—has hit an all-time high with 70 percent of all Americans now in favor of a such program, including nearly 85 percent of Democrats and a full 52 percent of Republicans.”   https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/08/23/incredible-new-poll-shows-70-americans-support-medicare-all-includes-84-democrats

Two of California’s members of Congress call on Governor Brown to stop future fossil fuel projects. “… Democratic Reps. Barbara Lee and Ro Khanna urged Brown to cease permitting for new oil and gas projects, and to implement a ‘just and equitable transition’ to 100 percent renewable energy that ‘would protect workers, communities, and economies’.”   https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/08/23/reps-barbara-lee-and-ro-khanna-call-gov-jerry-brown-be-bold-and-halt-all-new-fossil   That sounds familiar. Oh, that’s Jill Stein’s Green New Deal, which she’s been pushing for almost a decade!

Bernie Sanders still out-polling Donald Trump by 12 percent. “In a face-off between Sanders and Trump, the senator garnered a 12-point lead, with 44 percent of respondents favoring Sanders, 32 percent who said they would vote to re-elect the president, and 24 percent who didn’t know or had no opinion.”   https://www.commondreams.org/news/2018/08/22/double-digit-margin-poll-shows-sanders-mopping-floor-trump-latest-2020-matchup   Yeah, but Joe Biden will probably be the Dems ‘safe’, centrist nominee. And they will lose again. And blame the Green Party.

1,500 police shootings in LA county since 2000, zero prosecutions of officers. “(District Attorney Jackie) Lacey even declined to file charges when the chief of the LA police department called for the prosecution of one of his own officers.”   https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/aug/24/los-angeles-police-violence-shootings-african-american

Trump says giving criminals reduced sentences for testifying against higher ups ‘almost’ ought to be illegal. “It’s not fair,” Trump said, adding it creates an incentive to “say bad things about somebody … just make up lies.”   http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-donald-trump-michael-cohen-20180823-story.html   I’m sure many drug kingpins and organized crime bosses feel your pain Donald. So unfair.

Senior Congressman on tax committee accused of receiving ‘seven figure’ bank loan while finalizing bank-friendly tax cut bill. “In total, since he was appointed to the Ways and Means Committee in 2010, (Rep. Vern) Buchanan and his companies have received between $17 million and $85 million worth of loans from four lenders.”   https://capitalandmain.com/top-republican-on-tax-subcommittee-received-yacht-loan-from-foreign-bank-lobbying-on-2017-tax-bill-0821

Journalists claim Russian spambots targeted their documentary on Donald Trump. “The Russians did not go after anything we published recently but rather a documentary on Donald Trump that was suppressed in the 1990s and that we published in its entirety in 2016. We don’t know why, but if this is something the Russians want to interfere with, then there is obviously only one thing we can do: Run the entire thing again.”   https://whowhatwhy.org/2018/08/21/we-got-hit-by-a-russian-spambot-attack-heres-what-they-targeted/

White nationalist sentenced to eight years for ‘Unite the Right’ parking garage beating. “Jacob Goodwin, 23, one of three men convicted or pleading guilty to the beating, was sentenced by a Charlottesville Circuit Court judge, WVIR-TV in Charlottesville and others reported.”   https://www.rawstory.com/2018/08/man-sentenced-eight-years-charlottesville-beating/

August 23, 2018

Federal appeals court says government doesn’t have to release additional Abu Ghraib prisoner abuse photos. “After 14 years in court, the federal appeals court agreed with the government that if released the photos could be used as a recruitment tool for the Islamic State group and otherwise harm U.S. personnel abroad.”   https://www.courthousenews.com/us-can-keep-abu-ghraib-photos-in-the-dark/

Los Angeles reaches $1,950,000 settlement with family of homeless man fatally shot by police. “In 2015 three Los Angeles Police Department officers shot Charly Leundeu Keunang five times. He was unarmed and mentally ill.”   https://www.npr.org/2018/08/23/641074093/city-of-la-approves-1-9-million-settlement-to-family-of-homeless-man-killed-by-l

Trump investigation not a witch hunt, but a fishing expedition claims journalist. “Any fishing expedition into Lake Trump, a deep, vast and murky body of water, is bound to catch something.”   https://www.newsweek.com/donald-trump-sean-hannity-call-mueller-investigation-witch-hunt-real-danger-1086244

Man accused of murdering Mollie Tibbetts was employed by prominent Iowa family. “Dane Lang is the son of Craig Lang, the former president of both the Iowa Farm Bureau Federation and the Iowa Board of Regents and a 2018 Republican candidate for state secretary of agriculture.”   https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation-now/2018/08/22/mollie-tibbetts-undocumented-immigrant-suspect/1060204002/

Court blocks North Carolina ballot questions proposed by Republican legislators, says they are misleading and don’t explain that they would limit the power of the governor. “One of the measures would strip the governor of the ability to make appointments to the state elections board and give that power to the legislature…. The panel had a similar issue with the amendment dealing with judicial appointments.”   https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/north-carolina-constitutional-amendments_us_5b7dda38e4b07295150f888e

Former cellmates testify that woman accused of murdering her boyfriend by shooting him six times laughed and joked about it. “Miller said Hubers cackled as she talked in jail about Poston. There was no remorse, (Miller) said.”   https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/crime/crime-and-courts/2018/08/21/shayna-hubers-poston-retrial-witness-trial-testimony-continues-tuesday-campbell-court-zalla/1040029002/

Asia Argento reportedly texted a friend that her 17 year-old accuser ‘jumped her’ and she didn’t realize he was underage, undermining her claim that they did not have sex. “Argento released a statement Tuesday, saying, ‘I have never had any sexual relationship with Bennett’.”   https://www.tmz.com/2018/08/22/asia-argento-17-year-old-boy-in-bed-photo-sex-texts/

Prison labor strike enters third day. “Created in response to a brutal prison brawl that left at least seven inmates dead earlier this year in South Carolina, the 19-day protest involves prisoners conducting labor and hunger strikes, sit-ins and commissary boycotts in at least 17 states, giving it the potential to become one of the largest such rallies in US history.”   https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/08/22/prison-strike-sparks-nationwide-protests/1065723002/

Landing gear on $100,000,000 F-35 fighter (that’s per plane) reportedly collapses. “The pilot returned to Eglin Air Force Base and landed safely. The front nose gear collapsed after the plane was parked, the press release said.”   http://www.nwfdailynews.com/news/20180822/update-f-35-spotted-nose-down-on-runway

White House spokesperson says asking if the President lied about knowing about Cohen’s payoff to Stormy Daniels is ‘ridiculous’. “In April, Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One he did not know Cohen had paid Daniels to prevent her from revealing details of the alleged affair.”   https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/sarah-sanders-on-whether-trump-lied-about-cohen-payment-to-stormy-daniels-thats-a-ridiculous-accusation/2018/08/22/17d21fc2-a63f-11e8-97ce-cc9042272f07_story.html

Trump reportedly launches Twitter missile at South Africa after seeing Fox News story on expropriations of white-owned plantations. “The president’s tweet and his (instructions) to his secretary of state seem to have been prompted by a segment on Fox News on Wednesday night in which host Tucker Carlson discussed the seizures…. 72% (of the land) is in the hands of white farmers, according to the Land Audit Report, despite white people making up just 8% of the country’s population.”   https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2018/aug/23/trump-orders-close-study-of-south-africa-farmer-killings

China denies Buzzfeed journalist a visa renewal after her stories on mass surveillance and detention camps. “After Bloomberg reported in 2012 about the wealth accumulated by the family of Xi Jinping, who became China’s leader a year later, the Foreign Ministry blocked all its applications for new journalist visas. The New York Times also had difficulty obtaining further residency visas for journalists after publishing stories in 2012 about how the family of Wen Jiabao, then premier, grew rich during his leadership.”   https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/23/world/asia/china-buzzfeed-reporter.html

Myanmar’s prime minister Aung San Suu Kyi defends her country’s response to Rohingya crisis in Singapore speech. “The UN has described the Myanmar military’s campaign in Rakhine as ‘textbook ethnic cleansing’, and journalists and human rights groups who have reported from the region have documented widespread rape, killing, and destruction of homes by government troops.”   https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2018/08/myanmar-aung-san-suu-kyi-defends-policies-rohingya-180822060114385.html   But she’s a woman! How is this possible?

Hungary accused of withholding food from asylum seekers who appeal their cases. “Authorities have not only refused to provide food to those asylum-seekers, but also denied them permission to buy their own food and blocked attempts by outside groups to donate food, according to the Hungarian Helsinki Committee, a human rights watchdog group based in Hungary that has provided legal assistance to the asylum-seekers.”   https://www.npr.org/2018/08/22/640849555/hungary-intentionally-denying-food-to-asylum-seekers-watchdog-groups-say

Video of man asking woman to have coffee with him in Egypt sparks intense debate. “The man was speaking in a very polite and respectful way and she, as any Egyptian woman (would), called him a harasser.”   https://www.cbsnews.com/news/video-of-unwanted-advance-divides-egyptians/

As economy ‘booms’ Sears announces it’s closing of 46 more locations. “Sears said in January it was planning to shut more than 100 stores. It then announced another round of roughly 100 store closures in May.”   https://www.cnbc.com/2018/08/23/sears-is-closing-46-more-stores-heres-where-they-are.html

Orchard Supply Hardware to close all of its stores. “It was (originally) a collective created to help farmers survive The Great Depression in the 1930s. Since the 1980s, it has gone through several corporate owners, including Sears, and a bankruptcy.”   https://www.mercurynews.com/2018/08/22/ode-to-orchard-supply-hardware-closures-mean-loss-of-human-connection/

Sales of existing homes fall for fourth month. “The National Association of Realtors said on Wednesday existing home sales fell 0.7 percent to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 5.34 million units last month. July’s drop marked the longest streak of monthly declines since 2013.”   https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-economy-housing/u-s-existing-home-sales-fall-for-fourth-straight-month-idUSKCN1L71I7

 

August 22, 2018

Trump administration was pressured for months to deport Nazi camp guard. “In October 2017, 70 members of the New York State Assembly sent a letter to Attorney General Jeff Sessions demanding Palij’s removal from the U.S. Four months later, every member of the New York State Congress signed a letter to then-Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, urging Palij’s deportation.”   https://www.alternet.org/immigration/ice-has-no-plans-deport-wwii-era-nazi-war-criminal-immigrant

Former Trump attorney Michael Cohen pleads guilty to tax evasion as well as campaign finance violations stemming from attempts to silence President Trump’s former lovers. “He stood up and testified under oath that Donald Trump directed him to commit a crime by making payments to two women for the principal purpose of influencing an election.”   https://www.nytimes.com/2018/08/21/nyregion/michael-cohen-plea-deal-trump.html

Jury finds former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort guilty of tax evasion and bank fraud. “The jury found Manafort guilty of five counts of filing false tax returns on tens of millions of dollars in Ukrainian political consulting income. He was also convicted of failing to report foreign bank accounts in 2012 and of two bank fraud charges that accused him of lying to obtain millions of dollars in loans after his consulting income dried up.”   https://abc7ny.com/politics/paul-manafort-found-guilty-on-8-counts-in-financial-fraud-trial/4021359/   Manafort’s political consulting in the Ukraine was done on behalf of the incumbent, pro-Russia candidate.

Hawaiian soldier to plead guilty to terrorism charges says his attorney, after pledging allegiance to ISIS. “(Erik) Kang, who grew up in Hawaii, enlisted in the Army in December 2001, just months after the Sept. 11 attacks. He served in South Korea from 2002 to 2003. He deployed to Iraq from March 2010 to February 2011 and Afghanistan from July 2013 to April 2014.”   https://www.al.com/news/index.ssf/2018/08/who_is_ikaika_erik_kang_isis_s.html

Mother calls for banning of ‘challenge’ videos on social media after her daughter is hospitalized with severe burns. “Timiyah Landers is currently hospitalized in a Detroit medical center after she tried to take part in the ‘Fire Challenge’…. where a person is drenched with rubbing alcohol and set on fire.”   https://atlantablackstar.com/2018/08/21/a-detroit-mother-calls-for-an-end-to-fire-challenge-after-daughter-is-severely-burned/

Koch group to spend big on Scott Walker re-election ads in Wisconsin. “Americans for Prosperity-Wisconsin on Tuesday announced a $1.8 million television and digital ad buy, unveiling a spot featuring quotes from Evers praising Walker’s most recent education budget in 2017 as ‘pro-kid’.”   https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory/koch-group-spends-18-million-ads-wisconsins-walker-57302583   Could this have anything to do with Walker’s attacks on public sector labor unions?

Bernie Sanders supporter ‘trying to reclaim the American flag from the right’ struck in the head by masked Antifa protester while others tried to take his flag away. “Doctors needed four staples to close a 3-inch gash on the back of (Paul) Welch’s head and he spent at least two days recovering from a concussion.”   http://www.foxnews.com/us/2018/08/21/bernie-sanders-supporter-protesting-right-wing-rally-with-american-flag-beaten-up-by-antifa-video-shows.html

Judge dismisses oligarch libel suit against Christopher Steele, author of the Trump dossier. “The three Russians, who co-founded Russia’s largest private bank, sued for libel, but Judge Anthony Epstein, sitting in the Washington DC superior court, threw out their case. He ruled that the dossier was not knowingly inaccurate, and therefore protected by the First Amendment because he acted ‘in furtherance of the right of advocacy on issues of public interest’.”   https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/08/22/christopher-steele-wins-libel-case-trump-campaign-dossier/

Ancient Kenyan graveyard suggest that complex societies can exist without social hierarchy. “Essentially, all individuals were buried with personal ornaments and the distribution of ornaments was approximately equal throughout the cemetery. These factors indicate a relatively egalitarian society without strong social stratification.”   http://www.foxnews.com/science/2018/08/21/remarkable-graveyard-discovery-5000-year-old-monumental-cemetery-stuns-archaeologists.html

Amnesty International accuses US and EU of violating Arms Trade Treaty. “The Arms Trade Treaty states clearly that arms exports are prohibited if there is a real risk of them contributing to human rights violations. States who continue to supply arms to Saudi Arabia and Israel are therefore brazenly flouting the rules.”   https://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2018/08/untokyo-brazen-treaty-violations-overshadow-arms-control-conference/

Islamophobia grips South Korea after about 550 Yemeni refugees who took advantage of Jeju Island’s visa-free travel status are demonized. “They are saying Muslims are terrorists, sexually abuse and harass people and all this is being shared very openly on social media…. More than 700,000 South Koreans filed an online petition urging the government to stop its visa-free policy for Yemen and send the ‘fake refugees’ back home.”   https://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/islamophobia-driving-anti-refugee-sentiment-korea-180813062317079.html

Police remove two federal air marshals from United Airlines flight at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport after flight attendant reports a man with a gun on the flight. “Protocols for notification of law enforcement presence aboard an aircraft are in place to avoid incidents like this. TSA is working with the airline to determine the specific circumstances in this case.”   http://www.startribune.com/police-mistakenly-apprehend-federal-air-marshal-on-plane-at-msp/491368931/

Judge reportedly sentences KKK leader to four years in prison for firing pistol at 2017 Unite the Right rally. “Preston was charged with shooting a firearm within 1,000 feet (305m) of a school.”   https://www.rawstory.com/2018/08/kkk-figure-sentenced-eight-years-firing-gun-virginia-rally/

Judge declines to dismiss lawsuit against Trump’s bodyguards over 2015 clash with protesters. “Specifically, (Judge) Tapia said that Trump himself ‘authorized and condoned’ his security guards to rough up the protesters, and he specifically cited the president’s statement that ‘maybe they deserved to be roughed up’ on the grounds that ‘it was absolutely disgusting’ what the protesters were doing.”   https://www.rawstory.com/2018/08/new-york-judge-says-trump-authorized-condoned-security-guards-rough-protesters/

August 21, 2018

Louisiana water protectors issue urgent call for more volunteers after being attacked and arrested while protesting. “Water protectors in Louisiana have been crusading against the tail end of the Dakota Access Pipeline, now called the Bayou Bridge Pipeline, which has traversed into the Atchafalaya Basin, which is the nation’s largest river swamp.”   https://newsmaven.io/indiancountrytoday/news/water-protectors-in-louisiana-have-been-crusading-against-the-tail-end-of-the-dakota-access-pipeline-u0v4nJjrxkGoH6OXIJLJGw/

95 year-old Nazi concentration camp guard deported to Germany. “The American public did not become fully aware until the 1970s that thousands of Nazi (functionaries) had gone to the U.S. after World War II. Some estimates say 10,000 may have made the U.S. their home after the war.”   https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jakiw-palij-us-deports-former-nazi-camp-guard-95-war-crimes-suspect-to-germany/

Protesters pull down Confederate statue on the Chapel Hill campus of the University of North Carolina. “A crowd of about 250 students, faculty and local residents carrying banners condemning white supremacy stormed the bronze sculpture, and using ropes, they brought it crashing down from its century-old pedestal.”   https://www.npr.org/2018/08/21/640435962/after-a-year-of-rising-tensions-protesters-tear-down-confederate-statue-on-unc-c

Trump praises Hispanic Border Patrol agent who rescued migrants trapped inside a trailer, then points out that the man ‘speaks perfect English’. “Most politicians would probably hesitate before using a stock line about speaking ‘perfect English’ to refer to a visibly Latino agent with a Spanish surname. They would probably be doubly hesitant about doing this during an event about immigration policy. They would probably be quadruply hesitant about doing this during an event about immigration policy if their immigration agenda was widely criticized as racist toward Latinos.”   https://www.vox.com/2018/8/20/17761426/trump-speaks-perfect-english-cbc-cbp   Many social media users point out that, unfortunately, the ability to speak perfect English does not apply to Trump. “What would this President know about perfect English?”   https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-border-patrol-english-racist-twitter_us_5b7bb159e4b018b93e970b2c

Former White House official claims Donald Trump wants a race war. “When asked whether she thinks that Trump is a racist, Omarosa (Manigault Newman) answered, “Yes, Donald Trump is. I believe that he wants to start a race war in this country.”   https://www.salon.com/2018/08/20/omarosa-tells-rev-al-sharpton-president-donald-trump-is-a-racist-who-wants-to-start-a-race-war/   What would make her believe that? Is it pure conjecture, or something the president said, or something she heard?

ACLU drops its support for bill that would abolish cash bail in California after bill is modified to allow prosecutors to request ‘preventative detention’. “Raj Jayadev, co-founder of Silicon Valley De-Bug, another former co-sponsor of the bill that dropped its support, called SB 10 a ‘bait-and-switch’ that would only worsen those disparities.”   https://www.sacbee.com/news/politics-government/capitol-alert/article217031860.html   SB 10 would base pre-trial release on ‘risk assessments’. “Putting the presumption against release requires that a defendant prove a negative — that he or she is not a flight risk or a danger to the community. The presumption must be the opposite [such as when a suspect is denied bail]: A person should be released unless the prosecutor proves that the person is a flight risk or a significant danger to the community.”   https://www.sacbee.com/opinion/op-ed/article217018990.html

East Point, Georgia police officer accused of detaining 15 year-old for a curfew violation then sexually assaulting her. “… (the family’s lawyer, Thomas) Reynolds said the officer took the girl to the Village of Highlands apartment complex and sexually assaulted her. Reynolds said the officer kept the girl for three hours before bringing her home to her apartment.”   https://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/national/girl-says-georgia-police-officer-sexually-assaulted-her-for-hours/xE2AIFKShqtfHnfOoRUrGK/

Former EPA director Scott Pruitt reportedly used his $43,000 sound-proof phone booth only once to make a call, but may have received other calls. “Pruitt made a five-minute call to President Trump‘s White House on Jan. 29, according to Verizon phone logs released after a lawsuit from environmental advocacy group the Sierra Club.”   http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/402713-records-show-pruitt-used-43000-confidential-phone-booth-to-call-trump

Texas high school bans female students (only) from wearing ‘athletic shorts’, but the ‘Bad Girls’ video used to remind students of this policy appears to include shorts of any kind. “So sad how ONLY girls are shown as the violators. I understand why my school has a dresscode, but what about the boys who wear shorts, or show their shoulders?”   https://www.usatoday.com/story/life/allthemoms/2018/08/20/questionable-school-dress-code-video-goes-viral-principal-apologizes/1043770002/

Fox News guest suggests Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez barred press from town hall meeting to protect local residents who are illegal migrants. “She says that 50 percent of the community are immigrants, but at the same time doesn’t want to let anyone in to meet who these people are, which signals to me that they are actually illegal immigrants and that they are harboring them, and they don’t want the press to expose that they’re here illegally.”   https://www.newsweek.com/fox-news-alexandria-ocasio-cortez-immigrants-1082000

Nabisco removes cages from boxes of Animal Crackers. “Mondelez International, the parent company of Nabisco, has redesigned the packaging of its Barnum’s Animals crackers after relenting to pressure from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.”   http://www.startribune.com/animal-crackers-break-out-of-their-cages/491325761/   Never under-estimate the power of persistence.

Shipping companies exploring Arctic routes as polar ice thins. “Thinning ice could open new paths for global trade, potentially saving companies money compared with longer journeys via more southerly routes.”   https://money.cnn.com/2018/08/21/news/companies/maersk-line-arctic-container/index.html

St. Louis man sues police over shooting death of his son. “The lawsuit alleged that the officers, both of them white, overreacted while chasing Mansur Ball-Bey, 18, on Aug. 19, 2015, when the teen was shot (in the back) and killed. It added that Ball-Bey was not armed, despite police statements in 2015 that he pointed a gun at the two officers.”   https://www.rawstory.com/2018/08/father-sues-st-louis-police-2015-shooting-death-son/